TEN MOVIES THAT MADE AN IMPACT ON ME: SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE REVISITED: DAY 5 - THE CROW (1994)

 

[Back in 2018, there was a social media challenge on Facebook in which a person posted a picture a day for 10 days of 10 films that made an impact on them. However, I went a step beyond and posted an explanation as to why they made that impact. For the sake of posterity, they're being reposted here in their entirety (with some modification/update where warranted)]:

Day 5 of 10 movies that had an impact on me. 10 films that inspired you, 10 days, one image. I was nominated for this challenge by Andrew Baldwin. Anyone else care to try? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

“Take your best shot, Funboy. You got me dead bang”.

No, Mr. Lee…you had US “dead bang”.

“Reality Bites”, “Dazed and Confused” …those films and a few others are among those considered the cinematic benchmarks of "GenX". Well, I submit that “The Crow” (1994) is THE seminal film of that...my...generation. While those films did humorously touch upon the concerns and preoccupations of those of us coming of age in that tumultuous period, this film (despite its fantastical nature) touched upon and explored the existential angst (whether affected or not) that simmered beneath the surface, belying the dismissive Boomer sobriquet of “the slacker generation.” Ours was the generation who saw all our institutions crumble as we grew into adulthood: Church scandals, Vietnam, Watergate, Iran Contra, skyrocketing divorce rates and broken homes, Reaganomics, the Iraqi war, Rodney King, Compton, Nicole and Ronald, S&L…is it any wonder that a certain degree of nihilistic apathy developed? This film captures those concerns in atmospheric, Gothic, foreboding fashion. In that sense, WE collectively ARE Eric Draven, a victim of a world that has robbed him of all foundation (represented by his wife Shelley, ethereally played by Sofia Shinas), stripping him of his very life. However, his frustrated anger and despair cry for vengeance; to make sense of a world made senseless by forces beyond his control…and it’s only in the supernatural that he finds his outlet, one not afforded to the viewer. My own world had crumbled by this point, to which I almost lost everything, including my own life. Because of that, perhaps I’m making more of this than warranted; reading into it more than I should. But the film is literally a work of art for it is emotionally evocative in a way that goes beyond simple film. But isn't that what good art is supposed to do? Stir the emotions? Inspire self-reflection? The soundtrack by various grunge artists and the bittersweet, haunting, tribal, affecting score by Graeme Revell adds to the aesthetic. It is initially oppressive and permeated with a sense of loss.

That loss is no more powerfully felt than it is in the form of Brandon Lee as the title character. In many ways, his story is that of Draven’s: a man on the cusp of stardom and (arguably) a happy life until fate unexpectedly robbed him of it. Lee had been known primarily as the son of martial arts “god” Bruce Lee, and his highest profile film to date had been the eminently forgettable “Showdown in Little Tokyo”, playing second banana to Dolph Lundgren (even going so far as to proudly comment on his co-star’s manhood in script in an especially embarrassing sequence). Yet he was more than a martial arts star in the making. He was a bona-fide actor who gave the performance of a lifetime, which serves as both the apex of his craft and a hint of what could have been. The tragedy of his on-set death only adds to the material in a way in-and-of-itself supernatural. Like the character he portrays, Lee is the specter that hangs over the entire production like a shroud; his presence, and lack of same, permeating every facet and aspect of the entire film. Ernie Hudson is especially moving as “Officer Albrecht”, representative of the previous generation whose job is to protect the next, yet woefully inadequate to the task. Rochelle Davis, as “Sarah”, gives an equally moving performance representing the next generation whom ours is charged to protect. Yet how protective and nurturing can one be when one is dead inside? "The Crow" offers a bittersweet response.

