25 Posts are tagged with: into_the_wild 1 2 Previous Next

Outdoor Movies: "The Blair Witch Project"

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Nov 16, 2009 by Steve B.

Ten years ago, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez redefined moviemaking with "The Blair Witch Project," a labor of love that turned into one of the highest grossing films of that year. According to the movie's opening credits, three student filmmakers went into the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland to do some research on the "Blair Witch," a local Burkittsville legend. The students allegedly disappeared in October 1994, but the footage they shot was recovered a year later.

Myrick and Sanchez reportedly assembled "The Blair Witch Project" from the recovered camcorder tapes. The shaky footage shows Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams camping out in the woods for their film project. Unfortunately, creepy images and sounds start tormenting the young filmmakers. The movie ends with jumbled footage and screaming before the screen finally goes blank.

Prior to the release of "The Blair Witch Project," the movie's publicists were conspicuously silent when asked if the film was real or fiction. The question was quickly answered in the Midwest when Heather Donahue appeared as a waitress in a series of commercials for Steak 'n Shake restaurants. As it turns out, the three "student filmmakers" actually were recruited by the directors to play themselves in the film.

According to the cast members, Myrick and Sanchez handed Donahue, Leonard and Williams instructions on slips of paper prior to each day's shooting. The instructions would say to do things such as "Start an argument" or "Don't believe anything that Heather says." This improvisation gave the film its realistic and chilly feeling, especially the famous scene where Heather Donahue is crying into the camera lens.

In many ways, "The Blair Witch Project" remains one of the purest horror films that uses an outdoor setting. In fact, Emily Riemer of "Paste Magazine" recently reported that Myrick and Sanchez are planning a sequel to their original film, which should be more faithful to the original than the disappointing follow-up in 2000.

Resources:
Paste Magazine, "Tenth Anniversary Sequel to 'The Blair Witch Project' in the Works," Emily Riemer

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Into the Wild Outdoor Movies: Silent Running

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Nov 9, 2009 by Steve B.

Everyone is going green these days, but Bruce Dern takes that concept to the extreme in Silent Running, a 1972 outer space thriller. In the not-so-distant future, scientists place the last remaining plant specimens on space freighters orbiting Saturn. Earth's government plans to recall the ships at some point, with the expressed goal of reforest the planet.

Dern plays Freeman Lowell, the chief botanist on the freighter known as "Valley Forge." A devoted ecologist, Lowell adopts one of the plant domes as his own, tending it with love and care. Tired of life in outer space, his sneering colleagues don't understand Lowell's reverence toward his "garden."

When a message arrives from Earth, it tells the crew to destroy all the domes and return home. After watching the gleeful crew members blow up several domes, Lowell decides to take action. When they show up in his garden with a box of nuclear charges, Freeman Lowell makes a life-or-death decision between the plants and the people.

Although this film first arrived in theaters in 1972, Silent Running contains a powerful message that still has meaning today. Director Douglas Trumbull looks ahead to a time when mankind's carelessness has destroyed the Earth's flora and fauna. Even in the 21st Century, it is hard to imagine what kind of neglect would cause this kind of destruction.

Known for edgy characters, Bruce Dern turns in a complex performance as Freeman Lowell. Treating one dome like his private sanctuary, Lowell only eats fresh produce, rejecting the processed food favored by the rest of the crew. At times, he even gets down on his hands and knees to tend to his garden, almost like it was his backyard back home.

Silent Running also features three little droids who are way cooler than R2D2 and C3PO in Star Wars. Freeman Lowell names them "Huey, Dewey and Louie," the same names as *Donald Duck*'s nephews. With cool droids, great special effects and a powerful environmental message, Silent Running remains a classic film and one that everyone should see.

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Into the Wild - Outdoor Movies: Kirk Douglas is Large and in Charge During "The Final Countdown"

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Oct 5, 2009 by Steve B.

