Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

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July 26, 1990: From Crip Camp to Change

30 years ago yesterday, our disabled neighbors to the south achieved a momentous and awesome milestone. They were finally heard and acknowledged as a group. As well, a lot of the American disabled community's concerns were addressed and dealt with, and remain so to this day.

After you watch this incredibly awe-inspiring coverage of July 26, 1990, I highly recommend watching the Crip Camp documentary on Netflix, showing how a group of disabled friends meet and bond at Camp Jened, near the Woodstock site, in 1971. The disabled at that time seemed to be just starting to find their voice among themselves as a group. And while it is fascinating to watch very early black-and-white footage of them enjoying fun in all its usual teenage forms (these being hippie times, that's sex, drugs and rock and roll), much more important are the bonds that continue as they leave camp behind and attempt to integrate into a society which is in no way ready for them. And they do protest, shut down streets in New York City, and make themselves heard in Washington.

They are not treated with kid gloves at all. Not by a long shot.

Think Vietnam War era protests.

But the seeds for that wonderful signing ceremony in July 1990 are sown.

And the celebration is earned.

I know that some may have a problem with the term "crip".

None of us wants to hear it screamed at us on the street, obviously.

But the people in the film use it to make a point, likely about how late 60s/early 70s society saw them at the time.

They are just people. Like anyone.




And I have just discovered that Netflix, along with producers Barack and Michelle Obama, consider Crip Camp's message so important, they have made it available on YouTube for free, in case Netflix is not an option:




Mike Hebert

Bill & Ted Face The Music Trailer

There was a time, back in the now oh-so-ancient 1980s, when people went out to the movies to laugh, enjoy themselves and have a good time.

Nothing was tied or connected to anything else in terms of character or plot. Or very loosely if there were connections.

People just enjoyed themselves, said "Man, that rocked!", and went home happy.

And that's the spirit that Bill & Ted Face The Music seems to convey.

And I am all for it.

A song that can save reality, and change the world?

Bring it on dudes!

Anything will help at this point!

It would be nice if you had rockers like Steven Tyler or Alice Cooper in your band!

But times and pop culture being what they are, we'll understand if you can only get Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran.

But anyway, we'll see you either on demand  or (maybe) in theatres September 1.




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Oh Those Facebook Memories...Bon Jovi 2010

Facebook reminded me today that 10 years ago tonight, I was at this Bon Jovi show at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium with my good friend Randy. Rest in peace, my friend. You made this show happen for me, and I will never forget the fun.



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Respect For Jennifer Hudson

Wow...I think I know what I'm doing New Year's Eve, seeing as how Respect is now opening on December 30.

Miss Franklin chose her, after all

And for those who don't know (or somehow don't remember) what a vocal powerhouse Jennifer Hudson is, here is a clip of her singing the showstopping song from Dreamgirls, One Night Only:






I can't wait!



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Old Guard Trailer

I have to say that I'm not often actually intrigued by new Netflix offerings before I actually see them.

That changes with The Old Guard.

The film, set to be released on July 10, stars Charlize Theron as Andy, the leader of an ageless group of mercenaries who have been around since the Crusades and have fought thousands of battles since then. A pesky little thing like death never seems to get in the way.

The only wrinkle being that of course, the (literally) old bodies really start to hurt after a while.

And Andy deals with all this while training new recruit Nile (Kiki Layne) and dealing with forces that want to exploit and monetize her secret to immortality.

Like I said, looks very intriguing.


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A Faulty Connection?

Really, Sony?

Really?

On October 23, you're releasing Connected, a family film that basically seems to be taking a dump all over the technology that's been keeping the world connected, chatting, meeting, and working during these unique and stressful times built around a global pandemic?

Even if your marketing team takes the position that film fans and families will be mostly returned to a relatively normal routine by the third week in October (with January being the latest that a worldwide coronavirus vaccine may be ready), the question remains: Are people young and old ready for a movie that argues that all of the connecting we have been doing across multiple platforms, in order to stay relatively sane and happy, is somehow evil?

I don't think so.

I could be wrong, of course.

But you might want to wait until later in 2021.

Or as a backup plan, go straight to VOD in October.

Just a thought.


