Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) Movie Review

Compassion, Patience and Panda Power

          In the midst of the various and ceaseless controversies raging throughout the world, few ever disagree over the breath of fresh, soothing air and the re-injection of joy in its purest form offered whenever an panda video goes viral across the internet, for all to celebrate, as an infectious source of endangered innocence. Not quickly forgotten is the scene of care-free panda cubs in China; gleefully ascending to the top of a sleek wooden slide and then descending down the slope, with admirable enthusiasm and feather-like grace, into an unforeseen but nonetheless well-received bundle of fellow players. Not immediately melted away are the moments of optimistic bliss captured on camera, courtesy of a fully-grown panda bear cheering up a frustrated Washington DC community by attempting to create a snow angel, in a bid to highlight the hopes for happiness buried beneath a rather harsh amount of linen-white winter powder. Both displays ooze with adorable energy in equal measure and the collaborators behind Kung Fu Panda 3 confidently take full advantage of that very a sentiment, which, quite mercifully, in the grand scheme of the world's turmoil, the tragically endangered creature appears to be eternally blessed with. The result is a bright, comely and colourful animated adventure that provides both a fitting conclusion to consistently amusing trilogy and an ending that just might allow for a continuation of the protagonist's story, so long as such a project was clearly warranted by a great degree of fan-fuelled demand.

          The dialogue, by all but via Jack Black in particular as the charismatic Panda protagonist, Po, who even now in his third outing remains a heart-warming reminder of Black's live performance of comic passion in School of Rock (2003), is always delivered with such superb conviction that even familiar sentiments are received with total engagement from audiences, young or otherwise, as if this animated feature was indeed their source of origin.

          The gorgeous imagery is heightened most by the sheer variety of locations, ranging from vicious, snow-covered mountains, to more tranquil, lush green landscapes. At times, the aesthetics and the design of the natural world scream out resemblances with more modern classics. A frozen and fortified dividing line between two settlements, which co-exist at a vast distance apart from one another, provides a clever, fairly amusing reference to Game of Thrones (2011-Present). A gradual emergence of desperately-needed reinforcements through the fog recalls to mind a similar gathering of brave, good individuals against a formidable faction of evil in The Patriot (2000) and a scene depicting a tragic family loss, heretofore completely unknown by Po and the audience observing him, blends possible inspiration from Ice Age (2002) with enough originality to subdue its viewers with teary eyes and swelling hearts. Fortunately, humour and elegant pacing immediately but gracefully relieve the audience of such saddening emotion. Thus, they now hold on to Po for the rest of his quest with amplified eagerness.

          The fight sequences are fast, funny and presented with a lilt-like quality. Never crossing the boundaries into untoward territory; they are frequently supported by witty, often last-minute instances of humour, thrown into scenes and particularly the longer conversations through Jack Black, James Hong and Seth Rogen's respective roles especially.  



          Kung Fu Panda 3 is caught off guard during its commendable fight for the constant engagement of the audience by a nervous and slow opening that for a brief instant looks set to collapse under the weight to too much back-story but quickly picks up with a great pace that goes on to to spread such knowledge more evenly throughout each major act of the tale, ultimately justifying that opening, which turns out to be assertively unhurried rather than sluggish. The comedy rarely results in laughter on the scale of hilarious but the aforementioned excellent pacing of the story means that one soon loses count of the sheer volume of genuine giggles enjoyed by journey's end. Finally, some characters could have had slightly bigger parts to play, most notably Jackie Chan's character. However, to include a great number of parts on the platform where they are able to share out equal portions of significance remains no easy undertaking in film to this day. Chan's level of screen-time clicks well enough within the plot and he no doubt enjoyed a little more dialogue and action in the previous instalments, kindly making way in this one for new additions, such as the characters wonderfully voiced by Bryan Cranston and Kate Hudson.

          To dip into an animated China filled with lively animals voiced by a committed, star-drenched cast, most likely for one last time, will be enough to laugh well but not excessively. Eyes shall moisten but tears may not pour from understandably sore eyes. However, ostensibly tired and clichéd elements of animated films, whether they are aimed towards didactic intentions or pure entertainment purposes, are employed with enough novel variations of flavour that the messages presented, principally about self-confidence, persistence, family and love, are more than worthy of and essential for children of all ages.

THE VERDICT: 8/10

Films That You Should Have Watched Yesterday - Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Straight, or Gay, I'll Love You Either Way: Opening Your Heart in the Wake of the Brokeback Legacy 

          Picture two men dressed, from hat to boots, in cowboy outfits. Paint a backdrop of still, lush green trees surrounding snow-topped mountains of majestic porpoise-grey that all stand spectacularly tall without obscuring the view of a royal blue sky or the pearl-white clouds above. Sprinkle the scene with the accessories of recently popped, shiny glass bottles of chilled beer in hand and fine, youthful, stainless steeds stationed with admirable obedience nearby and marvel at the sight of one specific flavour of pure pleasure heightened by an innocent relishing of the present moment, welcoming, with doors gracefully swung wide open, the light, cool breeze of the wind and the ceaseless but gentle roar of the dodger-blue rivers and streams forever flowing forwards, over and under hard, sharp and immovable rock formations of many intriguing shapes that do little more than provide necessary challenge by not quite discontinuing the water's flow. There was a time when such a vision warranted envy from even the most privileged citizens of worldwide society. That was until the vision and the way of life that it depicted became forever tainted at the very thought of a word that was intended only to establish a fictional location in Wyoming, USA, for a love story but ultimately also presented an opportunity for prejudice towards homosexuality to fester, resulting in one of the most frustrating illustrations of blissful ignorance, ecstatically fuelled with jokes rooted in terrible untruths regarding that love story's events and always refusing to accept its own inevitable diminishing, which would take place once reason finally prevailed over mocking fantasy and those concerned were persuaded to give the tale a chance. That word, known very well but understood barely a little, was Brokeback.

          In spite of the glowing, gold-scented knowledge that Brokeback Mountain was inspired by a remarkable short story by Annie Proulx, or that it was directed a Ang Lee, a film-maker who had already been hailed for leading a masterful adaptation of a famous literary creation, Sense and Sensibility, which testified to a love so strong that it effortlessly breached class barriers, the notion that another socially-charged barrier in the form of sexuality was being tackled caused a great deal of discomfort and controversy among audiences who clung, in many cases, to the fear of witnessing a 'tent scene' that had been grossly twisted by unkind rumours into a fantasy that fed off words and images of the most distasteful sort. Thus, occupied so completely by a false synopsis of the film's principle didactic and artistic intentions, audiences to this day have absolutely refused to watch the film, unwilling to hear reason that is supported by caches plentiful in credible sources of evidence, fit for the purpose of unbiased justification, for the proposal that Brokeback Mountain is, in truth, a love story of Shakespearean proportions. The American Cowboy Culture, one that so many thrive upon yanking from the horse by the neck with a rope repeatedly in order to expose the real practices behind the sermons claiming moral superiority on love, life and the vast landscape in between, is once again, with no apology offered or even conceived in advance of the bold endeavour, exposed to its supposedly well-intended but undeniably outdated and hypocritical core in a tale of forbidden love.

