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MEME By: [link]

Take a shot if you want.

Well I LOVE ALL sorts of movies. Now most of you who have known me all or a lot of my life might think animated films like 'Kung Fu Panda' 'The Lion King' and what have you are my all time favorites.

But if we're going to talk about movies that have influenced me in terms of writing, character, setting, mood and what made me the artist and writer I am today....at least in my mind anyway...then we gotta dig deeper and find the films that have left lasting impressions on me to this day.

You may be surprised at what films inspired me the most. What films go beyond anthropomorphic creatures or animated characters. In terms of story and character; these are the champions!

#10: The Exorcist - It is still a chilling and uncomfortable film to watch. Much of the film has unsettling moments that will retard sleep. The frequent flashes of "Captain Howdy's" powder white face: Linda Blair walking backwards on the stairs, the unsettling score, and the overall creep factor of demonic possession gone too far. When it comes to battling a demon through faith, this film really reached out there. The build up to the showdown between the priests and the demon posessing Linda is perhaps what makes me fascinated by this film the most. Build up can really make a movie great! And this one does it well.

#9: Ed Wood - any mst3k afficionado like myself knows who Ed Wood was. Now many people seem to respect him for a man who didn't let anything stand in his way to make his films. But if you saw how they ended up (like Plan 9) then you still can't help but feel that despite his ambitions, he was still an incompotent schmuck. That didn't stop Tim Burton though from having Johnny Depp play Mr/Mrs. Wood incredibly well. And Martin Landou as Bela Legosi; amazing! I guess I like this film because it's dark humor and the process hell of making a film is something we can all share when making our dreams live. And even if the film turns out horribly; it can still make you famous and leave an impression on our youth. That's why we now have youtube. XD

#8: The Shining - In terms of a horror film; 'The Shining' is a unique specimen because it doesn't rely on shock value or gross out as much as msot horror films. Rather it relies on mood and pacing. The pacing of this film is truly what makes it fascinating. Watching Jack Torrance slowly losing his mind while Danny slowly realizes the true nature of the house makes it truly fascinating to follow. Unsettling music also heightens the tension. What influenced me most as I mentioned was pacing. You can't just go all willy nilly and make something happen immediately. You gotta build it up more. The film slowly follows the history and mannerisims of each Torrance family and how it finally came down to a haunting and crazed climax near the end. It's really not that scary; but it is well paced enough to make it one of my all time favorite films.

#7: Jason and the Argonauts - Ray Harryhausen spurred my imagination as a kid. His sinbad films, Clash of the titans and many more made him one of my childhood heroes. But Jason and the Argonauts is by far my all-time favorite. In terms of myth and monsters: whether it was the giant bronze statue coming to life, the seven headed hydra, or the legendary skeleton battle: a whole new concept of adventure and monster magic was born. What's interesting about this film is the romance. The main love interest is not introduced until 75% into the film. Most love interests are introduced almost right away. Not this one. another reason why I like it so much. It focused more on the adventure and the monsters and left the romance as a side dish. It balanced out wonderfully. I think a lot of us as kids have a great appreciation for this film with enough to fuel our imaginations for years to come.

#6: Jurassic Park - Although this film is legendary, I was surprised to find some critics didn't like it because of lack luster performances. I thought, and still think..it was great!! Lackluster!? not even. Aside from the dinosaurs, I thought the performances were pretty good. The very scene where Grant views the Brachiosaurus, and then gets winded when he finds out "We have a T Rex" is still great. I also liked how mushy he got when he viewed those dinos by the lake. "They're moving in herds. They DO move in herds!" The dinosaurs were great and in terms of special effects, it's still nice to know they used both CGI and mechanical special effects to make it happen. The fact that a life sized mechanical T Rex was built despite CG still makes it special. Sure nothing is accurate in terms of behavior or dino anatomy in this film...like Brachiosaurs standing on their hind legs or velociraptors being ten feet tall. But that doesn't matter. Having a film about a great idea gone horribly wrong thanks to sabotage is what is needed to make a great story.

