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Elementary  - Season 5
Elementary - Season 5
2016 | Drama
Shinwell Jackson and the gang SPK.

That's the main through-line (for want of a better word) of this season of CBS's modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, still set in the States instead of in England, and with Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu still in the joint lead roles of Sherlock and Watson.

Basically, it's become the televisual equivalent of comfort food by this point.
  
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
1999 | Horror, Mystery, Romance
Sleepy Johnny
Contains spoilers, click to show
I like sleepy hollow dont get me wrong, its a good movie. But their are many problems with it.

Johnny depp in this movie, he seemed like he was tired, drunk, mysterious, and overall wired. Its always when him and tim burton collbrate.

The plot: police constable Ichabod Crane (Depp) sent from New York City to investigate a series of murders in the village of Sleepy Hollow by a mysterious Headless Horseman.

If you look on the back of the dvd cover it spoils that christohper walken is the headless horseman. His name is not at the beginning of the credits because of tim didnt want you to know he was in the film.

It has a great supporting cast : Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Jeffery Jones, Christopher Lee and Michael Gough.

I think overall sleepy hollow is a underrated horror jem directed by Tim Burton.
  
Walk the Line (2005)
Walk the Line (2005)
2005 | Drama
Condensing something as vast and complex as the life of a person into a film is often a daunting task. With so many events that comprise the span of an individual, knowing what to cover and what to omit is a daunting task for any writer. For an icon like Johnny Cash, this task becomes monumental as not only does the history and humanity of the individual need to be captured, but the very soul of the artist as well.

Thankfully in the film Walk the Line Writer Gil Dennis and Writer/Director James Mangold capture the very essence of The Man in Black. Unlike many biopics that focus on the rise and fall of an individual, Walk the Line strives to balance than man and his demons without losing the compassion of the character.

The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, a man who rose from poverty in Dyess Arkansas to become on of the most beloved and enduring entertainers in history. Chronicling portions of his childhood, and the hardships he endured as well as his sting in the Air Force, we are shown things that helped shape the man he was to become. Shortly after his Air Force career, Johnny marries Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), and they start a family. Struggling to make ends meet as a door to door salesman, and facing pressure to take a job with her father in San Antonio Johnny manages to gain an audition for Sun Records in Nashville.

When told in the audition that his Gospel songs will not sell, Johnny instead performs one of his own compositions and earns a record contract. Before long, he and his band are on the road playing with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). June who has been part of a singing family

as well as an object of admiration for Johnny since their childhoods soon becomes a friend to Johnny as he copes with rising fame and the pressures and temptations of life on the road.

As Johnny spends more and more time on the road, tensions between him and Vivian grow causing Johnny to delve deeper into the temptations that are available to him as a star. During this time, Johhny becomes obsessed with June, who wile attracted to Johnny has just come from a failed marriage and does not want to break up Johnny’s family. It is against this backdrop that the unusual courtship between the two begins. They spend time with one another on the road, they talk for hours on end, and even perform duets with one another on stage, yet Johnny’s love for June remains a source of frustration that only leads him deeper into his destructive behaviors.

While the addition that grips Johnny is a driving part of the film, the main focus of the story is the love between Johnny and June and their unusual courtship that survived despite marriages, addictions, denials, and their own insecurities. Phoenix and Witherspoon are amazing and give Oscar Caliber performances that are easily the best in recent years. Not only do they both convey the mannerisms of their flesh and blood counterparts, but they convey solid chemistry and compassion from the audience.

While one can say that Johnny was an adulterer and a drug addict, his gentle nature, compassion, and humanity are abundantly clear in the way he is portrayed by Phoenix. We do not see Cash as a stuck up rock star, we see him as a simple human being, who used his gifts to connect with the masses yet never lost site of his heart. His tenderness, honesty, and devotion to his music, June, and eventually himself are clear and Phoenix is able to portray this by a reserved and endearing manner that captures the man he is portraying. Far too many films of this type are loaded with scenes of conflict, screaming, conflict and destruction that it was refreshing to see Johnny attempt to win June by stubbornness, and persistence yet never losing his easy going mannerisms despite being wracked by addiction.

Much has been made of the decision to let Phoenix and Witherspoon sing their parts rather than dub the voices. Unlike in the film “Ray” where Jaime Foxx had his singing dubbed over, the accurate and heartfelt interpretations of the songs only underscores the triumph and complexity of their performances.