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Movie Thought Of The Day

The best scene in The Shawshank Redemption.

Especially now.


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Spring 1985: Switchback!

Unfortunately, this 14-second clip is all that survives of the Calgary edition of Switchback, a Sunday-morning teen-themed show that ran on  CBC for about five or six years.

But no matter.

Because my sister Jacquie and I sure remember getting up early Sunday mornings in Edmonton for a year and a half to watch a mix of teen topics music, fun, and two 60s Batman episodes to boot!

And the host for a lot of that time was one Humble Howard, a former standup comic who also was a DJ at Calgary's KIK FM at the time.

With all that experience under his belt, Howard was witty and quick on his feet. He really knew how to keep the show moving.

Jacquie and I thought it would be cool to meet him on the week Dad got us tickets for, as he lived in Calgary at that time..

Unfortunately, that was also the week that Humble Howard got himself fired.

So our host was Johnny Danger.

And it was still cool.

Somebody (unfortunately not us) won a then-state-of-the-art 4 head VCR.

We noticed that the Switchback set was much smaller than it appeared on TV.

And we learned the four rules of live TV, from Len Perry, the friendly and energetic floor director.

1) Never look directly into the camera.
2) Waving or saying "Hi Mom" into said camera is not cool.
3) When Len waved his hand in a circle, we were to clap.
4)When Len did this quickly, we were to clap longer.

Jacquie and I were somewhat experienced at this already, having been to several of Edmonton's ACT Teleramas at that point.

But  it was still very cool!

To provide some idea of what Switchback was like, here's a clip from the Vancouver edition with Stu Jeffries, introducing a very iconic piece of 80s tech:





And a clip from what I believe is the first edition of Switchback in the Maritimes:







MTMG

Country Rock Rocks! (Sometimes That is...)

New Tenet Trailer

OK, now we understand a little more.

And yet, there is still enough mystery for this to be mind-blowing.

"No, you're not shooting the bullet. You're catching it".

Wow..

Christopher Nolan's Tenet should be incredible when it hits theatres soon (no one being sure of the July 17 release date for obvious reasons).


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Top Gun: Maverick Super Bowl Trailer

Time to also get excited about the Christmas season release of Top Gun: Maverick. Not only because Tom Cruise seems to have not aged a day since the summer of 1986. But also because, in these days of airborne CGI Transformers and the like, the movie's flying sequences were done practically. All in keeping with Cruise's quest for absolute authenticity and pushing limits, as seen in the above clip:

Can't wait for the film to hit theatres on December 23.

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No Time To Die: Super Bowl Trailer

Time to get the anticipation building for Daniel Craig's last turn as James Bond. Bond returns to action after several years in retirement to find that...things have definitely changed.

Things should be interesting and exciting on November 25.

MTMG

An Apple For Tom Hanks: Greyhound Trailer

Today Apple acquired the Tom Hanks WWII movie Greyhound from Sony, which had pulled it off of its July 12 theatrical release due to the pandemic. So Apple TV+ will release it on a yet-to-be-determined date.

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Old Guard Trailer

Looks like Charlize Theron's rocking an action movie for Netflix.

And it looks like it has a meatier plot than Extraction.

Looking forward to The Old Guard dropping on Netflix July 10.

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Daniel's An Indie Free Guy!

Daniel Craig, Harry Potter himself, has his own life-is-just-a-game movie with Guns Akimbo.

Looks interesting, even without the backing of Disney.

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The Big Two

There are two movies playing in theatres as of yesterday (May 19):

 Figures courtesy www.boxofficemojo.com.

1)  The Wretched





Theatres: 21
Gross Yesterday $14,885
Avg/Theater: $708
Days In Release: 19
Gross To Date: $332,084


2) How To Build A Girl:




Theatres: 9
 Gross Yesterday: $4, 019
Avg/Theater $446
Days In Release: 12
Gross To Date: $59,727

I'm guessing most of these numbers come from theatres open in Texas and Florida.

The numbers may in fact be higher due to theatres not able to report.

MTMG

Spike's War Joint: Da 5 Bloods

I applaud Spike Lee's desire to tell the story of the experiences of black soldiers in the Vietnam War.

It couldn't have been easy being disrespected by the country you were willing to die for.