#5: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - It's the story of a man who brings a gang of misfits together. It just works. Both one of my favorite books and films, the whole idea of one man helping a timid gang of rejects form a posse and have a good time despite a strict overbearing world is enough to make an uplifting and compelling story. Althoug he does not end well, his inspiration that was left behind is what drives them forward. That's what influences me most. Make a story about one person who can touch the lives of many. When he/she is gone, the legacy lives on and the inspiration left behind to make them move forward is what counts. Yeah tons of films have done this: Gandhi, Braveheart, what have you. But IMO 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' works because it is about normal people breaking from their bonds without wars or politics. True there is strife in the film: but it all plays out well in the end.

#4: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - I never was a fan of westerns. I stil am not. But one I will always love is this one. It's definitely the mood and the soundtrack that makes it all worth watching. We also got two characters who don't get along forced to work together to find a certain treasure. At any one moment they can double cross each other. But they still need each other. Perfect formula for a buddy story. not to mention character. One is a lewd psychotic, the other a calm collected individual. And there's a third member against both of them. The graveyard scene with the magnificent 'Ecstasy of Gold' music is still a great scene. Searching from tombstone to tombstone to find the right one is still one of my favorite moments in film history. and of course; they epic showdown at the end. It's a long film but worth watching through it time and time again.

#3: King Kong - No question about it. If it wasn't for King Kong I'd never be doing what I do right now. I mentioned earlier romance in a monster movie doesn't do a whole lot for me. Here it played out brilliantly. The movie itself is done in three parts: Act 1: New York in the Depression. Here we meet anne and how she is convinced to join a motion picture ship. Off she goes while meeting her soon-to-be love interest. Act 2: Skull Island. Still my favorite act of course. She is captured and her lover and crew try to rescue her from Kong. Dinosaurs and Kong prove too much for them to handle; but anne is soon rescued and Kong captured. Act 3: Kong's Rampage. Kong rampages through New york and is then struck down on the Empire State Building. It's a basic movie formula; but it works so well to set up the adventure it provided. I used this film a lot to provide set up, pacing and timing in terms of story. Make the general set up difficult; but not as difficult or dangerous as the second act. Then the third act all hell breaks lose and needs to soon be dealt with. It works real well: both the old version and Peter Jackson version do a superb job!

#2: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie - I choose this to represent all of the show I have dearly loved and worshipped ever since I saw it. THIS is the epitome of my humor. And I choose the movie because ironically it's shorter than any of the shows of the series it was based off of. It's a good starting point to get people introduced to the series. A corny yet classic sci-fi movie, terrific riffing, and some pretty funny sets makes it ideal for a beginning mst3kie. I have viewed EVERY SINGLE episode of Mystery Science theater 3000; and will be a die hard fan until I die. No other show or movie of this kind has dealt more with my type of observational humor than this one! Mike, the bots and Dr. Clayton Forrester all add up to one funny ass experience. And to cement this film's relationship with my own psyche; it provided a quote which pretty much sums up who I am as uttered by the great Crow T. Robot.
"I calculated the odds of this succeeding vs. the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid...and...I went ahead anyway!"
That quote sums me up perfectly!

And the number 1 most influential movie EVER is....

#1: Fantasia - Strange but true: even if a film is deemed a failure and a total critical flop; it may end up being a classic and perhaps one of the greatest films of all time. 'Fantasia' is no exception! When it was first released, it was considered to be the project Walt disney himself was personally ashamed of. It didn't do well, critics hated it and despite all the money putin ot it; it flopped big time. But generations later rediscovered and now many hail it as one of Disney's greatest films ever made. Myself included. It's the film that started it all for me. Music, art and how to put them together to make a story or even a beautiful picture. Without Fantasia; I would never have become an artist or a story teller. The combination between my appreciation of art and music all comes from this film. And out of it also came my love for all things sinister. No one who watched this film will ever forget the horror and imagination from the famous 'Night on Bald Mountain.' That final segment is what launched my imagination for years to come. Without Fantasia, fellow artists, gamers and story tellers I have grown up with I never would have met. I dunno who I would be today if it wasn't for this film. If it never existed, I may never have been here at DA making all this work. It's really that critical to me; and it's more than enough to make it my number 1 film of all time!

