We Have Top Men Working On It Right Now

Thirty years ago on this date, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. As a youth, this was one of my favorite movies. It had two lasting influences upon me. First, it turned my interests towards cinematic soundtracks and classical music. Second, it set me up to become interested in history.

I had heard and appreciated soundtracks previously. I enjoyed the music to Star Wars and the Godfather. The theme music for Jaws and the Exorcist were recognizable to me and gave me chills. But Raiders was the first movie were the concept behind programmatic music mentally clicked for me. I realized that the music was another form of narrative expression.

In regards to my interest in history, I was still a bit too young to take action upon my fascination with the ancient Egyptian themes but they endured in my imagination. About a year later, when I was inspired by Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, to start pursuing my studies into Roman history, my interests soon returned to Egypt and the ancient Near East.

Well, let's get to the vids.

True Love's First Kiss

Theatrical Release Poster

Wow! It's been a decade since the first Shrek movie was released. It had a production budget of $60 million, but earned $42.3 million on the US opening weekend alone. It went on to earn $267.6 million domestic and $484.4 million worldwide, spawning a multi-movie franchise.

Although it came out at a time when I was not going to the cinema, even I ended up seeing it on the Big Screen. Yeah, I had to be dragged out to the theater, but I actually really enjoyed it. The mix of fantasy, humor, and action was just right. And the animation was exquisite.

Sadly, the sequels have been of significantly lower story quality. (Note: I have not yet seen the fourth movie, although I've heard that it is an improvement over the second and third.) Really, heads should roll for creating the giant Gingerbread Man scene of the second movie. Stoooopid!!!!!

Anyways, Dreamworks ain't cryin' over sequel quality. The film franchise has earned $2.9 billion!!!!!

Here's a snip of my favorite scene from the movies:

Here are some links for more Shrek info: Box Office Mojo, Internet Movie Database, and Wikipedia.

Enjoy!!!

Eject, Goose! Eject!

On this date in 1986, Top Gun was released. Starring Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Kelly McGillis, this movie went on to top the Box Office chart for the year, earning $176.7 million domestically. That's HUGE money in '86.

I saw this movie on opening weekend. The flight scenes were mighty cool, but I wasn't big on the movie overall. I never got the big hype over Tom Cruise. And the machismo of this film was just stupid and flat. I'd have enjoyed the movie more if it was just a sequence of awesome flight action. Oh, and Kelly McGillis was definitely a hottie. ;-)

I haven't seen Top Gun since '86. I wonder how I'd feel about it if I watched it today. Was I too young to fully appreciate the plot? Would I find the characterization more compelling twenty-five years later? I'm doubtful on both counts, but it's possible. After all, I hated this song back in the day, but I find it charming now:

Anyways, here are a few links:

Box Office Mojo

IMDb

Wikipedia

Enjoy!!!