Best Movie Fathers Book — Free for Father’s Day June 17-21

Best Movie Fathers Book — Free for Father’s Day June 17-21

Posted on June 17, 2021 at 12:05 am

In honor of Father’s Day, my eBook, 50 Must-See Movies: Fathers is FREE today through Father’s Day, this weekend, June 17-21, 2020.

What do “Wall Street” and the “Star Wars” saga and, seemingly, about half the movies ever made have in common? They are about fathers. In “Wall Street,” Charlie Sheen plays the ambitious Bud, who respects the integrity of his blue-collar father, played by his real-life father, Martin Sheen. But Bud is dazzled by the money and power and energy of Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). The movie will up the ante with Bud’s father’s heart attack as we see him struggle between the examples and guidance of these two male role models.

Copyright 20th Century Fox 1977

In “Star Wars,” Luke (Mark Hamill) does not know until halfway through the original trilogy that (spoiler alert) the evil Darth Vader is his father. He was raised by his aunt and uncle, who are killed very early in the first film, but the father figures who are most meaningful in his life are the Jedi masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Like Bud in “Wall Street,” Luke must choose between the good and bad father figures. Like Luke, Harry Potter is raised by an aunt and uncle, but he finds a true father figure later. For Harry, it is headmaster Albus Dumbledore. In opposition is He Who Must Not Be Named. Like Luke, Harry has the opportunity for great power on the dark side, but he lives up to the example set for him by Dumbledore.

The first stories ever recorded are about fathers. The central human struggle to reconcile the need for a father’s approval and the need to out-do him is reflected in the “hero of a thousand faces” myths that occur in every culture. In Greek mythology, Zeus is the son of a god who swallowed his children to prevent them from besting him. Zeus, hidden by his mother, grows up to defeat his father and become the king of the gods. Ancient Greece also produced the story of Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother, and The Odyssey, whose narrator tells us “it is a wise man who knows his own father.”

These themes continue to be reflected in contemporary storytelling, including films that explore every aspect of the relationship between fathers and their children. There are kind, understanding fathers whose guidance and example is foundation for the way their children see the world. There are cruel, withholding fathers who leave scars and pain that their children spend the rest of their lives trying to heal. There are movies that reflect the off-screen real-life father-child relationships. Martin Sheen not only played his son’s father in “Wall Street;” he played the father of his other son, Emilio Estevez, in “The Way,” which was written and directed by Estevez, and which is about a father’s loss of his son. Will Smith has appeared with his son Jaden in “The Pursuit of Happyness” and “After Earth.” John Mills appeared with his daughter Hayley in “Tiger Bay,” “The Truth About Spring,” and “The Chalk Garden.” Ryan and Tatum O’Neill memorably appeared together in “Paper Moon.” Jane Fonda produced and starred in “On Golden Pond” and cast her father Henry as the estranged father of her character. Jon Voight played the father of his real-life daughter Angelina Jolie in “Tomb Raider.” And Mario Van Peebles, whose father cast him as the younger version of the character he played in “Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song” made a movie about the making of that film when he grew up. It is called “Badasssss!” In the role of Melvin Van Peebles he cast himself.

Director John Huston deserves some sort of Father’s Day award. He directed both his father and his daughter in Oscar-winning performances, Walter Huston in “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and Anjelica Huston in “Prizzi’s Honor.”

Some actors known for very non-paternal roles have delivered very touching performances as fathers. Edward G. Robinson is best remembered for playing tough guys, but in “Our Vines Have Tender Grapes” he gave a beautiful performance as a farmer who loves his daughter (Margaret O’Brien) deeply. Cary Grant, known for sophisticated romance, played loving – if often frustrated — fathers in “Houseboat” and “Room for One More.” “Batman” and “Beetlejuice” star Michael Keaton was also “Mr. Mom.” Comedian Albert Brooks is a devoted father in “Finding Nemo” and “Finding Dory.”