Description
MEME By: [link]

Take a shot if you want.

Well I LOVE ALL sorts of movies. Now most of you who have known me all or a lot of my life might think animated films like 'Kung Fu Panda' 'The Lion King' and what have you are my all time favorites.

But if we're going to talk about movies that have influenced me in terms of writing, character, setting, mood and what made me the artist and writer I am today....at least in my mind anyway...then we gotta dig deeper and find the films that have left lasting impressions on me to this day.

You may be surprised at what films inspired me the most. What films go beyond anthropomorphic creatures or animated characters. In terms of story and character; these are the champions!

#10: The Exorcist - It is still a chilling and uncomfortable film to watch. Much of the film has unsettling moments that will retard sleep. The frequent flashes of "Captain Howdy's" powder white face: Linda Blair walking backwards on the stairs, the unsettling score, and the overall creep factor of demonic possession gone too far. When it comes to battling a demon through faith, this film really reached out there. The build up to the showdown between the priests and the demon posessing Linda is perhaps what makes me fascinated by this film the most. Build up can really make a movie great! And this one does it well.

#9: Ed Wood - any mst3k afficionado like myself knows who Ed Wood was. Now many people seem to respect him for a man who didn't let anything stand in his way to make his films. But if you saw how they ended up (like Plan 9) then you still can't help but feel that despite his ambitions, he was still an incompotent schmuck. That didn't stop Tim Burton though from having Johnny Depp play Mr/Mrs. Wood incredibly well. And Martin Landou as Bela Legosi; amazing! I guess I like this film because it's dark humor and the process hell of making a film is something we can all share when making our dreams live. And even if the film turns out horribly; it can still make you famous and leave an impression on our youth. That's why we now have youtube. XD

#8: The Shining - In terms of a horror film; 'The Shining' is a unique specimen because it doesn't rely on shock value or gross out as much as msot horror films. Rather it relies on mood and pacing. The pacing of this film is truly what makes it fascinating. Watching Jack Torrance slowly losing his mind while Danny slowly realizes the true nature of the house makes it truly fascinating to follow. Unsettling music also heightens the tension. What influenced me most as I mentioned was pacing. You can't just go all willy nilly and make something happen immediately. You gotta build it up more. The film slowly follows the history and mannerisims of each Torrance family and how it finally came down to a haunting and crazed climax near the end. It's really not that scary; but it is well paced enough to make it one of my all time favorite films.

#7: Jason and the Argonauts - Ray Harryhausen spurred my imagination as a kid. His sinbad films, Clash of the titans and many more made him one of my childhood heroes. But Jason and the Argonauts is by far my all-time favorite. In terms of myth and monsters: whether it was the giant bronze statue coming to life, the seven headed hydra, or the legendary skeleton battle: a whole new concept of adventure and monster magic was born. What's interesting about this film is the romance. The main love interest is not introduced until 75% into the film. Most love interests are introduced almost right away. Not this one. another reason why I like it so much. It focused more on the adventure and the monsters and left the romance as a side dish. It balanced out wonderfully. I think a lot of us as kids have a great appreciation for this film with enough to fuel our imaginations for years to come.

#6: Jurassic Park - Although this film is legendary, I was surprised to find some critics didn't like it because of lack luster performances. I thought, and still think..it was great!! Lackluster!? not even. Aside from the dinosaurs, I thought the performances were pretty good. The very scene where Grant views the Brachiosaurus, and then gets winded when he finds out "We have a T Rex" is still great. I also liked how mushy he got when he viewed those dinos by the lake. "They're moving in herds. They DO move in herds!" The dinosaurs were great and in terms of special effects, it's still nice to know they used both CGI and mechanical special effects to make it happen. The fact that a life sized mechanical T Rex was built despite CG still makes it special. Sure nothing is accurate in terms of behavior or dino anatomy in this film...like Brachiosaurs standing on their hind legs or velociraptors being ten feet tall. But that doesn't matter. Having a film about a great idea gone horribly wrong thanks to sabotage is what is needed to make a great story.

