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It practically gallops!

Generally Sherman

Hearing news reports about the death of Robert Sherman was like listening to a soundtrack of my childhood. He and his brother wrote songs for many iconic movies from my youth. “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” remains one of my all-time favorite films. “Mary Poppins” is the first movie I remember seeing in a theatre.

The much-maligned “It’s a Small World (After All)” debuted not at Disneyland but at the New York World’s Fair. Visiting the Fair is another of my earliest memories.

Because the Shermans are so associated with Disney, I did not realize that they had also written songs for non-Disney films such as “Charlotte’s Web,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Snoopy, Come Home.” My father sang “No Dogs Allowed” for years after taking us to see “Snoopy, Come Home” at a drive-in theatre in the Hamptons.

“The Sherman Brothers Songbook” is a two-disc set with 59 amazing songs like “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room.” I added the album to my wishlist even though I already have most of the songs in other compilations. Looking up information on the Shermans also led me to discover that they wrote a song that Don & Mike used to play at WAVA for its camp value. I can still picture the tape cart for “Pineapple Princess” with my friend Bean’s handwriting on the label.

March 8, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Monroe Machine

The TV show “Smash” and the movie “My Week with Marilyn” have me on a little bit of  a Marilyn Monroe kick. Watching Monday’s episode of “Smash,” I wondered if Megan Hilty was imitating Marilyn or if she was imitating Michele Williams’ portrayal of Marilyn. I plan to seek out some original Marilyn Monroe movies to see the real deal.

Movie-themed items in room below Capitol Theatre stage Half of Einstein Simplified performed at the Capitol Theatre on Tuesday night. The rooms under the stage are decorated with Hollywood-themed items and gaming tables. A large Hollywood sign and a statue of Marilyn from “The Seven Year Itch” dominate the room.

They have several paintings of Marilyn, Elvis Presley, James Dean and Humphrey Bogart together. In one, they are at a bar. In another, they’re playing poker. The combination confuses me. Dean died in 1955 at age 24. Bogart died in 1957 at age 57. Monroe died in 1962 at age 36. Presley died in 1977 at age 42. The same four were poorly represented at a wax museum in Gatlinburg a few years ago.

There are interesting items everywhere you look. Two of my favorites were a leg lamp like the one from “A Christmas Story” and a framed photograph of the Nicholas Brothers dancing to “Chattanooga Choo Choo.”

February 16, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

French Connection

“Midnight in Paris” was a little like “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” for the literary set. The story is a time-travel fantasy that assumes you had at least heard of Man Ray, Gertrude Stein, Toulouse-Lautrec and others. Some of the portrayals are better than others. Adrien Brody seemed cartoonish as Salvador Dalí. I liked the film a lot but I don’t think it will win Best Picture.

Owen Wilson plays Gil, the part that Woody Allen probably would have played if the movie had come out a few years ago. Gil is a Hollywood  screenwriter who longs to write something more substantial. While visiting Paris with his fiancée and her parents, Gil takes a late-night walk. When the clock strikes midnight, Gil is able to catch a ride back in time to the 1920s. Each night, he goes to parties with his heroes of that era and soon falls in love with a girl who had been dating Pablo Picasso. Like Gil, she feels out of place in her own timeline and wishes she could travel back to La Belle Époque.

My wife and I watched “Midnight in Paris” via On Demand over the weekend. It was the third Best Picture nominee we’ve seen so far this year. At this rate, we probably won’t get to all nine before the Oscars especially if we also try to catch some of the films nominated only in the acting categories.

February 7, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Base Pay

The Knox County School Coupon Book includes a coupon for a pay-per-view movie from Xfinity. My wife and I plan to redeem the coupon when we get the bill for the movie we watched on Sunday. I feel like we got a bargain because we chose one of the more expensive movies. The HD version of “Moneyball” cost $5.99 to rent.

The movie tells the story of the Oakland A’s as they assemble a team of “misfit toys” at bargain prices. The general manager and his assistant sign players who are good at getting on base but have been overlooked by other teams for various reasons. I had no recollection of whether or not the A’s made it to the playoffs in 2002. As a result, the pennant race in the movie was exciting. The filmmakers also did a great job of building suspense as the A’s attempted to break the record for most consecutive wins during the regular season.

My wife and I like to see as many of the nominated films as we can before the Academy Awards ceremony. Best Picture nominees “The Help” (which we’ve already seen), “The Tree of Life” and “Midnight in Paris” are available on demand. For some of the others, we’ll have to make another trip to Downtown West.

February 1, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Frankly Speaking

The serial killer in Bobcat Goldthwait’s new movie is named Frank. Naturally, that caught my eye. “God Bless America” will be released via On Demand on April 6 and in select theatres on May 11.

Joel Murray plays Frank, a terminally ill man who goes on a killing spree. Reminiscent of “Dexter,” Frank only kills those whom he thinks deserve to die. He goes after reality show stars, bigots, people who talk in theatres and people who park poorly.

Joel is one of the very talented Murray brothers. I remember him from the Jay Thomas series “Love & War.” Jay arranged for me to play an extra at a movie theatre in one episode. Coincidentally, Joel’s brother Bill plays a character named Frank in “Scrooged,” in which Bobcat played a part.

Bobcat wrote and directed “God Bless America.” I wonder if the killer’s name has anything to do with a voiceover that Bobcat did for Walmart recently. When you click on frankthefruitcake.com, you see a talking fruitcake that has Bobcat’s distinct voice.

January 31, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Monroe Doctrine

It’s the time of year when my wife and I make an effort to see some movies that are likely to be nominated for Academy Awards. Not all of them are shown at the local multiplex. Fortunately, we have an alternative.

The Regal Downtown West Cinema has gone digital since the last time I took notice. Plus,they sell beer and gourmet candies to enjoy while watching an art film with crystal-clear projection. For a market our size, Knoxville is lucky to have an art house theatre. Of course Regal Entertainment Group’s headquarters just so happen to be in Knoxville too.

I was delighted to see a digital-projection sign on the door as my wife and I went to see “My Week with Marilyn” with our friend Terry Morrow. Eddie Redmayne plays a young Colin Clark, who gets a job as third assistant director on “The Prince and the Showgirl”, starring Sir Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe. It took a few moments to recognize Kenneth Branagh as Olivier. Michelle Williams plays Monroe. Both of them are deserving nominees for Screen Actors Guild Awards. Williams is especially radiant as the legendary screen goddess.

The story is set in England. My wife loves British movies and she saw some actors that were familiar to her. I enjoyed the real-life characters portrayed in the film. Olivier’s wife, Vivien Leigh, was played by Julia Ormond. Monroe’s husband, Arthur Miller, was played by Dougray Scott. I liked seeing Dame Judi Dench steal a few scenes while portraying Dame Sybil Thorndike. It was nice to see Emma Watson playing a girl in the costume department who goes on a few dates with Colin before all his time gets consumed by Marilyn.

They briefly mentioned that Colin Clark’s father was a famous art historian. I remembered watching Sir Kenneth Clark, who gained international fame as the host of  the TV series “Civilisation.”

January 23, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Storm Team

The torrential rain in East Tennessee yesterday prompted me to watch “Stormy Weather,” one of the movies I bought with the Amazon.com gift certificate I received for Christmas. “Stormy Weather” has some laughs, great singing and phenomenal dancing.

It was a famous dance scene that prompted me to put the film on my wish list in the first place. Near the end of the movie, the Nicholas Brothers do amazing splits on the floor and on stairs. Somehow they glide back to their feet after each split.

About a year and a half ago, I was chatting with a friend outside church after Mass. Her young daughter approached and wanted to show off a few tap dancing steps. I told the family about the Nicholas Brothers and suggested they look for the scene on YouTube. The girl grabbed her smart phone and within minutes was watching the scene I had described.

January 12, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

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