The Second British Invasion

Just like we had a music invasion in the 60's, I think we have a movie invasion in the 00's. British stars such as Russell Brand, Simon Pegg, Daniel Radcliffe, Robert Pattinson and Michael Caine have risen to great fame in high grossing films. 

Michael Caine has starred in the The Dark Night and also in the film Inception which became very popular in the U.S.  Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Pattinson are huge in the U.S. for their lead roles in The Harry Potter and Twilight series. Ian McKellen has also starred in many films that have had a big following in the U.S. such as the Lord of the Rings and the X-Men trilogys. 

This invasion started in 2000 and since then British actors have been taking over  movie theaters and TVs all over America. Orlando Bloom is another example, starring in popular trilogys like Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings. Helen Mirren has become big in America in the last five years for her roles in The Queen, National Treasure Book of Secrets, Red and The Tempest. Christian Bale has also become popular for his portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne in the recent Batman films.

British comedians are also becoming big. Rowan Atkinson with  Love Actually, Rat Race and the Mr. Bean movies. Russell Brand in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Bedtime Stories, St Trinian's and Get Him to the Greek. Other comedians who are becoming big in the  U.S. are  Simon Pegg for his roles in Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead and  Scotty in the new Star Trek. Former Monty Python John Cleese has also starred in trilogy's such as Shrek and Harry Potter. Action star Jason Statham has also become big for his role in the Transporter series.

English director Christopher Nolan made the films Dark Knight and Inception which have become huge box office hits in the U.S. Another English director that has made it big in the United States is Ridley Scott. In 2000 Scott directed the film Gladiator which went on to win 5 Oscars including Best Picture and Director at the 73rd Academy Awards. Scott's next film, Black Hawk Down in 2002 would win 2 Oscars. Danny Boyle has also become very well known in America for the film Slumdog Millionaire which won 8 Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture.

Many aging English actors came back to the U.S. to take voice roles in animated films. Julie Andrews recorded in the second, third and fourth Shrek films and most recently in Despicable Me. Christopher Plummer who is 81 was the voice of the villain in Up. Peter O'Toole had a part in Ratatoulille. Michael Caine will be starring in two animated films this year, Gnomeo and Juliet and Cars 2.

Other invaders include Alan Rickman, Andy Serkis, Timothy Dalton, Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman and Johnathan Pryce . All of these actors have starred in trilogys that have become very popular in America. 

Like British bands and musicians that became big in the 60s, British actors are making new fans in the USA.  I guess (tongue in cheek) they're still invading to make up for that loss they suffered in the 1700s.
 

   
 

Frank, I never thought I'd say this again. I'm getting the pig!

Last night I watched Red a action/comedy based on the DC comic. It has an all star cast including Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich,Richard Dreyfus,Karl Urban and 93 year old Ernest Borgnine which was so cool to see. It had some good laughs including Helen Mirren shooting an M2 Browning. Willis was just about the same as he is in most of his movies as was Malkovich.  Mary-Louise Parker was also good.This movie is fun for the whole family.

I love the Smell of Naplam in the Morning.

Last night I spent 3  hours of my life watching  Apocalypse Now Redux The extended version of Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 war film which I would have to say is one of the worst war films ever made. There where only a few things I liked about movie. One of them was was when Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore played by Robert Duvall who makes his men go surfing during a battle and also plays Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" over the helicopter to the VC troops. I also enjoyed Dennis Hopper's performance as the crazy photographer. Another good thing was that they played a little bit of "Satisfaction."

 First off it was way to long. It was very slow at times, it barely had Harrison Ford, they killed off a young Laurence Fishburne. It was very strange and confusing and I could not figure out what was going on. One moment they are fighting and getting shot at, then minutes later they are making out with naked women in a playboy helicopter. I did not care for Brando or Sheen. I also thought that the scenes in Brando's hideout were really disgusting. It makes fun of the men that gave there lives by portraying them as drunk, crazy, stupid and ruthless trigger happy killers. The movie acts like the soldiers in Vietnam were just sitting around drinking, smoking, having sex and doing what ever they wanted with no authority. We will finish off the Vietnam Series with another member of the Sheen family his son Charlie in Oliver Stone's Platoon.

We've been up on that hill ten times, and they still don't think we're serious.

Last night I watched Hamburger Hill a movie about the actual battle that took place in May of 1969 about the The 187th Infantry Regiment and The 101st Airborne Division who had to take a hill in Thua Thien Province. It took them ten days a because of the well fortified North Vietnam trench's. But after heavy rain,friendly fire and more then 70 dead and 300 wounded they finally get to the top of the hill.  The film stars a young Don Cheadle in his forth film.  We Gotta Get out of This Place by the Animals was a good choice for this movie. The music by Philip Glass is also really good. Platoon is next.

I served my country - and they just want to take from it - just take, take! Love it or leave it, that's what I think.

I just finished watching the war film Born on the forth of July starring Tom Cruise and Willem Dafoe. The film was directed by Oliver Stone. The film is about Ron Kovic a veteran played by Tom Cruse who is  paralyzed during his second tour in Vietnam just one day after he and his platoon massacre a group of unarmed women,men and children. Kovic thinking the government lied to him about the war he along with thousands of other vets start protesting and finally he gets his voice heard. This was a good film because it is one of the few war films that what life is like for wounded vets returning home and how they must adapt to the changes in America. I think it paints a good picture of what life is like for the wounded returning from war. Both Stone and Kovic make Camino's in the film which was cool. How weird is it that Tom Cruise was born on the 3rd of July. The music by John Williams is good as are the songs played.  Hamburger Hill will be next.