THE ATHLETIC NERD

It’s time for another feature to launch on The Athletic Nerd. Just about every blog about movies has lists.  It’s inevitable.  I’m about to join the team but I’ll be taking a different approach.  By now, many of you are aware I earn a living editing professional sports.  Sports is another area where lists are a must.  On my network we countdown 5 highlights just about every day in categories like plays, misplays, fights, hits etc…

Now, I’m a sports fan in general so I do watch shows on ‘the other guys’ network.  They create a top 10 list everyday that isn’t necessarily based on plays from that week.  They base their list on current events using big news as a spring board to list similar stories.

This is the approach I plan to take with my lists and so in honour of yesterday’s ’44 Inch Chest’ post, here’s are 10 Bad Ass Movies.

XTRA: Bad Ass Movies 2

300

I’m not afraid to go to the movies by myself and those Spartans got me twice for a total of 4 trips to the theater.  From a visual stand point, this movie brought something new to the table that blew my mind.  The fights are incredible and be honest, you’ve yelled it…

‘This is Sparta!’

Terminator 2

One of the best action movies of all time.  Thinking about T2 has me even more excited for Cameron’s Avatar this month.  Terminator 2 is one of the best sequels ever with better action, better effects and better gigantic explosions.  It’s as bad ass as it gets.

“Come with me if you want to live.”

In Bruges

This movie made my list purely because of story.  A simple concept told well and it all started with an original and hilarious script by Writer/Director Martin McDonagh.  (I’m a big fan of original scripts.  There’s only so many remakes and sequels I can take.) I bought this movie without seeing it thinking it could be good but I never thought it would become one of my all time favorites.

Predator

Oh Arnold, so many awesome movies.  Predator is one of those movies that every bad ass movie fan has seen at least 457 times.  Give or take.  Don’t believe me?  Stand in front of a group of people and yell:

“Get to the choppah!”

You’ll find out who the fans are.  They’ll be the ones laughing.  However, make sure you set it up.  Don’t just randomly yell it because there is a chance you could look like an idiot.  Attempt at your own risk.

“Soon the hunt will begin…”  That old school voice over guy really doesn’t read with much enthusiasm does he?

Boondock Saints

I saw this movie years after it was released.  The story of how it was produced is absolutely fascinating.  I highly recommend you watch the documentary Overnight as well.  Regardless of the trouble surrounding the production, Troy Duffy’s movie has so many memorable moments, it’s hard to ignore.

Not sure if I’m ready to see the new movie though…

Resevoir Dogs

Admit it, when you saw the title of this post, you knew Tarantino would show up eventually.  What more needs to be said?

Snatch

I really didn’t know what to expect when I first saw this movie.  A friend of mine showed it to me one day and I went out and bought it a few days later.  It’s one of those movies that makes you ask a question I consider to be one of the highest compliments you can give a filmmaker.

“How did you come up with that?”

Such a good flick.

Goodfellas

Admit it, when you saw the title of this post, you knew Scorsese would show up eventually.  What more needs to be said?

Seven

Story.  I’m all about story.  In my opinion, Seven has one of the best endings in the history of film.  If you haven’t seen this movie and it hasn’t been ruined for you go out and buy it.  I’m literally jealous of everyone who hasn’t experienced Seven yet.  I would love to experience it for the first time again.

“What’s in the box!”

Pulp Fiction

Tarantino again.  Is anybody else shocked two of his films made this list?  Pulp Fiction is a true classic bad ass movie.  It changed the way people looked at films and inspired young filmmakers everywhere.  There have been countless emulators out there and while none have truly duplicated Tarantino, we still have him to thank some pretty great movies.  It’s the bad ass flick that started it all, for me at least.

There it is.  My top 10 Bad Ass flicks. I’m sure there are people out there who disagree.  I recommend commenting below. I probably overlooked about a million movies.  That’s the beauty of runnin my own site.  I’ll just make another list.

2009 was a groundbreaking year for 17 West Productions.

We finished two short films, launched three websites and planted a few seeds for a pretty amazing 2010. Over at 17west.ca, I’ve posted the top 5 stories of 2009 as well as a look ahead at our upcoming slate of productions. That’s the official company perspective. I’d also like to offer my personal opinions on the last year.

2009 was both productive and frustrating for me. Productive because of the movies we finished and the sites we launched but frustrating because of the length of time it took to accomplish these goals.

I’m a workaholic at heart. Everything about my career and my company inspires me to be creative. Editing sports and producing movies is as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned. I just wish I had more time to do both. Balancing what essentially amounts to two separate careers leaves little room for extra projects.  Directing and handling the post-production process for Playing Through nearly wore me out.  (Let alone teaching myself web design.)

