Monday, October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween

There is a move by many Canadian police forces to paint their new cruisers a Number 7 grey. It looks to me like this is being done to render the vehicles as bad-ass to regular citizens. (Adam West, as Batman: "Citizen!")

No doubt these creepy cruisers are meant to intimidate. Police vehicles for a battlefield....

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Scoring Air Force One?

Donald J. Trump, White House hopeful, often uses the theme music to the mundane 1997 Harrison Ford-staffed "thriller" Air Force One when marking his return to the mortals.

Composed by the late, great Jerry Goldsmith, this fitting music for a president has been used for years now by the Detroit Red Wings hockey club for their home-game player introductions. However, Mr Trump feels he is more worthy to be blessed by its triumphant and patriotic proclamations -- in this case, "great leader of the free world".

Mr Goldsmith's tune takes flight as the orchestra's brass section calls a Copland-style curtain raiser, then floats with Elgar-like pomp. Many Trump faithful have said that when the grand man descends from the sky, or rolls into town, and the moving march belts from the rally loudspeakers, they turn to tears. It's possible the seemingly simple Donald has revealed just how powerful the Air Force One theme actually is when used in a proper context: That of the great leader dropping from the clouds in his flying machine (or tricycle) to stir his followers.

It is a marvellous piece of stirring music. Trump or no Trump.

There is one fly in the ointment, however: Gail Katz, producer of the film, is not impressed by the music's skyjacking for pseudo-political uses; presumably, neither is the Goldsmith estate.

If Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wins the election on November 8th, and this outcome does look likely at this point, to introduce her victory speech she should play the theme to Air Force One. Really loud!

Monday, October 10, 2016

A Great Quote From a Filmmaker

Robert Rodriguez, maker of such films as El Mariachi and Sin City, dispensed one of my favourite bits of advice regarding the "biz":

"Trust me, there are extreme benefits to being able to walk into this business and be completely self-sufficient. It scares people. Be scary."