Voting in Film, Actors and their Audiences

There are three actors currently in the running for a spot as King Dong this month. They include Daniel Craig, Gerard Butler and Jeremy Renner. So, I’ll make this week’s Monday Movie Meme theme simple and easy: Poll the Jury.

Share on your blog, or in the comments section, movies where the main characters are involved in some aspect of the voting process. The film does not have to be centered on politics but there has to be some type of election or voting setup going on -- in the government, at a corporation, between a family, in a hospital, etc. If your responses are on your own blog, remember to link to this post and visit the blogs of other Monday Movie Meme participants. Here are my selections for this week’s Poll the Jury topic.

Napoleon Dynamite

High school student government campaigns have never been cooler. Vote for Pedro!

Murder in Mississippi

This TV movie, based on real life events, is about civil rights activists who endured major hardships while trying to register people to vote.

That’s all I have right now. What about YOU?

Awkward Shower Scenes in Film, Daniel Craig and Friends

The bathtub and shower are treated as two different animals with regards to bathroom scenes in film.

In Fact, aside from maybe Joe Swanberg’s “Hannah Takes the Stairs,” I myself have a hard time recalling characters taking a bath in one scene and taking a shower in another scene -- during the same movie. This is one of the reasons why I specifically chose Bathtub scenes as the topic for one of the Monday Movie Memes back in May -- films either have one (the tub) or the other (the shower). So, we’re tackling the flipside with this week’s Monday Movie Meme theme, which is: Rain on me.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, the most memorable shower scenes that you’ve seen in a film. If you participate by listing movies on your own blog, make sure to link to this post and remember to visit the blogs of fellow Monday Movie Meme participants. Here are my selections for this week’s Rain on me theme.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Ving Rhames plays a firefighter named Fred who treats his co-workers to a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman” song while dancing in the shower room at the fire station. I know this is supposed to be a funny scene because it follows an awkward moment where one of these men drop the soap and are afraid to pick it up in front of Chuck (played by Adam Sandler) and Larry (played by Kevin James).

However, the singing was not easy for me to watch because I had a hard time picturing Ving Rhames as a flamboyant homosexual movie character. Some actors (Sean Hayes, maybe) can pull that off without a hitch but I don’t buy this one, especially after watching Ving Rhames as a military vet in “Rosewood” and a mob gangsta “Pulp Fiction.” Hmm, I guess this view from an audience standpoint could bring that whole typecasting matter back up, because my views are also based on his large and muscular physical stature.  

Baby Boy
The main character Jody barges into his baby momma’s bathroom, pulls the shower curtain open and yells at her to cook something for him to eat because he’s hungry. Nevermind the fact that she’s wet, naked and completely startled by his disrespectful behavior, the following scene features him scarfing down a plate of food that she quickly put together for him. I don’t know what’s worse -- Jody’s actions or the fact that she actually got out of the shower and cooked something for this jerk.

Bad Boys II
The night scene where Marcus finally comes down from his ecstasy high during a cold shower in the police captain’s bathroom is funny.

Marcus: Mike, I got an erection! Call the wife and tell her I am on-the-way!

Boys Don’t Cry
Brandon’s heart-wrenching shower scene was brutal to watch because he was forced to hide his feelings and the pain of being assaulted by two friends -- well, two former friends, while trying to gain his composure enough to try escaping from a deadly situation.

What are the most memorable shower scenes that You’ve watched in a movie?

Also, it’s time to nominate a new King Dong! My nominations are:

-        Daniel Craig

-        Gerard Butler

-        Jeremy Renner

VOTE for one of these actors in your comment OR nominate another actor not listed here that YOU think embodies the looks, talent, personality or related qualities that make him a good fit for the King Dong throne.

Movies with HUGE twists, courtesy of Tina Downey

Join me in welcoming another guest topic for this week’s Monday Movie Meme, from Tina at Life is Good. The theme is: Movies with HUGE twists at the end.

Share on your blog, or in the comments section, movies that have major plot twists at the end. Remember to visit the blogs of fellow Monday Movie Meme participants. Also, if your response is written on your own blog, make sure to link back to this blog post. Here are my selections for this week’s Movies with HUGE twists at the end theme.

Mystic River

It’s sad when friendships get turned upside down over misunderstandings at a time when people in one small community no longer know who to trust -- or what to believe.

Night Catches Us

Loyalty has many meanings in this film about a former black panther who returns to his old neighborhood, only to learn that he is not welcome there. Murder, corruption, rumors, betrayal and forbidden love emerge during this dramatic tale of a struggle to separate fact from fiction while trying to protect the assumed innocence of one individual who could change it all.

The Family That Preys

Social status and money is the only thing that separates two families, tied together by love and business. As a wealthy construction company executive moves to take over his mother’s leading position at their firm, against her will, professional and personal relationships go up in flames -- right before the big surprise at a very heated board meeting that changes the course of the near future for several people.

As a result, the people in the ending scenes are in a very different position than where they started at the beginning of the movie (which opens with a wedding). Even the huge and deadly bombshell thrown in midway through the film doesn’t prepare you for the way the tides turn later.

Honorable Mention: I considered adding “Shutter Island” to this list but it didn’t make top billing for this week’s meme since the film is previously listed, during the week of Confusing Movie Plots, along with some other obvious choices.

What movies have YOU watched that feature HUGE plot twists at the end?