Stand By Me

      To finally have all of those questions answered after so many years! Way back in 1986 I watched this little coming of age movie starring some amazing up and coming actors. It has been a favorite of mine ever since.  Stand By Me (1986) will always have a soft spot in my heart.  I can’t explain why. It's probably one of those movies that planted the seed for my love of movies in general.  I just love it!

     There are a lot of people that don’t realize that Stand by Me is a Stephen King movie.  It is based on a short story entitled The Body. Stephen King wanted to write a story compiling events that happened to him and his friends, and what it was like for him growing up. So, which parts actually happened to Stephen King and which are made up? The leeches are true; the milk money story is true. Stephen King was the good kid that they trusted. A lot of it is true and the feeling of being 12 in 1959 is all true.

    Since this movie came out in 1986 I am guessing you watched it years ago or have never even heard of it. If you are going to watch it, whether for the first time or just the first time in years, watch the special features. There is an  exclusive featurette called “walking the tracks the summer of stand by me”. It was so good! I absolutely loved it and that is where I got the answers to all of my questions.  It is so different from what we think is typical Stephen King for one thing.  I mean not all of his works are horror. The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption aren’t horror either. I always wondered where the story of Stand By Me came from, and if it was somewhat autobiographical.

     Another question I always had was about Gordy’s hat.  There is a scene in which the hat Gordy’s brother gave him is taken by the bullies. He never gets it back and it seems to be forgotten about. Why?  Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Toy Soldiers, Leverage, The Big Bang Theory) who plays Gordy, asked the director about that. He was told that the bully threw it away as soon as he walked around the corner. The hat scene is mainly used to push Wil’s character forward to the final scene. Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys, Young Guns, The Sentinel, Phone Booth) plays Ace Merrill, the leader of the gang of bullies. It was one of his first roles and I have been a fan of his ever since. When he talked about stealing the hat he wanted to put it on. He was told no he couldn’t, “you wouldn’t care that much and you would never mess up your hair that way.” Rob told him.

     I should mention that the director of Stand by Me is the famous Rob Reiner (All in the Family, Bullets Over Broadway, The Story of Us, The Bucket List) He is amazing! He is what they like to call an actors director. He has done it all, actor, director, writer and producer. In the featurette he talks about casting the boys for this film. “when you are casting 12 or 13 year old boys you need to stay close to who they really are. They don’t have the craft at that age to go far beyond that.” That shows how gifted he is that he would know that and then could find such talented boys to fill those roles. It is so well cast. Because they were so young it was kind of a first for some of them.

   Jerry O’Connel (Jerry Maguire, Scream 2, Sliders, Obsessed) was one who had never acted before. He had only done one commercial. He said that Stand by Me was the first film he made that he felt was a reflection of him or an extension of himself and a  coming of age for him. Wil Wheaton pretty much felt the same. I adored Jerry and have liked watching him grow and evolve.  I am a fan but I don’t really like the movies he does or the acting choices he makes. Tom Cats (2001) ughh! Need I say more?

   I could go on and on, obviously, about how much I enjoy this movie and how much I loved the featurette. The featurette even made me cry at the end.  It had a beautiful tribute to River Phoenix (My Own Private Idaho, Running On Empty, Sneakers, Little Nikita) whom I absolutely love.

Rock of Ages

    Wow! I am not sure if that is a good wow or a bad wow.  There where a lot of things I really liked about Rock of Ages (2012) but, there where also a lot of things that I really didn’t like, at all!  The music is great, I really enjoyed it! As a child of the '80s of course I loved the music. The stars did their own singing and I was impressed. Tom Cruise (Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, Minority Report, Knight and Day) actually did a pretty good Bon Jovi cover.  I am very biased when it comes to anyone singing Bon Jovi, but Tom Cruise wasn’t that bad. Diego Boneta (Pretty Little Liars, Mean Girls 2, 90210) was great as the nervous, shy, up and coming new rock star. He was adorable. The cast did a great job and I loved the acting and all of the singing.

    So, that being said why didn’t I like it? Rock of Ages is a rock Broadway musical using classic rock hits from the ‘80s. It opened in L.A. in 2005. It is more light hearted and comedic than a lot of what you would see on Broadway.  That is kind of what bothered me to be honest. I am not a prude or anything don't get me wrong. The movie is about sex and rock and roll though.  That isn't what bothered me.  What bothered me was how it was handled. The kissing scenes where so bizarre and over the top ridiculous that is made me want to gag. It was really ridiculous. I know I know ……. I just made  a lot of people very upset.  That is just how I felt.  I liked the story line, it was fun and the way they make the music fit the story is great.  However, I think I will buy the soundtrack and just listen to it.  I don’t think I want to watch it again.

The Lucky One

     Oh shoot! I shouldn’t have watched that movie! Ughhh! …. Wait for it! …… here it comes…. I liked Zac Efron (New Year’s Eve, The Paperboy, The Lorax) in it. I know! How could I? That is exactly what I asked myself.  I read The Lucky One (2012) back in 2008 when it first came out. I absolutely loved it! Yes I am a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks.  I have to say though that I like his books more than his movies, as a matter of fact I have never read the books that his more popular movies are adapted from. Examples, I have never read Dear John, A Walk to Remember or Message in a Bottle. I have read tons that haven’t been made into movies though.  Some of them are now in that transition.  I am very excited for Safe Haven (2013) another wonderful book and the movie looks promising.

   The movie does fall short of the book. The sheriff is a lot creepier and more of a sleaze in the book. There is one scene in particular that shows what a creep he really is and it was completely left out of the movie. Logan is way more awesome in the book! I really liked him. He was so suave and tough. That was my worry with Zac Efron. Logan is a Marine who served in Iraq. He is on leave and decides to start walking.  I don’t want to spoil anything, which is why I am leaving out details. Anyway, he has walked from Colorado to Louisiana. One of my favorite lines is when Beth asks Logan, “What kind of person drives from Colorado to Louisiana to work in a dog kennel?” To which he replies “I wouldn’t know I walked”.  So, the question then becomes can Zac play a tough, suave Marine that would walk across the country just to meet the woman that saved his life? The answer, he wasn’t perfect but he did pull it off.  He wasn’t too bad.

      On the other hand Blythe Danner (The Prince of Tides, To Wong Foo, The Proposition, The Lightkeepers) was perfect as Ellie, Beth’s grandmother. The grandmother was one of my favorite characters in the book. She is so funny and quirky. I just love her. She was wonderful in the movie as well.  Just like I had pictured her.

     The movie was entertaining and I did enjoy it. However, as usually happens, the book is way better. So, in the end, the movie just made me want to go back and reread the book.