Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Goodfellas - The Spider Incident
I'm still pissed about Malcolm McDowell getting snubbed for A Clockwork Orange, but at least the Academy got something right. Joe Pesci richly deserved to win best supporting actor as the short, deranged, loud-mouthed Tommy Devito. From the now famous "You're a funny guy" scene to this scene involving a young helper named Michael "Spider" Gianco (Michael Imperioli). Tommy tries to provoke Spider to "dance" by taking out his pistol and impersonating the Oklahoma Kid. Tommy ends up shooting Spider's foot and shattering it. Shortly thereafter, Spider who now has a cast on his foot is provoked again by Tommy, asking him to dance on his wounded foot. However, Spider surprisingly stands up to Tommy. After Jimmy razzes Tommy regarding the young man’s gumption, Tommy instantly shoots Spider to death.
C.O.D. - Gunfire
Victim - Michael "Spider" Gianco (Michael Imperioli)
Assailant - Tommy Devito (Joe Pesci)
Quote - "Good shot. What do you want from me? I'm a good shot." -- Tommy Devito
watch the buildup to this scene where Tommy shoots Spider's foot HERE
Tommy is always looking to find some hidden gesture from someone that is putting him down. Billy Batts, the Spider incident, even the "you're a funny guy" scene. Tommy is kidding with Henri but deep down inside he's angry with him, you can see it and feel it. Joe Pesci gave the performance of his career.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Website of the Week - Movie Body Counts
The Website of the Week is moviedeathbodycounts.com. Movie Body Counts does exactly what it says. It takes your favorite action, sci-fi, and war films and tallies the actual visible on screen kills/deaths.
Lets take the 1996 Arnold action flick Eraser for example:
Body count
Total: 52
Arnie: 29
James Caan: 4
By Scene
Protection: 4 (1 hanged, 1 shot, 2 neck broken, 4 by Arnie)
Office: 1 (1 shot)
Feds: 6 (3 supershot, 3 blown up, 3 by Arnie)
House: 6 (4 shot, 1 stabbed, 1 fell, 3 by Arnie, 3 by Caan)
Plane: 1 (1 shot, 1 by Caan)
Zoo: 4 (3 eaten, 1 shot, 1 by Arnie)
Cyrez: 7 (4 blown up, 2 shot, 1 neck broken, 6 by Arnie)
Docks: 20 (3 supershot, 8 blown up, 8 shot, 1 stabbed, 12 by Arnie)
Limo: 3 (3 hit by train)
By Kill Type
Shot: 18
Shot by the awesome, physics-defying gun: 6
Neck broken: 3
Hit by a train: 3
Eaten by crocodiles: 3
Blown up: 15
Hanged: 1
Stabbed: 2
Fell: 1
Now that's detail, visit Movie Body Counts and check the body count of you favorite film.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Crank - Free Fall Neck Snap
I was originally going to post this as the death of Chev Chelios, until I learned that he survives and Crank 2: High Voltage with Corey Haim? is coming out in April of 2009. So I present to you the death of Ricky Verona, who gets his neck snapped by Jason Statham in mid-air after they both fall out of a helicopter.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Species - Kiss of Death
Sil, the uber-hot alien played by Natasha Henstridge, hits the clubs to find a suitable mate to produce offspring, but instead goes home with Robbie the date-rapist. Not interested in his inferior genetic structure, she responds with a lethal french kiss, forcing her tongue through the back of his head. Remember kids, no means no.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Dagon - Face Rip
Dagon is a actually not bad for a B movie, it has some interesting elements. H.P. Lovecraft is a very difficult author to translate to the big screen, but Stuart Gordon does a pretty good job. It doesn't have the humor of Re-animator, Stuart Gordon's masterpiece, but there's actually a lot gore for a Lovecraft story.. The acting isn't too great and the effects aren't the best, but the film present itself as a homage to the B-Movie genre.
Dagon tells the story of a boating accident off the coast of Spain that sends Paul and his girlfriend Barbara to the decrepit fishing village of Imboca looking for help. As night falls, people start to disappear and things not quite human start to appear. In this scene Ezequiel, played by the late Francisco Rabal, becomes another victim of those bloody half-fish Gallegos.
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Deer Hunter - One Shot
Mike(Robert De Niro) enters himself in a game of Russian roulette against Nick(Christopher Walken), attempting to persuade him to come home, but Nick's mind is gone. In the last moment, after Mike's attempts to remind him of their trips hunting together, he finally breaks through, and Nick recognizes Mike and smiles. Nick then tells Mike, "one shot," then raises the gun and pulls the trigger. The bullet happens to be in the chamber on that turn, resulting in the gun firing and killing Nick instantly. Horrified, Michael tries to revive him but to no avail.
