Of all the horror movies I watch, all the CG and rubber gore I rarely blink at, I felt an inescapable sense of dread at the start of The Blind Side and instinctively moved to cover my eyes. The film opens with Sandra Bullock’s Southern syrup-drenched voice over, but on screen we’re seeing an old NFL film. Look, it’s the Redskins and there’s John Riggins, so it must be from the ‘80s. Yep, there’s Joe Theismann… and it’s a night game… which means a Monday night game… and… oh my god no… they’re playing the Giants… and there's L.T….

Every football fan over 30 remembers what comes next, and as Bullock’s character explains in her narration, it changed professional football and Michael Oher’s life. Thanks to that oh-god-cover-your-eyes moment live on Monday Night Football--when Joe Theismann’s shin suddenly went 90 degrees the wrong way (a moment that in the days before YouTube was still seen over and over again on television)--the left tackle’s need to protect the quarterback’s blind side became much more important and hence much more valuable and financially lucrative.

And because of that, the real-life Michael Oher, a hulking, surprisingly quick mountain of a man, went from living on the streets at age 16 to avoid daily life in the projects to becoming a first-round draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens last spring. In fact, in one of those nifty little art-and-life serendipities, this past Monday evening I got home from a screening of The Blind Side—the wonderfully moving dramatization of Oher’s story—just in time to catch Oher himself live on TV, helping the Ravens crush the hapless Browns on Monday Night Football.

The Blind Side tells the true tale of young Michael Oher (Quentin Aaron), a looming giant growing up in a solemn, silent self-protective cocoon. Big Mike, as he’s called by others, goes anywhere in the Memphis night to escape his mother’s broken home, but he’s not getting anywhere.

Then Oher is given a couch to sleep on for a night by Leigh Anne Touhy (Bullock), an interior designer, Taco-Bell-franchise socialite, and a bona fide bull-headed, Ol’ Miss-loving, Southern belle. Michael’s night on the expensive Touhy Family couch turns into two, then a week, then a month, as all the Touhys end up helping the behemoth of a boy find his place first in the classroom and only later on the gridiron. (Football is barely mentioned during the film’s first half.)

Based on the book The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis, the film is written and directed by John Lee Hancock (The Rookie) with a sure hand for negotiating obvious sports-movie clichés past the dopey. The Blind Side may draw its inspiration from how Oher’s quiet, mammoth gentleness hides deep, protective strength, but its tone comes at you like Lawrence Taylor himself, bearing down with every heavy pound of crushing, inescapable power.

Yes, the film will blind side you. If you’ve seen the commercials and trailer you may have dismissed it as pure sap, and you’d be half-right. Because it is sappy, but it’s also incredibly effective and touching. It’s out to make you cry with joy for those rare cases when human compassion wins out over life’s unrelenting march of pragmatic cynicism.

But when you do cry, you at least feel you’ve been manipulated honestly on the up and up. You may see all the set ups coming, but Hancock makes most of them pay off so powerfully, you’ll forgive the film's lack of subtlety. “Sure we’re going to hit you hard with 300 pounds of warm, uplifting, heart-felt sports homilies and life lessons,” says The Blind Side, “but don’t worry—we’re going to earn it every step of the way, and in the end you’ll be crying because sometimes people really do the right thing for the right reasons and in doing so change lives.” (Stick around for the credits and photos of the real Oher and Touhys--even more tears get jerked when it sinks in these people actually exist.)

Country singer Tim McGraw is clean-shaven unrecognizable as Leigh Anne's good-natured, supportive husband, but he and the other actors portraying the family do solid work--including the requisite "cute kid," Jae Head. Often dismissed as a one-note, journey-woman actress, Bullock is firing on all sassy cylinders here, portraying Leigh Anne Touhy as a bossy, force of nature--harnessed and focused in the service of what she feels is right. Bullock’s Leigh Anne may have moments of doubt about whether she’s acting out of white liberal guilt, and she may slip at first into that quiet, reflexive racism of low expectations as Joe Biden did when he once described Obama as “clean.” But she never lets such human failings stop her from stubbornly pushing forward.