A Star That Will Never Grow Old - Heath Ledger's portrayal of Ennis Del Mar is tragically overshadowed by his Oscar-winning, breathtaking interpretation of The Joker in The Dark Knight. However, the phenomenal former role, in spite of being in comparison forgotten, ignored and prejudice-whipped by audiences who willingly surrender to corrupted images that revel in making a mockery of a love that is misunderstood but no less pure than the other, more familiar and socially respectable guises, grants an even greater degree of praise for the latter performance. The two characters in combination contrast so starkly, in facets ranging from tone of voice, to gait, to mannerisms, to principle sensibilities and most obviously aesthetics, that they consequently testify to Ledger's incredible versatility as an artist of the acting craft, long before and long after his poignant passing just over eight years ago.   

          The scenes of sexual intimacy so often infamously alluded to as the perilous, filthy terrain upon which the film gallops towards traumatising unsuspecting audiences serve only to support the assertion of the two protagonists, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, establishing a connection that once seemed impossible. Those scenes form part of an apparent end to soul-numbing loneliness and the acceleration of love to which all witnesses could fully comprehend, or at least, supported by cautious estimation, assert an awareness of, the fullest extent of its rapture, whether or not the personal experiences that heretofore informed them have involved someone of the same or the opposite sex. Even the seed of the film, the original short prose composition, gives cause for more graphic imagery than what is actually recorded on camera, by hinting at more aggressive, more vivid love scenes taking place in broad daylight. Such scenes are not brought to light in the film. Instead, the embraces each last barely three to five minutes in their entirety. Furthermore, in those spaces of time granted for such developments in the protagonists' relationship, limits are notably conservative in the degree of flesh exposed, or the instinctive pleasure-induced movements and melodies expressed by both characters. Never does the story linger for the intention of shock. Nor does the camera or the lighting ever provide a close up intended only to instil discomfort. There will always be somebody whose face might turn vermilion during the scenes in question, even if that anxiety is not at all rooted in homophobic prejudice either within or without. However, even the most traumatized viewers have every chance of remembering this film for more than a few brief physical encounters.

          Like many timeless love stories, the audience might recall from Brokeback Mountain the questionable moral decisions made in the pursuit of love and the surrender of that pursuit to fear. Fans of the source material will appreciate the use of key dialogue delivered with superb emotional depth and control. Hardcore movie nerds who have a tendency to latch onto their favourite building blocks of the final product and so will add, for instance, the music that takes full advantage of and in turn produces the best prominent employment of the guitar in the orchestra ever heard from a film score, to their stockpile of cinema memories to share with friends for many years hence. Acting, costume design, imagery of nature and so many other elements making up the movie rival one another in impressive quality, indicating that the sex scenes, while important for the story, do not define it. That reality has been true for a countless number of productions that have been made since Brokeback Mountain. Fewer than expected have appeared put off by often far more striking, intense homosexual love scenes in I Love You Philip Morris, Milk, Shame, Bruno, Blue is the Warmest Colour, Spartacus, Game of Thrones and Mr Robot, which are all examples that form a list not close at all to completion. In many of the examples but especially Brokeback Mountain the film is more about love. It is more about connection than what some might perceive as mindless acts of homosexual fornication. Looking back on the film over a decade after its release, Jake Gyllenhaal best summarised the public attitude towards the work as a whole by addressing the conversations around a famous line from the picture, highlighting that the significance of the movie is far greater than those who would quickly dismiss it on cruel grounds might admit. The line in focus was "I wish I knew how to quit you."

"That line has moved, it has been mocked, it has been everything in between, but I remember coming out of that scene, off that ridge of the hill and seeing a number of the the crew, some of whom didn't even know what the movie was about, crying. When I first read the line, I was like, What is that? Now I realize that anybody who has loved knows what that feels like." - Jake Gyllenhaal

The Angel's Right Hand - Jake Gyllenhaal won the BAFTA for the Best Supporting Actor category in 2006. Not uncommonly does the British equivalent to the Oscars, along with every other major award ceremony, such as the Golden Globe Awards, essentially appear to copy another awarding body by granting the same awards to the same artists, resulting, more often than perhaps desired by any respectable voting collective, in the ceremony concerned becoming a cheap imitation of the ultimate event - The Academy Awards. Here, on the other hand, was one of the few occasions, albeit such events have become more frequent in recent years in response to the ever-increasing quality of film-making on parade, where the BAFTAs didn't just copy the Oscars or, put more accurately, attempt to predict whom that Hollywood ceremony would crown the victors and respond accordingly, desperate not appear as the inferior judge of the best talent riding upon the saddles of nominations. Gyllenhaal took the opportunity presented by his acceptance speech to assert that "this movie means even more to me socially than it does artistically." There can be no greater proof, beyond, of course, watching the movie, that Brokeback Mountain is about far, far more than homosexual fornication between cowboys in one of nature's more secluded settings. In fact, the role of physical intimacy melts away like snow in a desert at the height of summer once the brutal repercussions of a doomed love, all of which unsurprisingly too relevant for audiences of all sexual orientations, are realised. The wings that allow this story to soar across the lands of utterly captivated attention are not propelled from without by the turbulent winds of mindless profanity, unrestrained nudity or a nasty demonization of the American Cowboy Culture but rather from within by a cry for equality for homosexuals in particular, as well as a celebration of love's unconditional, magical and in turn life-affirming quality for all. Thus, Brokeback Mountain rides among the finest feature-length productions illustrating the power of film for tackling and helping to change outdated but unfortunately entrenched social attitudes for the better.     

