Monthly Archives: July 2016
A Short Time Ago in a Front Yard in Close, Close Proximity…
Some people question the power of movies. Some people even question Huey Lewis and the News over the power of love.
But what about the power of love towards movies?
Legendary composer John Williams has produced some of the most (if not the most) iconic soundtracks to many of the most beloved movies of all-time. This includes Star Wars, as brilliantly played on the trumpet by the young boy in the video outside the house of Mr. Williams. The first Star Wars movie (Episode IV) changed the world back in 1977. The kid in the video is 13 year-old Bryce Hayashi. He wasn’t even born in the same century as Episode IV, and yet, there he was playing the famous anthem of the opening crawl 39 years later in 2016.
To get praise from John Williams himself, that’s movie magic right there.
Happy Monday!
It doesn’t hurt to shine a golden light on a Monday.
Rules Don’t Apply is a new movie that focuses on the late, great and eccentric aviation innovator Howard Hughes and the Hollywood film industry in 1958. This Golden Era of movie-making is as popular and captivating as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby. Fittingly, Lily Collins (Marla Mabrey) starred in the Amazon pilot based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s final and unfinished book, The Last Tycoon.
The decision to move The Last Tycoon to series (I voted yes in the post-viewing survey) is still being determined. The first chapter in this TV show shows promise and sparks curiosity. Rules Don’t Apply, on the other hand, will be premiered to the public in its full form on November 23rd of this year.
The star-studded cast will either work beautifully or, you know…Equally important, the story needs to elevate far above the seemingly predictable third act set on an all too familiar linear path. The cast suggests there should be entertaining twists-and-turns. Howard Hughes and the Golden Age of Hollywood deserve that, at a minimum.
The hope is that the old rules of unsurprising movie-making won’t apply to Rules Don’t Apply.
Have a Great Week!
Boy Meets Cool
Friday is the day to be cool, to be hip, to be, well…
At least Girl Meets World’s attempt at a reboot of a ’90s classic occasionally brings back these moments between best friends Cory and Shawn. The weekend calls for the coolest levels of cool. Cory and Shawn’s handshake is one of the greatest of all-time. Yes, this BMW staple is on par with the simpler handshake between the Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff.
As cool as the other side of high school.
This is what “Flashback Friday” is all about.
A Lift Back in Time
Sequels, historically, have a mixed record. How about a non-sequel sequel?
The 2011 film Crazy, Stupid, Love starring Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Emma Stone and Julianne Moore is a wonderful cinematic achievement. Akin to the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy, the casting, writing and acting was pitch-perfect and clever throughout with fun twists and fantastic settings we wish we could hang-out in on the weekend or on vacation.
Great escapism.
Speaking of escapism…
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s chemistry in Crazy, Stupid, Love is clearly evident. Remember the Dirty Dancing-inspired scene with the famed lift? It’s fitting the two would make a movie that expands their burgeoning romance from that dynamite move.
Despite not being their first reunion on film (Gangster Squad in 2013), the brand new teaser trailer for La La Land is, in terms of tonality, a similar feel-good spirit for the actor and actress as their beloved roles as Jacob Palmer and Hannah. The classical, dreamy aura reminds us of the Golden Age of Hollywood, inviting us into a world that serves as confirmation for why we enjoy movie magic and how this magic is created.
This film is unapologetic in celebrating Hollywood’s bright, shining spotlight elevated on and for the stage of suspended belief.
La La Land doesn’t look crazy or stupid, but full of love.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 