The Blind Side is going to take some hits from critics. Released into theaters alongside Precious, it cannot help but fare poorly in head-to-head combination with that much rawer, more devastating look at how an individual might try to improve him or herself up out of crushing poverty and abuse. And with the film character of Michael presented as often mute and inscrutable, The Blind Side instead tells his story from the box-office safe point of view of Leigh Anne. We end up knowing little about the Inner Michael other than he’s big and kind and a great protector on and off the field. That’s only going to intensify cries of subversive racism: the film can be seen as yet another Hollywood-ized tale of a saintly White Person who rides in to “save” the poor Black child.

All those arguments may be valid and are worth discussing, but The Blind Side throws its considerable weight not at such tricky social issues, but rather on the side of human uplift. When I can sit and watch a film that uses both a way-too-on-the-nose Ferdinand the Bull reference and an extended cameo from Nick Saban and I still come away grinning from ear to ear and bawling my eyes out, then you know you’ve got a movie whose massive, unrelenting heart pushes any flaws out of the way.

We had a good streak going for the past several weeks with lots of people taking a shot at Freeze Frame glory... until it all came crashing down last Friday when the stills from Raising Arizona, The Rock and Adaptation clearly stumped so many of you that you threw in the towel without even trying.

Therefore, I tried to make the images for this weekend's game a little easier -- but I'm not just going to hand it to ya, folks!  What fun would there be in seeing your name in bold and creating a dazzling aluminum foil trophy for yourself if everyone could identify movie images in a matter of milliseconds?  None, I tell you.  There would be no fun in that at all.

So we shall soon see what brave men and women are up to the task this time around.  As always, enter your guesses into the comments link directly beneath this post, and we'll announce the winner in bold on Monday, AND give selfmade Common Thread Button o' Pride pins out (rather, we'll tell you to make them yourself because it's more meaningful when you put a little elbow grease into something) to anyone who mentions the link amongst the trio.  I think this one is reeeeeaaaallly easy, but then again, I said the same thing last week and only a handful of people got it.

Will you be one of the triumphant ones for this challenge?  I've got a good feeling that you will, so get ready to give it the ol' college try...

Movie #1

Movie #2

Movie #3

Good luck!  And be sure to check back on Monday for the winners (and the answers, of course).

When I asked what actor was in Men Don't Leave, Titanic, and Primary Colors, I got enough "Leonardo DiCaprio" guesses I worried for a second maybe he was in all three and I'd finally committed the dreaded "Double Threes Answer" foul-up I've been fearing. But a quick double check confirmed that while of course Leo was in Titanic, no he was not in Men Don't Leave (perhaps confusion with This Boy's Life?) or Primary Colors. Whew.

Most of you did get it correct, but the most correct fastest was faithful redblogger and reader who rocks Matthew S.! Matthew gets the construction-paper medal while in second was steady Threes placer Jim and in third was Arianaa. Congrats, all!

So who was in all three of those films? Light up the Inviso-Text for the answer!

It was indeed Kathy Bates, appearing this weekend in the terrific The Blind Side as a Memphis-based tutor--not much of a geographic stretch for Bates, who was born there. Before her big break-out role in 1990's Misery, Bates was working as an actor on stage and in film and television for two decades--she had bit parts in Two of a Kind and Arthur 2, and did guest spots on TV shows such as St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, and China Beach.

In 1990, Bates also appeared in the under-rated, under-seen family drama Men Don't Leave, starring Jessica Lange, Joan Cusack, Arliss Howard and young Charlie Korsmo and Chris O'Donnell. Men Don't Leave was the second film from Risky Business director Paul Brickman, one of the great "lost" directors of the past 20 years. The very talented Brickman hasn't made a film since then.

Of course in 1997's Titanic Bates played the "unsinkable" Molly Brown, and in the following year's thinly veiled Clinton roman a clef Primary Colors, she was Libby Holden, the campaign adviser and old friend of the "Stantons." Holden was very loosely based on the real-life Betsey Wright, Governor Bill Clinton's chief of staff in Arkansas.

Bates recieved a supporting-actress Oscar nomination for Primary Colors--she was also nominated in 2002 for About Schmidt and won the best-actress Oscar for playing super-fan Annie Wilkes in Misery.

