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You Ought To Be In (20) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of May 30th.

Today, we look at the 1 actor that has starred in 20 movies that I have seen, down 1 from what we saw 3 years ago.

Julia Roberts

A 2 spot jump for Julia Roberts, who had been fallow since 2010 before bouncing back with 2 entries earlier this year, 2011’s Larry Crowne and 2016’s Money Monster.

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Book 17 (of 52) – Into The Water

Into The Water – Paula Hawkins

Following up on her smash debut novel, The Girl On The Train, Paula Hawkins returns with her sophomore effort, Into The Water.  In this tale, a woman falls prey to the same to the same suicide spot that she had been writing about.  But her sister and daughter don’t believe it was suicide and the mystery of her death, and the ones before her, start to unravel.

After all of the praise for Train, Hawkins was due for some push back, and the reviews were less forgiving this time around.  That said, I enjoyed the tale, finishing it in just a few sittings.  I look forward to what comes next, unless it’s another sub-par movie adaptation.  That I could do without.

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Fitbit III: Week 31

After a slow end to the previous week, this week got off to a slow start before picking up and ending on a strong note.  Sunday was a bad day, finishing just over 4000 steps, despite a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field.  Monday was another substandard day, my fourth in a row, finishing just above 5600 steps.  Things picked up on Tuesday, as I checked in with 8800 steps.  Wednesday was the big day of the week, thanks to a late night walk to clear my head.  Thursday and Friday were both back down around my daily goal of 6500 steps.  Saturday combined trips to both local baseball stadiums to approach 9400 steps.

Total steps: 52,456

Daily average: 7493.7

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You Ought To Be In (19) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1st.

Today, we dive into the 4 actors that have starred in 19 movies that I have seen.

Jennifer Aniston

Tied for the highest total for all actresses last time around, Aniston has jumped up one slot but fallen into 3rd place among her gender.  We’re The Millers, which I saw in 2014, is her only new addition.

Tom Cruise

A 3 picture jump for Tom Cruise puts him near the elite of my personal list of movie stars.  The first and most recent installments of the Mission: Impossible franchise were the last films of his I’ve seen back in 2015

John Cusack

A little known film I saw in 2015 called The Factory gives Cusack his only new entry.

Eddie Murphy

No change for Murphy, as it continues to be more than a decade since I’ve seen one of his starring perfromances, as I suffered through both Showtime and Adventures Of Pluto Nash in 2004.

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Fitbit III: Week 30

A good week was afoot until things kind of fell apart at the end.  The week got off to a decent start with over 7600 steps on Sunday.  Monday was back to work, which came up at just over 9000 steps.  Tuesday was back down a bit, at 6600, before rebounding on Wednesday and Thursday.  Things came crashing down on Friday, where I finished under 4400 steps.  Saturday was a little better, but still below my goal despite a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field.

Total steps: 51,127

Daily average: 7303.9

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You Ought To Be In (18) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1st.

Today, we continue with the 3 actors that have starred in 18 movies that I have seen, down 2 from the total of 3 years ago.

Kirsten Dunst

After a 3 year hiatus, Kirsten Dunst returned to my attention in 2014 with the short film Aspirational.  She followed that up in 2015 with the underrated Bachelorette.

Meg Ryan

A one-time favorite, Meg Ryan has been missing from my screen since 2009’s Serious Moonlight, which I saw in 2010.

Denzel Washington

A one picture jump for Denzel Washington, thanks to his starring role in Flight, which I saw in 2014.

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Fitbit III: Week 29

A decent, if unspectacular week, saved by one really good day.  The week got off to a decent start on Sunday with a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field to see the White Sox embarrass themselves against the Royals.  Monday used a post-work trip to the Glen to welcome Hayley back to America to nearly get to 10,000 steps.  Tuesday used a post-work walk to surpass 11,000 steps.  Wednesday was back down around 6700 steps, just getting past my daily goal.  Thursday was back over 7600 steps thanks to a second trip to the Glen for dinner.  Friday just managed to eek past 6500 steps, and Saturday was a complete bust, finishing under 3000 steps.

Total steps: 51,230

Daily average: 7318.6

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You Ought To Be In (17) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of May 30th.

Today, we take a loot at the 4 actors to have starred in 17 movies that I have seen, up 3 from 3 years ago.

Matt Damon

Moving up 2 spots, Matt Damon added films in 2016 and 2017, where he resurrected his Jason Bourne character in the movie of the same name.

Robert DeNiro

Robert DeNiro moves up 2 spots thanks to dual action in 2016, appearing in Joy and The Intern, both of which were released in 2015.

Scarlett Johansson

A 3 spot increase for the ingénue, who added an additional 2 films in 2014 plus Lucy, which I saw in 2015.

Michael Keaton

After a 9 year drought, Michael Keaton moves up one spot thanks to his comeback role in Birdman, which I saw in 2015.

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Book 16 (of 52) – Tinseltown

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, And Madness At The Dawn Of Hollywood – William J. Mann

In the early days of Hollywood, scandal threatened to bring down the nascent film industry.  Following the Fatty Arbuckle affair, the murder of William Desmond Taylor rocked the town, and the players behind what would become Paramount Pictures did everything they could to save their own skin rather than solve the murder of their powerful director.  Though the crime has remain unsolved for nearly 100 years, the author claims that he has pieced together the truth of what happened in Los Angeles on the evening of February 1, 1922.

When I first got this book, I had no idea that it was a true story.  Especially one starring the people who would build what would become Paramount and MGM.  Given that, it is somewhat surprising how long it took me to get in to it.  I started it for the first time over a year ago, not getting very far.  Even when I came back to it earlier this year, I had a hard time going more than 30-40 pages at a time.  At least until I got past the murder and the mystery of who did it became the primary focus.

Mann lays out many possible suspects, including actresses Mabel Normand, Margaret Gibson, and Mary Miles Minter, Minter’s mother Charlotte Shelby, and local ne’er-do-wells Don Osborn and Blackie Madsen.  His conjecture, that Gibson had helped Osborn and Madsen blackmail Taylor and that Madsen had subsequently shot Taylor, is supported by a supposed deathbed confession Gibson made in 1964.  Is that what truly happened?  Who can tell.  His theory does seem to match up with the evidence as he presents it.  The truth is we will likely never know for sure what happened to William Desmond Taylor in 1922.