Not just a good film but a great film, Walk the Line is an endearing and entertaining film that keeps you engrossed from start to finish. If you are not a fan of Johnny Cash when you see this film, at the least you will find a new found respect for this American Legend.
  
Elementary  - Season 1
Elementary - Season 1
2012 | Drama
A modern-day transplantation of Sherlock to the States, released roughly aroudn the same time as the-also-contemporary-set-BBCs-Sherlock and also starring Lucy Liu as Doctor Joan Watson (instead of Jim Watson) alongside Johnny Lee Millers Sherlock, I was one of those who couldn't quite see the point of this when it first came out.

Well, that, and because it wasn't easily viewable in the UK, until I recently came across it on Amazon Prime.

Having new seen season 1, I do have to say that - while enjoyable enough in its own right, and while lifting some aspects of the Sherlock tales (Moriarity and Irene Adler being the big 2) - I still feel that there is little in common with source.
  
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Tom Jones recommended The Sun Years by Jerry Lee Lewis in Music (curated)

 
The Sun Years by Jerry Lee Lewis
The Sun Years by Jerry Lee Lewis
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"""Whole Lotta Shakin'', was the first time I heard him, in Pontypridd, being played from Freddy Fey's record shop. People used to ask me, because I loved music so much, 'What do you think of this record, what do you think of that record?' When Elvis Presley came out, I said he can't be the only one - a white man being influenced by black music in the South. So when 'Whole Lotta Shakin'' came out, my friends said, 'Is that what you're talking about?' I said, 'That's exactly what I'm talking about!' Another guy, playing piano, similar to what Elvis was doing, but even more syncopated, white and from the South. It was unbelievable to hear that record. Then 'Great Balls Of Fire' followed, and 'High School Confidential' was a great record. When you listen to his records, he always sings up, except towards when he got older and the pressures of life got on him. In the beginning, he was always up, you know the ends of everything came up. Little Richard was pushing the shit out of everything but Jerry Lee, he had his syncopation, it was like he floated. He fell out of favour, because he married his cousin - it was a shame, he was still making great records. There's one called 'Loving Up A Storm' and that's equally good. That's on The Sun Years, they're all there. I saw him live in Cardiff in 1962, and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates were there and they were slick... I thought, 'Shit, how's Jerry Lee going to get over this?', because they closed the first half. He came on, and instead of how Johnny Kidd and the Pirates were very aggressive, Jerry Lee was the opposite, he opened up with 'Move On Down The Line' and the band were like [sings] and he just walked on and was like [gestures] showing us the the chord he was going to play. He just sat down at the piano and - boom - went into it. It was like 'Jesus Christ!' You know, it was smooth, it was slick, it was rock & roll but he wasn't like, screaming - he had a different take on it and yet it was rocking."""

Source
  
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Andy K (10821 KP) created a poll about in Movies are the shiz!

Jul 11, 2018  
Poll
Who doesn't love a great "Introducing" performance? They don't really do this much any more. Of the choices listed below, which is your favorite performance for the actor listed as "And Introducing"...

Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween
Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
Christopher Mintz-Plasse in Superbad
Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple
Cameron Diaz in The Mask
Ke Huy Quan in Inidana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Mary Badham and Phillip Alford in To Kill A Mockingbird
Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun
Tippi Hedron in The Birds

0 votes

Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures
Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon
Johnny Depp in The Nightmare on Elm Street
Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls

0 votes

Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka an the Chocolate Factory
Katharine Houghton in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

0 votes

Otto (the copilot) from Airplane!
Vote
  
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
2003 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow (4 more)
Great Cast
Great effects for the time
Great action
Hilarious
Why is the Rum gone?
Fun fact: This film was born from an idea that was inspired by a theme park ride at Disney Land. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was thought of by Walt Disney himself as well.

The first film in this action, adventure, fantasy comedy franchise, is an unforgettable installment to the franchise as it still remains to be probably the best film of the franchise. With brilliantly written comedy executed on screen by Johnny Depp and a handful of other cast members such as Pintel (Lee Arenberg) and Ragetti (McKenzie Crook) as the two foolish members of Barbossa's crew who always end up in their own mischief throughout the franchise.


