Captain Corelli's Mandolin (feat. Nicolas Cage)

Of Cage's extensive filmography, I might have been most dreading Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Despite being long, it looked boring, a historical romance for the World War 2 era. Apprently the book of Captain Corelli's Mandolin was more about the war and less about the romance.

Cage plays Captain Corelli, and Italian officer deployed to occupy a little Greek island, home to Penelope Cruz's character whose husband (played by Christian Bale) had a hard time fighting the Germans. But Captain Corelli and his fun-loving, drinking, and singing band of Italians are not Nazis. In fact, they have no interest in fighting anyone. But the treacherous Germans are unhappy when the singing Captain's troops try to withdraw.

So this wartime story stretches a lot to fit the beats for a romance. But I don't think it's a bad movie. I just think it goes on for too long. But even that, I can forgive because there's a lot of story. It wouldn't have bode well to turn the tragically violent war moments into a montage. So it feels like they tried to make two movies into one in attempts to broaden appeal, but the result is kind of a drag.

1. Raising Arizona
2. Leaving Las Vegas
3. Red Rock West
4. Adaptation
5. Pig
6. Birdy
7. Wild at Heart
8. Joe
9. National Treasure
10. Guarding Tess
11. Snake Eyes
12. Dog Eat Dog
13. Color Out of Space
14. Mom and Dad
15. World Trade Center
16. Peggy Sue Got Married
17. Zandalee
18. Prisoners of the Ghostland
19. City of Angels
20. Willy's Wonderland

21. Captain Corelli's Mandolin

22. Bangkok Dangerous
23. Drive Angry
24. Army of One
25. Lord of War
26. Gone in 60 Seconds
27. Matchstick Men
28. Vampire's Kiss
29. Con Air
30. Face/Off
31. The Boy in Blue
32. Honeymoon in Vegas
33. Amos and Andrew
34. Moonstruck
35. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
36. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
37. Bringing Out the Dead
38. The Family Man
39. Knowing
40. The Frozen Ground
41. It Could Happen to You
42. 8mm
43. Grand Isle
44. Looking Glass
45. Arsenal
46. Between Worlds
47. Left Behind
48. Ghost Rider
49. The Humanity Bureau
50. Next
51. The Weather Man
52. 211
53. The Croods

World Trade Center (feat. Nicolas Cage)

To 'celebrate' September 11th, it seemed only appropriate to fit this movie into my so-busy day. You probably know, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center was one of the most tragic events in our country's history. This film tells mostly the story of two cops who get trapped in the rubble ofa collapsed tower after seeking quick shelter in an elevator shaft.

It's pretty scary stuff, as the film takes you between scenes of these two heroes bleeding to death, deep underground, followed by the meanwhiles of their terrified families. Then you see more heroes, some crazy, and some just doing their jobs, making the most of what little chance they had to save the many who were trapped beneath the fallen towers.

Most films based on true events tend to be dramatized or satired for entertainment value, and I understand. The situation here didn't need to be contrived. It was a terrifying, emotional experience for everyone involved. And I appreciate how the film didn't put a patriotic, militaristic slant on the whole thing. We all know terrorism is bad, and it was left at that.

Despite laying it on a bit thick with the "oh no, oh gosh" moments, I found World Trade Center to be a very immersive, emotional experience. Many of the fake New York accents were bad, but at least they tried (which is more than I can say for The Frozen Ground). And as is normally the case, Cage's performance was awesome.

1. Raising Arizona
2. Leaving Las Vegas
3. Red Rock West
4. Adaptation
5. Pig
6. Birdy
7. Wild at Heart
8. Joe
9. National Treasure
10. Guarding Tess
11. Dog Eat Dog
12. Color Out of Space
13. Mom and Dad

14. World Trade Center

15. Peggy Sue Got Married
16. Zandalee
17. City of Angels
18. Bangkok Dangerous
19. Drive Angry
20. Army of One
21. Lord of War
22. Gone in 60 Seconds
23. Matchstick Men
24. Vampire's Kiss
25. Con Air
26. Face/Off
27. The Boy in Blue
28. Honeymoon in Vegas
29. Amos and Andrew
30. Moonstruck
31. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
32. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
33. Bringing Out the Dead
34. The Family Man
35. Knowing
36. The Frozen Ground
37. It Could Happen to You
38. 8mm
39. Looking Glass
40. Arsenal
41. Between Worlds
42. Left Behind
43. Ghost Rider
44. The Humanity Bureau
45. Next
46. The Weather Man
47. 211
48. The Croods

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Expanding on my month of 'young reading', I decided to check out this classic, which I'd never checked out before. For some reason, I thought this would be the first in the series, but I was wrong. Either way, it's a pretty fun tale about a family that moves to the prairie and builds up a nice homestead. Appreciating the level of detail in the goal-oriented actions of the Wilders, I imagined myself setting up in the prairie, with a little log house and a couple mustang ponies, or whatever they were.

