life

Turning 69 Today: Gary Cole

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(On landing The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)) I had done virtually no comedy at all until then. All the television I had done was either disease-of-the-week movies or Fatal Vision (1984) or a television series called Midnight Caller (1988). But Betty Thomas, who had actually directed an episode of Midnight Caller (1988), she was the director. I had worked with her, I had also met her years ago in New York. She was a friend of Jim Belushi‘s, and I was doing “True West” with Jim Belushi, so I met her and knew her, liked her a lot. Thought she was very funny, very salty, and I went into the read thinking really that it just didn’t make sense that I would get this part. But I thought since it was Betty, I’d go in and say hi, do my thing, have fun, walk away. And so I went in, and it seemed to go okay. I went in and did my best Robert Reed impersonation, and it seemed to go fine. And a lot of time went by, more than six or seven weeks, it seemed. So I didn’t think any more about it. It was like most auditions. You walk in, and 90 percent of them are dead. And then I got a call back and went in, and [Betty] said, “I just want to see if this was as good as I thought it was”. So I did it again, and no one was laughing. She was just looking at me like an animal in the zoo. And then the third time I went in, they had already cast Shelley Long, so they wanted to see me with “Shelley Long”, and they put us on tape. They gave me some bad wig. I looked like “Buckwheat” from “The Little Rascals”, and they put me in some bad polyester shirt, and it was just really odd, because I looked so stupid. I left and didn’t think anything about it, and then it still went on and on. It was on and it was off, and it was on and it was off, and then finally I got a call from her and she said, “I really want you to do it”. And then she went to bat for me at the studio, because I don’t think the studio wanted me. It didn’t make sense for the studio; I’m sure they were going through their list of stand-up comedians and other comic actors that had done those movies. And nobody wanted to do it. They’d keep passing on it. And the time was coming, they had to make it, and so I was slipped in.

Turning 61 Today: Keanu Reeves

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[1995, on his idea of happiness] Lying in bed with my lover, riding my bike, sports, happy times with my friends, conversation, learning, the earth, dirt, a beautiful repast with friends, family with wine and glorious food and happy tidings and energy and zest and lust for life. I like being in the desert, in nature, being in extraordinary spaces in nature, high in a tree or in the dirt, hanging out with my family, my sisters.

[1995] L.A. has been my place of abode for seven years and I have a little place in New York City. I don’t even have a house house, but I have been living in the same place in Los Angeles for a couple of years and it’s just now becoming a home. I like to be free and unfettered. I like the option of being able to do anything and go anywhere, anytime. I like to have my house open. A lot of my friends have keys to my houses and I like to have everything, you know, ‘What’s mine is yours,’ and to drink wine, talk and hang out.

[1995, on My Own Private Idaho (1991)’ You know what’s great? Right after I finished Dracula (1992), I went to Paris to visit a couple of friends, shipped over one of my Norton’s, my ’72 750 with California plates, and just hung out for two-and-a-half weeks. My Own Private Idaho (1991) had just opened at a theater right near my friend’s house where I was staying. I got stopped by a couple of American students who’d seen it and they bought me a beer. Which is what you should do in Paris: sit in cafés, talk, hang out. I had miraculous weather, so it didn’t rain on my parade. Then, I went to New York to visit friends, sat down, hung out, and the same sort of thing happened there. So, do I want more movies that lead to experiences like that? Yes, please.

Feature Film Review: IMPACT. Australian Sports Documentary

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Synopsis:

“IMPACT” is a film that tells the powerful story of two skydivers, Mark Lucchiari and Ben Lucock, and their journey to recovery after a near-fatal accident.

Project Links

Directed by Patrick Dunne

Review by Victoria Angelique

The documentary film, IMPACT, is a harrowing and inspirational tale when fate is intermingled with destiny. The filmmakers expertly craft the story of Ben and Lucch in a way the captures the attention of the viewer from the very first frame in a way that piques curiosity by diving straight into the full story of what led up to the accident and the steps both men had to overcome in order to enjoy skydiving without fear. 

The interview style filming combined with the camera footage from the skydivers, really paints a reflective picture of who Ben and Lucch are as men in their community and home life. The way their loved ones and friends speak of them make it clear they are role models to not only their own families, but are also influential in their friends’ lives. The fact that not only is skydiving made to seem fun, but the technical aspects are discussed is a major plus as the filmmakers clearly realized not everyone who could relate to this story and enjoy it might not be skydivers. 

The score helps propel the story, going from inspirational as Ben and Lucch describe their childhoods in a way that shows they were raised during a different time period that led to their sense of adventure. The music changes to invoke emotions of fear during the footage of the accident, making the audience feel for both men as if they were the ones living through and witnessing the impact. The emotions invoked as Ben reflects is coupled with the somber notes as he delves into the importance of men’s mental health, something that helps him get closer with Lucch as they bond over express their feelings and cause tears to well up in the eyes of the viewer. The fact that it took an outsider to make them speak up, really shows how men are taught to hold everything in as a way of being strong when finally telling their families and friends what was going on is the true strength. 

This film, IMPACT, is truly an award winning documentary. It evokes a rollercoaster of emotions from joy to fear, with a few tears being shed before ending in a way that is inspirational by showing Ben and Lucch skydiving again after such a terrifying event. The two men were able to overcome the tragedy by bonding over something that seems taboo for men to talk about, their own mental health and for both men, it’s quite fortunate for their families and friends that they did begin talking so that Ben and Lucch could continue to lead their community. 

Film Review: LIFECHANGER (Canada 2018) ***

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Lifechanger Poster
Trailer

A murderous shapeshifter sets out on a blood-soaked mission to make things right with the woman he loves.

Director:

Justin McConnell

Writer:

Justin McConnell

Stars:

Lora Burke, Jack Foley, Elitsa Bako

The only film opening on the 28th of December makes one wonder the reason.  For one LIFECHANGER is a Christmas movie, the setting being the yuletide season.  But it is also a killing slasher movie, but quite an original one that Santa has brought in.

The film opens with a woman later known to by Emily Roberts (Elitsa Blko) in bed with a deformed corpse next to her.  The woman is not in a panic or anything.  It seems that she knows what is happening, perhaps maybe even being the one who committed this crime.  Writer/director plays with the audience curiosity by having a voiceover in first person, explaining what is going on.  But the voiceover is a male voice.  The woman, as cool as a cucumber, saws the body in the bathtub, stuffs the pieces in trash bags, and drives the trash bags to a place to burn them.  She visits a diner before returning to her own home, opening the door.  She smokes some pot she evidently knew where was hidden before her boyfriend James (Adam Buller) enters saying that he has called the police after she had not come home for 3 days.

She is next seen setting fire to the house and leaving when a cop enters to see to the matter of the missing person.  It becomes apparent that she has killed the boyfriend now the cop, taking over the cop’s body, thoughts, memories and all.

Director McConnell dishes out little doses of the mystery and story at a time .  It is clear that the voice belongs to the original person.  It turns to from the voice that there is love involved.  The voice confesses falling in love with a woman called Julia (Lora Burke).  The shapeshifter (wonder why the film is not just called that instead of lifechanger) visits Julia at the same bar many occasions in the various personalities he has inhabited.  The shapeshifter in one final desperate move decides to tell Julia the truth, hoping that she will understand.  But this is clearly not unrequited love.  This is what drives the film towards its climax and plot twist (not to be revealed in this review).

LIFECHANGER contains quite the original idea and McConnell plays with it to his benefit.  McConnell does not offer any raison d’être of the shapeshifter’s being and how he got to inherit the sad state of affairs.

The cast is made up of a variety of different actors since the shapeshifter inhabits many characters.  The main one is Julia, played credibly by Burke.  All the actors do well, basically portraying two different people, one before and one after the killing with the same body.  This keeps the performances interesting.

McConnell keeps the ending relatively simple and ‘happy’ while being credible at the same time.  Thus the story is brought to an effective conclusion.  LIFECHANGER is a well thought-of low budget horror mystery set in Toronto that is worth  a look.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCqeJLvSqSI