Amblin is back!
Posted by Josh on July 24th, 2006 @ 08:34 PM | Comments (0)

Ok.  I just saw Monster House this afternoon.  I knew I was going to love it when I saw the familiar, but long absent, logo for Amblin Entertainment.  Yes, Steven Spielberg’s ET is once again flying across the moon.  Amblin Entertainment produced most of the great movies of the 80s - The Goonies, Gremlins, Back to the Future, etc.  Unlike Dreamworks, which never really established a brand, Amblin movies were always fun adventures with a positive message.

Monster House continues that tradition brilliantly.  In an age where children’s movies are safe and sanitized, Monster House features regular kids in real jeopardy who come through to save the day.  I can’t recommend it enough.  If you have a soft place in your heart for The Goonies, you’ll love it.

Episode 2-03: Locked Out
Posted by Josh on July 10th, 2006 @ 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

The Daws Brothers school of filmmaking.

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Episode 2-02: Where’d they go?
Posted by Josh on July 3rd, 2006 @ 06:33 PM | Comments (0)

You can’t see us! Ha ha ha ha. Hint: use your ears.

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Superman Returned Years Ago…
Posted by Jeremiah on July 3rd, 2006 @ 12:00 AM | Comments (1)

…and he brought his younger brother.

Superman II was one of our favorite films. We’d dress up in the cape and pajamas and then put on our best Sunday suit. The whole process would take about 30 minutes to get dressed and then about 10 seconds to shed it and become the Men of Steel. Those were great times.

Head on over to our myspace account to see more pics of our Superman days. www.myspace.com/dawsbrothers

On a side note, I express my thoughts on the latest Superman film in this week’s podcast. Head on over to the podcast section of our site and check it out.

Jeremiah

Movies that suck you in.
Posted by Josh on July 2nd, 2006 @ 09:09 PM | Comments (3)

Dang it. It just happened again. Don’t you hate it when you turn on the TV to find a truly wonderful movie on. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with watching a great movie on TV. I’m talking about when they sneak up on you. All you want to do is sit and flip channels and veg out a little. You sit down. Pick up the remote. Press power and… Jaws is on. There’s nothing you can do. You must watch until the end. It doesn’t matter that you have it on DVD. It’s woven its spell on you, and you’re stuck.

Now luckily, the situation is not entirely hopeless. If you find yourself in this situation, you can break free, but you MUST act quickly. You’ve got a mute button. Use it. The absence of sound will lessen the movie’s effects, but you’re not out of the woods yet. Chief Brody’s face after he’s just seen the shark is a powerful image. Don’t let it get you. Cover your eyes. That movie is the Ark of the covenant and you’re a nazi just waiting to be melted. Don’t look at it.

If all this fails, just pray to God you’re on a channel with commercial breaks. Sometimes you can break free at this point. Although, sometimes, if the movie is powerful enough, commercial breaks just send you to your DVD collection to watch the movie from the beginning.

Here is a list of movies to watch out for:

The Shawshank Redemption
Jaws
Gone with the Wind
Casablanca
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Princess Bride

Let us know what’s on your list. Now I’ve got to get back to Jaws. Curse you Spielberg.

Classic Film Recommendation: The Lost Weekend
Posted by Josh on July 2nd, 2006 @ 08:52 PM | Comments (0)

Gather round, boys and girl, and I’ll tell you a tale of Billy Wilder’s tale of a drunk spending a long weekend spent pursuing the next drink. I recently got Tivo and setup several wishlists for some of the great directors. It’s pretty much recording Turner Classic Movies around the clock. This past month must have been Billy Wilder month. I’m having a blast discovering some of these classics for the first time.

The Lost Weekend stars Ray Milland as an alcoholic who plunges deep into his addiction when his brother (who usually keeps him sober) leaves for a weekend vacation. This movie snaps along at a wonderful pace. For anyone who thinks classic movies are boring, I suggest watching this one. From the first bottle hanging by a rope outside our protagonist’s window, to the last drop of liquor at the end of the movie, Billy keeps you on the edge of your seat. Each time Ray runs out and has to find his next drink is cinematic gold. You find yourself wanting him to get that next drink, even though you know it’s the worst possible thing for him. In that way, Billy puts us in the character’s shoes and helps you see alcoholics as sick people that need help. Jane Wyman plays Ray’s girlfriend who won’t give up on him and gives a wonderful performance.

Definitely check it out. I promise the next one won’t be a Billy Wilder film. Maybe I’ll do a swashbuckler to celebrate Pirates 2.