Last summer I read the four Twilight novels back to back and immediately understood why millions of women around the world went gaga for Stephenie Meyer's fictional Forks, Washington-based universe.  While I don't consider myself a Twihard by any means, I'm also not too proud to admit that I did, in fact, enjoy the books.  And even though New Moon was my least favorite in the series, I still had high hopes for its adaptation. I mean, it just kinda had to be better than Twilight, right? 

If you were reading redblog a year ago then you know that while I had several issues with the first film, I did find some of its cheesiness a bit charming. (What you might not know is that I watched it in the theater again -- twice -- after I wrote that review and actually liked it more each time.)  Therefore, I figured that with a new director (Chris Weitz) and a bigger budget that would surely remedy the embarrassingly bad "special effects situation," there was no way the sequel wouldn't be a superior film.  Alas, fellow Twilight fans, I have bad news for you: I was very, very disappointed by New Moon.

For the most part, the adaptation follows the story arc of the novel. Vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and mortal high schooler Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) are happy together for like two seconds, but then a few members of Edward's family start lusting after Bella's blood when she gets a paper cut (at her own birthday party, no less), and so Edward's all, "Sorry, babe, but this isn't gonna work."  Bella sinks into a deep depression when the entire Cullen clan skips town, and the only person who is eventually able to cheer her up is her old buddy Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who's put on approximately one gazillion pounds of muscle -- and continued to use Crest White Stripes without abandon on his already-blinding choppers -- since we last saw him.  It is then revealed that he simply cannot bear to have his shirt on.  It physically pains him to do so -- he gets a really wicked contact rash and no one on in La Push (where he and his fellow Quileute tribe members hang) can figure out how to help him.  OK, so I made that part up. Jacob's shirtlessness is never actually explicitly explained in the film, but one can infer that it has something to do with him being a werewolf. But forget about the werewolf part for a second because I just need to say that it is seriously Ridiculous (notice the capital r?) how much Jacob's running around half-nekkid in this movie.  Or running around half-nekkid in the pouring rain.  Or in slo-mo.  I just kept thinking, "This is like Baywatch... with guys" during all of his scenes (and some of Edward's -- he also goes shirtless a few times and has a classic/hilarious bad-boy-walking-in-slo-mo scene to boot). I suppose I should be happy that some dudes are getting objectified-to-the-max up on the big screen for a change, but instead I just felt embarrassed for them.

Back to the plot... Just as Bella's life finally regains some normalcy and her friendship with Jacob starts turning into something more (no one can resist all that shirtlessness), the Cullens pop up again. Specifically, Edward's sister Alice (Ashley Greene) decides to drop by, and around that same time the girls learn that Edward thinks Bella is dead (long story). Because she can see glimpses of the future, Alice knows that Edward plans to take a page from Romeo and Juliet and -- since vampires can't off themselves -- will attempt to join Bella in death by putting on a fab-u light show over in Italy.  Meaning, he's going to stand in the sun and reveal his sparkling vampire skin to humans, thus ensuring he'll be killed by the royal vampire clan, the Volturi, 'cause showing your bling-bling face in public is against their rules.  Why would Edward be so distraught over Bella's death?  Wasn't he the one who left her?  Yes, of course, but he was just trying to protect her -- he really does love her -- but vampires shouldn't be with humans -- daaahhhh!!!!!   Don't you see how complicated their relationship is?!?!  Why else do you think they're always fumbling over their words and gasping and sighing and breathing heavy?!?  Because it's hard to be a human and vampire in love, people!

Since I know many of you reading this are going to be dragged to the movie by your girlfriends/wives/friends and may have not read the book, I will not reveal anything else about what goes down after Alice and Bella head to Europe.  Will they be sidetracked by all of the gelato vendors and forget about trying to stop Edward from dazzling himself to death?  Will Jacob ever put on a shirt again?  You're just going to have to see it to find out.

