What to Watch on the Fourth of July

When the barbeques are over and you're settling in for a nice relaxing summer evening, it's still a great feeling to snuggle up to a great film. What should you watch? I, for one, strictly believe in watching movies seasonally if a certain time of the year is prevalent in the movie. For example, you will NEVER find me watching It's a Wonderful Life in the summer. Christmas movies need to be viewed during that season. I can't get into them otherwise.

Hollywood certainly doesn't follow this rule, however. When I was a teenager in 1984 Gremlins was a very popular summer film. I remember going to the Prospect movie theater in Flushing at the beginning of July to see this typical popcorn-summer movie... that took place during Christmas. In fact, one of the characters is even watching It's a Wonderful Life. Another example is the great summer movie Die Hard and for that matter Die Hard 2. Both films are synonymous with blockbuster summer entertainment, yet both memorably take place during the Christmas holiday.

You have also had films that Hollywood has released during the summer that just don't belong there regardless of the time and season it is taking place. Dead Poets Society is the first that comes to mind. In the summer of 1989 movies like Ghostbusters 2 and Indiana Jones and Last Crusade opened with summer-blockbuster crowds. Dead Poet's Society poses itself as a small, serious drama; not typical of summer movies. Not to mention that it takes place in the fall and winter during a school year. Far and Away and The Notebook are two others I can think of that fit that category.

So that brings us to what to watch during the July 4th holiday. My feeling is that a July 4th film should absolutely be one of three things: A summer-type movie with summer themes; A great adventure-type film and/or a feel-good American classic - a film that symbolizes all that America stands for.

Here are some that I recommend:

The number one all time summer movie, in my opinion, has to be Jaws. This movie not only defined the blockbuster but takes place during the July 4th holiday. It's one of the greatest adventure films of all time and I make sure that I watch it every July 4th.

The rest are not ranked but are films that belong in your DVD player this weekend. Enjoy!

The Right Stuff - A true American classic. This story of the birth of the space program shows how Americans define who their heroes are.

Sea Biscuit - A true American underdog story. It proves that America is the land of opportunity.

Apollo 13 - Did not like this film the first time I saw it but I have grown to enjoy it and see it for what it is: A classic American story of hope and determination.

Glory - The story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first units made up entirely of African-American men. These are unsung American heroes who fought for freedom; not just for themselves, but for future generations.

Meatballs - What better film to watch than one that is strictly about camp; Not to mention that its themes are friendship, overcoming the odds and finding romance.

Field of Dreams - NOT a favorite of mine but I think I might give it another chance. There are people who LOVE this film. I guess with baseball and father-son relationships you can't go wrong.

There are also plenty of other films that came out during the summer and just scream of fun-adventure:

Raiders of the Lost Ark and the other Indiana Jones movies

Star Wars

Aliens

E.T.

Whatever you choose, have a wonderful holiday weekend.

On Location with Witness

Many times when I see a movie there will be that location that will jump out at me in more ways than one. It can be meaningful for the following reasons: the scene is memorable; I recognize the location; or there is something in the scene that makes it interesting. Many times a nice looking item is not real, it's simply a movie prop. When I go to the location to find it and it's not there, I have to admit I'm disappointed. Sometimes, however, I'm pleasantly surprised.

One that stands out for me is my trip with my wife and daughter a year and a half ago to Hershey and then the Amish country. I love the movie Witness and for years said it would be great to find some locations from that film. One that stands out for me is the scene where John Book (Harrison Ford) goes with the Amish family to town. They go to a general store where there are a lot of tourists trying to take pictures of the Amish people. John Book goes to a telephone booth to make a call to his police officer partner. I always wanted to find that location, especially the phone booth. I figured, however, that phone booth must be a prop and anyway, if it was real it's probably gone.

My go-to reference book Worldwide Movie Locations had the location listed as being in Intercourse, Penn., of all places. Still, no address was given. I had, however, my trusty navigator and it did bring me to Intercourse (the town, that is). There, I encountered a friendly convenience store worker that told me that Intercourse means friendship and she absolutely remembered when Witness came to town. I was moments away from Intercourse... the town and movie location, that is.

As I've explained in other articles, this gives me a total feeling of excitement. As we drove down the street I started to recognize some of the sites. We parked the car and then made our way to the general store. Once there I immediately recognized the area even though it has changed somewhat since the film was made over twenty five years ago. I also had my portable DVD with the movie so I was able to watch it and the current location at the same time.

The area where the buggies parked in the film was there, however, I found out that today it's mostly for show. But the big attraction, however, was walking up the stairs and seeing... yes, the actual phone booth! It was not a prop at all. It was a real phone booth. Of course I painstakingly went back and forth between the DVD and the actual booth. I noticed there was a phone number listed on the dial that was different in the DVD. That, however, was the only difference. Everything else was the same.

When looking for locations sometimes you come up empty and sometimes you get lucky. On that day, I got lucky in Intercourse! The town and movie location, that is.

A Sopranos Movie? Fuggedaboutit... For Now

When we have a favorite TV show there is this tendency to desire, even if we know it's a bad idea, to see it as a movie. Deep down inside we know there's a good chance it won't work, but the silver screen gets the better of us and for some reason we feel cinema is any story's final destination.

There have been all types of TV shows that turned into film. There are those that are successful with quality like The Fugitive, The Untouchables and some of the Star Trek movies; some that are not great yet do very well at the box office such as Charlie's Angels and Sex and the City; and then there are those that should have stayed on the small screen like The Beverly Hillbillies and 95% of the "Saturday Night Live" movies.