But I wonder if Lee's artistic sensibilities will be ruffled when Da 5 Bloods draws comparisons to Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 epic Apocalypse Now.

Da 5 Bloods drops on Netflix June 12.


And just for comparison's sake:






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Ryan's A Free Guy!

By the time Free Guy comes out on December 11, we may be in sore need of some fantasy.

And it looks like Ryan Reynolds will deliver!

MTMG

Unhinged: Russell Crowe's Up First!

Brand new studio Solstice has announced that the Russell Crowe thriller Unhinged will open in theatres on July 1.

Here's hoping...

...because here is the last movie I saw on July 1, in 1999 to be exact, at WEM's brand new SilverCity:




I'm sure both Will Smith and Salma Hayek both need a drink when the anniversary of the June 30th anniversary of the opening of Wild Wild West rolls around.

Because it fizzled, with a $27 million first-weekend gross, on the way to $222 million worldwide.

Mind you, if Solstice makes $27 million, Solstice just might hold a street dance on Hollywood Boulevard.

But that's just me.

MTMG

Waiting For Movies: Survive The Night

According to the venerable IMDb, this Bruce Willis actioner is supposed to be out on Friday.

Too bad it will only be seen in drive-ins in Texas and Florida.


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Mark Hamill's Inspiring Message

Just had to share this.

Mark Hamill has always seemed to be one of the most down to earth guys in all of fandom.

And he's been ahead of the culture, rocking the quarantine beard for quite a few years now!

And since I'm at a point in my life now where I'm somewhat reliant on nurses, I'd like to give them a shoutout as well!


MTMG

RIP Little Richard

With the death of Little Richard yesterday at age 87, real rock and roll music might not be gone.

But it definitely might be fading a bit, that's for sure.

There are a few rock and roll practicioners still around.

Like that guy in all the jokes that end with "...and a cockroach".

And three or four people that guy knows.

Don't want to name anybody.

Just because...you know.

But Little Richard was a musical genius.

Who did not give a damn what people thought of him, musicwise or lifewise.

And in the end, classics like Tutti Fruitti, Good Golly Miss Molly and Lucille will live on forever.

And as music fans, isn't that all we can ask?


MTMG

Down The VOD Lane

As much as I can appreciate a film that celebrates the joys of music appreciation, and as much as I can appreciate a pop culture self-referential joke or two in a family film:






I think both these films (and Scoob! in particular) will be just fine streaming on VOD.

Trolls World Tour is streaming now (19.99 to rent, no buy option) and Scoob! will be available on May 15 (19.99 to rent, 24.99 to buy)

That seems a little high to me. But then again $20 to $25 is better than the going-out-and-eating-and-drinking (not to mention parking) rate of $50 to $100.

There have been umpteen revivals of Scooby Doo since the original cartoon debuted for two seasons in 1969. So the whole thing seems tired to me, like a pale copy.

And the younger set, maybe ten and under, may not get all the musical references and genres thrown at them over the course of 91 minutes (Ozzy Osbourne as King Thrash, anyone?) .

But then again, I'm only speculating. Haven't seen either one.

So maybe in both cases, there's no place like home.

MTMG

Mulan 2020: Disney's First PG-13

With Disney's seeming desire to remake everything in its vaults continuing full steam ahead, I sometimes find myself wondering:

Other than the strong (and needed) message concerning female power and equality, particularly as we come out of the era of Weinstein and Cosby. will the 2020 version of Mulan resonate with today's 7-to-12-year-old audiences? Especially as the more movie and pop culture savvy among them figure out that Mulan is a remake of a 1998 Disney animated film?





And since Mulan is the Mouse House's first film to be rated PG-13 by the MPAA, what does that mean for the requisite battle scenes in the film? Peter Jackson got away with severed heads on spikes in his Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

I don't expect to see severed heads in Mulan. But it will certainly be interesting to see when it hits theatres on July 24.

MTMG

Tenet: Movie For The New Normal?

Hollywood originality, Nolan is definitely thy name.

After his passion project Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan lets us back into his singularly unique mind and vision.

Wow.

I mean, does he sit around with copious cups of coffee or tea pondering, "Gee, what if?"

