Lethal Weapon | pinartarhan.com

Actors’ Pleasantly Surprising Roles feat. Robert De Niro & Mel Gibson

Posted on January 11, 2011 Written by ripitup

This is a sequel to the article Actors’ Pleasantly Surprising Roles feat. Russell Crowe, Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman.

Robert De Niro in Stardust

Robert De Niro is a terrific actor. Everyone knows it. But having been in the business for since the 60s, he has gotten to play a mobster, a psycho or a cop once too often. He does them all well but you start to think even he has fallen into a pattern. He is good but you think over the years, you know what to expect. You think he doesn’t have any surprises left. Great performances and good movies, yes. Surprises? Not so much. That’s until you see Stardust where he plays a masculine captain of a lightning catching ship. Nope, he hasn’t played that one before. But it is not just the occupation that’s unique but also the character. Masculine, tough and ruthless towards his men. Sweet, caring, homely to his guests. And totally feminine when left on his own. Amazing. Stardust is an overall great film experience but Robert’s character is by far the best in the movie. Hats off to De Niro. May he surprise and entertain us so much again.

Mel Gibson in What Women Want

Mel Gibson has played his first remarkable lead role in Mad Max, in 1979. Mad Max went to become a cult series. Now, he played a cop there. The story line is completely different in Lethal Weapon of course. But Lethal Weapon also became extremely popular and the 4^th movie was made. His character’s occupation? Also a cop. Again the genre and the plot is different but he was a cop in his 2010 movie Edge of Darkness. It is not to say he didn’t play an ex-criminal in FBI’S Witness Protection Program (Bird on a Wire), a drug dealer trying to leave his business (Tequila Sunrise) or a man with a low IQ (Tim). He is also no stranger to comedy but…let’s face it we have never seen him like we did in What Women Want where he plays a hotshot advertising executive who is well, a man’s man and a woman’s dream…unless you are working with him or well you are his daughter or if you are trying to be in a relationship with him. But then something really weird happens. You can check out the plot here. Here I will talk about what his new creative director tells him to do. He needs to come up with advertising ideas for feminine products such as tampons, make-up stuff, pantyhose and well… waxing equipment. Since his imagination doesn’t take him anywhere, he decides to try these stuff… This actor tried anything from a kilt to a western outfit.

The movie is one hell of a romantic comedy that doesn’t get romantic for a while. And yes, I believe you have never seen him in a bra and wearing mascara before this flick.

Can Vampires Suck Rock? : Pre-review of the Twilight Spoof Vampires Suck

Posted on July 24, 2010 Written by ripitup

Vampires Suck- the Twilight spoof movie — Will Vampires Suck rock or suck?We will all see. Image via divxplanet.com

It was about time someone spoofed the Twilight movies. I actually like the series, but you know Hollywood loves creating spoofs of whatever is the hit movie of the time. Have you ever seen Emilio Estevez in Loaded Weapon? Please check it out – especially if you have seen or heard of Basic Instinct, Lethal Weapon series and any Clint Eastwood action/western. In fact, I watched Loaded Weapon before I saw Lethal Weapon and loved how funny was. I saw Lethal Weapon afterwards and it is now one of my favorite series of all times.

Another two great spoofs I have seen are not movies but Saturday Night Live stunts: One of 300 and one of Braveheart- both starring Gerard Butler. Given that Gerard Butler starred in the original 300 movie and is spoofing his own character and that he is a Scot make both spoofs even more hilarious. And I never thought I would enjoy something that makes fun of Braveheart as it is my favorite movie. But when something is funny as hell, you got to give its due.

So a good spoof is fun to watch, regardless of how you feel about the original. I am actually a fan of the Twilight series. I accept and enjoy the saga for what it is: an absolute female romantic fantasy with some action thrown in.

But even the title of this spoof- Vampires Suck- made me laugh so I checked out its trailer and laughed out loud. Vampires Suck is a brilliant title from whatever meaning you look at it- and the trailer is very funny. They have made fun of the plot, the way the actors are (under)dressed, the villains, the good guys and everything else. And I simply adored the delivery guy, Black Eyed Peas and the contract jokes. The movie is supposed to come out in August and the lead vampire’s name is Edward Sullen. Enjoy.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHkPJ1ACLrg&feature=related[/pro-player]

Here’s the trailer’s link, in case the video doesn’t work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHkPJ1ACLrg&feature=related

But if you want trivia and reviews on the actual Twilight Saga- this is the ultimate link:

The Ultimate Twilight Movies and Cast Resources: 15 Posts on The Twilight Saga

Mel Gibson Top 10: The Mel Gibson Movies that prove he can act, direct and entertain better than anyone

Posted on January 2, 2010 Written by ripitup

1) BRAVEHEART (1995)

Mel Gibson's Braveheart — A beautiful movie in every way.

