Continuing with my series of performers who had a big impact on film this year, part two of six brings us to Kevin Hart.
Not only is he one of the highest grossing stand-up comics around, this year proved he can truly headline at the multiplex as well. The biggest example came in January with the surprise hit buddy cop comedy Ride Along with Ice Cube. The pic amassed a fantastic $134 million gross and was #1 for four weeks. A sequel is already planned for January 2016.
February brought his supporting role in About Last Night which earned a respectable $48 million. In June came his sequel Think Like a Man Too, which topped out at $65 million (less than its predecessor, but still solid considering its $24M budget).
More than anything though, Ride Along made Hart a hot commodity and 2015 should keep the momentum going. January sees the premiere of The Wedding Ringer and in March, he teams up with Will Ferrell in Get Hard.
For my post on The Year of Shailene Woodley, click here:
Just like I did in 2013, today brings us a series where I feature three actors and three actresses who had a very good year in 2014. To recap in 2013 – my individual honors went to Jennifer Lawrence, Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Melissa McCarthy, and James Franco.
For 2014 – we have a fresh new crop of performers who had a significant impact at the box office and we begin with Shailene Woodley. Many of us first noticed the actress as George Clooney’s rebellious daughter in 2010’s The Descendants before moving to an acclaimed role in 2013’s The Spectacular Now.
This year broke her out in a massive way. It began with March’s Divergent, which will be the first in a planned series of four pictures (with the second opening this March). Woodley headlined the YA feature which grossed a strong $150 million.
June brought The Fault in Our Stars, based on the bestselling YA novel which earned her rave reviews and went onto gross $124 million. With these two hits in a row, Woodley is successfully carving out an interesting career path that’s not unlike Jennifer Lawrence.
Her Divergent and Spectacular Now costar Miles Teller had a heckuva year himself with that feature plus the lauded indie hit Whiplash.
2014 will definitely go down as the year when Shailene Woodley burst into the mainstream and it looks like she’s here to stay.
For my post on The Year of Kevin Hart, click here:
This Saturday, one of my blog posts would have been a box office prediction for The Interview, the Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy in which they play journalists tasked by the U.S. government to take out North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
So… that’s not going to happen. You may have heard of this movie in the last 24 hours or so. The recent Sony Pictures cyber attack that’s been garnering headlines all over the world has led to threats against any movie theaters screening the picture, which was scheduled to premiere on Christmas Day.
Sony Pictures made the unprecedented decision to pull The Interview from theaters after several large theater chains chose not to show it, due to safety concerns. I’ll leave it to smarter folks than I to pontificate on all the ramifications here. The best I can do is offer my brief insights.
First thought: we are truly in uncharted waters here. There have been plenty of controversial movies, but we’ve never seen anything like this. Here we have a major studio offering that will likely never see the light of day in major theaters. And it’s mainly due to the fact that a fascist dictator can’t take a joke.
The irony is thick, to say the least. The Interview purportedly deals with the issues of Jong-un’s reign in North Korea, albeit in humorous and low brow comedy fashion. It probably deals with his lack of allowing free speech in that territory.
And yet the actions of these hackers (allegedly stemming from the country he controls) has eliminated the free speech rights that our country was founded upon. It’s hard for me to come up with any other argument than this: the hackers won and they’ve set a precedent that is dangerous.
Threats against this nation are nothing new. Threats against movie theaters that dare to show Seth Rogen and James Franco satirizing North Korea… well, that is a new one. It begs the once ridiculous sounding question: what if a group of cyber terrorists decide they don’t want to see Fifty Shades of Grey in February? What if a dangerous faction somewhere in the world makes claims of action if we go see Star Wars: The Force Awakens a year from now?
Trust me, I’m no expert on security issues. However, I’m rather sure our government and financial centers of institutions are threatened on a very regular basis. We don’t stop going to them. And yes – our movie theaters are our entertainment centers of institution.
I have no idea whether The Interview is any good (early reviews indicate not, but there’s a lot of talent involved). The action taken yesterday guarantees one thing (security and political arguments aside) – the picture will be seen by a lot of folks who might not have intended to watch it originally. The term all publicity is good publicity should apply here. My guess is a VOD or Netflix type premiere will happen relatively soon and it will be massively successful.