Like the comic that spawned it, “The Crow” is a film that transcends itself. Yet, it is also subversive, for beneath its nihilism is a theme that resonates especially in the film’s tagline “real love is forever”, for this film is ultimately about love: How it uplifts us when it’s there, and how we despair when it’s gone. Love drives us, motivates us, and figuratively and in this film literally, restores us to life. There is no way to truly remake this film…though not for lack of trying Like yesterday’s cinematic choice, a host of diminishing sequels (and one moderately successful television series) followed, each incapable of capturing the evocative power of the original.*

Truth is, no matter what I say about this film, it would still be inadequate. “The Crow” is an iconic piece of art; one that despite its air of oppressive despair, shows us that where there is love, there is hope: it’s a film that reminds us that no matter how bad life can be…

…it can’t rain all the time.

*As of this writing, a remake starring Bill Skarsgard and Danny Huston will be in theatres in 2024. While whether it succeeds or fails remains to be seen, it will be due to its own merits. I’ve said on this blog before that “every generation deserves its own iteration”, and from that idea is the understanding that it will be its own entity completely devoid of the circumstances mentioned above, both internal and external, that makes this film so special.

TEN MOVIES THAT MADE AN IMPACT ON ME: SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE REVISITED: DAY 4 - "HIGHLANDER" (1985)

[Back in 2018, there was a social media challenge on Facebook in which a person posted a picture a day for 10 days of 10 films that made an impact on them. However, I went a step beyond and posted an explanation as to why they made that impact. For the sake of posterity, they're being reposted here in their entirety (with some modification where warranted)]:

Day 4 of 10 movies that had an impact on me. 10 films that inspired you, 10 days, one image. I was nominated for this challenge by Andrew Baldwin. Do or do not, there is no care.

What started out as a class thesis project turned into one of the most maligned and mocked film franchises in modern cinema. Where to begin? Gregory Widen’s original soulful and earnest screenplay about the inherent tragedy of immortality undermined by money-grubbing producers and a too-cool-for-school director hoping for a quick buck; a lead who at the time barely knew English, much less emulate a proper Scottish accent; a proper Scot cast as a Spaniard with an Egyptian pedigree; a film that was clearly meant as a “done-in-one” branched out into ever-worsening film sequels that only marred the original’s legacy.

Yet for all that, “Highlander” (1985) captures the imagination with it’s barely-scratched mythology of Immortal beings living among humanity “down through the centuries, living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering, where the few who remain…will battle to the last.” Christopher Lambert’s performance as “Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod” may have been wooden, but his screen presence perfectly fit the film’s milieu and zeitgeist; his unique accent totally appropriate for an individual having lived throughout the world for four centuries. Looking at those feral-yet-haunted eyes (an unintended-yet-welcomed consequence of the lead's myopia), one could imagine all the joys and tolls of those lifetimes lived. Despite only being available for a week of shooting, none can deny that Connery made the most of it, imbuing a much needed levity to balance the gravitas a character like “Juan Sanchez Villalobos Ramirez” would carry.  Clancy Brown, a fine actor in any production, had been hampered by Peter S. Davis & William Panzer’s desire to make the fearsome “Kurgan” into a stock, cartoonish ‘80s nutjob (in the original screenplay, the Kurgan was as weighted down by his immortality as much as Connor was, fighting for “the Prize” only because it was all that was left to him, which would have made for a much more meaningful and powerful take).

Say what you will about director Russel Mulcahy, his MTv-generation sense of style gave this film its own distinct identity, and the one-two punch of Michael Kamen’s score along with the stirring soundtrack by Queen elevates what could have been B-movie fare to something close to mythic. Case in point, Brian May was inspired to write “Who Wants To Live Forever” after watching the montage of MacLeod watching his beloved wife, Heather (Beatie Edney), whither and die while he remains unchanged…it’s this sequence that elevates the entire film, and presents a glimpse as to Widen's narrative intentions. Be that as it (Brian) may, the soundtrack and orchestrations perfectly underscore the sense of weariness and loss an unending lifetime can evoke, yet at the same time provide a stirring, rollicking sense of occult adventure. This film is (despite it's flaws) "a kind of magic"...and it is felt throughout the film. Without embarrassment I can say that, for a time, I was obsessed with this mythology. As with the Immortals, the film stands outside the fringes of the every day. Much of the mythology wouldn’t be properly (in varying degrees) explored until the series it inspired several years later. But here, just a hint of that world was enough to incite the imagination. 