It is captivating, full of action and battle, uses just the right amount of humor to lighten the mood, a great love story, perfect cinematography, 5 Oscars including Best Director and Best Film, effective acting…

Mel starred, directed and produced. It is purely humane. Some scenes still haunt me. If you have seen the movie, you know which ones.

If you need more reasons to see this one, check out my Braveheart review

2) The Man Without a Face (1993)

Mel Gibson's The Man Without A Face — Mel Gibson’s directorial debut The Man Without A Face

Mel Gibson’s lesser known and much under-appreciated directorial debut. It is plain, straight to the point and has a beautiful story. A young boy from a dysfunctional family- Chuck- finds true friendship and a fatherly role model when he meets Justin McCloud. Justin’s face is severely disfigured due to a tragic accident that burned one half of his entire body. The town people consider him a freak, and well it is the perfect past time activity to gossip about him in a small town full of small-minded people. Chuck used to join the jokes about ( and fear of) McCloud until he meets him by accident. Justin is an ex teacher, very fond of his privacy. He stays away from people and has found peace that way. Chuck proves he is worthy of his time and they start studying. Chuck keeps his friendship secret for as long as he can. But when the word gets out, all of the rumors behind Justin’s background and how the accident happened…The town gets a perfect chance to publicly judge Justin. After all, if he has had such a horrible accident, he surely must have been guilty of something equally “horrendous”..like making a pass at one of his former male students???

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLQ0sr25oHY&feature=related[/pro-player]

It is a beautiful tale of love,loyalty, prejudice, friendship and mentorship. Mel’s performance is great and I don’t honestly know why some think he is not a good actor. If you think he got so popular because of his crazy actions off camera or his former good looks, this movie will prove you wrong. See it.

3) Ransom (1996)

Ransom stars Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo and Liev Schreiber.

Maybe I should have put Lethal Weapon here but I put more effective performances over his more entertaining ones. It is one thing to be able to engage people through comedy and action, and it is a different story to get under their skin& make sure they have a good time through a powerful action/drama. And Ransom is just that. It must be one of the best remakes ever. Mel was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe with his performance as Tom Mullen

Tom Mullen is a multi-billionaire. Sure, he has done some “shady” stuff for his business, but basically he is a good guy who loves his wife and son. When his son is kidnapped, Mullen is devastated. The whole thing is a media frenzy. The kidnappers’ leader is a cop and he actually has no intention of letting the boy go. When the first rescue attempt goes awry, Tom enforces a radical idea. Instead of paying the 2 million dollars to the kidnappers, he will pay 4 to whoever catches them. This causes panic and angry reactions from his wife. There are two alternatives: Either Tom’s idea will work. Or his boy will die because of him. How will a father survive if the latter happens?

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mebIhXK8srA[/pro-player]

It is haunting and strong.It helps that the baddies include Gary Sinise and Liev Schreiber. Mel Gibson and Rene Russo always make a great on screen couple. This is a very solid film.

4) Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon with Mel Gibson — Funny, exciting and damn entertaining! If Mad Max put Gibson on the map, Lethal Weapon made him a star.

Watch the classic scene:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOqpoie1iuc[/pro-player]

What else? I watch them over and over again and still enjoy the comedic chemistry between Riggs and Murtaugh. They couldn’t be more opposite but yet they are both great cops who eventually develop great friendships. Riggs is crazy. Or maybe he just pretends to be because he feels like he has nothing to lose. He has lost his wife that he loves dearly and being on the edge makes him a dangerously good cop but maybe not such great partner. After all, Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is a traditional, serious fellow with a big family. Hilarious, action-packed. The series have 4 movies. Though I love all of them, I favor 1 and 3 more. Frankly, I’d have gone to see a 5th, had director Donner decided to collabrate with Gibson and Glover again.

5) Conspiracy Theory

Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts in Conspriacy Theory — One of Mel Gibson’s craziest and best roles

It might be cheating to count Lethal Weapon as 1 movie but how else was I supposed to choose 10 out of mostly solid over 30 leading roles.

(When you take out his TV-show and very early and very late movies he is barely in, there is still a list of good movies to choose from).

I love the script!! The script is original, the production is great, lead character Jerry is hilarious and very well-acted. Taxi-driver Jerry (Gibson) is in love with lawyer Alice (Roberts) who thinks Jerry is just an adorable lunatic. While Jerry wouldn’t consider himself the most stable person, his paranoid actions are actually not without a cause…

The movie includes a scary government conspiracy, solid action scenes, a quirky anti-hero and his love interest not being able to decide who the actual good guys are…

Entertainment at its best. Watch the first scene to give you a taste.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwKMxwKQjR4[/pro-player]

6) What Women Want

This is Mel’s only romantic comedy. I wish he would do more. This movie made me fan of writer/director Nancy Meyers. She has gone on to write lovely stories (Somethings got to give, The Holiday), but she never got to top this one.

