Harrison Ford is a charming actor who excels at being relatable, funny, and is no stranger to leading blockbuster level action adventure films. I first saw Harrison in Star Wars (1977), where he played one of his iconic roles, Han Solo. He was quick witted, mischievous, and set a standard for future action heroes as he flew across the universe saving the day. Ford doesn’t need to say much to develop a character and when he does speak, if you…
Tom Hanks is a talented, versatile, Oscar winning actor and producer who has had success in the industry for decades. One of the first movies that made me really appreciate what he can do was Forrest Gump in 1994. Hanks played the title character who was kind, intellectually non-threatening, and a fast runner, and it earned Tom his second best actor Oscar in a row (after winning the previous year for Philadelphia, co-starring Denzel Washington). He brought to the role…
Sylvester Stallone has been a movie star for decades, writes and directs some of the films he acts in, and has been recognized by the Oscars. He has made a career of playing roles where he can appear to be peaceful but when pushed, he can push back and carry an action film on his back. Sylvester was well known to film audiences when First Blood (1982) premiered, the first of his John Rambo films. Drifting into town, misunderstood and…
Tom Cruise stars in exciting films, is an Oscar nominated actor, and has been a movie star for decades. I first saw Tom in Top Gun (1986), playing a fighter jet pilot opposite Val Kilmer, and I instantly wanted to ride a motorbike and fly a plane like him. He was cool but intense, charming but naive, and is definitely made to be on camera. His boyish charm has only slightly warn off over the years, and a sequel has…
Mel Brooks is a funny writer, director, and actor, he inspired a generation of comedic productions, and is an Oscar winner. I first saw Mel in Spaceballs (1987), a hilarious parody of science fiction films which especially picked on Star Wars (1977). He wrote, directed, produced, and played 2 roles in the film and assembled a talented comedic ensemble including Bill Pullman (in his 2nd feature), Rick Moranis (Little Shop of Horrors, 1986), John Candy (Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, 1987),…
Meryl Streep is part of the definition of what acting is, versatile in any kind of role, and is the most Academy Award nominated actress of all time. I first saw Meryl in Death Becomes Her (1992 with Bruce Willis), a horror/comedy where she goes up against Goldie Hawn. She added credibility to a mostly silly fantasy film, got laughs while being quite serious, and helped elevate Goldie’s performance when they were at eat other’s throats. In 2008, Meryl was…
Chris Pratt is an actor with great comedic timing, an easy going demeanour, and is blossoming into a bankable leading man. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) was the first movie I took notice of Chris as he played the role of Peter Quill in the Marvel superhero film. Despite the saturation of superhero movies, lots of unrecognizable alien characters, and Chris being unproven in such a large budget, science fiction, action, adventure role, the film was a hit. A large…
Robert Rodriguez makes movies that are exciting, proud of his Mexican heritage, and have plenty of shocking visuals. Desperado (1995) was the first movie I saw of Robert’s and it instantly made me a big fan of his, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Danny Trejo, and the director’s style of action, humor, and editing. Many of his films have guns on the poster which obviously hints at the gunslinging about to take place, especially by Antonio who was perfectly cast as…
Zoe Saldana is a talented actress, she becomes unrecognizable in each role, and has very expressive eyes which she uses to great effect. I first noticed her in Star Trek (2009) as the female lead character Uhura, opposite Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine. She was tough and smart, not rolling over for the sweet talker, and she more than held her own delivering her lines with maturity and grace. Similar to her role in both Guardians of the Galaxy films…
The first time I saw David Giuntoli was at a comic convention and it was also the first time I saw my wife a tad star struck. She is a huge fan of the tv show Grimm (6 seasons 2011-2017) and after we waved and took photos (he snapped one back!) we began to watch the show from the beginning. It is about a detective (David) that also fights the supernatural, like if the X-Files centered on Van Helsing. The…