The film, which was released back in 2003 (I know...makes me feel old as well and I'm only in my early 20's) had incredible special effects for the time with the Aztec curse that turned Barbossa's and his crew into the undead skeletal pirates that are able to walk along the bottom of the ocean.


Perfectly timed comedy, brilliant visuals and a fun plot to lose yourself in, this film is a great film for the whole family and one of the best Pirate films out there, which takes you on an adventure from Port Royal, to Tortuga, and Isla de Muertos. This film is a great watch, which leaves you with one question;


Why is the rum gone?
  
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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Sleepy Hollow (1999) in Movies

Apr 20, 2020 (Updated Apr 20, 2020)  
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
1999 | Horror, Mystery, Romance
Sleepy Hollow is one of those films that I will always love. I first saw it when I was 13, when DVDs were still pretty new, and I would watch it over and over again.
It's just about creepy enough to offer itself to horror fans, and has the right amount of Tim Burton campiness to still appeal to younger audiences (not too young mind, plenty of blood flying about).

Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane, a constable sent from New York to the small town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of bizarre murders, at the tail end of the 1700s.
The townsfolk are gripped with fear, convinced that the murders are the work of the fabled Headless Horseman, but Ichabod is certain that there's a less supernatural involvement behind the scenes.

The 18th Century setting is perfect for Burton's gothic style. The whole film is draped in a misty asthethic, lending it a cold and dreary atmosphere.
This is further complimented by Danny Elfman's incredible church-organ-heavy score.
The Horseman himself looks ghostly and makes for some unforgettable shots as he chases down and decapitates his way through the cast.
Said cast is a heavy duty one as well. Johnny Depp is front and centre, pretty much just being typical Johnny Depp, but it works wonders with Ichabod's almost mad-scientist character.
The rest of the cast boasts the likes of Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Christopher Walken, Miranda Richardson, Ian McDiarmid, Michael Gough, Richard Griffiths, Christopher Lee, Jeffrey Jones... It's an impressive list.
Some of the acting is a bit overboard at times (looking at you Christopher Walken) but it kind of adds a bit of surrealism to the whole affair.

The effects are pretty solid as well. Burton's approach to using a large amount of practical effects is admirable, and what CGI is used is subtle enough to not show the films age.

Despite it cheesyness, Sleepy Hollow manages to be both a dark and fun horror adventure, that I always enjoy watching and remains a highlight in Tim Burton's resume.
  
King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown by King Tubby / Augustus Pablo
King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown by King Tubby / Augustus Pablo
1976 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It’s just timeless space-age music. Music that was recorded with so little technology, and yet it sounds so technological. It’s spontaneously recorded and spontaneously mixed, and yet it sounds like it’s been arranged, by four thousand producers, four million Trevor Horns. But it was just two blokes pushing faders up and down with a couple of space echoes. It’s an amazing sound, and it’s amazing what they did in Jamaica, especially people like Lee Perry and King Tubby. Sonically, they transformed music. It was quite difficult to get hold of at the time: there was one shop in Finsbury Park, which was quite a threatening place to go if you were a young spotty skinheaded kid. I remember Johnny Rotten used to go there, but he was a bit more fearless I think! But there would be house parties where you’d hear a bit of it, and it would filter into places like Rough Trade, and spread to Rock On in Camden Town, and you’d end up, er, borrowing lots of records that you never gave back…"

Source
  
Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll
Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll
Peter Guralnick | 2015 | Biography
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For those not familiar with the name Sam Phillips, he is the man who started up Sun Records in Memphis, TN. And it was there at 706 Union Avenue that Sam invented rock n roll. Now, he didn't invent the music or the soul behind rock n roll, rock n roll was cooked up by the men and women working in the cotton fields, folks in the churches singing hymns, heartbreak, and good times goofing off with friends; just to name a few ingredients. With any recipe, no matter how great the ingredients, a great cook is needed; and Sam Phillips was a five star chef ahead of his time. Thankfully for all us, he made it his time. He produced and laid down the first tracks for some of the greats, such as Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis just to name a few. I wouldn't say he discovered these great musicians, but rather helped them discover themselves. Back to the book, that's only a small portion of his story. Learning more about the man, who and what made him who he was, all of his accomplishments, and all of the details of what most know and a lot of what you had no idea about, made for a very fascinating read. If you have a love for music, then this is a must read book.