(Kyle Mills, shown here, wrote Total Power as his sixth book in the Mitch Rapp series created by Vince Flynn).
The first movements of the story within Total Power introduce the political intrigue associated with the cost of infrastructure updates to the power grid in the United States, along with the vulnerability of the network if a knowledgeable actor with evil intent along with the proper knowledge planned to exploit what weaknesses exist in the system. The underlying issue of coordinated attacks of strategic execution could plunge the United States in darkness for well beyond days, weeks or months before an effective government or free market response could be forthcoming.
(Alternative covers for Total Power as written by Kyle Mills. Total Power is the 19th book in the Mitch Rapp series as created by Vince Flynn).
The second movements of the story bring Mitch Rapp, the force of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a US president nearing the end of his presidential leadership to bear on an imminent attack staged at the moment the issue is under attack. The attack, though led by ISIS, actually has a bite beyond the jihadist skill to deploy the attack. Despite an explicit effort led by Rapp and a capable team of counter-terrorists, the attempt to thwart the attack is detected ahead of the CIA trap that had been laid. The attack that both infiltrated ISIS and the United States power grid, plunged the mainland into darkness that would last for weeks or months. Effectively, the United States had been crippled with no effective ability to recover.
(Vince Flynn, shown here, created the Mitch Rapp series of books. Flynn wrote the first thirteen books in the series).
With the skills of Mitch Rapp and his team now tactically eliminated, the investigate, infiltrate and get to the knowledgeable few became the third movement of Total Power. The world of malfunctioning infrastructure, computers and communication systems down, and starvation, death and inevitable rioting with little capacity for countering the chaos became the name of the response. The means for getting to a legitimate solution that addressed the infrastructure, and those who damaged it were the odds that needed to be addressed. Would those odds be overcome? You know it would be.
That the narrative telling of Mitch Rapp moved almost strictly into ways to address a power grid attack where powerlessness to respond was at stake was unique and appreciated. This change worked for me more at a high level, though the bigger issue that I found was that there really was only one plausible way that the solution to the problem of that powerlessness was going to be resolved. That I was in tune with how things worked out earlier in the book than I wanted to know proved disappointing. As for Total Power written by Kyle Mills, I give the book 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
(From left, quarterback Otto Graham and head coach Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns).
For the first five decades of the rivalry, that being from the 1950s through the 1990s, the book is structured to look at the seasons of the two teams on a season by season basis. This timeframe includes the moving of the Browns from the AAFC with head coach Paul Brown and quarterback Otto Graham into the NFL in 1950, wherein the football rivalry between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio began. Walking through the success of the Browns in those opening two decades of the rivalry with the success of Brown and Graham plus that of running back Jim Brown gave rise to the notion of the “Same Old Steelers“. The success of the Steelers in the 1970s with head coach Chuck Noll, quarterback Terry Bradshaw and running back Franco Harris, with the backslide of the Browns to a more middling franchise, provided an interesting change of fortunes.
(From left, head coach Chuck Noll and quarterback Terry Bradshaw of the Pittsburgh Steelers).
The 1980s saw the Steelers dynasty in the 1970s come back to earth, with success for the Browns in the second half of the decade. Remembering the move of the Browns after the 1995 season, wherein the birth of the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, Maryland for the 1996 suspended the rivalry for three seasons. The rebirth of the Cleveland Browns in 1999 as an expansion team retaining the history of the team that became the Ravens ends the fiftieth year, dating back to 1950, since the football rivalry began.
(From left, running back Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns).
The years 2000 through 2019 in part matched the first fifty regarding when the teams were competitive at the same time. The Steelers would win Super Bowls following the 2005/2006 and 2008/2009 seasons while the Browns struggled to field competitive teams with a carousel of starting quarterbacks, head coaches and general managers. The 2019 season, the last addressed in the book, notes that the rivalry between players, and by extensions fanbases, remains as strong as ever with a note on the on-field quarrel between Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.
(From left, quarterback Mason Rudolph of the Pittsburgh Steelers and defensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns).
