The Ray Pletcher Blog

  “I feel the need… the need for speed!” is perhaps the most iconic line from the 80s classic Top Gun exclaimed by naval aviators Maverick and Goose as they prepared for a flight above the skies. Maverick of course was played by Tom Cruise, who was only 24 at the time of the release of Top Gun, was already a movie star in the making and his career has only gotten bigger over the last few decades. Cruise’s character Lt. Pete Mitchell who goes by the call sign “Maverick”, is a young reckless hotshot naval aviator who along with his wingman Goose (Anthony Edwards) gets sent by their commanding officer played by Principal Strickland from Back to the Future, to Top Gun an elite flying school to make the best of the best of naval aviators into even better pilots. Along the way, Maverick encounters friction with another pilot at the school, Iceman, played by Val Kilmer, and enters into a romance with his unbeknownst to him at the time, flight instructor Charlie, played by Kelly McGillis. ...

   “I admire your courage, miss uh?... ,”Trench, Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck Mr.?”....  “Bond… James Bond.” That is the official introduction to the classic spy 007, James Bond in Dr. No (1962), portrayed by the legendary Sean Connery. The James Bond film series launched by Dr. No was based on the famous Bond book series by former spy Ian Fleming in the 1950s. The success of the character’s introduction to the big screen led to a blockbuster movie franchise machine that has so far spawned 24 official Bond films with a 25th film due out in theaters this October after a long delayed release, the role played by 6 actors to date, in addition to two unofficial Bond films that were made due to extenuating and fascinating circumstances. In the lead up to the release of Daniel Craig’s final Bond film, No Time To Die this October, I will be ranking the James Bond films according to each respective actor in a series of monthly installments starting with the Sean Connery James...

My movie review of the 1990s comedy Blast from the Past starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, and Christoper Walken. 

  If anybody has been following along with these recaps we’ve finally reached the end of the road here with the final 3 episodes of the freshman season of Young Rock. The adventure starts in 2032 with The Rock heading into the Universal Backlot for his first Presidential debate against funnily enough President William Henry Taft’s descendant. The tongue-in-cheek rivalry between the two aside, The Rock takes the time in answering a question about his potential presidency by sharing a story in true Young Rock fashion.      The story flashes back to 1982 Hawaii where Young Rock’s mom gets the chance to audition for Star Search for the possibility of becoming a famous singer who will go on tour while Young Rock deals with a bully gang that steals his boogie board while his mother is away. His dad, Rocky, reinforces to him that standing up for yourself is important and when the fight is too big he will always be there to help him. Meanwhile his mom decides to postpone her...