Blog Archives
1 Giant Leap (and 3 Sprints) for Mankind
Running is much more than just running.
Despite the absence of modern technology and the absence of advanced training, Jesse Owens forever cemented a legacy for the ages as a track and field legend during the first half of the 20th century. Mr. Owens shattered world records in college for Ohio State University while competing in that state up north (dubbed, “Greatest 45 minutes in sports” by SI) and shocked and defied Hitler and his Nazi regime during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Thankfully, he has finally received the big movie treatment his family (and fans) deserve.
Race, starring Stephan James as Jesse Owens, hits theaters tomorrow.
Like most sports movies, the real story and personal triumph is much larger than the actual sport. The drive, determination, struggle and inspiration for success is rooted in something profound. Personally, track and field did not earn my love and respect from meets in the 3rd grade through high school (with Junior Olympics and AAU) because of spikes, a blazing hot track, long days and a sand box.
There is a prolonged simplicity to this sport; a competition that takes hours of training and waiting, and yet the fate of an athlete is revealed in a matter of minutes and seconds (and even hundredths of a second).
Running is running, except that it’s not.
My memories of running and jumping throughout the summers of my youth are some of my favorites. Whenever I reflect on the good ol’ days, I’m left smiling. This instinctive reaction is difficult to explain, but it’s undeniably special. Having competed in meets for a decade, there is a magnetism towards this sport unlike others. There’s always something more, whether it’s an extra .34 seconds off the starting blocks or another two inches in the high jump or a better finishing kick in the 1500 meter run/run of death, there was always something more left wanting.
And while these goals were pursued on the track, the achievements were felt far beyond the painted restrictions of lane 4.
And that’s why tomorrow’s theatrical release of Race has me excited.
One of the meets my mom insisted I compete in was held at Ohio Stadium. The reason? This particular competition was made possible with help from a sprinting star in his own right Butch Reynolds and because it was held in the same stadium where Jesse Owens ran as a Buckeye.
For a track athlete, this setting was dreamlike.
The legend of Jesse Owens starts with his superhuman 45-minute performance in that state up north and his four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin in front of Hitler (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, long jump), but he will continue to be remembered for so much more.
What do the Germans think of Jesse Owens today?
The street outside Berlin’s Olympic Stadium is named Jesse-Owens-Allee.
Ein Weg zur Gleichberechtigung (A road towards equality).
P.S. Eternal thanks to my amazing mom who took me to every track practice and every meet, near and very, very far!
Dunkirk’s Memento
Christopher Nolan’s next film will be…
Un film Seconde Guerre mondiale (A World War II movie).
Instead of venturing into the deepest depths of our subconscious or navigating towards the the farthest galaxies in space, Mr. Nolan and his wife (who co-founded Syncopy) and his brother Jonathan will travel back in time to the 1940s in war-torn France, possibly in a straightforward, linear fashion.
That, in itself, is a bit of a mind-bender.
“News began to surface over the weekend via French newspapers that Nolan was planning a WWII movie, and that he and his brother, screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, had been scouting in Dunkirk. The story centers on the 1940 evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied troops who were surrounded by the German army in the French city of Dunkirk”
–Rebecca Ford, The Hollywood Reporter)
As each new detail about Dunkirk involving the script, casting (of course Michael Caine will be in it), the biggest news is that Mr. Nolan appears to be widening his genre portfolio IMAX-style and, therefore, is taking his second daring step into the mainstream with a war movie.
I’m counting The Dark Knight trilogy as one step.
Is Dunkirk a hint of what’s to come regarding future Christopher Nolan projects?
(“British and other Allied troops waiting to be evacuated from the beach at Dunkirk, France, 1940,” Britannica)
Odds are, we’ll bend our minds trying to answer that question.
Laughing is the Best…It’s Just the Best
A Brit, a German and an American sit down for an interview…
Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl and Bradley Cooper star in the newly released film, Burnt. Telling the story of trying to run the best restaurant in the world through the lens of a cook struggling to regain his place atop the culinary world, Burnt looks like a fun ride into one of Hollywood’s responses to the foodie craze that has run wild in America the past several years.
An excellent primary cast and picturesque settings does not guarantee a hit, but the chemistry demonstrated above reveals this movie may have some degree of that “it” factor.
Anybody else craving schnitzel?
A Trial Listen
Steven Spielberg’s new film, Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks begins its theatrical run this week.
The legendary director, who has taken us on rides through the heroics and tragedy of war to a park with genetically-engineered dinosaurs to the open sea with a supreme predator to treasure-mapped adventures, has taken his camera and storytelling expertise to the high-stakes game of negotiation.
An ordinary lawyer protecting a captured enemy of war with the American legal system as his defense during the Cold War may not sound terribly exciting, but the story (based in truth) just may lead us all to experience the movie that critics are raving about.
While the trailer looks exciting, the music takes it to another level…the Spielberg-level.
Movie soundtracks can make or break a film. In special cases, the perfect score can define a film, characters, story and/or concept.
A powerful soundtrack can bridge the gap between action and inaction…
or between staying home and going out to the theater.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 