For those of you who, like me, were genuinely looking forward to New Moon, let me tell you the few high points in the film before I detail why it didn't live up to my expectations overall.  Positive #1: The Volturi scenes. I had doubted Dakota Fanning's ability to pull off Jane, but I was completely wrong.  She was perfect.  As was Michael Sheen as Aro and Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius.  They were exactly what I had pictured in my mind when I read the books -- both in looks and mannerisms. Positive #2: A cool chase scene with Original Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) and the wolves set to a Thom Yorke track that I love.  Positive #3: The three standouts from the first film were on their game again this time around -- namely, Anna Kendrick and Michael Welch as two of Bella's high school friends, and Billy Burke as Charlie, Bella's dad.  Unfortunately, they only got a few minutes of face time each.  Positive #4: Face Punch.  Enough said.

Now let's talk about the The Bad. 

Remember all that horrid pancake makeup used to make the Cullens pale as ghosts in Twilight?  It's gone now... but in its place are very disturbing golden contacts for all of the vampires.  Way more noticeable and unnerving than in the first film.  These are supposed to be the most beautiful people in the world, but instead they looked like freaks (yes, even Edward) because of whatever was done to their eyes.  The Volturi's glowing-red eyes were fine -- but the huge golden irises on the Cullens simply looked painful.  (I'm very curious to hear whether anyone else noticed this, so if you did, please let me know in the comments.)

My dreams of awesome special effects were dashed early on as well... the first time we got a good look at one of the wolves, I just shook my head and thought, "Good God, that is Gmork from The NeverEnding Story."  (Even though you all know TNES is one of my favorite movies, Gmork should not be making an appearance in a modern-day film.)  The wolf effects did get better as the film progressed, but I just couldn't shake my initial reaction.  As for the other special effects (vampire battles, fast-running, etc.), they were OK.  But a lot of work needs to be done in order for Eclipse and (presumably) Breaking Dawn to not be completely ridiculed, as both of those stories are much more action-based.

Let's see, what else?  Bella was still as annoying as ever.  The dialogue throughout was peppered with laughable, inane cheese-poofs.  "Bella, you give me everything... just by breathing!"  Brother, please.  (WHY OH WHY is screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg on board again for Eclipse?  Even the best actors in the world can't make craptastic lines sound anything other than craptastic.)  I don't care if some of this gooeyness came directly from the books.  It doesn't work on film.

As for Chris Weitz, I feel he went the safe route and made a movie that he knew would please the hardcore fans.  All of the fifteen-year-olds sitting behind me last night thought it was "AMAAAAAZING."  I, however, was thrown by some of the pacing (the reveal of Jacob's secret was handled horribly), bemused by some of more artsy shots (when I wasn't battling motion sickness -- 'twas lots of spinny camerawork goin' on...), and shocked at just how boring -- and devoid of romance -- New Moon was all in all.  Maybe it will grow on me like Twilight did... but that would require me to see it again. (Not likely.)  So here's to hoping that next summer, Eclipse will redeem this franchise.  They can start with finding Jacob a shirt. 

A teeny film called New Moon opens tomorrow and stars a homely, unpopular, random dude named Robert Pattinson.  Why Summit Entertainment, the same studio behind the Twilight adaptations, would choose today to release the trailer for Pattinson's 2010 romantic drama Remember Me is just beyond comprehension.  Certainly there are no women out there who experience Pavlovian drool responses to his voice, his image or that crazy hair.  Why would anyone think this trailer would get any attention right now?

</End sarcasm.>

Hmm, I'm not feelin' it. First off, I can't even really tell what this is about. So then I read its plot description (which I'll put below in Invisotext because some might consider it spoilery) and subsequently felt like the trailer was trying to make the film out to be something it's not. However, there are lots of clips of RPattz looking pretty (even when he's all banged up, he's pretty... it's amazing!), so I guess that's all that matters in the end. And while I like Lost's Emilie de Ravin and LOVE Chris Cooper, what's scaring me off from this one is the fact that it was written by Jenny Lumet, who also penned one of my most-hated films of 2008, Rachel Getting Married.

Since I'm not a crazy Pattinson stalker (you know who you are), as of right now I'm putting Remember Me on the I Hope A Better Trailer Comes Out Or I'm Definitely Not Seeing This in the Theater list.  Does anyone out there feel differently? 