Everyone would like at least one second chance in life, but what if fate gave you the opportunity to prevent one of the most horrific events of the 20th Century? That's the question facing the crew of the U.S.S. Nimitz during the 1980 time travel adventure The Final Countdown.

Kirk Douglas plays Captain Matthew Yelland, the commander of the U.S.S. Nimitz. While on maneuvers, an unusual storm moves in and totally engulfs the aircraft carrier. The ship survives the storm, but the Captain and his crew pick up strange radio broadcasts as they get closer to Hawaii. The music is from the late 1930's and attempts to contact nearby naval bases are met with hostile reactions.

As strange as it seems, Captain Yelland and his senior staff determine that the U.S.S. Nimitz has somehow been transported back to December 1941, a few days before the Japanese attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor. They even locate Samuel Chapman (Charles Durning), a Congressman who had originally been killed before the attack.

Captain Yelland never had to make a command decision such as this one. The attack on Pearl Harbor took the lives of hundreds of American sailors, and the U.S.S. Nimitz, with its modern jet fighters and weapons, could attack the Japanese fleet and save American lives. Pearl Harbor also was the event that prompted the United States to enter World War II, and by interfering with history, Captain Yelland could cause more harm than good.

Unlike the more explosive 2001 epic Pearl Harbor, The Final Countdown looks at the events of December 7, 1941 from an entirely different perspective. The senior crew members on the U.S.S. Nimitz know exactly where and when the Japanese will strike, but they don't know if they have the right to stop them.

Pearl Harbor was still fresh in the minds of some viewers as they watched The Final Countdown in theaters back in 1980. It definitely was cool to watch the then state-of-the-art jets fly circles around the Japanese planes from 1941, knowing that a few well-placed missiles could have forced the enemy fleet to retreat.

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Into the Wild - Outdoor Movies: "A Perfect Getaway" Puts the Hawaiian Islands in the Spotlight

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Sep 22, 2009 by Steve B.

To start their new lives together, many newlywed couples travel to beautiful, exotic locations for their honeymoon, one of the most popular destinations being the Hawaiian Islands. Normally, the scariest thing one might see in this tropical paradise is Greg, Marcia and the rest of "The Brady Bunch," but during "A Perfect Getaway," a honeymoon takes a deadly turn.

Cliff (*Steve Zahn*) and Cydney (*Milla Jovovich*) fly to Hawaii after their wedding to hike on the more challenging trails and enjoy the beautiful beaches. Unfortunately, while they are making their way to paradise, they hear about a young couple that was murdered on one of the other Hawaiian Islands.

Despite this horrific news, Cliff and Cydney keep moving forward, eventually hooking up with another couple named Nick (*Timothy Olyphant*) and Gina (*Kiele Sanchez*). These two attractive, interesting people have plenty of stories to tell, and Gina also demonstrates the meat-cutting skills she learned back in high school when she worked for a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Cliff and Cydney aren't quite sure if their new friends are on the level or if they have a more sinister agenda.

Besides the serial killer subplot, "A Perfect Getaway" is like a video guide to hiking through the Hawaiian Islands. Cliff and Cydney start their adventure on a helicopter tour of the islands, and Cliff literally hangs out of the copter to get some high-definition video footage of the places they want to go.

Later on, Cliff shells out nearly $500 for freeze-dried food and other supplies to carry in his rucksack. When he and his wife reach a point in the trail that gets pretty steep and slippery, Cliff comments that he's walking around with about 40 pounds of gear strapped to his back. During a moment of male bonding, Cliff and Nick even take some time out to go kayaking into some gorgeous water caves.

All things considered, "A Perfect Getaway" is a fairly decent outdoor thriller, but the indescribably beautiful Hawaiian backdrop makes this film well worth the price of admission.

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Outdoor Movies: "Grim Prairie Tales"

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Sep 14, 2009 by Steve B.

