An an 80s child, the Police Academy series of films were a rite of passage and I lapped them all up (well, apart from the final installment).
The ludicrous characterisation of the main characters is what made the brand such a popular and long-lasting one.
It was therefore with no small degree of sadness that I heard a few days ago that one of its giants, both literally and metaphorically speaking, has died aged just 66.
Bubba Smith
It can be far too easily forgotten that Charles Aaron 'Bubba' Smith was in fact first and foremost, a famed professional sportman who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts in 1970.
But for those of my generation, it was his gentle giant Hollywood turn as Moses Hightower that will go down in the memory. Here is a brief compilation that has been put together by ITN to mark this sad occasion.
The link was made recently when I was told of the connection between Cool Runnings and Madonna. Having blogged about Hans Zimmer and Cool Runnings in recent weeks, it jogged my memory of this revelation that I learned about.
As a fan of the big screen, but an even bigger fan of music, I could not believe that I had never made the link between Madonna's (in) famous 'Like a Prayer' music video and the cast of Cool Runnings.
Leon Robinson
Because yes, the actor who played the controversial 'Black Jesus' in Madonna's hit video in 1989 was the same man who played the fictional lead character Derice Bannock in the hit 1993 film Cool Runnings, based loosely on the unlikely bid by Jamaica to run a bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
But it must be said that whilst Leon Robinson was seen by many to have been portraying a 'Black Jesus' in the Madonna video, he was apparently (or so Wikipedia tells me at least) in fact portraying the role of a saint that was supposedly inspired by Saint Martin de Porres, the patron saint of mixed-race people and all those seeking interracial harmony.
As well as not playing Jesus, Leon Robinson it must be said, was not Jamaican! He was in fact born in New York.
So in this case at least, Jesus was not Jamaican.
But I had to share the link because as a particular fan of this hit Madonna song and video and also of Cool Runnings, it bemuses me how I could've gone the best part of 15 or so years and never made the clear link between the two.
It did strike me as slightly odd when I saw that Hans Zimmer was trending on Twitter today. I must admit that it brought about a mild amount of panic as I considered that this may have been the result of an early and untimely death but on investigation, was relieved to find out that it was probably in fact linked to an appearance on BBC Breakfast News this morning.
It did remind me however of how much of a fan I am of Herr Zimmer. His musical scores filter their way throughout my childhood with a resonance that will stay with me for as long as I live.
In an interview with the German TV station ZDF in 2005, he said: "My father died when I was just a child, and I escaped somehow into the music and music and has been my best friend". As someone who also counts my love of music as one of my best friends, I found this to be an endearing quote and whilst it must have been a tremendous loss for one so young, Hans built himself up to join the ranks of John Williams as one of the 20th century's greatest film score composers.
He has composed and produced over one hundred soundtracks and film scores. Of them, about 50 soundtracks and songs have been nominated for awards.
My Hans Zimmer Top 5
At this unlikliest of junctures, I feel compelled all of a sudden, to pay my own homage to this most talented of men but please don't see this as my opinion on his whole repertoire - no, this is merely a personal recollection of my favourite moments from my childhood that happen to have been created by this fine gentleman.
No.5 - Gladiator
This isn't a film that I have seen and yet the score is well known to all.
No.4 - Pirates of the Caribbean
Oddly enough, I also haven't seen any of the Pirates of the Caribbean films but the stirring score is one that is often played on classical radio and is one that suited the films that it was set too perfectly.
No.3 - The Lion King
I would happily state that The Lion Ling is the best Disney film ever made.
It's haunting score, along with the moving story-telling, has a force that could move me to tears. There's a very basic story of good vs bad which is at the heart of all great Disney films here and with loveable characters that the viewer warms too.
Hans Zimmer's score is the icing on the cake of what is a truly magnificent film and the score itself won Zimmer his first and to date, only Oscar.
No.2 - Going for Gold
I know, I know, I know.
But please forgive me this indiscretion but you see, it's my age. As a 28 year old, Going for Gold was a staple part of my lunchtime viewing during the late 1980s and early 1990s on those days when I was absent from school (on average throughout my time in school, about once every fortnight).
I hadn't realised until years later that the famous theme was actually a Hans Zimmer concoction and if possible, it made me love it even more than I already did!
Here is the full theme which was almost but never quite, released as a single.
No.1 - Cool Runnings
I make no bones about it. I love Cool Runnings. I own the DVD and have watched the film countless times.
The fact that it was based (albeit loosely) on the real-life story of the 1988 Winter Olympics immediately drew me towards it and then of course, there is the legendary John Candy. This it would turn out would be his final completed film before his tragically early death.