Oh, and if you want the possibly spoilery plot summary, click and roll to reveal the Invisotext: "Tyler (Pattinson) and Ally (de Ravin), find their relationship tested after Ally witnesses her mother's murder and Tyler reels from the suicide of his brother, which leads to his parents' (Pierce Brosnan, Lena Olin) divorce." From the trailer, I thought this would be a "boy from the wrong side of the tracks falls in love with a girl whose dad thinks he's garbage" type of story. I guess that might still be applicable, but I was really surprised to read about the murder and suicide subplots -- weren't you?

You know how it works!

I give you three films, you tell me what single actor was in all three of them.

Enter your guess in the comments section directly below this post, and if you are the first with the correct answer you'll find yourself with the homemade construction-paper medal! (You do all the making. And provide all the materials. But it's really an honor. Trust us.)

I won't publish any guesses until tomorrow when I put the correct answer up.

What actor was in:

Men Don't Leave

Titanic

Primary Colors

Aw, here I thought I was being tricky, but most of you had no problem. Almost everyone nailed it, though there was one guess of Encino Man. Um, no.

Jessica was first with the right answer, followed by Paul N. in second (Paul's closing in on a win one of these days!) and Christopher Welch in third.

Here, take another look at the close-up view of this movie poster:

Hang on, I'm about to make it way too easy for you:

Follow me over the jump for the full poster and some fun, informative facts!

 

So what's the first thing you notice about the poster? That's right, the film's true star is not pictured! Sorry, Jerry Reed, not you... No, there's no sign of the famous black '77 T-top Trans-Am with the gold Firebird hood! The car that became so famous thanks to the movie that sales of Trans-Ams nearly doubled over the next two years. (In The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard--out on DVD and in the redboxes this week--one of the five "actual Bandit Cars" supposedly used in Smokey and the Bandit plays a pivotal role. In reality, all five of the film's Trans-Ams were pretty much trashed by the end of filming.)

Originally the movie was intended to be a low-budget drive-in flick with Jerry Reed playing the Bandit, but once Reynolds saw the script by his pal director Hal Needham he wanted in and the film's box-office potential jumped much higher. Released the summer of '77, Smokey and the Bandit ended up being the year's second-highest grossing movie--after Star Wars. I saw both of them twice in the theaters that summer (my mom loved Smokey and the Bandit), and while I ended up a devoted Star Wars fan, I learned many interesting, lasting vocabulary words from Smokey and the Bandit.

Yes, dear redblog readers, today we are talking with THAT Donna. The Donna who, along with Millar74, has dominated our Threes challenges for as long as we can remember. The Donna who won a free DVD rental per week for a year in redbox's Facebook Photo contest. The Donna who handily snagged herself a swag bag during our September Month o' Contests With Actual Prizes. 

So sit back, relax, and prepare to meet the movie trivia whiz that is...

Name: Donna G.

Posts as (username): Donna

Age: 41

Location: Oak Creek, WI

Occupation: Teacher

When did you start using redbox, how did you find out about us, and how close is the redbox you usually go to?

I started using redbox about a year ago, when there were free codes every Monday. I had heard about redbox online and when one appeared in my local grocery store, I was hooked. My nearest redbox is about a mile from home.

Are there certain types of movies that you prefer to see in the theater… and along those same lines, are there certain types of movies that you prefer to watch at home?

I’m cheap and watch most of my movies at home on DVD (from redbox, of course). But there are some movies that need to be seen on the big screen (big, epic, action movies for instance) and then I’ll go to the theater. Although I do like to see scary movies at home where I can watch it in bed and pull the covers up over my eyes.

Do you prefer a packed theater or a nearly empty one, or does that depend on the movie? 

It depends on the movie. I finally went to see Paranormal Activity the other day and there were only like 5 other people in the whole theater and I was there alone. I didn’t find it scary in the least, but it might have been different with a packed theater. Action movies need a full theater. Sad or dramatic movies are better in an empty theater where I can cry in privacy. 

What kind of experience do you like or hope to have when you watch a movie?

I think it depends on what type of movie it is. I like a comedy to make me laugh. I like a scary movie make me hide behind my hands. I like an action movie to thrill me. I like a romantic movie to make me cry. Basically, I like movies to live up to my standards. If a movie doesn’t entertain me, it’s not worth my time.

Have you ever run into any movie stars?