Reading through The Turnpike Rivalry: The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns offered nostalgia for the good and not-so-good times for a person with family in both cities. I grant The Turnpike Rivalry: The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns by Richard Peterson and Stephen Peterson 3.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
(From left, Rob Brown as Ernie Davis and Charles S. Dutton as Willie ‘Pop’ Davis in the Gary Fleder movie The Express).
The story of Ernie Davis begins with Davis growing up first in Pennsylvania and, in later in Elmira, New York. It is in Elmira that a young Ernie Davis first plays runningback in an organized youth football league. A number of years later, Ben Schwartzwalder of Syracuse University recruits Davis with the support of the graduating Jim Brown, who would go on to excel with the Cleveland Browns. Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid and Darrin Dewitt Henson would portray Ernie Davis as an adult, Ben Schwartzwalder and Jim Brown.
(Coaches from left, Dennis Quaid as Ben Schwartzwalder and Clancy Brown as Roy Simmons in the Gary Fleder movie The Express).
The sport of college football, a legacy of racism in Dallas, Texas made tangible through threats, and the effort to play The University of Texas at the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas for the 1959 championship on January 1, 1960 unfolds in the telling of The Express. An injured leg and biased officiating interject, as does further insult at the recognition banquet following the game. The outcome of both the game and the follow-up indicates something uplifting in the face of ugliness.
The story of Davis getting drafted by the Cleveland Browns, then of the National Football League (NFL), leads to the revelation of a life threatening disease during preseason efforts to get into condition for the coming season. The formal revelation by then owner Art Modell that the disease would keep Davis from formally fulfilling his professional dream happened matter-of-factly in the middle of practice. The formal announcement of the outcome was addressed with more class. Davis‘ recruiting of Floyd Little to Syracuse mirrors his own recruitment there with the aid of Jim Brown. Saul Rubinek and Chadwick Boseman portrayed Modell and Little, respectively.
(From left, Dennis Quaid as Ben Schwartzwalder and Darrin Dewitt Henson as Jim Brown in the Gary Fleder movie The Express).
As presented in passing in the movie, former United StatesPresidentJohn F. Kennedy offered praise for Davis after the football player as a player and citizen following Davis‘ death. The tribute gave dignity to the sympathetic portrayal of Ernie Davis. I give The Express as directed by Gary Fleder 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
Guitarist R.L. Burnside of Oxford, Mississippi became known to me when he became popular with musicians I enjoyed from the 1990s and beyond. Among one of my favorite albums put out during this period was Mr. Wizard, first released March 11th, 1997. The album exemplifies multiple blues forms performed by a master of the artform.
(The front of the album Mr. Wizard by R.L. Burnside, which was released originally on March 11th, 1997).
Over the Hill opens Mr. Wizard with a strong slide guitar that simply won’t quit. The song makes a strong statement for self-determination and perseverance in the face of significant obstacles laid at his feet.
Alice Mae brings an upbeat jam about protecting the love of his lady friend, Alice Mae. After lyrically declaring reasons that he loves his woman in this song, Burnside declares his readiness to kill in defense of maintaining his love. The clarity of the jam and the message are clear and strong.
Georgia Women brings a jam about lusting after women in Georgia, referencing rumors Burnside‘s heard to the distinct sweet love he’s experienced with Alice Mae. That the man is looking to experience intimacy, a subject returned to after his lady has left him in the song Highway 7 later on the album.
With Snake Drive, R.L. Burnside works the blues formula with innuendo, letting his baby ride with the journey’s destination, Snake Drive, providing the anatomical reference for how the joyride in play.
(The back of the Mr. Wizard album by R.L. Burnside, which was released originally on March 11th, 1997).
Rollin’ and Tumblin’ tells the story of cheating in love. Burnside tells us that getting caught leads to heartache and loss with the burden of responsibility to boot. While the song doesn’t address his lady’s pain, we hear the singer’s pain in this jam.
Out on the Road reflects as classic a blues construction as exists on the Mr. Wizard. The point of view for Burnside on this is distrusting the motives of his romantic love interest. Aiming to find her before she cheats, the singer suffers indignities while losing sleep overnight investigating places his woman might be.
In returning to another jam about being on the road, Highway 7 offers the tale of Burnside‘s lady having left him. He hits the road bound for Georgia with a fierce appetite for intimacy that the lyrics tell us cannot be satisfied.
