This past Sunday night, while many my age and a number of others were watching the MTV VMAs in a year that did not honor the types of music you find on Fordham University's radio station; I was watching the concluding two hours of what I think is HBO's third important television event of the year. The first two were the Andrew Jarecki documentary miniseries The Jinx and the Alex Gibney film Going Clear. I could possibly add a third already in Andy Samberg's brilliant sports faux biography 7 Days In Hell. Yet, this might have outclassed all three of them.
David Simon is clearly one of the most inventive writers and producers of TV out there today. Show Me A Hero, a collaboration of ideas between Simon and his team along with noted filmmaker and Oscar winner Paul Haggis, is easily the best television program to have been shown this year. It may not be at the same groundbreaking and innovative functions set forth in The Wire; yet this does come quite close in miniseries form. Like many of Mr. Simon's projects, this delves in relations in a community in changing times. However, this story told is one that is entirely true.
When Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was first elected to the US Senate in 1976, one of his goals relative to his home state of New York was to see implementation of housing for families and individuals with lower income levels relative to the norm in the state. It was not until the 1982 election of Gov. Mario Cuomo, a fellow New York Democrat and political figure with a working class background, that Sen. Moynihan was able to have a statewide ally in housing plans. At the time, New York was a state where there were an equalization between liberal minded areas and conservative minded areas. Usually in the cities like Manhattan and the Five Boroughs, then as now, projects like public housing were given wide support.
However, the suburbs and rural sections of the state were far more conservative and Republican oriented. None the less, some of these enclaves like Long Island (namely Nassau County) were able to acquiesce to federal mandates for housing; willing to go along due to Republican Sen. Al D'Amato's approval of the projects. A noted suburb that held out in initiating public housing was the Westchester County city of Yonkers. Yonkers at that time, and now even, is a location for city dwellers without having to actually live in the city; that would include the Bronx. Not making derogatory statements; just mentioning a fact that people who want to be close to NYC yet are not living there will prefer the housing locations in Westchester County as a more family friendly alternative. Much of the demographics of Yonkers in the 1980s were for the most part well-to-do white families.
That all began to change by 1987. As a result of federally funded legislation to desegregate public housing, New York Southern District Court Judge Leonard B. Sand declared the city of Yonkers in contempt of court. This was followed by an order to develop 200 housing quarters for lower income families in Yonkers' east side. Many of the people living in Yonkers did not take this order lightly. As I mentioned before, it was a predominately Republican community rejecting the more Democratic minded policies that needed to be done. It is here that Show Me A Hero offers the stories and glimpses of many of these people who were either directly involved with providing the housing or were tenants for these projects.
Like many of David Simon's series, there is not one central person to look at when so many lives are intertwined. Yet if there is a central figure, it would need to be Yonkers Mayor Nick Wasiscko, a Democrat who was elected to the city Council in 1985 at just 26. Two years later, Wasiscko was elected as the youngest Mayor in the history of Yonkers at only 28. In this miniseries, Oscar Isaac portrays Nick Wasicko in a role that were there any justice in this world he would have been given the Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie straight away. In some respects, Mr. Isaac shows us a multi-tiered look at Wasiscko that does not make him look like the second coming of a Lincoln or a Roosevelt. In fact, Wasiscko was elected Mayor on a platform of rejecting the housing decision. Yet, after Wasiscko's election, the City of Yonkers' appeal was lost.
There is a line in the miniseries that Oscar Isaac says during one of the more raucous council meetings which I think sums up the need to press forward with the housing projects. The line, "Majority rules but it cannot rule contrary to the law", does give the noted conundrum on how certain matters of law need to be accepted. And admittedly, the first three parts of this miniseries might be found by non political people to be a bit dry; what with the emphasis placed on the city council as well as the federal circuit courts. Yet, there are not too many movies or shows that relate to the inner workings of local government when it is usually the decisions of a town council or city ordinance that will directly affect the needs and desires of its populace.
As I mentioned earlier, Oscar Isaac and his portrayal of Nick Wasiscko may seem to be the central focus of this miniseries. Yet, there are of course many other actor involved that merit recognition.
Catherine Keener: her portrayal of Yonkers resident and advocate Mary Dorman would also be worthy of at least an Emmy nomination. Keener does not show up until part two; yet it is an interesting yet understated role that reflects Mrs. Dorman's evolution from being against the public housing initiative to becoming one of the few white homeowners outside of public office willing to become friends and partners with the African-American and Hispanic communities. There is no dramatic epiphany or any sort of emotional outburst making the change known. Rather, similar to the gradual evolution of characters we saw on The Wire (and I am particularly thinking of Andre Royo's brilliant Bubbles), the eventual reversal of ideals comes without forewarning and yet feels as if these ideals were already in the making.
Alfred Molina: Molina plays Mayor Hank Spallone, whom defeated Wasiscko for the job in 1989 before Spallone himself was defeated two years later. Mayor Spallone was a brash sort of political figure that felt more at ease with being the antagonistic pest, rather than running a city. Mr. Molina is one of our greatest actors, and even in a kind of smaller scale role, when Molina is on screen, he owns the scene.
Ilfenesh Hadera: she is a newly minted actress that portrays Alma Febles; a single mother from Puerto Rico that would over the years become a success story in earning a decent living and providing well for her children and now grandchildren.
Natalie Paul: another new actress who plays Doreen Henderson. Ms. Henderson started out having drug problems which intensified after the death of a male companion in the inner cities (played by one of the kids from season four of The Wire; I think the one that played Namond.) She did become a success story in effectively being the leading advocate for people living in public housing, similar to what Mary Dorman was for her community.
LaTanya Richardson Jackson: her portrayal of Norma O'Neal is rather interesting. Ms. O'Neal was a nurse practitioner who eventually went blind due to diabetes. She also was very much involved in matters relating to housing, yet did not fully integrate due to different forms of opinions with newer generations of civil rights leaders.
Clarke Peters: the important gem in any David Simon series. Mr. Peters only shows up in the last two parts, yet it is his portrayal of Robert Mayhawk (possibly not an actual person) that provides the conscience and wisdom of the matters relating to housing and integration. And like in previous roles, Clarke Peters has the lines which I think matter most.
Carla Quevedo: her portrayal of Nay Wasiscko is quite important, namely as the eventual better half of the relationship. I do hope we hear more from Ms. Quevedo to come.
There are of course other roles and many other actors to note for this miniseries. Winona Ryder doing excellent work as Vinni Restiano, Jim Belushi in a rare dramatic role as Mayor Angelo Martinelli, Bob Balaban doing superbly as Judge Leonard B. Sand, Jon Bernthal providing some important ideals as NAACP lawyer Mike Sussman, Peter Riegert in the role of Oscar Newman that is an important insight into how housing plans are developed. Dominique Fishback is another up and comer portraying young single mother Billie Rowan.
I will have a second essay to explain a lot more on many of the interesting touches made to this miniseries. Perhaps this one is quite long as is. None the less, it is a great miniseries; one that I think should be required viewing for anyone involved with community services pertaining to local matters.
