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Rock me Amadeus (& Elvis)
Watching the new Amadeus series led me down a rabbit hole where I found a striking parallel between Mozart and Elvis. Both icons died broke, but their widows, Constanze and Priscilla, became the first accidental CEOs. They professionalized the legacies, cleared massive debts, and pioneered celebrity tourism to save the brands.
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School for Scoundrels (1960)
I am a sucker for old British black and white comedies. They reigned supreme from around 1945 to 1965 and gave us some classic actors such as Alec Guinness, Alistair Sim, Terry Thomas and Norman Wisdom. The story lines where woefully simple and one dimensional and served as a perfect remedy for a young boy, who is off school sick, lying on the couch and being forced to watch whatever…
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Back to the Future Part II (1989)
The date is 21st October 2015 and of course it is Back to the Future day. The day Doc and Marty travel forward to fix his children who have managed to screw things up that a little help from our time traveling duo. So it is very fitting that we watch this movie on this very iconic day, following on from my earlier Back to the Future outing. So…
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Shanghai Noon (2000)
Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson team up together in this comedy western to rescue the kidnapped Chinese princess played by the beautiful Lucy Liu. With Chan not knowing any English, or anything about the West is your classic fish out of water setup. Not dissimilar to the usual Crocodile Dundee story. Chan plays pretty much the exact same role in all these types of movies, the humble, karate/kung fu fighting side kick who…
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Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)
When will I learn? How much pain should one go through before I realize that Adam Sandler movies, no matter the format, should be avoided at all costs? Though in my defense I wasn’t aware this one was voiced and written by him. This movie was at the request of my 9 year old who found the first one funny and wanted to see the second one. Just to be…
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Ghostbusters (1984)
31 years ago one of the best logos in the world burst into our lives. Originally designed by Dan Aykroyd it has become as iconic as the movie to which it is attached to. If you haven’t seen Ghostbusters, then one has to ask to which rock you have been living under and at what point are you planning to join the rest of the human race? Following 3 university professors…
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Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Centering around a hit man, who models his life and philosophy around the ancient Japanese Samurai warrior living and operating in New Jersey, sees himself the target of the local mafia who take hum bridge for a hit that left a loose end. Forest Whitaker plays the self titled, Ghost Dog, who lives on a roof top caring for his homing (or as they call them in the USA ‘passenger’) pigeons. …
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Three Amigos (1986)
It was a Friday evening, a great day out with the family and what a wonderful way to relax in front of a roaring fire than to throw on a real classic from your childhood. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short, three comedic legends of the 1980′s, surely this can’t fail to be a hit with a new virginal audience. What started out with 5 viewers, ended up with…
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National Theatre Live: Hamlet (2015)
This was an experience different from the normal run of movies so far. In a traditional cinema but watching a live broadcast of the Hamlet play happening in the Barbican Centre from London. There was something quite unique watching this shared live experience, even though all the clapping and standing ovations happened down in London. Hamlet is one of William Shakespeare’s oldest and most covered plays, and taking on the…
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Some Kind Of Beautiful (2014)
Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba and Malcolm McDowell in a single movie but I bet you haven’t heard of it. After seeing this, I am sure each of them are quite glad this has slipped you by. With such a beautiful cast, this romantic comedy had so much potential. We have Mr Brosnan, playing Richard the Cambridge literary professor who teaches the classic romantics, following in his fathers footsteps Mr McDowell.…
the legend that is, Alan Williamson.
For over 20 years, I’ve shared my thoughts whenever the muse strikes. It’s unpredictable, honest, unedited, and occasionally witty. I’m living the best years of my life, working harder than ever, and enjoying every second.
Alan Williamson 