Movies Filmed in Places I’ve Lived and Worked

As a child and throughout early adulthood, I moved a lot. By the time I was 17, I’d lived in four different states. By the time I was 26, I’d upped the ante to six different states, and had lived in multiple parts of three of those six. I’d lived in small communities, college-sized towns, and a major metropolitan area. All of this moving around allowed me to be around a lot of places that movies had been filmed, either while I was living there or in the past. Here’s the full list:

Guess the Unexpected Decade-Defining Director

I’d like to write a little bit about a certain director. But let’s play a game. Let’s see if you, the gentle reader, can guess who it is. He’s an American director, born in Chicago. He has directed comedy, horror, musical comedy, comedy horror, gangster horror, and action that was sort of action comedy. He has one film on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years… 100 Laughs list and two more that were nominated. The French government honored him in 1985 by awarding him the Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres, which recognizes “significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields”. Still having trouble guessing? His most recognizable work came from 1977 until 1988, with a peak from 1978 to 1983.

The Movies We Love: Animal House

Today in “The Movies We Love”, I’ll be discussing John Landis’ classic screwball comedy, Animal House. What is it that makes Landis’ band of college misfits so special?

Old Yellers: Famous Movie Yells!!!

–

Sometimes in film, using a calm demeanor isn’t enough. Sometimes, a character has to go up a few decibel levels to make their point. In honor of the long, rich tradition of characters yelling things in movies, here’s a list of famous movie lines, yelled:

Fictional Colleges I Wish I Had Graduated From

–

All over the United States, colleges and universities are granting diplomas to a flood of kids who have earned them through four to seven years of hard work, with intermittent periods of impairment and debauchery. It makes me nostalgic for the time when I was one of those impaired, fun-loving creatures on the cusp of taking a job from some poor sap. I miss those years because it’s such a spectacular time in a young person’s life. At the time of graduation, you have endured the maximum amount of youthful highjinx before you must begin the process of becoming a really boring adult. I’m content with my degree from my alma mater, but here are some fictional colleges I wish I’d graduated from. And congrats to any graduates out there:

Harrison University, Old School (2003)
The best part of graduating from Harrison University is that your campus connections would include that guy who hilariously does the obscene version of Bonnie Tyler’s “Turn Around”. No matter how many weddings and divorces and more weddings you have post-graduation, you could always make the reception memorable. Depending on the type of degree you have- like, say, a political science degree (hypothetically)- a connection like that is way more valuable than your undergraduate degree.

The Nine (and a Half) Funniest Sex Scenes in Movies

It’s really easy for sex scenes in movies to take themselves entirely too seriously. That’s not to say that they’re ineffective. They’re just so over the top sometimes. And to be honest, I think that’s why I take so much delight when a film holds nothing sacred about it and does a full-on spoof. Here are my nine favorite and/or funniest sex scene spoofs (and a bonus tenth from the same movie). Warning: these scenes are very much NSFW, and probably offensive to some.

1. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
Leave it to Frank Drebin, the morally upright (if misguided) Reagan-era supercop to practice safe sex that’s this safe:

A Snapshot: TDYLF’s First Birthday Party

I had a little party last night to celebrate my blog’s first birthday. I also invited some friends. Left to right:

STR PL8S

Personalized plates of some famous movie characters, including a handful of this year’s Best Picture nominees.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: A New Hope

–

Dicky Eklund, The Fighter

–

Why I Buy the Movies I Buy

After enjoying a Spaced marathon a few days ago, I remarked to my friend, “That was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made”. And it’s true. I bought the entire series- two seasons of Daisy and Tim and Mike and Marsha and Brian and Twit… er, Twist- less than 12 months ago. I’ve already re-watched it twice. On top of that, I’ll be loaning it to a friend and fellow Edgar Wright fan within the next few months. I look forward to helping someone else turn on and tune in.

Hearing the comment come out of my mouth made me wonder just what exactly inspires me to buy the movies (and TV shows) that I buy?

Failed Product Endorsements from the Movies

I wish any of these had ever been real.

Swanson Liver and Fava Bean Frozen Dinner

____________________________________________________________________