Sports-talk host Mike Francesa was talking about the Sex and the City movies saying that the first film was terrible yet it made a lot of money. Somewhere in that thought he mentioned "The Sopranos" as a movie. Listening to Francesa over the last twenty years I know "The Sopranos" is one of his favorite shows so there was that desire for a movie version sneaking out. Should there be a Sopranos movie? I say there is only one way to do it: Wait thirty years.

I'm serious and I have thought about this before. You can't do a Sopranos movie in this generation. The main reason is that so many of the main characters were killed off. These are characters that helped to define the show. They were killed off for a reason and they can't come back. I guess you could introduce new characters in a movie, but for what? Just for the purpose of making a movie?

Another reason is the way the TV show ended. I believe David Chase wants us to guess at what happens to Tony. We don't know his fate. Why, at this point, would we want to? The mystery of that great show would be lost. The show as we know it ended; let's leave it at that.

But that doesn't mean there shouldn't be a movie. Many decent movies have been reboots of old TV shows; the aforementioned The Fugitive is the best example. A lot of time passed between the final episode and the film and a new generation was born. They were able to separate the style of the sixties show with that of the nineties movie. That's part of the reason the film was so successful. It had time to evolve and become its own. That's what a Sopranos movie needs: Time to gain a new audience. An audience that doesn't rely on the TV show. One that forms its own opinions and will relate to an entire new feel and style.

Thirty years from now James Gandolfini will play a small role in the movie and older fans will say, "That's the original Tony Soprano." Other actors like Michael Imperioli and Lorraine Bracco can do the same. But new actors will don (pun intended) the old gang and make the characters their own. It's just the way it has to be if there is to be a Sopranos movie. Believe me, you won't fuggedaboutit.

On Location with Rocky

Okay, maybe this is a cheesy entry. The fact that I have included a picture of myself with my arms thrusting into the air, mimicking a certain movie-character icon, is something thousands of schmucks have done before and will continue to do as long as these steps stand. Well, that's okay for a few reasons.

I took this photo in the summer of 1999 on a trip to Philadelphia with a couple of buddies to see the Phillies play in the now-destroyed Veterans' Stadium. That's a long time ago. Well, the fact is that if I were to go down there today, I probably would pose the same way, as cheesy and familiar as it may be and as much as I would probably feel that I am "giving in" to popularity.

I could be stubborn and say that I'm too cool to do that while I watch all the other suckers posing with their arms up in that same spot. But here's the thing: How can you not? It would almost be ridiculous not to do it. Aside from going to the museum, why else are people standing on those steps? To see pictures? Those that want to see pictures are inside; or walking up the steps to go into the museum to see the pictures, I suppose. Those standing there are there to take in the aura of the film. Therefore, if you're there, thrust those arms.

The other thing is that the movie and that image mean a lot to me. I am a true Rocky fan. When Rocky thrusts his own arms into the sky, a change has occurred. A change to the character and to cinema itself. Hundreds of movies would follow that would essentially do the same thing: Signify that all underdogs can do it. Breaking Away, Meatballs, The Karate Kid... they all came from that moment. Heck, even the Nike "Just Do It" ad is a decendant from Rocky.

Movie locations can do this to us. We all have favorite films. Find that moment in the movie you love. Think about why you love it. Then find the location. I guarantee it will be a special moment. For me, when I'm at a favorite movie location, I'm happy to be a schmuck and sucker like everyone else.

On Location with Mystic River

I love movies. Therefore, I'll use this blog to share with you things I know, like and have experienced with film. One of my hobbies is to go looking for filming locations. I have often done this with my brother and parents and even went on movie location dates with my wife before we were married. I can't describe the feeling I get when I find a movie location. Many people I tell this to don't understand. I've actually had people say to me "Get a Life." Well, it's a hobby and I consider that a nice part of my life. Here I will discuss some of my favorites and even try to post some pictures. I will confess that I often find these locations from good books on the subject such as The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. On occasion, however, I will find one on my own; and that is the best feeling. Either way, I love finding a location where a film was shot. I bring my portable DVD player, pop in the film and watch it while I am there at the site. It really is cool.

What makes a location intriguing? Hard to explain but there is usually something on the screen that makes it interesting; something that you'd like to see in person. My first location entry will explain what I mean.

Clint Eastwood's Mystic River opens on a gray day on a Boston street. Three kids are playing street hockey. One shoots the ball and it falls down a sewer. Afterwards the kids write their names in some wet cement right above the sewer. It's that sewer that makes the location interesting. It's part of the action and it is different from any sewer I've seen in New York. Does it exist in real life or was it built for the movie? That's what I want to find out and see. I realize the wet cement that dried later in the film was a prop, but would it still be there? Often film companies will leave their work behind, did they this time? I had to find out.

A newer version of The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations came out a few years ago with the locations for Mystic River. They actually had the street name for that block. When I had the chance to go to Boston with my wife and at the time one year old daugther, I decided I was going to find it. I actually left my hotel late at night to find it. I did, and it was a great feeling; but it was too dark to appreciate. I went back the next day with my wife and daughter and saw it. While this was a great find, I was a little disappointed that the sewer was not there; it indeed was created for the movie. Needless to say, the cement with the writing was not there as well. As I walked up and down the block, however, I noticed that there was a sewer a few feet up that looked identical to the one in the movie; it just wasn't in the same spot. Maybe the filmmakers moved it. I know it was in a different spot because I had my DVD player with me and could locate exactly where the action was.

Mind you, this process can be somewhat painstaking as you go back and forth between the DVD and real life. It's pretty cool to see what's the same and what's changed. It also can be a somewhat melancholy experience as you see that certain buildings or landmarks are no longer around. This location, I have to say, was very satisfying.

If you are interested in finding this location, It is located in East Boston on Condor Street. I don't have any other address, but your GPS can get you there.