I absolutely adore the sound track and even own it on CD also.
For me, when I think Hans Zimmer I think and will always think first and foremost above all else that he has composed and achieved, Cool Runnings. It is therefore only apt that it is my No.1.
I have therefore indulged myself in two pieces by Zimmer from the film. The first is the absolutely wonderful Countrylypso which has within it, every emotion imaginable. I bought the CD for this alone. I love that Jamaican sound which Zimmer brought to the fore and it has since I first heard it, made me want to visit that island nation. One day hopefully, it will be a dream achieved.
Finally, the climax to the film with the actual film footage which saw the dream achieved for our four unlikely heroes, is made that much more dramatic by the score in the background. No matter how many times I've seen it, the final scenes always reduce me to tears.
It's what an enduring film score should be about - that ability to take you in and make you feel a part of the story.
Thank you Hans Zimmer for the music. Trending on Twitter? Deservedly so.
That low budget film that I blogged about looking forward to watching here before Christmas has only gone and won the Best Film Oscar in Hollywood!
Best Actor Colin Firth and Best Director Tom Hooper
In in spirited contest with its supposed main rival 'The Social Network', 'The King's Speech' won the big 4 Oscars ovenight. It won for Best Orginial Screenplay, Hooper won the coveted Best Director Award whilst Colin Firth as was widely expected walked off with the award for Best Actor. To crown a fantastic evening, it then won the biggest accoloade going - that for Best Picture which now puts him it alongside Schindler's List, Gandhi, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Godfather, The Sound of Music, Lawrence of Arabia, West Side Story, Ben-Hur, Casablanca and Gone with the Wind in the pantheon of Hollywood film greats.
It is a quite phenomenal achievement and the British sweep of the main awards on the evening was maintained by Christian Bale's victory in the Best Supporting Actor category in the film 'The Fighter'. Whilst 'The Social Network' only won 2 Oscars in the end, 'Inception' did match 'The King's Speech's haul of 4 statuettes but there's no question which film has taken the main plaudits.
I followed up my original blog post about my interest in the film from a historical perspective with additional posts here and here having watched the film and followed its success over recent weeks and I'm absolutely delighted to add to it with this final piece.
Well done to King Colin! A Royal Performance and Richly Rewarded for it!
'The King's Speech' has followed up its Golden Globes success by winning 7 BAFTAs - the British Oscars.
The British film phenomenon swept the board by winning the Best Film and Best Picture awards as well as those for Best Actor for Colin Firth, Best Supporting Actor for Geoffrey Rush and Best Supporting Actress for Helena Bonham Carter.
It also won awards for Original Screenplay by David Seidler, Outstanding British Film and Best Score by French film composer Alexandre Desplat.
Next up is the main event, the Academy Awards on Sunday February 27th - in just 2 weeks time.
Queen Helena
Can Coilin Firth follow Helen Mirren by winning another Royal Oscar? Can The King's Speech go one better than 'The Queen' by walking away with the best picture award?
I mentioned here in my blog back in December of my excitement at what looked to be a great film. Never did I realise at the time just how well it would do, as I later blogged here and here.
Time will tell but in the meantine, this fantastic film is sweeping all before it.
The nominations for the 83rd Academy Award were announced earlier and Britain leads the way.
The King's Speech has 12 nominations, including those for Best Picture and for Colin Firth as Best Actor. Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush are also up in their Best Supporting Roles. I've seen the film and blogged a raving review here.
The 12 nominations earned are only 2 short of the all-time record of 14 held by All About Eve in 1950 and Titanic in 1997.
The Western re-make True Grit is up for 10 Oscars, whilst The Social Network and Inception are up for 8 each.
Colin Firth will be favourite to win the Best Actor Award having won the Golden Globe last week though the competition for the Best Picture is fierce.
A Nod for Toy Story 3
I also noticed with great satisfaction that Toy Story 3 is also in the running for Best Picture. Never in the 83 year history of the Academy Awards has an animated film won the top prize but this is nevertheless only the 3rd time that one has even been nominated for it - the others were Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Up (2009).
I don't expect it to make history this year but it really is a technical masterpiece and it deserves to be comsidered with its real-life alternatives.
God Speed
But good luck to Colin Firth and co. Come February 27th, we'll hopefully have another Royal Oscar triumph to celebrate - following that of Helen Mirren as The Queen back in 2006.
I've barely newly satisfied my urge to make a rare appearance to the cinema to watch 'The King's Speech' and now, like a street full of buses, another film has grabbed my attention.