The decision that faced the owners of theater chains and Sony Pictures forced them into an incredibly unenviable position. Still, my reaction is similar to many I’ve seen in the media. This just doesn’t feel right. We have a right to free speech in this nation. This covers everything from key political speech to the words written in a screenplay and filmed for a sophomoric Seth Rogen Christmas holiday release. And we should never feel compelled to surrender those rights to those who wish us harm.
From the release of Guardians of the Galaxy in August until the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron in May 2015, there will be nine months that pass between superhero/comic book based pictures. Starting next year and especially in 2016 and beyond, that’s going to change.
It’s almost hard to believe, but there are currently 30 – yes, 30 – superhero pics scheduled to debut between 2015 and 2020. Some – though likely not many at all – could fall to the wayside. And certainly more could be added to the calendar over the next six years.
Today, Marvel Studios announced “Phase 3” of their slate of films scheduled to be released until 2019 – culminating with the third and fourth Avengers pictures. Besides the Disney/Marvel releases, Warner Bros. and Fox have their own ambitious slates.
The 21st century has been absolutely dominated by the comic book adaptation in movie world. It started in 2000 with X-Men and has continued with the Dark Knight franchise, The Avengers, Guardians, two Superman reboots, two Spider-Man franchises, and various stand-alone features and their sequels and reboots focused on Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Daredevil, Hellboy, and others. And it’s only accelerating.
This is going to be tough to keep all these Iron Men, Guardians, Caped Crusaders, and newbies like Ant-Man, Wonder Woman, and Doctor Strange straight, so this movie blogger is providing you a handy guide for all of them coming out over the next few years – in order of currently scheduled release.
Here we go:
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Release Date: May 1, 2015
Joss Whedon returns to direct as Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, and Black Widow all return in the sequel to the #3 highest grossing film of all time. This will almost surely set a new record for all-time opening weekend, therefore defeating its predecessor.
Ant-Man
Release Date: July 17, 2015
Paul Rudd takes on the role of the title character with Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly costarring. Expect Ant-Man to find his way into later Disney/Marvel projects, possibly including later Avengers sequels.
The Fantastic Four
Released Date: August 7, 2015
After two successful but critically panned Fantastic Four pics earlier this century, director Josh Trank (Chronicle) takes over the reins of a budding new franchise for 20th Century Fox. The cast includes Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic, Kate Mara as the Invisible Woman, Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch, and Jamie Bell as The Thing.
Deadpool
Release Date: February 12, 2016
A spinoff of the X-Men series, Ryan Reynolds is likely to play the character (he played him in the poorly received original 2009 Wolverine stand-alone flick).
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Released Date: March 25, 2016
Man of Steel director Zack Snyder returns with Henry Cavill’s Superman battling Ben Affleck’s Batman. Gal Gadot will make her debut as Wonder Woman before a later stand-alone pic and Jesse Eisenberg joins the mix as Lex Luthor.
Captain America: Civil War
Release Date: May 6, 2016
The third America flick will feature a prominent role for Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man with The Winter Soldier‘s Anthony and Joe Russo returning to direct.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Release Date: May 27, 2016
Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer is back (he also directed the first two installments of the original trilogy) as is the cast from 2011’s First Class, including James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence.
Suicide Squad
Release Date: August 5, 2016
This team of DC villains will be incorporated in the Warner Bros. movie universe that will eventually lead to the Justice League pics. Jesse Eisenberg is rumored to appear in this as well in his Lex Luthor role. David Ayer, director of Fury, is behind the camera.
Doctor Strange
Release Date: November 4, 2016
Sinister director Scott Derickson helms the adaptation of the Marvel comic with Benedict Cumberbatch just having signed to play the title character after negotiations with Joaquin Phoenix stalled.
Sinister Six
Release Date: November 11, 2016
A spin-off of the current Spider-Man franchise, this will focus on supervillains in the Spidey universe, reportedly including Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Rhino. Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard is on board.
Venom
Release Date: 2017
A stand-alone pic for the Spidey villain, it’s uncertain at this point whether Sony Pictures ends up going forward with this one.
Untitled Wolverine Picture
Release Date: March 3, 2017
The third stand-alone Wolverine flick will have Hugh Jackman clawing his way on screen and James Mangold, who directed 2013’s The Wolverine, returning.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Release Date: May 5, 2017
Star Lord and company are back with James Gunn back in the director’s chair. The original from this summer grossed an astonishing $752 million worldwide (at press time).
Wonder Woman
Release Date: June 23, 2017
It’s about time a woman headlined one of these things! Gal Gadot will star after appearing as the title character in Batman v. Superman. No director attached at press time.
