A while ago I created a category on TheWordslinger entitled The Paintslinger, wherein I have displayed some of my paintings – mostly celebrity portraits done in acrylic.
As I have been returning to such with good old fashioned pencils, I have decided to create one more category on here (... or at least I will when my webmaster gets back in town, the durn thing seems to be broken). This category – soon to feature much more portraiture – will be called The Leadslinger.
Here is a glimpse of things to come. Prints of this Marilyn Monroe original are available in multiple sizes, colors, and mattes. Those interested should contact me for more info.
I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t put enough personal posts on TheWordslinger. You’d think I would know better since of all the articles I write on here – be they pop culture related, Churchianity (there will be more, I promise), or what’s going on in my real life – the ones that get the most comments are those last two. And ... since I had an AMAZING day yesterday, I was encouraged by a friend to share it on here. I’ve never been much good at journaling – perhaps one page every five years – because basically I save all that stuff as fodder for my fiction. But for shits and giggles, I’m going to try something on here today that I never have. This will be the most personal article I have ever posted TheWordslinger. Here goes ...
I have mentioned on here before that, although I have family scattered across the country, I am estranged from damn near all of them. From my mother’s side of the family because of issues pertaining to the aforementioned Churchianity. And from my father’s side of the family due to things the man was doing in my childhood which NO FATHER SHOULD EVER DO much less one who presumes to man a pulpit and lead a congregation. When my sister and I confronted him about these heinous matters a decade ago, he basically cursed us, washed his hands of us, booted us out of the family, and made damn sure that he spread enough false rumors about us to his kin to ensure that anything we might say about him would be completely discredited. To make US look crazy, and himself look like the victimized good guy.
And so, for the past decade, I have basically considered myself an orphan – albeit one with plenty of close blood ties still living. I spent this time in deep reflection, trying to figure out who I was apart from these crazy people. This journey of self-discovery – in which I re-embraced the faith of my youth, while still utterly condemning the Churchianity with which I was poisoned on a daily basis – was extremely painful, but ultimately rewarding. I got one of those rewards just yesterday.
Over the past few months, I have been contacted through my web pages by two people in my father’s family: my half-sister Heidi, and my cousin Lisa. Both were very relieved and surprised to see that I was doing so well ... especially since they had both heard differing rumors about my unfortunate demise. My cousin had heard from my father that I was a crazy drug addict who was living on the street. While I assured her that this was never the case, I discovered that different lies about me had been spread to others in the family. Whatever would ensure my complete and utter unreliability in case I ever tried sharing those earlier accusations around.
Sister Heidi and cousin Lisa both listened with patience and compassion to my side of the story, and have had much to think about over the past few months.
I, at the time, had been extremely nervous about associating with ANYONE from my family, simply because I had been away so long, and it had never even crossed my mind to wonder if I would ever be so healthy and secure in my own identity that I could ... return safely to that fold.
Thanks to FaceBook, I learned yesterday that Heidi and Lisa were planning to have lunch at a Red Robin in town. They even put down a time and directions. Figuring (hoping) it would be a nice surprise if I showed up unexpectedly and bought lunch for them ... I did so. They were indeed thrilled to see me, and we had a wonderful time. Afterward, cousin Lisa and I went to visit her parents, my aunt and uncle, whom I had not seen in 15 years. While I was extremely nervous at first – God only knew what horrible falsehoods they had heard about me – they could not have made me feel more welcome. As I shared the TRUE story of what I had been up to over the past decade, that I was doing great and about to get my first novel published, I learned that they too had heard of my destruction, insanity, and downfall. They were extremely relieved to learn that this was not the case. Then my uncle added: “Grandma thinks you’re dead.”
My immediate response to that was, “She does? Well, let’s go take care of that right now.”
My grandmother – who I had also not seen since 1995 – lives in a nursing home nearby. Next month she will be 96 years old. For a woman pushing 100, she is remarkably sharp. She zooms around her residence in a little scooter which makes me think of The Little Old Lady From Pasadena: Go Granny, go Granny, go Granny go! Now granted, my father’s family has never been overly emotional or affectionate, so when my cousin Lisa and I went to see my Grandma, and I first knelt down to greet her, her response was shocking to me. I said, “Hi Grandma, it’s Andy.” It took her a moment, but she took my hand and, with tears in her eyes, gasped and replied, “I can’t believe it’s you. Oh, Andy, I am so glad you're all right. I'm so glad you came to see me.”