          There remain individuals determined not to watch Brokeback Mountain, staying all but clueless concerning what the movie is about. On the other hand, more people are persuaded every year to decide upon expanding their horizons, offering their full engagement for roughly two hours in order to give the film sufficient opportunity for a fair consideration. While the result may, but truly does not have to, be the feature attaining another fan, the outcome could be, at the very least, an admission in the aftermath from the viewer of a failure to understand what all of the fuss was about. One wonders, if attitudes towards homosexuality were different even today, if Brokeback Mountain might have made an impression, upon more casual audiences especially, as great as Titanic achieved, not least for its unreserved revelations of the harsh treatment of homosexuals and the furious snubbing of love occurring in just one part of the world, leaving to the imagination what on earth is going on everywhere else, for as it has been plainly but nonetheless eloquently put in the television series, Penny Dreadful, "whatever you can imagine, far worse is possible." Equally, though, far better burns within the human heart with just as much plausibility, if not more so than its darker, depressing alternative. Thus, beyond the celebration of pure, unconditional and undying love, Brokeback Mountain holds audiences securely upon its saddle as a story about standing up for yourself. One that lives on, for it has not too long ago been announced that a theatrical adaptation is planned for London's West End, which will undoubtedly attract a great deal of speculation over how attitudes towards such a production might have changed, for critics will rightly be expecting high quality drama but they might hopefully be less likely to consider the theme of homosexuality as detrimental to that ambition. In the meantime, looking back as far as the première screening of the film in 2005 and recounting the major steps towards equality for the LGBT Rights Moment, including the United States House of Representatives approving a bill that ensured equal rights in the workplace for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in 2007, followed eventually by Barak Obama becoming the first sitting president of the United States to support marriage for gay and lesbian couples in May 2012, Brokeback Mountain clearly achieved not just critical and financial success but also a brave exposure of homophobia, which aided in the prompting of positive political action, particularly against those often hidden illustrations of the sickness present in individuals hitching a ride on the band wagon simply to impress their friends, easily pretending to support LGBT equality on social media but still unwilling to even watch a movie that tells a love story involving homosexuals, deliberately chaining their minds to gross homophobic preconceptions that in all cases are miles away from the town of reality. In the end, finally opening one's eyes and watching the film might yet result in the obtaining of yet another movie setting to associate with romantic refuge and the power of love, joining a poignant collection that features locations like Paris, Rome, and Casablanca, regardless of its, by just comparison, ultimately fictional existence. That location, marked by the clout of cinema for eternity upon the collective psyche of society, albeit yet to be discovered and explored by so many, is Brokeback Mountain.

The Revenant (2016) Movie Review

The Timeless Trials of Cold Beauty

          Loglines and taglines alike suggest a simple revenge plot. Nothing more. After a recent onslaught of films and television shows trying admirably hard to instil within their stories as much unpredictability as possible without looking desperate, most notably through the notion that no one is safe from an untimely death, veteran silver screen viewers need not travel with a protagonist for hundreds of snow-drenched, predator-filled miles before they can predict the final outcome of his quest. Still, no film this side of the new year surprises viewers more expertly with the age-old reality in storytelling: It is not just about what to say, but also how to say it that counts. The latter quality spoils audiences within minutes by rewarding their faith with eye-numbing shots dripping with alluring connotations of various themes of great modern-era relevance. Each marker of thought lingers with no more or less significant than the next, forming a trail of uncomfortably familiar talking points that are consistently deep throughout the brutally freezing and often fiendishly lonely quest of The Revenant.
       
          There is almost no doubt whatsoever, among loyal fans especially, concerning DiCaprio finally winning the Academy Award for the best leading actor of the year. Moreover, no mist or fog, both natural and man-made, obscures the fact that DiCaprio puts his heart and so much more into the role of Hugh Glass. He is able to employ an accent of Southern dialect with which he has total control, speak First Nation languages with evidently well-rehearsed fluency and move violently to the tune of his own screams in a manner that proves crucial for making an encounter with a CGI-fuelled grizzly bear move from a farcical plot necessity into the realms of the most fascinating scenes in movie history. The acting prowess remains outstanding to the end, even in unbearably cold temperatures. He remains captivating over mountains, under water and everywhere in between, leading a cast all eager to also bring their finest dramatic qualities into the frame. Albeit the awards season has been tainted by the #OscarsSoWhite dilemma, rewarding DiCaprio with long overdue recognition for his abilities as an artist will be an result over which few will dare dispute.      

          The Revenant was shot entirely at the mercy of natural light. The phenomenon appears to be no more than a practical short-cut and an industry gimmick akin to 3D in film-making when discussed in interviews. Not a single image throughout the film, however, could have gone without it. Fire, the sun and the moon were just some of the light sources that the crew waited hours for on multiple occasions just to capture at the best, most fruitful moments for the film. That very light became the key to bringing both the Canadian and the Argentinian scenery, which together adopted the role of the early nineteenth century American wilderness, to exquisite, awe-inspiring life. With good reason there are times when even those who enjoy the more artistic style of film-making will lose focus, until they are immersed again into the painting by another breath-taking landscape shot that until its viewing there and then never seemed possible. Nature appears so gorgeous and so stunning that one feels compelled to go to Canada, even if only to celebrate Nature's unrivalled aesthetic prowess with relish for a moment. Fortunately, a moment is all one needs, for the action in The Revenant blasts into audiences sensibilities surrounding a particular fragment of famous Canadian poetry.

"this is a country

 where a man can die

 simply from being

 caught outside." 

- Alden Nowlan, "Canadian January Night"  

          Refusing to accept that the beauty of the unexplored natural world or the exceptionally focused acting would be enough to compensate for a straightforward sequence of story events, the film-makers successfully injected a striking amount of unpredictability and tension into the plot, even in scenes for which the conclusion could not be clearer. Furthermore, throughout Hugh Glass's journey, the film touches upon the First Nations, Nature as an entity that is very much alive and in constant motion, as well as a handful of different human relationships. The Revenant depicts the pursuit of survival at all costs, presenting different forces repeatedly coming into undesired contact with one another but ultimately placing humanity at the centre. Men embrace conflict with one another without remorse. The battles grow only more ruthless as they discover and surrender to poisons of the mind, such as greed, rage and ignorance. On each occasion, humanity is presented as capable of making a choice. While perhaps less well-understood in centuries gone by, that choice to act selfishly, or at least mildly selflessly, in order to stay alive and enjoy a comfortable living, remains as prevalent on this day in the twenty-first century as it did in the American wilderness of the eighteen twenties. For that reason alone, The Revenant will remain frozen in memory as a major movie talking point long after the glamorous excitement of this year's Oscar season melts away. 