After pitching tents, laying out sleeping bags and cooking dinner, some campers like to relax around the campfire and tell scary stories. Many of these tales are pretty standard stuff, like the escaped murderer with a hook for a hand, but when you are several miles from the nearest town, even the most unbelievable story can seem pretty real.

In 1990, Wayne Coe took the concept of campfire stories one step further with "Grim Prairie Tales," a horror movie composed of four separate Old West horror stories. The always impressive James Earl Jones plays Morrison, a bounty hunter who has a body strapped to his horse. Sitting around the campfire, Morrison is joined by Farley Deeds (**Brad Dourif**), a man traveling home to be with the woman he loves.

While they sit under the stars, Morrison starts telling campfire stories to his companion, the first one being a tale about an Indian burial ground and some very poetic justice. Morrison tells another story and then Mr. Deeds offers up one of his own about a prairie girl who realizes some horrifying truths about her own father. As the men part ways in the final few minutes of the film, the audience gets one last parting shot from the mysterious Morrison.

An anthology horror movie set in the Old West, "Grim Prairie Tales" is a well-executed movie that will, at times, have you squirming in your seat. In the most memorable story, Marc McClure from "Back to the Future" plays a Good Samaritan who pays the ultimate price for helping a pregnant woman who is traveling alone. No good deed goes unpunished in this movie, and McClure's character pays an unusual price for lending a helping, uh, hand.

James Earl Jones was the perfect choice to play Morrison, a man who hunts down criminals for a living. It would be hard not to feel a little nervous sitting around a campfire while listening to Jones' deep baritone tell stories of revenge and punishment. "Grim Prairie Tales" is a great rental for those nights when you are in the mood for something different.

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Into the Wild: "Timerider"

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Aug 24, 2009 by Steve B.

Typically, when a time traveler heads into the past or future, they know exactly where they are going. In the 1982 adventure "Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann," however, the dirt-bike riding hero has no idea that he has gone back to the 19th Century.

Fred Ward, who later starred as action hero Remo Williams, plays Lyle Swann, one of the best dirt bike riders in the country. While participating in the Baja 1000, a race through Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, Swann goes off course and drives right into the middle of a time travel experiment. Without realizing it, the racer ends up 105 years in the past.

While riding through the desert, Lyle, in his racing leathers and high-tech helmet, scare off some of the residents of a nearby village. The beautiful and fiery Claire Cygne (*Belinda Bauer*), on the other hand, is intrigued by the handsome stranger, who is like no other man in her village.

Swann also runs afoul of Porter Reese (*Peter Coyote*), who leads a small group of outlaws that terrorize the village. After Reese kidnaps Claire and steals Lyle's dirt bike, Swann faces off against the outlaw in the ultimate showdown.

Written and produced by Michael Nesmith, who had left the Monkees years earlier, "Timerider" is a decent adventure that didn't get much exposure until it arrived on cable and home video. Fred Ward does a nice job as Lyle Swann, a dedicated rider who has no clue that he has gone back in time.

Long before "Back to the Future" became a hit, Nesmith wrote some incredibly funny time travel gags for his film. While tracking down Porter Reese, for instance, Lyle uses cyalume glow sticks to light the way. When the villagers stare in amazement, he smiles and says they came from K-Mart. In a different scene, Lyle produces a highly detailed map of the area that he tells an amazed priest came from an Exxon Service Station.

An almost-forgotten gem, "Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann" has twists, turns and plenty of outdoor action.

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Into the Wild - Outdoor Movies: Several Young Hopefuls Tackle the Grueling Transpacific Yacht Race in "Morning Light"

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Jul 27, 2009 by Steve B.

To an outsider, competitive sailing seems like a glamorous sport and a pastime for the wealthy and privileged. In the new film "Morning Light," however, Roy E. Disney shows that sailing is hard, grueling work that can take the lives of even the most experienced sailors.

