Posted Mon Jun 4, 2012 at 03:05 PM PDT by Dick Ward
by Dick Ward
Hardcore fans don't just watch movies – they live movies. They're the folks that watch Indiana Jones while drinking dark red "blood" punch out of grails and eat Jello monkey brains. They're the people that watch 'The Lord of the Rings' straight through while clutching their precious the whole time. They're my personal favorite kind of wonderfully crazy obsessive people. "Beyond the Blu" is all about taking the movie watching experience one step further, showing you some of the cool things you can pick up to coincide with this month's releases, whether it's a piece of memorabilia or something that's just tangentially related.
Every time I see 'Cocktail' I get the feeling that I'm wasting my life by not learning how to throw bottles into the air, catch them, and then serve people watered down drinks. It's something we all really need to get on top of, and luckily we can, using this OXO Steel 11-Piece Barware Set. At the very least, it's not too terribly expensive, so it won't matter so much if you break it.
Fine, I'll admit it. I only know about 'Hondo' because of Al Bundy. There's this tremendous episode where Al is trying to watch 'Hondo' on TV – this is before the whole VHS thing – and misses it, only to find out that the movie won't air for another 17 years. Pick up the ' Married with Children: The Complete Eighth Season' and see it for yourself. And I guess watch 'Hondo' too.
There's a lot to love about 'Harold and Maude' but one of the absolute coolest things in there is Harold's Jaguar hearse. I can't promise that you'll find that hearse in The Little Book of E-Type Jaguar, but you can get all the info you need on the car that got converted. Maybe it'll help you finally decide to create one of your own.
'Newsies' is one of my very favorite musicals, and right up there in my list of my favorite Christian Bale movies. It was also a huge flop for Disney, who sunk a ton of money into the production. Have a theme night and enjoy 'Newsies' with the recent big budget flop ' John Carter,' which also set Disney back significantly.
Donnie is memorable, sure. So are Walter and The Dude, but the most quoted character per second of screen time is The Jesus, who is ridiculous and hilarious and wonderful, and any chance to mimic him while bowling is an opportunity worth taking. Pick up a Buff-A-Ball White Polisher/Carrier and you're partway there.
'Meatballs' is your prototypical late 70s early 80s comedy with one dimensional characters and plenty of sexy girls. Aside from the title, it doesn't tie in at all with the four pounds of Ohama Steaks Precooked Italian Meatballs you can order on Amazon. I'm just fascinated that you can buy meat on Amazon.
It's strange considering the actual havoc and terror that a giant gorilla would bring with it, but 'King Kong' is actually kind of cute. Don't believe me? Recreate the famous climactic scene with a King Kong Plush and 28" Model Empire State Building and you'll see what I mean. You won't find that level of cuteness with other movies. A Barbie version of 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' doesn't really work, and even Gamera just comes off creepy when put into toy form. Then again, Gamera is always creepy.
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