However he does it, Nolan is definitely one of the most original filmmakers we have working today.

And John David Washington is one of the best up-and-coming stars working today as well.

When I first saw this trailer back in April, I thought, "An alternate reality? How cool!"

Fighting a worldwide whatzit? Sounded like a good plot to me.

Wonder what Nolan thinks now.

But in any case, the director and Warner Bros. are still on track to release Tenet on July 17.

MTMG

No Time To Die Extra

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga gets us ready for Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond in No Time To Die, now being released on November 25 due to the global pandemic.

The tone seems to be darker and more serious, similar to 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, starring one-time Bond George Lazenby. The sombre thread that has been running through Craig's films since 2006's Casino Royale comes to a proper resolution. And given that this is Craig's last film...

In any case, things should be mighty interesting when No Time To Die finally releases on November 25 in North America.

Here is the trailer for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, for those interested in looking back:





MTMG

Throwback Thursday: Norbit And Jimmy

Apparently not tired of  all the makeup work required while filming his version of The Nutty Professor and its sequel The Klumps, Eddie Murphy decided to take another crack at a similar character in 2007's Norbit…







Which at any other time would have been fine.

Because hey, there's always a market for a film that makes you think of the Rent-A-Movie kiosk at 7-11.

You know, the movie that you always watched third...after midnight when you thought you had energy for "just one more". And you'd fall asleep halfway through.

But our Eddie also just happened to be nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year. For his dynamic, holy-shit-he-can-sing-too turn as James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls:






And truth be told, he had a damn fine shot at winning if the perceptions of Oscar voters hadn't been clouded by Norbit.

The Tale Of The Dates also didn't help Eddie's chances.

Dreamgirls release date: Christmas Day 2006. A prime Oscar consideration date.

Norbit release date: February 9, 2007. Right in the middle of Oscar voting season.

Eddie thought he could win with these two movies co-existing in the marketplace.

Ummm….nope. Not by a long shot.

MTMG

Does Bond Need A Hug?

Based on the new title song from No Time To Die sung by Billie Eilish, he just might.

Or the pain reflected in the lyrics could apply to the female 00 agent who has taken Bond's place.

Or to the woman who pops back into his life after many years.

Either way, things should be interesting when No Time To Die drops in April.

Hopefully it will be more like On Her Majesty's Secret Service...






...rather than Quantum Of Solace...




Because though they may seem similar, James Bond is certainly not Jason Bourne, as he is made out to be in Quantum.

Now let's again get ready...




Here's the Super Bowl ad...



MTMG

Throwback Thursday: Early Eddie Murphy

You can always count on Siskel and Ebert clips to remind you of film culture at a given time. Here Gene and Roger profile the early work of Eddie Murphy, on the occasion of the home video release of 1986's The Golden Child. Widely panned at the time (except by Ebert), it is a bit of an overblown fantasy/adventure hybrid to be sure. But it comes across as Citizen Kane compared to 2002's Adventures Of Pluto Nash and 2004's Norbit, the latter of which would likely cost Murphy an Academy Award for his outstanding work playing James Early in Dreamgirls the same year.





Kind of like Big Trouble in Little China, with a bigger budget...


In case you missed it (and good for you!)…behold The Adventures Of Pluto Nash:





I very distinctly remember being with my buddy Ron at the Edmonton premiere at Westmount Mall Famous Players. We literally were both shocked that a studio could get away with something this awful. All we could do was laugh after a while. Hey, it was free...


MTMG

RIP Neil Peart

Rush drummer Neil Peart has died at the age of 67, due to brain cancer.

To call him a legend and a genius seems appropriate.

However, Peart also possessed a bracing humility, which made him extremely uncomfortable with any conversation which began with "Holy shit! You're Neil Peart!"

Like most of my musical experiences and discoveries in the mid-80s, I became aware of Rush through what I heard on AM radio powerhouse 630 CHED, namely Closer To The Heart.

Later I heard Tom Sawyer for the first time on one of the station's periodic Top 630 countdowns.

And I was blown away by Peart's drumming.

I always thought he would be a cool guy to converse with.

And now thanks to George Strombopolous, I can see that Neil Peart was indeed the coolest of the humbly cool:



Rest well sir.

MTMG