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Of course the first thing I saw him in was Evil Dead. But since then I had seen so many low budget horror and science fiction films with Mr Campbell. Usually he brings the right blend of seriousness and comedy to each role. Now I love Evil Dead and Evil Dead II, but my favorite film with Bruce is Bubba Ho Tep. It helps that I am a huge Joe R Lansdale fan. Plus it is such a strange idea for a film. Elvis and JFK in an east Texas nursing home. Fighting a mummy that steals souls.
As a young kid I saw House on Haunted Hill late one Halloween night. And that started my love of Vincent Price films. Mr Price has an aura around him that could make even the cheapest cheesiest film work. Over the years I have seen at least half of the 100 films he made. And my favorite film with him is always changing. Currently it is Madhouse. A film I had never heard of until recently. Another stand out was the sadly short lived "13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo" cartoon. Where Mr Price had a starting role. Right before Halloween in 1993 Mr Price died. And not just the horror industry but the film industry lost a true legend.
The younger brother of David, I first saw Robert in the 80s comedy classic Revenge of the Nerds. And for a very long time that is all I knew him from. It wasn't until the early 2000s that I discovered he had done a handful of drive in classics back in the 70s. In 1976 he played the lead in the Crown International film "The Pom Pom Girls". Robert is the school's star quarterback. And spends most of the film pulling pranks on their cross town rivals. But the one film from that era that everyone should see is "Massacre at Central High". Also from 1976 this is a strange film about various high school cliches. Robert is great as Spoony. And kind of proto-punk/hippie. Most people younger than me will best know him as the Dad on the hit Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire.
Before "The Shield" all I knew Mr Chiklis from was "The Commish" and that Mel Gibson made for TV film about the 3 stooges. I didn't realized that he had played John Belushi in the film "Wired". Yes I am one of the 10 people that saw "Wired" in a theater. When "The Shield" started I wasn't going to watch it. I am just not into shows or films really about cops. But something told me to watch the first episode. And while it was good, those final 8 minutes hooked me. And from then till the show ended every Tuesday night at 9pm central I was watching it. Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey created a character that I had never seen on an American TV show. You hated him for being a piece of scum. But each week you were cheering him on and hoping that whatever scheme he was planning would work. Also he was the only good thing about those 2 horrible Fantastic Four films. Sadly since the Shield ended Mr Chiklis has had bad luck with TV shows. "No Ordinary Family" was fun but lasted one season. And just recently he was on the "Vegas". Another great show that only got one season.
I know big surprise. The first thing I remember seeing Steve in was "Airheads". A average 90s comedy. But Mr Buscemi was great in it. Not that long after that I saw Reservoir Dogs. Where Steve steals the show as Mr Pink. He has been the only good parts of horrible films like Armageddon and Con Air. What I love is he is great at comedic and dramatic roles. 4 years ago he got the lead on Boardwalk Empire. As Nucky Thompson a corrupt Atlantic city political power. That show is one of the few I make a point to see. Another thing about Mr Buscemi that made me a huge fan is what he did after 9/11, Before his acting career took off, Steve was a NYC firefighter. After 9/11 he left the set of the film he was in and went back to help out his old firehouse for some weeks. Unlike some celebs after that horrible event, Steve didn't want media attention for what he was doing. He just wanted to help out. I have only seen one interview where he even talks about this. And maybe 3 pictures from this time. That right there increased my fandom and the amount of respect I have for Mr Buscemi.
