Thursday, September 9, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks-Actors/Actresses who played themselves

 

I am very late posting this as I have been so busy with my friend and his boyfriend who love walking and his boyfriend never saw Niagara Falls before or Niagara On The Lake. I am dead tired and so very sore but I do enjoy walking..until my hips grind bone on bone. Yesterday, I saw my dr. ...operation coming October 12th. for a full hysterectomy...I am beyond exhausted. Now, my brain is not functioning but I still came up with 3 movies that fit this bill. Head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves to see what everyone else has chosen..here are my 3.

1. AIRPLANE-1980

This is a very funny, but dumb movie(I love these) that showed how funny Leslie Nielsen really is, Peter Graves as well and seeing Barbara Billingsly(Leave It To Beaver mom) speaking jive. This movie makes fun of all the Airport disaster movies that came out in the 1970s. It stars Robert Hays, who boards the plane trying to get the girl he loves, played by Julie Hagerty, back. She is a stewardess who must help take control of the plane when all the pilots fall ill. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a famous basketball player, plays the navigator who is found out by this little boy who guesses he is the famous basketball player. Kareem tells him he better keep his mouth shut, just before Kareem becomes ill. He is actually quite funny in the movie. This is a fun flick to have a laugh and escape from the reality of life.

2 OCEAN'S TWELVE-2004

This stars all the guys from Ocean's Eleven-George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon etc.  Plus Julia Roberts as the wife of Clooney. They must retrieve all the money they stole from the last movie and create an elaborate way to steal some goods when in Europe. At one point the Julia Robert's character must play a pregnant Julia Roberts but she ends up meeting Bruce Willis and mayhem ensues. It's actually one of the funniest bits on the film and done so well.

3. ZOMBIELAND-2009

I bet this film will be popular this week but not in Spanish which I have here because I could not find a scene from youtube, through Blogger, showing Bill Murray.. You would think I would hate this film because it stars that annoying ass, Jessie Eisenberg, who has survived a zombie apocalypse. It is a horror movie to boot which scares me to death except this movie is hilarious. Jessie meets up with a twinkie searching nut, played by Woody Harrelson and 2 women who get the better of them when they all end up in a Beverly Hills home. There they meet Bill Murray whom they are ready to kill thinking he is a zombie but he stops them, thankfully. They learn that he makes himself look like a zombie so he can go out and play golf. If actual zombies are around, he just acts like a zombie so they leave him alone. It's so funny and I wish he was in the film more. This is a better movie than one would think. 

Which films would you choose?

28 comments:

  1. Glad you enjoyed your visit with your friends but I'm sorry to hear that you need an operation. Sending positive thoughts that all goes swimmingly.

    We match!!! Airplane is such a crazy hoot of a film with all the pieces falling into place exactly right. Kareem's bit is a gem.

    Ocean's Twelve is my least favorite of the trilogy (my preference is 11, 13 then 12) but Julia Roberts pretending to be herself is very meta.

    I've never seen Zombieland and am doubtful I will.

    This was a bit of a challenge though our match came to me right away it was the other two that took some time to come up with.

    Airplane! -Kareem Abdul Jabar (1980)-Wacky spoof of disaster movies and in particular the 1957 Dana Andrews/Linda Darnell film Zero Hour! Kareem plays himself though for some reason he’s pretending to be co-pilot Roger Murdock leading to many puns.

    Wings of Desire-Peter Falk (1987)-Dreamy and cerebral fantasy from Wim Wenders about two angels, Damiel & Cassiel who float above Berlin offering rays of hope for the downtrodden without their knowledge. When Damiel falls for trapeze artist Marion and longs for a non-spectral existence he is given some unexpected advice from Peter Falk (as himself) who harbors a secret unknown to all.

    Zoolander-David Bowie (2001)-In this loony satire of the male modeling industry the legendary Bowie appears as the judge of a fashion runway “walk-off” between Ben Stiller’s Derek Zoolander and Owen Wilson’s rival male model Hansel McDonald.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Joel, I hope it goes ok...a bit nervous. Yeah that we match! I love Airplane and all its zaniness. I had a feeling you would not like Zombieland and, frankly, I was surprised I liked it. I have not seen the movie with Peter Falk but it sounds like a good one to see. I am just not a fan of Zoolander even though I laughed at Wilson’s name being Hansel. I was truly trying to think of a film where Orson Welles appears as himself.