More coming; stay tuned,
Robert
PS. I am liking the new Google logo. And I am keenly interested in what Alphabet will bring to the table of new ideas.
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Must I write about this again?
Earlier today, there was a shooting of two youngish news reporters and photographers from a local station in Virginia. The victims' names were Alison Parker (24) and Adam Ward (27); two individuals whose lives were cut short without any concern for their futures.
The gunman was Vester Flanagan (41), better known by his reporter name Bryce Williams. Mr. Flanagan, a fellow news reporter, was dismissed from his position recently after complaints regarding his work ethic and unfounded allegations of racism and homophobia. You see, Mr. Flanagan was both an African-American and identified as a gay man. This was not the first time accusations were made by Mr. Flanagan regarding fellow employees. As a result of his dismissal, Mr. Flanagan this morning disturbed an interview Ms. Parker was doing and Mr. Ward was filming; by shooting Mr. Ward and then Ms. Parker and Vicki Gardner, who was being interviewed live. Fortunately, Ms. Gardner is alive, though in intensive care. As for Mr. Flanagan, he live messaged and Tweeted his reasoning while being pursued by law enforcement. He then died from what amounted to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. ABC News has obtained a copy of a 23 page statement from Mr. Flanagan which has not been fully released at this time.
I will have more to say on this shortly. None the less, along with the obvious need for the banning of guns and automatic weaponry; we are going to need to provide mandatory evaluations for people under some form of distress. Failure to do this could result in more of these tragic circumstances. This needs to stop!
As I mentioned before, I will have more on my opinions when possible. I just really detest saying the same reasonable idea yet getting a reply of "meh".
Talk to you pretty soon,
Robert
The gunman was Vester Flanagan (41), better known by his reporter name Bryce Williams. Mr. Flanagan, a fellow news reporter, was dismissed from his position recently after complaints regarding his work ethic and unfounded allegations of racism and homophobia. You see, Mr. Flanagan was both an African-American and identified as a gay man. This was not the first time accusations were made by Mr. Flanagan regarding fellow employees. As a result of his dismissal, Mr. Flanagan this morning disturbed an interview Ms. Parker was doing and Mr. Ward was filming; by shooting Mr. Ward and then Ms. Parker and Vicki Gardner, who was being interviewed live. Fortunately, Ms. Gardner is alive, though in intensive care. As for Mr. Flanagan, he live messaged and Tweeted his reasoning while being pursued by law enforcement. He then died from what amounted to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. ABC News has obtained a copy of a 23 page statement from Mr. Flanagan which has not been fully released at this time.
I will have more to say on this shortly. None the less, along with the obvious need for the banning of guns and automatic weaponry; we are going to need to provide mandatory evaluations for people under some form of distress. Failure to do this could result in more of these tragic circumstances. This needs to stop!
As I mentioned before, I will have more on my opinions when possible. I just really detest saying the same reasonable idea yet getting a reply of "meh".
Talk to you pretty soon,
Robert
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
That One Summer: One Hour Photo
It has now been exactly one year since Robin Williams died. One year in which I and may others keep wondering what has changed since then. One year that we have been asking ourselves if we were able to see the warning signs of a sad and troubled soul who had a gift for making people better in thoughts and laughter when needed. When I heard that Robin Williams had committed suicide, I kept thinking to 12 years before, when I and many others saw an excellent movie Mr. Williams was in that I think would have been the game changer in how many saw him. That movie was One Hour Photo; one of the few times I walked out of the theater feeling disturbed.
One Hour Photo is quite possibly one of the better movies of 2002, and certainly amongst the creepiest films to have been produced. It was one of those movies that needed repeated viewing and a thorough analysis to what was just seen. Like many of the great horror films, it would leave audiences wondering what they had just seen, and unsure of the ending being presented. In some ways, I think this was due to this movie being written and directed by Mark Romanek; an innovative filmmaker of music videos. Amazingly, One Hour Photo was only his second film outside of the video music genre. Yet as opposed to the usual jump cuts and flash photography involved in some of Mr. Romanek's videos (Scream, 99 Problems, Closer, The Perfect Drug, Speed Of Sound), One Hour Photo was sparse in its visual outlook.
Most importantly, what mattered was the story being told and seeing Robin Williams at his most creepiest up to that point. In short, Mr. Williams played a 50-plus year old loner, Sy Parrish, who spends his days as the photo developer at a CVS knockoff. Over time, Sy becomes concerned about the dealings of a young family, the Yorkins. What sends Sy over his limits is a drop off that Will Yorkin (Michael Vartan) delivers containing photos of Will and his mistress Maya (Erin Daniels). And yet, the troubles and disintegration of the Yorkins, including that of Nina (Connie Nielsen), is secondary compared with Sy's inner turmoil and demons becoming more and more public.
Now, since this movie was completed in 2002, I trust many of you have seen One Hour Photo. With that in mind, some important matters relating to plot and storytelling are needed to be clarified.
Did the kid know his father was cheating?
I think so. One of the discussions on the IMDB and AICN message boards at the time noticed how Romanek showed the young man playing Jake seem a bit embarrassed at Connie Nielsen's character looking at the photos of Will and Maya at the beach. In fact, there is no shock coming out of Jake. I think, and so did others at the time, Jake took those photos of his father and his mistress; likely attending the same vacation at the same beach. This may also explain how Jake seems to become more deadpan and apathetic during the course of the movie. I found it to be a rather brilliant move for a film of this caliber. Any sort of overacting and emphasis on the kid, and this movie fails.
Why the obsession over a family who is not all what they seem?
Mr. Williams does not at any one moment in this movie give us reason to necessarily hate Sy. I suppose this is because we in real life have noticed, or perhaps have ourselves been, lonely people without much to look forward to except our version of a hyper reality. We may look at the photos, videos, stories and ideals of a family or group of people and choose to see only what we want to believe. If for instance you see a family doing something wonderful while you are not; it is little surprise that any of us would feel even at the least jealous and envious. Certainly, Sy getting fired and then discovering the photos of Vartan and Daniels kissing ends that form of obsession and unqualified need for acceptance into the Yorkin family, as it were. This leads to an interesting debate that continues to infest message boards when discussing this movie.
Was Robin Williams' character, Sy Parrish, sexually molested as a child by his father?
The answer is yes. A movie that is intelligent and disturbing as what One Hour Photo is does not need to explicitly tell you everything. Mark Romanek has not ever in his fictional movies tried to hammer us with plot points and explicit revelations that are the bane of every cookie cutter horror movie. What Mr. Williams says to Eriq La Salle at the end effectively reveals both Sy's past and I am certain what has happened to Jake.
Did Sy take the pornographic pictures at the hotel?
You do not see them as evidence, yet I think those photos were taken and kept by Sy as an insurance policy or blackmail against Will. The last shot of the movie of Mr. Williams integrated with the Yorkins can be taken as different interpretations as to whether it is real or imagined. It could very well be real, and that the Vartan and Nielsen's characters will need to acquiesce to Sy whenever he sees fit. Once again, a rather clever move of storytelling format.