The image above is the climatic shot, representing not only the receipt of “The Prize”, but also a moment of orgiastic catharsis: Pain, pleasure, power…release...the culmination of a nigh-interminable existence…all embodied in one image. 

The film’s most famous tagline is “There Can Be Only One.” In truth, there should have been only one for, marred though it be, “Highlander” achieved all it had to do in one.

(And for the record…to this day I absolutely LOVE that Masamune katana).

TEN MOVIES THAT MADE AN IMPACT ON ME: SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE REVISITED: DAY 3 - "THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS" (1992)

[Back in 2018, there was a social media challenge on Facebook in which a person posted a picture a day for 10 days of 10 films that made an impact on them. However, I went a step beyond and posted an explanation as to why they made that impact. For the sake of posterity, they're being reposted here in their entirety (with some modification where warranted)]:

Day 3 of 10 movies that had an impact on me. 10 films that inspired you, 10 days, one image. I was nominated for this challenge by Andrew Baldwin. Have fun doing your own.

Fuck “Titanic”! THIS is the seminal cinematic historical romantic fiction of the ‘90s (fight me!). Michael Mann took a plodding, near-interminable novel and turned it into one of the most visually arresting, dynamically riveting, emotionally resonant adaptations ever put to screen. Daniel Day-Lewis surprised all and sundry in his turn as Nathaniel (the original “Hawkeye”), proving that the then-darling of the burgeoning indie scene could easily slip into the shoes of a heroic, romantic lead. Madeline Stowe’s “Cora” was, like the heroine mentioned in yesterday’s choice, not a wilting wallflower waiting to be rescued, but a woman of strength and fortitude equal to that Nathaniel’s. Most especially, Wes Studi’s chilling performance as “Magua” put him among the pantheon of the greatest of screen villains. 

The cinematography, which included the incredible vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is nothing short of breathtaking, matched by one of the most powerful, arresting, and as-close-to-spiritual-as-you-can-get scores ever recorded for film by the combined talents of Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman (with assist by Daniel Lanois). Trust me...I could go on for DAYS about this score (and it counts among my top five).  

It’s high adventure, soulful romance (especially epitomized in the chaste but doomed love between Alice Munro [Jodhi May] and Eric Schweig [Uncas]), and powerful performances that stay with you yet demand re-watching. I know I'm "breaking the rules" by posting two (three?) images, but both relationships depicted not only epitomize the entire film in their respective shots, they also anchor the film, in my opinion, in equal measure.

TEN MOVIES THAT MADE AN IMPACT ON ME: SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE REVISITED: DAY 2 - "STAR WARS" (1977)

 

[Back in 2018, there was a social media challenge on Facebook in which a person posted a picture a day for 10 days of 10 films that made an impact on them. However, I went a step beyond and posted an explanation as to why they made that impact. For the sake of posterity, they're being reposted here in their entirety (with some modification where warranted)]:

Day 2 of 10 movies that had an impact on me. 10 films that inspired you, 10 days, one image. I was nominated for this challenge by Andrew Baldwin. I won't be challenging anyone to share but if these posts inspire you to do so, by all means...go to, go to.

This film is seminal to GenX and the generations that followed. Most adore it, some are "meh" about it, few cannot stand it. Yet George Lucas' long shot, little-film-that-could became a juggernaut for a nation feeling the weight of historical/cultural strife and cynicism; providing an antidote that was both throwback to a simpler time and a timely reminder of (there's that word again) hope. It was one of those forever films, and that's not hyperbole folks. In fact, this film in a sense paved the way for yesterday's choice, even though "Superman: The Movie" (1978) lagged in pre-production hell for a couple of years before this film debuted. With its themes of plain "good versus evil", it was dismissed by the critics at the time as Saturday morning kiddie-fare (harsh, but understandable given that its inspiration was steeped in the serials of the thirties and forties). Debatable as to whether or not it was intentional, further scrutiny showed that it is replete with mythological themes and constructs, wholly recognizable to the collective Jungian unconscious (even noted mythology scholar/expert Joseph Campbell gave it his seal of approval).