There are memorable movie fathers in comedies (“Austin Powers,” “A Christmas Story”) and dramas (“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Boyz N the Hood”), in classics (“Gone With the Wind”), documentaries (“Chimpanzee,” “The Other F Word”), and animation (“The Lion King,” “The Incredibles”). There are great fathers (“Andy Hardy,” “Call Me By Your Name”) and terrible fathers (“The Shining,” “Winter’s Bone,” “The Spectacular Now,” “The Barretts of Wimpole Street”). There are fathers who take care of us, as well as they can (“John Q,” “Toni Erdnmann,” “Lorenzo’s Oil,” “Leave No Trace,” “The Road,” “Extraordinary Measures”) and fathers we have to take care of (“I Never Sang for My Father,” “Nothing in Common”). All of these stories are ways to try to understand, to reconcile, and to pay tribute to the men who, for better or worse, set our first example of how to decide who we are and what we will mean in the world.

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Hollywood Treasures Auctioned This Week by Profiles in History

Hollywood Treasures Auctioned This Week by Profiles in History

Posted on November 9, 2020 at 1:23 pm

Movie fans will love this catalogue from the latest Profiles in History auction of Hollywood costumes and props. Would you like to have one of the Munchkin costumes from “The Wizard of Oz?” The iconic white Ursula Andress bikini from “Dr. No?” The special Oscar presented to silent movie director Mack Sennett or the prop Oscar “won” by Bette Davis’ character in “The Star?” Costumes worn on screen by Groucho Marx , Errol Flynn, or Humphrey Bogart?  Or Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable costumes from “Gone With the Wind?’

There are TV goodies, too, with a Tina Louise (Ginger) costume from “Gilligan’s Island,” a Sally Field habit from “The Flying Nun,” Urkel’s jacket from “Family Matters,” and a Fred Gwynne costume from “The Munsters.” There’s a model of the Ingalls’ home in “Little House on the Prairie” and Mork’s spaceship egg from “Mork and Mindy.”

If you’ve got room in your garage, you can get Luke Perry’s Porsche from “90210” or Boss Hogg’s Caddy from “The Dukes of Hazzard.” And if you’re feeling like a little magic, you can get “I Dream of Jeannie’s” bottle, though there’s no guarantee of any wishes. Same with Thor’s hammer and Wonder Woman’s lasso.

If you are a successful bidder, let me know!

And coming up next, the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer collection!

 

 

 

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Blumhouse Live: A Virtual Immersive Scare-fest

Posted on October 14, 2020 at 2:00 pm

Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Television in partnership with Little Cinema, presents WELCOME TO THE BLUMHOUSE LIVE: a first-of-its-kind virtual adventure celebrating the exclusive release of four highly-anticipated Blumhouse features on Amazon Prime Video this October with special performances by Ludacris and DJs Questlove, Toro Y Moi, and JADALAREIGN. Step inside the worlds of Nocturne, Black Box, Evil Eye, and The Lie, for an interactive mystery designed to unnerve and delight. The films are available exclusively now on Amazon Prime Video worldwide.

Guests can RSVP now to join the exclusive WELCOME TO THE BLUMHOUSE LIVE experience. Admission is free. Spots are strictly limited.

For the weekend of October 16 and 17, movie fans worldwide are invited inside WELCOME TO THE BLUMHOUSE LIVE to solve the mystery of a missing student and a strange family, all while exploring a labyrinth of virtual sanctuaries, live performances, interactive tarot readings, an escape room, and more unsettling twists. The club room in the basement of the house will host a special performance by Grammy-award winning rapper & actor Ludacris on Saturday, October 17, with Brooklyn-based DJ JADALAREIGN closing out the club. Multi-talented DJ-producer Questlove will DJ open-to-close on Friday, October 16. After the house closes on Saturday, attendees are invited to the basement club afterparty for a special DJ set by electro-pop darling and chillwave pioneer Toro Y Moi.