One Hour Photo remains a great movie to this day. I had hoped that Robin Williams would have at least garnered a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars; though sadly it was not to be. Perhaps this was not mentioned or even thought about at the time; yet I think if One Hour Photo had gotten a following similar to many of the horror franchises of the last 10 years, or perhaps even the word of mouth momentum the new Joel Edgerton film The Gift has received, certain career trajectories would have been altered. I will believe till I am blue in the face that with both Insomnia and One Hour Photo, along with a sharp return to stand-up, Robin Williams was re inventing himself in a way that I think would have provided a newer fan base. As I said, these movies were quite successful, and a lot of media attention was made. Yet, and here is the kicker, not getting a Best Actor nomination may have given Mr. Williams doubts about showing his darker side. Or perhaps not; his Oscar in Good Will Hunting was quite edgy itself. And of course, Robin Williams never stopped being funny.
We may never truly know how he felt. Unless there is a biography of considerable regard on his life published, Robin Williams' inner feelings may well be considered foreign to us. Sure, many of us get depressed; a number even think of ending it all. And quite a few of us do suffer from illness. Perhaps one day we will know. None the less, we did have a renaissance in the life of Robin Williams in 2002, a rather interesting life we all looked up to That One Summer.
So was a great life in a weary world,
Robert
PS. I will have more to say about The Gift coming shortly. It is though a must see movie. And I am still working the cogs at getting to upload videos, including my own.
One Hour Photo is quite possibly one of the better movies of 2002, and certainly amongst the creepiest films to have been produced. It was one of those movies that needed repeated viewing and a thorough analysis to what was just seen. Like many of the great horror films, it would leave audiences wondering what they had just seen, and unsure of the ending being presented. In some ways, I think this was due to this movie being written and directed by Mark Romanek; an innovative filmmaker of music videos. Amazingly, One Hour Photo was only his second film outside of the video music genre. Yet as opposed to the usual jump cuts and flash photography involved in some of Mr. Romanek's videos (Scream, 99 Problems, Closer, The Perfect Drug, Speed Of Sound), One Hour Photo was sparse in its visual outlook.
Most importantly, what mattered was the story being told and seeing Robin Williams at his most creepiest up to that point. In short, Mr. Williams played a 50-plus year old loner, Sy Parrish, who spends his days as the photo developer at a CVS knockoff. Over time, Sy becomes concerned about the dealings of a young family, the Yorkins. What sends Sy over his limits is a drop off that Will Yorkin (Michael Vartan) delivers containing photos of Will and his mistress Maya (Erin Daniels). And yet, the troubles and disintegration of the Yorkins, including that of Nina (Connie Nielsen), is secondary compared with Sy's inner turmoil and demons becoming more and more public.
Now, since this movie was completed in 2002, I trust many of you have seen One Hour Photo. With that in mind, some important matters relating to plot and storytelling are needed to be clarified.
Did the kid know his father was cheating?
I think so. One of the discussions on the IMDB and AICN message boards at the time noticed how Romanek showed the young man playing Jake seem a bit embarrassed at Connie Nielsen's character looking at the photos of Will and Maya at the beach. In fact, there is no shock coming out of Jake. I think, and so did others at the time, Jake took those photos of his father and his mistress; likely attending the same vacation at the same beach. This may also explain how Jake seems to become more deadpan and apathetic during the course of the movie. I found it to be a rather brilliant move for a film of this caliber. Any sort of overacting and emphasis on the kid, and this movie fails.
Why the obsession over a family who is not all what they seem?
Mr. Williams does not at any one moment in this movie give us reason to necessarily hate Sy. I suppose this is because we in real life have noticed, or perhaps have ourselves been, lonely people without much to look forward to except our version of a hyper reality. We may look at the photos, videos, stories and ideals of a family or group of people and choose to see only what we want to believe. If for instance you see a family doing something wonderful while you are not; it is little surprise that any of us would feel even at the least jealous and envious. Certainly, Sy getting fired and then discovering the photos of Vartan and Daniels kissing ends that form of obsession and unqualified need for acceptance into the Yorkin family, as it were. This leads to an interesting debate that continues to infest message boards when discussing this movie.
Was Robin Williams' character, Sy Parrish, sexually molested as a child by his father?
The answer is yes. A movie that is intelligent and disturbing as what One Hour Photo is does not need to explicitly tell you everything. Mark Romanek has not ever in his fictional movies tried to hammer us with plot points and explicit revelations that are the bane of every cookie cutter horror movie. What Mr. Williams says to Eriq La Salle at the end effectively reveals both Sy's past and I am certain what has happened to Jake.
Did Sy take the pornographic pictures at the hotel?
You do not see them as evidence, yet I think those photos were taken and kept by Sy as an insurance policy or blackmail against Will. The last shot of the movie of Mr. Williams integrated with the Yorkins can be taken as different interpretations as to whether it is real or imagined. It could very well be real, and that the Vartan and Nielsen's characters will need to acquiesce to Sy whenever he sees fit. Once again, a rather clever move of storytelling format.
One Hour Photo remains a great movie to this day. I had hoped that Robin Williams would have at least garnered a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars; though sadly it was not to be. Perhaps this was not mentioned or even thought about at the time; yet I think if One Hour Photo had gotten a following similar to many of the horror franchises of the last 10 years, or perhaps even the word of mouth momentum the new Joel Edgerton film The Gift has received, certain career trajectories would have been altered. I will believe till I am blue in the face that with both Insomnia and One Hour Photo, along with a sharp return to stand-up, Robin Williams was re inventing himself in a way that I think would have provided a newer fan base. As I said, these movies were quite successful, and a lot of media attention was made. Yet, and here is the kicker, not getting a Best Actor nomination may have given Mr. Williams doubts about showing his darker side. Or perhaps not; his Oscar in Good Will Hunting was quite edgy itself. And of course, Robin Williams never stopped being funny.
We may never truly know how he felt. Unless there is a biography of considerable regard on his life published, Robin Williams' inner feelings may well be considered foreign to us. Sure, many of us get depressed; a number even think of ending it all. And quite a few of us do suffer from illness. Perhaps one day we will know. None the less, we did have a renaissance in the life of Robin Williams in 2002, a rather interesting life we all looked up to That One Summer.
So was a great life in a weary world,
Robert
PS. I will have more to say about The Gift coming shortly. It is though a must see movie. And I am still working the cogs at getting to upload videos, including my own.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Goodell Must Go!
One week or so from now, something really special happens every time in early August. The National Football League starts its season, unofficially mind you, with the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony. August 8 will see an induction ceremony honoring 8 important people whose life and works regarding American Football are well known to all those that follow the sport. The elite 8, as it were, are:
Junior Seau (1969-2012): Linebacker 1990-2009 (San Diego Chargers 90-02)
Jerome Bettis: Running Back 1993-2005 (Pittsburgh Steelers 96-05)
Charles Haley: Linebacker/Defensive End Dallas Cowboys/San Francisco 49ers 1986-1999
Tim Brown: Wide Receiver 1988-2004 (Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders 88-03)
Bill Polian: General Manager/Front Office 1978-2011 (Buffalo Bills/NFL 84-94, Indianapolis Colts 98-11)
Mick Tinglehoff: Center Minnesota Vikings 1962-1978
Will Sheilds: Guard Kansas City Chiefs 1993-2006
Ron Wolf: Director of Player Personnel/General Manager 1963-2001 (Oakland/LA Raiders 63-74, 79-89, Green Bay Packers 91-01)
In addition, ESPN football analyst Tom Jackson and AP lead football writer Dave Goldberg (1941-2015) will receive the media awards during the August 6 Gold Jacket Dinner.
