Glove, Actually 2: Glove Harder

Long time, no post! It certainly has been a while since my last entry (and that wasn't even film-related, damn), so to make up for this hiatus, I have with me the latest in my recent series of movie-centric montages. Some of you may remember Glove, Actually - An Ode to Cinema's Greatest Slaps from about a year or so ago - it was my initial foray into the world of supercuts and served as a much-needed exercise exclusively in post-production. Although the edit was astonishingly well-received (even catching the attention of some personal idols, something I'm still pinching myself over), much of the feedback consisted of several omissions brought up by viewers, saddened by the absence of their own choice, top-tier slap. As a matter of fact, enough were brought to my attention that, as "slapped out" as I was, a substantial follow-up featuring all those fan favorites (as well as my own personal oversights, many of which I stumbled upon afterward) seemed more than plausible. Your voices were heard, so I set off to work and the result is the official sequel I proudly present to you now - Glove, Actually 2: Glove Harder - More of Cinema's Greatest Slaps. Check it out, enjoy, let me know what you think!

- Jeff S.

P.S. A complete (well, mostly) list of the films used appears below the embed for you curious folk. Any hardcore cinephiles out there who can fill in those blanks I couldn't quite place? If so, definitely let me know - there just might be a prize in it for ya...



0:00 - 2:00
__________
1. Analyze This (1999)
2. Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
3. The Weather Man (2005)
4. True Lies (1994)
5. Scarface (1983)
6. Mobile Suit Gundam I (1981)
7. Purple Rain (1984)
8. Weird Science (1985)
9. The Mad Miss Manton (1938)
10. Carrie (1976)
11. Hard Boiled (1992)
12. Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
13. The Sword in the Stone (1963)
14. Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
15. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
16. Oscar (1991)
17. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
18. All About Eve (1950)
19. Paul (2011)
20. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
21. Black Dynamite (2009)
22. From Russia with Love (1963)
23. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
24. Breathless (1960)
25. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
26. The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
27. Fight Club (1999)
28. Live and Let Die (1973)
29. Final Destination 3 (2006)
30. The Piano (1993)
31. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
32. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
33. The Gambler (1974)
34. Back to the Future Part III (1990)
35. Legally Blonde (2001)
36. The Slammin' Salmon (2009)
37. Drive (2011)
38. Carrie (1976)
39. Elite Squad (2007)
40. Blow (2001)
41. 17 Again (2009)
42. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
43. Gone with the Wind (1939)
44. In the Bedroom (2001)
45. A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
46. Paul (2011)
47. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
48. Chicken Run (2000)
49. The Getaway (1972)
50. Nothing to Lose (1997)
51. Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
52. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
53. Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
54. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)
55. Side Street (1950)
56. Hard Boiled (1992)
57. The Killers (1964)
58. The Godfather (1972)

2:00 - 4:00
__________
59. Blade II (2002)
60. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
61. My Name is Nobody (1973)
62. Night at the Museum (2006)
63. Blade II (2002)
64. Night at the Museum (2006)
65. Roxie Hart (1942)
66. Just Friends (2005)
67. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
68. Bee Movie (2007)
69. ?????????? (????)
70. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
71. Clue (1985)
72. The Searchers (1956)
73. Carrie (1976)
74. Airport (1970)
75. 36 Hours (1965)
76. Elite Squad (2007)
77. The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
78. The Great Dictator (1940)
79. Flashdance (1983)
80. Beerfest (2006)
81. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
82. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
83. The River Wild (1994)
84. Jackass 3D (2010)
85. Jackie Brown (1997)
86. The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
87. Predator (1987)
88. King Arthur (2004)
89. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
90. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
91. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
92. My Name is Nobody (1973)
93. The Master of Disguise (2002)
94. Pineapple Express (2008)
95. Marathon Man (1976)
96. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
97. Just Friends (2005)
98. Purple Rain (1984)

