The Cove

The Cove

2009

Director: Louie Psihoyos

Writer: Mark Monroe

Humanity and what we are capable of is often tested in documentary film. We see rape, murder, crimes, environmental issues, gun control, governmental policy, oppression, depression, and greed.

And then there were the dolphins.

The Cove is about the mass genocide of dolphins outside the town of Taijii, Japan. This film explores why these slaughters are kept secret and how these killings are poisoning people around the world.

Our hero is legendary dolphin-trainer Richard O’Barry, who worked for the television show Flipper for many years, but now spends the remainder of his years helping these beautiful creatures.

“If you aren’t an activist, you’re an inactivist,” O’Barry says.

There was a general buzz around this film, especially revealing the unseen footage of what happens to thousands of dolphins that enter this specific cove.

They are murdered. They are stabbed. They are beaten. They struggle. They die.

The number of deaths: around 23,000 dolphins a year.

In the scene above is the bloody ending to hundreds of dolphins in one afternoon. Notice the colors of the surrounding area: grey rocks, blue boats, green leaves, and red water.

Bloody, red water.

Of course, killing innocent dolphins is wrong. Selling dolphin meat to schools and markets, which contain poisonous mercury is wrong. And why this was all kept a secret is wrong.

But, that’s humanity. We are wrong.

We often believe that the human race is civil and morally just. It’s not. This documentary proves it.

And you can say that’s Japan. But, it’s not. That’s America.

When we slaughter cows for steak dinners at Outback or murder chickens for our Caesar salads at Olive Garden: that’s America.

When we cook burgers on the grill for 4th of July or enjoy ham dinners at Christmas time: that’s America.

All that meat comes from animals. All those animals are murdered. There is pain and suffering. There is blood. There is humanity.

Though, the process needs to change and the regulation needs to improve in Taijii, we are all guilty. This process of murdering animals for food has been going on since the dawn of time.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

Well said.

The Wrestler

The Wrestler

2008

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Writer: Robert Siegel

109 Minutes

Randy “The Ram” (Mickey Rourke) came into our hearts as an ill-faded, has-been wrestler who was knocked down by a heart attack and missed his window of any personal relationship.

Who else know this kind of emotional pain and suffering more than Mickey Rourke?

The joys of this low-budget feature are to see a man with one shot at redemption and failing miserably at it. He wants to be a good person, nice father, but he is “The Ram” – he only knows how to be “Ram Jam.” He struggles in his quest to regain a relationship with his lesbian daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) and tries to carry on a stripper-client relationship with Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) outside the strip club.

All fails.

“Ram Jam” is a failure, in all sense of the word. His time was passed over like Glo-worms and Cross Colours t-shirts. He tries to maintain his wrestler status, but even that is taken away. It’s a depressing story about accepting change in your life when you never wanted change in your life.

In the scene above, Randy meets with Stephanie at the boardwalk. They are trying to repair their horrible relationship, but Stephanie isn’t buying it. Not until Randy comes clean and is completely honest with himself and his daughter, does she really accept his new station in life.

“I’m an old broke-down piece of meat. And I’m alone.”

Often times, in life, we find our self at the crossroads of what we should have done verse what actually happened and having chosen the latter, it lead us down a darker path. We don’t want to die alone. We don’t want to be alone. But, that’s exactly what Randy the Ram is: alone.

He realized, once wrestling was completed, he had no one.

The parallel between Randy and Rourke are infinite. Both have been lone souls in a cruel world. But, in the end, Randy/Rourke talk about the people in the audience still believing in them. And that’s why they showed up to the rink that night.

Believing in people.

It’s the belief that when you’re out and alone, there are the chosen few who will always be there for you. And those chosen few will help others remember how great you are in this world.

That’s Randy. That’s Rourke.

The Wrestler was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Actor and Best Actress. It revived Mickey Rourke’s career and gave us a tequila-inspired lap dance by Ms. Tomei.

We see this film not for the performance, but for remembrance.

Thank for Mr. Rourke, for helping us remember.

Stand By Me

Stand By Me

1986

Director: Rob Reiner

Writer: Stephen King, Raynold Gideon, and Bruce A. Evans

89 minutes

Ray Brower went missing outside the town of Castle Rock. His body was discovered after an anonymous phone call and picked up later that afternoon.

