Howdy folks. I'm afraid I have nothing to report but movies. Everything else is my book, the one I'm working on, and I can't tell ya much about that. So, whattaya think? Can we do a bunch of flicks? Okay, good, but before we do, here's some exciting movie-related news:
The legendary Reseda Theater will soon be back (well, sort of). A development project is finally in the works. Read about it here:
https://www.azuredevelopmentco.com/reseda-theater.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawK-liJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFQTUdpd216cEk2QWVmWlVFAR4Gbn_Syup4RhpHZ9OiWinpuYT7AUDToBQWI0wKMkWuVG2lgLo9VuKevDfG8w_aem_DpfbepB4yJv5WbN6pnviPQ
Now, before we count our chickens, it must be noted that several other RT developments have been announced over the years and fallen through. This one, however, seems to have been approved and is already in the works, so, even though it won't be a full restoration of the original, single screen theater (without all the added shops and bistros), it's better than letting it sit idle as it has for the past 37 years. The best part is that they're gonna preserve the facade and marquee. Long live the Reseda Theater, my very first Movie Home.
Okay, now on to our reviews. Our first film is "Emperor"(2012), about the aftermath of the Pacific war and Hirohito's fate after his surrender to General MacArthur. Matthew Fox stars as the real life "Gen. Bonner Fellers", an assistant to MacArthur, who must find evidence that Hirohito ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fox gives an outstanding performance; the ads showed Tommy Lee Jones' picture as MacArthur, but its Fox's film from start to finish. I don't know why he isn't a major star. Most of the cast is made up of Japanese actors who do a good job of capturing the warrior mentality and male-dominated culture of Japan at that time. Hirohito was seen, literally, as God to the Japanese people, and this is only 15 years before I was born. Talk about political mind control. Now then, we all know who Hitler was, but have you ever heard of Tojo? He was the true evil dictator of Japan who, along with his militarist generals, really ran the show above Emperor Hirohito, a passive man. Read the two thousand year history of feudal Japan, which was closed off from the world until Admiral Perry "opened it up" in 1853 (only 100 years before rock n' roll came into being). The movie shows how the war put a final end to all of that sequestration, and how the greatest horror the modern world has ever seen (WW2) brought about the greatest positive change in culture for Japan, and allied prosperity for our two nations. A love story holds the movie together and brings tears. "Emperor" is a great film that will stand the test of time. Tommy Lee Jones is excellent as aways in his supporting role as the Supreme Commander.
We also have "Kandahar,"(2023), a top-notch action thriller with Gerard Butler of "300" fame. He's in some really bad movies and a few good ones. This is of the latter, a captivating action flick shot in Saudi Arabia, which isn't all sand dunes and looks here like a godforsaken netherworld. You know how the Alabama Hills or the Utah Desert are ancient but majestic? This location looks like God destroyed it. It's supposed to be Afghanistan, and I thought it was until I read the movie's IMDB page, but man you wouldn't wanna live there. No wonder it's a source of continual strife. Butler is like Liam Neeson. He's great at portraying the existential stoic hero, caring only to do his job and survive. Neeson and Butler are too old to do the machismo schtick, which makes them appear even stronger - age and experience outweighs youthful muscle and braggadocio. The old guys have been there done that, and don't give a Flying You-Know-What. Butler plays a CIA asset working covertly in Iran to blow up their nuclear production plants. Strange how art mirrors and predicts real life, eh? He succeeds in blasting their nuke factory to smithereens, but then is identified. Now he must escape not only the Taliban and Isis, but also a relentless Pakistani ISI agent who wants to capture and sell him to the highest bidder. He has an interpreter along for the ride who just wants to get home to his family but has gotten more than he bargained for. The movie's message is that ordinary citizens just want peace and stability no matter what country they come from, but are unfortunately dominated by a-holes using the guise of a religion they don't even believe in. As these kinds of flicks go, it's very well done and doesn't lag for a second, even at two hours running time.