4:00 - 6:00
__________
99. ?????????? (????)
100. Vivacious Lady (1938)
101. Scarface (1983)
102. The Sniper (1952)
103. Claudine (1974)
104. Lady in a Cage (1964)
105. Marathon Man (1976)
106. The Color Purple (1985)
107. The January Man (1989)
108. The Nutty Professor (1996)
109. Opening Night (1977)
110. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
111. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
112. Mississippi Burning (1988)
113. My Name is Nobody (1973)
114. The Master of Disguise (2002)
115. Point Blank (1967)
116. Miller's Crossing (1990)
117. Patton (1970)
118. Slackers (2002)
119. That Touch of Mink (1962)
120. Innerspace (1987)
121. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
122. The Village (2004)
123. Swamp Water (1941)
124. ?????????? (????)
125. ?????????? (????)
126. The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
127. Carrie (1976)
128. Possessed (1947)
129. Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
130. I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
131. The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
132. High Sierra (1941)
133. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
134. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
135. ?????????? (????)
136. Roustabout (1964)
137. ?????????? (????)
138. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
139. O Lucky Man! (1973)

6:00 - END
__________
140. The Sniper (1952)
141. The Color Purple (1985)
142. Ray (2004)
143. Aliens (1986)
144. Paul (2011)
145. There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
146. Starsky & Hutch (2004)
147. The Five Heartbeats (1991)
148. ?????????? (????)
149. Drive (2011)
150. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)
151. Carlito's Way (1993)
152. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
153. Die! Die! My Darling! (1965)
154. Predator (1987)
155. Blue Valentine (2010)
156. Tombstone (1993)
157. My Name is Nobody (1973)
158. Tombstone (1993)
159. Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlottle (1964)
160. Videodrome (1983)
161. From Russia with Love (1963)
162. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
163. The Naked City (1948)
164. The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
165. Casino (1995)
166. The Getaway (1972)
167. The Getaway (1994)
168. Oliver! (1968)
169. True Lies (1994)
170. Othello (1995)
171. The Killing (1956)
172. How High (2001)
173. The Love God? (1969)
174. Hard Boiled (1992)
175. ?????????? (????)
176. Gone with the Wind (1939)
177. The Getaway (1972)
178. Capone (1975)
179. ?????????? (????)
180. Carrie (1976)
181. The Dark Corner (1946)
182. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
183. Onionhead (1958)
184. Hands of a Stranger (1962)
185. Oscar (1991)
186. Dakota Lil (1950)
187. The Racket (1951)
188. Gone with the Wind (1939)
189. Look Back in Anger (1959)
190. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
191. The Killer Inside Me (2010)
192. Flesh for Frankenstein (1973)
193. Orphan (2009)
194. Pineapple Express (2008)
195. 17 Again (2009)
196. Beerfest (2006)
197. The Slammin' Salmon (2009)
198. The Joy Luck Club (1993)
199. Human Desire (1954)
200. 30: Minutes or Less (2011)
201. Boogie Nights (1997)
202. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
203. Faces (1968)
204. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
205. I Saw the Devil (2010)
206. Key Largo (1948)
207. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
208. The Wild One (1953)
209. ?????????? (????)
210. ?????????? (????)
211. The Keeper (2009)
212. A Woman's Face (1941)
213. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)
214. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
215. It's a Great Feeling (1949)
216. Stardust Memories (1980)

Top Five: Christmas songs

I know a list of Christmas music doesn't have a whole lot to do with film, but it's what's on the brain (and everywhere else) this time of year, so what the hell - time for a seasonal post! As torturous as some holiday music can be (I'd say the bad probably outweighs the good, sadly), don't put that shotgun to your temple just yet - there is enough of the latter to not only get you through December, but make you appreciate the month a little more, as well. After all, listening to the following five tracks is strictly prohibited any other time of year. Wouldn't wanna diminish their magic, now would we?