This time, a world away from Colin Firth's Golden Globe winning performance, it's Yogi Bear in 3D that has captured my imagination!
Hey there, Boo Boo!
Like many of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons, there was something wonderfully avocative of childhood with Yogi Bear. Although a late 1950's / early 1960s invention, generations of children have embraced this playful character's harmless attempts to steal 'pic-a-nic' baskets from visitors to the wonderfully named Jellystone Park with his companion Boo-Boo.
Now, Yogi's being re-incarnated with the voice of comedic legend, former GhostbusterDan Aykroyd whilst Boo Boo will be voiced by musical superstar Justin Timerlake.
Smarter than the Average Bear!
The film was released just before Christmas in America and will be released on 11th February here in the UK.
Should I embarassed to want to go and see a children's movie in the cinema? Hell no! It seems that many of my friends who are older than my tender 28 years are also keen to re-live a part of their youth!
So, here's the trailer and I look forward to a great 'pic-a-nic'...
Well, I finally saw this film that I've been eagerly anticipating to watch since I read about it as blogged here.
The reviews from those who had seen it have all been fantastic so I knew I was letting myself in for a real treat.
So much so, that I couldn't resist buying 'The King's Speech' book when I happened to fall upon it in Aberystwyth's Waterstones last Thursday. It was written by Lionel Logue's grandson and gave an account of his life, including of course his time as Bertie's speech therapist. It was full of original source material from Lionel's extensive archive and so gave a fascinating insight into what was a truly unique relationship.
I only had 2 days to read the book before watching the film last night but it was worth it to give myself, as an historian, an accurate historical background to the blockbuster that I was about to watch.
The Film Vs The Book
The film didn't let me down and Colin Firth's performance in particular was superb. He is rightly being touted for a Best Actor Oscar for his performance and I hope he gets it.
The casting all round was excellent with Helena Bonham Carter playing a very convincing Queen Elizabeth. Michael Gambon looked and acted every inch the patriarchal George V whilst Guy Pearce at times looked so strikingly like his alter ego King Edward VIII that it was almost spooky. I've always liked Timothy Spall and he gave a Churchillian performance as the soon-to-be Prime Minister.
Ramona Marquez (better known from the BBC1 hit programme, Outnumbered), and Freya Wilson were adorable as the Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth whilst Derek Jacobi played a convincing Archbishop Cosmo Lang.
Fact or Fiction?
There were some historical anomalies in the film such is the way of film-making. Particularly was the fact that Bertie and Logue only met in 1934 in the film whereas they actually met back in the mid '20s after his shambolic performance at Wembley. It's also greatly unlikely that they had the 'spat' that was played out in the film during the abdication crisis. By the book's accounts, by 1936, they were already very close having had a 10 year association by that time. But by tightening the chronology, the film makers added extra drama and suspense to the plot as is their wont.
There were other minor historical issues such as Churchill's apparent criticism of Edward VIII at the climax to the abdication crisis when in fact he was one of his greatest supporters.
But there were some lovely true to form references such as George V's statement that David would ruin himself within a year and also the fact that Bertie delivered his speeches standing up instead of sitting down because that made him feel more comfortale. Also having done so the fact that he then went to have an obligatory photo of him sitting at his table to make it look as if he gave his speeches from his desk like his father did when in fact he didn't. By his side throughout as was the case in real life as illustrated in the book, was Logue (who would remain lifelong friends with Bertie until they died in 1953 and 1952 respectively).
The moments between Bertie and his children were particularly tender and lent themselves to the descriptions that were in the book of a loving father and a close family unit.
It would have been nice to have seen the film move on throughout the war years to 1945 and not just conclude in 1939 but then that's just me.
A Superb Muscial Score
So taking the pickyness out of it, the film itself is without a doubt a run-away success. What topped it off for me was the music score. That and the choice of classical music during the film was great. The choice of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik during Bertie's first session with Logue was an excellent choice. But the film came to a wonderful conclusion for me with Bertie's war-time speech in September 1939 with the haunting sound of the 2nd movement to Beethoven's 7th Symphony in the background. It has always been one of my favourite pieces of classical music and it was ideal for the moment. Bravo!
So go and see the film for a cinematic feast and read the book as well for the full historical context to what really was a fascinating relationship that changed one family's life and in doing so, played a significant contribution to the future of our country.
PS - For an Oscars update, please read by blog posts from January 25th here and February 28th here.
I like a good film and I enjoy the whole cinematic experience - I have ever since I was a child.
Having said that, I don't go to the cinema half as much as I should. Mostly that's down to a lack of time as my work commitments take over but also because I often find there's little on that I want to watch.