For some, "Star Wars" is Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the mercenary shoot-'em-first cynic who undergoes a character arc to come (or return) to the hero that lies beneath the cool exterior. For others, it's Princess Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher), an ahead-of-her-time (or perhaps, of-her-time) heroine of equal measure who was anything but a damsel in distress. Many others view it as Obi-Wan Kenobi (the late Sir Alec Guiness) and Darth Vader (James Earl Jones/David Prowse/Bob Anderson)...both father figures of a previous generation locked in battle, both figuratively and literally passing their sins and conflict onto the next generation.

But the image [above] is "Star Wars"' core essence; a bildungsroman for a young farmer named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who epitomizes 70's (or any other time's) youth. Dissatisfied with society and "the way things are", locked into place by family responsibility and circumstance, looking wistfully off into the distance for adventure and excitement (things he would be admonished later for craving), accompanied by John Williams' (there's that other word again) iconic theme, seeing the twin suns, one shining brighter than the other, not realizing that they (would come to) symbolize the choice as to which path he would take; a mirrored opportunity to rectify the error of his (then unknown) progenitor.

In my opinion, this image represents every child's...every person's...hope for a life full of adventure and fulfillment. While the events of the latest film in the series would mar it's finish, the image here is still serves as powerful a testament of the desire to truly live as any put to film.

TEN MOVIES THAT MADE AN IMPACT ON ME: SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE REVISITED: DAY 1 - "SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE" (1978)

[Back in 2018, there was a social media challenge on Facebook in which a person posted a picture a day for 10 days of 10 films that made an impact on them. However, I went a step beyond and posted an explanation as to why they made that impact. For the sake of posterity, they're being reposted here in their entirety].

I usually don’t take up social media challenges, but this one is fun and plays into my side role as critic, so why not?

Day 1 of 10 movies that had an impact on me. 10 films that inspired you, 10 days, one image. I was nominated by this challenge by Andrew Baldwin.

For anyone who really knows me or frequents this page, #1 should come as no surprise. For a nine-year-old kid who was still optimistic enough to believe in fantasy and heroes, this film lived up to its tagline “you’ll believe a man can fly”. A film celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, it’s quixotically dated yet timeless.

It seemed that destiny wanted to ensure that all the pieces fell into place: Noted Bond franchise director Guy Hamilton was on tap to direct when his tax exile status in England precluded him from doing so, leading the Salkinds to reach out to last minute replacement Richard Donner, fresh from “The Omen”, who lived up to his credo of “verisimilitude”. Jerry Goldsmith had been first choice for score (so much so that the teaser trailer featured his music from the film “Capricorn One”), but his schedule wouldn’t allow for it. However, he did recommend his buddy John Williams, who created one of the most rousing musical scores ever produced for film. The cast, from Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, and Terrance Stamp, to Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, Ned Beatty, Valerie Perrine, and a slew of others were, to varying degrees, believable in their roles. Ground breaking (for the time) special effects gave the illusion of reality within the fantasy.

But were it not for the person pictured here, this film would not have worked. Rarely does an actor give such a pitch-perfect performance; more so when the role he or she plays is based on a preexisting entity. Yet Christopher Reeve’s portrayal became as iconic as the part he took on and is still the standard by which all others are judged. This picture captures all that. The hope and determination of the character evidenced just in the eyes alone. The pose a study of soaring power and resoluteness. You can practically hear John Williams’ equally-iconic theme in the background. In this case, the weight upon Reeve’s shoulders to carry the day where Herculean, yet he did it as effortlessly as the Man of Steel himself.

For some, it’s a near-perfect mythological three-in-one film (science fiction, Americana coming of age bildungsroman, superhero adventure); for others, an un-ironic quaint fairy tale peppered with a smidgen of cheese. However, for a nine-year-old sitting in a theater in New Jersey across the bay from New York, living during the time of Son of Sam, rising crime rates, black outs, and protests, this movie not only showed to power any film can convey, but also reminded him that there is hope and good in the world...and that everything will be all right.

“You’ll believe a man can fly.”

Indeed.

ACC'S LATEST PODCAST - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD DUDES

 His Dudeliness producer and I discuss one of our favorite modern films...and get a bit deep into the discussion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NW3z770q1o&t=3s

A PIECE OF HISTORY

I pass this monument daily. 

It's in the general vicinity of my day job, standing there since 2014, becoming so much a part of the landscape that it seems almost innocuous in banality.

Almost.

 

A portion of the Berlin Wall, situated before Wolfson Campus of Miami-Dade College in Downtown Miami, Florida; gifted to it by Germany to commemorate the then-25th anniversary of the fall of the wall. It's most appropriate that it was presented to this institution of learning.

It's a piece of History (capitalization intentional). It's an indictment of modernity.

This relatively small piece of concrete separated East Berlin from West for three decades; the physical embodiment of an ideological divide, and an inorganic symbol of misery.

It's a testament to the suffering of families and loved ones forever separated. It further serves as tombstone for countless lives lost in attempting to scale its walls...seeking escape and freedom; to allow for unfettered expression of the human spirit in the face of oppression.

The graffiti is original, and what is graffiti but history's tattoos? It represents the thoughts, ideas and, most importantly, feelings of that cultural zeitgeist; resistance in the face of persecution. Proof that in the shadow of tyranny, hope and defiance could be etched in proverbial ink.

For those of us who lived up until the time it came crashing down, it's regrettably hard to fathom that it's full significance would be lost to those who were born around the time of, or after, its collapse. Writer/philosopher George Santayana was purportedly the first individual to utter the practically axiomatic quote "[t]hose who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." That sentiment has never been more appropriate than now.

We're still haunted...persecuted...bedeviled by bigotry, hatred and division in a country that should honestly know better. Land of the free and home of the brave, so long as one meets the small, confining racial, socio-economic criteria; especially in the state wherein I reside. 

This is another section of the Berlin Wall. It resides in Orlando, Florida...

...behind a pop-culture-themed restaurant...

...in a theme park complex. 

Note the lack of graffiti. Though uncorroborated, it's rumored that a groundskeeper (whether ignorant of history or simply uninformed) mistook the art for vandalism and had it pressured cleaned; "sanitized" to an almost pristine, modulus finish.***

In other words...whitewashed. 

A blank canvas, saying nothing of the history once embedded in the stone of the pain...the anguish...the unmitigated evil and destructiveness inherent in it. To the point where even our own institutions of learning are undergoing their own whitewashing prevalent not only in our culture but that of the world.

One cannot look upon this without realizing both the irony and the appropriateness of its current condition and the circumstances behind it. There are certain government officials and special interest groups that would rather whitewash history and prevent our fully understanding it...from learning from it, for their ideological and financial benefit. The banning of literature, the obfuscation of scientific fact and theory, the denial of the existence of race theory, the oppression of alternative expressions of affection between human beings...our teachers metaphorically handcuffed to the point of insufficiency and ineffectiveness...it's as if Florida is becoming more of a Red state than it collectively realizes.

I pass by a monument daily, now part of the everyday landscape. It's part of the background. A simple piece of stone that says so much if one only pauses to "hear" it and heed its warning.

History is not something to which we pick and choose. History simply is.  If we are to learn from history and hopefully apply its lessons in the future, it must be acknowledged. That is ultimately why a section was gifted to an institution of learning.

It's a piece of History. It's an indictment of modernity. That indictment being:

...we haven't learned a goddamn thing.

***If I'm incorrect in my facts, a sectional retraction will be published.