His story was simple. He was a kid who took a walk and was hit by a train, though the story of the anonymous phone call seemed to be more interesting.

Four friends, two nights, and one on-coming train make up the story of Stand By Me.

After Vern (Jerry O’Connell) hears about his older brother finding the body of Ray Brower, he tells his friends Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), and Teddy (Corey Feldman) about it.

Immediately, they plan out their adventure.

Gordie is our main character. After his brother was killed in a car accident, his family hadn’t picked up the pieces and Gordie was left to defend for himself. The death was a sense of pain and unresolved issues with both his parents and himself.

Thus, Gordie sets off for the back Carlow road to find the body of Ray Brower.

The adventure was filled with winding railroad tracks, deep leach-infested ponds, and a rival gang seeking the same attention. But underneath it all, there is a sense of growth and maturity these boys gain; a realistic look at the world around them without the security of their family or small town.

Seeing that body crossed those boys into adulthood, like most coming-of-age movies accomplish. That body was the catalyst to the rest of their lives.

In the scene above, they have found the body of Ray Brower.

“The train had knocked Ray Brower out of his Keds the same way it had knocked the life out of his body.”

But when Gordie sees the body, he freezes. His emotional journey started with his brother’s death and until now, he has remained relativity unemotional to those events. Until now. He sees the lifeless body of Ray Brower and all he can think of is his brother.

He breaks down.

Chris, the leader, comforts him. He explains, like a brother, that Gordie is going to be okay. That's all Chris had to say. Gordie was going to be okay.

It works that way because this movie isn’t about the death of Ray Brower. It’s about friendship. It’s about an adventure. It’s about the journey between brothers. And sometimes, those are the only brothers you have left.

After the rival gang shows, they decide no one should take the body. And they decide to make an anonymous phone call.

They make it back to Castle Rock before Labor Day. What seemed like an innocent trip meant something more; before adolescence, before chasing girls, and before realizing how important friendship is. This was their last adventure that summer and what seemed like their last adventure before the rest of their lives.

“It happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of our lives, like busboys in a restaurant,” the Writer (Richard Dreyfuss) says.

In the end, this story is about remembering the adventures we took and the people involved. Even the Writer says he lost touch with Chris, but he knows he’ll miss him.

It's the truth.

Part of adulthood is realizing the friends that made the impact. The friends that made the difference.

In Gordie's case, it was Chris, Vern, Teddy, and the body of Ray Brower.

The Wizard

The Wizard

1989

Director: Todd Holland

Writer David Chisholm

100 Minutes

The commercialization of products after E.T.’s Reese Pieces have flooded the film industry since 1980. Subliminal advertising for soft drinks, franchises, eateries, etc. have all been apart of our movie-going experience.

And none were bigger than The Wizard - Nintendo promotional film at it’s finest.

Corey Woods (Fred Savage) crosses the country with his brother, Jimmy (Luke Edwards) and his love interest, Haley (Jenny Lewis). Jimmy’s goal is to make it to California, a place long remembered in his family's history, but once Corey finds Jimmy’s extremely talented video game play, he enters him into a video game tournament.

Along the way, Jimmy plays Lucas (Jackey Vinson) who dazzles Jimmy with the Nintendo Power Glove. Even Jimmy was impressed, yet fearful to play this great competitor.

In the scene above, Lucas and Jimmy have made it to the finals of the tournament, but the plot twists is when they both find out they have to play a different game. A new game. Any video game competition, it would be uneven if everyone played the game of their choice. Here, Nintendo introduces Super Mario Brothers 3.

It’s a huge reveal and pre-teen/teenage kids around the country were glued to their theater seats when the third installment of the Mario franchise was revealed.

We love this scene cause this was the medium that brought us the hottest, newest Nintendo Game. The movie in itself is average. Fred Savage is always entertaining, but it was just another 1980’s performance. More so, Christian Slater played Nick Woods, Corey’s brother, was clever, but nothing special.

The Wizard gave a generation a great video game and that’s why it’s remembered. That’s why we love it.

In the end, Super Mario Brothers 3 gave us the raccoon suit, advanced levels, and even magical whistles. If not for the Wizard concurring the game, we would have nothing to strive for.

Except, a Frog Suit.

