The Mockingbird's Peck

"You never know someone until you step inside their skin and walk around a little." This is sage advice coming from one of the great fatherly screen performances in movie history. Gregory Peck won the 1962 Oscar for portraying the earnest, noble and moral Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. It was a role that defined his career, but it was a role that almost didn't get made due to the movie's controversial issues of the day. I mean, for a Southern attorney in 1932 Alabama, walking around inside the skin of victims of racism, poverty and ignorance is potentially dangerous. To Kill A Mockingbird stands as Hollywood's first attempt to strike a knockout punch to stubborn racist attitudes...and this was before the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties. According to the film's director, Robert Mulligan, "The studio didn't want to touch this property until Gregory Peck said, "I want to do it!" So, you have to credit Peck for sticking his neck out for this film. Turns out, Peck knew he had box-office clout at the time. He was on a winning streak, having scored with Gentleman's Agreement and Roman Holiday in the years leading up to Mockingbird. Peck knew a good script and a great character role are slam dunk reasons to make a film - and he was proven correct!
     The movie is a poetic tale about the developing maturity and lost innocence of two motherless children who learn character and compassion during one confusing summer in a small Southern town. Uniquely, the entire movie is seen through their young eyes. We understand the children's fear and the admiration they feel for their principled and loving father as he upsets the local community to defend an innocent black man of rape. We also question the rumors surrounding the mysterious man who lives next door, just as the children do in the movie. Is this man they call Boo a crazy child killer who lives chained to his bed? Yikes! Not exactly the fun family movie people were expecting in 1962. However, to the film's credit, the movie stays quiet and realistic and never slips into cheap melodrama or forced sanctimony.
     Looking back, it's Peck's performance that steals the show. His portrayal of Atticus Finch will always be the father that everybody wishes they had in their lives. Peck knew he had something special in Atticus Finch. According to legend, in the margin of Gregory Peck's shooting script were written the following words that best sum up his character: Fairness, Courage, Stubborness and Love.

Third Prize Is You're Fired!

“We’re adding a little something to this month’s sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anybody want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives…third prize is you’re fired!”

     Aw, the life of a salesman. These are the famous first words uttered by Alec Baldwin’s nasty character in the movie, Glengarry Glen Ross.  One of the great tough guy parts in cinema history. Baldwin’s character is either the world’s best or possibly the world’s worst motivational speaker of all time. His name is Blake, and he’s been called in from “downtown” to motivate (or intimidate) the real estate salesmen at Premiere Properties. Sales figures are down and it’s up to Blake to convey the salesman’s mantra to the sales force… Always be closing. You see, only closers get coffee in real estate, and Blake should know, he drove an $80,000 BMW to get there and the rest of the salesmen drove a Hyundai.

     David Mamet’s screenplay is brilliantly razor-sharp in this scorching tale of salesmen and the pressures that they’re under to close their sales prospects. He wrote the adaptation from his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. The dialogue and the characters ring true. There’s not a moment of dishonesty in the entire movie. Rumor has it that Mamet wrote the play while working briefly in a real estate sales office as a younger man. The scathing language, especially the abundant use of profanity, is lifted directly from real life situations.

     The cast is magnificent, possibly the best group of screen actors assembled…EVER! All are pitch perfect. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin make up the desperate sales team, hoping to turn things around as they wait for the premium Glengarry sales leads. Despite that, Kevin Spacey’s trusted office manager is instructed to hold the leads until these “losers” prove themselves as closers.

     It’s pretty much agreed upon that the real standout performance in the movie is Baldwin’s in-your-face sales motivation speech. Almost eight minutes long, the whole scene is so over-flowing with Movie Men tough guy lines it’s hard to choose the best one. “Put that coffee down, coffee’s for closers.”… “You call yourself a salesman, you son of a bitch?”…”The fucking leads are weak? You’re weak!”… “They’re sitting out there waiting to give you their money. Are you going to take it? Are you man enough to take it”…“It takes brass balls to sell real estate.”