It was probably around 1979 and I remember waiting in line to see the “real” Chewbacca, Darth Vader and one of the Stormtroopers at Toys R Us. Other than that I haven’t met any movie stars. But I was one of the thousands of extras in the stands when they filmed Major League in Milwaukee.

I have, however, visited some movie sites. Shortly after the movie came out, I visited the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. A house, a ball field and a bunch of corn, just like in the movie. Last summer, I dragged my family to Cleveland, Ohio to visit the Christmas Story house. It was a great experience that I strongly recommend for any fan of the movie.

What five movies would you want on a deserted island (deserted... except for a TV and a DVD player and one electrical outlet)?

Only 5!?! Not just five from each category? I love comedies. I would have to take Young Frankenstein, Office Space, and A Christmas Story. I would also take my two favorite Cary Grant movies: Charade and North by Northwest.

Who’s your favorite actor?

Cary Grant has to be my all-time favorite actor. He was handsome, funny and suave. I can’t think of any current actors that can match him.

And your favorite actress?

I really like Audrey Hepburn because she was just so real. Put her together with Cary Grant in Charade and I’m happy.

Any actors or actresses you can’t stand? 

Adam Sandler and Renee Zellweger just really bug me.

Have you ever waited in line for hours for a movie?

I simply don’t have the time or patience to wait in line for hours to watch the same movie that I’ll be able to see without the crowds in a few weeks. I am, however, patient enough (or maybe the word is “cheap”) that I’ll see a movie trailer and think to myself, “I’ll have to get that from redbox when it comes out on DVD.”

That is indeed patient.  Now, even though we know you wouldn't have waited in line for hours beforehand, have you ever attended a midnight screening of a movie? 

The only midnight movie screening I’ve been to was Jurassic Park at its midnight premiere. The theater was packed and the reaction to Spielberg’s dinosaurs was amazing.

Ah, that would definitely be a fun one to see in the wee hours.  Speaking of fun, what are some of your favorite movie quotes?

I always seem to pick the obscure lines that I find funny but nobody else seems to get. My favorite is: “You used up all the glue ON PURPOSE!” from A Christmas Story. (If I’m having a fight with my husband, I can yell that at him and it immediately makes us laugh instead.)

I'll have to try that trick sometime with my husband!  What’s the best film you’ve seen to date in 2009?

I’m surprising myself to say this, but I really enjoyed Star Trek.  I’m not a big Trekkie by any means, but it was really a good film. I guess I mostly liked the references to the old series and the origins of the characters. My dad watched Star Trek all the time when I was growing up and I guess it stuck with me.

Well, I'd never watched so much as one episode of the Star Trek TV series and I loved this summer's reboot as well.  Looking ahead, will you be watching any award shows like the Golden Globes or Oscars early next year? 

I don’t really get into the award shows. I will probably watch the Oscars just to see Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host.

Is there any upcoming movie you’re really excited to check out?

I want to see The Box, but don’t be surprised if I wait for it to come to redbox!

And finally, since we know from all your Threes wins that you're great with movie trivia, can you take a moment and tell us about the web site you run that organizes a very unique type of movie trivia?

Certainly.  My biggest film-related passion is my compiling of a list of movies that show the World Trade Center in them. After 9/11, a lot of people wanted to take those images out of old movies. Out of curiosity, I started creating a list of movies I knew of that had the towers in them. After digging deeper I found more and more and more!  Nearly ten years after 9/11, I now have the most extensive list available on the Web. My site has been online for almost six years and is slowly approaching 600 movies in the list. I also have screenshots of nearly every movie, video clips with commentary, and posters.  If anyone is interested in checking it out, you can do so here. 

Wow, Donna, that is quite an undertaking, but we are sure there are tons of people out there who appreciate your efforts.  We love hearing about redbox fans' movie-related passions, so thank you for sharing a bit about your WTC in Movies site with us.  And thank you for being one of our Readers Who Rock, as well!  Keep on keepin' on with your Threes victories!

Want to learn about some of our other Readers Who Rock?  Check out all of our past interviews here.

All you have to do is study the image below, a close-up bit of the original poster for a famous movie. Then just enter the correct title of the film in the comments section below this post.

I won't post any of your guesses until I put the answer up and announce the winners tomorrow.

Take a look and take your best shot: