Ask 411 Movies for 1.28.08: The Column that is Gem Mint Ten!
Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 01.28.2008
3:10 to Yuma, Terminator, Family Matters, longest running shows and why you shouldn’t play with katana swords
I did see Rambo in the theaters. I'm starting my new job this week and I'm not sure what I can and can't talk about yet here. There is a bit of an exclusivity thing. Next week I'll know more and I'll post links to my newspaper website if I have reviews up.
It was almost impossible not hear on the passing of Heath Ledger last week. He was only 28. A drug overdose is the supposed cause, but nothing concrete has yet to be determined. Until that time I will not past judgment and this statement is just me acknowledging his passing. My condolences to his family and friends, as they are to anyone who loses a loved one by any means.
NETFLIX MOVIE OF THE WEEK: 3:10 TO YUMA
I love westerns, so it's good when one can gain some mainstream buzz and exposure. I thought it was pretty pedestrian until the finale. Not only was it well choreographed and shot, but the character arcs of Ben Wade and Dan were very nicely completed. It's at this point that you realize how subtly they were built throughout the film. Of course, having Christian Bale and Russell Crowe in those parts really helped. Crowe was such a supreme bad ass in the movie, but you can also see how carefully he's playing the part and how thoughtful his acting choices were. This was asked in the column awhile back, but I would peg this as a good movie that was made great by the ending. I certainly don't think it's as psychological or deep as something like Unforgiven, but it's a good commercial western for this period. It's also a great film for a remake, because the original isn't some seminal classic yet it has a great central plot.
As we continue looking at informercials, we have a clip of a salesman that cuts himself with a katana sword. It's probably not the first time "a piece of the tip" just got him.
Q: I'm kinda surprised you didn't put Family Matters on your list since I remember you practically having a stroke when someone mentioned you doing Retro Reviews of that.
-JLAJRC
A: This would be on my list of bad shows from last week. I was going after short lived shows specifically. Of long running show, "Family Matters" would probably on my list of worst series. "Full House" too. Actually most of the ABC TGIF lineup would make my list. I did dig "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," because the chicks were hot. Even the aunts.
Q: If you're looking to fill space, I'd love for someone to explain the logic behind the Terminator series, especially now that the new TV series is out. Two main questions: Did John Connor mention in T3 his apparently never-ending run-ins with Terminators of all shapes and sizes? And just for the sake of it, if the machines in the future fail the first go around, why not send another Terminator back to the same moment in time and keep trying until something works?
-Derek
A: As mentioned in the comments section last week by Chris is that the new "Sarah Connor Chronicles" series is set in an alternate reality separate from Terminator 3, yet after the events of Terminator 2. A Terminator 4 is also in the planning stages that would follow Terminator 3 and not be in continuity with the series. However, executive producer James Middleton said that there would be a link between the series and the new movie. In the new film Christian Bale would play a 30 year old John Connor around 2014. A new character named Marcus would be introduced who would possibly continue on the series into a new future set trilogy.
It's been loosely mentioned in the films that time travel in the future is possible, but not perfected. Hence why people arrive in the past naked and not always in the exact location they need. It is also hard to pinpoint exact moments of time. There are also not time machines on every corner, so there is limited access to them. I'll skip pictures of Arnie or metal mushes. Gander on Lena Headey as the new Sarah Connor instead.
Q: Hey Leonard,
It's pretty common knowledge that Gunsmoke is the longest running primetime scripted program, The Simpsons is the longest running primetime cartoon program and 60 minutes is the longest running primetime unscripted program.
However, what about show that has been in running in reruns the longest (I'm guessing I Love Lucy)?
longest running sitcom in history?
longest running soap opera in history?
longest run in a movie theater in history (I'm guessing Rocky Horror)?
longest running show in history?
-David
A: The longest running soap opera in history is "The Guiding Light", which is still on the air after 56 years. It's actually been an entity longer than that as the series started on radio in 1937. So, it's been around for 71 years total. "General Hospital" has been on for 45 years and "Days of Our Lives" for 42 years.
The longest running scripted live action sitcom was "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" that ran for 14 seasons on ABC from 1952 to 1966. "The Jack Benny Program" ran for 15 seasons on CBS and NBC, but it didn't air weekly and it didn't necessarily adhere to the traditional sitcom format.
And just to mentionm the longest television show ever is "Meet the Press," which has been on for 61 years.
By show, I assume you mean Broadway show. The longest Broadway show is "Phantom of the Opera" with 7486 performances. It surpassed "Cats" on January 9th 2006.
