Blog Archives
Zimmer’s Super 8
Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated World War II epic Dunkirk doesn’t premiere in movie theaters for a couple weeks.
Lucky for us, one of the songs for the forthcoming war film by composer Hans Zimmer made its way out of enemy gun fire, via WaterTower Music (ie- Warner Bros.).
What is it with famed directors and composers and the word “super” and the number 8 (think J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg and Michael Giacchino of the science-fiction thriller Super 8)?
At 8-minutes in length (8:03, to be precise), the titled track, “Supermarine” is everything you’d expect from a Hans Zimmer-Christopher Nolan collaboration. That’s an intense, emotionally climbing tempo with a larger-than-life feeling that puts you squarely into the action projected on silver screens so immersive as to blur the line between the film and reality.
This is the point where you’re itching to play the song again. Go ahead. I’m doing the same thing. And if the soundtrack is already this powerfully engrossing, just imagine what the action sequences are that this music was acutely designed for…let alone the sound of the remaining soundtrack.
Mr. Nolan and Mr. Zimmer seem poised to present war cinematically and musically we haven’t yet seen and heard experienced.
As if “Supermarine” isn’t enough of a clue to confirm that declaration.
Winnie the Pooh is…True?
Sort of.
(Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, Disney)
Warning: Naming your stuffed animals can be life-changing.
Creativity is not something that can be memorized from a textbook. In its purest and most imapctful sense, creativity is a reaction or a feeling someone has to something or someone that few (if anyone else) sees. It happens when it happens. And creativity can be a truly wonderul thing when it rises from the normal everyday.
While we’ve all watched and enjoyed the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, including his best human friend Christopher Robin, it’s a safe bet that most of us don’t know the story-behind-the-story. Well, later this year, moviegoers will discover the former that inspired the latter.
To think it all started when British author A.A. Milne was casually introduced to some wonderfully named stuffed animals…
There is just something magical about England of yesteryear (or the days of yore, if you’re like Rachel Green) with its picturesque architecture and dreamlike parks. Maybe that special feeling we have is the result of so many creative people before who have subtly transformed these pleasant thoughts from England into our illustrious reality over the course of many generations? Cheers, either way. And it looks like Goodbye Christopher Robin aims to showcase one of those delightfully impressionable chapters in that evolving lineage of happy thoughts from that place across the pond.
A.A. Milne, his son and his cast of characters are not rock stars like the Beatles. However, their tale of heartwarming imagination continues to “top the charts” (of sorts) with children and parents alike, spanning multiple generations…like the Beatles.
Also like the Beatles, Winnie the Pooh wants to hold your hand.
Predictable? Yes. Unstoppable? Also Yes.
What is it the kids say these days? “Flashback Friday”?
For one very specific reason, I’m glad the kids do. Actually, I’m technically happy for five specific reasons. But those added four take a back seat to the aforementioned one on this Friday. And don’t worry, you’ll see why and how I arrived at that conclusion shortly.
If you survived that linguistic adventure, then congrats! In human speak, Bayern Munich hosted Arsenal for the first game of the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League. Due to the very nature of the home-and-away game setup, the home side has the burden of scoring many goals while not conceding the always valuable away goal.
The bad news is that Bayern Munich did let one of those away goals slip past their goal line (even after an incredible penalty kick save by Manuel Neuer).
The good news is that Bayern Munich managed to score one…two…three…four…yes, five goals against Arsenal at their Fortress of Winning (a nickname I’m trying out) known as the Allianz Arena!
Ladies and gentlemen, the aforementioned one moment isolated for this “Flashback Friday”comes from two days ago. But trust me, it’s definitely worth the immediate flashback treatment.
(Watch the entire highlight to see the ball’s ridiculously awesome path to the back of the net)
Wait, I thought Arsenal’s nickname was “The Gunners”?
I say that because it looks like Arjen Robben’s left foot should be the one declared a sharpshooter with laser precision.
Waiting to Be Seen
Batman isn’t the only one who confronts an enigmatic two-face.
Netflix, fresh off its freshman sensation Stranger Things, is releasing a documentary about the insane public trial (in more ways than one) of American student studying abroad Amanda Knox. In producing this documentary, Netflix has created a new “Upside Down” of sorts that recalls the real world saga of an international murder trial that spotlighted an American, an Italian and a Brit. However you feel (or felt) about the final verdict that allowed Ms. Knox and then Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito to ultimately walk in October 2011, there were paranormal elements seen in this trial and in the events before, during and after someone murdered British student Meredith Kercher.
And Netflix is banking on your continued intrigue in the paranormal, this time focused on Amanda Knox. If you remember, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito did spend time in Italian prisons. The time spent in prison was just one chapter of a complex story that still has questions lingering. For anybody who read Amanda Knox’s captivating book “Waiting to Be Heard” (my hand is raised), it extensively detailed her experiences, her trials and tribulations that were, at times, emotionally overwhelming and insightful, yet brutal in its acutely revealing nature.
Excluding the lawyers, investigators, forensic professionals, police interrogators, prison staff, cellmates, Patrick Lumumba, families and friends, there were four primary players:
- Amanda Knox
- Raffaele Sollecito
- Meredith Kercher (RIP)
- Rudy Guede
For those who favor logic and believe Rudy Guede was the lone killer, Netflix has a trailer for you.
“Believe Her”
For those who reject the linear circumstances and analysis of crime scene evidence for nearly all murders, Netflix has a trailer for you.
“Suspect Her”
Netflix, cognizant of the fierce debate concerning Amanda Knox, is brilliantly marketing its documentary Amanda Knox that will start streaming on September 30th. Whether you are passionately in the camp of innocence or guilt for Amanda Knox, what transcends this murder case above so many are the foreign (and ridiculous) procedures and protocols in the Italian police and court systems, as well as the reality that one cannot help but briefly and frequently ponder the question, “What really happened in the Perugia apartment that night?”
This lingering curiosity, after all these years, may not sway you from your initial convictions. But that imaginative inquisitiveness is there nonetheless…
And Netflix has documented this suspicious intrigue like a courtroom drama.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 