Now, in most circumstances I will not feel the need to address NFL issues. This is different however. Of the 8 inductees receiving head busts, one of them is not alive to see it. Junior Seau, arguably the most durable linebacker to play football in his lifetime, died in 2012 at the age of 43. Seau killed himself as a result of depression and neurological problems relating to a diagnosis of concussion syndromes. Upon his death, Junior Seau was diagnosed as having Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease effecting the brain and other motor neuron functions as a result of multiple concussions. Side effects, unfortunately, do include depression and lack of direction. Indeed, Seau was in danger of losing his restaurant business at the time of his death, and despite 20 seasons in the league and his number 55 retired by the Chargers; Junior Seau was not a wealthy man. In point of fact, a great deal of money was poured into his restaurant business just to keep it afloat. The results of the autopsy on Seau prompted his surviving family to seek compensatory damages by the NFL over injuries and neurological problems obtained during the course of his 20 season career, and most importantly the last 2 years of his life. The Seau family has even opted to forego cashing in on the class action lawsuit settlement by retired NFL players seeking compensation for concussion syndromes. As of this writing, the lawsuit is still ongoing. This has effected a moment next week when Junior Seau will be forever honored as a football great; induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While Bettis, Haley, Brown, Polian, Tinglehoff, Shields and Wolf will be able to give their acceptance speeches, Seau's daughter, who is presenting her father, will not be allowed to give a speech. This was revealed After she gave her remarks on the customary video summary on Junior Seau's life. I find this to be insulting. There are those that will defend the policy put into place by the Hall of Fame in not allowing presenters of posthumous inductees give their speeches. I am not one of them. Do any of you know why this policy was enacted 4 years ago? Well, it was in that year the Hall of Fame, and with that the NFL, made a boneheaded move. Les Richter (1930-2010) was inducted posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame based on 9 seasons (1954-1962) as a linebacker with the Los Angeles Rams. Here is the kicker; at no point in time during those 9 seasons was Richter given the proper monetary compensation that an All-Pro linebacker was deserving of being awarded to. In point of fact, after Les Richter retired, he spent the remainder of his life involved with auto racing. He was not a driver or car owner; yet Richter owned several racetracks and venues for NASCAR, Indycar, USAC, IROC and other leagues. Surprisingly, in his lifetime Les Richter was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame and gladly accepted the honor. Yet, honoring an NFL great just after he died was not the real boneheaded move. That occurred, in the midst of a lockout of players which was resolved before the 2011 Induction Ceremony, with not allowing Les Richter's son John to give an acceptance and memorial speech on the night of induction. Because you see, the NFL just could not have John Richter mentioning to fans and players alike that the NFL does not pay fairly, and perhaps the best part of one's life in football is after the playing career is finished; possibly including walking away from the game entirely. In the same manner, the NFL just cannot have Junior Seau's daughter give a speech decrying the NFL in their manners of tossing players aside when they are out of the league and not looking into not only their post football lives yet also the amount of pain and suffering they endure so that we fans are entertained. You may have already guessed who is behind this malarkey, at least on a PR manner. That would be the current NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Roger Goodell, son of Sen. Charles Goodell (R-NY) has been commissioner since 2006. Each year that passes by sees Goodell arbitararly handing out edicts and punishments when sought fit; along with a general disregard for player relations on an overall matter. As is often the case, the true NFL leader is found with the Executive Director of the Players Union, DeMaurice Smith. The NFLPA usually has isues correctly assessed than does the front office. Heck, most of the owners whom Goodell is beholden to; to say nothing of corporate sponsors, have more fortitude and reason than Roger Goodell has. This Hall of Fame issue, along with some other concurrent issues of matters trivial yet expanded upon, leads me to believe that Roger Goodell must be ousted as soon as can be. The National Football League cannot become a laughingstock even more so than it already is. I will have more to say on why Goodell Must Go in an essay to be published momentarily. Suffice to say, protecting the image of a brand may end up hurting the brand long term. More coming; stay tuned, Robert
Junior Seau (1969-2012): Linebacker 1990-2009 (San Diego Chargers 90-02)
Jerome Bettis: Running Back 1993-2005 (Pittsburgh Steelers 96-05)
Charles Haley: Linebacker/Defensive End Dallas Cowboys/San Francisco 49ers 1986-1999
Tim Brown: Wide Receiver 1988-2004 (Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders 88-03)
Bill Polian: General Manager/Front Office 1978-2011 (Buffalo Bills/NFL 84-94, Indianapolis Colts 98-11)
Mick Tinglehoff: Center Minnesota Vikings 1962-1978
Will Sheilds: Guard Kansas City Chiefs 1993-2006
Ron Wolf: Director of Player Personnel/General Manager 1963-2001 (Oakland/LA Raiders 63-74, 79-89, Green Bay Packers 91-01)
In addition, ESPN football analyst Tom Jackson and AP lead football writer Dave Goldberg (1941-2015) will receive the media awards during the August 6 Gold Jacket Dinner.
