Tag: Favorite Films

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #88

On By Luke FlorenceIn Along Came Polly, Favorite Films, Lists, Movies1 Comment

#88: Along Came Polly (2004)

Along Came Polly
Director: John Hamburg
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Plot: “A buttoned up newlywed finds his too organized life falling into chaos when he falls in love with an old classmate.”
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: #86

“He’s a sexy guy. He’s sexy. He’s sexually active in his community.”

While the previous two movies were absent the first time this list was created in 2011, Along Came Polly is a repeat offender. In these situations I will post the original material (cleaned up a bit for your benefit) with an UPDATE section. Enjoy.

A movie I stumbled upon on the USA channel one afternoon eight years ago, Along Came Polly makes the top-100 thanks to some Ben Stiller wackiness, a little bit of Jennifer Aniston hotness, and a whole lot of Phillip Seymour Hoffman hilariousness.

Playing Ben Stiller’s best-friend, Sandy Lyle, Hoffman steals every scene he is in. If I were ranking my top 100 movie characters (which is a great idea by the way), Sandy Lyle would be much closer to the top-10. Lest I forget Alec Baldwin’s performance as well, and you have a couple supporting actors creating all the memorable scenes. Good things.

The plot is fairly simple and straight-forward, a guy (Stiller) gets married, quickly gets a divorce, and falls for another girl. The premise sounds over-done but the execution is what makes Along Came Polly unique.

UPDATE

When Hoffman passed away back in February of 2014, the first thing I thought of was Along Came Polly. That’s how good he is as Sandy Lyle. Without that performance, this movie doesn’t even come close to sniffing this list. Yes it’s near the bottom again, but it’s here nonetheless, and that’s the important part.

Fun Fact: Ben Stiller mentioned while on a talk show promoting the film that the ferret bit him a couple of times during production, including one time latching onto his chin.

Hint for #87: Russell Crowe beats people up … legally.

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #89

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Movies, Ted1 Comment

#89: Ted (2012)

Ted
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane
Academy Awards: Nominated for Best Original Song, “Everybody Needs A Best Friend.”
Plot: “From the creator of Family Guy comes a movie about John Bennett, whose wish of bringing his teddy bear to life came true. Now, John must decide between keeping the relationship with the teddy bear or his girlfriend, Lori.”
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: NR

“When you hear the sound of thunder / Don’t you get too scared. / Just grab your thunder buddy / And say these magic words: / “Fuck you, thunder! / You can suck my dick! / You can’t get me thunder / ‘Cause you’re just God’s farts!”

Ted’s movie poster is exactly how I spent my first time watching this movie. Relaxing on a couch, beer in hand, laughing my ass off.

Despite not being the biggest Mark Wahlberg or Seth Macfarlane fan, Ted makes these two a tag-team comedic force. It’s a movie chalk-full of hilarious back-and-forth conversations between Wahlberg and Macfarlane. This movie was such a success that a sequel was just released in June of 2015.

Haven’t checked out the sequel yet because the original didn’t need one. Often in those situations the script follows the same formula but with a lower success rate (see: The Hangover II).

The first time I watched Ted was with my fiancé and we both were laughing throughout, which let me tell you, is no easy feat. Ted is a perfect movie to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon when you just want to laugh a lot.

Fun Fact: Ted was the 9th highest domestic grossing film of 2012.

Hint for #88: “Rain dance!!”

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #90

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Movies, SwingersLeave a comment

Back in 2011, I unveiled my favorite 100 movies on my old blog. This is my second go-around at it, and we actually started already on the King of Arguments. To catch up on the first ten selections, HERE they are.

You can click on the title of the movie in this post to check out the trailer for each film.

Again, these will come out every day for your reading enjoyment.

Here we go.

#90: Swingers (1996)

Swingers
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn and Ron Livingston
Plot: “Wannabe actors become regulars in the stylish neo-lounge scene; Trent teaches his friend Mike the unwritten rule of the scene.”
Stock: Up
Previous Ranking: NR

“You’re so money and you don’t even know it.”

The first time I watched Swingers I was bored out of my mind. Didn’t understand it and more importantly, didn’t want to understand it. It was around 1999, and 14-year-old Luke Florence wasn’t impressed at all.

Fourteen year-old Luke Florence was an idiot.

The second time I watched Swingers was in 2011. I was in the middle of putting together the first version of my favorite 100 films, and thought immediately after it had a spot wrapped up in the second version.

Swingers – above anything else – is a hilarious comedy. What makes it special is it takes that laughter and uses it as a gateway to a deep movie that touches on a variety of subjects. Friendship, heartbreak, and self-realization are just a few that come to mind.

I completely identify with the main character Mike (Jon Favreau) as he deals with a recent breakup that isn’t so recent. He struggles with fitting in, moving on, and finding a new girl. The scene where he continually calls an answering machine is cringe-worthy, but also a noteworthy glimpse into an on-going internal struggle.

A movie that gets better over time. Welcome to the Top-100 Swingers, you’ve had this spot booked for the last five years and now, for the foreseeable future.

Fun fact: It took four different people and more than four hours to make Wayne Gretzky’s head bleed in the infamous NHL Live scene. Vince Vaughn was the actual culprit.

Hint for #89: Well known for their series of talks/lectures.

Until next time, peace be the journey.