Jon’s Forgotten Movie Quest

Episode 13 – Say Anything…

What’s the story behind this quest?

When I was younger, I distinctly remember watching something on the TV that went like this:

A man in his early 20s is in a van with two-to-three other men of the same age. The landscape is filled with mountains. The man calls his girlfriend, who has long blonde hair, who is in her flat. The man says “Listen hunny, I’ve gotta do a job with the guys but can I come see you soon? The girlfriend replies “Yeah sure, the number for the keypad is….”. As far as I can recall, the next scene is of the man entering the house, and which point they start making out.

That’s all I can remember. I will keep using LoveFilm to rent films that I think could be my forgotten movie until I find it. I will try to keep the reviews fairly regular, but of course it depends largely on which films LoveFilm choose to send me.

My guess is that the film was released from about 1995 to 2005. I think the memory is from before I was in secondary school (started in 2003), so I have some sort of time bracket to work from, assuming all the guesses, dates and assumptions are correct.

What’s the film?

Somehow, director Cameron Crowe manages to fill an hour and a half with the simple storyline a young man falls in love with a beautiful girl his age before she goes off to college.

Who’s in it?

John Cusack, star of Being John Malkovich, 2012 and High Fidelity.

Review

A young man called Lloyd Dobler has eyes for Diane Court. Lloyd has to defy social standing, the cool kids at parties and most of all her Dad in his bid to win her over. Sparks fly and eventually she sees something in him and they form a relationship, much to the disapproval of her Dad James (John Mahoney, Will & Grace). Lloyd goes round to her house for dinner with Dad and the family and gets found out about having little ambition regarding his career and generally not knowing which path to take. Diane’s Dad is investigated for laundering money and eventually put in prison, all the while Lloyd and Diane break up and get back together again and start a life together.

Final Thoughts

A decent love story but nothing particularly special about this one as far as I’m concerned, and not my forgotten movie.

3 stars.

Jon’s Forgotten Movie Quest

Episode 12 – The Big Hit

What’s the story behind this quest?

When I was younger, I distinctly remember watching something on the TV that went like this:

A man in his early 20s is in a van with two-to-three other men of the same age. The landscape is filled with mountains. The man calls his girlfriend, who has long blonde hair, who is in her flat. The man says “Listen hunny, I’ve gotta do a job with the guys but can I come see you soon? The girlfriend replies “Yeah sure, the number for the keypad is….”. As far as I can recall, the next scene is of the man entering the house, and which point they start making out.

That’s all I can remember. I will keep using LoveFilm to rent films that I think could be my forgotten movie until I find it. I will try to keep the reviews fairly regular, but of course it depends largely on which films LoveFilm choose to send me.

My guess is that the film was released from about 1995 to 2005. I think the memory is from before I was in secondary school (started in 2003), so I have some sort of time bracket to work from, assuming all the guesses, dates and assumptions are correct.

Who’s in it?

Elliot Gould, Ross and Monica’s Dad in TV series Friends, and Avery Brooks, who was in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine TV series.

What’s the film?

The Big Hit, a film about a kidnapping by a group of hit men that takes an unexpected turn.

Review

The film starts with a group of hit men finishing off a job, with Melvin (Mark Walhberg) the leading man. The group target Chinese girl Keiko for kidnapping to try and bribe money out of the family. What they don’t know is she is the goddaughter of their boss. Not only this but while watching over Keiko, Melvin starts to fall in love with her, and must escape the attentions of his two bitchy girlfriends, an annoying Movie rental clerk and kill off anyone, even his associates, who gets in his way.  An action comedy that wasn't funny and turned out to be just a poor action flick.

2 and a half stars.

Final Thoughts

I’m not sure how the person on Yahoo Answers could think this is my forgotten movie based on the description I put in my question. They seemed certain it was my movie, no question mark, nothing. And yet there were no scenes that resembled the ones I described in this film *sigh*. The quest rumbles on…

Jon’s Forgotten Movie Quest

Episode 11 - Jawbreaker

What’s the story behind this quest?

