Battle of the Vacations

The next segment on The Daily Roar will be a “versus” feature. Everyday will feature a battle between movies, actors, and actresses. I will be requesting the help of guest writers to help with the process. For today’s Roar I’ll give you the lay out and the criteria. The segment will follow a boxing format and you the reader will be the judge of each “bout.”
Today’s bout features National Lampoon’s Vacation vs. National Lampoon’s European Vacation. Some of you will probably want to go with original others will go with the sequel. In my opinion both are comedic classics. This should be a hard hitting fight.

National Lampoon’s Vacation

Tale of the tape: Released in 1983 and written by John Hughes. This feature was directed by Harold Ramis. Vacation stars Chevy Chase as pop-culture father figure, Clark Griswold. You all know the story. Clark tries to plan the perfect vacation to Walley World only to have setback after setback along their trek cross country.

Jab: The cameos are portrayed with near perfection in this classic. Christy Brinkley is ridiculously sexy and I believe Clark agrees (swimming pool scene). John Candy is priceless has the Walley World security guard.

Combination Punches: Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie is a demonstration of flawless comedic execution. The rapport between Chase and Quaid still makes me laugh.

Knockout Punch: The death of Aunt Edna and subsequently strapping her to the roof of the station wagon is very memorable. Clark’s arrival at the gates of Walley World only to learn that it is closed features the great spazz scene in movie history. It is hard not to laugh at Clark holding Candy hostage with a pellet gun.

National Lampoon’s European Vacation



Tale of the tape: Released in 1985 and written by John Hughes. This film was directed by Amy Heckerling. Chevy Chase returns as Clark Griswold. The Griswolds win a trip to Europe on the game show Pig in a Poke. The same set of circumstances seem to follow the Griswalds to Europe.

Jab: Eric Idle does a great job as the guy who is constantly getting hurt by Clark’s accidents. “It’s just flesh wound.”

Combination Punches: Rusty and Clark eating dinner in France is tremendously funny. “He’s going to pork her…”

Knockout Punch: The Big Ben Parliament scene is classic. I still quote it every time I get lost or pass the same structure as I’m driving. “Hey Dad, bedpans…”

Well, this is the format and will get more involved as the weeks go on. Please comment and vote for your favorite.

Bourne Again

Matt Damon has certainly made a career for himself playing a multitude of characters. His range has an actor has more than surpassed expectations and his decisions to do “good” films have carried him into acting’s elite class. The Bourne series has been one of those brilliant choices because it establishes him as a legitimate action star. Damon plays Jason Bourne with such intensity that it is hard to take your eyes off of him. There is an urgency to his character and that credit has to go to Tony Gilroy who scripted this third installment. Paul Greengrass (United 93) is back to direct with the “shaky cam” that the made the first two movies so popular. The Bourne Ultimatum does nothing new with genre, but perfect the art form. The first frames of Ultimatum are like receiving an electrical shock to your “ticker.” The set-up is done flawlessly amidst tons of action and there is no need for it to slow down. As the plot moves the characters are moving too from scene to scene. It may seem that you have “seen this before,” but not done in this fashion. There is a certain flare and definite violence to all of the fight scenes as Jason Bourne fights to recover his true identity.
Joan Allen (Pam Landy) returns for this installment along with Julia Styles (Nicky Parsons). Both do a fine job of keeping us informed of the “plot” as Bourne gets closer to the truth. David Straithairn (Good Night and Good Luck) plays the villain, Noah Vosen. Straithairn plays Vosen with the same intensity as Damon portrays Bourne and that is what makes this movie so effective. There is a willingness of the actors to play each role as if they were “hitting the ground running” and it certainly pours over into the audience.
The Bourne Ultimatum wraps up the trilogy nicely unlike some of the other three-quels we have seen this summer. It is hard to say that this is the best action movie to come along in quite sometime because bold statements like that leave things for debate. It can be said that this definitely the best in the series and surely the best of the summer. By the time the movie lets you go you will be breathless, but begging for a fourth and hoping to be Bourne again.

The Soundtrack

Soundtracks often make or break movies. They add emotion to the screen and when carefully executed, make a movie better than it really should be. Looking back at John Carpenter’s Halloween, it isn’t scary without the creepy Michael Myers music. Carpenter himself said so in numerous interviews and that movie depends greatly on the “musical ambiance” that is set forth. Movie soundtracks have a way of crawling into pop culture as they become more recognizable. Everyone knows that John Williams is the probably the master of the soundtrack. He has Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, E.T., Jaws, and many more to his credit. These soundtracks are all impressive in their own right because they identify characters and situations in such distinctive ways. Then there is the lyrical soundtrack. It has to be difficult to put together music from a collection to reflect the situations that exist on screen. Sometimes it is the director’s taste or it is music from a certain period. Think about Pulp Fiction and its glorious soundtrack. If different songs are chosen Tarrantino ends up with a completely different movie. The audience reaction is probably not as strong and Pulp Fiction goes down as an ordinary film. The point is that the soundtrack may be the most important part of film making. Today’s Roar is dedicated to the soundtrack and no, Dirty Dancing will not be in top five just in case you were wondering.

5) Star Wars Trilogy
Yes, I am a geek when it comes to this ,but the Imperial March gives me goose bumps. You know you’ve hit big when every college football band plays your music. The Cantina Band was very innovative for its time and I still love that scene in Star Wars. EVERYONE knows the main theme and its brief appearance in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off made that movie for me.

4) Resevoir Dogs
“Stuck in the Middle with You…” I cannot help but to think of ears when I hear that song. Michael Madsen is one psychotic wacko, but that was fun to watch. Put the Lime in the Coconut and Shake it All Up!

3) Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
I do not think there is a more unique soundtrack and this one is really just preference on my part. There is something calming about old blue grass/and field hollering music. I listen to this often and it soothes my sometimes aching soul. Not a bad flick either.

2) Pulp Fiction
Of course Pulp Fiction! Every song defines a moment in the film from Bustin’ Surfboards to Jungle Boogie. I must confess that I listened to this soundtrack more than any other for the dialogue. I now want a Royale with Cheese.



1) The Big Chill
When I was kid I’d steal this record from my mom’s collection and take it to my room. It was my first experience with Motown and I credit it for broadening my horizons beyond Mister Mister. Smokey Robinson’s Tears of a Clown is still my favorite song and I would have loved to experience Motown firsthand, but The Big Chill will have to do.