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#1. Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental) by Vince Guaraldi



You have no idea how difficult it is for me to keep this whole list from being comprised entirely of A Charlie Brown Christmas songs (the best Christmas album ever recorded, by a landslide), but for the sake of an interesting blog post, I had to mix it up and pick a favorite. Many credit Vince Guaraldi for bridging the gap between jazz and pop music (sparked by his 1962 B-side, Cast Your Fate to the Wind), and with this track it's easy to see, or hear, why. Christmas Time Is Here is a well-deserved anthem during the holiday season, pulling off the difficult task of sounding happy yet incredibly melancholic at the same time (perfectly capturing Charlie Brown's depression amidst all the holiday cheer in the aforementioned Peanuts special). Almost never failing to get me a little misty-eyed, it's one of those tracks that'll catch you off guard - you have to prepare yourself for when it comes on, lest you be caught weeping in a crowded mall when shopping for Christmas presents. Some holiday tunes are created with strictly children in mind, while others are clearly meant for the older crowd - I think what makes Christmas Time so universal is its continued ability to generate interest in the jazz genre amongst youngsters while striking repressed emotional nerves amongst adults. That's the key to its longevity, and what has cemented the Maestro of Menlo Park's presence around the holiday season since 1965. That and that it's simply six minutes of coolout jazz perfection. And to think network executives were strongly opposed to Guaraldi's score (which was unheard of for a children's program), as well as almost everything else that makes the special classic, prior to its airing. Fortunately, creators Charles Schulz, Bill Melendez, and Lee Mendelson persevered, and Guaraldi was able to achieve his dream of "writing standards, not just hits."

#2. Waltz of the Flowers by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky



Again, as with A Charlie Brown Christmas, it's very hard for me to just pick one piece from The Nutcracker. Going to see it with my family around the holidays was sort of an annual tradition growing up, so naturally, Tchaikovsky's music is, has been, and forever will be associated with this time of year. For me, Waltz of the Flowers stands out as a major, if not the, primary "theme" that's somewhat representative of the whole Suite - it's powerful and nicely structured, softly easing listeners into the melodies as it gradually crescendos, before starting all over again. It's a wonderful ride Tchaikovsky takes you on, and Christmas music doesn't get much better. Plus, now I have an additional positive association with Waltz ever since its brilliantly unexpected appearance in Cowboy Bebop.

#3. Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes



In 1963, New York City girl group The Ronettes took Sleigh Ride (already one of the better Christmas standards) and knocked it out of the park with this version that's guaranteed to make toes tap. One of the best, family-friendly holiday songs out there, it's ironic that it ultimately came from such a twisted murderer.

#4. Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney



Nobody does cheesy like Sir Paul McCartney. Practically dripping with his trademark whimsy, this 1979 gem packs some surprising thump with a prophetic synthesizer riff that delivers a preview of sounds to come in the following decade. Sure, the song's catchy, but it's McCartney's sincerity in the face of such cornball antics that ultimately make it so irresistibly charming. With tunes such as this, he's really gunning for that title of sweetest person on the planet.

#5. Last Christmas by Wham!



Never in a million years would I have thought anything remotely related to Wham! would ever find its way to this blog, but here we are. I've always had a soft spot for this relative downer of a holiday standard, and the 1984 original by the British pop duo is my favorite version. The most embarrassing inclusion on this list, to be sure (hey, I did put it at number five), it was also featured on Huffington Post's recent list of 15 Christmas Songs Too Annoying For Words. To each their own, I guess!

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Agree? Disagree? Have your own unsung Christmas jams worth mentioning? Let me know in the comments section, but before signing off, here's a slew of other holiday tunes I stand by that just missed the cut and are sure to keep you cool this Yule:

I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm by Billie Holiday (Verve Remixed)

Waltz For Zizi by Yoko Kanno (totally not a Christmas song, but it makes ya wanna curl up by the fireplace, don't it?)

Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto by James Brown

Pocketful Of Miracles by Frank Sinatra (again, not really a Christmas song, but it sure sounds like/might as well be one)

Boss Hog Egg Nog by J-Zone aka Chief Chinchilla (NSFW)

Christmas Coming by Alton Ellis

Merry Merry Christmas by The Flames

Christmas Is by Run DMC (far superior to Christmas In Hollis, trust me)

Little Saint Nick by The Beach Boys

African Sleigh Ride by Vince Guaraldi (not on A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack)

The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole (classic for a reason)

Happy Holidays!

Name That Film - #32

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Name That Film - #31

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Name That Film - #30

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