I saw MI3 yesterday in a surprisingly sold-out screening. It was so L.A. that on a lovely Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people filled out a dark theater to see a movie that has been in release for a month. This is the definition of movie town.
Anyway, my friend and I both enjoyed MI3. It is what it is: a taut, fast-paced, suspenseful action movie. There are a few moments which had me turn to my companion and say, "Cool." The gadgets and stunts are great. There is no bad language in the film, or gratuitous sex. The violence is not graphic, although there is a lot of unbloddy violence going on through-out. The movie deserves credit for doing a good job of being what it is: an action picture.
I give the movie a thumbs up as harmless fun popcorn. Sometimes we need that.
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On the way home, my friend and I were talking about our favorite action movies of all time. MI3 won't be on that list, we decided, because it doesn't have enough "lead character enjoyment time." You know, moments where you can just enjoy the personality of the lead hero - Han Solo being boastful, Indiana Jones being scared of snakes, True Lies Arnold setting up his wife, James Bond doing just about anything he does in between killing bad guys. These moments have much more to do with an action film working than does the consistency or probability of the plot.
I was wondering if there has ever been a great action film that doesn't have huge, global stakes. It seems not - like global stakes are part of the essential elements for this genre - but I defer to some of you who know this genre better than I.
But, here are the films I am putting on my list of all time favorite action movies. No particular order here. Do feel free to suggest more in the comments.
BARB'S FAVORITE ACTION MOVIES
1) X2
2) Star Wars: Episodes IV, V, VI
3) Spiderman
4) Raiders of the Lost Ark
5) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
6) The Terminator
7) Terminator 2
8) Where Eagles Dare
9) 007: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Leave me alone! I'd watch Diana Rigg read the phonebook.)
10) 007: Goldeneye
11) True Lies (I know, I know... But the characters were great.)
12) The Adventures of Robin Hood (Yes. The one with Errol.)
13) The Matrix
14) The Great Escape
15) Air Force One
5 comments:
I love Great Escape and your entire list. Action flicks are a fun escape...even in good weather.
Barb, Where Eagles Dare is one of the underappreciated masterpieces of 1960s Big Hollywood. First movie I ever saw in Cinemascope.
Believe it or not, I have the superb soundtrack by ....I want to say Ron Grainer but my memory may be tricking me (he might have done the Prisoner series).
I'm pleased to see Air Force One on there, Barb. It's been getting a bit of backlash in my area of late. Probably part of the "where has the good Wolfgang Petersen gone" syndrome.
The Last Crusade is often pushed under the rug by those who enjoy Raiders. Glad to see you fall into the "having my cake and eating it too" club.
(I'm moving right past the Flynn film. Just gonna pretend I didn't see that.)
What would you think about including Die Hard on the list? I always think of that film when I hear "action film." And what about another Petersen flick: In the Line of Fire?
But I'll pass on all of these just to see Guns of Navarone get mentioned.
Brett Manning :: Singing Success
*If you grapple with trying to hit high notes, have a need for more vocal power, or experience vocal strain, you'll want to read my story here.
I went from blowing an easy "singing telegram" audition... to having a beautiful 5-octave range, all because I discovered the right vocal method.
In a matter of hours, using simple, easy exercises, I was "suddenly free," exploding past my vocal limits, and extending my range by over an octave.
I was the most frustrated singer in the world. I had the desire, but not the ability. I was turned down cold for a "singing telegram" job (I really did blow the audition tune, "Happy Birthday to You"). Then I went on a quest to find a proven method to unleash my voice.
It took years of searching, but my quest eventually paid off. I discovered what turned out to be a kind of secret treasure map to the human voice. Since you're on this site, my guess is that your vocal "life story" might be a little like mine:
Perhaps you've struggled with a limited range, having to flip into "falsetto" all the time, when you reach "the end."
Because of this limitation, you sometimes drift out of tune, especially in the upper registers.
You've tried to belt through to a few higher notes, but have either felt the strain (and pain) and given up, or...
You have persisted and injured your vocal cords, or you are in the process of self-injury...
You've visited a vocal "coach" who has talked more about breathing than about singing, or more about "support" than about sounding better.
And now you may be dissatisfied with your tone as a result of all of these.
On my search, I found that I had a combination of all the above! Are we somewhat alike?...whatever your vocal limitations are, mine were probably worse, but...
Your singing life could change right now
My name is Brett Manning, and thanks to my painful story, I now lead singers out of their vocal difficulties all day long. The good news for you is, you don't have to live with these challenges ever again.
I'm no miracle worker, though my students often joke that I am. That's because I regularly "hand" singers a full octave or more in as little as a couple lessons, and in the process, they lose all vocal strain. So it's no wonder they use words like "magic," and "automatic," when describing my method.
Visit Brett Manning :: Singing Success
I created a fool-proof system that literally "erases" the range limits for 99% of the singers who use it! I've discovered and invented a series of simple, easy exercises that "trick" the voice into working as it was designed to--effortlessly, "shifting gears" as it moves over a wide range of notes.