THE VERDICT: 9/10

Films That You Should Have Watched Yesterday - Gladiator (2000)

The Gladiator Way: The Script That Became a Bible, the Music That Became an Anthem and the Movie That Defined a Genre

          No greater gift could have been bestowed upon the world of cinema during the millennial year than Gladiator. Rarely, both before and since the historical epic's theatrical début in May 2000, has every element of the film-making process, from the deeply medicinal original score, to the highly motivational dialogue and the breathtaking shots of a journey marked especially by vicious but still exciting combat sequences and gorgeous scenery, clicked together so brilliantly, as if each element was a vital organ, without any of which the movie's enviable and exemplary staying power in the viewer's heart would fade before even the climax was reached. Yet, in the aftermath of the first viewing, there will no doubt be favourite ingredients among different audiences that will remain fresh even if the film were to be watched at least once a year in an attempt to re-capture the magic, re-ignite a passion for life and people, as well as restore faith in the notion that works of historical fiction, at least in cinema, can and do emulate the depth and the sheer variety of sensibilities celebrated by stories with more contemporary settings, with an equal if not far greater degree of emotional accuracy and integrity than one might have heretofore imagined. Whichever quality of the film marches into their minds first, in any case, the victory achieved is in no small part a consequence of a long and difficult quest undertaken by the artists who crafted the film, who all demonstrated perseverance not far apart from that witnessed in the protagonist, forever wavering in strength but nonetheless remaining determinedly present, right up until the journey's end.               

          The screenplay of Gladiator is packed with lines that people recite on various occasions to this day, even if all that remains of the dialogue's significance is the memory of the context for which it was written, which more often than not is a spectacular battle, featuring a character with nothing to lose against a world reigning fire of all guise upon him until the very record of his existence is buried in blood and sand. "What we do in life echoes in eternity" might have recently been heard by someone giving good cause for their generosity to society, if not for some other divine or motivational purpose. "I will see you again. But not yet. Not Yet." At first glance the plainest arrangement of words that a movie studio could have paid millions of dollars for a trio of screenwriters to settle with for a closing line, until heard during a conclusion that marks the end of a struggle resulting in a sheer exhaustion of emotions on the part of the audience, whose ceaseless routing for the hero has lasted by then for well over two hours. Beyond the grief and the joy such a line consistently denotes hope for the future, particularly the ambitious prospect of keeping the connection of friendship everlasting, both in this life and the next. The screenplay also provided a light touch of humour for a post from The LAD Bible when the quote, "on my signal, unleash hell" went viral not so long ago. Appreciated best with an awareness of the source material, words originally spoken on the battlefield were allegedly declared in the bedroom. Adore or despise them, one will likely hear a decent amount of references to the Gladiator screenplay for many years to come. Humble inspirations, the pursuit for story over historical accuracy, as well as an attentiveness to the emotional similarities and differences between men and women rather than a focus on mindless bloodshed, all join forces to produce a motion picture as sweet as a millionaire's desert. And of course the passionate delivery of such a screenplay by the actors provides the ganache to that desert, so that the movie becomes that much richer. 

When All Else Fails, Say It With This Helmet On - The development of the screenplay proved to be a very trying endeavour. Three screenwriters, David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson, were required to contribute and compromise repeatedly until the writing was deemed worthy to be spoken in front of a rolling camera. As late as two weeks prior to filming, actors protested against the script's quality, prompting a determination in  everyone involved to ensure that the plot expanded to become about far more than just a barbarian horde in Ancient Rome. To this end, Russell Crowe was at times requested to improvise lines at the last minute that "just flowed well." In his own harsh but honest assessment, he had to "make even garbage [lines] sound good." The final cut of the film is said to be almost entirely different from Franzoni's original draft dated October 1997. Thus, the collaborative effort behind Gladiator, with all of its clumsy dancing of ideas and bitterly conflicting visions taken into consideration, testifies to the notion that success smiles at all us, following the right mixture of hard work and good luck.            

          No element of the film deserves to have its contribution forsaken. However, the at once graceful and then majestically turbulent tides of the original score are what sweep Gladiator onto the ever-shifting shores of the audience's long-term memory. One reason for the score's quality is that it was composed by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard; musicians whose consistently distinct melodic flavours have saved all of their movie from inciting an incomprehensible feeling of emptiness. A second reason for the score's success also assumes the role of the its greatest curse. Debate has raged to this day over the extent to which the classical greats, Gustav Holst and Richard Wagner, influenced the music for the film, arguably resulting in the formation of the key justification in the minds of critics for why the score has surprisingly often been denied recognition as one the finest compositions ever written. Expert knowledge aside, the music is play from the moment the opening titles are set in motion, captivating audiences with breathtaking excitement during battles of all scales, even with masterfully-placed periods of silence, until playing on into the end titles and inviting audiences to linger in awe of the film's world, at first a living hell but ultimately a light of strength and honour for its inhabitants, until those audiences must, with reluctance, depart from the theatre, switch off their DVD players or exit their online streaming services, in all cases thinking to themselves with joy, "What on earth was that?" As with art in all forms, interpretations will vary enormously among those who come into contact with it. And rightly so, for the art, at least as far as Gladiator is concerned, is intended for pleasure. The depths of pleasure, surely cannot be understood without total freedom from the fear of potentially dangerous repercussions for any facet of the human design. Nonetheless, Gladiator thrives on reaching out to as wide an audience as possible by awakening common motivations and questions from within the hearts of all people, like the wind tenderly flowing through every single grain of wheat in the fields that in turn gently sways from side to side while a rising white sun outlined in bumblebee yellow embraces a tiger-orange sky on all fronts. Courtesy of the music, like the Maximus the Brave, audience members may recall a time during which they felt overcome by immense grief after having ostensibly lost everything, considering with great discomfort that they at some point in their lives had nothing left to live for, only to be retold, through beautiful movie melodies, of the hope that prompted them to keep going, trusting that they remained capable of changing the lives of those around them, even in the most doubtful of situations. Gladiator is the the perfect New Year's Eve movie, for in a charge fuelled by the music, audiences are encouraged to feel proud of others and themselves for the positive differences that they can set in motion. One may tremble. The urge to weep may follow. Crucially, however, even if one decides to watch Gladiator at least once a year, the revitalising passion instilled in the heart by the life-changing victories achieved, in spite of bitterly excruciating losses, will on each occasion be no less genuinely felt than on the last viewing. The longevity of the soundtrack has allowed it to be placed on decent number of lists affirming the top film scores of all-time. An exceptional array of competitors prevented the Gladiator score from making it onto the AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores list of the top twenty-five film scores in American cinema, which was released by the American Film Institute in 2005. On the other hand, the music cheekily reached number three on Classic FM's Movie Music Hall of Fame, thanks to twenty-one thousand listeners' votes. In the end, there will certainly always be somebody whose strongest emotional defences cannot be breached by the music. Additionally, though, there will also forever remain somebody else who will feel the might of the soundtrack so completely that awards and other opinions will not mater at all.

You Against the World -  The music has had such a profound, inspiring effect on people around the world that it has been employed in NFL playoffs during commercial breaks and prior to half-time periods. Moreover, the score has also been a popular choice at funerals and become a guilty pleasure for motivation whilst at the gym, which has spawned a demand for remixes of popular tracks that are now all over YouTube. For avid music fans, the top two tracks are "The Battle" and "Now We Are Free," with the latter track being made even better when played after "Elysium" and "Honour Him." A small fortune could be wagered upon the possibility that one might heard these pieces of music already in a context that was totally devoid of any relation to the music's original purpose. Its versatility for use in a variety of personal and public functions testifies to the music's core message, present with every track: You can do it.   