I've always liked 'real-life' stories - particulary if they are actually based in reality. There are rarely that many about so I'm not often found chomping at the bit waiting to go to the cinema with excitement.
King George VI
Well, for once, I am. January 7th is the day when British cinemas shall be shown the dramatisation of a true and incredible story - that of King George VI and his battle to overcome a debilitating stammer.
'Bertie', as he was known to his family, was in this historian's opinion one of the most under-rated monarchs of modern British times. He only reigned for 15 years but in that time he led, alongside Churchill, his country through the ravages of war. He did so despite his condition and despite the fact that he had never expected to carry the mantle of Kingship. As Duke of York, he should never have had to have dealt with the pressure of being King but his brother's abdication (my father incidently was born during King Edward VIII's short reign of Jan-Dec 1936) to marry the divorced American love of his life shook the monarchy to its foundation and put on the throne a man who detested public speaking.
This film looks to explore and delve into these issues and it should be an absolute treat.
I found The Queen, starring Oscar Winning Helen Mirren to be absolutely absorbing and I have no doubt that her father's story will be the same. It is already being critically acclaimed and has been nominated for 7 Golden Globes. Colin Firth's acting in the lead role has been widely approved and with the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi and Timothy Spall in the line-up also, the production just oozes confidence and class.
Here is a snippet...
It seems to show signs of being another 'The Madness of King George' which excelled under the wonderful leadership of Nigel Hawthorne.
I had the great fortune of studying English at A-level over 10 years ago. I didn't feel compelled to study it at University level, but all the same it opened me up to a series of wonderful novels that I may not otherwise have read.
Indeed, I've always loved reading and whilst I prefer a non-fiction to a fiction, I am often drawn back to a famous fictional novel that I read not during my A-levels, but in fact, during my GCSEs.
To Kill a Mockingbird is undoubtedly one of the most wide-read of novels in the history of literature. But then, that doesn't have to necessarily mean that it's any good.
But then, Harper Lee's only ever publication, isn't actually good. It's more than that. It's extraordinary. It's exceptional. Above all possibly, it is just incredibly endearing.
Atticus Finch - The Greatest Fictional Character in English Literature
The novel itself was published 50 years ago, in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize and has sold over 30m copies worldwide.
The 1962 film adaptation saw Gregory Peck take on the lead role of the father, Atticus Finch. He would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his efforts.
I class Atticus Finch as the greatest character in English literature. Through the wonderful, narrative writing style of Harper Lee, coupled with the wonderful delivery given by Gregory Peck in the film, this character manages to do what few others have done - given the legal profession a good name!
The fact that the novel was published right in the heart of the civil rights movement, meant that it's story had a particularly strong resonance in America at the time of its publication. Likewise, the film adaptation a few years later preceded Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech of August 1963 by a full year.
Atticus for me, embodies all that is good and noble in mankind. Fighting for justice, for the underdog, because it the right, correct and morally proper thing to do.
Atticus Finch - The Greatest Speech in Movie History
In the film, the character of Atticus Finch was taken to new levels by the Oscar-award winning performance of Gregory Peck.
The court scene speech, where Atticus spoke resolutely and admirably in favour of the 'black' Tom Robinson against the 'white' Ewells, is for me one of the most mesmorising and inspirational I have ever seen in a movie picture.
Here is the audio of that entire 7 minute speech, climaxing in Atticus' final, spine tingling plea to the jury, "In the name of God, do your duty".
As I mentioned, Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his performance. Here he is, collecting his award.
At this point, I should make a confession. When I studied the novel during my GCSEs, we sat 'open book' exams where we were allowed to bring the books in with us to the exams. Unfortunately, I had mislaid my copy some week before the exam but was too embarassed to admit so to my teachers Mrs Smith and Mr Childs. I therefore went into the exam 'blind' without it but still got a solid 'B' for my English Literature all the same!
A long time later, I found my errant copy somehow hiding in a cupboard in my home dining room. How it got there I don't know, but there it was. I always intended to take it back to Ysgol Dyffryn Taf, but never did get round to doing so. So I still have it here, 12 years later, and I may just read it again.
To get me in the mood, here is the wonderful opening theme to the movie, as composed by the legend that was Elmer Bernstein.
But to Harper Lee, thank you for writing such a wonderful work and to Gregory Peck, thank you for a wonderful performance.
Between them both, thank you to Atticus Finch for providing the best role model, anyone could desire.
For being a good father, a good citizien and a good human being, Atticus Finch, I salute you.
