Renaissance 2.0
I really enjoy the movie “Valley Girl” (1983) starring a young Nicholas Cage as a punk rocker and a fantastic cast. The soundtrack was also loaded with a slew of 1980s goodness such as Josie Cotton, The Plimsouls and Modern English with their big hit, “I Melt with You”. Basically, it’s nothing more than a…
I’ve always loved “Mystic Pizza” (1988) which starred a young unknown beauty named Julia Roberts. It was an enchanting story about sisters and friends coming of age while working at a quaint pizzeria. Lots of other wonderful performances as well from the cast including Annabeth Gish, Lili taylor and Adam Storke. One of the main…
I love “Singing in the Rain” (1955) starring Gene Kelly. It’s one of the best movies ever made in my book. Even if you don’t love musicals, I think you’ll enjoy this classic masterpiece. What’s odd is that it didn’t win the Oscar for Best Picture but Kelly’s inferior “An American in Paris” did, almost…
Every tiny little thing we do and every decision we make, no matter how small it might seem, impacts our lives and those around us in some manner. The course is forever changed in some subtle unknown way. Sometimes we will be able to trace back to the decision that lead us to a particular…
I’ve always loved “The Wanderers” which was originally released 30 years ago in 1979. It was based on a book written by Richard Price and starred a young Ken Wahl. The story centered around a group of friends in the early sixties as they came of age along with the rest of the country after…
This might offend fans of Andrew Loyd Webber and his brilliant “Phantom of the Opera” but I actually prefer the 2004 movie version of the classic tale over the world renown Broadway version starring the great Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Insert gasp here if you must. Listen, no one loves Sarah Brightman more than…
The story of how Charles Dickens came to write his Christmas classic, “A Christmas Carol” is just as interesting as the story he wrote. Here’s the trailer and a 5 minute excerpt from the full-length documentary called “The Ghosts of Dickens’ Past” I always find it fascinating to learn what inspired a writer to create…
“My Favorite Year” (1982) is a wonderful movie. The legendary Peter O’Toole is at his best as the aging movie star that’s scared to death about appearing on live television in the golden era of the 1950s. He was nominated for an Oscar for his turn as Allan Swan the swashbuckler with a drinking problem…