Now, in most circumstances I will not feel the need to address NFL issues. This is different however. Of the 8 inductees receiving head busts, one of them is not alive to see it. Junior Seau, arguably the most durable linebacker to play football in his lifetime, died in 2012 at the age of 43. Seau killed himself as a result of depression and neurological problems relating to a diagnosis of concussion syndromes. Upon his death, Junior Seau was diagnosed as having Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease effecting the brain and other motor neuron functions as a result of multiple concussions. Side effects, unfortunately, do include depression and lack of direction. Indeed, Seau was in danger of losing his restaurant business at the time of his death, and despite 20 seasons in the league and his number 55 retired by the Chargers; Junior Seau was not a wealthy man. In point of fact, a great deal of money was poured into his restaurant business just to keep it afloat. The results of the autopsy on Seau prompted his surviving family to seek compensatory damages by the NFL over injuries and neurological problems obtained during the course of his 20 season career, and most importantly the last 2 years of his life. The Seau family has even opted to forego cashing in on the class action lawsuit settlement by retired NFL players seeking compensation for concussion syndromes. As of this writing, the lawsuit is still ongoing. This has effected a moment next week when Junior Seau will be forever honored as a football great; induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While Bettis, Haley, Brown, Polian, Tinglehoff, Shields and Wolf will be able to give their acceptance speeches, Seau's daughter, who is presenting her father, will not be allowed to give a speech. This was revealed After she gave her remarks on the customary video summary on Junior Seau's life. I find this to be insulting. There are those that will defend the policy put into place by the Hall of Fame in not allowing presenters of posthumous inductees give their speeches. I am not one of them. Do any of you know why this policy was enacted 4 years ago? Well, it was in that year the Hall of Fame, and with that the NFL, made a boneheaded move. Les Richter (1930-2010) was inducted posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame based on 9 seasons (1954-1962) as a linebacker with the Los Angeles Rams. Here is the kicker; at no point in time during those 9 seasons was Richter given the proper monetary compensation that an All-Pro linebacker was deserving of being awarded to. In point of fact, after Les Richter retired, he spent the remainder of his life involved with auto racing. He was not a driver or car owner; yet Richter owned several racetracks and venues for NASCAR, Indycar, USAC, IROC and other leagues. Surprisingly, in his lifetime Les Richter was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame and gladly accepted the honor. Yet, honoring an NFL great just after he died was not the real boneheaded move. That occurred, in the midst of a lockout of players which was resolved before the 2011 Induction Ceremony, with not allowing Les Richter's son John to give an acceptance and memorial speech on the night of induction. Because you see, the NFL just could not have John Richter mentioning to fans and players alike that the NFL does not pay fairly, and perhaps the best part of one's life in football is after the playing career is finished; possibly including walking away from the game entirely. In the same manner, the NFL just cannot have Junior Seau's daughter give a speech decrying the NFL in their manners of tossing players aside when they are out of the league and not looking into not only their post football lives yet also the amount of pain and suffering they endure so that we fans are entertained. You may have already guessed who is behind this malarkey, at least on a PR manner. That would be the current NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Roger Goodell, son of Sen. Charles Goodell (R-NY) has been commissioner since 2006. Each year that passes by sees Goodell arbitararly handing out edicts and punishments when sought fit; along with a general disregard for player relations on an overall matter. As is often the case, the true NFL leader is found with the Executive Director of the Players Union, DeMaurice Smith. The NFLPA usually has isues correctly assessed than does the front office. Heck, most of the owners whom Goodell is beholden to; to say nothing of corporate sponsors, have more fortitude and reason than Roger Goodell has. This Hall of Fame issue, along with some other concurrent issues of matters trivial yet expanded upon, leads me to believe that Roger Goodell must be ousted as soon as can be. The National Football League cannot become a laughingstock even more so than it already is. I will have more to say on why Goodell Must Go in an essay to be published momentarily. Suffice to say, protecting the image of a brand may end up hurting the brand long term. More coming; stay tuned, Robert
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Sen. John McCain is not a war hero
I wanted to start this essay by getting the most obvious out of the way. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is not a war hero, Vietnam or otherwise. It is not entirely for the reasons you think. To understand the real issues of Sen. McCain's purported 6 years as a Prisoner Of War, you need to look back at the events surrounding the US Military during the crucial year 1967.
It was in 1967 that in the midst of both Vietnam and the Six-Day War, near the Strait of Hormuz, a military mishap occurred that until 2002 was unknown to many. On June 8, 1967, the Naval ship USS Liberty was sailing near the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Egypt when an Israeli Naval ship approached the Liberty. Thinking that the Liberty was an Egyptian Naval vessel, or so it was told, the IDF authorized the blockade and attack on the USS Liberty. It resulted in the death of 34 crew members, mostly Naval officers; and another 141 wounded. This is in addition to the destruction of the Liberty itself. For all intents and purposes, and due to the United States supporting Israel in the Six-Day War, the incident was minimized considerably. One surviving crew member, for instance, was awarded a Medal of Honor; the ceremony took place privately without the involvement of President Lyndon Johnson. That is the only time a Medal of Honor recipient did not have his ceremony take place at the White House.
To this day, many of the surviving crew members and a number of journalists and political figures in the US have expressed their opinions that a cover-up had and may still be taking place. I happen to think the IDF attack was deliberate; a ploy to essentially tell the US Military to back off from Israel's advancement of territory and prominence in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. A fairly well made report on the incident was presented by the BBC some years back. Here is the video:
Now what does this have to do with Sen. John McCain? Well, it directly has to deal with Rear Admiral John V. McCain, Sen. McCain's father and a prominent Defense Department leader in 1967. It was Adm. McCain that essentially authorized the official cover-up by the Navy in the aftermath of the Liberty assault. At the same time, Adm. McCain's son, Sen. McCain, was a fighter pilot with little accomplishment during the Vietnam War. I am certain a deal was made in the DOD involving Adm. McCain to save face and avoid calls for dismissal by orchestrating a POW matter to take place wherein Sen. McCain would be held captive by Viet Cong leadership for an indefinite amount of time until the end of the US involvement in Vietnam. That end would come in 1973. In the interim, Adm. McCain would be able to avoid questioning because, after all, his son was a POW. And in the Vietnam era, most US citizens would not be prone to asking questions about their leadership. I say most citizens; there were a number that did question these motives back then, and are proven right today.
Fortunately nowadays, the informed public does not give special treatment to a war veteran just because he or she is a war veteran. While Sen. McCain may prove different, his Vietnam record does not have an affect on the past 30 years of Sen. McCain's life. Come to think of it; being a war veteran does not give a person the prerequisite to run for political office. I look at any and every candidate running for President of the United States, including pres. Barack Obama running for re-election. Not one of them was ever in the military. That for me is a positive trajectory; showing that the immediate reactive mindset of military procedure does not come into fruition from these individuals.
Sen. John McCain is, to say this yet again, not a war hero. The USS Liberty cover-up tells the tale of why, in a related manner, Sen. McCain stayed captive. By the way, does not Sen. McCain have a re-election campaign to run? Well, if the public is not buying the war hero talk, they may not buy Sen. McCain staying in the Senate. And this could come in a primary.
I will have more to say regarding this presidential race in the days ahead. Being honest, I would rather prefer a Westminster style form of governance; along with a royal family, preferably the Clinton family. Yes, that would go against US laws and precedents. None the less; you try invoking the Bill of Rights in a family squabble. It will never work, because reality does not function that way.
Before I go, I want to show you a police interrogation that would lead to an African American, Sandra Bland, to her death. It appears DWB (Driving While Black) can inadvertently result in a fatality. Word of advise to white cops: do not do anything to a minority, ever. Go after your own people in the force, which of course you do not do. Also, to anyone wanting to be a cop: Do not even think about it.
Talk to you soon on something a bit lighter:),
Robert
It was in 1967 that in the midst of both Vietnam and the Six-Day War, near the Strait of Hormuz, a military mishap occurred that until 2002 was unknown to many. On June 8, 1967, the Naval ship USS Liberty was sailing near the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Egypt when an Israeli Naval ship approached the Liberty. Thinking that the Liberty was an Egyptian Naval vessel, or so it was told, the IDF authorized the blockade and attack on the USS Liberty. It resulted in the death of 34 crew members, mostly Naval officers; and another 141 wounded. This is in addition to the destruction of the Liberty itself. For all intents and purposes, and due to the United States supporting Israel in the Six-Day War, the incident was minimized considerably. One surviving crew member, for instance, was awarded a Medal of Honor; the ceremony took place privately without the involvement of President Lyndon Johnson. That is the only time a Medal of Honor recipient did not have his ceremony take place at the White House.
