On the Waterfront (1954)

If acting styles were put into biblical proportions, it would be separated into two groups, BB and AB (Before Brando and After Brando). Marlon Brando was the leading actor in the new acting style that evolved in the 1950's called The Method. The Method acting focused on real world emotions and performances. It erased the stylized acting choices found in films such as Gone with the Wind and, instead asked the actor to pull from their own lives in order to create a real and subtle performance.

Brando was the king of The Method court. He lead the charge by creating such completely realistic performances... so much so that you don't know where he ends and his characters begin. Even in a film with such a strong cast that On the Waterfront has, a cast which includes Karl Malden, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb and Rod Steiger, Brando's performance is by far the best

On the Waterfront, directed by method filmmaker Elia Kazan, revolves around Terry Malloy (Brando), a washed up boxer who's brother (Steiger) is second to the local mafia boss (Cobb) in charge of the dock workers union. Malloy, who is coddled and protected by Cobb starts down a dangerous path when he befriends the sister (Saint) of a man killed for squealing to the cops. He finds himself in even greater trouble when he starts listening to a local priest (Malden) who is trying to end the corruption on the docks.

It culminates with a mentally simple, but strong Malloy who tries to do the right thing and take on Cobb and his influence, at peril to his own life.

What I found very interesting this time around was the films blatant Christian themes. As a matter of fact, in today's world this could easily be considered a Christian film. The priest publicly chastises the mafia powers, calling upon Jesus' example of how we are to treat each other. The speech last for five minutes and is 100% pro-Christ. Unfortunately, it's probably one of the last films where a priest is shown in high regard.

In any event, for either its Christian themes or its ground breaking performances, On the Waterfront is a great film to watch for any generation.

Happy 83rd Year on the Planet, Dad!

My father turns 83 today. Happy birthday, my father. My dad's greatest passion, other than golf, of course, is children. He has the rare talent, gift really, of being able to identify with children, to get down on their level and communicate with them. I am grateful that he has passed that along to me.

I love going home and playing with my children. I loved making "tea" with my daughter when she was four or rough-housing with my son. I've been Ken to my daughter's Barbie and I've been Darth Vader to my son's Luke Skywalker. And I have enjoyed every minute.

Thanks Dad, for sharing your adulthood with my childhood so that I may do the same with my kids.

Have a GREAT birthday, Pops.

Baseball Summer

About a week ago we got a call from a little league coach saying that there were some spots available for an 11-12 year old summer baseball camp. I reminded him Gabe was only 10, but he was sure Gabe was good enough to play. So, we got a discounted rate (it's a professional camp) and the team practices for eight weeks, then plays a tournament in Cocoa Beach during Labor Day weekend. Gabe said "We get to stay in a hotel and then play a baseball game? That's like the major leaguers!" He is very excited.

The company, called The Winning Inning, is a Christian baseball training group that has a lot of ex-major leaguers & minor leaguers as trainers and even the occasional Devil Ray will stop by from time to time.

So, Gabe's in seventh heaven. All of the players in this camp he either played with or played against during the recent all-star tournament... even some of those dreaded Countryside players are now his teammates. He's learning a lot, is one of the better pitchers and just loves playing baseball.

I'll share pics of the tournament when it happens.

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966)

In the great spirit of one of my all time favorite films, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, the ensemble chaotic comedy The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! is a madcap Cold War comedy about a Russian sub that gets stuck off the coast of Gloucester.

When the crew sneaks onto the island to simply borrow a boat, everything goes very badly. Written by Carl Reiner, directed by Norman Jewison and containing many of the Mad, Mad cast, Russians is a fun and satisfying comedy that introduced Alan Arkin to American film fans.

Arkin, as Lt. Rozanov, leads a group of Russians through the island and stumble across Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint and their family as the prepare to end their summer vacation. Reiner is prodded by the Russians for assistance while Reiner's son, played wonderfully by a loud Sheldon Collins, keeps demanding the death of the Russians and the arrest of his father for treason.

Along the line Brian Keith, playing the small town sheriff and Jonathan Winters, playing his deputy, try to keep the rumors and the town militia under control as they follow every hair-brained idea of where the Russians are and what they are doing.

Though not in the same class as the immortal Mad, Mad, World, Russians still is a nice piece of mid-1960s clean comedy and is worthy of a revisit on occasion.

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

The Bourne Ultimatum, the third of the Bourne films fits perfectly into the series, full of great stunts, non-stop action and plenty of plot twists. Matt Damon, probably one of the best actors working today and one that will most likely go down as one of the best American actors ever, revisits his Jason Bourne character. In The Bourne Identity Jason Bourne must uncover who he is, in The Bourne Supremacy, Bourne seeks revenge on those who want him dead and in The Bourne Ultimatum, Bourne seeks to find those responsible for his life as an assassin.

At the very end of the Supremacy, the second film, Bourne gets a tip from a high level inside source about his true identity. What's really interesting and inventive about Ultimatum is that this film actually starts out six weeks prior to that and that moment where Bourne is informed by the high level source doesn't happen until two-thirds through Ultimatum. Very cool stuff. And, beyond that, the meaning of the message is completely different than you thought it was at the end of Supremacy.

Directed with frenetic hand-held style of Paul Greengrass, Ultimatum is a great piece of the Bourne puzzle, yet falls into a close second to Supremacy, which is catapulted to the top spot because it has one of the best car chases ever put on film.

It's been said that the Bourne films are a modern day Bond replacement and that very well may be true. Gone are the cheeky comments, the "evil man wants to take over the world" scenarios in Bond flicks and are replaced by personal vendettas and unflinching amoralism of a trained killer. Daniel Craig, as the new Bond, has injected new life into that franchise because of his macho charm and a reimaging of the Bond films, but right now, Damon and his Bourne trilogy have the upper hand.

In the end, if Bourne and Bond battle it out at the box office, I think we'll all be winners. As for The Bourne Ultimatum, it's another butt-kicking good time at the theater.