We visited for an hour or two, as I filled her in on what I had really been up to over the past 10 - 15 years. I also shared a discreet version of why my father and I have not spoken for the last decade. I went about this meeting prayerfully – not wanting to upset her by saying too much, nor confuse her by saying too little – and I could not have asked for a better result. I merely said that my sister and I had made some horrific allegations to him 10 years ago, wherein he disowned us, and set about ensuring that we were not only ousted from the family, but rendered completely unreliable. There are those members of my father’s family who have fully believed whatever gross lies have been told regarding my sister and me, and while it breaks my heart to not be able to talk to them (yes, I am talking about you, Rick), I have to believe that the TRUTH will someday come out. Yesterday’s visit with my sister, cousin, aunt, uncle, and grandma may well be the start of it.
When Lisa and I were about to leave, my grandmother took my hand again, thanked me profusely for coming to see her, and said, “The mystery is solved.”
As Lisa and I left, I told her, “When my dad finds out about this visit, he is going to be PISSED! Grandma will probably give him an earful.”
“Thursday,” Lisa said. “He’s coming to see her on Thursday.”
My response to this news? While at one time it may have been a neurotic meltdown, I simply don’t care. I have carried the weight of this man’s sins around for far too long. I do not wish him ill – I have, in fact, forgiven him – but I simply don’t care how he reacts.
While oft times we cannot see changes in ourselves because we are too close to the matter – forest for the trees – in this instance I not only SEE the change in myself, I am somewhat staggered by it. I am no longer defined by my past. I know who I am, where I’ve been, what I’ve gone through, and where I am going ... or at least Who I trust to take me there.
I discovered something not long into viewing the new thriller Edge of Darkness: I’ve missed Mel Gibson.
Gone from starring-role films since 2002’s Signs, Mel didn’t have a great time during the aughties. They started out pretty good, but then something went wrong. While his 2004 directorial effort The Passion of the Christ went on to gross over $600 million worldwide, the controversial film left Mel extremely rich and emotionally ... conflicted? I can only theorize as to why his life, drinking habits, and nearly 30-year marriage all went kablooey in the wake of this gargantuan success, but kablooey they went. (Am I the only one to notice that in all of Mel’s post-kablooey “damage-control” interviews, the one topic he vehemently refused to discuss was his father? Just an observation.)
But I digress. Edge of Darkness, based on a 1985 BBC series of the same name, is the latest effort from director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro, Casino Royale) – Campbell also directed the TV version. The film involves Boston homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson), whom we first meet as he his picking up his 20-something daughter Emma (newcomer Bojana Novakovic) for a long overdue visit. As seen in the trailer (posted below), Emma isn’t at her father’s house very long before she is gunned down by a masked assailant. The rest of the familiar-but-gripping tale has Tom Craven hunting down his daughter’s killer. As the culprit isn’t inordinately hard to figure out, I won’t give away anything more.
While we’ve seen this story before – hell, while we’ve seen Mel Gibson in this story before – it is still refreshing to see a markedly older Mel returning to form. Yes, the age lines are deeper, and the hair is thinner (and is it just me or is Mel getting shorter?), but the acting chops are still there in spades. From tenderness, to crushing sorrow, to controlled rage, Mel gives a very affecting performance. Especially in scenes where he interacts with hallucinations of his daughter as a little girl – love that “shaving” scene. It is these little touches which distinguish Edge of Darkness from 2008’s similarly-themed Taken with Liam Neeson – a film which I liked a great deal, but did not touch me emotionally like this film did. In fact, where Taken relied heavily on bad-ass action, Edge of Darkness is really more of a drama. Those expecting otherwise may be disappointed, but shouldn’t be. Excellent support is offered by Ray Winstone as a man who ... oh, but that would be giving too much away – I’ll just say his performance is one that keeps the viewer guessing. Danny Huston is appropriately slimy as a corporate CEO; Shawn Roberts is tweakingly paranoid as Emma’s boyfriend; and Bojana Novakovic (seen briefly in Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell) makes a very strong impression as Mel’s doomed daughter. I see big things ahead for this charming, talented, and lovely Serbian actress – check out my Examiner profile of her here.
