Tag / Michael Douglas

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You Ought To Be In (12) 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 nine actors that have starred in exactly 12 movies that I have seen, down one from 3 years ago.

Kristen Bell

The Veronica Mars star made her first “big screen” appearance in my life with the television remake of Reefer Madness in 2005.  She’s been a pretty steady presence since, with a two-year gap in 2015 and 2016 being her largest.  2018’s Like Father, which I saw in 2020, remains my most recent exposure to her in a starring role.

Leonardo DiCaprio

A small bump up for DiCaprio, who first appeared on my movie screen in 1996, with The Basketball Diaries.  After a three-year run to start, I had a gap of eight years between his films, from 2002-2009.  2011 was his most prolific year, with three different films.  The most recent film of his that I’ve seen was 2021’s Don’t Look Up.

Michael Douglas

I have not seen a Michael Douglas starring project since 2015’s Ant-Man.

Aaron Eckhart

Aaron Eckhart first showed up on the list of film actors I’ve seen way back in 1999 with Your Friends & Neighbors.  Since then, his appearances have been a little haphazard, with nothing more than three two-year streaks over the past 21 years.  The most recent film of his I’ve seen was 2014’s atrocious I, Frankenstein, which I unfortunately saw in 2020.

Corey Haim

My final Haim film was 1993’s Just One Of The Girls, which I saw in 2004.  Haim passed away in 2010, so he is not likely to be moving up this list anytime soon.

Helen Hunt

I first came across Helen Hunt back in 1987’s Project X.  She racked up nine of her twelve films between 1994 and 2006, with a double shot in 1996 thanks to Trancers and Twister.  After a fifteen-year hiatus, she returned to my screen in 2021, thanks to 2019’s I See You.

Anna Kendrick

Kendrick, who packed nine films into just three years, started in 2016, when Pitch Perfect 2 was the first of four films I saw starring her.  She followed that up with another four in 2017, an additional two in 2018, and single outings in 2019 and 2021, when I watched her in Stowaway.

Liam Neeson Continue reading →

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You Ought To Be In (12) 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 12 movies that I have seen, an increase of 1 at this level from 3 years ago.

Kristen Bell

The Veronica Mars star made her first “big screen” appearance in my life with the television remake of Reefer Madness in 2005.  She’s been a pretty steady presence since, with a 2 year gap in 2015 and 2016 being her largest.  Like Father, which I saw earlier this year, is my most recent exposure to her.

Michael Douglas

I have not seen a Michael Douglas starring project since 2015’s Ant-Man.

Aaron Eckhart

Aaron Eckhart first showed up on the list of film actors I’ve seen way back in 1999 with Your Friends & Neighbors.  Since then, his appearances have been a little haphazard, with nothing more than 3 2-year streaks over the past 18 years.  The most recent film of his I’ve seen was 2014’s atrocious I, Frankenstein, which I unfortunately saw earlier this year.

Corey Haim

My final Haim film was 1993’s Just One Of The Girls, which I saw in 2004.  Haim passed away in 2010, so he is not likely to be moving up this list anytime soon.

Woody Harrelson

In 1992, I headed to the theaters to see White Men Can’t Jump, where I first encountered Woody Harrelson in film. 7 of Harrelson’s films came between 1992 and 2000, after which there was a long lull.  Harrelson came back in to my world in 2008, then added 2 more in 2010.  After a 9 year layoff, Harrelson returned earlier this year with 2019’s Zombieland: Double Tap.

Mila Kunis Continue reading →

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You Ought To Be In (12) 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 look at the 9 actors that have starred in 12 movies that I have seen, an increase of 1 from 3 years ago.

Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman probably first appeared on my radar with 1987’s Teen Wolf Too.  After another film in 1992, he took the rest of the century off and didn’t reappear on my screen until 2010, when he started a streak of 5 films in 3 years, followed by another streak of 5 films in 3 years, culminating last year in both The Gift and The Longest Week.

Jamie Lee Curtis

My last experience with the former teenage scream queen remains 2011, when I saw 2010’s You Again.

Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas moves up one spot, thanks to the addition of 2015’s Ant-Man.

Will Ferrell

The SNL vet moves up two spots, with films in 2015 and 2017, when I saw Get Hard.

Gene Hackman

Hackman has mostly retired at this point, so the odds are that the last film I saw of his, Runaway Jury in 2012, will continue to be his last.

Corey Haim

My final Haim film was 1993’s Just One Of The Girls, which I saw in 2004.  Haim passed away in 2010, so he is not likely to be moving up this list anytime soon.