Disney, an accomplished sailor and the nephew of the late Walt Disney, decided to gather a group of young, talented men and women to serve as the crew of the Morning Light, a 52-foot racing sloop. With the help of some experienced coaches, this enthusiastic group would participate in the Transpacific Yacht Race that begins in Los Angeles and ends in Hawaii.

Disney and co-producer Leslie DeMeuse first sailed in this race more than 30 years ago, which covers a fairly unforgiving 2,225 mile stretch of the Pacific Ocean. As Disney tells the group of young hopefuls in an early scene, one mistake can really put your lives at risk. Disney goes on to say that "I always tell my crews that if you fall overboard, consider it a death sentence." To keep that from happening, the 15 hopefuls go through intensive safety training along with their preparations for the Transpacific race. As the race draws near, however, four people will have to stay on shore as alternates while the other 11 try to sail for glory. Unanimously elected skipper by his peers, Jeremy Wilmot has the unenviable task of selecting the best possible crew for the Morning Light.

Watching this film is a lot like watching an episode of "Survivor," but with a very real sense of excitement and danger. You also get to see the less glamorous aspects of spending 10 days on a boat, including body odor, smelly feet and food that Wilmot says tastes like dirt near the end of the race. Since these young people are sharing living space, they have to live out of their duffel bags for the better part of two weeks.

One of the best sailing documentaries ever made, "Morning Light" is so realistic that you may even get seasick watching it.

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Into the Wild - Outdoor Movies: Red Dawn

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Jul 6, 2009 by Steve B.

In 1984, a time when the Cold War was causing some rather icy relations between the Soviet Union and the United States, a little film called Red Dawn arrived in theaters. The first movie released with the "PG-13" rating, this gritty drama showed what might happen if Russia mounted a full-scale invasion of the United States.

As the story opens, Soviet paratroopers land outside a local high school in the fictional town of Calumet, Colorado. When one teacher goes outside to investigate, he is shot in cold blood by the soldiers. During the ensuing confusion and panic, many Calumet townspeople are captured, but some students manage to escape into the mountains.

Jed Eckert (*Patrick Swayze*) leads his brother Matt (*Charlie Sheen*) and the other students on guerilla attacks against the invading army. Calling themselves "Wolverines" in honor of their high school mascot, Jed and his ragtag army actually do some real damage to the Soviet troops.

A bit unbelievable at times, the ultra-patriotic Red Dawn takes place in and around the Arapaho National Forest. Though the boys are used to camping and hunting, they really have to live off the land this time in order to survive. In one key scene, Robert (*C. Thomas Howell*) stalks and kills his first deer, drinking the blood so his spirit will bond with the spirit of the animal.

The Red Dawn cast also contains a "Who's Who" of young acting talent, many of whom went on to have stellar careers. Three years before Dirty Dancing made them household names, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey were co-stars in this outdoor adventure. Charlie Sheen, who now will forever be known for his starring role in "Two and a Half Men," is just a supporting player here.

Many scenes in Red Dawn were shot in the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico, which also was seen more recently in the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men. It's a beautifully shot, outdoor movie that requires some suspension of disbelief, but the New Mexico scenery makes it all worthwhile.

Resources:

http://www.lasvegasnm.gov/

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Into the Wild: Tom Hanks Goes Native in Castaway

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Jun 29, 2009 by Steve B.

Some people want nothing more than to live and work in the wild, while others have the great outdoors thrust upon them. That's exactly what happens to Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), an efficiency expert who suddenly has all the time in the world in Castaway.

As an analyst for Federal Express, Chuck constantly looks for new ways to make deliveries more efficient and timely. His devotion to both the company and the clock make him such an asset to the company that they send him to overseas locations such as Russia. The clock runs his life so much that Chuck even has to book time with his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt). The clock finally stops, however, after a FedEx plane crashes into the ocean, killing the crew and stranding Chuck on the shores of an island, thousands of miles from home.