But I don't even think people can do that kind of thing, anymore. Is there any free land, anywhere? Probably not, but I guess that's okay. In this day and age, it seems irresponsible to habitate in a place without cell-service, very far from a hospital or a fire station. And really, the Prairie wasn't the safest place for the Wilders, a family with some survival skills. So I guess people like me are better off in stupid little neighborhoods.

The Boy in Blue (feat. Nicolas Cage)

Released in 1986, this film seems feels much older. The lighting is bright and the costumes are old, probably all coming from some classic western. I could imagine this film playing on AMC through the wood-paneled tv at my grandparents' house as the Verkruyse brood piled into the kitchen, smelling of fresh pie crust and dog poop.

Taking place in the late 19th century, The Boy in Blue is a sports film about a famous sculler (row boat racer) named Ned Hanlan, who was a real guy. Presumably based on real events, this plausible film provides no surprises. Every scene plays out as expected, and the drama is efficiently presented over a wonderful score. I love the music in old sport movies, like in Rocky. With this film, we get the big, triumphant strings, followed by a mode change to the natural minor, with grim, slow synths, before it goes into a tender piano solo, leading back to the huge vamp. There's even a training montage, which really gets me going.

The acting was fine. I know Cage hadn't yet found his style, but his performance is far above par for his acting-sports-star contemporaries. We get to watch Ned's rise to glory as his honor is challenged many times, but we know Ned. He's the good guy, and he's going to win because he's the good guy.

So how was the film? It was a small achievement, excecuted acceptably, worth probably more attention than it received. But that's mainly due to Cage's performance. At first glance, one probably considers this a one-dimensional "foagie flick", but there are some boobs in it, and Nicolas Cage.

1. Raising Arizona
2. Leaving Las Vegas
3. Red Rock West
4. Adaptation
5. Birdy
6. Wild at Heart
7. Joe
8. Dog Eat Dog
9. Color Out of Space
10. Mom and Dad
11. Peggy Sue Got Married
12. Zandalee
13. City of Angels
14. Bangkok Dangerous
15. Drive Angry
16. Lord of War
17. Gone in 60 Seconds
18. Matchstick Men
19. Vampire's Kiss
20. Con Air
21. Face/Off
22. The Boy in Blue
23. Honeymoon in Vegas
24. Amos and Andrew
25. Moonstruck
26. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
27. Bringing Out the Dead
28. The Family Man
29. Knowing
30. It Could Happen to You
31. 8mm
32. Between Worlds
33. Ghost Rider
34. The Humanity Bureau
35. Next
36. The Weather Man
37. 211
38. The Croods

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

Clan of the Cave Bear is about a young Cro-Magnon girl named Ayla who joins a clan of Neandrethals. It's a really great time if you ever speculate on what cave-life was like, back when everyone really was a hunter or gatherer. Auel also did a lot of research for this book, so for a lot of things, I imagine her telling it how it was. So maybe it was educational too.

I want to read the next books in the series and see what Ayla does with horses and cave paintings. I want to go back to simpler times. Speaking of simpler, I think Clan of the Cave Bear was far longer than it needed to be. Our characters spend a lot of time ruminating over what has happened and what it means to them, as if we might not imagine that on our own. It's a small gripe. Not every reader has a good memory or capacity to think about stories when they're not reading them. They also deserve to enjoy Clan of the Cave Bear.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

It was a Christmas gift in 2018 from my sister Amy.  At the following thanksgiving, she asked if I liked my book and I said, "What book?"  Of course, Neil Gaiman.  I'd been meaning to read some of his work.  

Do you have an interest in Norse Mythology?  Have you ever wondered where all those Norwegian black metal bands got their cool titles?  Look no further.  No joke, Gaiman is a master story teller.  I can't think of any writer who can use such plain language, so entertainingly pulling readers from their own world into the world on a page.  Norse Mythology is edutainment at its finest.  

Catlow by Louis L'Amour

 

Since my 34th birthday, I have indeed read some books.  Many of them were ebooks to boot.  So I may not be talking about all of them.  Reading also feels constructive, even in a relaxing context.  It keeps the brain ticking at a healthy, natural pace you know?  In fiction, justice is often actually served and it's often served at the right temperature.  Stories provide a nice place to insert yourself when you don't want to exist in our present world.  

This year I intend to finish writing my 2nd book.  It's a fantasy novel and I won't be talking about it much.  You probably won't get to read it.  There will be (almost) no bragging, pitching, nagging, plugging, branding, back patting, and circle jerking.  That's not what this blog is about.  Anyway, I think good writing requires research.  I'd be a dick to expect people to read my story without doing my homework and genuinely trying to understand what will make that story good.

I bring up writing as an activity, because I was very impressed by Louis L'Amour's about the author.  He sounds like a super intimidating ass hole.  A world war two hero and a seemingly perfect guide into the western world.  No surprise, Catlow was a neat story.  The action was exciting, the characters were mostly admirable, and the desert was dry and dangerous.  The cowboy skills were so impressive I found myself rootin' and tootin'.  Rootin' for who though?  The hero or the villain?  Both are so killer.