How wide a range? The normal range of a singer should be AT LEAST 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 octaves. Most of the singers who come to me arrive with about an octave and a half.
Three Things that Changed My Musical Life
Thing #1: On my quest, I took a lot of high-priced voice lessons and saw no real results. I visited countless vocal coaches and, with each voice lesson, I only saw my range AND my bank account shrink.
Some only gave me more "stuff to remember" while I was singing ("Sing from your diaphragm!!", "Picture an egg in the back of your throat!!").
Others taught me to just belt it out as I went higher, until it caused that old familiar strain and then pain. Still others gave me the "proper" way to sing, making me sound like a misfit classical singer. (Classical singing is wonderful, but it wasn't my style at the time.) Sometimes frustration is the mother of invention.
Something had to happen...
Thing #2: I met an "old master" voice coach, nearly 70-years-old. (Imagine a vocal "Yoda," but without the light saber.) In just one singing lesson with this aging pioneer, everything changed.
He made me do some stupid little exercises. And I felt stupid, but I immediately felt the vocal strain "lift off" my voice. I flew past my "break" where I normally had to flip into falsetto--by 7 notes. I immediately booked more voice lessons.
They were super-expensive ($200/hour), but they were worth every penny. These were NOT like any other voice lessons I had ever taken!
Needless to say, I was like a sponge. He had years of experience training some of the nation's most successful pop stars, and he was able to show me singing tips and tricks that were kind of like "insider's secrets" for singers. And my vocal abilities began to skyrocket. (I made rapid progress that I never saw with other voice coaches).
I became a star pupil and a star teacher! I ended up with a 5-OCTAVE VOCAL RANGE!!
Visit Brett Manning :: Singing Success
I also found out I was gifted to teach, diagnose, and "fix" voices like few others on the planet. I invented new voice-training technologies and exercises, and came up with my unique method that lets me guarantee a full octave increase to anyone who uses it! The truth is...
Most of my students eventually out-sing me
Thing #3: In the past 10 years, word has gotten out about my method, and I've had the privilege of training both new singers as well as some of the best professionals in the world. I've worked with recording artists from Capitol, Columbia, Atlantic, Interscope, Dreamworks, Lyric Street, MCA, Epic/Sony, KMG, Word, Embassy, Gotee Records, as well as countless independent record labels.
I've been privileged to work with the casts of the Broadway productions of Les Miserables and Jekyll and Hyde, as well as the Broadway tour of Elton John's Aida.
"Brett, you make me sound so good!"
-Keith Urban
Grammy-nominated
Country Singer, 2005
CMA Male Vocalist
of the Year, 2004 + 2005!
My method is the "secret weapon" used by some of the winners of the world?s most prestigious vocal awards, including the Doves, the CMA Awards, and yes, the Grammies.
Over the years I've taught my students these best-kept secrets, learned from my "Yoda" master (and a few I discovered on my own). And it's been the most fulfilling work I've ever done. They've gotten the results they were looking for. Maybe you're looking too.
Not everyone can afford to work with me personally (My teaching time is very expensive)...and I realized that I would never be able to teach everybody these techniques--it would take multiple lifetimes. I put my method into an instruction program called the
Brett Manning :: Singing Success ?
Systematic Vocal Training Program
In this course, I've revealed:
The one mistake even professional singers make, that drains away 3 times more vocal energy and yields only half the needed vocal power.
How classically-trained singers can get their natural tone back, even after years of "unnatural" teaching.
The 3 simple exercises that allow even a "beginner" to make rapid increases in range (this also eliminates vocal strain).
My secret for "dissolving" your break, so you'll never have to flip into falsetto again, but you'll still sing as high as you want--in full voice.
The "two-edged" technique I perfected for one Grammy winner, that magically added "bite" to her tone and at the same time relieved all her fatigue!
The package includes 12 audio CDs (packed with 17 repeatable lessons, including both technique--the simple, yet powerful exercises, and style lessons for building vocal licks and trills); a workbook for illustration; and a DVD for visual reference and demonstration. It's a complete course, that reveals my entire proven method, step-by-step.
This is over $3000 worth of lesson time with me on these CDs. (I spent over $10,000 with "Yoda" himself, learning the foundations of this breakthrough method). You'll get all the secrets I paid so much to learn and perfect.
We haven't raised our price in several years so you still pay only $199 (for now, at least)
Visit Brett Manning :: Singing Success ?
"Brett has given me the keys to get the most out of my voice."
Mark Kibble, Take 6
10-time Grammy Winner
By the way, you can't lose with my risk-free , ironclad, "coffee-stain resistant" guarantee.
I'll give you 6 full months to try this amazing program.
If it doesn't give you at least an extra octave and the results you're looking for, send it back and I'll refund your full purchase, NO QUESTIONS ASKED! * "Coffee-stain resistant" means that even if you damage it, you can return it if you aren't satisfied!
You'll get all these benefits, and I'll take all the risk.
Don't decide based on just reading about it. Get the program, use it, and see what everyone's talking about. If it doesn't give you the results you want...Send it back for a full, no questions asked refund.
Visit Brett Manning :: Singing Success ?
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