Not the greatest outdoorsman, Chuck is forced to bring himself up to speed on the basics of hunting and fishing. He even spends several painful hours learning how to make fire the old fashioned way, wishing the entire time that he had a lighter. With no working cell phone and unforgiving ocean currents surrounding the island, Chuck's stay on his tropical paradise stretches from days to weeks to years. His only companion there is Wilson, a volleyball that Chuck personalizes with a face and hair. Throughout his ordeal, Chuck keeps up a constant conversation with Wilson, but the audience never hears exactly what the volleyball is saying.

Enhanced by an intriguing performance from Tom Hanks, Castaway shows what happens when an executive who is used to the suburbs has to fend for himself, without benefit of clocks or cars. Hunger is a great motivator, and Chuck's situation forces him to hunt for food and water on the island. He crafts crude tools out of stones and wood and, eventually, he becomes pretty good at spear fishing. Despite getting back to nature, though, Chuck wants nothing more than to return to civilization and his beloved Kelly.

Castaway, rated PG-13 for intense action sequences and some disturbing images, is available on DVD.

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Into the Wild: Edward Burns Hears A Sound of Thunder

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Jun 22, 2009 by Steve B.

Time travel could become the ultimate adventure trip, offering people a chance to correct past mistakes as well as providing glimpses of the future. Traveling through the Fourth Dimension doesn't come without some serious risks, though, which becomes painfully clear in A Sound of Thunder, an overlooked 2005 thriller.

Based on the short story by Ray Bradbury, this film is set in 2055, when time travel has become a profitable reality. One company uses this technology to conduct exclusive safaris into the past. Dr. Travis Ryer (Edward Burns) and his crew take groups of wealthy hunters into the past to stalk and kill a dinosaur. To avoid changing the past, the hunters must stay on a special path and not bring anything back with them. They also must be careful not to kill anything but that particular dinosaur, which was going to die even before the hunters got there.

After conducting many such safaris, something goes terribly wrong. Ripples through time cause drastic changes in the Earth's climate, plant, and animal life. Somehow, a member of the last safari did something to affect the course of history and evolution. Plant life grows out of control, threatening to engulf buildings and people, and animals mutate into strange new forms.

Even the most skilled hunters would find the violent creatures in A Sound of Thunder rather challenging. Reptile and primate evolution has gone haywire and only Dr. Ryer, with the help of physicist Dr. Sonia Rand (Catherine McCormack), can set things right again. Ryer literally has to race the clock to find out what the hunters changed on the last safari and correct it before it is too late.

During normal safaris, experienced hunters take precautions, and this is especially true during a time safari. Everyone wears protective gear and uses guns loaded with frozen nitrogen bullets. In this way, the normal flow of time is preserved and unaltered.

In addition to an interesting science fiction plot, A Sound of Thunder takes place both in a prehistoric jungle and Chicago of the mid-21st century, which is overgrown with tropical plant life. Though ignored during its initial theatrical run, this film definitely offers one wild ride.

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Into the Wild: George Clooney Tackles the "Perfect Storm"

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Jun 8, 2009 by Steve B.

To a sport fisherman, going after the big ones means coming back with a good trophy, the makings of a fantastic meal or one heck of a story. For those who make their living at sea, however, fishing literally can mean the difference between life and death. The rewards are great, as are the dangers, when working on a commercial fishing boat in rough waters.

The Perfect Storm, an adventure that's set on the high seas, tells the painfully true story of the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat with a home port in Gloucester, Mass. After coming back with a disappointing load of fish, Skipper Billy Tyne (George Clooney) decides to head back out to the North Atlantic to make more money. He convinces his best crew members, including a young novice named Bobby (Mark Wahlberg) to join him on this trip.

The Skipper's instincts prove to be correct, and it looks as if the crew will get fat paychecks this time around back in Gloucester. Unfortunately, their on board ice machine breaks down before the hold is completely full. To make sure their cargo stays fresh, the Andrea Gail turns back towards home, but this puts them straight in the path of some really bad weather. Three different storm systems are converging into what meteorologists call a "perfect storm."

George Clooney turns in an outstanding performance in The Perfect Storm, one of the best films ever made about making a living from the sea. Most of the action takes place on the boat, as the crew prepares the nets and traps before dropping anchor. When the storm hits, though, the crew gets knocked around the cabin and the deck without mercy.

The Perfect Storm proves that there really isn't much glamor in the commercial fishing industry. As portrayed onscreen, the Andrea Gail was equipped with a galley, a television and a VCR. The crew wears basic work clothes and some rubberized gear when working on deck.

Beautifully shot, The Perfect Storm puts the sea in the spotlight, showing that it can be the taker or giver of life.

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Into the Wild: Spencer's Mountain

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Jun 1, 2009 by Steve B.

Those who choose to make their home in the wilderness typically find a truly rewarding, but sometimes harsh, life away from the big cities. Clay Spencer, the outdoors hero of Spencer's Mountain, has relished the joys of living in the wild for most of his life.

As played by Henry Fonda, Spencer is the patriarch of a large family living in the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming. Life is quite good for Clay and his family, but Mr. Spencer wants to build a bigger and better home for his wife (*Maureen O'Hara*) on a parcel of land that he inherited. He has his extended family stop by occasionally to work on the new house, rewarding them with a big batch of Mrs. Spencer's cooking.

Unlike the mountains, which have stayed the same throughout the years, the lives of Spencer's children rapidly are changing, especially his eldest son Clayboy (*James MacArthur*). A top-notch high school student, Clayboy has dreams of packing his duffel and leaving the mountain to go to college, but his family doesn't have enough money to send him.

Clay Spencer then has to choose between making a better life for his family on the mountain and giving up his own dreams to help the kids make their way in the world. It's the toughest decision that Spencer has ever had to make, especially for a man who loves the mountains as much as he does.

A simple, yet intriguing film, Spencer's Mountain shows how a family can thrive and survive on the slopes of a mountain range like the Grand Tetons. Clay Spencer was raised on the mountain and he wants his kids to love the land just as much as he does, but their dreams have grown much larger than the Grand Tetons.

Spencer's Mountain and the novel that inspired it also formed the basis for The Waltons, the popular television series about another mountain family. It's a quiet, unappreciated film that will awaken and renew your love and lust for the great outdoors.

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Into the Wild: Continental Divide

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May 25, 2009 by Steve B.

A few months before his untimely death, John Belushi co-starred with Blair Brown in the romantic comedy Continental Divide. Starting in the urban sprawl of Chicago before shifting to the Rocky Mountains, this film provides excellent examples of both Belushi's acting abilities and the grandeur of the Rockies.

Belushi plays Ernie Souchak, a hardboiled political reporter who goes after corrupt politicians like a lion chasing his prey. Unfortunately, Souchak gets on the wrong side of a crooked city councilman, whose henchmen promptly put him in the hospital. To keep him safe, the editor makes his top reporter load up his backpack for an out-of-town interview.

Souchak, a dedicated city dweller, is appalled after learning the subject of his interview, the reclusive naturalist Dr. Nell Porter (Brown). A woman who prefers the company of bald eagles to people, especially nosy reporters, Porter doesn't want the journalist hanging around, or interfering with her work.

In this remote mountain wilderness, however, Souchak and Porter finally reach an understanding after he is injured. Ernie comes to appreciate Nell's work and her understated beauty, while she finds that there's a decent guy under all that bluster. The two fall madly in love, just as Souchak has to head back to the Chicago skyscrapers and subways.

A romance set against a stunning Colorado backdrop, Continental Divide is the kind of film that will make you want to leave the city and head to the mountains. John Belushi and Blair Brown make an oddly believable couple, especially since the former "Saturday Night Live" star toned down his manic energy for the film. It's a real fish-out-of-water story, but Belushi makes it work.

