22 Jul 2009
by JustMeMikein Movies, Reviews
If you’ve been a reader of my columns for years, then you know that every once in awhile, I’ll turn on the look-back machine to find some song, movie, or era that I can connect to something here in the present. Nearly 46 years ago, in October of 1963, a young singer-songwriter, poet-musician sat down and created a memorable song. His name was Bob Dylan. The song was The Times They Are A-Changin’.
This song became an anthem of change and hope. It has been called the archetypal protest song. It seemed to touch many people in many walks of life- from parents to politicians, and from young people to old timers. The lyrics resonated through so many people who wanted to live as they wished.
For the leaders of our country -
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall. More
07 Jun 2009
by JustMeMikein Art, Movies
The neighbors are on the warpath. What’s a homesteader to do?
You carve out and clear a swath of land from the forest – back breaking work to say the least – then you struggle to put up a house, capture and save water, and grow a few meager crops. It’s an ongoing battle to keep out rodents, stay warm in the winter, and if you need to go shopping for supplies, it’s next to impossible, as there’s no nearby shops. Besides that, as I said, you’ve got to worry about those troublesome neighbors on the warpath.
Such is life in upstate New York. In 1757. More
25 Apr 2009
by JustMeMikein Movies
So today being Friday, a day when many if not most motion pictures open in the movies houses, I went to the movies. I saw The Soloist today,
and only a few days ago, I had gone to see State of Play, which I’ll discuss later.
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10 Apr 2009
by JustMeMikein Art, Movies
It is early 1969. The colorful word counter-culture had begun to creep into your consciousness. Your name is Dennis Hopper. You are 33 years old and have a growing acting career. But you haven’t gotten ‘there‘ yet. Stardom is still around a few more corners. Somehow you, fellow actor Peter Fonda, along with writer Terry Southern write a screenplay for a movie about hippies, bikers, pot, and the freedom of the open road. You’ve hounded enough suits or backers to raise about $400,000. A paltry sum by Hollywood standards even then, in 1969, but enough to enable the production to begin with you as the film’s director. The movie is entitled Easy Rider; and becomes a runaway success, both artistically as well as at the box office. It would become the definitive counter-culture road movie.
Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
40 years later, Steppenwolf’s classic Born to Be Wild, still comes to mind as the anthem of Easy Rider. Powerful music and a powerful film, thank you Mr. Hopper. So Dennis Hopper went from being a rather unconventional actor to being a sought-after, fair-haired, wunderkind. Ka-ching! But success is quite hard to sustain, and Hopper went from being an A-List actor/director to someone whose work and personal life headed downhill. He became someone who might be found at a rehab center during the aftermath following Easy Rider’s release and rise.
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21 Feb 2009
by JustMeMikein Movies
Let’s flashback for a moment to the 1971 Clint Eastwood film Dirty Harry. Eastwood as the eponymous ‘Dirty Harry’ Callahan has the drop on a wounded bank robber. Harry loves his weapon — the Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum — nearly as much as he loves using it.
Well, Harry taunts and tempts the criminal to think about gambling with his life by trying to escape:
“…I know what you’re thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?”
When Harry Callahan said it, we cheered from the safety of our movie theater seats, or more recently we were thrilled as we watched the video in the safety of our own living rooms or dens. But what if a woman, holding a handgun, and pointing the business end of it at you, made a similar statement. I don’t want to be in that position, do you?
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14 Jan 2009
by JustMeMikein Art, Discussion, Movies
Since water constitutes about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and is essential to all known forms of life, it is a safe bet to assume that if you are reading this you have access to water on a daily basis and you likely live near a body of water. Given that many of you live near a coast, it is no surprise for me to tell you that man has had and likely will always have a fascination about what lies on the opposite shore.
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