Big Trouble in Little China

Big Trouble in Little China

1986

Director: John Carpenter

Writer: Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein, and W.D. Richter

99 Minutes

“I just feel kinda…feel kinda invincible.” – Jack Burton (Kurt Russell)

When Jack Burton gets to Chinatown, he had one thing on his mind: himself. He drives into town, enters into a gambling ring, wins some money, decides to help out his friend, and then gets his truck stolen.

Then shit got real. And thus, the story began.

The glory of Big Trouble in Little China is it mixes a magical realm with reality. The six-demon bag, the Three Storms, and Mr. David Lo Pan all add to this campy, delicious piece of cinema.

In the original script, Big Trouble in Little China was a Western. Jack Burton rode in on a horse, entered into a gambling ring in gold rush San Francisco, won some gold, decided to help out a friend, and gets his horse stolen. Similar story, might have been successful, but would have never achieved a cult status like this version.

“Everybody relax, I’m here,” – Jack Burton

Jack is an ego manic. He’s brave, in most sense of the word, though nervous to enter a world he knows nothing about; a world most of us know nothing about. But Jack leads the charge, helping his friend, and pursuing the girl, Garcie Law (Kim Cattrall). Yet, even director John Carpenter admits Jack Burton doesn’t almost nothing heroic, until the end.

With a body count of 46 bodies, Big Trouble in Little China is one of the great 1980’s resting comfortably above Eddie Murphy’s The Golden Child. From the Pork Chop express to a girl with green eyes, Big Trouble is Good Fun.

In the scene above, the final eight men are heading into battle. Mr. Egg Shen (Victor Wong), a local tour guide who has been fighting Lo Pan his entire life, brought a mythical potion for these men to drink and absorbed.

“It’s a six-demon bag,” says Egg Shen
‘Terrific, a six-demon bag. Sensational, what’s in it, Egg,” questions Jack.
“Wind, fire, all that kind of thing,” Egg replies.

In reality, Jack doesn’t believe in this black magic. Jack doesn’t believe in any magic, as he says, ‘it’s all in the reflexes.” Though even when Jack witnesses’ men flying, floating all-seeing-eyes, and running over an unharmed David Lo Pan (James Hong), he doesn’t believe.

“I'm a reasonable guy. But, I've just experienced some very unreasonable things.”

He doesn’t believe until he takes a drink Egg Shen's potion. After he drinks it, these eight men pile into the elevator and only THEN does Jack begin to believe. The black magic, he thus far denounced, runs through his veins and he realize he can only use magic to defeat magic.

He becomes ONE with the unknown world of Chinatown.

And this is why Jack is able to catch a knife out of thin air and throw it into David Lo Pans face. This is why Jack gets Gracie Law. And this is how Jack escapes the world of Chinatown.

Magic.

Often times, we are not believers in the energy, atmosphere, and even magic around us, but it’s there. And the more we denounce it, the more unbelievable it becomes. Until eventually, it's gone.

Or until Jack Burton rolls into town. Then he makes us believe.

“You know what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like this?"
“Who?”
“Jack Burton. *Me*!”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Walk the Line

Walk the Line

2005

Director: James Mangold

Writer: Johnny Cash, Patrick Carr, Gill Dennis, and James Mangold

136 Minutes

If Johnny Cash had one chance in life, it was in the recording studio of Sam Phillips. Often times, we get only one chance to do something great. Most of us ignore, reject, or pass over a chance of a lifetime in fear of failure and more so, fear of success.

In the scene above, Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) almost missed his chance when he started playing the same old Jimmy Davis tune at his audition with Sam Phillips (Dallas Roberts).

When Phillips stops him, Cash admits he didn’t let him bring it home, in which Sam replies:

“Bring... bring it home? All right, let's bring it home. If you was hit by a truck and you was lying out there in that gutter dying, and you had time to sing *one* song. Huh? One song that people would remember before you're dirt. One song that would let God know how you felt about your time here on Earth. One song that would sum you up. You tellin' me that's the song you'd sing? That same Jimmy Davis tune we hear on the radio all day, about your peace within, and how it's real, and how you're gonna shout it? Or... would you sing somethin' different. Somethin' real. Somethin' *you* felt. Cause I'm telling you right now, that's the kind of song people want to hear. That's the kind of song that truly saves people. It ain't got nothin to do with believin' in God, Mr. Cash. It has to do with believin' in yourself.”

