Tag / Kiefer Sutherland

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You Ought To Be In (11) Pictures

Many 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.  Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 111 actors that have starred in at least ten films that I have seen, as of August 1.

We continue today with the eleven actors that have starred in exactly eleven movies that I have seen, down three from three years ago.

Halle Berry

Berry has racked up starring roles in four different decades now.  I first saw Berry in 1992’s Boomerang, which I saw in a screening at Stewart Center at school.  After notching five films during the 2000’s, she had a seven-year quiet period before returning to my screen in 2020 with John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.  Her most recent film that I’ve seen was 2022’s Moonfall.

Gerard Butler

The Scottish actor first appeared on my screen thanks to 2003’s Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, which I saw in 2005.  The Has Fallen franchise gave him three additional appearances, in 2013, 2016, and 2020.  He made multiple appearances in 2010 and 2022 and appeared on my screen earlier this year with 2020’s Greenland.

Jim Carrey

There has been no change for Carrey since I last encountered him back in 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Jennifer Connelly

As a 16-year-old in the spring of 1991, I fell in love with Jennifer Connelly thanks to the ads for Career Opportunities, which is very likely the first film of hers that I saw.  2000 was my most prolific Jennifer Connelly year, when I saw a whopping two movies starring her, followed by pretty consistent appearances throughout the decade.  After a thirteen-year absence, she returned to my screen in a starring role last year alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick.

Carla Gugino

Gugino first showed up on my radar in the mid-90s, thanks to her role in the Pauly Shore classic Son-In-Law.  She appeared in two films that I saw in 2001, 2016, and, most recently, 2020, with 2011’s Hide and 2017’s Gerald’s Game.

Nicole Kidman

I first saw Nicole Kidman in 1993’s My Life.  Since then, she has appeared in bursts, with lengthy layoffs in between.  After a twelve-year dry spell, she graced my screen once again in 2020 thanks to 2005’s Bewitched.

James McAvoy

First appearing in 2008’s Wanted, McAvoy has been a surprisingly steady presence on my screen, thanks in part to the X-Men franchise.  He had a five-year streak, starting in 2016 with X-Men: Apocalypse and going through 2019’s It Chapter 2.  His most recent appearance came in 2024 thanks to Speak No Evil.

Bill Murray Continue reading →

by admin

You Ought To Be In (11) Pictures

Many 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.  Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 107 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

We continue today with the fourteen actors that have starred in exactly 11 movies that I have seen, up one from 3 years ago.

Kevin Bacon

Our first newcomer of the week, Bacon first showed up on my screen prior to the start of my database, either with 1988’s She’s Having a Baby or 1991’s He Said, She Said.  After that, he showed up in spurts, with two films each in 1996, 1998, and 2001.  He laid fallow for 17 years before returning in 2018 with 2017’s Patriots Day.  His eleventh, and most recent appearance, came earlier this year in 2020’s You Should Have Left.

Halle Berry

Berry moves up, having racked up starring roles in four different decades now.  I first saw Berry in 1992’s Boomerang, which I saw in a screening at Stewart Center at school.  After notching five films during the 2000’s, she had a seven-year quiet period before returning to my screen in 2020 with John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.  Her most recent film that I’ve seen was last year’s Moonfall.

Jim Carrey

There has been no change for Carrey since I last encountered him back in 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Jennifer Connelly

As a 16-year-old in the spring of 1991, I fell in love with Jennifer Connelly thanks to the ads for Career Opportunities, which is very likely the first film of hers that I saw.  2000 was my most prolific Jennifer Connelly year, when I saw a whopping two movies starring her, followed by pretty consistent appearances throughout the decade.  After a thirteen-year absence, she returned to my screen in a starring role last year alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick.

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig first appeared on my radar in a starring role in 2007, when I watched his initial outing as James Bond in Casino Royale.  I had two three-year mini-streaks, with films in 2007 through 2009 and 2011 through 2013.  His two most recent appearances both came in 2022, thanks to the two franchises that account for seven of his eleven films: 2021’s No Time To Die, his final film appearance as James Bond, and 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, his second go-around as Benoit Blanc.