Taking inspiration from the unsettling thrillers Black Box, Evil Eye, The Lie and Nocturne, WELCOME TO THE BLUMHOUSE LIVE weaves the Blumhouse universe together in chilling synchrony – with twists and Easter eggs behind every door. There are two shows each on two separate nights, for a total of 4 chances to probe this virtual universe before it disappears.

The WELCOME TO THE BLUMHOUSE LIVE experience begins with the vanishing of Lindberg Academy student Erin Templeton. Your investigations suggest that Erin has several important ties to the Blum family, beckoning you to explore the BLUMHOUSE LIVE for clues to her disappearance. Enter through the basement, where Ludacris (October 17) or Questlove (October 16) will set the musical vibe for the thriller that lies ahead. Have a drink in the kitchen and probe your bartender for hints with direct, real-time interaction. Discover clues about your past, present and future with a live Tarot reading. Experience the power of memory and rivalry as you weave your way through the upper floors. Feel yourself being drawn closer and closer to the attic by powerful forces beyond your control… but first you’ll need to find the key before you can enter.

The unique collaboration between Amazon Studios, Blumhouse Television, and art collective Little Cinema forges a single narrative thread connecting four groundbreaking films into a cohesive interactive universe. Demonstrating the power of shared direct experience through sound, performance, film and technology, THE BLUMHOUSE LIVE is a truly exhilarating virtual adventure.

Explore the world of Welcome to the Blumhouse on October 16 + 17, all under one virtual roof.

WHERE:
WelcomeToTheBlumhouse.com with confirmed RSVP

WHEN:
Friday Oct 16:
Live show #1: 5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET
Live Show #2: 7:30pm PT / 10:30pm ET

Saturday Oct 17:
Live show #3: 5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET
Live Show #4: 7:30pm PT / 10:30pm ET
Afterparty: 9:00pm PT / 12:00am ET

RSVP WEBSITE: https://welcometotheblumhouse.com/rsvp

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High Table Read: Aniston, Pitt, Roberts, Morgan Freeman, and of course Sean Penn

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Table Read: Aniston, Pitt, Roberts, Morgan Freeman, and of course Sean Penn

Posted on September 18, 2020 at 10:14 am

Copyright 2020 Jimmy KImmel
Imagine the 80’s classic “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” starring Oscar winners Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, John Legend, Matthew McConaughey and, of course, Sean Penn, plus Jennifer Aniston, Henry Golding, Jimmy Kimmel, and Shia LeBoeuf, and some comments from the original author, Cameron Crowe, who based the film on his own experiences as an undercover adult reporter pretending to be a high school kid, and director Amy Heckerling. As host Dane Cook and cast member (Mark “Rat” Ratner) reminds us, some changes have occurred since then so watch it with a sense of how far we’ve come rather than being surprised or offended. As much fun as it is to see these pros take on these roles, by far the best part is watching the actors enjoy each other’s performances, especially Sean Penn watching Shia LeBoeuf take on his iconic role of Spicoli.

And be sure to support Sean Penn’s charity, CORE, which supports COVID-19 testing and relief efforts.

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Sing Along With the Beatles: Yellow Submarine

Sing Along With the Beatles: Yellow Submarine

Posted on April 23, 2020 at 5:32 am

All aboard for the Yellow Submarine YouTube Dress-Up Sing-A-Long Watch Party!

This Saturday, 25th April, join in at 9am PDT (12pm EDT/5pm BST) for the Beatles’ celebration of love, music, and surfacing from strange seas into a beautiful world free of the Blue Meanies!

Dress-up as your favorite character from the film and escape with us to a place where, for a little while, nothing is real. Click the bell to set a reminder on this Watch Page.

Share your photos and videos of you singing along in your costumes at home and tag them #YellowSubLive. Following the film, they’ll be sharing your images and videos on Instagram Stories in the Yellow Submarine Sing-A-Long After-Party. For more info about the event visit: yellowsubmarine.com and check out #YellowSubLive

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