#5: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - It's the story of a man who brings a gang of misfits together. It just works. Both one of my favorite books and films, the whole idea of one man helping a timid gang of rejects form a posse and have a good time despite a strict overbearing world is enough to make an uplifting and compelling story. Althoug he does not end well, his inspiration that was left behind is what drives them forward. That's what influences me most. Make a story about one person who can touch the lives of many. When he/she is gone, the legacy lives on and the inspiration left behind to make them move forward is what counts. Yeah tons of films have done this: Gandhi, Braveheart, what have you. But IMO 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' works because it is about normal people breaking from their bonds without wars or politics. True there is strife in the film: but it all plays out well in the end.

#4: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - I never was a fan of westerns. I stil am not. But one I will always love is this one. It's definitely the mood and the soundtrack that makes it all worth watching. We also got two characters who don't get along forced to work together to find a certain treasure. At any one moment they can double cross each other. But they still need each other. Perfect formula for a buddy story. not to mention character. One is a lewd psychotic, the other a calm collected individual. And there's a third member against both of them. The graveyard scene with the magnificent 'Ecstasy of Gold' music is still a great scene. Searching from tombstone to tombstone to find the right one is still one of my favorite moments in film history. and of course; they epic showdown at the end. It's a long film but worth watching through it time and time again.

#3: King Kong - No question about it. If it wasn't for King Kong I'd never be doing what I do right now. I mentioned earlier romance in a monster movie doesn't do a whole lot for me. Here it played out brilliantly. The movie itself is done in three parts: Act 1: New York in the Depression. Here we meet anne and how she is convinced to join a motion picture ship. Off she goes while meeting her soon-to-be love interest. Act 2: Skull Island. Still my favorite act of course. She is captured and her lover and crew try to rescue her from Kong. Dinosaurs and Kong prove too much for them to handle; but anne is soon rescued and Kong captured. Act 3: Kong's Rampage. Kong rampages through New york and is then struck down on the Empire State Building. It's a basic movie formula; but it works so well to set up the adventure it provided. I used this film a lot to provide set up, pacing and timing in terms of story. Make the general set up difficult; but not as difficult or dangerous as the second act. Then the third act all hell breaks lose and needs to soon be dealt with. It works real well: both the old version and Peter Jackson version do a superb job!

#2: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie - I choose this to represent all of the show I have dearly loved and worshipped ever since I saw it. THIS is the epitome of my humor. And I choose the movie because ironically it's shorter than any of the shows of the series it was based off of. It's a good starting point to get people introduced to the series. A corny yet classic sci-fi movie, terrific riffing, and some pretty funny sets makes it ideal for a beginning mst3kie. I have viewed EVERY SINGLE episode of Mystery Science theater 3000; and will be a die hard fan until I die. No other show or movie of this kind has dealt more with my type of observational humor than this one! Mike, the bots and Dr. Clayton Forrester all add up to one funny ass experience. And to cement this film's relationship with my own psyche; it provided a quote which pretty much sums up who I am as uttered by the great Crow T. Robot.
"I calculated the odds of this succeeding vs. the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid...and...I went ahead anyway!"
That quote sums me up perfectly!

And the number 1 most influential movie EVER is....

#1: Fantasia - Strange but true: even if a film is deemed a failure and a total critical flop; it may end up being a classic and perhaps one of the greatest films of all time. 'Fantasia' is no exception! When it was first released, it was considered to be the project Walt disney himself was personally ashamed of. It didn't do well, critics hated it and despite all the money putin ot it; it flopped big time. But generations later rediscovered and now many hail it as one of Disney's greatest films ever made. Myself included. It's the film that started it all for me. Music, art and how to put them together to make a story or even a beautiful picture. Without Fantasia; I would never have become an artist or a story teller. The combination between my appreciation of art and music all comes from this film. And out of it also came my love for all things sinister. No one who watched this film will ever forget the horror and imagination from the famous 'Night on Bald Mountain.' That final segment is what launched my imagination for years to come. Without Fantasia, fellow artists, gamers and story tellers I have grown up with I never would have met. I dunno who I would be today if it wasn't for this film. If it never existed, I may never have been here at DA making all this work. It's really that critical to me; and it's more than enough to make it my number 1 film of all time!