Every great war movie has harrowing combat scenes and epic explosions, but what makes a battle flick truly unforgettable? Is it brave soldiers on a seemingly impossible mission? Could be...currently Patton and Saving Private Ryan sit atop the Twenty War Movies You'll Never Forget list. But what about classics like The Green Berets, Bridge on the River Kwai, Apocalypse Now and Midway? Which war movie do you think should be at the frontline of the fight?

Don't miss four days of war movies starting with A Bridge Too Far on Fri., May 25 at 9AM | 8C.

Click here for the complete War Heroes Weekend guide, including full schedule and trivia games.

Continue reading "Patton, Midway, Apocalypse Now... Which War Movie Is the Most Memorable?" »

Can you name the Three Stooges? The first two were always Moe and Larry. But what about number three? In truth, he was a rotating numbskull played by five actors over 50 years. The third Stooge was, at varying times, Shemp, Curly, Joe, Curly Joe, and for a while after Shemp's death, the "Fake Shemp" -- a mix of old Shemp footage and another actor's back and side. When you watch the classic Three Stooge shorts on various weekday mornings on AMC, pay close attention and then answer the following: Who is the funniest third Stooge? Need some help? Here you go...

Shemp Howard
Born Samuel Horwitz, Shemp got his nickname from his mother's Eastern European pronunciation of Sam. Shemp, who was the older brother of Moe and Curly, was the third Stooge early in the act, before parting over personal differences with Ted Healy, the creator of the act. He reprised the role from 1946, when Curly had a stroke, till his own death in 1955. Shemp was a relatively relaxed third Stooge, with fewer mannerisms than later third Stooges; he was famous for his hilarious high-pitched squeal of both terror and delight. He also appeared in comedies with WC Fields, Abbot and Costello, and Charlie Chan. When asked to return after Curly's stroke, Shemp was initially hesitant, but Shemp felt an obligation to Moe and Larry to help them keep the Stooges going.

Continue reading "Larry, Moe and Who? A Look at the Many Other Stooges" »

The killer component in disaster movies comes in all shapes and sizes -- deadly fires (Backdraft), out-of-control tornadoes (Twister), and raging storms (The Perfect Storm)... So which disaster flick leaves you most happily devastated? Currently The Poseidon Adventure and Titanic sit atop The Greatest Disaster Movies Ranking List but what about genre classics like Earthquake? Which disaster pic really deserves to be number one?

The first key element in building a successful action movie franchise is a great first movie. So in honor of AMC's Can't Get Enough The Matrix (which continues through Thu., May 3), here are the top ten reasons we can't get enough of the scifi classic that invented bullet time and reinvented the black raincoat

10. The Birth of Neo
Don't we all fantasize about getting a fresh start? Of escaping cubicle culture? There's something cathartic, in watching a goo-covered Neo emerge from his pod and enter into a strange new world (that might be this world). Although having a hole in the back of the head sounds horrific, as origin stories go, The Matrix rocks.

9. The Rebirth of the Wachowskis
When the Wachowskis pitched The Matrix, they pointed to Japanese anime movies and said "We want to do that for real." But the only directing credit they had was the neo-noir flick Bound -- a far cry from a scifi action pic of this magnitude. Producer Joel Silver took a gamble and the Wachowskis became the team that introduced the world to "bullet time."

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If you asked most people to name a classic western, you'd probably get titles like Shane, High Noon, Red River and The Searchers. But The Rifleman -- though a TV series and not a movie -- qualifies as well. Raising a skeptical eyebrow under your ten-gallon hat? Consider these six firsts that the landmark series can claim as a leader in the genre.

1. It Was Sam Peckinpah's First Western
Legendary director Sam Peckinpah is known for helming many classic Westerns, including the groundbreaking The Wild Bunch (1969). But in 1958, the young director re-worked a script that was rejected by Gunsmoke for being too violent and too eccentric, and then sold it to Zane Grey Theater. The show, entitled The Sharpshooter, proved so popular it ended up becoming The Rifleman pilot. Peckinpah went on to develop the series himself, writing and directing some episodes in the first season. (Sadly, creative conflicts led him to leave the show before Season 2.)