          Gladiator is a film where everything works. Everything. Even the mistakes. For instance, in the midst of incredible acting in authentic costumes, gorgeous music and catchy dialogue, watch out for the jeans. To save pausing the picture every scene for over two hours, they may be identified somewhere in the first act, reminding viewers that a perfect movie cannot and does not literally have to be perfect. For a time, film lovers will feel compelled to compare the picture with the great number of historical dramas that came after it, particularly the projects for which the principle collaborators of Gladiator reunited. Soon, though, to compare Gladiator with Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood, or Exodus: Gods and Kings becomes as pointless and frankly unkind as comparing people to one another. No film is faultless but here, with Gladiator, is still a magical quality that will never be recreated. Here is magic that does not need to be recreated, since it is possible to produce spells of different but equally satisfying flavours. Thus, historical epics of cinema's future need not fear failure because they will be unable to replace the position held by Gladiator, for the artists behind them are capable of and more than welcome to make a movie that justly joins its rank as one of the finest historical films ever made.  

Do I Look Familiar? - Boldly written in the blog somewhere on IMDB is the belief that Joaquin Phoenix "was good in Gladiator; rubbish in everything else." Evidence suggests that such a remark is a little extreme, since his performances in more recent movies, including Walk the Line and The Master, received critical acclaim, even after Phoenix famously declared that the Oscars were "bull****." Furthermore, the legacy of his superb performance as Emperor Commodus lived on into the current decade when Jack Gleeson modelled his portrayal of Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones upon the Roman tyrant. The audience may not like him but they will, without question, be entertained.   

Films That You Should Have Watched Yesterday - Blood Diamond (2006)

    Lekker Story, Bru: The Fight for Fulfilment in the Mad World 

          While sat comfortably on a candy-red double decker bus, cruising alongside beaches comprised of vanilla-shaded sand gently massaged by tranquil sapphire-blue water prompts the audio commentary provided for the sightseeing tour of Cape Town, South Africa, to proudly assert that here lies one of the prime filming locations for major Hollywood blockbusters, such as Invictus, Black Sails and Blood Diamond. Even a decade later, the tourism industry insists that visitors are made aware that Cape Town, recently voted the second best beach city in the world by National Geographic, played an integral role in these productions, providing one of the beautiful backdrops for which there was no substitute anywhere else on the African continent. Temptation suggests that hearing movie titles, which are accurate but nonetheless far from current, highlights that the tourist information is in desperate need of an update. Such thoughts are hastily buried deep, however, once the didactic, Oscar-tipped political war thriller, positioned at the end of the aforementioned list, is finally watched. Even if only a few seconds of screen time were dedicated to the seaside of the Western Cape, pride in South Africa's role for the film spawns from all of the building blocks that the nation provided in aid of telling a superb story, which lingers in heart and mind for years afterwards, not just because so few Hollywood features dare to be set in Africa, but also due to the fact that Blood Diamond exposes numerous real world instances of both the pain masked behind the pleasure and vice versa. The mind-numbing scale of these contrasts had heretofore, at least in public, been unappreciated and often outright denied with striking persistence. Now, after watching this movie, they will all at least never be entirely forgotten.      

Diamonds Are for Nothing - Ostensibly incurable corruptions in society are exposed in Blood Diamond, most notably the belief, entrenched deep in the minds of the tyrannous majority by the unquestioned and unchecked powerful business-minded, who are motivated by greed under the guise of aid, forever asserting that materialism and money are the keys to uncovering the true and eternal happiness within. The tragedy is that, after having been allowed to be declared through posters and television sets for decades, these beliefs are so engrained that to be permanently relieved of them seems impossible. Thus, individuals are left to justify their unwillingness to change with morally false, unfocused attempts at minimising the inevitable collateral damage caused by their selfish pursuits of what they want. For example, is an expensive diamond ring really the best way to show and make a permanent record of romantic love? Even in spite of the costs, both hidden and visible? Will that diamond make loneliness history for those who employ it the way that society deems necessary? For now, few dare to risk tainting the love in question with potentially crippling guilt by suggesting otherwise.         

          Leonardo DiCaprio lost out on an Oscar winner's recognition of artistic prowess for the third time following his role in Blood Diamond, during an awards season in which even veteran critics couldn't pick a winner between his performance as the Zimbabwean smuggler, Danny Archer, and a portrayal of an American undercover cop in Martin Scosese's highly acclaimed winner of four Oscars, The Departed. As a bizarre and frankly unfair consequence, DiCaprio was granted two of the four Golden Globe nominations available for the trophy given to the best actor of the year in a drama picture. A sadistic knife twist in the heart in the form of a laughable and cruel arrangement of events followed when DiCaprio returned home after that particular ceremony in 2007 with neither part being crowned the winner. Yes. There is no denying that his attempt at the South African accent was far from flawless. Yet, after forgiving a handful of ear-tickling mistakes occurring as early as his first scene in the film, DiCaprio does eventually becomes more consistent, which many fail to notice after refusing to forgive him for his initial clumsy pronunciations. However, this error alone cannot justify the actor's denial of Oscar victory or that his performance remains as priceless as the diamonds around which the movie is centred. Throughout Archer's dialogue there are instances of appropriate South African-isms. Some of these come in the from of not just familiar words but also entire lines of dialogue that DiCaprio himself improvised in the midst of of filming, courtesy of thorough research into how a character originating from Zimbabwe and for a time living in South Africa might speak and behave. The greatest quality brought to Danny Archer, however, through expert mannerisms, facial expressions and particularly impressive employment of the eyes, is a determination to present and maintain a tough, life-hardened personality. One that defiantly guards the deeper, more fragile core of the character that is urgently seeking peace and stability, hoping also to heal the painful void of loneliness growing ever greater with each setback or miscalculation that he encounters. As the audience watches the tears reluctantly emerge from Archer's worn, tortured eyes, they are reminded that love, at its purest, is not present in money or sex for instance but genuine, selfless offerings of kindness. Offerings of which all are worthy of receiving from everyone else, regardless of ties of family or blood any other more artificial threads that people employ to connect each another in exclusive clubs founded ultimately in their imaginations. Thus, Blood Diamond to this day serves as a reminder that Leonardo DiCaprio, for creating a great character and playing a leading role in the crafting of fine storytelling, filled with action, emotion, suspense and powerful lessons, should have, without question, won an Academy Award for acting a long time ago.  