Like magic, Cash sings Folsom Prison Blues - a song he wrote in the United States Air Force. It was something Cash felt. It was something different. It was something people wanted to hear.

This moment, a catalyst, started the career for one of the greatest musicians in history. Teaming up with his love June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), Cash and Carter toured the country giving us songs like, “Jackson,” “Ring of Fire,” and the title of this film, “Walk the Line.”

But it all started with the scene above. It all started with a moment in Sam Phillips recording studio.

As history goes, Cash wasn’t the only musician to come out of that studio. Superstars like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and BB King were all guided by Sam Phillips and his company called Sun Records.

Johnny Cash will forever live in our hearts, dressed in a black suit and sunglasses, looking like he was going to a funeral. Even when asked that question on why he dressed like he’s going to a funeral, he responded, “Well, maybe I am.”

It’s because Johnny Cash was. His one chance, pushing the envelope with Rock and Roll music might have felt like that to him - that each decision would have been the death of him.

Yet, he always managed to escape it.

In the end, if you were giving one song that let God know how you felt about your time here on Earth - one song that would sum you up – what would it be?

Johnny Cash’s was Folsom.

The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs

1991

Director: Jonathan Demme

Writer: Thomas Harris and Ted Tally

118

This entire movie is great. Every scene Dr. Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) is magical, though he has less than 20 minutes of screen time. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is a character of determination, yet chilling attributes. She’s a hero in all sense of the word.

There are reasons why films win best actor, actress, director, writer, and picture. It’s called an Oscar Grand Slam. There are three films in history that have done it. In 1934, “It Happened in One Night.” In 1975, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” And in 1991, “The Silence of the Lambs.” The reasons are keeping a simply story using complex characters and the best material (actors, settings, writers, crew, etc.)

Wish all films could do that.

The difficulty in this entry, choosing the best scene, is that Lector’s personality is so attractive and awe-inspiring. He cuts to the bone, choosing each word carefully, and creating fear even through a wall of glass.

When Lector touches Clarice’s hand, giving her back the case file, you understand the amount of respect and admiration Lector has for the young agent. When Lector gives her a call at the end, citing, “I’m having an old friend for dinner…” Clarice has it right when she admits Lector wouldn’t come after her because he would consider it rude.

And the psychology of Clarice – the haunting memory from her childhood, the memory that gives the film it’s title – Lector pulls that memory from her subconscious, explaining why her need to help others is so important because she tried to save the lambs, but the lambs kept screaming.

It’s beautiful.

But, the scene above has another psychology element. Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) wants to be a woman. He was rejected by the sex change operation hospital, casted away by society, and has no love lost for humanity. He is able to torture, kill, and remove skin with no regard to human life.

That’s what makes him interesting.

He kidnaps women, starves them for three days, kills them, cuts the “pieces” he needs, and dumps their body. The “pieces” are making Buffalo Bill a woman suit, made from real women (pun).

In the scene above, he dances in his woman suit and tucks his manhood between his legs, giving a sense that he’s almost completed the transformation.

Transformation is the key. He wants to transform into a woman. It’s the reason why he has the transforming moths in his house. It’s the reason why he kills these women. He wants to be something different, become someone else, and then be accepted by society.

Too bad he’s crazy.

But, this entire movie is about rejection and acceptance. Clarice is a woman in a man’s world, thus rejected. After her father was killed, she ran away after the lamb incident, thus rejected. Yet, she gains acceptance from her mentor and the FBI in the Buffalo Bill case.

Lector is rejected also, in the opposite. He’s a monster, though he was wildly accepted in his former life. He was a doctor. He was an intellectual. He was well liked and appreciated. And then he ate some people and was rejected.

Oh, the humanity.

In the end, any scene from this film could be talked about. The film is magnificent, which is why it wins the Oscar Gran Slam. But, I felt that any scene couldn’t compare, especially when you put on Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus, to Ted Levine dancing around the room dressed as a woman.

Even Kevin Smith agrees.

Rudy

Rudy

1993

Director: David Anspaugh

Writer: Angelo Pizzo

114 Minutes

Everyone has a dream. Some want to become doctors, lawyers, etc. Some want to become a basketball star in the NBA. Others want to travel the world. And some want to become parents.

