Desert Island Films #82 – Mojo’s Work

Scott (aka Mojo’s Work aka Foogos) from Mojo’s Work has kindly submitted his Desert Island Films. Please read on for his choices and reasons, and be sure to check out his site.

Desert Island Films is about choosing 8 films you would take if you were going to be stranded on a desert island and explaining your choices. They don’t necessarily have to be your favourites, just 8 films, no more or no less! You are also permitted to take one book and one novelty item which must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside.

Desert Island Films #82 – Mojo’s Work

There aren’t many films I can watch ad nauseam. Then again, I wouldn’t choose to be stranded on a desert island either, so right off the bat, the rules of this reality don’t take my precious feelings into consideration anyway. Regardless, eight is just about the right number, because my list of watch-it-any-time movies isn’t much longer.

1. Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Forget the greatest death in cinema history. Skip past an unreal cast featuring the likes of Leonard Nimoy, Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Robert Stack, Scatman Crothers, Casey Kasem, the Micro Machine Man and ORSON WELLES. Completely disregard crisp animation that stands the test of time nearly 30 years later. It all comes down to this. “When all hell’s breaking loose, you’ll be right in the eye of the storm.”

2. Miracle (2004)

I grew up in a hockey house; my dad’s got his name on the Stanley Cup, and I’ve witnessed so much when it comes to the game on the grandest of stages, but nothing compares to Olympic glory. 1980’s Team USA is the real life analog to every single against-all-odds, ragtag band of misfits doing the impossible. In a country where hockey takes a backseat to slobs eating chips and playing poker, the Miracle on Ice is still heralded as the greatest moment in sports history. I wish I was around to see it first-hand, but Kurt Russell’s Herb Brooks almost makes you forget you’re watching a movie, so my animosity toward my folks for not conceiving me sooner is dulled. This kid knows what I’m talking about.

3. The Punisher (2004)

When people think of Marvel movies, The Punisher is nowhere near anyone’s mind, but in a rare Hollywood moment of picture perfect superhero casting, Thomas Jane was born to play Frank Castle. (Take note, guy who decided Ben Affleck makes a good Batman.) There are several beats lifted from Grant Morrison’s comic book run, and I’m always appreciative of source material appearing on screen. We’ve also got the BEST line in any movie, ever. (All apologies to everyone involved with Little Giants.)

4. The Addams Family (1991)

Has there ever been a film adapted from a TV show that surpassed the original in likability? Except for this one time, I give you an emphatic “NO.” Christopher Lloyd is the best kind of train wreck; he looks soooo uncomfortable and weird. I love it. Raul Julia. Angelica Huston. Christina Ricci. Everyone. They’re all on point. Hilarious throughout, The Addams Family also introduces the world to the Mamushka, and I think this is where director Barry Sonnenfeld discovered the elongated stick-figure credits font he likes so much.

5. Underworld (2003)

Eliminating hindsight and history, I think back to when Underworld was first released. It had such a promising storyline with a potentially rich mythos to explore. I think subsequent installments fell flat at best, shit the bed at worst, but the original was terrific. And blue. So I could have gone for a lil Warren Zevon action in this one, but there isn’t much else for me to complain about. Kate Beckinsale. In leather. With guns. Add vampires and werewolves. Amen.

6. Drive (2011)

Gritty and sexy is a tough combo, but Drive pulls it off.

TANGENT: Do they still make pizza Combos? 11 seconds elapse… Yesssssss.

This is one of those movies that was made better by my misconceptions going into it. (An awesome soundtrack helped a little.) The guy from The Notebook as a badass? Yeaaaaaah right. But here we are, and if my wife told me she was leaving me for Ryan Gosling, I guess I’d just have to take it. I mean, I’d smash the guy’s head with a socket wrench – the hammer would be too obvious – but after the fact, I’d talk about it like it was a Snapple Fact. “Hey, did you know my wife left me for Ryan Gosling? Pretty cool, right?” I think I’d get a lot of street cred with the other inmates.

7. It Could Happen to You (1994)

I know what you’re thinking (assuming you got this far). This list has completely jumped the shark. But hear me out. Nic Cage hasn’t yet hit his terribler phase, and everyone else (Bridget Fonda, supporting actors Rosie Perez, Stanley Tucci, Wendell Pierce and Isaac Hayes) feels so authentically New York. More than that, I love that the Big Apple – a town I have a long, winding history with myself – isn’t just a backdrop. The city plays a prominent supporting role in its own right, highlighted by scenes in a pre-hipster Tribeca coffeeshop, the subway, Yankee Stadium, a Manhattan bodega, and Central Park, specifically, the Fountain of Bethseda. If you freeze the frame at just the right moment during Cage’s Johnny Knoxville impression into the pond, you can almost see the rock I slept on when I was homeless that one year. (True story!)

8. Ghostbusters (1984)

I can’t omit Bill Murray, and while it’s almost impossible for me to play favorites when it comes to the man, I’ve got to go with this, because bustin’ makes me feel good.

BOOK: Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Volume 1

This massive tome (love that word) collects Giant Size X-Men #1, Uncanny X-Men #94-131 and X-Men Annual #3, stories widely regarded as pushing the X-Men to their first bit of popularity, despite activity in comics for over a decade prior to these stories. We start with the introduction of an entirely new team – Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Thunderbird, Banshee and Sunfire – charged with saving the originals from a mutant-eating island named Krakoa, and go all the way to the commencement of the Dark Phoenix Saga, arguably the apex of the X-Men. Kind of a tease to end the volume right there, but these are most of my favorite comics in all world bound together in a single book, so what more do they want?

INANIMATE OBJECT:

My original answer was the following: “A big sketchpad. If I can’t find bark or coal or some other bootleg drawing implement, I can make some origami or something to pass the time.” But honestly, I’m probably going to need a knife or a pot or something. Mmm… I’ll go with pot. I can capture and boil water, worry about the rest later. I’m thirsty right now. A Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi and Combos sounds like a good plan right about now.

Thanks again to Scott for taking the time to join the prestigious castaway list. If you would like to submit your choices and add your name to THIS LIST, please drop me an email to – tysoncarter@hotmail.co.uk

Posted by Tysoncarter182 on October 15, 2013

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