When I was younger, I distinctly remember watching something on the TV that went like this:

A man in his early 20s is in a van with two-to-three other men of the same age. The landscape is filled with mountains. The man calls his girlfriend, who has long blonde hair, who is in her flat. The man says “Listen hunny, I’ve gotta do a job with the guys but can I come see you soon? The girlfriend replies “Yeah sure, the number for the keypad is….”. As far as I can recall, the next scene is of the man entering the house, and which point they start making out.

That’s all I can remember. I will keep using LoveFilm to rent films that I think could be my forgotten movie until I find it. I will try to keep the reviews fairly regular, but of course it depends largely on which films LoveFilm choose to send me.

My guess is that the film was released from about 1995 to 2005. I think the memory is from before I was in secondary school (started in 2003), so I have some sort of time bracket to work from, assuming all the guesses, dates and assumptions are correct.

What’s the film?

Jawbreaker, a story about a prank kidnapping that goes horribly wrong for three high school girls.

Who’s in it?

Judy Greer, who is best known for TV series Dexter and the film Three Kings.

Review

Three ditsy, bitchy girls, Courtney, Julie and Marcie, kidnap their friend Liz while she’s still in bed, tie her up and put her in the boot of their car with a jawbreaker in her mouth as a prank. When they come to open the boot, they find her dead having choked. They attempt to cover their tracks by putting their dead friend back in her bed without anybody knowing, but even though her parents are away, classmate Fern Mayo delivers some homework and discovers them and the dead body, at which point Liz’s parents come home.

Julie decides she doesn’t want to be part of the conspiracy to cover it up and splits from the group. Fern replaces her and Courtney renames her Vylette. Eventually Vylette gets too big for her boots and Courtney and Marcie turn against her. Julie teams up with drama student Zach and latterly Vylette to bring Courtney to justice. Julie returns to the scene of the crime and discovers evidence which will convict Courtney. They also find out Courtney had sex with a guy in Liz’s bed after the accidental murder to frame the guy for rape on Liz. Courtney’s guilt is revealed for all to see at the school prom, leaving the film with a happy ending.

2 and a half stars.

Final Thoughts

All in all, an ok film, although at only 1 hour 20 minutes, some might say something is missing. Not a particularly amazing plot means it could get boring after too long for some, of course. Hoping that LoveFilm send better potential forgotten movie titles next time.

Jon’s Forgotten Movie Quest

Episode 10 – The Craft

What’s the story behind this quest?

When I was younger, I distinctly remember watching something on the TV that went like this:

A man in his early 20s is in a van with two-to-three other men of the same age. The landscape is filled with mountains. The man calls his girlfriend, who has long blonde hair, who is in her flat. The man says “Listen hunny, I’ve gotta do a job with the guys but can I come see you soon? The girlfriend replies “Yeah sure, the number for the keypad is….”. As far as I can recall, the next scene is of the man entering the house, and which point they start making out.

That’s all I can remember. I will keep using LoveFilm to rent films that I think could be my forgotten movie until I find it. I will try to keep the reviews fairly regular, but of course it depends largely on which films LoveFilm choose to send me.

My guess is that the film was released from about 1995 to 2005. I think the memory is from before I was in secondary school (started in 2003), so I have some sort of time bracket to work from, assuming all the guesses, dates and assumptions are correct.

What’s the film?

The Craft, about a girl starting at a new school and befriends three girls who practice witchcraft.

Who’s in it?

Robin Tunney, who has starred in popular TV programs The Mentalist and Prison Break.

Review

The film begins with a young woman and her Mum and Dad moving into a new home. The young woman, Sarah, soon starts at the local school, and even sooner comes into contact with three outcast girls, Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle. Chris, Sarah’s soon-to-be boyfriend, reveals to her that they are witches.

The four girls team up and start practicing witchcraft. Each girl seeks to exact revenge on their fiercest enemy. Sarah has a typical teenage movie off-on relationship with Chris with comes to an end as soon as it begins. I found that the film drifted a bit in the middle, and frankly turned a bit boring.

In a showdown at the end, the three original witches turn on Sarah, seeking to cast her aside using spells. The two sidekicks become scared when spells are cast on them and they run away. This leaves Nancy to face Sarah on her own. They trade tricks on each other, with the latter having the final say. Sarah lives happily ever after, Nancy is put into a psychiatric care.

2 and a half stars.