It hard to organize a team of people who all have different schedules around my limited number of days off.  It meant a lot of long days and a massive commitment on my part.  I was also lucky to work with people who were just as dedicated and that in itself is inspiring to me. It’s one of the many reasons why Playing Through was my favorite part of 2009…

Playing Through

John Steptoe and Michael Clarke

This film was easily our most ambitious yet. We shot it in June 2008 at Clear Springs Golf Course just outside of North Bay, Ontario. With an amazing cast and crew in place it was easily one of the coolest weeks of my life. (Even though it was extremely hot and we spent twelve hours a day in the sun. Actually, I was a fan of that too.)

Click to read Making A Golfing Movie. My blog detailing the entire production.

I’m extremely proud of Playing Through. I learned an enormous amount about running a production. Most of that comes from my business partner Eric who handled most of the business side of things because I was clueless. What I’ll take away from the experience is how much work I’m willing to put in to make a movie I’m happy to show off. That dedication will easily spill over into 2010 where I’m planning my second short film, The Climb.
 

Web Design

If you asked me two years ago, if I would be able to teach myself photoshop, web design and create 3 websites I would have told you that I wouldn’t quit until I accomplished those goals. That doesn’t mean I thought I would actually pull it off but I wasn’t going to quit until I figured it out.

17west.ca
jaymckinnon.com 
ericgamache.com

These three sites are the result of well over a year’s worth of research and development. Yet even now, I still consider myself a beginner with a lot to learn and nothing but commitment to get better. I really love the fact that I now have enough knowledge to completely redesign the sites whenever I want. I’m not sure if I will in the near future but I love design, I love marketing and I love Photoshop so who knows.  Web design has given me another creative outlet which has become my second favorite past time outside of writing.

Next year, my plan is to learn a lot more about WordPress and improve the look of this blog. (A plan I’ve already begun.)

Writing

I’ve been writing screenplays since highschool.  Yet I’ve never experienced a year quite like 2009.  I pretty much stopped calling myself a writer.  I thought about it all the time but I could never seem to find the time to sit down and do what I love the most about this industry.

That changed a few weeks ago when I finished Eric’s website. I keep a running list of projects and tasks I have to finish. For the last 2 years it’s been insurmountable. Every time I finished something, another 3 would pop up. I suppose it was my fault that writing wasn’t high on that list. However, after finishing ericgamache.com, my list was blank for the first time in years. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.  I was literally staring at a blank Microsoft Word document wondering what’s next.

So I started a new list. At the top? Finally finishing the feature script I’ve been working on for the last 3 years. Many who know me well, know this particular story is extremely personal and important to me as a writer and yes, I’m calling myself a writer again.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve felt rejuvenated as a screenwriter. A part of me was afraid I would never get it back. I’m happy when I’m writing and it’s the biggest lesson I learned this year. Make time to write.

Bring on 2010

I now consider 2009 a building year.  I spent a lot of time creating a space on the web for our films and even more time on Playing Through.  Essentially, 2009 was about finishing projects and catching up.  It was about tying up loose ends and completing plans I’ve had for years.

Now that 2010 is almost here, it’s time to shift my focus to new projects.

Writing is back in a big way and I’ve already got a list of stories I can’t wait to write.  Among those projects are 3 feature scripts I couldn’t be more excited to work on.  I’ve got several shorts that are going to be extremely challenging to pull off as well.  What’s important to me now is finally feeling like a writer again.  I’m back to rushing home after work to finish a scene.  Actually, thanks to my new phone, I don’t even have to wait that long anymore.  I love this stuff! 

Beyond that, I now have The Athletic Nerd which keeps me writing daily.  I’m finally able to say that I write every day no matter what and I’m planning on taking this site to a whole new level next year.  There are a ton of new features planned and even some guest bloggers on standby as I continue to expand this brand.  (Is it weird that I’m calling it a brand?  It’s a nerdy thing to state but I’m comfortable with it.  Read my blog about Self Branding to find out even more about what a geek I am.)

A big feature coming to this blog is updates from my next directorial effort.  Beginning in January, I’ll be updating constantly with details on pre-production and more.  The script for The Climb has always been one of my favorites.  We’ve been thinking about filming this movie for years and I can’t wait until the Spring.  We already have a talented cast in place and rehearsals are set to begin early next year.

From a directing stand point, the movie is infinitely more complex than Playing Through.  I’m going to be using a completely different visual style that will also create a fun and unique editing challenge once shooting is complete.