     Those are just a few of the choice lines, they’re all so beautifully coarse. In real life, the speech has been so influential that it’s been co-opted by hoards of salesmen, stock traders and telemarketers across the country to encourage their own sales teams. I suppose imitation is a form of flattery. It would be interesting to see if this kind of intimidation actually increases sales figures over time. It seems outlandish, but as Blake says in the movie, “Only one thing counts in this world: get them to sign on the line which is dotted.”

     Simply put.

Bad Hangover

Why do some people smoke unfiltered cigarettes or drink high-proof alcohol? Is there an explanation why Harley Davidson is so popular as a brand identity? There seems to be something appealing about the dark rebellious side of life. Maybe it’s the affiliation with danger. Whatever it is, it sells. People (especially men) seem to be attracted to the seedy underbelly of things.

    The movie The Hangover embraces this notion with both arms and does it without a single apology. At first glance, the movie’s premise is fairly formulaic – Four guys go to Vegas for a bachelor party and wake up the morning after with the groom missing. If you think about it, it sounds like a pitch for a 1980’s John Hughes movie starring Matthew Broderick or Andrew McCarthy. It would be described as a movie delightfully ironic and flippant in tone. Instead, The Hangover goes tonally to the dark side, but does it with great humor. In fact, the dark reality of the movie is what people love about it. Every laugh is followed by a gasp, and that’s intended. Todd Phillips, the director of The Hangover, has a knack for creating male characters that are comfortable with their bad behavior. He also directed the beer bong mastery of Will Ferrell’s Frank-the-Tank character in Old School. Like many of his movies, Phillips' The Hangover is really about men reconciling their bad decisions, and what better location to explore this subversive nature than Las Vegas? When the men in the movie arrive in the city at night, it appears to be so glamorous, but the next morning it's a different city. They soon discover that during the daytime Vegas is like waking up to a stripper without her makeup. It’s not pretty!

     Of course, men behaving badly on screen is nothing new, but The Hangover men are truly believable in their bad behavior. That’s the difference. Their behavior comes out of character and is played truthfully. The characters of Phil, Stu and Alan interact with each other honestly, as real men do, and in an admittedly obscene way. And isn’t that refreshing? Haven't we seen enough of those modern male-centric comedies with their plethora of overly-sentimental, politically-correct male characters? Guys don't act that way. It’s a Three Men A Baby pukefest of unrecognizable men!

     The Hangover is at least reality based, and I say that the dark side may be the best side when it comes to laughs. What we have in The Hangover are deeply flawed men who make really bad decisions. That’s my kind of movie because really…when you think about it, who wants to see a comedy about righteous men who always make really good decisions? There's no fun in that.

A Rocky Road

Everybody remembers the movie Rocky. I’m talking about the original 1976 Rocky movie, not the subsequent five Rocky movies. By the way, nothing says, “too much of a good thing” than the unrelenting sequels that followed in the Rocky movie franchise. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to hate on the Rocky sequels. In fact, in many ways I think Rocky III was very cool – especially when Apollo Creed gets his ass kicked by Mr. T and decides to teach Rocky to box like a “brother” – but I think the real brilliance of the first Rocky movie is something special.

     Looking back, it was a miracle the movie ever got made. Sylvester Stallone took a huge gamble. He penned the movie with only $150 dollars in the bank and DECLINED to sell the script unless he could star in the movie as well. This was a bold move considering Stallone was a complete nobody, lacking any type of commercial success. Up until that time, he was a mostly unemployed actor who had NEVER sold a screenplay before in his life. His rap around Hollywood was that he was just a muscle-bound meathead actor who mumbled his way through scenes. Lawrence Olivier…he was NOT.