Nick is at best a cute but chauvinistic guy. He is a man’s man. Although he is successful with women, he has no clue what they actually want and he doesn’t really care. He is on good terms with his ex wife but his teenage daughter despises him. Then three life-changing events happen:

1) His “much deserved” promotion goes to a female called Darcy who was just hired.

2) His daughter comes to live with him for a couple of weeks

3) He has a funny accident that results in him being able to hear what women think.
At first it seems like a nightmare but then he starts taking advantage of the situation both romantically and professionally. However things get very complicated for him when he actually starts to fall for Darcy…

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjBr03tX14s[/pro-player]

Nick eventually becomes a better man/dad but his journey is just wonderfully funny. This is a romantic comedy guys would love too.

7) Tim (1979)

Mel Gibson in Tim — Mel Gibson plays the lead character Tim.

People especially love discussing an actor’s accent. Well, do me a favor and spare your criticism for Mel’s. He has been quite often mistaken as an Australian. He has lived in Australia for about 10-15 years; from the age of 12 to his mid 20s. So, his accent is really…well…natural.

And if we are going to discuss whether he is diverse or not, I am going to say he is. Sure, he loves playing “crazy” characters with a wicked sense of humor (Lethal Weapon) or the heroic guy who is forced to go to extreme measure’s to avenge/ save a loved one (Braveheart, Ransom, The Patriot…), Tim is nothing like that.

Mel plays Tim- a nice and naive half-witted guy He lives with his parents and even though he is in his mid-20s, he is mostly like a kid. His parents and sisters are used to taking care of him and controlling his life. After all, there are many people who just love to make fun/take advantage of the less fortunate, right? However their lives change when Tim meets Mary (Piper Laurie). She is an older, successful businesswoman who comes to her house for vacation. At first, she hires him to the odd jobs around the house but as she gets to know him, she realizes that he was never given the chance to reach his potential and stand on his feet, not even by his parents. As the two become friends, his father is quite happy that Tim knows such a kind person. His sister, however prefers to see Mary more like a middle-aged pervert. But then again, Tim is not a kid. He is a 25- year-old “boy” falling for his new friend. And Mary starts falling for him too…

Academy loves Forrest Gump but you will be missing a lot if you don’t see Tim. Apart from the innocence/intelligence level of the characters, the two films almost have nothing in common.

Give Tim a chance.

8 ) Forever Young (1992)

Mel Gibson in Forever Young — From 1939 to 1992…The movie tells one hell of a journey. Only for Daniel (Gibson), it feels like a day!

As far as romance movies go, this is one of the more special ones. First of all, the leading actress is NOT who the male lead has fallen for. Second, the story is a good combination of sci-fi, humor, romance and friendship. Third, the writer is J.J Abrams. You know- the guy who created “Lost” and “Alias”

To read a more detailed review and to watch some scenes from Forever Young

In short, Gibson plays the Pilot Daniel in love with his childhood sweetheart. When she goes into a coma, he is devastated. He enlists the help of his scientist friend. He asks to be the subject of his latest experiment where the living are to be frozen and put to sleep; only to wake up perfectly healthy at the exact “age” they went to sleep. His friend gives in to Daniel’s desperation. But when Danny wakes up, it is 1992, everyone he knows is dead and his only ally is the kid (Elijah Wood) who accidentally woke him up…

Lovely film.

9) Tequila Sunrise (1988)

Mel Gibson, Tequila Sunrise — Mel, Michelle and Kurt make one hell of a team. And a love triangle…

Tequila Sunrise is a fun action/romance that perfectly represents the end of the 80s and what’s to come in the 90s. And sometimes, all you want is a good action film with a cast you like. How do you feel about Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, Michelle Pfeiffer and Raul Julia? Plus, it is fun when Mel is not the cop for a change…

Mac (Gibson) is a drug dealer; trying to quit. He is not your typical “baddie”. He is a divorced parent of a son he adores, and very much in love with the owner of the restaurant ((Jo Ann- played by Pfeiffer) he frequents. Jo Ann is not aware of Mac’s feelings and she doesn’t know about his “business”. But cops are dying to bust Mac and it is not helping matters that the cop assigned to the case is Nick (Russell), Mac’s ex- best friend.

Well, Nick doesn’t really want Mac behind bars but he has a job to do. He needs to find out if Jo Ann is involved and it is not helping matters that he is incredibly attracted to her…

– Love triangle between 3 beautiful people? – Check

– Action, complications, drugs? – Check

– Gray Characters where most are neither purely good nor evil? – Check

Interesting, enjoyable and sexy. Yes, it is sexy. And its plot is much better than most action films out there.