Director Campbell – whose Casino Royale was a kinetic masterpiece – has slowed down his sensibilities with this film. The action here is sparse, but each time it comes, it is as shocking as a slap in the face ... you know, in a good way.
Not unlike a cross between Ransom and Payback (with a dash of Conspiracy Theory),Edge of Darkness is rewarding little revenge thriller, whose familiarity is well-compensated for by the presence its gone-too-long star. Mel Gibson can do this kind of role in his sleep. Thank goodness he was awake for this one.
It's great to have you back, Mel. Here's hoping this film is harbinger of better things to come.
GRADE: B
Check out the trailer below ... gotta love that final line.
Two years ago I wrote an article entitled John Carpenter & Kurt Russell’s ELVIS -- Where’s the DVD?, wherein I championed this nearly forgotten 1979 biopic of the King of Rock and Roll. Produced by Dick Clark two years after Presley’s tragic passing, ELVIS was the first collaboration between young director John Carpenter -- hot off Halloween, the highest-grossing independent film at the time -- and Disney’s teen heartthrob Kurt Russell. These two up’n-comers would, of course, later collaborate on Escape From New York, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, and Escape From L.A.
KURT RUSSELL AS ELVIS Premiering on ABC in February 1979, ELVIS garnered huge ratings and effusive critical praise ... especially for Russell who seemed to be channeling Mr. Presley from beyond.
That same year, ELVIS was edited from three hours down to two, and released in Europe as a theatrical feature. That shorter cut was released on videotape in the early 1990s, but was soon after pulled, shelved, and placed on moratorium because of a dispute over music rights. Much bemoaning and bemusing ensued regarding when we would see it released again ...
In 2005, CBS produced another Elvis biopic starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, but it couldn’t hold a candle to the Carpenter/Russell version, despite the cooperation of the Elvis Presley Estate, and the use of Elvis’ actual recordings.
Now, finally, after years and years (and years) of waiting, I was recently contacted by the SHOUT! Factory video production house in response to my original article. They thanked me for championing the cause of getting this neglected classic re-released, sent along the news that they had acquired the rights to John Carpenter and Kurt Russell’s ELVIS and, in a joint partnership with Dick Clark Productions, were releasing the three-hour cut on DVD -- street date: March 2nd, 2010.
They also sent along an advanced copy for review ... some days this job doesn’t get any better. So, was it worth the wait?
While I have a few quibbles, I must answer a resounding YES.
As an aficionado of (well-made) biopics -- not to mention John Carpenter’s spooky oeuvre, and Elvis Presley himself -- I’ll be the first to admit that ELVIS has been something of an obsession with me since its first airing. Its unavailability for so long only fed my mania. Six years ago I purchased a pirated DVD off of eBay, which had been transferred from that earlier videotape version. After watching it many times -- I simply LOVE showing this film to the uninitiated -- this two-hour edit became ingrained in me.
My first impression of the new DVD was how handsomely packaged it is: with a clear clam shell, a two-sided, full color jacket, and an 8-page booklet chronicling the production. The film itself -- and this was one of the biggest surprises of all -- is shown in its originally-shot theatrical ratio of 1.85:1. After seeing only the cropped and grainy version for the last 30 years, this was like viewing it for the first time.
RUSSELL AND HUBLEY AS ELVIS AND PRISCILLA This three-hour version (actually around 170 minutes) is not without its faults. Maybe I’m too used to the shorter cut, but this version is seriously padded -- I don’t think there was anything left on the cutting room floor ... other than the penultimate Burning Love number from the film’s final concert, included in the 2-hour cut, but not the longer one. There are also a couple of scenes which are not only badly edited, but completely misplaced. Early in the film, young Elvis is sitting around a guitar shop, listening to some old bluesmen wail That’s All Right Mama. His girlfriend comes in, leads him outside, and tells him that his parents are looking for him because a record company has called. At this point in the movie, Elvis hasn’t even been to Sun Records. Later, after Elvis goes to Sun to record My Happiness for his mother, it is evident where this scene was supposed to be placed. Such sloppy editing can only be blamed on the original editor -- the two-hour version fixes this problem and is actually pretty tight, but it is not included here. Regardless, other than a few scenes which should have either been trimmed or cut, this version is remarkably entertaining.
