“I Feel The Need…The Need For Speed!”

It was one of the most iconic movie lines of the 80’s – and it captured EXACTLY the energy rush that filled movie theaters when the smash hit “Top Gun” exploded on screens in 1986!

Now, 34 years later, an explosive new memoir looks at the film from an Actor’s perspective – just as we prepare for a sequel to hit screens!

Time for our “Cult Movie Monday” to jump on the “Wednesday Bookmobile!”

First, “Cult Movie Monday” Celebrates “Top Gun!”

One of the biggest hits of that era, “Top Gun” was a worldwide smash hit and cemented Tom Cruise’s status as the biggest star of his generation!

It all began with the film’s title Card:

On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. The flyers call it: TOP GUN.

These young hot shots at the United States Navy’s elite fighter weapons school competed with each other to be best in their class, and one daring young pilot named “Maverick” learned a few things from a civilian instructor that were not taught in the classroom!

Here is the original trailer:

Val Kilmer – “Iceman” – Speaks!

And now, one of Cruise’s co-stars from the original film speaks out about working with the star!

Val Kilmer has had a unique career in many respects, including playing “Iceman” in “Top Gun”, and now he is telling that story, including what it was like to work with Cruise!

As Newser reports:

Val Kilmer is out with a memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry”, the title taken from the famous line he uttered in Tombstone. And while the book touches on his throat cancer and his high-profile relationships with the likes of Cher and Cindy Crawford, per ABC News, an excerpt in the Daily Beast focuses solely on his iconic role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun, opposite Tom Cruise. “I didn’t want the part,” he writes. “I didn’t care about the film. The story didn’t interest me.” His agent talked him into the audition, where he read his lines “indifferently” and was surprised to be informed the part was his. “I know that the script is insufficient, but it will get better, Val,” director Tony Scott told him. “Wait until you see these jets. They take your breath away.” It was Scott’s passion, writes Kilmer, that sold him.

Kilmer has some great inside stories about partying in nearby San Diego with other members of the film crew.

“Tom refrained from our revelry, with good reason,” he recalls. “From day one, he was laser-focused on a singular goal: to become the greatest action hero in the history of film. He was up nights learning lines; he spent every waking hour perfecting his stunts.” All this was admirable, writes Kilmer, but even “even more admirable is the fact that he achieved his goal.”

I have met Cruise several times, and he is one of the most polite, engaging and genuinely warm people I have met. He takes the time to introduce himself to the entire crew. A truly class act.

Kilmer has had a rollercoaster career, and was one of Hollywood’s most notorious lothsarios as well.

I look forward to reading the rest of Kilmer’s memoir, as he opens up about many personal details, including being Cher’s “boy toy” early on in his career!

And, almost 35 years later, the “Top Gun” sequel will fly into theaters – pandemic willing – at the end of the year! It will continue to tell the story of Maverick, and Tom Cruise is back in that iconic role!

Here is the new trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick”:

“Top Gun: Maverick” was scheduled for this summer, but has been shifted back to December 23 due to the Coronavirus…it will, no doubt, be a huge hit based on the fan base that still exists around “Top Gun!”

Back to Tom Cruise: this sequel comes as the Actor has returned to form, primarily in the ongoing series of “Mission: Impossible” films – but he also is making terrific dramas like this one:

“American Made” is based on a true story, and Cruise is in a cockpit again – this is a really good film and worth seeking out – check out the trailer here:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/09/30/american-made-the-latest-tom-cruise-film-struggling-at-the-box-office/

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Let me know your thoughts on “Top Gun”, the sequel, and Kilmer’s book!

Categories: Action Films, Art, Books / Media, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Hollywood, Movies, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities

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