Tribute to Fred is a straight-up instrumental jam in the eighth slot of nine songs on the Mr. Wizard album. Musically, this song sits quite well among the others presented on this album.
(The cover for Phil Collins‘ No Jacket Required album, first released in the United Kingdom on this date in 1985).
As quoted here with background drawn from the VH1 program VH1 Storytellers, Sussudio started as a song title that happened in a semi-structured yet unplanned way. Phil Collins said “I started to sing into the microphone, and this word came out.” As the meaningless expression didn’t give way to anything better with the lyrics that were added to a set of chords with an uplifting and dance feel, a hit was born. As mentioned on the www.songfacts.com listing for the song, Sussudiowould peak at #1 in the United States and #12 in the United Kingdom.
(Released as a single in January 1985, Sussudio is the first track on Phil Collins‘ third solo studio album, No Jacket Required).
Only You Know and I Know follows the opening album hit with a heavy drumline mixed with horns. Lyrically aiming for the give-and-take of a relationship whose bonds are being questioned, I hear the song saying that the power to restore the relationship rests in honest communication focused on precisely such an outcome.
Moving to a sharply more meditative direction, Long Long Way to Go feels hurt and afraid in both mood and hopefulness. Taking the song as a metaphor for a romance at risk, the feelings and strength Collins wants as the song’s singer asks for the pain to stop rather than continuing to try. That’s a heavy message indeed.
I Don’t Wanna Know extends a theme of a relationship in peril, though musically upbeat in mood. There’s word getting around that Phil‘s love interest has been spotted romantically in the company of another suitor, which if true is precisely what the singer doesn’t wish to know. As the song progresses lyrically, optimism persists with the hope of picking up romantically where things have been for Phil Collins and his love interest.
One More Night offers a ballad seeking relationship redemption with the attempt to rekindle what has existed between Phil Collins and his romantic love interest. Peaking at #1 in the United States and #4 in the United Kingdom, the notion of pleading “with his lover to give him just one more night to prove his devotion” clearly resonated with many then and likely still now.
(One More Night was the first United States single in and the second United Kingdom single released in support of the No Jacket Required album by Phil Collins).
Don’t Lose My Number brings enthusiasm and a vague sense of storytelling to a seeming romance, budding yet not started or otherwise, with a person named Billy. Whether the number not to be lost is a telephone number never really becomes clear, as doesn’t the relevance to this and whatever follow-up Billy being findable means to imply. As with this song, sometimes a decent hook is all a song needs to stick.
(Peaking at #4 in the United States in September 1985, Don’t Lose My Number was never released as a single in the United Kingdom).
Who Said I Would sure takes an unexpected and unsympathetic turn in the world of romance. That the lady of Phil‘s longing would so readily and clearly reject his feelings lays the groundwork for the relationship’s end like little verbally could. The jarring quality of this message stands in such opposition to the musical statement I hear through most of the song is equally jarring.
(First recorded as a studio recording for No Jacket Required, Who Said I Would was not released as a single until released as a live version Serious Hits…Live! in the United States and Japan six years later).
The heavy opening of drums to begin Doesn’t Anybody Stay Together Anymore feels deliberate and indicative of the feelings I sense Phil Collins having with his song. As indicated in the quotes here, this “song was made in response to everyone around Collins getting a divorce, including his manager, friends and though he was happily married to his second wife, Jill Tavelman [spelling corrected], himself years before.”
I sense a recognition for moving on after a broken relationship ends with the song Inside Out. The inside out references the clear sense for where the end of that love has left him, with a sense of recovery on Phil’s own recovery being the priority. To me, following his own grieving process to recovery makes a lot of sense. This strength of this song musically pleases me.
As quoted here through VH1 Storytellers, Take Me Home‘s “lyrics refer to a patient in a mental institution, and that he was inspired by the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Ken Kesey wrote that novel. The song peaked at #7 in the United States and #19 in the United Kingdom.
(Take Me Home, the tenth song from the No Jacket Required album, was released as a single in the United Kingdom in July 1985 and in the United States in March 1986).
