I feel the need...the need for speed!

[BD80]

Top Gun is one of my favorite movies ever. I was in my pre-teen, show off your masculinity stage when it came out, so it particularly resonated. The soundtrack to the original was incredible and hopefully they can come close to that.

...

I remember feeling somewhat foolish at the "macho" feeling Top Gun gave me (was big into sand volleyball back then) when someone pointed out the relatively overt alternate masculinity flowing through the movie ("Playin' With the Boys"). Still loved the movie, just dialed it back a few notches.

I'm concerned that this new film won't be as good as Cats.

Lion King got me this summer, I'm a little gun-shy betting against cats of any ilk.

I hope this means we'll get another Hot Shots! movie.

It's safe to say Charlie Sheen hasn't aged as well as Tom Cruise...

But I'll bet he smoked and drank more than Cruise...

Charlie Sheen smoked and drank Tom Cruise.

Which was farther removed from reality, "Tiger Blood" Charlie Sheen, or Scientologist Tom Cruise?

As long as we can get Valeria Golino for Hot Shots: The Topper, I'll see it. Cary Elwes would likely come back as Admiral Gregory. Would Jon Cryer come back as Wash Out if Charlie Sheen were involved?

[jimsumner]

Armstrong and the Eagle had 14.6 million square miles of moon surface to work with...as opposed to a rectangle about 200 ft by 100 ft where you need to set down to catch an arresting wire...so not really the same thing.

yea but these guys don't take off 240,000 miles from a target that doesn't slow down for them.

So, correct. Not the same thing.

[BD80]

yea but these guys don't take off 240,000 miles from a target that doesn't slow down for them.

So, correct. Not the same thing.

Nor use a navigation system with less computing power than a middle-schooler's calculator.

[bundabergdevil]

I made my wife re-watch the original with me today because I was so geeked out about the trailer. It'd been quite a while since I'd really sat down and watched it. Couple stray observations upon viewing again:

1. The impracticality of playing beach volleyball in full jeans is stunning. In normal beach wear, sands gets everywhere. In tight wranglers after diving face first into the sand, forget about it. Then to just hop on a motorcycle like it's nothing. In never occurred to me before but the reason Maverick keeps telling Charlie he needs to shower isn't because he's sweaty, it's because he needs to find a fire hose and power wash the sand out of his I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this..

2. Val Kilmer's acting choices don't hold up. All that biting and sniffing. Who does that? Name one occasion when biting the air at someone is the reasonable thing to do.



3. I had completely missed that Tim Robbins is in this movie as Merlin. He's only in it toward the end but his appearance surprised me. It was circa Bull Durham Tim Robbins and if there's anyone who should NOT be flying a Navy plane, it's Nuke Laloosh.

4. From 1986 to 1996, Tom Cruise starred in the following movies back-to-back: Top Gun, Color of Money, Cocktail, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July, Days of Thunder, Far and Away, A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview w/ the Vampire, Mission Impossible, and Jerry Maguire. Talk about a murder's row. He OWNED that decade.

[weezie]

... From 1986 to 1996, Tom Cruise starred in the following movies back-to-back: Top Gun, Color of Money, Cocktail, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July, Days of Thunder, Far and Away, A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview w/ the Vampire, Mission Impossible, and Jerry Maguire. Talk about a murder's row. He OWNED that decade.

I'll bet, and this thread helps prove, that there were thousands of conversations like this these past couple of days. During a highly intellectual bbq-beer drinking festival in the backyard last night, my son and I took a deep dive into how Tom Cruise is the last and only bona fide "MOVIE STAR" right now. That his name and power guarantee money being made for everybody on the set.
Maybe he went a little wacky there for a while but he resurrected his image and sits on top of Hollywood in very rare air.

And he's still a hottie.

[left_hook_lacey]

I'll bet, and this thread helps prove, that there were thousands of conversations like this these past couple of days. During a highly intellectual bbq-beer drinking festival in the backyard last night, my son and I took a deep dive into how Tom Cruise is the last and only bona fide "MOVIE STAR" right now. That his name and power guarantee money being made for everybody on the set.
Maybe he went a little wacky there for a while but he resurrected his image and sits on top of Hollywood in very rare air.

And he's still a hottie.

He went a little wacky, is an understatement. He's a Scientologist, and still is. He still has his beliefs, he's just not vocal about it anymore. Something tells me he's been making movies lately to please the masses and get back in good favor with the general public. I think Top Gun is a prime example of that concept.

With that being said, I hope it's great. I hope it is unapologetically full of American pride and bad-assmenship, I think we need that right now.

[mph]

2. Val Kilmer's acting choices don't hold up. All that biting and sniffing. Who does that? Name one occasion when biting the air at someone is the reasonable thing to do.

When you are a bad a— fighter pilot at Top Gun school and your chief competition just told you he’s dangerous?

In all seriousness, I take your point but it still works for me.

[weezie]

...He still has his beliefs, he's just not vocal about it anymore...

Wish that was the more widespread case across this great Republic. Insert "eye-roll face plant into the couch" emoji.

