“McFarland, USA” and Cross-Country Coach Costner

Cros Country Kostner
One has to be suspicious of movies released during the post-Oscar and pre-summer movie season. So, when I saw there was a new sports movie called McFarland, USA that I had not heard anything about that starred Kevin Costner, I went into it with low expectations. Sometimes, though, low expectations lead one to find a pleasant surprise, and that is what I discovered in this “based-on-real-events sports movie” about a high school cross-country team.

In McFarland, USA, Costner plays Jim White, a high school coach who has screwed up so many times he ends up in a poor California school as an assistant football coach. But after he loses that position, he convinces the school to start a cross-country team because he has noticed the endurance of many of the students who work in the fields all day and run between work and school.

Yeah, the film has a lot of sport film conventions as a Disney movie with the down-on-his-luck coach and Mexican-American students with the odds against them. But the reason spots films follow many of these conventions is because, like this one, they are real-life stories about the kind of struggles that bring us to sports in the first place.

McFarland, USA does a pretty good job with the sports scenes, but it also features excellent acting from those like Carlos Pratts and others who portray the student athletes. At the same time, director Niki Caro does a decent job of showing how the coach’s wife (Maria Bello) and family has to adapt to their new neighborhood too. The movie is not perfect, but it is a pretty good sports movie that you probably have not seen advertised very much.

Consistent with this kind of feel-good straightforward movie, audience members liked it more than critics, although the critical reaction has generally been positive. Rotten Tomatoes gives McFarland, USA an 80% critics rating and a 92% audience rating. So, give it a chance if you are looking for a fun movie, and make sure you stick around until the end for the traditional images of the real people portrayed in the movie.

What did you think of McFarland USA? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Van Morrison Reworks Songs as “Duets”

    Van Morrison Duet Album

    Van Morrison is taking some of his lesser known songs and reworking them with new singing partners on the upcoming album, Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue (2015). On the album, Van Morrison teams with artists such as Michael Bublé, George Benson, Steve Winwood, Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack, and Natalie Cole.

    One of the tracks on the upcoming album is “Irish Heartbeat,” which first appeared on the album Inarticulate Speech of the Heart (1983). In the new version, Mark Knopfler joins Van Morrison on the song.

    Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue hits stores on March 23, 2015.

    What do you think of Van Morrison’s duet? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    You Better “Believe” Mumford & Sons Are Going Electric

    Mumford & Sons Wilder

    Mumford & Sons released a new single “Believe,” confirming earlier reports that the band’s upcoming album Wilder Mind includes electric guitars and synthesizers. The new song is not a great divergence from the Mumford & Sons sound we are used to hearing, but it does sound a bit different.

    The album Wilder Mind will be released May 4, 2015.

    What do you think of the electric Mumford & Sons? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    What Are Your 3 Books to Build Civilization?

    HG Wells I recently watched the 1960 movie version of The Time Machine, the H.G. Wells classic, on Turner Classic Movies. I have seen the 2002 version that stars Guy Pearce several times, finding it far from perfect but charming nevertheless. One interesting difference I noticed in the 1960 version is that the end raises the question: “If you could choose only three books to take with you to rebuild society, what books would you take?”

    For those unfamiliar with the story (spoiler alert), the main character builds a time machine and travels through time. Near the end, he travels far into the future and discovers that society has crumbled and that the humans do not have knowledge about the past or how to survive on their own. In the 1960 movie, “H. George Wells,” played by Rod Taylor, leaves this future to go back to his present time briefly, ultimately returning back to the future. One of Wells’s friends in the present realizes that Wells has used his time machine once again and he notices that Wells took three books from his library with him. The friend and Wells’s housekeeper ponder what three books Wells might have taken, but the movie leaves the question open.

    The question about the books is not in the 2002 version of The Time Machine, directed by Simon Wells, who is the great-grandson of H.G. Wells. Apparently, it does not appear in the book either, so it is an addition to the 1960 movie version, which was directed by George Pal. It is an interesting question, not asking for your most enjoyable books but for what books should be the basis for civilization.

    There are a few discussion boards about the question, including here and here. Many folks raise the possibility of The Bible as one of the books, while others raise concerns about the problems caused by religion. Many others logically insist that the three books should include books on science or history, while others note that one of the themes of The Time Traveler is how humankind’s scientific knowledge has not led to good results. Some raise the point that a medical book would help keep people healthy. Others suggest books on the government or the U.S. Constitution. Finally, there are those who insist that at least one of the books should be a great work of literature, perhaps one that teaches moral lessons.

    Of course, there is no clear answer, but your answer may say a lot about you, and the question can lead to good conversations. What three books would you take if you were starting or rebuilding a society?

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Tim Curry on “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in 1975

    Back in 1975 as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was opening, Tim Curry discussed his role in the movie on a student TV station.

    Tim Curry Rocky Horror Interview

    I remember seeing The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) for the first time when I was in college. It was in the days before the Internet and videos, so the only way to experience it was at a late-night showing with people throwing water and toast. I had just moved to a city from my small town, and the movie was unlike anything I had ever seen. I was not sure what to make of the movie and Tim Curry’s portrayal of Frank-n-Furter, but it was fun, and I would recapture the experience several times through the years, introducing other friends and family to the unusual moviegoing experience.

    For decades, actor Tim Curry avoided discussing his iconic role in the movie. But back in August of 1975 when the movie opened, Curry appeared on STOIC, the Student Television Of Imperial College to discuss the newly released film.

    In the video, interviewer Mark Caldwell got Curry to open up about his role as Frank-n-Furter, and Curry discussed how he came up with the accent he uses in the film and whether he would be interested in acting in a sequel. As noted on Open Culture, the young Caldwell does an excellent job and we are lucky to have this video still around.

    The video interview, unfortunately, is no longer available for embedding here but you can check it out by going to YouTube.  Check it out there.

    In 2005, Curry would once again discuss The Rocky Horror Picture Show during an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air. That interview focused on his role as King Arthur in Spamalot on Broadway.

    Did you know that the first midnight showing of Rocky Horror began at the Waverly Theater in New York City on April 1, 1976? For more trivia, check out “38 Freaky Facts About The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

    What is your favorite memory of “Rocky Horror”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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