KURT RUSSELL AS YOUNG ELVIS -- HIGH SCHOOL TALENT SHOW Kurt Russell is SO good in this role, at times one forgets that we are not watching the real article -- not bad for someone who in real life looks nothing like Elvis Presley. Season Hubley does an excellent job as Priscilla Beaulieu; though the part is underwritten, she makes the most of it, and often strongly resembles the beautiful woman she portrays. (Hubley and Russell fell in love on the set of this film, and were married a month after filming wrapped. Though they divorced four years later, they had a son together, Boston Russell, born in 1980.) Fine support is also offered by Shelley Winters as Gladys Presley, character actor Bing Russell (Kurt’s father) as Vernon Presley, Pat Hingle as Colonel Tom Parker, Carpenter-regular Charles Cypher as Sam Phillips, Ellen Travolta (John’s sister) as Sam’s assistant Marion Keisker, Joe Mantegna as Joe Esposito, and Robert Gray as Red West. Almost 20 years later, Kurt Russell would reprise (kind of) his role as Elvis in the Kevin Costner casino caper 3000 Miles to Graceland -- the film was a stinker, but it was nice to see Russell back in the sideburns and rhinestones.
Charlie Hodge and Larry Geller, both members of Elvis’ Memphis Mafia, were production consultants and play themselves in the film -- their presence adds much authenticity. Country singer Ronnie McDowell does a phenomenal job providing the singing for this production; he is to be credited as much as Russell and Carpenter for this film’s allure and success.
KURT LOOKING EERILY LIKE THE REAL McCOY While it seems an impossible task to try and fit Elvis Presley’s rags to riches story into a two or three hour film, this movie not only does so, but adds nuance after nuance of the charismatic-but-troubled entertainer. The story ends in 1969 as Elvis is returning to Las Vegas after years of languishing in substandard film fare. While his eventual decline and self-destruction are not dramatized, the seeds of those later problems are certainly planted. My only problem with the script is that it fudges the date of Elvis and Priscilla’s divorce by a few years -- it was 1973 not 1969 -- but from a storytelling point of view, this works.
SGT. PRESLEY PUTS HIS MOJO ON 14-YEAR OLD PRISCILLA ... HARDLY FAIR My only other quibble regards the bonus content on the new DVD. While a short-but-fascinating 1979 Making Of featurette is presented, I wish the producers had sprung for some new interviews from the director and star. Carpenter and Russell -- whose commentaries on their later collaborations are extremely entertaining -- have previously expressed interest in doing the same for this film, should it ever be released on DVD. Sadly, that is also not included here. There is a commentary by singer Ronnie McDowell and author Edie Hand, but it is no compensation for the exclusion of the film’s principal actor and well-learned auteur. (Listening to John Carpenter wax cinematic is nearly as entertaining as hearing Martin Scorcese do likewise -- the man knows his film history.) The bonus features are rounded out by clips from Elvis Day on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand circa 1962 (understandably without any actual Elvis music), and a photo gallery of production stills.
RUSSELL AS ELVIS AND THE SHADOW OF HIS TWIN, JESSE GARON While I am disappointed in some of the exclusions in bonus content, and in the lazily edited original runtime, I still must enthusiastically recommend this DVD release to all who are interested in either excellent biographical pictures, Carpenter and Russell films, or anything regarding Elvis Presley. Perhaps if response to this looooooong-awaited DVD release is strong enough, in a few years we can get another DVD (ELVIS -- The Definitive Cut, for which I would gladly offer my editorial assistance), with new interviews and a Carpenter and Russell commentary. Looks like I’m still not done campaigning for this film.
Kudos to SHOUT! Factory for making this happen! After March 2nd, 2010, you can purchase the DVD from them directly by clicking here.
Now that James Cameron has officially directed the two most globally profitable motion pictures of all time, Titanic and Avatar, the question remains: how did he do it? Especially Avatar (see my review here). Yahoo Movies just posted a fascinating 22-minute documentary on their site, regarding the making of this extraordinary film. Interviews include Cameron, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and many of the brilliant artists who brought Pandora to breathtaking life.
If you loved Avatar as I much as I, take a detailed look behind the scenes here.
