The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Film of the Week!

When I was a kid, I remember a lot of discussions--and maybe this is still going on today--about whether excessive violence in movies causes people to commit violent acts.  I myself have never experienced that sort of thing.  Personally, I credit my parents with that.  As a child, if I saw an ad for a movie I wanted to see, and it was something Mom and Dad might be interested in as well, they would often go see it first to make sure it was appropriate for my sister and me to see as well.  They even screened E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial before taking us.  When it comes to parenting, how diligent is that?

Obviously, as I got older, this happened less.  Eventually, my tastes... matured.  A lot of this had to do with the fact that Dad introduced me to new and more mature films as I got older, specifically comedies and action films--many with R ratings.  

I never found that film violence inspires me to do anything.  I found it cathartic.  I still do.  When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, and you're pissed off at the world, I find watching violent action films with lots of explosions and a high body count tends to calm me down.  It sounds a little weird, I know.  But you know what?  IT'S A MOVIE!!!!  It's not real.

And I realize that this pertains to me specifically.  Does violence in films inspire violence in real life?  I can't say for sure.  But I do suspect there might be a connection.  When I see stories on the news about police shootings and I hear about how the police would basically empty an entire magazine into someone because they thought he was about to draw a non-existent gun, I sometimes wonder if those officers watched one too many action films where the protagonists did that sort of thing on a regular basis.  Personally, that's why I always liked Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry--he carried a revolver.  He had only six shots so he had to make them count.  He couldn't just spray the area with a barrage of ammo.  Each shot had to be calculated.  He didn't want any collateral damage, he just wanted to take down the bad guy.  I actually think that made him more badass--certainly more so than the villains.

And don't get me wrong--every so often, I do enjoy watching a lot of ammo being spent in a short period of time.  It adds to the catharsis.  Having spent time at a target range my own self, I can say that it can even be fun.  But Dad was even more diligent about gun safety than he was about what movies I watched when I was young.  So I take a little time to, in Dirty Harry's words, "hit what I aim at."

But back to movies and not reality...

I've noticed an interesting trend in the last 20 or so years.  That of critically acclaimed, award winning, A-list actors appearing in shoot-'em-up action thrillers.  Probably the best example of this was the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  These were based on comic books and attracted the likes of William Hurt, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Anthony Hopkins, and even Robert Freaking Redford.  And they were just playing supporting characters!  We won't even discuss the leads.

I was inspired to watch this week's film again recently and forgot how much fun it is.  In it, Bruce Willis plays Frank Moses, a retired black-ops CIA agent.  He now lives a life of extreme boredom.  The only thing he has to look forward to is receiving his government pension check, which he promptly rips up so he can call their service center and speak to/flirt with Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) and tell her that the check never arrived.  After a team of operatives shows up at his house intent on killing him, he goes on the run.  Through a series of mishaps, he winds up essentially kidnapping Sarah while he tries to assemble a team of his old comrades to figure out why someone wants him--and probably them--dead.

The cast is as impressive as any Marvel movie--Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Oscar nominee John Malkovich, and Oscar winners Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ernest Borgnine.  Written by Jon and Erich Hoeber (based on the DC graphic novel series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner) and directed by Robert Schwentke, from 2010, please enjoy Red. 

As I stated in my Album of the Week "sermon," this will be my last film rant for about a month and a half.  I'll be having hip replacement surgery in about three weeks and will be out of action for a bit.

Until I return, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill

 

 

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Album of the Week!

It's been a weird week for me, especially the last few days (more on that toward the end).  During those last few days, I've found myself being drawn to the Beatles for some reason--specifically Paul's post-Beatles work, specifically Wings.  For three, maybe even four straight days, I woke up with the song "No Words" rattling around my cranium.  And I don't know why.  It's not like I intentionally listened to the song, let alone the album on which it's featured (Band on the Run), anytime recently.  Perhaps it played randomly on my phone while I was at work and it seeped into my subconscious--obviously, if it did, I don't remember hearing it.

Consequently, I've been revisiting Sir Paul's music, including The Beatles.  I've always kind of felt bad for Paul, because I get the impression that many people think of him as someone who just wrote silly love songs--generally and literally.  But, frankly, I've always liked that about him.

 

I seriously thought about submitting Band on the Run this week.  It is probably Wings' most remembered album, likely their biggest hit, and includes some of my favourite deep cuts, most notably "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five."  However, I was remembering something I read in a book about rock snobbery.

My cousins Ari and Gates gave me a book for Christmas (2024) called I Hate New Music: The Classic Rock Manifesto by British expat journalist Dave Thompson.  Thompson is one of the ultimate rock snobs--even moreso than I like to think I am.  While I didn't agree with every assessment of his, I found it highly entertaining.  In the book, he posed the queston:  What is the most satisfying sound in rock 'n' roll?  Obviously, the response is subjective, but Thompson's choice kind of caught me off guard.  And it's not necessarily what I would have thought of as the most satisfying sound in rock, but I always felt that his choice was interesting because I think most rock snobs would just write it off.  (He also seemed to prefer it in 8-Track, although I've never listened to one, so I can't comment on that particular aspect.)  Overall, I've always felt that it was an underrated album and to read the words of an actual rock snob extolling its virtues and not just discounting it because it's Paul--who, admittedly can get kind of schmaltzy--was kind of reassuring.