Continue reading "Six Reasons Why The Rifleman Was a Trailblazer on TV" »

It's hard to believe that there is anything the public doesn't know about one of the most surveyed men on the planet. But there are a few things about Brad Pitt that moviegoers may not be aware of -- and just need to know. So in honor of AMC's Crazy About Brad Pitt on Sat. Apr. 21, here are six facts that may have flown under your celebrity radar...

1. He's Got a Pilot's License
Recently, Pitt's 10-year-old son Maddox made headlines by taking flying lessons and fiancée Angelina was caught on camera putting her pilot's license to good use. But, as it turns out, flying is truly a family affair for the Jolie-Pitts: Brad also has a single-engine license and has taken helicopter lessons in the Czech Republic.

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Think Arnold Schwarzenegger started out as an action star? Wrong! Before Conan the Barbarian or The Terminator, Arnold made a name for himself in dramedies and comedies like Stay Hungry and The Villain. Here's a look back at the actor's evolution from '70s straight man to '90s scene stealer.

Hercules in New York (1970)
His thick Austrian accent got him dubbed but Schwarzenegger's earnest portrayal of the mythic strongman provides fodder for his co-stars' jokes.

Stay Hungry (1976)
This movie's worth seeing because... 1. As a bodybuilder with big dreams, Arnold's character is really just Arnold at the time. 2. His costars are Sally Field and Jeff Bridges.

Continue reading "With All Due Respect to The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger Has Made a Killing in Comedy" »

Action movies can seem dime-a-dozen, so when a series like Die Hard comes along to deliver winner after winner (after winner after winner), you know you've found your pot of gold. Given success so big that there's a fifth installment in the works, AMC has declared Sat., Mar. 17 Die Hard Day in honor of one of the greatest action franchises ever. St. Patrick, keep your luck-- we don't need it when Bruce Willis is here to save the day. Here are seven reasons why these flicks deserve their very own holiday:

1. It's Already Several Holidays Rolled Into One
The first two movies take place on Christmas Eve, and with pyrotechnics more dazzling than the grandest fireworks display, the franchise ups the ante on the Fourth of July. Then, hero John McClane takes on a band of terrorists to save his wife-- a gesture so romantic that St. Valentine himself can't compete.

2. John McClane Is the Patron Saint of Action Movies
To be declared a saint, you need to have performed a miracle or two. Well, McClane defends a building, then an airport, then New York City, and then the U.S.A. What's next? The world? Sounds like it's time to start canonization.

Continue reading "Seven Killer Reasons Why Die Hard Deserves Its Own Holiday" »

Truth be told, the best part of a boxing movie is seeing who incurs the worst injury and who sheds the most blood. The broken noses, the blood-stained bandages and the black eyes may not be signs of victory, but they are entertaining! For big screen boxing, if you think, "the bloodier, the better", here are eight matches that you'll never forget:

Micky Ward Versus Mike Mungin, The Fighter (2010)
When Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) isn't being ricocheted around the ring, he's being held against the ropes by the continuous punches of his fierce opponent Mike Mungin.One particularly good shot to the mouth sprays blood on his mother's face in the audience! But after being booed the entire match (which he, naturally, loses), his confidence -- not his face -- receives the heaviest blow. Emotionally, as much as viscerally, this match is definitely a tough one to stomach.

Jim Braddock Versus Art Lasky, Cinderella Man (2005)
Midway through this fight, Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe) gets hit with a hard upper cut that sends his mouth-guard flying across the ring. No matter. In a moment, he's back with an unsettling bloody smile and he's ready to rumble. He resumes the fight with an alarming determination that leaves his foe, Art Lasky with a broken nose and Braddock with the victory. As bloody comebacks go, Cinderella Man is one of the best.

Continue reading "Bam! Check Out These Eight Brutal Boxing Beatdowns " »