To this day, many of the surviving crew members and a number of journalists and political figures in the US have expressed their opinions that a cover-up had and may still be taking place. I happen to think the IDF attack was deliberate; a ploy to essentially tell the US Military to back off from Israel's advancement of territory and prominence in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. A fairly well made report on the incident was presented by the BBC some years back. Here is the video:
Now what does this have to do with Sen. John McCain? Well, it directly has to deal with Rear Admiral John V. McCain, Sen. McCain's father and a prominent Defense Department leader in 1967. It was Adm. McCain that essentially authorized the official cover-up by the Navy in the aftermath of the Liberty assault. At the same time, Adm. McCain's son, Sen. McCain, was a fighter pilot with little accomplishment during the Vietnam War. I am certain a deal was made in the DOD involving Adm. McCain to save face and avoid calls for dismissal by orchestrating a POW matter to take place wherein Sen. McCain would be held captive by Viet Cong leadership for an indefinite amount of time until the end of the US involvement in Vietnam. That end would come in 1973. In the interim, Adm. McCain would be able to avoid questioning because, after all, his son was a POW. And in the Vietnam era, most US citizens would not be prone to asking questions about their leadership. I say most citizens; there were a number that did question these motives back then, and are proven right today.
Fortunately nowadays, the informed public does not give special treatment to a war veteran just because he or she is a war veteran. While Sen. McCain may prove different, his Vietnam record does not have an affect on the past 30 years of Sen. McCain's life. Come to think of it; being a war veteran does not give a person the prerequisite to run for political office. I look at any and every candidate running for President of the United States, including pres. Barack Obama running for re-election. Not one of them was ever in the military. That for me is a positive trajectory; showing that the immediate reactive mindset of military procedure does not come into fruition from these individuals.
Sen. John McCain is, to say this yet again, not a war hero. The USS Liberty cover-up tells the tale of why, in a related manner, Sen. McCain stayed captive. By the way, does not Sen. McCain have a re-election campaign to run? Well, if the public is not buying the war hero talk, they may not buy Sen. McCain staying in the Senate. And this could come in a primary.
I will have more to say regarding this presidential race in the days ahead. Being honest, I would rather prefer a Westminster style form of governance; along with a royal family, preferably the Clinton family. Yes, that would go against US laws and precedents. None the less; you try invoking the Bill of Rights in a family squabble. It will never work, because reality does not function that way.
Talk to you soon on something a bit lighter:),
Robert
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
That One Summer: Live On Broadway
Growing up, there were not many TV channels that showed stand up comedy. By that I mean, an actual live stand up routine outside of a talk show or some special programming. One of the few channels to watch both up and coming comics and seasoned veterans was HBO. And it was HBO that broadcasted the first stand up special starring Robin Williams. That was back in 1978 at The Roxy; a performance we know was fueled by Mr. Williams' addiction to cocaine yet was quite brilliant. It must be seen to be appreciated.
Robin Williams went on to star in quite a few more comedy specials, each shown on HBO. Also, Mr. Williams became involved with Comic Relief for many years. Each of those comedy stand up shows were hilarious and insightful. Indeed, it is difficult to say which one of his specials was the best. I can tell you that in the Summer of 2002, one of Mr. Williams' stand up shows was broadcasted live on HBO that nearly everyone wanted to see. I can remember it being talked about days and even weeks afterwards. It was Robin Williams: Live On Broadway. And in short, I probably did not laugh as hard and as often as I did that night.
It was not even a year after 911, and for me it seemed that topical social political humor was about to be thrown out the window, as it were. People then, as now, more interested and comforted in bathroom jokes and celebrity impersonations and parodies. Yet, by 2002, that was changing and quite rightly so. Bill Maher may have been the spark that got political humor going again; to say nothing of the likes of George Carlin and others leading the way. Yet I think that night in July, it was Robin Williams that dared to go all out. Of course, Mr. Williams always went all out in his beliefs. A very good example involved this little gem.
"Oh, guess what? Congress has passed a bill to secretly assassinate Saddam Hussein.
So what they have done, is announce the US' plans to secretly assassinate Saddam Hussein.
I wonder if he knows?"
The audience both live and watching just about fell to the floor laughing. In that one humorous observation, Robin Williams told everyone what a waste of time and money an invasion of Iraq would be. That of course was one of many different people and things he made fun of that night. I honestly do not know where to start with the best bits.
Would it be his Scotsman explaining golf?
His look at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City?
Mr. Williams doing a very succinct Donald Rumsfeld?
His extremely hilarious look at religion? Which I might add only Bill Maher was on par with in that department?
Robin Williams observing that after 911, not much has changed in New York attitudes?
His takedown on our at the time growing plastic surgery and medicine for sex fetishes?
Whatever it was, that night Robin Williams showed a vitality and sharp mind that I suppose was undervalued given Mr. Williams' film roles and cheery personality. Yet, Robin Williams had always been edgy in his stand up comedy. Go back and look at his comedy specials before Live On Broadway and even afterwards and you will see his genius on full display. Plus, if you had received the DVD version, there was a lot more where that came from.
At that point in Mr. Williams' life, it seemed like he was at the top of his influence; possibly far more influential than at any other time in his life. And there was still more to come from Robin Williams in 2002. Indeed, by August movie audiences were treated to one of the defining roles Mr. Williams had done in his life and one which, for myself, I walked out of the theater feeling disturbed. That movie was of course One Hour Photo; a role of his that I had thought would have garnered Robin Williams another Academy Award nomination. Alas, it did not. Yet, it was the culmination of a revitalization that should have, if given more of a look, been the spark that changed Mr. Williams' trajectory in his humor and his acting. None the less, we still have That One Summer.
An essay on One Hour Photo is forthcoming,
Robert
PS. Here in its complete glory is the Live On Broadway special I was talking about.
Robin Williams went on to star in quite a few more comedy specials, each shown on HBO. Also, Mr. Williams became involved with Comic Relief for many years. Each of those comedy stand up shows were hilarious and insightful. Indeed, it is difficult to say which one of his specials was the best. I can tell you that in the Summer of 2002, one of Mr. Williams' stand up shows was broadcasted live on HBO that nearly everyone wanted to see. I can remember it being talked about days and even weeks afterwards. It was Robin Williams: Live On Broadway. And in short, I probably did not laugh as hard and as often as I did that night.
It was not even a year after 911, and for me it seemed that topical social political humor was about to be thrown out the window, as it were. People then, as now, more interested and comforted in bathroom jokes and celebrity impersonations and parodies. Yet, by 2002, that was changing and quite rightly so. Bill Maher may have been the spark that got political humor going again; to say nothing of the likes of George Carlin and others leading the way. Yet I think that night in July, it was Robin Williams that dared to go all out. Of course, Mr. Williams always went all out in his beliefs. A very good example involved this little gem.
"Oh, guess what? Congress has passed a bill to secretly assassinate Saddam Hussein.
So what they have done, is announce the US' plans to secretly assassinate Saddam Hussein.
I wonder if he knows?"
The audience both live and watching just about fell to the floor laughing. In that one humorous observation, Robin Williams told everyone what a waste of time and money an invasion of Iraq would be. That of course was one of many different people and things he made fun of that night. I honestly do not know where to start with the best bits.