The ballad We Said Hello Goodbye was a bonus track added to the compact disc release of the No Jacket Required album. The sentiment underpinning the song of emotionally moving on from one situation to another, growing and improving with time as the only way is an inspirational take that places this song, lyrically, among the more impressive achievements on this album.
(From left, Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in the Jonathan Demme movie The Silence of the Lambs).
The Silence of the Lambs opens with an introduction to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) trainee Clarice Starling, as portrayed by Jodie Foster, being withdrawn from her Quantico, Virginia training by Jack Crawford of the FBI‘s behavioral analysis unit for a special assignment. Crawford, portrayed by Scott Glenn, assigns Starling to interview former psychiatrist and cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter, in furtherance of the investigation of an ongoing set of serial crimes occurring in the present day.
(From left, Anthony Heald as Dr. Frederick Chilton and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the Jonathan Demme movie The Silence of the Lambs).
The visit to the so-called Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane introduces us through Starling to Lector, as portrayed by Anthony Hopkins. It is here that much of the significant groundwork is laid for aiming to gain insight into the Buffalo Bill serial killer, the complex psychology of Lecter, and the unseemly motivations of many attached to the storylines of Lecter, his stay at this hospital, and the underlying criminal behavior in play with Buffalo Bill. It is at this hospital that we are introduced to Dr. Frederick Chilton and orderly Barney Matthews, portrayed respectively by Anthony Heald and Frankie Faison.
(From left, Brooke Smith as Catherine Martin and Ted Levine as Jame Gumb in the Jonathan Demme movie The Silence of the Lambs).
A further intrigue for The Silence of the Lambs deals with the disappearance of Catherine Martin as portrayed by Brooke Smith. Martin is the daughter of U.S. Senator Ruth Martin of Tennessee, as portrayed by Diane Baker. That there’s a connection to Jame Gumb, as portrayed by Ted Levine, is part of the underlying notion of pulling Lecter and Starling into the notion of conversing in the first place.
(From left, Diane Baker as U.S. Senator Ruth Martin, Kasi Lemmons as Ardelia Mapp and Darla as the dog Precious in the Jonathan Demme movie The Silence of the Lambs).
The compelling ways that the threads of the characters tie together, along with the emotional weight of the darkness motivating and acting on multiple characters in this narrative, lend strength to the ways the personal stories of this larger narrative work together in delivering strong psychological impact to the stories. The sympathetic roles of Ardelia Mapp, as portrayed by Kasi Lemmons, and Precious further this impact. Darla portrayed Precious, the dog.
(From left, actor Anthony Hopkins, actor Frankie Faison and director Jonathan Demme on location for the Jonathan Demme movie The Silence of the Lambs).
The staying power of the underpinning story of The Silence of the Lambs rest largely with the character of Hannibal Lecter. The deviance from societal norms on multiple fronts, with a resonating portrayal of him by Anthony Hopkins, sticks with me many years after my initial encounter with him. The sensibilities of the era the story lives in are captured well, too. I offer The Silence of the Lambs as directed by Jonathan Demme 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
Following a successful career as part of the band Eagles, Don Henley of Gilmer, Texas achieved success with work under his own name. The second album released in this way was Building the Perfect Beast, which was released in the third week of November, 1984.
(Shown is the album cover for Don Henley‘s second solo album Building the Perfect Beast).
The Boys of Summer opens Building the Perfect Beast with lyrics by Don Henley and music composed by Mike Campbell of Panama City, Florida and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. The song is a look back at what was had with a past relationship and wanting those feelings and experiences back again. Evoking a feeling of summer at a beach offers a pleasant sense of nostalgia for me.
(The Boys of Summer was the first single released from the Don Henley album Building the Perfect Beast on October 26th, 1984).
You Can’t Make Love offers a rather grim look into the physical and emotional limitations that keep the singer from a full expression of love. I sense Henley saying that engaging many of the heartfelt parts of love will offer simply the illusion of love without granting the intimacy that offers true emotional connection. Henley wrote this song with Danny Kortchmar of Larchmont, New York.
Man With a Mission offers a country dance floor sensibility to suggesting that is singular focus is on emotionally connecting with someone he wishes to know romantically. J.D. Souther of Detroit, Michigan joined Kortchmar and Henley writing this song.
