I Cry A Lot

Yes, I am a 48 year old man who sobs like a baby. Sometimes at weddings, sometimes at funerals but mostly when I am by myself and watching a movie, or reading a book where the beauty and sadness of it all cannot be expressed by me in any other way. It is always cathartic. It always leads to a little more balance, a little more recognition of what a blessed life I lead and.... well...it improves my general happiness. I cannot draw it out or have it come on at will (which would be great) but it hits at random times probably when I am feeling on the verge of falling apart myself.

Yesterday I slept in till about 7 and then went to work. It was Saturday which tends to always be good. Got a little breakfast and worked all morning but upon getting home found out my wife has gotten the flu. So I am sitting downstairs and doing my normal male hunter gatherer thing (surfing through all the channels) when I discovered that two of my favorite movies were on today. Almost Famous is an awesome film with Kate Hudson based on the early triumphs (mythologized) of the great Cameron Crowe and "A River Runs Through It" which is great on a 100 different levels.

I have seen "A River Runs Through It" almost as many times as "The Godfather" which means at least 30 times and probably more. And that is not my usual self aggrandizing over estimate. I would guess it is an under estimate as to River and the Godfather flicks. "Almost Famous" has only been viewed about a dozen times, so in comparison I really do not know the movie at all. But both of them strike to the heart on totally different levels and they both delight and cause more then a little soul searching.

Almost Famous is so good because I love pop music (or loved pop music) so much when I was growing up. Crowe was a genius with a hyper engaged mother that pushed him to graduate from high school at fifteen. He did go on tour with a band as a kid and did have a relationship with lester Bangs which then led to Ben Fong Torres of Rolling Stone. Crowe Wrote the most brilliant interview I have ever read and it just happened to be of Neil Young, the Zeus of my musical pantheon. I urge you to read it:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/profile/story/9102786/neil_young_the_rs_interview

Anyway, there is so much sad and trite and beautiful and stupid about the movie. The way he develop[s a relationship and the pretentious idiots in the band who are dwarfed by the genius in their presence..."Russell". Russell like every rock star is a parody of conflicts but the movie pulls together beautifully with perfectly drawn characters and pitch perfect dialogue. It mirrors several great, iconic rock and roll moments such as:

A scene with the band in a small plane (what could go wrong) and it hurts turbulence over Mississippi (like Skynard) and Russell starts to sing Buddy Holly and Big Bopper songs.

At the party, when he is on acid, Russell Hammond cries out, "I am a golden god!" This is a reference to Robert Plant of the band Led Zeppelin, who is purported to have said the same thing (sober) while looking over the Sunset Strip from a balcony at the Continental Hyatt "Riot" House.

At the beginning of the movie one of the groupies wanders into the party saying "Does anyone remember laughter?" channeling her Led Zeppelin.

The movie is heartbreaking and after every heartbreak there is a moment of Karmic healing...to a soundtrack. The cheesiest and best moment is on the bus where no one is speaking and they start to sing "Tiny Dancer". Priceless. The fact that the actor playing Crowe looks like a young Jeff Tweedy is also sadly moving for this St. Louisan.

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"A River Runs Through It" is just a beautiful movie. Beautifully shot. Beautifully casted. Beautifully scripted. I think that eventually we look back on this as one of the great films of our time. The movie, released in 1992 was I think one of Robert redfords directing debuts.... can you have more then one? I am certain he can. Starring Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, and Emily Lloyd there is not a mis step and you really get your first taste that Brad Pitt can act. Walking two brothers through growing up as the sons of a Presbyterian minister in Montana. Fly Fishing and communing with nature is the metaphor for everything.

The movie is a perfect echo of the brilliant book by Norman Maclean. They can (and should) be enjoyed in tandem. They are both heartbreaking in asking the hard question. When Skeritt, after losing his son is preaching in his small church he asks.... or tells:

"Each one of here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding."

And at the end you hear Redford narrating as we see the aged Norman Maclean fishing: Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.

The whole perfect movie is a set up for those two scenes at the end. And I tear up like a baby.

Sometimes life in movies is beautiful. Real men do not cry at shit like this, so I assume I have a problem. Rent them, buy them.

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Boston Globe ran a nice review of the laye Johnny Cash's new release, The American Recordings VI. I do not need to tell you how important it might be to buy this CD, first thing on Tuesday. To quote the great philosopher Larry The Cable Guy.... "Git her done!"

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2010/02/21/johnny_cashs_final_chapter_is_the_most_compelling/