Flickchart Daily: Matchup of the Day and the Week’s DVD/Blu-ray Releases
Matchup of the Day
It’s Marlon Brando vs. Alec Baldwin (both born on this date) operating on the wrong side of the law:
Miami Blues vs. The Wild One
From what I’ve read, The Wild One was based on a rowdy motorcycle rally that occurred in Hollister, California back in 1947. The media portrayed the event as rowdier than it actually was, and scared some people into believing that rampaging biker gangs were speeding toward their towns. Hollywood used the sensationalized version of the story as the basis for the film. Marlon Brando’s performance as the motorcycle gang leader served to propagate the outlaw image associated with biker culture.
In The Wild One , the world is divided between the “outlaws” and the “squares”. Or, rebel bikers and boring townsfolk. I found it hard to identify with Brando as the head rebel. You may be familiar with the quote from the film:
Mildred: Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?
Johnny: Whadda you got?
That’s the thing. As Johnny, Brando is one of those rebels without a cause. I thought of him and his cronies more as obnoxious teenagers rather than dangerous criminals. I’ve seen a few episodes of that show Gangland on The History Channel that talked about real outlaw bikers. I would be afraid of those guys if they rolled down my street. Johnny and his gang… not so much.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUPh7XWoq7Q[/youtube]
Alec Baldwin in Miami Blues plays a bit of a maniac who probably is someone you wouldn’t want to meet up with. He does know how to treat a lady, however. Jennifer Jason Leigh is his reformed prostitute girlfriend. Their relationship is actually kind of touching. She acts as the happy homemaker while Baldwin spends his days beating up and robbing other criminals.
At the beginning of the movie, Baldwin unintentionally kills a Hare Krishna after breaking his finger in an airport (he died of shock from the pain). Fred Ward plays the homicide detective assigned to case. When Baldwin suspects that Ward is on his trail, he brutally pounds him senseless. And steals his badge, gun and false teeth.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFHYdfEq43U[/youtube]
When it comes to Brando engaging in criminal activity, The Godfather unquestionably provides more entertainment value than The Wild One. Don Corleone is more imposing than Johnny. I won’t even try to convince you that Miami Blues is better than The Godfather, but it is a whole lot better than Brando’s biker flick. There’s a scene in Miami Blues where Leigh deliberately puts too much vinegar in the vinegar pie she makes for Baldwin because she’s upset with him, which he is not aware of. He tells her that it tastes really great even though he’s clearly suffering. Brando does make a loving gesture toward a woman at the end of The Wild One, but it just doesn’t seem as genuine.
New Blu-ray and DVD Releases
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APrpsM3VOAI[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzGo402o7lU[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuxJ8nvlMS8[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6R-M79Sfak[/youtube]
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTEI3n6Mvyg[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDebk4adN1I[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF-ULAYY7bo[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYS2I45tj4A[/youtube]
Hellacious Acres: The Case of John Glass
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhmiHQVtJiw[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4yzgbspy5Y[/youtube]