Everyone's a (Worthy) Winner - An infinite amount of credit is due for DiCaprio, not least because here was a role through which he finally proved to the world that he could play more mature roles that were far removed from the 'teenage boy' image that was for a time forced upon him after the immense success of his breakthrough part in Titanic. Media channels have speculated that he turned down roles in Spider Man and Star Wars in order to avoid being forever pigeon-holed by Hollywood. More recent performances in The Wolf of Wall Street and The Revenant suggest that his determination to succeed as a great actor have paid off, albeit not evidenced by an Oscar win. Incidentally, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly also perform admirably. Audiences will no doubt remember Hounsou from another awesome sidekick role in Gladiator, in cinemas over a decade prior to this movie. Hounsou has also endured similar bad luck at the Academy Awards to his parter in crime for Blood Diamond. The fact that Connelly was not nominated for an award as a result of this particular film would not bother most, since she had already made her noteworthy talent clear after winning an Oscar for her role in A Beautiful Mind. Of course a film's success must not be defined solely by the number of awards that it wins but the fact that this film walked away without any of them does not mean that such awards were any less well-deserved.     

          Cape Town remains a popular location for film-makers. Thus, in time, the contribution that Blood Diamond made to the economy there may become overshadowed by future productions. For now though, it is one of the few places in which the movie does not feel grossly under-appreciated. Blood Diamond is a film for which all of the puzzle pieces, whether it be the beautifully soul-motivating orchestral score by James Newton Howard, the gorgeous cinematography capturing the more pleasant side of Africa, or the imperfect but nonetheless impressive acting witnessed on-screen, fit together perfectly, with Edward Zwick at the helm, to highlight a handful of hard truths through a genuinely worthwhile story. The result was one of the best cinematic experiences of the decade.

Shows That You Should Have Watched Yesterday - Marvel's Daredevil (2015)

                         Faith and Second Chances: The Return of the Guardian Devil 

          Ask somebody who would come to mind first when the words Marvel or superhero are spoken, heard or flowing like the wind in their imaginations and he or she will most likely state Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and maybe even Batman or Superman, particularly if they are self-confessed casual fans. Rarely will one hear of Daredevil emerging from both the turbulent and the calmer tides of conversation that seek to relate the struggles of these fictional icons to their own real life adversities. One common thread that has to date propelled all of the aforementioned comic book characters into the collective psyche, a universe in which the significance of the inhabitants is known but sparingly understood, is a commercially successful film or television adaptation. The last attempt to share Daredevil with as wide an audience as possible was a tragedy, not because of a box office flop, since the 2003 movie adaptation earned more than double its production budget of seventy-eight million US dollars, but rather due to a failure to connect on the more critical, long-lasting emotional level with both hardcore and casual viewers alike. A few gritty, exciting action sequences and a poignant, albeit familiar falling in love under the rain to a sweet, soothing, tender slow dance of the piano and the guitar were not enough to save the waning rose from losing the already tenuous gaze of the audience, which ceased long before the credits, courtesy of a predominantly metal soundtrack that nobody would dare admit in public to listening to, shallow dialogue that failed to penetrate those hardened hearts that dismissed superheroes as little more than the sexual fantasies of the socially inept and a leading actor who at the time was frequently abused as a star in desperate need of acting school. Indeed, Ben Affleck, after winning a second Oscar and being cast as the new Batman, was able to be very honest, ostensibly without any fear of potential disastrous repercussions for his career, about the guilt that lingers with him to this day over his role in what he and many others might gladly concede was a laughable and forgettable interpretation of the Marvel character.

Daredevil (2003) Film Poster - At best "[n]ot woeful, not wonderful, merely watchable" according to The Gland and Mail of Toronto and, at worst, "one of the biggest misfires of its genre," at least in the eyes of The San Francisco Chronicle. 

          Over ten years later, with a new cast, a new production team and love for superheroes among the masses of casual fans that was inspired by a more consistently successful string superhero films, which are at present happily here to stay and fight on, Marvel's Daredevil was aired on Netflix. A television show that would feel like a thirteen-hour film was promised. One that learned from all of the mistakes that many were convinced would be repeated. Fortunately though, bursting through wave after wave of scepticism, the show became one of the most successful productions of the year. Daredevil had returned, with all of the integrity and the realism that he and his world of Hell's Kitchen in New York City deserved. People would understand why this character, often nicknamed The Man Without Fear or The Guardian Devil, deserved a place in their hearts that demanded no less than equal appreciation to any Avenger or X-Man who had enjoyed the luxury of an accurate translation from their comic book homes to the sliver screen.

          Marvel's Daredevil will endure long after its critical acclaim and its remarkably strong position upon statistical charts alongside formidable competition as the best comic book television series because of a greater appreciation of the source material that stays true to the core values of its hero and his story. Moreover, the original tale is cleverly adapted in such a way that makes it more appropriate for the present century rather than the nineteen sixties, taking into account the duty and the privilege of recognising the more modern realities of strong female characters, appropriate but never forced ethnic diversity and the advances in technology, all of which in combination emphasize that the origin story of Daredevil is a timeless one. The show's greatest achievement, principally achieved by superb writing that seamlessly navigates between past and present, is successfully presenting a superhero with a disability in a manner that does not go out of its way to force the concept to the forefront of the story. Consequently, the fact that the protagonist is blind becomes all the more poignant, particularly for viewers who may relate to having or working with a disability under any guise, since they see a man fighting for justice, friendship, a career, romantic love and so much more. Fighting on in spite of his traumatic childhood and the disability that at glance appears to horrifically scar him both within and without. With every loss audiences mourn for his additional burdens and ponder over how they might be at least in part responsible but with every victory they are inspired by the hope that they, like the defiant hero they observe as a lawyer by day and a vigilante by night, can achieve anything they want to, regardless of their hardships. A disability in particular is not shown to be a source of weakness for Matthew Murdock but rather a source of strength. Daredevil's character development that ultimately maintains the core qualities of a good man is expertly juxtaposed alongside the anger, hatred and suffering that the antagonist, Wilson Fisk, embraces in order to cope and deal with his own bitterly unfair arrangment of circumstances present from birth right into adulthood.                                 

From left to right - Peter McRobbie as Father Lanton and Charlie Cox as Matthew Murdock -

Disability is the least of the concerns for the show's protagonist, the crew behind the scenes and the audience once the hero is seen to endure a crisis of faith. One of a great number of  conflicts common to all people, regardless of their personal circumstances.   