Final Thoughts

Not a very good film, not my forgotten movie, not one I’ll ever watch again.

Jon’s Forgotten Movie Quest

Episode 9 – Urban Legend

What’s the story behind this quest?

When I was younger, I distinctly remember watching something on the TV that went like this:

A man in his early 20s is in a van with two-to-three other men of the same age. The landscape is filled with mountains. The man calls his girlfriend, who has long blonde hair, who is in her flat. The man says “Listen hunny, I’ve gotta do a job with the guys but can I come see you soon? The girlfriend replies “Yeah sure, the number for the keypad is….”. As far as I can recall, the next scene is of the man entering the house, and which point they start making out.

That’s all I can remember. I will keep using LoveFilm to rent films that I think could be my forgotten movie until I find it. I will try to keep the reviews fairly regular, but of course it depends largely on which films LoveFilm choose to send me.

My guess is that the film was released from about 1995 to 2005. I think the memory is from before I was in secondary school (started in 2003), so I have some sort of time bracket to work from, assuming all the guesses, dates and assumptions are correct.

What’s the film?

Urban Legend, where a student suspects that murders around her campus are connected to Urban Legends.

Who’s in it?

Jared Leto, lead singer of 30 Seconds To Mars.

Review

The film begins with a young woman driving along on the motorway at night. She runs out of fuel, and conveniently finds a gas station. She gets filled up and finds herself in the gas office. She mistakenly believes the man is about to attack her, when actually when she manages to drive away, the man shouts after her “There’s someone in the backseat!”. Sure enough, a man in the back appears with an axe, and kills her rather violently.

The plot is that a college student teams up with a reporter as she grows suspicious that numerous murders are in some way linked to Urban Legends. With Natalie (Alicia Witt) and Brenda (Rebecca Gayheart) watching closely, local reporter Paul (Jared Leto) writes about the young lady that was murdered. It starts a chain-reaction of killings as the myth becomes reality. The killings include Damon (Joshua Jackson) being hung from a tree having tried (and failed) to seduce Natalie. Paul and Natalie then team up to try and identify the killer. This leads them to break into the Professor’s office, where they find the axe and a coat that the killer has been seen wearing on every occasion.

People continue to die in a variety of grizzly circumstances. The producer of the campus radio show is struck off with the axe, followed eventually by the presenter Sasha (Tara Reid, American Pie) after having been chased around the building - she pathetically screams and shouts “I don’t wanna die” (No kidding?). She makes no attempt to try and stop her impending death, just curls up in a corner. A bit pathetic, and a part of the film that annoyed me immensely. I began to think that it had to be Paul; he was always in the right place at the right time – Natalie would be running away from the killer, and then suddenly he’d conveniently turn up. Paul, Natalie and Brenda come together as my suspicions are justified as the professor is found dead in the back of Paul’s car. It comes to a head with Brenda, Paul, Natalie and a cop all at a face-off. I won’t give away the killer; I’d be interested to see if you can make an educated guess based on my review.

3 stars.

Final Thoughts

A half-entertaining horror where the action didn’t relent when it got going, I’m pleased to say. I watch a lot of thrillers and horrors, and I don’t mind admitting I found myself a bit scared at one point. It was one of those films where the plot was weak but just strong enough to keep you interested, and what follows is a film that rarely stops to catch breath. Not my forgotten movie, but a decent film, and the right genre too. I suspect that my forgotten movie is a thriller or horror, so expect a few more thrillers/horrors in the next few episodes of the blog.

Jon’s Forgotten Movie Quest

Episode 8 – Empire Records

What’s the story behind this quest?

When I was younger, I distinctly remember watching something on the TV that went like this:

A man in his early 20s is in a van with two-to-three other men of the same age. The landscape is filled with mountains. The man calls his girlfriend, who has long blonde hair, who is in her flat. The man says “Listen hunny, I’ve gotta do a job with the guys but can I come see you soon? The girlfriend replies “Yeah sure, the number for the keypad is….”. As far as I can recall, the next scene is of the man entering the house, and which point they start making out.

That’s all I can remember. I will keep using LoveFilm to rent films that I think could be my forgotten movie until I find it. I will try to keep the reviews fairly regular, but of course it depends largely on which films LoveFilm choose to send me.