Chris Evans

Chris Evans first appeared on my screen in 2002 thanks to the previous year’s Not Another Teen Movie and has been a pretty steady presence ever since.  In 2011, he debuted as Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger and picked up an additional five films for the remainder of the decade, ending with his final appearance in Avengers: End Game in 2019.  His most recent appearance came earlier this year in Ghosted.

Hugh Grant Continue reading →

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You Ought To Be In (11) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22

Many 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, and thanks to a corona virus inspired uptick to my movie watching this year, it is time to look at the 100 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

Today, we continue with the 10 actors that have starred in 11 movies that I have seen, the same number at this level as 3 years ago.

Jim Carrey

There has been no change for Carrey since I last encountered him back in 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio first appeared on my movie screen in 1996, with The Basketball Diaries.  After a three year run to start, I had a gap of 8 years between his films, from 2002-2009.  2011 was his most prolific year, with 3 different films.  The most recent film of his that I’ve seen was last year’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, which I saw earlier this year.

Carla Gugino

A nice debut for Gugino, who first showed up on my radar in the mid-90s thanks to her role in the Pauly Shore classic Son-In-Law.  She appeared in 2 films that I saw in 2001, 2016, and 2020, with 2011’s Hide and 2017’s Gerald’s Game.

Helen Hunt

2006 remains the last time I saw a starring role from Helen Hunt.

Hugh Jackman

After replacing Dougray Scott as Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men, Hugh Jackman has been a steady presence on my movie screen.  7 of those appearances have been in the X-Men universe, including his last appearance, in 2017’s Logan.

Anna Kendrick

Continue reading →

by jim

Post Mortem – Designated Survivor

When a terrorist attack during the State of the Union address destroys the government of the United States, an FBI agent tries to track down the perpetrators while the “designated survivor” tries to rebuild the government structure.  While this sounds like a pretty good season of 24, with Jack Bauer on the case, it made for a lackluster series where Kiefer Sutherland was stuck behind the desk as the new president.

On May 11, 2018, ABC canceled Designated Survivor after its second season, but it is expected to return for a third season on Netflix sometime next year.  I made it partway through the first season, where a missing episode made me stop.  Now that it is on Netflix, I may go back and revisit it, if I ever find the time.

by admin

You Ought To Be In (11) 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 10 actors that have starred in 11 movies that I have seen, down 1 from the number at this level 3 years ago.

Jim Carrey

There has been no change for Carrey since I last encountered him back in 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Woody Harrelson

No starring roles for Woody Harrelson on my screen since 2011, when I watched 2009’s Defendor.

Katherine Heigl

The one-time romantic comedy sweetheart has seen her movie career falter, which is part of why I haven’t seen her in anything since 2011.

Helen Hunt Continue reading →

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Post Mortem – 24: Legacy

FOX put a lot of eggs in the revival basket last fall, bringing back new editions of both Prison Break and 24.  While Prison Break brought back all of the familiar faces, 24: Legacy brought a new cast together for a trip through the familiar formula of moles in CTU causing trouble.  Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t go home again, and the 13 episode season turned out to be… honestly, I’m not sure.  I’ve only made it through 2 episodes, with the remaining 11 still sitting on the DVR waiting to be watched.

With Kiefer Sutherland still working on Designated Survivor, it seems unlikely that the 24 people want to see will be back any time soon.  Given that, it’s probably for the best that this pale imitator was shut down after one season.

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2016 New Fall Season – Wednesdays

old-tv-set1We have reached the half way point of our look at the offerings for the new fall season.  Here’s what Wednesdays have on tap for the fall.

7:00

Arrow – Season 5 finds Oliver Queen trying to save the city, both as the Arrow and as mayor.  This also promises to be the last season of flashbacks, making me look forward to season 6.

