R-Rated Summertime Movies #NaBloPoMo #MovieMeme

The chorus of a popular and very seasonal song by The Fresh Prince, also known as Will Smith goes “Summer, summer summertime. Time to sit back and unwind.” Join me in doing just that on this warm and rainy summer afternoon and evening, as The Bumbles asks Monday Movie Meme participants to share on their blogs movies set in the summertime. Here are my picks for this week’s topic.

Bad Boys II

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence team up again to play police detectives who investigate a drug kingpin from Cuba who is slanging Ecstasy in Miami, Florida. An undercover operation by the DEA further complicates their pursuit of bringing down a criminal who has been able to avoid jail time while reaping hefty paydays at the City of Miami’s expense. There is a beach scene in “Bad Boys II” where Gabrielle Union and Jordi Mollà get better acquainted during their business meeting, that influenced me to want to try Mojito cocktails. Yuck. That’s the last time I drink one of those!

White Men Can’t Jump

Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson star in this comedy as two inner city basketball players who join forces to hustle others on the court. Harrelson's character “Billy” needs money to pay off his debt to the mob while Snipes’ character “Sidney” wants to find a way to provide a better life for his family but his arrogant attitude does not help their situation. This is a funny movie that sports fans may enjoy. The two main characters came together through manipulation.

Billy found a way to take advantage of the fact that people stereotype him and he used it for financial gain, which worked for him. Sidney learned the “game” that Billy played and started to take advantage of Billy, so it appears that everyone is using each other in this movie. However, only the strong and smart survive no matter who you are, just like in real life most of the time. So in the end, this movie may be about a lot more than a simple game of basketball. Also, it looks like Rosie Perez was really workin’ it one the acting scene during the 90s!

The Inkwell

Larenze Tate, Morris Chestnut and Jada Pinkett-Smith stars in this romantic comedy/drama that has been on VHS or DVD (or maybe both) in the house that I grew up in for many years, yet I never watched it. While many of the actors in it are people worth watching in probably any film, I always thought that “The Inkwell” was a stupid movie. I honestly don’t know why, either. Still, the movie is a favorite among many of my relatives and friends, so I had the pleasure (um, not!) of hearing about this movie often. It seems to be about a troubled teenager who sets his house on fire and later befriends an older, married woman while away on a family vacation during 4th of July weekend.

It looks like the characters in these three movies combined need to all sit back, turn on a DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince "Homebase" CD, skip to track no.2 and have a glass of lemonade in the shade....or a coke and a smile....whatever tickles their fancy, because they do just the opposite of unwinding in the r-rated summertime flicks on this list!

If you like this post, check out the Heat Wave one too (or recommend it to a friend if you already read that post). It is a nice companion to this summertime theme!

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My Favorite Year to Date Film

Favorites are the topic of choice for this week’s Monday Movie Meme as The Bumbles says to share on your blog a favorite year to date movie, as suggested by Sandy at You’ve Gotta Read This. After reviewing my Netflix streaming history, DVD rentals and trying to remember very movie that I watched in a movie theater since New Year’s, here is my favorite movie of 2011.....so far.

Blue Valentine
Starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams

I waited in excitement while anticipating the release of “Blue Valentine” on New Year’s Eve and then found out that it wasn’t going to be showing in my city until early January. This movie was well worth the wait.....it is sweet, funny and emotionally gripping because the characters and story seems so real. The relationship between Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams) is fun and carefree until some unexpected news changes the direction of their lives in a way that causes both to re-evaluate their priorities and also compromise on their long-term romantic and professional goals.

“Blue Valentine” is made in a non-linear fashion, showing how their relationship started and progressed while simutaneously chronicling the ups and downs of their marriage. I plan to buy “Blue Valentine” on DVD and add it to my movie collection because it is a film that I would not mind watching again.

While I love “Blue Valentine,” my favorite year to date movie may change by the end of 2011 since there are 5 more months left during which I plan to watch dozens of more films. I still do not like the fact that Ryan Gosling got snubbed out of an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role in “Blue Valentine” so if I find a later movie to be more of a favorite, he’ll be “Best Actor” in my book for 2011!

Gofita's Pages calls 'Blue Valentine' "A very well done but depressing unlove story" and no one could have described this movie any better.

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The Heat is On: Movie Scenes that Make You Sweat #NaBloPoMo #atthemovies

This week’s monday movie meme is all about the Heat Wave. Those of you who live in colder climates or haven’t experienced one are truly lucky because the summer heat is a force to be reckoned with. First, thanks to The Bumbles for using my topic suggestion for this week’s meme.

“Do the Right Thing”

That scene where Spike Lee rubs ice all over Rosie Perez probably set the tone for foreplay among couples across the country during the early 90s. In an attempt to cook down from the summer heat, a-blazing outside, Mooke and Tina are stirring up their own little heat wave indoors. Anyway, this movie is about a pizza delivery guy on the hottest day of the year in Brooklyn. The heat brings out the worse in locals, as they spew hate and violence toward each other.

“Sleepers”

One silly prank by a group of young boys playing around in the hot city streets of Hell’s Kitchen in New York sets the tone for the rest of this sad film. The summer scenes at the beginning of “Sleepers” are among the most important scenes in the movie.....partly because it provides important information for viewers to learn before the plot progresses and also partly because it depicts these young kids at their most innocent and vulnerable stage.

While the heat took a toll on these kids during that one summer, it is nothing compared to what they endure later in “Sleepers.” In fact, one could argue that they would trade their saddest moments for a trek out in the summer heat any day of the week. The hot scenes are one of the happiest of times in this movie, although their lives are never the same again. Brad Pitt, Robert DeNiro and Kevin Bacon are among the starring cast members in “Sleepers.”

What Movies Have YOU Watched that were too Hot for Comfort?

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