You’re Not Drinking Enough went full country lament for the sadness of a love lost. The song focuses on the hurt of loving another, with advice to drink more as a coping mechanism against the pain. With writing credits for Danny Kortchmar here, this song was most popularly covered by Earl Thomas Conley of Portsmouth, Ohio, with another cover by Alan Jackson of Newnan, Georgiahere.
(Supporting the Building the Perfect Beast album, Don Henley‘s Not Enough Love in the World was released as a single in 1985 and hit #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart).
Not Enough Love in the World lands with a soft rock sound with writing credits for Benmont Tench of Gainesville, Florida, Henley and Kortchmar. The song deals with another rocky relationship wherein the singer indicates he remains in love. As indicated here, the relationship sung about might be one between Henley and Stevie Nicks of Phoenix, Arizona.
Don Henley’s second studio album gains its title from the song Building the Perfect Beast. In what feels like a reference to the beast that couldn’t be killed in the song Hotel California by Eagles, this song offers a sarcastic look at the psychological torment that losing in love does in turning a man all around. That the distance traveled to building that beast is our own doing is a cruel feeling indeed.
(All She Wants to Do Is Dance was released as the 2nd single from Don Henley‘s Building the Perfect Beast album. The song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart).
Written by Don Henley alone, A Month of Sundays offers a sentimental ballad of a lifestyle lost and looked upon in retrospect. Looking back as a grandfather who built things with pride, the song is sadness, lament and acknowledgment that the current world is no longer the one he knew.
Sunset Grill offers the writing collaboration of Henley, Kortchmar and Tench once again. As captured here, the “Sunset Grill is a real place and a favorite spot for Henley. Located on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, it’s a place where Henley could see how everyday people interact, which isn’t always easy to do when you’re a celebrity in LA.” Further, the Sunset Grill was used as “a metaphor for what he liked, what he thought was great about society. And then he also used it to describe what he didn’t like, which is plenty.”
(Sunset Grill was released as the fourth single from Don Henley‘s Building the Perfect Beast album).
Drivin’ With Your Eyes Closed brings a perspective of the elevation of women in the eyes of men in romantic relationships. Stan Lynch of Gainesville, Florida and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers joins Henley and Kortchmar with writing credits, wherein Henley‘s lyrics point out that improperly appreciating women in romance is bound to end badly.
Land of the Living is the concluding song to Building the Perfect Beast, granting Henley and Kortchmar their final collaboration for this album. The messaging gets into an uplifting feel as an album sendoff. Lyrically the song is a call to slow down and metaphorically smell the roses with the one you’re with. The song does provide the light touch in bringing me home with satisfaction and lightness of spirit.
The writing of David Maraniss has offered enjoyment and knowledge to me over the years; the decision to return to a biography of football coach, husband and father Vince Lombardi proved pretty easy. First published in 1999, Maraniss‘ book When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi offers a clear and informative narrative of the man, his times, what shaped his life and the life of his family.
(Vince Lombardi played football at Fordham University in the Bronx, where he was part of the so-called ‘Seven Blocks of Granite’. Lombardi later became an assistant football coach at Fordham).
Family and his Roman Catholic faith were early influences over the work ethic and philosophy that would inform the man Vince Lombardi would become. Having grown up in Brooklyn,New York City, New York, the decision to attend Fordham University in the Bronx came rather naturally as a place to keep those ties and play football. Discipline and playing through pain and hardship were highlights of many early experiences shared in the Maraniss biography, along with the mythmaking and writing styles for how reports of college football were written of at the time. That Lombardi needed to work to break the lineup, and the feeling of contributing to a goal larger than himself, were early lessons that informed the coach Lombardi would become.
(Vince Lombardi was an assistant coach at West Point from 1949-1953).
Lombardi‘s path into coaching football was not a given, having been born in 1913 and coming of age during the Great Depression. The steps Lombardi took into coaching and teaching at Roman Catholic schools, with decisions around if and when to move into the high school ranks not always being straightforward. A degree of discipline and honoring of commitments factored into when not to move on, though the influences of his playing days and the underpinnings of those early teaching experiences where Lombardi led and developed a philosophy for how to speak to his chosen audience influenced his landing work at the West Point, a military academy of the United States based in New York state.