          The outstanding quality of Marvel's Daredevil is the acting, particularly by Charlie Cox in the leading role. Yet another British actor masterfully portrays an icon of American origin in a way that comes as close to perfect as human beings could possibly manage. Cox employs a totally flawless American accent and a breathtaking control of the tone of his voice that is ceaselessly accurate in hitting all of the desired emotional targets for the entire series and remains distinct whenever he wears the "work in progress" of superhero a costume. Never has an actor portrayed a comic book character with such precision since Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. Watching Cox out of character in an interview for the show will highlight that, while he is at least physically recognisable, his voice and movements are certainly not. The supporting cast are not far behind in their own acting prowess and each actor plays their part as if it were written just for him or her. While not quite as terrifying as Ledger's Joker, Vincent D'Onofrio commands enough presence on-screen, through a chillingly unpredictable pace in his vocal expression and mannerisms, to allow Wilson Fisk to be taken just as seriously as the aforementioned villain, as well as the immensely popular interpretation of Loki brought to life by Tom Hiddleston. Deborah Ann Woll stuns not just with sheer physical beauty but also a portrayal of a character that at one moment be admirably tender and strong for those close to her and then in the next become vulnerable, conveying unnerving fragility that serves to illustrate why a noteworthy tension of the heart is experienced between her, Matt Murdock and particularity Foggy Nelson. Elden Henson, playing the latter character, plays the key instrument of humour throughout the series, mixing sarcasm, comic timing and bold, energetic movements even in his character's darkest hour. Even the characters playing smaller parts are sorely missed once their time in each episode is up, suggesting that not one detail was forsaken in redeeming Daredevil as one of Marvel's finest creations.

          The love that Marvel's Daredevil received from fans and critics was not reciprocated by those who officially recognize the artists for such work with golden statues, being instead snubbed most notably by the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes. Nonetheless, the series did touch the hearts of other reputable organizations that as a result felt compelled to make their appreciation official. One example is the 19th Annual Helen Keller Achievement Awards run by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in June 2015, during which Charlie Cox was honoured for playing Daredevil so brilliantly. During his acceptance speech, Cox spoke of receiving emails and letters from the blind community around the world seeking to share their experiences with him, realizing or reminding themselves that they were not alone in their fears and struggles at all. Such an event was reminiscent of when the Daredevil creators Stan Lee and Bill Everett spoke of initially releasing the comic book way back in the sixties with a great fear that it might offend members of the blind community or the wider community of the disabled. For a while, there remained a chance that somebody would be heartbroken as they read a story that they perceived to be a sick mockery or parody and thought about how they couldn't hope to do what Daredevil did in their own lives. That fear was fortunately short-lived, for it was not long after the comic's release when Lee and Everett received numerous letters from charities for the blind, expressing their immeasurable gratitude for the creation of a blind superhero and begging for more. The Man Without Fear has since lasted for over forty years in the comic books. If that is what a comic book could achieve over fifty years ago, then a truthful television series adaptation on Netflix, a platform with over 69 million subscribers around the world, surely had potential to change lives for the better, even if only by turning mindsets more positive, which was too great to even attempt to reduce to a results table.

Charlie Cox at the American Foundation for the Blind's 19th Annual Helen Keller Achievement Awards in New York City  - June 2015

          In recent years there has been an enormous outcry for a greater representation of women and ethnic minorities in the world of superhero. Yet, in comparison, virtually no one is calling for a better representation of the disabled in that same universe. Thus, it was all the more vital for Marvel's Daredevil to be done right. There were and still are people out there around the world literally sobbing because they feel cursed by their disability and doomed to lose their independence, or that nobody understands them, or that they are treated differently when all that they wish is to be seen as an equal, as if their disabilities were no-existent. Daredevil is a reminder that all of these fears can ultimately be overcome. Disability or no disability, one is worthy of and able to achieve all of their dreams. Furthermore, the show is a must-watch for all since, beyond its explorations of disability, it remains an incredible story of the blurred lines between right and wrong, along with so many other questions and themes for which clear explanations are never found but still tirelessly sought.

          Marvel's Daredevil will be returning in 2016, seeking to introduce two additional major Marvel characters who have both previously been depicted in their own movies that turned out to be absolute jokes at the box office. Even before a second season was given the green light, Marvel had planned to unite Daredevil with a group of other less well-known superheroes to form a team known as The Defenders. Rumours were and are still rife across social media concerning the possibility of inviting Daredevil into the Marvel movie universe, hopefully in time for the upcoming civil war. In any case, the events of season one were truly just the beginning. However, while enjoying a successful second season would be a wonderful bonus for Daredevil, a first season that exceeded all expectations and brought the hero into casual conversation in the workplace, classrooms or on buses for instance is a great achievement that more than warrants sufficiently celebrating the present before focusing all efforts on the path ahead. A continued rise in the fan base would be welcomed but if the story of The Guardian Devil so far has helped to change just one life, then Daredevil has saved the day. If just one person has begun to believe in themselves after shaking with delight and becoming tearful when witnessing a child grow into a kind, strong-willed, selfless young adult who continues to rise after countless beatings against body, heart and soul, then the world is, as the protagonist so desperately hopes, a much, much better place indeed.      


                                                           



    

The Country Lane (Short Story) 2011

The Country Lane

                                                                                                      

        “Darn it!” I mumbled irritably as bright sunlight pierced through thick glass onto my face, ending an uncomfortable nap.

“Are we there yet?” 

There came no reply.

“Momma?” I persisted, still without an answer, “where you at?”

All I could hear was an incessant chu-chugga-chugga-chug and occasional whispers of nearby passengers. When I opened my eyes I found that I was alone. The shock of the situation was enough to set me alert like a cup of Starbucks. It took just seconds for me to notice a note left on my lap. If I’d struggled any longer, it might have fallen under the seat and Lord knows what I’d have done. I was just a fifteen-year-old kid out for an adventure but going at it alone on the Tennessee Line was not what I had in mind.

The note read: “Got off at Raleigh. The next stop will be Garner. Enjoy your day! Remember to came back this way and we’ll meet you at Raleigh station tonight at nine. Love you Darlin’! Love Momma xxx.”

My face grew pale and I began to sweat. I near 'bout went off with my pistol half cocked. I was instantly relieved when I stared out the window and identified a fresh timber structure painted over in white with turquoise window frames and a green roof. I shot up from my seat and raced out onto the platform, burying the note deep in a pocket of my worn brown corduroys. With my feet firmly on the ground I turned back to face the long black train gleaming under the sun, crawling along the track. The steel titan lingered for painfully long minutes as one carriage followed another. Soon all that was left was a thick trail of smoke. Rusty fumes forced their way into my lungs, rendering me cold and motionless. I became fixed on this black dot disappearing into the distance.

