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How 'Aliens' Started It All In Today's Sick Day Stash

Posted 6/6/12 10:29 am EST by in Commentary, Sick Day Stash

"Prometheus" hits theaters on Friday, and I am beyond excited. Even if it's not a direct prequel, there is simply no film series I care about more than the "Alien" movies. So ahead of Ridley Scott's return to that world, today's Sick Day Stash is going to dive back into the film that changed everything for me... but not quite as far back as you'd think.

I often credit "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" as the movie that changed my life. I saw it in theaters when I was seven — not awesome parenting, Mom and Dad, though I sure think you guys are swell — but not necessarily because of the movie itself. It's because "T2" led my way-too-young action-craving spirit on the path of other, earlier James Cameron efforts.

Like "Aliens," for one.

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'Borat' Make Benefit For Glorious Sick Day Stash

Posted 5/16/12 11:57 am EST by in Commentary, Sick Day Stash

Borat

On Friday, November 3, 2006, I left school particularly quickly to meet my uncle at a movie theater nearby. My Uncle Mike was always the cool uncle, who knew good movies, so he had made a point of seeing "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" the day it came out. You can probably see why he was the cool uncle.

In the weeks leading up to that day, Sacha Baron Cohen's first theatrical release was heralded as a wide variety of things, including "sexist," "offensive" and "the funniest movie of all time." Mostly unfamiliar with Borat's previous appearances on "Da Ali G Show," I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got was a new type of comedy that I'm still not sure I was ready for.

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'Iron Man' Flies Towards 'Avengers': Sick Day Stash

Posted 5/2/12 11:08 am EST by in Sick Day Stash

The Avengers

"I'm here to talk to you about The Avengers initiative." And with those few ominous words, the superhero movie landscape changed forever.

Make no mistake, 2008's "Iron Man" is the one that started it all. It established Marvel Studios' unexpected but insightful taste in directors with Jon Favreau. It showed their excellent eye for casting through Robert Downey Jr and his all-star cast of supporting players. Just as importantly, it kicked off the idea of a shared universe in which leads from other big budget comic book movies could cross paths with each other seamlessly, just as they do every week in the comics themselves.

Somehow, that impossible fanboy pipe dream became a reality, and now we're staring in the face of "Marvel's The Avengers," arguably the most important superhero movie of all time... and it owes all of its thanks to a badly wounded playboy genius trapped in a cave with only his wits for armor.

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Patrick Swayze Plays Nice In 'Road House': Sick Day Stash

Posted 4/25/12 3:35 pm EST by in Sick Day Stash

There's only one true Sick Day film for me, a film so utterly re-watchable that I was amazed to find that it hasn't already appeared in this column.

In 1989, at the height of his career, Patrick Swayze made an action film called "Road House" and changed the bouncer movie forever. A simple premise. Swayze is Dalton, the world's greatest bouncer, who goes from bar to bar, cleaning up the joint, so that nice people can have fun.

"Shut up, you've already convinced me," you say.

I know I have, but the beauty of "Road House" goes so much deeper than that.

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Ashton Kutcher Suffers From 'The Butterfly Effect': Sick Day Stash

Posted 4/18/12 11:00 am EST by in Sick Day Stash

It's no surprise that Apple fans are hesitant to believe Ashton Kutcher can pull off the role of the company's co-founder Steve Jobs. His boyish good looks and goofy personality lean more toward projects like his past roles in "That 70's Show" and "Dude, Where's My Car?"

But the Jobs biopic producer, Mark Hulme, told The Hollywood Reporter that Kutcher has the "psychological complexity" needed for the role, and it instantly struck a chord in my memory re: Kutcher's psychological thriller, "The Butterfly Effect." So, grab some Kleenex and a big glass of orange juice as we continually travel in time with Kutcher in today's Sick Day Stash.

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'Cabin In The Woods' Playlist: Five Films To Watch First

Posted 4/11/12 4:08 pm EST by in Commentary, Sick Day Stash

Cabin in the Woods

Part of what makes "Cabin in the Woods" so great is the clear love of movies on display by director Drew Goddard and his co-writer Joss Whedon. Every inch of the celluloid is an ode to the horror movie genre, but if you're going to get the full effect of what "Cabin in the Woods" wants to get across, there's some watching you'll have to do.

