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Happy Monday!
Checkmate: Movie soundtrack edition.
Every amazing movie needs an amazing soundtrack. While Josh Waitzkin was left searching for Bobby Fischer (in the literal sense), director Steven Zaillian found the emotionally evocative James Horner to score his cinematic masterpiece from 1993 based on the true story of a young chess prodigy told from the perspective of a “chess parent.”
Randomly finding this movie playing last night was (and always is) an inspiring couple of hours everyone should experience.
That instrumental is fantastic…like a pawn-takes-pawn move that sets the stage for a cleverly disguised 12-move checkmate.
Have an Awesome Week!
P.S. Those fish won’t catch themselves.
A Wondrous Capstone
A screen saver doesn’t always do the trick.
A Friday night and impending weekend begs for something special and memorable to transpire. Much like the third act of a movie or play, the end of the workweek simply demands an unforgettable, redeeming twist. The moment can be small or big.
Or really big. As in Great Pyramid big.
With all the violent and political chaos in recent years, it’s kind of funny that it took a daring German trespasser to remind the world of the transcendent energy of Cairo, Egypt.
The view is pretty great.
A Friendly Joke
When life imitates art…or a favorite sitcom character.
Some days just require a joke. And today, Throwback Thursday, seems like the perfect setting for such entertainment.
Now, time for a savvy joke for the ages from a few years back.
Matthew Perry’s joke is classic Chandler Bing.
Happy Throwback Thursday!
Elocution’s Big Adventure
“Speak softly and carry a big stick…”
–Theodore Roosevelt
Projecting the right tone can be everything. No matter the endeavor, whether personal or professional, people respond to what and how they hear things.
During acting classes, vocal training and breathing exercises are no joke. In high school, reading from a textbook to the class in timid fashion can brand you for life in a not so flattering light. Mumbling words when hanging out with friends will spark an awkward question-and-answer session.
On the other hand, firmly taking a position with an assertive, yet non-abrasive tone on a controversial issue demonstrates knowledge and strength. Performing stand-up comedy that treats makes the back row sneak-in like the front row star earns street cred from the crowd. Picking the right messenger for the message is paramount (cough cough 2016 election on both sides).
However, the best way to prove the point about striking the right tone is illustrated in the remixed movie trailer of The Dark Knight Rises featuring an unlikely voice from the past.
A red and white bike riding past.
Safe to say this voice-over projects a wildly different conclusion to the Christopher Nolan trilogy that defined a generation. Despite being completely contrary to the film’s intended message, it’s one of those rare moments when the wrong tone was unthinkably transformed into the right tone by revealing a new, surprisingly entertaining perspective.
Speak softly and carry a big shtick.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 