Monday, May 22, 2006
The Impossible Dream: Fitting Maury Chaykin in My iPod
A few years ago BMW sponsored a series of short films featuring Clive Owen. Clive drove about in the Beemers having adventures and generally being cooler than you. Big name stars appeared now and again; big name directors ran the show behind the camera. They were a lot of fun.
I nabbed a DVD of the films a year or so ago, and have tried several software programs to extract the movies so I could load them onto my iPod. All to no avail.
Imagine my thrill when I found one of my favorites linked to from Google Video of the Day yesterday. (Go ahead, imagine it. I can wait.) The Hostage co-stars TV's Nero Wolfe, Maury Chaykin, and the BMW Z5. Some excellent driving here (think Bullitt does San Pedro), and top-notch storytelling, too (John Woo directs, so quality is to be expected).
On a whim, I checked Google Video for more from the series and came up with Star. I'm not a big Madonna fan (the pop star; Jesus' mom is fine by me), but she gets 53 points for her self-depricating sense of humor in this film (as well as keeping her clothes on, thankyouverymuch). Mr. Madonna, Guy Rithcie directs. (Warning: contains a very explicit fill-in-the-blank obscenity.)
Clive is all business in "Hostage," but gets to show his cheeky side in "Star." Even though he's taken a pass on being James Bond, these films (which may disappear from GV if the copyright lawyers get involved) allow you to keep the dream alive.
Hopefully coming soon: Ang Lee's Golden Child-esque "Chosen," and "Ticker" co-starring Don Cheadle (with cameos by F. Murray Abraham, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta and Robert Patrick)
I nabbed a DVD of the films a year or so ago, and have tried several software programs to extract the movies so I could load them onto my iPod. All to no avail.
Imagine my thrill when I found one of my favorites linked to from Google Video of the Day yesterday. (Go ahead, imagine it. I can wait.) The Hostage co-stars TV's Nero Wolfe, Maury Chaykin, and the BMW Z5. Some excellent driving here (think Bullitt does San Pedro), and top-notch storytelling, too (John Woo directs, so quality is to be expected).
On a whim, I checked Google Video for more from the series and came up with Star. I'm not a big Madonna fan (the pop star; Jesus' mom is fine by me), but she gets 53 points for her self-depricating sense of humor in this film (as well as keeping her clothes on, thankyouverymuch). Mr. Madonna, Guy Rithcie directs. (Warning: contains a very explicit fill-in-the-blank obscenity.)
Clive is all business in "Hostage," but gets to show his cheeky side in "Star." Even though he's taken a pass on being James Bond, these films (which may disappear from GV if the copyright lawyers get involved) allow you to keep the dream alive.
Hopefully coming soon: Ang Lee's Golden Child-esque "Chosen," and "Ticker" co-starring Don Cheadle (with cameos by F. Murray Abraham, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta and Robert Patrick)
Mikesell
1 Snarky Remarks:
Maury Chaykin was in a movie I liked a lot -- Unstrung Heroes. Kind of an odd story, but very good. (He and Michael Richards play the main character's crazy Jewish uncles.)
lindaruth, at 8:11 AM