Next up, a solid crime flick. "The Texas Killing Fields"(2011) boasts a strong cast: Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, and Jeffery Dean Morgan as detectives searching for a bayou serial killer. Morgan is downright sympathetic as an altruistic, devoutly religious, transplanted New Yorker. He shows himself to be a talented actor not limited to psycho roles, and makes you wonder why he chose to play the most reprehensible character in the history of movies and televison ("Negan" from "The Walking Dead") which unfortunately typecast him. This flick is well paced, with seemingly competent direction by Michael Mann's daughter Ami. I say "seemingly" because you're watching, locked in, and for the first 110 minutes, everything is top notch. There's a great "backwoodser" vibe featuring some creepy Hoot & Holler people including an unrecognisable Sheryl Lee of "Laura Palmer" fame. The plot has you riveted, and even though there's no backstory or character development, it's still a good watch...until the end, which leaves one of the biggest Red Herrings in recent memory. It doesn't ruin the movie, but you wonder "what gives"? Why was this particular person even in the film and why did they spend so much time on him? You can chalk it up to directorial inexperience, or very poor screenwriting/script editing, heck I don't know. But they additionally wasted a good performance by this Red Herring character, who is one of the best recent movie villains. So go figure. Still, it's well worth watching for the atmosphere, and young Chloe Grace Moretz as a vulnerable child.
But the best film of all was "The Professor and the Madman"(2019) starring Mel Gibson and Sean Penn in those roles respectively. If you love words and books as much as I do, this is your movie, about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. We like to talk about time here at the blog, and how the past, in many historical instances, is not as far back as it seems. Dig it: the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary was begun in 1879, only six years before my grandmother was born, and only 81 years before myself. Using 2025 as a reference, it would've been created in 1944, not a "distant past" at all. But imagine a time without dictionaries! Nowadays, of course, the English language is in a period of steep decline. It's interesting to consider that God gave many living creatures a tongue, but only humans had the impulse to form words. What might have been the very first well-articulated (and not grunted) spoken word? Who spoke it and when? It is also interesting to note that English has become "the international language" and is used as "the language of aviation". Did this happen because England, and then America, were the world's most powerful countries (and forced it down everyone's throats), or because English conveys more nuance than any other language and is relatively easy to learn? Language is a fascinating subject that extends into pasta. Linguine means little tongues. This movie is about the attempt to preserve the English language by literally putting "every word that ever was", per James Murray, into the most comprehensive dictionary ever created. The Oxford now has twenty volumes! The other half of the movie is how this massive effort first attracted then negatively affected a "madman" (Penn, playing a Civil War surgeon) who resides in a London asylum. It's great stuff, featuring (imo) Sean Penn's best performance as the hopelessly insane Dr. William Chester Minor, and a restrained Mel Gibson as Professor James Murray. We need more literate movies like this one. Thanks, Mel and Sean.
Quick Top Ten List! Greatest debut albums of all time: 1) "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson 2) "The Six Wives of Henry the 8th" by Rick Wakeman 3) the first Van Halen album 4) "Out of the Silent Planet" by King's X 5) the first Rush album 6) the first Black Sabbath 7) Roxy Music's first 8) "Tones" by Eric Johnson 9) "Montrose" by Montrose 10) "Caravan" by Caravan. That's just off the top of my head (and "Crimson King" is the consensus #1 by anyone-and-everyone), but think of all the great bands who didn't have a killer debut: Yes, Genesis, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Judas Priest...heck, even The Beatles didn't knock it out of the park until their second album. So, it's less common when a band hits a grand slam the first time out. What are some of your top first albums from your favorite bands?
Another question, in the same vein as "who spoke the first word"? Why did man feel the need (or receive the initiative) to depict life? Why did he make cave paintings? Why did he feel the need to eventually invent photography, and then motion pictures? Why did he create "plays" when he had real life? Why are there stories? I ask because it's interesting...
I've had fun doing Movie Memories, and I was trying to think of the first movie Lilly and I ever saw. Could it have been "Heavy Metal", the animated Ralph Bakshi flick? I think so. It was released in August 1981, just weeks after we became a couple. Lilly wanted to see it because Cheap Trick was on the soundtrack. I think both of us liked the title and it just looked like an awesome movie. We saw it at the Cinerama Dome. To be honest, I don't remember the storyline, but I know Lillian was glad to hear the CT song play. They have no bigger fan in the Universe. The Dio version of Black Sabbath was also on the soundtrack with "Mob Rules". The 80s was of course when heavy metal exploded. Lilly and I were still getting to know each other at this point, and doing a very good job of it. The Summer of 1981 was The Greatest Summer of All Time (in my book, at least). It's funny: back then I would've said I didn't like the music of bands like REO Speedwagon or an artist like Christopher Cross, both of whom had huge radio hits with songs like "Keep On Loving You" and "Arthur's Theme". But - while Van Halen and Rush will always be "more my style" - it is songs like those that necessitate a Kleenex when I think of that time in our lives. It's a Happy Kleenex, mind you. Nostalgia equals timelessness, an endless Steady State...
And that's all I know for today. Thanks for reading, Happy Summer, and Tons of Love as always.
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