     Irwin Winkler was the producer who fortunately loved the script enough to consider Stallone, but he thought Rocky would be a better fit for a major film star like Ryan O’Neal or Burt Reynolds. As fate would have it, ultimately Stallone’s uncompromising insistence paid off and he got his wish. The movie was financed under a tight shoestring budget, and Stallone became a Hollywood hyphenate over night. He got the lead role of Rocky from the script that he wrote, he choreographed the movie’s fight scenes and he even schemed to get his little brother a bit part in the movie as a Philadelphia street singer. Little known actors Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers and Burgess Meredith were cast in what they surely must have thought of as a largely insignificant movie at the time. In 1976, Rocky’s bicentennial theme was perfectly timed for its release. The movie opened small at the box office but slowly gained momentum. In no time at all the little-movie-that-could became a colossal hit. Oscar glory followed, and the rest they say is… pardon the cliché, Hollywood history.

     Granted, Rocky is no cinematic masterpiece. If you want to look for holes, you can say that its script is simplistic and formulaic. The filmmaking and production value is shabby. It won the Oscar for Best Picture that year, but most people thought Network and All the President’s Men were more deserving…and I agree. However, Rocky has a special ingredient that’s very difficult to capture in movie making. It’s got heart. Watch it again, and you’ll see that it’s a sadly touching story about losers that all get a second chance in life. That sort of movie, if done correctly, is gold in Hollywood.

     Rocky will always be the quintessential underdog movie, and it’s interesting to see how it mirrored the real life underdog story of Sylvester Stallone. He maned-up and put all his chips in at a time when sports movies were box office poison in Hollywood. Not bad for an actor who mumbles his way through scenes. Olivier, eat your heart out!

The Game-Changer

Albert Einstein once said that, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” He also said that his wild bohemian hairstyle was a “magnet for chicks.” Sadly, he wasn’t a genius about everything. However, he was an expert on using his own imagination and developing a vision of something that hadn’t been discovered yet. This is the definition of innovative leadership – creating a path somewhere that didn’t exist before.

     Often times it’s just one person with a passionate new viewpoint who becomes the leader. History has shown that one person can declare a war. One person can reinvent the way we look at science, and one person can change an industry.

    The game-changer in the movie industry was Charlie Chaplin. A hundred years ago, Chaplin came fresh from vaudeville to start his film career at the legendary Mack Sennett studios in Los Angeles. The rest, as they say, is history! When Charlie arrived on the scene the Keystone Cops movies were all the rage in motion pictures, and their style was cookie-cutter. The Cops movies were predictably filled with nonstop action that always concluded with a big elaborate chase sequence. Producer Mack Sennett adamantly believed that audiences would be bored otherwise. His equation was simple: comedy equaled constant movement which equaled captivated paying audiences. All action had to be fast and furious – which meant running and climbing on top of rooftops and streetcars, jumping into rivers and diving off of piers. There was no time for nuance in a Keystone Cops movie.

     Chaplin disagreed with the Keystone Cop model. In fact, he detested the status quo in filmmaking at the time and set out to challenge it. Charlie was a theater success, and he argued that,“Humor is humor, whether in films or on the stage.” So when he got his chance, Chaplin displayed his superb acting technique, stagecraft and subtle pantomime, which he brought from the theater. He was the first successful silent star to bring emotion to the movies. By contrast, he stood out as the innovative genius that he was. Audiences LOVED him because there was nobody else like him in the movies. Chaplin had the unique ability to evoke tears as well as laughter in his work, and that was the key to his craft and to his success. He used to say, “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and pretty girl.”

     You can’t beat an innovative leader with a simple plan.

     

The Redemption Of The Shawshank

Is The Shawshank Redemption the BEST movie of all time? According to the users of the Internet Movie Database web site it is. I know what you’re thinking, “online computer nerds didn’t join forces and elect Star Wars as the best movie?” Unbelievable as it seems, they didn’t. IMDB put it to a vote, and the gritty prison movie with the surprising touch of humanity actually came out on top! Holy friggin’ Obi Wan Kenobi!