You are correct in guessing that The Rocky Horror Picture is the longest running theatrical film in history as distributor 20th Century Fox has never officially pulled the film from theatrical distribution since it's debut in 1975. Some individual theaters have even shown the movie on a regular basis for a couple decades.
The longest running syndicated only series of all time is the religious program "Hour of Power." It's been on for 38 years. Second place in that is "Soul Train" with 35 years on the air. For reruns, or second run syndication, the numbers are not exactly kept. However, it would seem that "I Love Lucy" would be the winner there. It has been on air in the Los Angeles area for nearly 50 years on various networks. It is also one of the few shows that are aired on various networks, including cable and local affiliates, at the same time.
Heath Ledger will most likely be found to have had a condition that was exacerbated by the (reportedly) 3 meds that he was taking to treat his anxiety, insomnia and depression. my guess is that when all is said and done, this will be a tragic mix of three pills that should never have been mixed. assuming that reports were correct and he was found 'surrounded' by pills then this would mean that the initial screening for drugs would have found elevated levels had he been abusing them. in the end, and until i am told otherwise, Heath Ledger's death is probably accidental.
Posted By: Darth Mortis (Guest) on January 28, 2008 at 01:59 AM
um you think the tgif lineups were bad? ok then you must have not grown up in the 90's. what is wrong with you staff writers on here? family matters is one dvd i will love to buy if it is released.
Posted By: Johnny (Guest) on January 28, 2008 at 02:41 AM
yeah, i agree...family matters is awesome...i'm lucky they have reruns where i live...
Posted By: timepants (Guest) on January 28, 2008 at 03:37 AM
I just recently re-watched T3 and there is nothing in there that ruins the new show. So the idea that the new show exists in a "alternate" reality, isn't really true. He never says "Yeah I fought a bunch of Terminators and I had a chick help me..." but there also isn't anything that says "I've never seen another Terminator since then"... In fact the only thing it really says is that "They tried to kill me before I was born, they tried to kill me when I was 13" but that's about it. So actually, they could and probably do exist in the same timeline.
Posted By: About Terminator... (Guest) on January 28, 2008 at 03:41 AM
Not unless they go back to their original time at the end of the series. Oh and I always love it when the crap hocked on those shop at home channels programs shows everyone just how big of a piece of crap their "products" are. If that buy believes in God, that was God's giving that guy any everyone else a sign.
Darth Mortis, those three mixed together wouldn't have any deadly side effects and the police have already stated that the pills were NOT strung around the bed as the asshats at Total Moron Zone "reported". The police have also said that the bottles that were by the bed had their caps on them and were still nearly full. If his being sick with either the flu or pneumonia turned out to be true then there is a chance that maybe the sleeping drug made his ability to breathe even worse than it already would have been, his reported snoring from the house keeper (if she actually heard him snore, there's now mixed info on that) could have been a sign that his breathing was becoming more restricted. Being knocked out by the drug would have made him pretty much unable to wake up. Buuut, still no one will know until the results are back later this week for toxicology and tissue screening to come back. But it's almost certain that he didn't over dose on sleeping pills unless maybe he drank alcohol at around the same time, but that would take a total idiot who after decades wouldn't have got the message that it's a bad idea. Either he had something beforehand in his system or it was complications with his being ill or it could have been something actually natural, as messed up as it is, it's not impossible. Hell, there was a kid years ago around where I live that dropped dead of a heart attack during a High school (American) Football game who had a undiagnosed heart condition. But again, who knows? I really do hope it isn't drug related, especially if it's street drugs. For his family's sake if anything. Now hopefully my mild use of HTML code to break up this massive paragraph worked. I would have signed in but it's annoying having to do so every time I visit the 411. Maybe I should check my cookies settings.
Posted By: PHOENIXZERO (Guest) on January 28, 2008 at 09:00 AM
Question for you. I was watching a movie on cable here, and it was this strange Hong Kong movie that was a comedy/action thing> I wasn't paying close attention, but all of a sudden I heard voices speaking English, and I turned to find Harvey Keitel on my screen. Everyone else is speaking Chinese, and he's speaking to an interpreter. He's sitting across from the main guy, asking him questions. Next to them is sitting a guy with a potato sack on his head. That's all I got. I looked on imdb and I saw nothing that looked even remotely similar. Can you help?
Posted By: Kragar (Guest) on January 28, 2008 at 10:33 AM
except for the fact that the guy who is running the TV show came out and said the show is in an alternate timeline.
Posted By: chris (Guest) on January 28, 2008 at 11:14 AM
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