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  2. With "Airplane!" don't forget Lloyd Bridges as the air traffic controller. "Looks like I picked a bad week to give up smoking."

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    1. Lloyd Bridges was superb! He gave up a lot of things and love Robert Stack too.

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  3. Good picks;)
    Glad you got to walk. Sorry you are dealing with so much:(

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    1. Glad you like my picks. Yes...I have just had a bit too much to be honest.

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  4. I thought of Airplane and Zombieland too but didn't pick them. I've seen all your picks this week!

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  5. Ugh - will be thinking of you on the 12th.

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  6. Hi, Birgit!

    As I explained in my reply to your comment on my blog a while ago, I am just getting back online after hours away from home. I looked for this post for several hours this morning but didn't see it. Finally I needed to shut down and leave home to get my #3 COVID-19 booster shot. Lines were long and I needed to go to two different pharmacies before I found one with a supply of Moderna. Next I needed to run errands. When I got home, quite frankly I was knocked-out and needed to take a long nap. Thank you for understanding the reason for my tardiness, dear friend.

    I am very sorry to learn of your ambulatory problems. It was nice of you to show your friends Niagara Falls even though you wound up in pain. I hope your operation on the 12th is a total success and you can put this unpleasant chapter behind you. I also hope your hubby is doing better.

    You are a trouper for coming up with three films that provide examples of actors/actresses playing themselves. Airplane! is one of my all time favorite comedies and an excellent pick for this prompt. That entire cockpit scene with the little boy, Kareem and Peter Graves, is brilliant. "Breaking the 4th wall," for lack of a better way of describing Kareem's speech, is one of my favorite movie devices when it is done well. Airplane!, along with Mad Mad World, are the two funniest films I can think of, more laughs per minute than any other. You mentioned Leslie Nielsen's shtick and Barbara B. talking jive. Add to that Lloyd Bridges sniffing glue, the "automatic pilot" smoking a cigarette after having his way with Julie Hagerty, and so many more classic comedy moments.

    I haven't seen the Oceans Eleven/Twelve films, but you chose another great example. Bill Murray in Zombieland is another great pick.

    I might have the quintessential selection in this category, BB. In the 1960 Marilyn Monroe musical comedy film Let's Make Love, billionaire Jean-Marc Clément (Yves Montand) tries to impress and win the heart of Amanda Dell (MM) by hiring (Wiki quote:)
    << Milton Berle, Gene Kelly, and Bing Crosby (all playing themselves) to teach him how to deliver jokes, dance, and sing, respectively >> - three major stars playing themselves in what was to become Marilyn's last musical film performance. By the way, a billion dollars was considered a lot of money way back in 1960. :)

    Get some rest, dear friend BB. I'll be thinking about you. Thank you again for stopping by Shady's Place today. I just now noticed that you commented on two of my posts. I will click back and respond to your comment on last week's post right now!

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    1. I am so glad you got your booster shot in a state that seems to defy wanting to get any shots. I have been thinking about you with all the people screaming against getting their vaccines along with the hurricanes..you and your wife have had a trip yourselves. Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Leslie Nielsen and Peter Graves really showcased their comedic talents when they were not known for it. It made a whole new career for Leslie Nielsen...one of my favs. Hey! I guess it has been the wrong week for me to stop sniffing glue or taking amphetamines.

      I have not seen Let’ Make Love since i was a kid and I need to see it again because that is a brilliant choice.

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  7. Well I am brain dead on this one. Sorry to hear about your surgery. Hope all goes well.

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  8. I'm sorry you're having these health issues, Birgit! May your surgery go well and you have a speedy recovery! ♥ I remember Airplane and Ocean's Twelve but never saw Zombieland. Anything with Zombie in the title has me running the other way! ☺ I just saw the movie "Yesterday" and Ed Sheeran did a good job playing himself.

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    1. It has not been a great couple of weeks that’s for sure. I am so not into zombies either but this is a very rare exception for me. I think it is the humour because I can’t stand Eisenberg either.

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  9. Kareem! Of course I know of the former Laker. My brother is such a Lakers fan he named all his boys after Lakers players. That's a story.