Would it be his Scotsman explaining golf?
His look at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City?
Mr. Williams doing a very succinct Donald Rumsfeld?
His extremely hilarious look at religion? Which I might add only Bill Maher was on par with in that department?
Robin Williams observing that after 911, not much has changed in New York attitudes?
His takedown on our at the time growing plastic surgery and medicine for sex fetishes?
Whatever it was, that night Robin Williams showed a vitality and sharp mind that I suppose was undervalued given Mr. Williams' film roles and cheery personality. Yet, Robin Williams had always been edgy in his stand up comedy. Go back and look at his comedy specials before Live On Broadway and even afterwards and you will see his genius on full display. Plus, if you had received the DVD version, there was a lot more where that came from.
At that point in Mr. Williams' life, it seemed like he was at the top of his influence; possibly far more influential than at any other time in his life. And there was still more to come from Robin Williams in 2002. Indeed, by August movie audiences were treated to one of the defining roles Mr. Williams had done in his life and one which, for myself, I walked out of the theater feeling disturbed. That movie was of course One Hour Photo; a role of his that I had thought would have garnered Robin Williams another Academy Award nomination. Alas, it did not. Yet, it was the culmination of a revitalization that should have, if given more of a look, been the spark that changed Mr. Williams' trajectory in his humor and his acting. None the less, we still have That One Summer.
An essay on One Hour Photo is forthcoming,
Robert
PS. Here in its complete glory is the Live On Broadway special I was talking about.
Friday, July 3, 2015
That one summer: Insomnia
It was 13 years ago in June 2002. I was a 19 year old student enrolled at Hofstra University studying Political Science and Sociology at a most interesting time both in our world and for myself. Of the many events and changes made that summer, what stood out for me was Robin Williams. He was on a roll, starring in two psychological thrillers and going out on a stand-up comedy tour where he sold out every venue. No one ever thought of the problems that laid ahead for this genius.
What I saw first was Insomnia. It was only the third movie to be directed and co-produced and co-written by a budding prodigy in filmmaking. His name: Christopher Nolan, having been known previously for his independent debut Following (1993) and then the underground hit Memento (2000). Both stylish and unique movies that only scratched the surface of this singular talent. So it seemed a bit curious as to why Nolan would have his next movie be a big-budget remake of a 1997 Erik Skjoldbjaerg low budget thriller based in Norway.
For those not familiar, the original movie starred Stellan Skarsgard as a police detective investigating the murder of a 17 year old girl in the Arctic region. Skarsgard's character, Jonas, has problems of his own; namely an inability to sleep which does not help being in the Arctic during the months of full daylight. Also during the height of the investigation , Jonas accidentally shoots his partner, Erik. Eventually things come to a head when the killer of the girl, played by Bjorn Floberg, begins calling Jonas and appearing at inopportune times with knowledge of the shooting of Erik. Now, the original movie was interesting in its own way. I vividly remember Siskel and Ebert giving it their two thumbs up; Roger Ebert even comparing the movie favorably with the great Fyodor Dosteyevsky novels. You can find this movie on DVD and Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection.
So that was the original movie: what about the remake that Christopher Nolan helmed? Interestingly, it might be somewhat better than the original, upping the ante on the psychological situations and providing a multi-layer approach with many of the non lead characters. Some of the plot points are similar; only this time it is in Nightmute, Alaska during the months of the Midnight Sun. As well, Al Pacino plays Will Dormer, a detective with more problems going in to Alaska than initially surmised; namely being exiled from the LAPD after an IA investigation shows fabrication of evidence in the conviction of a child murderer.
Any time a fellow actor is in the same film as Al Pacino there is bound to be a sense that the actors and the audience are just waiting for some scenery chewing. Rest assured, there is what we expect from Pacino in at least two interrogation scenes. Yet, as we have come to expect from Christopher Nolan, the rest of the cast hold their own. When I saw Insomnia, I was rather impressed with Maura Tierney in one of her breakthrough roles; her character being the hotel manager that moved to Alaska for reasons unexplained. Martin Donovan did rather well in his brief appearance as Will Dormer's partner. Also, it was interesting to see Hilary Swank's character get more nuanced and greater screen time than in the original movie. Yet, by far, the film was elevated exponentially by Robin Williams.
Williams and his character, now named Walter Finch, does not appear until about 50 minutes in. Yet once you hear his voice saying to Will Dorner "Can't sleep, eh?", one of Williams' more creepier roles comes to life. Here is one such example when Finch explains why he killed the 17 year old.
It just gets more creepier from there onward. In a way, the action set pieces are among the most realistic in any Christopher Nolan film. And for those who want to know; yes, the ending is changed somewhat. However, I think it works quite well.
Now, getting back to my reasoning for this essay. I mentioned before that it seemed that 2002 showed us a more disturbing and unsettling public view of Robin Williams. It was not as if Mr. Williams had not shown it in previous roles. But for me, those more serious films like The World According To Garp, Moscow On The Hudson, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, Toys, Dead Again, Good Will Hunting, and even What Dreams May Come presented Robin Williams in more sympathetic traits for his characters. And even in his more serious roles, there was always a tinge of his unique humor that would show up if ever so briefly. It was as if Mr. Williams were saying to us "Look, I still have my laughter and manic style. This is only a role". Yet, I suppose when he reached 50, and probably taking a hint from his Oscar winning role in Good Will Hunting (1997) and a late breakthrough performance in What Dreams May Come (1998); perhaps Robin Williams wanted to go a different path.
It started innocuously enough with the dark comedy Death To Smoochie, a movie which I still have not seen. Admittedly, I was not interested in a story of a children's television star being a prick. None the less, it was Insomnia that I and perhaps others felt for the first time seeing a character Mr. Williams was playing: in this case Walter Finch, and finding it very hard to root for the guy. Admittedly, it is hard to root for many of the characters in this film. Perhaps Hilary Swank and Martin Donovan play characters we can relate to. Not so with others. I suppose it makes sense that in this version; Al Pacino's Will Dorner eventually does not deny a reason to shoot the Martin Donovan character early on. Not to mention, Dorner is cured of his insomnia, so to speak, by dying in the chase and gunfight towards the end. A bit tailor made for Hollywood; yet the essence of the ending in the Stellan Skarsgard version remains.
Insomnia was a breakthrough film in so many different ways. It was Christopher Nolan alongside long time collaborators like DP Wally Pfister, screenwriting brother Jonathan Nolan, and producer and wife Anna Thomas that proved to be making highly acclaimed and financially rewarding pictures. A bit afterwards, Nolan and Thomas' company Syncopy secured a development deal with Warner Bros; where their films have been financed or co-produced ever since. Hilary Swank got to appear in her first financially successful movie. Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt and Martin Donovan were able to successfully become involved in leading roles for movies and TV shows down the line. And you know something; Al Pacino did not need to go over the top and chew the scenery that much in this film.
