G is for Memphis

Welcome to day seven of the A to Z Challenge. If you're here for the first time or if you've forgotten already, this year's theme is movies! I am posting a quote, a character or two, and a brief synopsis of a movie for each letter. You then get to guess the movie in the comments. Answers will be revealed in the following day's post.

Answer to F: The Fifth Element

Today, we're doing the letter G. Believe it or not, we're switching genre. How's that for a great clue? Narrowing the field to everything that is not SciFi. Here we go.

Synopsis
96 hours to do the impossible. How far will a brother go to save family? This remake kept very little of the original script, but that's fine. It's a fun movie with loads of adrenaline. One of my guilty pleasures.

Quote
'If his unpleasant wounding has in some way enlightened the rest of you as to the grim finish beneath the glossy veneer of criminal life and inspired you to change your ways, then his injuries carries with it an inherent nobility and a supreme glory. We should all be so fortunate. You say, "poor Toby". I say, "poor us".'

Character

Eleanor - If you know the movie, 'nuff said. If you don't, she's the most beautiful character in the movie. Even my wife was drooling. She's dangerous, she's gorgeous, and she'll make him regret ever seeing her; but he can't walk away.

See you tomorrow!

F - More SciFi

Welcome to day six of the A to Z Challenge. If you're here for the first time or if you've forgotten already, this year's theme is movies! I am posting a quote, a character or two, and a brief synopsis of a movie for each letter. You then get to guess the movie in the comments. Answers will be revealed in the following day's post.

Answer to E - The Empire Strikes Back

Today we're doing the letter F. This is a movie that I have to watch every time it's on TV. I also have it on DVD for those times it's not available to watch somewhere else. And yes, it's SciFi. As most of my favorite movies tend to be.

Quote
"Listen lady, I only speak two languages: English and bad English."

Character
Leeloominaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat - Big name, big responsibility. Fortunately for everyone, she's got a shorter version of her name. Even better, she's here to save the galaxy. Yay!

Synopsis
The galaxy is threatened every 5000 years. Only one being can save it. But who is going to save her? The out of work cab driver, of course! Green? Super green!

E - Of Trilogies

The A to Z Challenge is up to letter E. But first we need to get the name of the D movie.

Answer: Dead Poets Society

Now on to E. This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I'm guessing a few people will get this one right and it's probably too easy, but I couldn't leave it off the list.

Synopsis
Breaking from the normal pattern of trilogies, this middle movie is actually the best of the three. Even 35 years after release, it still stands up as a great film. Building upon its predecessor, this movie's twist was unanticipated by fans everywhere. (Despite many people now trying to claim they saw it coming. Basically an impossibility since the writer didn't have it in the original story and added it late.) Science fiction was changed forever when this movie was released.

Character
Denis Lawson finally got his chance to be both seen AND heard as his character that he portrayed in all three movies. Strangely enough, his character's first appearance (in the first movie of the trilogy) was by another actor and his voice was dubbed by a third actor. We never actually hear Denis Lawson's voice until this movie. All subsequent appearances of the character are by Lawson with his own voice. What a way to treat one of the greatest starfighter pilots of all time.

Quote
"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral."

Good luck with this one. I tried to keep it vague enough to give it SOME difficulty. :)

D - What Movie Is It?

Answer to C - Crimson Tide

How did you do with yesterday's guessing? It's time to move on to letter D. Good luck!

Synopsis
The right teacher can change lives. Unfortunately, that is not in his job description.

Character - (And the answer becomes obvious)
John Keating teaches more than English. He teaches life. But some lessons are not acceptable in the curriculum at Welton Academy. Possibly Robin Williams' greatest performance.

Quote
"No matter what anyone tells you, words and ideas can change the world."

Every writer should know this movie for sure. Even if you don't write, you probably still know this movie. It is one of the all-time greats in my opinion. It came out over 25 years ago, but doesn't feel its age. If you haven't seen it, add it to your to-do list today.

C - What Can It Be?

Answer to B: Blazing Saddles!

Both A and B were pretty easy for some folks. Today, we up the difficulty a little. As usual, post your guesses in the comments.

Quote
"We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it." - Captain Frank Ramsay

Characters
Captain Frank Ramsay is a no-nonsense kinda captain who believes in the imperial captaincy. His rule is law and every order is to be obeyed without question. He's old school in a new school Navy.

Lt. Commander Ron Hunter is a new school officer of the nuclear Navy. He believes in the "why" of an order as much as the "what." Every bit as strong-willed as his captain, he is willing go stand up for his convictions, regardless of the cost.

Synopsis
What happens when two officers both try to follow orders (and the law) from two different interpretations? When both are right and both are wrong, the strongest will is likely to emerge victorious.

Until tomorrow, guess away!

B - ?? and the Answer to A

It's day two of the A to Z Challenge and that means we start with the letter B today. And of course, we get the name of yesterday's movie.

Yesterday's answer:  Aliens

Let's get to our B movie. I'll admit this one is pretty easy. Some of them this month will be harder, so I'm kinda throwing everyone a bone today.

Synopsis
This movie would never be made today. With its irreverent humor and biting satire, no studio would be willing to risk it. Unfortunately, most moviegoers today would have difficulty understanding the writer/director's method of taking humor to the extreme to point out the absurdity of the subject matter. The movie lambastes racism and bigotry while managing to make us laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Fun for the sake of being fun, stupid for the sake of being more fun.

Characters - Bart and Jim
Bart is the very definition of "fish out of water". Roped into a situation that is way beyond his control, Bart is set up to fail from the beginning. Despite the odds, he manages to come out ahead in the end through superior wit and cunning.

Jim is just patiently waiting to die an alcoholic's death before getting a new purpose as Bart's plucky sidekick. Will he regain the confidence to be the Waco Kid once again?

Quote
"Hey, where da white women at?" (If that doesn't give it away, you've never seen the movie.)

See you tomorrow with the answer.

A - ????

Welcome to the first installment of the A to Z Challenge for 2015. If you are unsure what that is, see this post. This year's theme is movies! I am posting a quote, a character or two, and a brief synopsis of a movie for each letter. You then get to guess the movie in the comments. Answers will be revealed in the following day's post. So let's get started.

Quote
"Game over man! Game over!" - Bill Paxton as Private Hudson

Character - Newt
Rebecca Jorden, AKA Newt, was only a young child in this movie. The only survivor of her colony, she shows an uncanny ability to survive in the worst of circumstances. The actress playing her, Carrie Henn, won a Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor. She earned it.

Synopsis
Really more of a description than a synopsis. So sue me. :) This sequel changed tone and, in some ways, genre from the original movie it followed. It was still considered by most (myself included) to be a fitting successor and every bit as good as the original. One of the all-time great sci-fi movies.

And those are your clues. Let's see your guesses in the comments and I'll give you the answer tomorrow.