The real star of this film is, however, the great outdoors. Countless films have been set in and around Chicago, but Colorado doesn't get as much exposure in comparison. The Nell Porter character lives in relative isolation, with only another mountain dweller for company, but she makes the mountain life look very desirable.

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Into the Wild: Forrest Gump - One of the Best Outdoor Movies Ever Made

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May 18, 2009 by Steve B.

From Johnny Weissmuller's loincloth-wearing adventures as Tarzan to Paul Hogan's Crocodile Dundee, many great outdoor characters have graced the silver screen, but none as memorable as Forrest Gump. As played by Tom Hanks, this simple, honest young man from Alabama arguably was the greatest outdoorsman and all-around athlete in movie history.

Running: Born with a crooked spine, young Forrest must wear leg braces to straighten out his back. As young toughs chase him in one memorable scene, though, Forrest hobbles along on his braces until they fall off, allowing him to "run like the wind blows." From that moment forward, no matter where he went, Forrest gets there by running. As an adult, he even runs back and forth several times across the country in little more than a t-shirt, shorts and athletic shoes.

Football: Purely by accident, Forrest's running talents earn him an athletic scholarship and a position on the University of Alabama's football team. Named to the All-American Team, Forrest gets a trip to the White House and all the free soda he can drink.

Armed Combat: During the Vietnam conflict, Forrest Gump joins the Army and serves a tour of duty in the tropical Vietnamese jungles. When his platoon is attacked by enemy forces, Forrest races into the jungle to pull as many of his friends out as he can, even after he gets "shot in the buttocks."

Ping Pong: Recovering in an Army hospital, Forrest is introduced to ping pong, a sport that, in his words, "came very natural" to him. The United States makes good use of his table tennis abilities, sending him on a tour of Army hospitals across the country as well as to China to compete against their best players.

Sailing: Honoring a promise to a deceased friend, Gump travels to Louisiana and buys a shrimp boat, even though he's never sailed much before. Though the competition is fierce, he and business partner Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) eventually survive a vicious storm and become the most successful shrimping operation in the country.

With talents for running, fighting and sailing, Forrest Gump truly ranks among the greatest outdoor heroes in movie history.

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Into the Wild: John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd Cruise the Chicago Streets in "The Blues Brothers"

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May 11, 2009 by Steve B.

In 1980, fresh from their successes on "Saturday Night Live," Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi starred in "The Blues Brothers," a musical romp through the streets and suburbs of Chicago. Setting the standard for all road movies that came later, this outrageous film has since become a cult classic.

Belushi and Aykroyd played Jake and Elwood Blues, two brothers who formed an up-and-coming blues band during the 1970's. Unfortunately, while robbing a store to pay the band's exceptionally large bar tab at their last gig, Jake was arrested and sent away to Joliet Prison. The band drifted apart while Jake was in jail, with each member moving on to different occupations.

After serving his time, Jake and Elwood visit Sister Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman), the nun who helped raise them in an orphanage. Sister Stigmata owes thousands in back taxes and will soon lose the orphanage, but Jake gets a vision from God, telling him to reform the band and raise the money for the Sister.

In a used police car that Elwood says has "cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks," the two brothers track down all the old band members and convince them to perform once again. Along the way, they run afoul of the police, a group of white supremacists and a woman (Carrie Fisher) intent on killing them. In just a few days, their car takes more punishment than a race car does in a year.

With the city of Chicago serving as a supporting character, director John Landis sends Aykroyd and Belushi on their "Mission from God." In their police car, the Blues Brothers cause mass destruction in and around the city, and in particular a suburban shopping mall. Their greatest feat has to be traveling hundreds of miles with only a full tank of gas and a half-pack of cigarettes while wearing sunglasses in the dark.

John Belushi may no longer be with us, but he, along with Dan Aykroyd, has left us one of the funniest road movies ever made.

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