This week's album was recorded mostly at Sea-Saint Studios in New Orleans.  McCartney brought new members Jimmy McCullough and Geoff Britton into the fold, however, Britton left after only a few months.  He only played on three tracks, so Paul recruited Joe English (who is actually American) to finish the album.  Legendary pianist Allen Toussaint even played on "Rock Show."  Featuring some of my favourite deep cuts including "Magneto and Titanium Man," "Medicine Jar," and "You Gave Me the Answer," please enjoy Wings with their 1975 release Venus and Mars.

(Sometime around 1990, I remember McCartney giving an interview--I think to MTV's Kurt Loder, but don't quote me on that.  He was asked about his early career goals and aspirations.  He talked about writing songs that he hoped would be covered by the likes of Frank Sinatra and said, "I was out to become the next Cole Porter."  After a beat, he added, "Still am, babe!"  I only bring this up because that ambition is evident in "You Gave Me the Answer," which might be my favourite song on this album.  See also:  "English Tea" on his 2005 album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.)

This will be my last "Album of the Week" rant for about a month and a half.  If you've seen me at all in the last year, you know that I don't get around like I used to and should.  I've been walking with a cane since November.  I am scheduled to have hip replacement surgery (my second) in about three weeks.  I may post some earlier "From the Vault" rants in my absence, but at this point, I don't have the mental capacity to come up with anything new.  Wish me luck.

Until I return, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill

 

 

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents a Bonus Film of the Week! (One From the Vault!)

In this past week's "Album of the Week" rant, I referenced a film and its score that I had featured in previous rants.  I suddenly felt the urge to revisit both as I had posted both exclusively to Facebook.  So I decided to present both of them here.  What follows is the film rant, originally written and posted on 16 March, 2024:

Like music, I tend to prefer physical media when it comes to my movies as well.  I'm not so old school that I prefer VHS tapes or anything, but I do like having a tangible copy of the movie that I can hold--maybe read some liner notes or something.  I also like all the behind the scenes "bonus features" that you get on DVD and Blu-ray that you don't usually get from streaming.  To clarify, I don't have a problem with streaming.  I've got plenty of films and TV shows in queues on Netflix and Paramount+ that I plan to get to at some point.  I just prefer physical formats.

Like music, when shopping for new films, there have been a number of things that I've picked up on a whim over the years--movies that I had never seen before.  Some were films that I'd heard about that I always thought I should see, like Citizen Kane (a good film, but highly overrated--not as good as Casablanca--more on those films another time).  Other movies just kind of appear out of nowhere.  While reading the summary on the back of the DVD case, checking out the cast, maybe the writer and director, sometimes I'll just think, "what the hell--this looks like something I would enjoy," and take it to the counter and pay for it.  For the most part, my instincts have been correct.  I've been burned more times going to see a film in a theater than I have buying it for my home video collection.

Some years back, my dear, dear friend Ellie Lawson informed me that Barnes & Noble was having a sale on their Criterion Collection Blu-rays and DVDs.  The Criterion Collection, if you're not familiar, curates what they feel are important classic and contemporary films and releases them in special home video editions, replete with special features including written essays, archival documentaries, interviews, and trailers--usually with new interviews with some of the people connected to the film and appreciations by various scholars pontificating on the significance of the film... the kinds of things geeks like me eat up.

Anyway, I did my due diligence and checked out what was on the shelf.  One film in particular grabbed my attention.  I remembered stocking the original DVD release of it when I managed the music department at Barnes & Noble twenty years earlier.  I had looked at it once or twice, but the only thing I remembered about it was that Burt Lancaster starred in it.  For some reason, I don't know how I didn't recognize Peter Riegert on that original cover, but I didn't.  While reading the back of this new edition, I discovered that it was filmed in Scotland--one of my favourite places on Earth.  I decided, if nothing else, I wanted to see more of Riegert's work than I had, so I splurged and bought the Blu-ray.  For a number of months in late 2019 and early 2020, I couldn't seem to stop watching this movie.  It's one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen and have re-visited it many times.  In fact, as I prepare to post this, I'm watching it yet again.  I think it's safe to say I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of it (thanks, Ellie!).

Felix Happer, an eccentric Houston-based oil executive and astronomy buff, sends Mac, one of his top negotiators, to a fishing village in Scotland in order to purchase the land and develop it into an oil refinery (quite a shocking premise by today's standards, what with global warming and all).  As the film progresses, we see Mac begin to adapt to a slower pace of life, in spite of his fondness for the materialistic yuppie-like trappings of his life in America.  He endears himself to the locals as well as Victor, a Soviet businessman who makes periodic visits to the town--or maybe they endear themselves to him, it's kind of hard to tell.  Either way, it becomes apparent that he falls in love with the place.  As an American who's been to Scotland myself, I can't say I blame him.  In fact, one of the draws of the film is the backdrop.  It's one of those films where the location is just another character.