(David Maraniss wrote When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi, which was first published in 1999).
What Lombardi knew about football landed him work at West Point. Beyond affirming a sense of the organized development and motivation of men, Lombardi‘s time there offered an insight into dedicated documentation of film to review the tendencies of each individual player on plays. Lombardi further took a sense of how to simplify game plans down to the core points of emphasis, rather than focusing his players on understanding the full scope of the playbook. The academic cheating scandal revealed in 1951, during the time Lombardi coached at West Point, would influence the erstwhile coach later in his career despite Lombardi reportedly having no knowledge of the scheme at the point it occurred.
(From left, Vince Lombardi, his daughter Susan, his wife Marie and his son Vincent. Lombardi and Marie had married in August of 1940).
There was some degree of unease for Lombardi following his time in the college ranks, with his first advance into the NFL (National Football League) being as an assistant coach for the New York Giants from 1954 to 1958. Tom Landry would be an assistant coach for the Giants beside Lombardi, with Lombardi leaving in February 1959 to become the General Manager and head coach of the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
(From left, Green Bay Packer quarterbacks Paul Hornung and Bart Starr were significant to the success of the Packers during Vince Lombardi‘s tenure from 1959 to 1967).
Lombardi had complicated relationships with his wife and children as he began transforming the Packers into a team that won five NFL championships, including the first two Super Bowls in his final two seasons as Packers coach. Many of the principles learned earlier in his career led to the grueling approach to coaching the team, though all who could withstand that rigor reportedly responded to Lombardi with loyalty and success. A gambling scandal in part led to the transition from Paul Hornung to Bart Starr as Packers quarterback during Lombardi‘s tenure. Both players would be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Lombardi‘s career would finish with the Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders) in Washington, DC.
The rough outlines of the life and career of Vince Lombardi are hinted at with the above details from the biography written by David Maraniss. The Maraniss thoughtfulness, thoroughness and engaging detail offer clear perspectives about the cultural place of pride for Lombardi and the football people who followed his lead. This notion applied for Lombardi and his family as well, though the relationships there were a bit more complicated, with a sense of who Vince and Marie Lombardi were to each other and their kids showing up over time, including at the time of Vince Lombardi‘s death in September 1970. I grant When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi as written by David Maraniss 4.0-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
(From left, Quentin Tarantino as Richard ‘Richie’ Gecko and George Clooney as Seth Gecko in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).
The movie From Dusk till Dawn begins with clear elements of crime and violent action as the opening feature with the introduction of Benny’s World of Liquor. We meet brothers Seth Gecko and Richard ‘Richie’ Gecko, portrayed by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, respectively, robbing the liquor store based in Texas.
(From left, Michael Parks as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw and John Hawkes as Pete Bottoms in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).
Pete Bottoms clerks at the store while Earl McGraw, a Texas Ranger, happens upon the scene during the commissioning of the crime. Things quickly occur in an unexpected way for one of the Gecko brothers, with the decision to act without subtlety in bringing resolution to the situation. Without spoiling details, the need to leave takes on an urgency that leads Richie and Seth to seek a path south. In the pursuit of that outcome, the object of hiding out at a hotel turns crudely violent while one of the brothers gets food. John Hawkes portrayed Pete Bottom as Michael Parks portrayed Earl McGraw.
(From left, George Clooney as Seth Gecko, Ernest Liu as Scott Fuller, Harvey Keitel as Jacob Fuller and Juliette Lewis as Katherine ‘Kate’ Fuller in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).
On vacation, the Fuller family arrives at the inn where the Gecko brothers are staying in a recreational vehicle. The father, Jacob Fuller as portrayed by Harvey Keitel, is a widowed pastor traveling with his daughter Kate and son Scott. Juliette Lewis portrayed Kate as Ernest Liu portrayed Scott. The Gecko brothers threateningly coerce the Fuller family to drive them across the border into Mexico in order to meet their contact that is due to escort them to sanctuary, El Rey, at dawn the next morning.
(From left, Salma Hayek as Santanico Pandemonium and Richard “Cheech” Marin as Border Guard, Chet Pussy and Carlos in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).