A frustrated summer breeze carried a balloon into my gaze. It was covered in red, save for a triangular formation of three innocent white stars enclosed in a blue circle. It drifted past me like I wasn’t even there and a passion inside my heart began to air-up, egging on that train out of my mind. Looking up as the balloon was pulled into the sky, I noticed a long, shiny banner nailed along the station roof reminding me of my reason for this journey. I had travelled from Tennessee, to the town of Garner in North Carolina, to enjoy some true home-grown talent in the up-and-coming country singer Scott McCreery.   

  

Scott was seventeen; two years older than me. I was darn tootin, his remarkable baritone voice that could bring tears to eyes faster than greased lightning. An ‘All American Kid’, I’d read online that he was a role model and inspiration on the baseball field as well as on the stage. I wanted to meet this fellow high school student before he would captivate the entire town.

Garner and its mistress came together at Lake Benson Park. I froze dead in my tracks at the sight of the enormous water reservoir and a tranquil forest made up of pine trees, which were some of the tallest I ever did see. Acres of freshly cut lime grass, from which an abundant smell of joy spread, allowed for the space to set up a host of celebrations.

I entered the crowd observing stands left, right and centre. In one direction lay the soothing meaty scent of a barbecue, while in the other there were tents draped in red, white and blue surrounded by fun-hungry folk. I stuck to the clear gravel footpath for navigating this maze until I came in sight of a huge open-air stage. For now nothing but a golden microphone occupied that space.

Hung across the stage was a huge sparkling banner listing the scheduled events and I figured that Scott had just five minutes before his music would touch the hearts of his community. I dashed forward and headed around the back of the tent.    

I nervously pushed aside the opening in the tent to find Scott alone backstage, deep in preparation for his performance, tuning his acoustic guitar as it glistened even under the shade the ceiling. As I came closer, Scott turned to me and smiled. I think he could tell I was afraid. He was much taller than me and with his short-cut hair was all military-like. He looked truly authentic as a cowboy, dressed in a thick brown jacket covered with fringe tassels over a white-striped shirt tucked into navy blue jeans. At the heart of it all was a black cross with a silver outline hung across his neck. Scott was clearly on the country lane. I was speechless. After a brief silence Scott kicked off the conversation.         

                    

             “Don’t you make eyes at me, boy!” he burst out jokingly, looking all bowed up at me right in the eyes.      

            “Yes, sir”, was all I could spit out. My sensitive soul couldn’t help but feel bruised but I guess I had it coming after just staring at the guy.

            “Don’t worry, buddy,” he quickly re-assured me, “I’m just messin’ with ya. Have you come to see the show?”

            “Definitely! Ever since I’d heard your singing you’ve been… well I’ve always wanted to see what you were like live is all.”  

            “My name’s Scott”, he said. He laughed as if he was just as nervous as I was. “I guess you knew that though right? What’s yours, buddy?” 

  

            “My name’s Ethan. Ethan Williams.”

   

            “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand over his instrument to shake mine, disrupting the fine tuning of his guitar. I responded in kind and we shook hands firmly.      

            “What kind of music do you like?” Scott asked.  

            “Oh! I love country! It’s my favourite!”  

            “Same here! Right now, it ain't nowhere to be found in the charts, but there’s always gonna be a market for it.” 

      

            “I sure do hope so.”          

  

           “Do you play an instrument, Ethan?”

           “I’ve had my fair share of lessons with a guitar I guess. I had always wanted to be a musician but never had the guts to go for it. I just ain’t so sure of where I fit in.”   

            "The only person who can figure that out is you, buddy," he said assertively. "I'd start with what you love. If its county, like me, then do country."   

           “I… I appreciate that, Scott.” I didn't expect Scott, who clearly knew that he had me hooked on his every word, to be so friendly.    

          “Tell you what,” he began. “I like you, so I’ll share my opening number with you – I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry by Jamey Johnson.” Scott eagerly awaited my reaction, for as confident as he was, he was still a musician out to please his fans.    

           “I love that song!” I burst out. That record certainly played a minor note in my heart. "Thanks for sharing that with me, Soctt."

          “Call me Scotty,” he replied.

    

          “Okay, Scotty. I won’t bother you no more but I'm glad to have met you. I kinda hope to pursue a music career one day, just like you.” A tear dropped from my eye.

  

          “Don’t worry about it,” he reassured me. “Tell me more about yourself, Ethan. Where have you come from?”     

          “I’m from over in Tennessee.”

          “Cool, man! After the show I’ll-” Scotty was cut off by a voice coming from the entrance onto the stage. “I’d better get on the stick, Ethan. Maybe I’ll catch ya later.” He turned towards the stage, leaving me no time to say goodbye.                                                                                                                                                                                                             As Scotty rushed for the spotlight, I moved to join the crowd out in front, settling for a cold, deformed patch of dirt at the back.                                                                                                       

          The crowd began to cheer as I shook wildly. Scotty smiled and waved as he shouted, “How y’all doin’!?” All went silent with shock as Scotty collapsed before he could strum a single note. As he fell his guitar came down on top of him and a disjointed chord burst out, breaking the silence. Stage crew ran to his aid, only to crash into an invisible wall of relief and hold their breath. Scotty quickly sat up and hoisted himself to his feet once again.

                 

He grinned like nothing had happened; simply putting the audience at ease by declaring that he was okay and waving back the stage crew. The guitar was more shaken up than he was. Silence remained prevalent over the crowd. I could now hear delicate, repetitious but melodic chirps all around in the forest. I looked upward to observe cardinals gathering atop tree branches and stands, as if they had come to relish this deep but equally gentle country tone. Scotty began strumming a harmony to their rhythm. There were no clouds out to block the cyan sky blessing the afternoon as the sun became his spotlight.

By the time Scott had finished it was time for me to leave. Still, I had no unanswered prayers that day. I had met my idol and, better still, I had done it all alone. Even though the evening was coming along, it was still pretty light and I simply followed stragglers from the dispersing crowds back to the train station. As I came closer, I noticed a light becoming increasingly larger and brighter in front of a frightening silhouette following close behind. The chill which had made me nervous as a gator in a cage earlier that day bit back at my spine. That same long black train crept up the railroad past me and once again seemed to stretch for miles.

This time I chuckled, simply turning back in the direction that this train was moving and sitting on the grass amidst dogwood flowers, white gems swaying in the light breeze. Squeezing my hand into a pocket of my pants, I dug out the now creased up note that my momma had left me and gripped it tightly.

Gad night a livin', I thought, she ain’t gonna be happy.  

I gazed and wondered what to do next, soon becoming distracted by the smooth acoustic melody of Scott McCreery playing and echoing over and over in the hall of my mind, while the train continued forward into the sunset.

"What makes me unique is that I'm normal." - Scotty McCreery

Word Count: 1724
©Dean Pettipher

deanpettipher@googlemail.com