I became so taken with this film, that I even fell in love with its music.  Composed by Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, this was his first film score.  In fact, I even featured the soundtrack as one of my "Album of the Week" submissions a few years back.

The film stars Peter Riegert (who is probably best remembered as Boone in National Lampoon's Animal House), Denis Lawson (Wedge from Star Wars), a young Peter Capaldi (more than 30 years before he became the twelfth "Doctor Who"), and the legendary Burt Lancaster as Felix Happer.  Produced by David Puttnam and written and directed by Bill Forsyth and filmed entirely on location in Scotland and Houston, Texas, from 1983, I cannot recommend highly enough, Local Hero.

Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents a Bonus Album of the Week! (One From the Vault!)

In this past week's "Album of the Week" rant, I referenced a film and its score that I had featured in previous rants.  I suddenly felt the urge to revisit both as I had posted both exclusively to Facebook.  So I decided to present both of them here.  What follows is the film rant, originally written and posted on 10 August, 2020:

 

I apologize in advance. When looking back at the last few albums I've submitted, one would think I was stuck in 1983. Three of the last four entries in this series were from that year. And here's another one...

 

Two or three times a year, Barnes & Noble will have a special sale where all Criterion DVDs and Blu-ray discs are 50% off. For those not familiar with Criterion, they are a distribution company that releases special home video editions of what they deem to be important classic and contemporary films. The films are painstakingly remastered (and, in the case of older films, often restored with equal dedication) within an inch of their lives, making them slightly superior to regular editions of the same film. The discs frequently contain loads of special features, commentaries, interviews, radio adaptations, etc., and are marketed to serious film aficionados (also known as "geeks," "dorks," and "people like me"). The films in this series frequently tend to be of the foreign variety--lots of European films, the works of Akira Kurosawa, that kind of thing. In the last few years, I have noticed an uptick in American films being added to the collection--the silent classics of Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, the works of Wes Anderson and Terry Gilliam, and even highly regarded and well-loved films of the '80s like Tootsie, The Big Chill, Broadcast News, The Princess Bride, and The Breakfast Club.

 

Late last year, while perusing what was on sale, I discovered a recent addition to the collection, Bill Forsyth's 1983 film Local Hero,  I had remembered selling the original DVD when I ran the music department many years earlier at the store in Bloomington. I had never seen the film, but while reading the back of the case, I decided to give it a try.

A couple of things sold me on it. First of all, it starred Peter Riegert, who most of us will remember as Boone in National Lampoon's Animal House.  Over the years, I've seen some of his other work, most recently as Lillian Kaushtupper's rival Artie Goodman in Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt." I also can't recommend the film Crossing Delancey enough.

 

What really sold me on the film, however, was that it was shot on location on the coast of Scotland (and, ok, Houston, Texas). I've always had a deep love of Scotland and all things Scottish--including bagpipe music, the poetry of Robert Burns, the song stylings of Donovan, whisky without an "e," and the TV series "Monarch of the Glen." Scotland is, without question, the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life and I would love more than anything to return one day, if for no other reason my father requested his ashes be scattered in the North Sea (apparently, it was the most beautiful place he'd ever seen in his life too). But I digress (no real surprise there)...

 

For those not familiar with the film, Riegert plays MacIntyre ("Mac"), an employee of the Houston based Knox Oil and Gas company run by Felix Happer (the great Burt Lancaster), an eccentric who pays a man to verbally abuse him and is obsessed with astronomy. Mac is sent to a town on the north coast of Scotland to negotiate buying the entire area from the locals in order to build a new oil refinery. He is aided by Danny Oldsen (played by a very young Peter Capaldi), a company employee based in Aberdeen. They travel to the coast so Mac can negotiate with the town's legal representative Gordon Urquhart (played by Denis Lawson, or, as he's probably known in America, Wedge Antilles).

 

Needless to say, it doesn't take long for Mac to fall in love with the place along with Gordon's wife Stella (Jennifer Black). Danny also falls for Marina (Jenny Seagrove), a marine biologist who works for Knox and has a "magnificent pair of lungs," among other... rather interesting attributes.

 

Anyway, I watched the film and found myself completely entranced by it. In the subsequent months I've lost track of how many times I've marveled at the beauty of this movie. I can't believe I'd never seen it before. It's one of those films that is so visually stunning, that each frame could hang in an art gallery. I often say that I don't gush about a lot of things, but I've recently added this film to that list. The romantic in me likes to think Danny and Marina ended up together and are still together today.

 

One of the other things that catches one's attention is the film's soundtrack. Guitarist extraordinaire Mark Knopfler was already well established as the front man for the band Dire Straits. He was asked to write the score for the film--his first endeavour in that particular field of music. I often find myself taken with the music to the film as much as the film itself.

 

So this week, please enjoy Knopfler's score to the film, featuring Gerry Rafferty on "The Way It Always Starts."

 

Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that you can't eat scenery.

 

Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill