For anyone who found Bruce Springsteen’s music as a young person, you will relate to the upcoming movie, Blinded by the Light (2019). Not only does the movie include Springsteen’s music, but the music plays a major role in the main character’s life.
Blinded by the Light follows a British-Pakistani youth, played by Viveik Kalra, finding his way in 1987 England. One day, he discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen. And it changes his life.
Blinded by the Light is based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir, Greetings from Bury Park. Manzoor also co-wrote the screenplay for the movie, which is directed by Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha.
If the rest of the movie makes me smile as much as the trailer, I think I’m going to love Blinded by the Light. Check out the trailer below.
Blinded by the Light hits theaters on August 14, 2019. For an early review out of Sundance, check out this one on Collider.
What do you think of the trailer for Blinded by the Light? Leave your two cents in the comments.
If you avoided the movie The Grey (2012) because you thought it was just another Liam Neeson action film, you should reconsider and give it a chance. From the previews, the movie appears to be just an angry Neeson fighting with wolves. But the film is much more than that.
Yes, in The Grey, Neeson and some other men are alone in the Alaskan wilderness being stalked by wolves. But the movie is really about life and death, and how one chooses to live (and die).
The film begins with Neeson working with oil workers in the barren cold landscape. He works hunting and shooting wolves to protect the workers, but he also is haunted by demons from his past.
After boarding an airplane with other workers, Neeson falls asleep and wakes to turbulence that results in a crash that leaves many of the men stranded. Other actors do a great job, including Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, and Nonso Anozie. But Neeson’s character John Ottway remains the focus.
The CGI wolves do not look completely real, but that may be part of the point. The wolves represent something more than a canine. I do not want to spoil the movie, but the survival struggle raises existential themes about life and death.
Joe Carnahan produced and directed The Grey, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Ian MacKenzie Jeffers. The film is based on a short story by Jeffers called “The Ghost Walker.” The wonderful subtle soundtrack is by Marc Streitenfeld.
So, if you are looking for a dark action movie with deep themes and do not mind some ambiguity in your films, check out The Grey. The movie may not be a light popcorn yarn, but it will stay with you after you watch it.
Various theories about the movie reflect on whether all of the men are parts of Neeson’s character, that they are all in Purgatory, and that the movie encapsulates common fears of flying, heights, dying alone, and drowning. And what does the movie say about the existential struggle to give meaning to one’s life? If you have already seen the movie and want to read more analysis of the film, one might start with some of the analysis from Mother Jones, Ryan Pratt’s blog, The Cinephile Fix, this video on “A Philosophy of Heroic Suffering,” and a ScreenRant interview with the director.
What did you think of The Grey? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In Tim Burton’s take on the Walt Disney classic, Dumbo, Arcade Fire reinterprets the movies classic song “Baby Mine.” Director Burton’s live-action interpretation of the story about the flying elephant seems bound to bring tears to the eyes of hard-hearted cynics. And the song “Baby Mine” always warms the heart.
Burton’s film will also feature a version of “Baby Mine” by Norwegian singer, Aurora. For Arcade Fire’s version, the band’s Win Butler brought in several members of his family to help with the song. Check out Arcade Fire’s “Baby Mine.”
The new live-action Dumbo stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Eva Green. Edd Osmond, who has worked in Star Wars movies, did the real-life action behind the flying elephant.
The original 1941 version of “Baby Mine” for the animated movie was recorded by Betty Noyes. Check out the original movie version below.
The podcast Show Me the Meaning! does a wonderful job of delving into philosophical questions behind some of our favorite films. The podcast’s enjoyable focus and the hosts’ humor help Show Me the Meaning! stand out in a crowded podcast field.
Bauer helps keep things moving while allowing for the right balance of friendly banter and focused discussion. Like other most enjoyable group podcasts, the hosts make you feel a part of the discussion, not like you are an outsider listening to other people’s inside jokes. And the conversations welcome and inform you without talking down to you.
Each episode focuses on a recent or classic movie, delving into the story and the meaning and philosophical questions raised in the film. But it is not a dry academic exercise. The hosts take you on a fun journey, full of humor and insight. It is one of the rare movie podcasts where you finish actually knowing more than when you started.
Show Me the Meaning is available at Wisecrack’s website or wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play (which I use). If you watched the recent Netflix Black Mirror movie Bandersnatch and wonder if you worked through all of the endings and what the interactive movie meant, there’s a good episode about the movie on Show Me the Meaning. Some other episodes I have especially enjoyed including their examination of The Dark Knight, Starship Troopers, Idiocracy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and each of the Matrix films.
Wisecrack has video recorded some of the episodes and posted them on YouTube. Below is their take on the Coen Brothers film Fargo.
Make sure to check out all their Show Me the Meaning! podcasts. Start out with the movies that most interest you and go from there.
What is your favorite movie podcast? Leave your two cents in the comments.
During repeated viewings of the Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), I began to fall in love with the duet at the end of the first segment of the Netflix movie. This first chapter that provides the title for the film ends with a funny duet on the song, “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings,” which I later discovered was written by two artists I admire.
Well, it is funny on first viewing, but in subsequent viewings I found the song to be deeper and sadder, even as the tune is presented with humorous visuals. [Spoilers ahead.] In the tale, we meet Buster Scruggs (wonderfully played by Tim Blake Nelson), a quirky, funny, singing, and deadly cowboy. As in old Westerns, the character is the fastest gun until someone else comes along and kills him. Then, The Kid (played by Old Crow Medicine Show‘s Willie Watson) and Buster’s spirit engage in a duet about dying.
Let me tell you, buddy, And it win’t be long, Till you find yourself singing Your last cowboy song.
Yippee-ki-yi-yay; When the roundup ends; Yippee-ki-yi-yay; And the campfire dims.
Yippee-ki-yi-yay; He shalt be saved, When a cowboy trades His spurs for wings.
The wonderful musicians Gillian Welch and David Rawlings wrote “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings.” Once I found out who wrote the song, it did not surprise me that I would fall in love with the song. It also did not surprise me that the song received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Welch and Rawlings recorded their own version of the song. Their version takes a sweeter, more mournful approach than the humorous visuals in the Coen Brothers movie. Without Buster Scruggs, “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” becomes a more realistic dying cowboy’s lament. Check it out.
What is your favorite cowboy movie song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