Tommy Lee Jones

The most recent entry in the Jason Bourne series enables Tommy Lee Jones to move up one spot.

Gwyneth Paltrow Continue reading →

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Most Watched Actors – The Early 1990s

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 the most prolific actors that have starred in the movies that I have seen in the first half of the decade of the 1990s, corresponding with the end of high school and the transition into college.

1991

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Raymond Burr 4

Gosh darn that Perry Mason and its ongoing dominance in this particular category.

1992

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Raymond Burr 3

Guh

1993

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Raymond Burr 3

GUH!

1994

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Bridget Fonda 4

A very busy year for Bridget Fonda as she breaks Raymond Burr’s stranglehold, mostly due to his death in 1993.  Fonda starred in Bodies, Rest & Motion, Point Of No Return, Leather Jackets, and It Could Happen To You.

1995

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Billy Crystal 3
Michael Douglas 3
Michael Keaton 3
Sharon Stone 3

Our first tie of the 90s, each coming in with 3 movies apiece.  Crystal made it with the critically maligned Mr. Saturday Night, Forget Paris, and City Slickers II.  Douglas scored with Disclosure, Basic Instinct, and Coma.  Keaton earned his place with Speechless, One Good Cop, and The Paper.  Sharon Stone nabbed the only 3 starring roles that I’ve seen, with Basic Instinct, The Specialist, and Sliver.

 

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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 May 30th.

Today, we continue with the 11 actors that have starred in 11 movies that I have seen.

Jim Carrey

I first encountered the rubber faced comedian in his breakout film, 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.  For a while there, Carrey became one of the biggest stars in the world.  I took in 2 films featuring him in 1997, 1999, and again in 2008.  Then, a funny thing happened and Jim Carrey wasn’t much of a star anymore.  The last film I saw him in was back 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas made his first impression upon my movie-going consciousness with 1989’s War of the Roses.  My big Douglas year was 1995, when I saw him in Basic Instinct, Disclosure, and 1978’s Coma.  Things have been quiet for Douglas here in the 21st century, with the last film of his that I’ve seen, The Sentinel, was in 2006.

Woody Harrelson

In 1992, I headed to the theaters to see White Men Can’t Jump, where I first encountered Woody Harrelson in film. 7 of Harrelson’s films came between 1992 and 2000, after which there was a long lull.  Harrelson came back in to my world in 2008, then added 2 more in 2010.  2011 was the last time I saw one of his films, 2009’s Defendor.

Anne Hathaway

Like most of America, I first saw Anne Hathaway back in 2003 in The Princess Diaries.  In the intervening 11 years, she has been a steadfast presence on my movie (or television) screen, including 3 films in 2005 and 4 in 2009.  In 2011, I saw my last starring vehicle starring Hathaway, 2010’s Love And Other Drugs.

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl burst on to the scene in 1994’s My Father, The Hero, which I took in the following year.  She dropped off my radar, went through puberty, and came back in 1999.  After achieving television stardom, she leaped back to the big screen in a big way in the mid-2000s, including 4 films in 3 years between 2006 and 2008.  The last time I saw a Heigl starring vehicle was 2011, when I took in both Life As We Know It and Killers.

Helen Hunt Continue reading →

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2013 Emmy Awards – Reality and Movies

With the Emmy Awards scheduled for Sunday night, here’s day two of my predictions for the awards, today focusing on reality shows and made for TV movies.  I most likely have seen not seen most of these, so I will likely not have an informed decision, but when has that ever stopped me.

Outstanding Reality Show Host

Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

Betty White, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers

Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway

Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance

Anthony Bourdain, The Taste

Tom Bergeron won this last year, and that seems like as good a reason as any for him to win it again.

Outstanding Reality Show Competition

The Amazing Race

Dancing With the Stars

Project Runway

So You Think You Can Dance

Top Chef

The Voice

I think The Amazing Race has won this every year its been on the air.  I see no reason for that streak to end now.

Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series

The Colbert Report

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Real Time With Bill Maher

Saturday Night Live

Another perennial winner should continue to bring home the big prize, although I wonder if Jon Stewart’s extended absence this summer will hurt the show in the voter’s minds.

Continue reading →

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30 Day Movie Challenge Day 08 – A Movie That You’ve Seen Countless Times

Everybody has that one movie that, when you come across it on cable, you leave it on and watch it until the end.  For me, that movie is The American President.  I’m not the biggest Michael Douglas or Annette Bening fan, so it has nothing to do with the stars, but there is something about this film that just draws me in.  I’m not even sure I remember how the movie starts, as I usually catch it halfway in.