More notably, for a time, Robin Williams starting with Insomnia began to appear in a series of movies and even a Broadway show that had him become the disturbed and yet soft spoken guy who we in the audience are both shocked and intrigued by. By all rights, this movie and One Hour Photo which was released in August 2002 should have been the game changer for Mr. Williams. It really should have been the movies that would have been for Mr. Williams what, for instance, Schindler's List meant for Steven Spielberg: the point of maturity and demarcation in which there was no going back to the old ways. I believe Robin Williams could have been nominated for an Academy Award for either of those two movies; a Best Supporting Actor nod with Insomnia might have made the ensuing race a heck of a lot more interesting. Alas, that renaissance did not last long. Maybe it was for the best. Yet maybe, if the trajectory in Robin Williams' film roles were of the more dramatic sort, what transpired in his last years on this earth might not have happened.
Just as Robin Williams was at his A game with his Summer 2002 movie slate; so too was he back in action and better than many of his peers when it came to his stand up comedy tour. It culminated in late July with his remarkable HBO special, Live On Broadway. That will be discussed next as we look back at That One Summer.
Happy 4th of July everyone!,
Robert
What I saw first was Insomnia. It was only the third movie to be directed and co-produced and co-written by a budding prodigy in filmmaking. His name: Christopher Nolan, having been known previously for his independent debut Following (1993) and then the underground hit Memento (2000). Both stylish and unique movies that only scratched the surface of this singular talent. So it seemed a bit curious as to why Nolan would have his next movie be a big-budget remake of a 1997 Erik Skjoldbjaerg low budget thriller based in Norway.
For those not familiar, the original movie starred Stellan Skarsgard as a police detective investigating the murder of a 17 year old girl in the Arctic region. Skarsgard's character, Jonas, has problems of his own; namely an inability to sleep which does not help being in the Arctic during the months of full daylight. Also during the height of the investigation , Jonas accidentally shoots his partner, Erik. Eventually things come to a head when the killer of the girl, played by Bjorn Floberg, begins calling Jonas and appearing at inopportune times with knowledge of the shooting of Erik. Now, the original movie was interesting in its own way. I vividly remember Siskel and Ebert giving it their two thumbs up; Roger Ebert even comparing the movie favorably with the great Fyodor Dosteyevsky novels. You can find this movie on DVD and Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection.
So that was the original movie: what about the remake that Christopher Nolan helmed? Interestingly, it might be somewhat better than the original, upping the ante on the psychological situations and providing a multi-layer approach with many of the non lead characters. Some of the plot points are similar; only this time it is in Nightmute, Alaska during the months of the Midnight Sun. As well, Al Pacino plays Will Dormer, a detective with more problems going in to Alaska than initially surmised; namely being exiled from the LAPD after an IA investigation shows fabrication of evidence in the conviction of a child murderer.
Any time a fellow actor is in the same film as Al Pacino there is bound to be a sense that the actors and the audience are just waiting for some scenery chewing. Rest assured, there is what we expect from Pacino in at least two interrogation scenes. Yet, as we have come to expect from Christopher Nolan, the rest of the cast hold their own. When I saw Insomnia, I was rather impressed with Maura Tierney in one of her breakthrough roles; her character being the hotel manager that moved to Alaska for reasons unexplained. Martin Donovan did rather well in his brief appearance as Will Dormer's partner. Also, it was interesting to see Hilary Swank's character get more nuanced and greater screen time than in the original movie. Yet, by far, the film was elevated exponentially by Robin Williams.
Williams and his character, now named Walter Finch, does not appear until about 50 minutes in. Yet once you hear his voice saying to Will Dorner "Can't sleep, eh?", one of Williams' more creepier roles comes to life. Here is one such example when Finch explains why he killed the 17 year old.
It just gets more creepier from there onward. In a way, the action set pieces are among the most realistic in any Christopher Nolan film. And for those who want to know; yes, the ending is changed somewhat. However, I think it works quite well.
Now, getting back to my reasoning for this essay. I mentioned before that it seemed that 2002 showed us a more disturbing and unsettling public view of Robin Williams. It was not as if Mr. Williams had not shown it in previous roles. But for me, those more serious films like The World According To Garp, Moscow On The Hudson, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, Toys, Dead Again, Good Will Hunting, and even What Dreams May Come presented Robin Williams in more sympathetic traits for his characters. And even in his more serious roles, there was always a tinge of his unique humor that would show up if ever so briefly. It was as if Mr. Williams were saying to us "Look, I still have my laughter and manic style. This is only a role". Yet, I suppose when he reached 50, and probably taking a hint from his Oscar winning role in Good Will Hunting (1997) and a late breakthrough performance in What Dreams May Come (1998); perhaps Robin Williams wanted to go a different path.
It started innocuously enough with the dark comedy Death To Smoochie, a movie which I still have not seen. Admittedly, I was not interested in a story of a children's television star being a prick. None the less, it was Insomnia that I and perhaps others felt for the first time seeing a character Mr. Williams was playing: in this case Walter Finch, and finding it very hard to root for the guy. Admittedly, it is hard to root for many of the characters in this film. Perhaps Hilary Swank and Martin Donovan play characters we can relate to. Not so with others. I suppose it makes sense that in this version; Al Pacino's Will Dorner eventually does not deny a reason to shoot the Martin Donovan character early on. Not to mention, Dorner is cured of his insomnia, so to speak, by dying in the chase and gunfight towards the end. A bit tailor made for Hollywood; yet the essence of the ending in the Stellan Skarsgard version remains.
Insomnia was a breakthrough film in so many different ways. It was Christopher Nolan alongside long time collaborators like DP Wally Pfister, screenwriting brother Jonathan Nolan, and producer and wife Anna Thomas that proved to be making highly acclaimed and financially rewarding pictures. A bit afterwards, Nolan and Thomas' company Syncopy secured a development deal with Warner Bros; where their films have been financed or co-produced ever since. Hilary Swank got to appear in her first financially successful movie. Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt and Martin Donovan were able to successfully become involved in leading roles for movies and TV shows down the line. And you know something; Al Pacino did not need to go over the top and chew the scenery that much in this film.
More notably, for a time, Robin Williams starting with Insomnia began to appear in a series of movies and even a Broadway show that had him become the disturbed and yet soft spoken guy who we in the audience are both shocked and intrigued by. By all rights, this movie and One Hour Photo which was released in August 2002 should have been the game changer for Mr. Williams. It really should have been the movies that would have been for Mr. Williams what, for instance, Schindler's List meant for Steven Spielberg: the point of maturity and demarcation in which there was no going back to the old ways. I believe Robin Williams could have been nominated for an Academy Award for either of those two movies; a Best Supporting Actor nod with Insomnia might have made the ensuing race a heck of a lot more interesting. Alas, that renaissance did not last long. Maybe it was for the best. Yet maybe, if the trajectory in Robin Williams' film roles were of the more dramatic sort, what transpired in his last years on this earth might not have happened.
Just as Robin Williams was at his A game with his Summer 2002 movie slate; so too was he back in action and better than many of his peers when it came to his stand up comedy tour. It culminated in late July with his remarkable HBO special, Live On Broadway. That will be discussed next as we look back at That One Summer.
Happy 4th of July everyone!,
Robert
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