Director Michael Cimino stated that Robert De Niro requested a live bullet in the revolver for the scene in which he subjects John Cazale's character to an impromptu game of Russian roulette, to heighten the intensity of the situation. Cazale agreed without protest.
Christopher Walken achieved the withdrawn, hollow look of his character by eating nothing but rice, bananas, and water for the week before he filmed the third act.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Jack Frost - Merry Movie Death Christmas
Monday, December 22, 2008
Raiders of the Lost Ark - German Mechanic gets splattered
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Casino - Beaten and Buried
It's funny, in this scene when Pesci is doing the narration, he yells out in pain when his character is hit by the bat. As if someone came into the studio where the monologue was recorded and smacked him with the bat. It just adds to the unexpectedness of this epic movie. I love what Scorcese did in this film. He made Nicky and Sam as if they were brothers who would do anything for each other, then Sam ends up being so vicious, killing him and his brother like they meant nothing.....and we learn that there's no such thing as friends in this game, plus Nicky was a major prick. Actually all of Joe Pesci's characters make really good pricks who deserve the worst possible death. Thanks Joe.
Nice touch that Scorcese cast the same actor who played Billy Batts(Frank Vincent) in Goodfellas (who got beat to death by Pesci & Deniro's characters) to beat Pesci's character to death here...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Pulp Fiction - “Oh man… I shot Marvin in the face.”
Quentin Tarantino has created some of the most memorable movie deaths, but there's none more shocking than Marvin's accidental death in Pulp Fiction. Marvin manages to do only two things in the entire movie: The line, “it’s over there” in which Jules replies, “I DON’T REMEMBER ASKING YOU A GOD-DAMN THING!.” Then, of course, getting his head blown off. Thank you Marvin.
Goldfinger - Tight Squeeze
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Final Destination 4: Death Trip 3D
A title change, first photos, and a synopsis. Shock till you Drop has the latest info on the newest instalment of the Final Destination series, now in 3D. Final Destination: Death Trip 3D hits theaters on August 21st.
Die Hard - Happy Trails, Hans
It's classic and probably the most overused(other than a gunshot) movie death in film. The fall. Variants on the death include landing on sharp objects, landscape features, or falling into oblivion. Hitchcock did it best, as he would show the character in free fall then cut to reaction shots. But the death fall really hadn't evolved since, that is until Die Hard came out in 1988. This time we get a climactic slow-motion release and a long one-shot free fall to the ground floor of Nakatomi Plaza. If movies have proved anything, it's that gravity is never your friend. Especially if you are a villain.
The best part of Gruber's death most people miss is the watch itself which McClane unclasps. It's the same watch Holly received as a bonus for her hard work at Nakatomi Plaza(which is why she is so distant from John). So, not only does McClane save the day and kill the bad guy, he also symbolically unclasps Holly Genero.
Yippie-ki-yay, muthaf#@%*r! translates in Urdu to "here eat this"
For the shot, Alan Rickman was actually falling from a 20-foot high model onto an air bag. To get the right reaction, the stunt man dropped Rickman on the count of two, not three.
John McTiernan was originally going to make Commando 2, but Arnold Schwarzenegger turned the role offer down. Commando 2 was transformed into Die Hard (1988) and Schwarzenegger was the first actor offered the title role, but he again declined. Eventually Bruce Willis would get the part after Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, and Richard Gere were all offered the role.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Untouchables - "Did he sound anything like that?"
"I said that your friend died screaming like a stuck Irish pig. Now you think about that when I beat the rap," Nitti boasts as he combs his hair.
An enraged Ness then bum-rushes Nitti towards what we at first think is the roof door, but instead sends him flying off the roof! Ness hollers after Nitti, "Did he sound anything like that?!" Nitti screams as he plummets in slow-motion, crashing through the roof of a parked car.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Troy - Achilles vs Boagrius
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wild at Heart - Don't Fuck with Sailor Ripley
The first scene in Wild at Heart has to be one of the most brutal beatings in film history. Sailor Ripley(Nicolas Cage) is attacked by a man with a knife hired by Lula Fortune's(Laura Dern) mother. Accompanied by a metal guitar riff and his girlfriends shrieks, Sailor doesn't even hesitate, but beats his head into a bloody pulp against the marble floor. He then pays her back by pointing his bloody finger over the corpse at Lula's mother Marietta. The close-up shot of Sailor repeatedly smashing the guy's head into the floor is not for the faint of heart, but it certainly gets the point across--don't fuck with Sailor Ripley.
Early test screenings for Wild at Heart did not go well; Lynch estimated that 80 people walked out of the first test screening and 100 in the next.
Related Wild at Heart movie death
The Demise of Bobby Peru