My guess is that the film was released from about 1995 to 2005. I think the memory is from before I was in secondary school (started in 2003), so I have some sort of time bracket to work from, assuming all the guesses, dates and assumptions are correct.

What’s the film?

Empire Records, released in 1996, is a film about a music store fighting the imminent takeover from another chain.

Who’s in it?

A young Liv Tyler, better known for her role in Lord Of The Rings, and Debi Mazar, who played Spice in Batman Forever (1995), the third film in the series.

Review

It’s night time at a music store called Empire Records, and Lucas, placed in charge for one night, finds something in his boss’s office to suggest that the store is about to be taken over by another chain. So, on impulse, he takes the money in the cash machine and drives to a casino in Atlantic City. He chances his hand at one of the tables and loses everything. Back at the store, a series of miscellaneous events follows: a shoplifter trying and failing to steal some albums; Rex Manning, a supposed star, coming to the store to sign new copies of his latest flop; while Gina (Debi Mazar) and Corey (Liv Tyler) both make passes towards Rex. All of this and more passes with the heavy weight of closure hanging over the store. In the end, the team themselves cough up some money to help the cause and then stage a huge party in the store that helps save it. Joe, head manager and nice guy, quit his job so it became a bit ‘neither here nor there’, but the ride was enjoyable, if not amazing. I’m spoiling this for you because in truth you’re not missing a lot, but the film still earns a solid 3 stars. Funny in places, and although it had a happy ending, I felt there was too little going in the middle of the film

3 stars.

Final Thoughts

I thought the plot was going to be Lucas trying to win the money back but, as stated in the review, it turned out to be a series of other events that lead to the team pulling together, and coming up with the money.

A decent enough film worthy of this quest, but not necessarily of buying on DVD or watching more than a couple of times.

Jon’s Forgotten Movie Quest

Episode 7 – Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie

What’s the story behind this quest?

When I was younger, I distinctly remember watching something on the TV that went like this:

A man in his early 20s is in a van with two-to-three other men of the same age. The landscape is filled with mountains. The man calls his girlfriend, who has long blonde hair, who is in her flat. The man says “Listen hunny, I’ve gotta do a job with the guys but can I come see you soon? The girlfriend replies “Yeah sure, the number for the keypad is….”. As far as I can recall, the next scene is of the man entering the house, and which point they start making out.

That’s all I can remember. I will keep using LoveFilm to rent films that I think could be my forgotten movie until I find it. I will try to keep the reviews fairly regular, but of course it depends largely on which films LoveFilm choose to send me.

My guess is that the film was released from about 1995 to 2005. I think the memory is from before I was in secondary school (started in 2003), so I have some sort of time bracket to work from, assuming all the guesses, dates and assumptions are correct.

What’s the film?

The third Power Rangers film, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.

Who’s in it?

Greg Collins, best known for being in Independence Day and Con Air.

Review

I came across this film after a friend on Twitter said to me that he was ‘106% sure’ that this was my forgotten movie, so I thought ‘’’Ooo goody, it must be it!’…Well here I am having watched it and I can tell you that it is very definitely not the film I was looking for. My friend was so sure as well!...

I was never a fan of Power Rangers when I was young, but I watched it as attentively as I was able. The plot is the Power Rangers must stop the busty Divatox from setting free a giant monster from a volcano on a mystery island. To do this she has to kidnap the wizard Lerigot. The Power Rangers use their Turbo powers and Turbo Zords to fight back. Where in that do you think I guessed it wasn’t my forgotten movie?

Anyway, unless you’re at the appropriate age for this type of movie, or longstanding fan of the series, this isn’t for you (unless you hadn’t already guessed). I was hoping it would be a nice hark back to my childhood when I use to watch a bit of Power Rangers, but in truth it struggled to hold my attention. Something which the Twitter friend commented on, and which I agreed with, is that the Power Rangers were barely in it; very strange indeed.

2 stars.

Final Thoughts

That I’m already looking forward to the next forgotten movie title I get in the post definitely reflects on this film, but enough bashing of Power Rangers for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, and indeed the quest so far. I have many titles lined that I truly believe could be my forgotten movie. See you all very soon.