[JasonEvans]

I'll bet, and this thread helps prove, that there were thousands of conversations like this these past couple of days. During a highly intellectual bbq-beer drinking festival in the backyard last night, my son and I took a deep dive into how Tom Cruise is the last and only bona fide "MOVIE STAR" right now. That his name and power guarantee money being made for everybody on the set.
Maybe he went a little wacky there for a while but he resurrected his image and sits on top of Hollywood in very rare air.

My son and I had this very same conversation over the weekend, but came to a very different conclusion. He asked me "who's the biggest star in Hollywood right now" and I barely paused before saying "The Rock."

Other than the Mission Impossible franchise, Tom Cruise hasn't been in a movie that made more than $101 million in domestic boxoffice since War of the Worlds in 2005. Rampage, in which The Rock befriends a giant monkey that knocks down buildings, made more money then Edge of Tomorrow, one of the better alien invasion films ever made.

Cruise is still a big star and I love that he has largely continued to make high quality films (American Made was quite good and all the MI films are great... let's not talk about The Mummy) but he isn't close to the star he was when he ruled Hollywood during the 90s.

-Jason "he's still in amazing shape and the fact that he does so many of these stunts himself is truly special" Evans

[Bob Green]

Also, my nephew just joined up. He is in San Diego right now, prepping to deploy to Japan. I've never been more proud.

Great! A couple questions:

What’s his rate (job)? Where in Japan?

[left_hook_lacey]

Great! A couple questions:

What’s his rate (job)? Where in Japan?

He is a BM, on the USS America. They are going to Japan to relieve the USS Wasp of her duties so she can return home for maintenance, etc.

[bundabergdevil]

My son and I had this very same conversation over the weekend, but came to a very different conclusion. He asked me "who's the biggest star in Hollywood right now" and I barely paused before saying "The Rock."

Other than the Mission Impossible franchise, Tom Cruise hasn't been in a movie that made more than $101 million in domestic boxoffice since War of the Worlds in 2005. Rampage, in which The Rock befriends a giant monkey that knocks down buildings, made more money then Edge of Tomorrow, one of the better alien invasion films ever made.

Cruise is still a big star and I love that he has largely continued to make high quality films (American Made was quite good and all the MI films are great... let's not talk about The Mummy) but he isn't close to the star he was when he ruled Hollywood during the 90s.

-Jason "he's still in amazing shape and the fact that he does so many of these stunts himself is truly special" Evans

I'd probably go Schwarzenegger as the right comparison for The Rock over Cruise. A charismatic muscle-bound action hero that also did some fish out of water type comedies. What made Cruise's period of box office domination was his malleability and cross-genre appeal. He had action (Top Gun, Days of Thunder, MI), romantic comedies (Jerry Maguire), Drama (Born on the 4th, The Firm), campy horror/thrillers (Interview w/ the Vampire)...he was in freaking everything!

[weezie]

My son and I had this very same conversation over the weekend, but came to a very different conclusion. He asked me "who's the biggest star in Hollywood right now" and I barely paused before saying "The Rock...

The Rock was our #2. Guess it's just the age difference in sons! RainMan tipped the scale, albeit so many years ago.
But come on, Cruise actually flies the jet! We'll see next summer.

[Bob Green]

He is a BM, on the USS America. They are going to Japan to relieve the USS Wasp of her duties so she can return home for maintenance, etc.

His ship will be homeported in Sasebo on Kyushu Island. A beautiful place. I’ve visited there many times.

[gus]

wonder if the auditions for the new one were anything like these:

[cato]

From 1986 to 1996, Tom Cruise starred in the following movies back-to-back: Top Gun, Color of Money, Cocktail, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July, Days of Thunder, Far and Away, A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview w/ the Vampire, Mission Impossible, and Jerry Maguire. Talk about a murder's row. He OWNED that decade.

Just roll that window back one year and you get to the movie that really started it all: LEGEND!

Ignore the Tomatometer on this one. My 10 year old self gave it 100%.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Just roll that window back one year and you get to the movie that really started it all: LEGEND!

Ignore the Tomatometer on this one. My 10 year old self gave it 100%.

And Mia Sara pre Ferris!

[JasonEvans]

And Mia Sara pre Ferris!

Tim Curry absolutely slays in that movie as Darkness. The film is a silly, over-the-top, fairy tale but I love it.

Oh, and the Brian Ferry (Roxy Music) song from the film, "Is Your Love Strong Enough" remains one of my favorite songs to this day. In heavy rotation on my playlist for decades!

[bundabergdevil]

Just roll that window back one year and you get to the movie that really started it all: LEGEND!

Ignore the Tomatometer on this one. My 10 year old self gave it 100%.

Man, I'm glad you weighed in. When I was starting this thread and making that point about Cruise's decade of supremacy, I sat for 10 solid minutes debating whether or not to include Legend. I thought, if I include it and people have seen it, they'll think I'm nuts. If they haven't and google it, they'll think the same.

As far as I'm concerned, there are two damn unicorns in this picture!

TC Legend.jpg

[BD80]

Man, I'm glad you weighed in. When I was starting this thread and making that point about Cruise's decade of supremacy, I sat for 10 solid minutes debating whether or not to include Legend. I thought, if I include it and people have seen it, they'll think I'm nuts. If they haven't and google it, they'll think the same.

As far as I'm concerned, there are two damn unicorns in this picture!

TC Legend.jpg

And Tom looks pretty good between them!