The Fantastic Four 2
Release Date: July 14, 2017
Fox is confident as they’ve scheduled this to follow-up summer 2015’s release.
Thor: Ragnorak
Release Date: July 28, 2017
The third entry in the franchise, Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role in between Avengers filming duties. No director attached yet.
Black Panther
Release Date: November 3, 2017
Disney/Marvel gives their first headlining feature to an African-American superhero. 42 and Get On Up star Chadwick Boseman was cast as the Panther today. The character will reportedly first appear in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.
Justice League Part One
Release Date: November 17, 2017
Essentially Warner Bros. version of Avengers, expect to see Cavill’s Superman, Affleck’s Batman, Gadot’s Wonder Woman, and likely Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg in the mix. Zack Snyder will direct.
The Amazing Spider-Man 3
Release Date: 2018
No specific release date yet, other than sometime in 2018 and you have to wonder. Each Spidey flick has grossed less than its predecessor and this summer’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a commercial and critical letdown. It’s not known for sure yet, but Andrew Garfield is likely to return as the title character.
The Flash
Release Date: March 23, 2018
After a probable debut in Justice League, The Flash gets his own stand-alone pic with Ezra Miller in the title role.
Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1
Release Date: May 4, 2018
This is where the Marvel universe is likely to go bananas – with rumors of your typical Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk) possibly mixing it up with Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, among others. This is gonna be huge.
Captain Marvel
Release Date: July 6, 2018
Details are scarce, but this will be Disney/Marvel Studios first stand-alone featuring a title character who is a female. Expect an A list actress to join at some point.
Untitled Fox Marvel Movie
Release Date: July 13, 2018
Once again – details are very scarce. However, there are rumors that this could be Fox’s “Avengers” type pic, incorporating the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Deadpool.
Aquaman
Release Date: July 27, 2018
After an expected debut in Justice League, “Games of Thrones” star Jason Momoa will portray the title character.
Inhumans
Release Date: November 2, 2018
Marvel/Disney will attempt and almost assuredly succeed with this development of a new Guardians/Avengers type franchise. Director/actor announcements will come later.
Shazam
Release Date: April 5, 2019
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will play the title character in this DC Comic adaptation.
Avengers: Infinity Wars, Part 2
Release Date: May 3, 2019
The continuation of the previous summer’s Marvel blowout – don’t be surprised if this marks the final appearances of Downey Jr’s Iron Man, Chris Evans’s Captain America, and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. This will be the end of Phase 3 for Disney/Marvel and we’ll have to wait and see what Phase 4 brings.
Justice League, Part 2
Release Date: June 13, 2019
The Batman/Superman/Green Lantern/Flash/Wonder Woman/Aquaman saga rolls on…
Cyborg
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Originating from DC, Warner Bros. will adapt this character with Ray Fisher in the title role. It’s rumored he’ll begin his appearances beginning with 2016’s Batman v. Superman and later Justice League flicks.
Green Lantern
Release Date: June 19, 2020
There was a badly received version starring Ryan Reynolds in 2011. Expect Warner Bros. to ignore that flick while reintroducing the character in Justice League prior to this stand-alone.
And there you have it – that’s a whole lotta superhero action scheduled to come your way over the rest of this decade.
This week, Bill Murray spent an hour on Howard Stern’s radio show. Hearing these two true comedic icons shoot the breeze was an absolute pleasure. Filmmakers who try to recruit the indispensible Murray to even be in their movies have a tough time getting through to him. The actor is notorious for not having a manager or publicist or checking his cell phone (which he told Howard he has because his children only text and don’t answer calls).
At one point, the conversation turned to the late, brilliant film critic Roger Ebert and Murray told a fantastic anecdote about him. Earlier in his career, Murray was not known at all for dramatic work and Roger criticized him, stating that he should stick to comedy only. Years later, when Murray saw Ebert at an event, he quoted a famous critic for making that statement. Ebert didn’t know who would make such a claim since Murray was obviously a wonderful actor in any forum. Murray reminded Roger that it was him that said it years ago. As the actor recounted, Ebert gave him a look like, “Boy, was I wrong!” The Ebert conversation ended with Murray stating his love for the critic and Howard agreed. Bill Murray’s main point: Roger Ebert loved movies.