We've pull together a playlist of five films that you might want to consider checking out or rewatching before heading to the theaters this weekend.

"Cloverfield"
Before Drew Goddard got his chance to make his directorial debut with "Cabin in the Woods," he cut his cinematic teeth by writing "Cloverfield" for director Matt Reeves and producer J.J. Abrams. Four years after the frenzy of the viral campaign and the secrecy around the title, "Cloverfield" is often maligned for setting off the latest wave of found footage movies. What it isn't praised for was the way it played with the conventions of the monster movie genre. With so much of the focus on the monster most of the time, putting the camera literally at its feet with someone on the ground was a creative take on a tired premise.

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'Total Recall' Goes Back To Mars: Sick Day Stash

Posted 4/4/12 11:12 am EST by in Sick Day Stash

Sunday’s release of the new “Total Recall” trailer may have hinted at a movie that will forever change the hearts and minds of today’s seven year old nerds-to-be, but when I think back on my childhood, the original “Total Recall” stands out as one of the most totally awesome (and possibly the best) Schwarzenegger movies ever made. Sit back, contract a cold, and take a deep dive with me into a movie that is so effing cool, it can’t be found anywhere on Netflix.

Mars. Forever the downfall of filmmakers everywhere. Remember “Red Planet”? How about “Mission to Mars”? Of course you don’t. They were so atrocious your mind forced the traumatic memories into the deep recesses of your consciousness, so you would never have to face your Mars movie shame ever again. Rejoice Mars fans! There is one film that accomplished what others couldn’t, a movie that sets the world record for most Arnold grunts in one film, and one in which a woman sports three breasts. Paul Verhoeven, we thank you verily.

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Holiday Movie Playlist: Our Favorite Christmas Movies

Posted 12/22/11 4:30 pm EST by in Commentary, Sick Day Stash

Merry Christmas

The holidays are nearly upon us, and while many of you out there will undoubtedly be spending your time roasting chestnuts on an open fire (or some other cheery activity) with your family, there's going to be down time. And what better way to spend that time than by watching some classic holiday movies?

There are far too many feel-good Christmas movies (as well as some feel-bad holiday movies) out there to choose from, so if you find yourself stumped come December 25, never fear -- the MTV Movies team has compiled our all-time favorite holiday movie viewing experiences to make your season bright.

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'Ides Of March' Star Ryan Gosling Won't 'Fracture' In Today's Sick Day Stash

Posted 10/7/11 1:48 pm EST by in Sick Day Stash

Ryan GoslingCall them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. These are some of ours.

Ryan Gosling will complete his cinematic hat trick this weekend with the political drama "The Ides of March," playing a hungry press secretary on the campaign trail with George Clooney's earnest presidential candidate, Mike Morris. The film, based on the Beau Willimon play "Farragut North," is getting the kind of approval rating a world leader would kill for, but before you slap down your $10 and load up on the Junior Mints, I suggest you check out another of Gosling's intrigues, 2007's "Fracture."

In fact, I'd call the underrated crime drama a companion piece of sorts to "Ides of March." I mean, after the events of "Fracture," I could totally see Gosling's Willy Beachum eschewing the district attorney's office in favor of a political position supporting a man he believes could change the country. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

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'Point Break' Rides Wave As Today's Sick Day Stash!

Posted 9/13/11 12:03 pm EST by in Sick Day Stash

Point Breakby Brian Phares

Call them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. These are some of ours.

Oh Keanu Reeves, you truly are the king of awesome stunts. From attempting to disarm a bomb under a bus all while riding a crazy four wheeled cart that inevitably gets run over, to warping the very fabric of a virtual reality meant to enslave humans just to dodge a few bullets, is there anything you can't do?

There is one movie, however, that packs your greatest stunt of all time, and now that it's officially being remade, I have no choice but to reminisce about one of the greatest cheesy '90s action movies ever made. That movie, of course, is “Point Break.”

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