      Who would believe Shawshank as the best movie ever?  Not a bad distinction for a movie that was a flop at the box office when it had its original theatrical run in 1993. Some might argue that it wasn’t even the best movie to come out that year. Pulp Fiction kicked ass in 1993, and Forrest Gump picked up nearly all of the awards that same year too.

      IMDB had classic films like Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Sunset Boulevard and The Third Man ranked comparatively low in the same poll. Maybe that says something about younger movie fans who have a tendency to resist older films on the basis that they’re shot in black and white. There seems to be that prejudice that way, but who knows.

     Quite possibly, Shawshank’s high ranking might be due to the movie’s great acting performances, great script, great direction, great cinematography, great musical score and it’s great “escapist” twist ending. Frankly, I love the movie! Most men I know feel the exact same way. In fact, in all my years, I have NEVER met a single man who doesn’t enjoy The Shawshank Redemption. It’s the kind of movie that compels men to stop what they’re doing, sit down and watch it every time it’s on. Interesting, huh? What could be the reason? Maybe it has something to do with the prison movie genre. Movies set in prison have always been a longtime favorite for men in general. Let’s face it, you going to argue with Steve McQueen going vertical on his Triumph motorcycle in The Great Escape? Don’t even think about it!

      Nevertheless, that’s not the reason The Shawshank Redemption beats them all and wins in the poll. At first glance, it’s a prison movie that deals with the big themes of despair, hope, abuse of authority, institutionalism and freedom, but in the end the movie works because of the strong friendship between its two main characters. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman play two lifers who become loyal, trustworthy friends, and that is something not seen very often in movies about men. Competition and opposition usually define the relationships that men have in most movies. Shawshank is so uniquely special in that way. The characters of Andy and Red are best friends. No bullshit.

     As far as the IMDB poll, everybody needs to decide for themselves. The Shawshank Redemption was voted the best movie of all time, and it probably deserves it. For me, it’s just the best movie of all time for friendship.

The Tough Guy With Something Extra

For much of the 1930s, Humphrey Bogart played the third gangster in a movie. He was signed to Warner Bros. in those days, and they had the monopoly on crime movies. The top gangster during this time was everybody’s favorite little tough guy, James Cagney. Then came Edward G. Robinson, he was second. Bogart was either third or fourth, sometimes behind George Raft. It’s hard to imagine, but Bogart's career was tanking, and it needed a makeover. I mean, nothing says, “dispensable” like being a third gangster in a gangster movie. Your fate was sealed. If you didn’t get murdered in the first reel, you just might get punched out by Cagney in the end. That sucked! It wasn’t a bad career for a typical bit player, but Bogart was special. He was the tough guy with something extra. What saved Bogart from third gangster hell was the movie, Casablanca. The role made him a star, and he remained a star until his death.

     Most people have seen the classic Casablanca. In it, Bogart plays saloon-owner Richard (Rick) Blaine, a mysterious American expatriate living in French Morocco during WWII. The role is perfect for Bogart. He gets to play the rugged individual who “doesn’t stick his neck out for nobody.” He’s aloof, detached and locked in his own bitterness. Basically, the guy’s an introverted loner who needs a hug…badly!
     Now for the something extra, or the quality that Bogart brings to the role of Rick. His sadness. Nobody does this better than Bogart. It’s all in his eyes. You just feel it. I don’t need to tell you how uncool it is to see a man act like a drama queen on screen. It’s embarrassing. Bogart never does this. The character of Rick is filled with despair, but he never shows it. Not because he’s insensitive. Rather, Rick doesn’t want to unravel into an emotional mess. I respect that. It’s very manly and mature. In Casablanca, Bogart’s romantic, but never mushy. He’s lovesick, but he’s never going to give that woman the satisfaction by showing it to her.
     Only at the end of the movie does Bogart expose his true feelings, but by this time his broken heart has mended and he’s decided about his future. Bogart takes the high road. He sets his woman free and allows her to escape Casablanca with her husband. He finally takes a side in the war, and ultimately begins a “beautiful friendship” with his new best buddy, Louie. Not a bad fate for a third gangster.