Whatever your dreams, the impossibility and obstacles placed before you are what makes your dream tolerable. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

Rudy is a film about Daniel E. Ruettiger, a Chicago-based native who wanted to attend and play football at the University of Notre Dame. Like most kids in that part of the country, they all want to play football at Notre Dame. And like most kids, most are told they are not good enough, smart enough, or strong enough.

Rudy was all three. Sorta.

The obstacles in this film are what make this journey timeless. Starting when he was a child, his brothers, father, teachers, girlfriend, friends, priest, and bosses told Rudy "Notre Dame is not for everyone..." They made snide remarks, turned their backs, and joked about Rudy’s fantasy.

And he wanted to prove to them all...just how wrong they were.

See, most everyone knows what it feels like to have no one believe in you. Most everyone knows what it’s like to be the last one picked. And most everyone has rode the bench, waiting out their time to shine whether it be on the athletic field, job market, or even to your family.

If you haven’t felt it, then you are the minority.

In the scene above, Rudy comes in from playing football with his brothers, grabs dinner, and sits down next to his father to watch the Notre Dame game. When his father asks if anyone has anything to say before he starts his meal, Rudy replies with this:

“After high school, I’m going to play football at Notre Dame.”

That is Rudy’s dream. It was his childhood dream. Childhood dreams hold a strong connection that even at the most innocent, decent time in our lives where the world seems pure and optimistic, we have great, big dreams. And when we see the reality in this world, we often lose sight of those dreams.

But, Rudy wasn’t to be discouraged. He wasn’t backing down. He had a dream. No matter the obstacles, he was going to play football at Notre Dame.

And in spite of the characters, environment, and his own self-doubt and physical limitations, he did whatever he had to because that was important to him. The reason this film is great is because that type of dedication, perseverance, and desire is so rare in this world it can only be captured in Hollywood films.

Or in the military.

Even though Rudy was NOT the best player at Notre Dame and some offer their opinion that Rudy never did anything else with his life after Notre Dame, he did do this:

Daniel E. Ruettiger graduated from the Notre Dame and was a member of their football team.

In this life, what else does he need to prove?

My Best Friend's Wedding

My Best Friend’s Wedding

1997

Director: P.J. Hogan

Writer: Ronald Bass

105 Minutes

“Crème brûlée can never be Jell-O. YOU could never be Jell-O,” – Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts)

Character definition. Julianne is Jell-O, the comforting food you could eat at anytime. Kimberly Wallace (Cameron Diaz) is crème brulee, an expensive, yet proper dessert reserved for special occasions.

In this brilliant romantic comedy, two women are pursuing one man. One is his best friend. The other his fiancé. The movie is brilliant because you are rooting for the villain the entire movie. Julianne Potter is the villain. She is in the wrong. And if anyone but Julia Roberts played Julianne Potter, the film might have bombed.

Julia Roberts is a home-girl. She’s the interesting, fun friend at diner. She’s the confidant when you’ve accomplished something great. She’s the sister when you’re depressed. The world loves Julia Roberts, though in this movie: she’s a bitch.

She’s vindictive. She’s harsh, jealous, and hateful. But she’s Julia Roberts, so it’s okay. She's lovable. Something about her smile or how she carries herself, it’s impossible to hate her.

In the scene above, she’s trying to convince Kimberly, the bride to be, that her fiancé wants someone else in his life and does this by describing food products. Crème Brulee vs Jell-O. The groom doesn’t want something “irritatingly perfect,” but something “comfortable" (translation: He doesn't want you, he wants me.) But, it’s Julianne who wants something comfortable and she’ll ruin a wedding, relationship, and life to get it.

Why?

Because she wants her best-friend, the man she always knew she would marry, but skipped over. Now, he’s getting married and she’s going to be alone again, maybe forever. So she does what any women in her “right mind,” would do: steal the fiancé.

She fails. She should fail. She was the villain. And the villain should fail.

But in the end, she says goodbye. That’s what she needed to do. That’s what you’re supposed to do. Because in life, there are times when you need to let your family, friends, and lovers go. And it was Julianne's redeeming moment, kissing her best friend goodbye, so he could lead a more fulfilling life.

Bravo.

Julia Roberts might always be Jell-O. But, that’s why we love her.