Just writing about all these projects has my heart racing and I haven’t even mentioned 17 West’s other projects yet.  Between Strings and a few others we are developping, 2010 has all the makings of an amazing year.

Bring it on.

This week, I thought I’d step away from comedy and add some violence to the Rainy Sunday list.  When I was a kid, watching movies was altogether different. In those days, renting movies was considered a treat and wasn’t as easy as Rogers On Demand is today.

Although, I still remember how awesome those month long TMN previews were.  A whole month’s worth of movies for free. Sweet.

Seeing a new release at home usually meant waiting for network premieres.  These were massively promoted events back then.  Not so much now.

The only other option was to grab the ol’ TV Guide and look ahead. This is how I discovered A Bronx Tale.

My dad had scanned the Guide one day and found this movie. He had seen it and knew I would love it.   I had never heard of the movie before but my dad’s recommendations were usually pretty reliable. We got a blank VHS ready to tape it.

What an awesome gangster movie. I rank it extremely high with the Scorsese classics like Goodfellas and Casino. It’s just plain awesome.

For those who aren’t aware of this magnificent flick it’s about a kid who witnesses a brutal crime and keeps his mouth shut. This impresses the local mob boss Sonny and he takes the kid, Calogero under his wing.  As Calogero grows up, he gets deeper and deeper into Sonny’s world.  Did I mention this movie was directed by Robert Di Niro?  He also plays the kid’s father who struggles to keep his son away from Sonny and on a better path.

What blows my mind about this movie is how good Chazz Palminteri is in the role of Sonny.   I suppose it makes sense as he wrote the play and the screenplay.  He’s incredible in this movie.  Especially in the scenes he has with Di Niro.   It really is a kick ass movie.

I watched that old VHS copy right up until the magical day I found the DVD. Since then, I’ve watched it at least once a year.  It’s another classic movie in my collection and a worthy addition to the list.  All the credit goes to my dad who introduced me to one of my all time favorites.

PS: Old school trailers are awesome.  I love watching them.

Last week,  I was knocked out for 6 days with a killer flu.  Over that period, I learned that not being able to work drives me insane.  I couldn’t even check my email without feeling dizzy because of the fever.  However, I’m an optimist and there was some good that came from my couch ridden week at home.  Movies.

I caught up on a ton of flicks because quite literally, I had nothing else to do.  One of the first films I watched was Goonies.  I said it earlier in the week that I had never watched the entire film.  Next time someone asks me if I’ve seen it, I can finally say that I have and I loved it.

Goonies is one of those movies I’m pre-programmed to like.  There really wasn’t any doubt that a classic adventure film aimed at kids would entertain me.  I wonder what the actor who played Junk is doing these days.  That kid is hilarious in that movie.

Goonies kick started my week long movie marathon in style.  I watched a whole lot of movies.  Here they are in no particular order:

1. Goonies (Obviously)
2. The Dark Knight
3. Batman Begins
4. The Last House On The Left (Better than I thought it would be.)
5. Drag Me To Hell (Wanted to love it but didn’t.)
6. Fellowship Of The Ring (Extended edition with special features… Awesome everytime)
7. Cool Runnings (Last weeks Rainy Sunday flick)
8. A League Of Their Own (Baseball movies are always entertaining.)
9. The Taking Of Pelham 123 (Expected a twist that never came.)
10. Sling Blade (Never knew what this movie was about.  Pretty awesome flick.)
11. Casino Royale
12. Saving Private Ryan
13. In Bruges (The movie I find no one has seen.  If you haven’t you really should.)
14. Waiting

Now that I look at the list, it’s kind of a strange mix isn’t it?  In either case, Goonies got me thinking about the movies I’m missing out on.  There has to be thousands of classics I’ve never seen.  This bothers me.  There are probably about 40 movies I own and never seen.  I aim to fix that.

PS: Finally back to work tomorrow.  It’s about time.

John Candy.  So many hilarious movies.  Last week it was Uncle Buck.  This week I’d like to add another John Candy flick to the list.  The all time best Bobsled movie of all time…  Cool Runnings.

Cool Runnings is one of my favorite comedies.  I think it’s one of those movies people tend to forget about until they dust off an old VHS tape or find it on cable.  The response is always the same though.  Everyone sings the song. (I looked…  Couldn’t find a clip.)

Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it’s bobsled time.  Cool Runnings!

If you were thinking of a different song then you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say this movie is a classic.

This was another DVD I had to order off Amazon because I couldn’t find it anywhere.  It was back in the day when older movies hadn’t made the jump to DVD yet.  It was well worth the wait.  It’s an awesome addition to my collection and a wicked addition to this list.