Lethal Weapon – FOX reboots the movie series with Damon Wayans.  Might be worth a look, at least.

8:00

Modern Family – The comedy, entering its eighth season, is really starting to show its age.  It’s still fun, but the plots are starting to get a little out there.

Criminal Minds – The show returns for its twelfth season minus original stars Shemar Moore, who left last spring, and Thomas Gibson, who was fired for attacking a writer in the early going of this season.  To fill the void, Aisha Tyler has been bumped up to a regular cast member and Paget Brewster returns as Emily Prentiss.

Frequency – The CW reboots the movie, replacing Dennis Quaid with the fetching Peyton List.

8:30

Black-ish – After a strong second season, the show returns looking to improve yet again.

9:00

Continue reading →

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ABC Upfronts

agents_of_shield_bannerLots of changes coming this fall on ABC, as the network announced their upcoming schedule this week.  4 shows that I’ve been watching, Castle, The Muppets, Agent Carter, and the summer series Rookie Blue, were given the heave ho, leaving lots of holes in their, and my, schedule.

Conviction, a new legal drama starring Agent Carter star Hayley Atwell, moves in to the post-Dancing With The Stars slot on Monday vacated by Castle.  Tuesday sees the network expand their comedy block to two hours, with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. moving back to the 9pm hour.  Minnie Driver stars in the new comedy Speechless, airing before Modern Family on Wednesday.  Following Black-ish comes Designated Survivor, a new drama starring Kiefer Sutherland as the new President after a devastating attack on Washington DC.

Thursday gets some new blood, thanks to Scandal star Kerry Washington’s pregnancy, in the form of Notorious, a sexy legal drama starring Piper Perabo and breaking Shonda Rhimes stranglehold on the night, at least until the spring.  Friday nights stay exactly the same, as do Sundays.  Saturday is still left for college football.

The mid-season slate, aside from the returning Scandal, looks uneventful.

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Disturbing TV Tidbits

old-tv-set1Two bits of strange news came out of FOX’s presentation yesterday at the TCA press tour.  First, coming in October, is the crossover event that absolutely nobody was looking for: Bones and Sleepy Hollow.  From the press release:

On BONES, the grisly discovery of human remains lead Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) on a hunt for clues, during which they encounter Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) and Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie), searching for answers of their own. Realizing that they are after the same evidence, they team up to solve the mystery. Then, immediately following on SLEEPY HOLLOW, the intrigue continues as Ichabod’s old nemesis is back from the dead. Ichabod and Abbie need advanced forensic help and expertise to stop him and turn to Brennan and Booth to unlock 18th century secrets using 21st century science.

If this sounds ridiculous to you, well let’s just say you are not alone.  Sleepy Hollow’s second season was a mess, and I gave up on the show some time along the way, realizing that I wasn’t so much watching it as I was letting it play while I was doing something else.  This does not speak well to the creative strength of either show.

In other news, FOX announced that they are moving forward with a reboot of 24, without Jack Bauer.  While this means Kiefer Sutherland will not be involved, there’s no word yet on whether other old favorites will show up.  Can 24 be something worthwhile without its signature star?  Honestly, I doubt it.  But time (no pun intended) will tell.

by jim

Post Mortem – The Following

following3Hoping to recreate the magic that was 24 with Kiefer Sutherland, FOX turned to fellow movie star Kevin Bacon for a short-run series, each season clocking in at 15 episodes, to air on Monday nights.  Bacon, in his first starring television role, played FBI agent Ryan Hardy, renowned for dealing with serial killer Joe Carroll.  Throughout the series, Hardy hunts down Carroll and his apprentices, eventually becoming obsessed with him.

Sadly for FOX, The Following never became the hit that 24 was.  It managed to stick around for 3 seasons before being axed earlier this spring.  As of this writing, the remaining 2 episodes are sitting on the DVR waiting to be watched.  I’m sure the ending will be just as unsatisfying as the rest of the series.