10) Mad Max (1979)

I am not the biggest fan of civilization-has-gone-to-hell sort of films. You know: bikers rule the city, crime rate has hit the ceiling, heroic cops can’t really prevent disaster…But Mad Max is a cult classic that deserves to be one.This is his first major role and it put him on the map. It is because of Mad Max and its all Australian cast (except for Mel) that there are people who believe Mel is an Australian.

The story is very simple, baddies are crazy and annoying enough and it is so easy to like and empathize with Max. He was a doting young husband/father and when the “gang” came after him and his family.When he fails to protect them, well…it is just turns into a search for vengeance at full speed.

It helps that Mel is so innocent-looking and terribly young here. Yes, folks there was a time when Mel Gibson wasn’t middle-aged. He is not even handsome but very beautiful. See the movie and you will know what I mean.

Again, I am cheating. Mad Max is a trilogy although the 4th without Mel’s lead (although with his participation) is in the works. The first is my favorite. It is just…It feels more pure.

All My Other Posts on Mel

Edge of Darkness

All About Mel: A Fun Yet Fair Mel Gibson Tribute

Golden Globes Highlights – Ricky Gervais

Top 10 Mel Gibson Movies

11 Great Mel Gibson Films You Should Consider Watching

Mel Gibson: what in the world happened to you?

Timeline starring Paul Walker, Gerard Butler & Frances O’Connor

Posted on November 18, 2009 Written by ripitup

Timeline with Paul Walker and Gerard Butler

I am not much of a history fan and I haven’t been that fond of archeology either. But I just love the idea of time travel. It is great to get your imagination juices flowing and wonder what your life could have been like in the past and of course you can always fantasize about the future. It is always fun to join in on another person’s imagination and share the ride, whether the concept is presented through a DeLorean (Back to the Future) or another form of time machine (referred as a human fax machine in Timeline). I have quite a fascination with this genre. Now I haven’t read Michael Crichton’s novel but I plan to. Naturally, not all the readers of the novel are pleased with this movie adaption but I don’t really care at this point. If you like entertainment, this movie provides it. The cast is impressive enough with Paul Walker and Gerard Butler, along with Billy Connolly in a supporting role. Some parts of the script may defy logic but then again, what is that logical about time travel in the first place?

The movie revolves around a group of archeleogy enthusiasts: Kate (Frances O’Connor), Andre (Gerard Butller), Josh (Ethan Embry) and François) and Chris (Paul Walker), who is much more interested in Kate than the science itself. The group is run by Chris’ father Professor Johnston (Connolly) who mysteriously disappears one day, leaving a note that asks for help. The strange thing about the note is that it has been written in the 14th century.

All the scientific tests prove this to be true, to all of their amazement. When they dig deeper, they find out that Johnston is working with a technology company, which has been funding his studies. They also find out that the company has invented a time travel machine and that the professor is indeed in the 14th century. Of course he is in trouble.

The company sends one of its employees to oversee the mission and the friends volunteer, apart from Josh. They don’t take any weapons or any other modern thing. They dress accordingly& take the medallions that are supposed to bring them back. The company guy takes two of him men and together they embark a bizarre journey. Of course it could have been a painless trip with beautiful scenery and a real-life study but they actually find themselves right in the middle of the on-going war between England and France: They run from English soldiers and eventually get captured. To make matters more compicated, they have met a French girl who warned them about the attack, adding one to the list of the people whose backs they have to watch and it is not very safe to travel around the English-invaded lands with a Frenchman…

Of course I have more than enough reasons to like the movie:

– Gerard Butler is one of my fav. actors and he is one of the leads.

– Director Richard Donner knows how to satisfy his audience. Do you want me to remind me of his other stuff? Does the Lethal Weapon series ring a bell? Or Conspiracy Theory?

– -Paul Walker always makes entertaining movies. Sometimes it has substance and originality (The Lazarus Project) or just lots of speed and adrenaline (Fast and Furious saga) but the result is you have fun. And yes, if you are a girl, it never hurts to have Butler and Walker playing the major roles. Plus, not only the men are cute and strong but they also play romantic and sweet roles.

– And boys, if you like girls pretty and petite, then you have Anna Friel (Lady Claire) and Frances O’ Connor (Kate).

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja-DSzxhRIo&feature=related[/pro-player]

All in all, Timeline is not going to play mind games with you. You are not going to question life or death. But it is a lovely combination of the modern and period piece. It has the 21st century and the 14th. It will put a smile on your face. Timeline is one of the movies I wish I could have been a part of; whether being behind or in front of the camera, not because artistically brilliant. But because it is definitely one of those movies where you can tell the whole crew had a blast makingit. If you want unexpected twists, character analysis and sophistication, do by all means stay away from this movie.