    Sorry about having to have surgery. Hopefully all goes well and smoothly. It is nice to get out with friends, but it can be exhausting.

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    1. Wow! He did? I have to hear that story. I just hope no cancer is found. It should go well albeit slowly given my connective tissue disorder.

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  10. Hi Birgit…glad you enjoyed your walks and also glad you have a date for your operation,you will be a new woman after!….just take the time to recover….
    Love your picks for the films and I have seen the first two and loved them…take care xxxx

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  11. This is the third time I'm seeing Ocean's Twelve mentioned today and I totally forgot Roberts' characters pretends to be Roberts herself at some point. I guess I need to rewath those movies.

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  12. I saw Airplane and Ocean's 12 on TV. I am a HUGE Lakers fan, and don't even remember that clip of Kareem. I remember when he was actually called Alcindor. I never saw him play back then, but I remember they made a big deal of him changing his name and that stuck with me. Great picks and a rough one this week.

    Talk about rough. It sounds like you are going to have a rough time for a few days. I hope all goes well on the 12th. My thoughts are with you and your husband, too, dear.

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  13. That Ocean's Twelve scene is * chef's kiss * !! It's so good, ahh, like.. I love it a lot as you can see and I also went with that!

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  14. I thought about using Zombieland for my list as well, but then I shamefully couldn't really remember the scene and just thought of other stuff. We do match on Ocean's 12 though, so there's always that :D

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  15. Ah, you grabbed the best one with Kareem! Let's see...

    Bill Murray in Cigarettes and Coffee - best part of the whole movie.

    Also Bill Murray in Space Jam, the only good part of that movie.

    I don't know if it really counts but doesn't Ralph Bellamy have a line about the "Ralph Bellamy character" in the Awful Truth?

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  16. BIRGIT ~

    I *HATE* that I'm *this* late to the game, especially since it's such an inspired topic / category. I blame my lateness on 'Battle Of The Bands'.

    Your Kareem choice in 'AIRPLANE' was fantastic! I love that movie, and Kareem threatening that little kid - that was one of many, Many great moments in that movie!

    'AIRPLANE' was, in a sense, the offspring of 'BLAZING SADDLES' -- a level of off-the-charts zany nonsense that had rarely been seen earlier.

    My Top Two choices actually come from two movies that are included on my list of 'Top 25 Favorite Movies'.

    1: BRODERICK CRAWFORD humorously playing himself in one of the greatest Romance movies ever made: 'A LITTLE ROMANCE', which also starred Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane (when she was just a kid).

    2: ANITA EKBERG playing herself in the Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis movie 'HOLLYWOOD OR BUST'. It's the last movie that Martin & Lewis made together, and it's my favorite. It was also definitely one of the earliest "off-the-charts zany nonsense" movies made. There's a dog that can drive an automobile (Mr. Bascom, Hollywood's greatest Great Dane), and the ending of the movie was obviously "borrowed" by Mel Brooks for the ending of his 'Blazing Saddles'. Apparently 'Hollywood Or Bust' was also partially the inspiration for the movie 'Rain Man'. It's one of the silliest comedies ever made, and it is EXACTLY the movie I turn to when I *NEED* to escape this hell that we think of as "reality".

    For a 3rd choice, Kareem in 'AIRPLANE' would be hard to beat! Again, fantabulous pick there!

    ~ Stephen
    LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!

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  17. Birgit,

    We've seen all of these flicks. In the 80s we loved going to see all those crazy spoof films such as Airplane. I had forgotten the scene with Kareem so it was fun to watch it again.

    Let's see if I can give you three movies that fit into this category.

    1. National Lampoon Vacation (Christie Brinkley)
    2. Private Parts (Harold Stern)
    3. Being John Malkovich (John Malkovich)

    Movie titles 1, we absolutely loved. #2 was a lot funnier than I thought it would be and Harold Stern did an alright acting job. As for the last one I can't remember much about it so I guess I wasn't crazy about it.

    There you have it, my three movie picks! :)

    Have a good day, my friend!

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  18. Wow, we match with two picks here! :-D I completely forgot that Airplane also fits the theme

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  19. Hi Birgit - all the very best on the 12th - not long to wait now. Take care and thanks for these 'picks' I've not seen them ... cheers and stay safe - Hilary

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