The contact for getting the Gecko brothers to sanctuary is portrayed by Richard “Cheech” Marin. The crew is directed by the contact to a Mexican strip bar named Titty Twister. Landing there with the Fuller family to experience a shocking experience that presumably will last until morning offers plenty of comedic territory, which begins with the introduction of performer Santanico Pandemonium. Salma Hayek portrayed Pandemonium, whose flamboyant routine brings on a bar fight. The true nature of the employees of this strip club / bar propels the transition of the movie into the horror movie that brings the story home.
(From left, actor and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino and director Robert Rodriguez on site for the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).
The movie From Dusk till Dawn takes you on a wild ride of a story that seeks to keep the audience guessing about the direction headed next. The themes of heinous crime, gratuitous violence, assaults on familial and personal innocence, and an unexpected turn to horror beg the audience to set aside traditional expectations and ask how twisted a story can work. That the payoff feels deliberately comedic at the same time lends itself to what cult following the film has won since the movie’s release. With a nod to the campy aspect delivered here, I grant From Dusk till Dawn as directed by Robert Rodriguez 4.0-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
A month of cinema reviews set to a darker, eerie mood brings us to the work of Wes Craven, originally from Cleveland, Ohio. We head back to four decades, to the celebrated youthhorror film directed and written by Craven. The film’s premise of defining the boundary line between dreams and reality proves rather intriguing. Today we review A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), a favorite of blog supporter Airport Friend that would spawn numerous sequels and a remake 26-years later.
(From left, Amanda Wyss as Christina ‘Tina’ Gray, Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson and Johnny Depp as Glen Lantz in the Wes Craven movie A Nightmare on Elm Street).
The movie itself introduces the audience and a handful of teenage students living on Elm Street to Tina Gray having experienced nightmares in her sleep one autumn night. Gray, as portrayed by Amanda Wyss, raises the occasion to a pair of her friends, Nancy Thompson and Glen Lantz as portrayed by Heather Langenkamp and Johnny Depp, respectively. Besides the fact that Tina Gray was not the only one with nightmares while sleeping, we in the audience come to learn that Thompson and Lantz have been dating.
(From left, John Saxon as Lieutenant Donald ‘Don’ Thompson and Jsu Garcia as Rod Lane in the Wes Craven movie A Nightmare on Elm Street).
Rod Lane, Tina Gray’s boyfriend as portrayed by Jsu Garcia, witnesses an inexplicable assault on Gray that he felt powerless to stop. Nancy Thompson’s father, police Lieutenant Donald ‘Don’ Thompson as portrayed by John Saxon, catches the case. When considering that Lane had been present when Gray had been assaulted, he delt the need to arrest Gray.
(From left, Ronee Blakley as Marge Thompson and Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson in the Wes Craven movie A Nightmare on Elm Street).
Meanwhile, Nancy Thompson continues to suffer from the nightmares in her dreams, bringing physical manifestations of her dream into the physical world. We formally learn about the nature of who Freddy Kruger was, and what he represented, owing to these dreams.
(Robert Englund as Fred ‘Freddy’ Krueger in the Wes Craven movie A Nightmare on Elm Street).
Marge Thompson, the mother of Nancy and wife of police lieutenant Don, meanwhile was portrayed by Ronee Blakley. That Nancy felt closer to the reality of Freddy Krueger more clearly than her parents, at least more than her parents cared to admit. The tensions of needing to sleep coupled led to serious problems for Nancy. With the plans Marge and Don Thompson had for Nancy coupled with the plans Freddy had for the kids, a compelling tale of horrific serial killing becomes clear.
(From left, actor Nick Corri, actress Amanda Wyss, director Wes Craven, actress Heather Langenkamp and actor Johnny Depp on the set of the Wes Craven movie A Nightmare on Elm Street).
The means that Wes Craven brought us in spelling out the motivations and rationale behind Freddy Kruger proved entertaining, thrilling and ghastly of the variety of thriller that this film offers. As I feel the movie establishes the world it exists in so well, I grant A Nightmare on Elm Street as directed and written by Wes Craven 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
Matt Lynn Digital 