You see that deep affection for the world of cinema in the documentary Life Itself, which recounted Roger’s career and the last few months of his life. I’ve talked about it on the blog before when reviewing that documentary and in my post on the sad day that Roger died. My general feeling is this: you can tell when a person who writes about movies loves them and when they don’t. Let me make an important distinction – I’m not talking about loving a movie that you give four stars to and not liking a movie you award with two stars. I’m speaking of being able to determine whether or not a writer truly loves the craft they’re writing about. Roger Ebert did. Many more do. Other critics and bloggers seem to revel in trashing movies far too often, at least for my taste.
When I read a critic’s work or their blogs, I want to feel like they have a deep appreciation for the subject they spend so much time writing about. Frankly, it’s the main thing I strive to achieve on my blog – which will celebrate its 2nd anniversary officially on Saturday. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve written my share of negative reviews. So does every other critic and blogger on planet Earth. Many pictures, simply, don’t measure up to expectations, are a rehash of previous material, are badly paced, etc…
Yet here’s my philosophy when it comes to writing about movies – every time those theater lights go down or (more often) I hit play on the Blu Ray or On Demand, I hope that I’m going to like what I see. I hope to have that satisfactory or even profound film watching experience that us lovers of cinema seek out again and again and again and again. I’ve had it recently with that Ebert documentary. I had it when Little Groot danced to the Jackson 5 in Guardians of the Galaxy. I had it watching the delicious twists and turns of David Fincher’s Gone Girl. I had it watching Leo DiCaprio on speaker phone suckering in a client in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. I had it watching Tom Hanks remind me that he’s one of the most astonishing actors in the world during the last five minutes of Captain Phillips.
And that was all in the last year! Now let’s go to just last night when I reviewed Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West. I’m a fan of his work – both “Family Guy” and 2012’s Ted. I found his sophomore directorial effort to be pretty darn disappointing. Guess what? I loved writing my review of that just as much as writing a highly positive post – the kinds I recently wrote for Her or Fruitvale Station.
Now here’s the irony: two years ago when I began this little venture, I stated that I wouldn’t write movie reviews on the blog. Boy, was I wrong! Just like I’ve been wrong about many of my box office predictions that remain the most read entries on this site. For every time I nail a prediction (or close to nail) on The Equalizer or Gone Girl, I grossly underestimate the potential of Annabelle or grossly overestimate the performance of the Sin City sequel.
I’ve now been writing movie reviews for about 23 years since I was a preteen. It took my snap decision to start the blog to rediscover my love for that exercise. Yet the movie reviews are just one part of that aforementioned love of movies. There’s plenty more posts – whether box office related or Oscar prediction related. Hell, I’ve even found myself posting about music and TV more often than I could have imagined.
In the two years since the blog began and much to the assistance of WordPress, I’ve been able to discover other movie bloggers. They may have different writing styles than myself, but they have one thing in common: they love movies too. Joe Giuliano, who predicts box office results with freakish accuracy. Thy Critic Man, Daniel Prinn and Justine B, whose reviews are a joy to read. Trevor and Jason from boxofficeace.com and their fine podcast… I just wish they did it every week! And there’s many more.
As I said on my year anniversary of the site, I sincerely cannot thank you enough for reading this site. I would love writing this blog regardless, but it means a heckuva lot more knowing that eyeballs actually see it. I appreciate each and every one of the thousands of blog views and readers in 142 countries (!) who’ve read some of my 777 (!) posts. For those who take their time to check my box office predictions or read my Oscar forecast or peruse my reviews and so forth, I can tell you what I strive for everyday on this wonderful hobby of mine. The goal is for the reader to come away with this general feeling – that guy loves movies and writing about them. And if I’ve been able to direct you in the path of something great that you haven’t seen, that’s a feeling I cherish.
Back to the beginning:
Bill Murray. Roger Ebert.
For movie lovers like me and you, think about the joy that someone like Bill Murray has brought into your lives. Caddyshack. Ghostbusters. Groundhog Day. Lost in Translation and so forth. I’ll have that feeling of excitement soon when St. Vincent premieres. Maybe it’ll be great. Or maybe not, but I love anticipating finding out and I’ll love writing about it.
For movie writers and bloggers like me and some of you, think about how Roger Ebert’s work may have influenced you. I know damn well he influenced me. He helped teach me how to put that indescribable affection for this world of movies into words. Don’t get me wrong – I am no Roger Ebert and never will be. I’m just trying my best to put my perspective on movies before the reader and hope you enjoy it.
The thing about movies is this – as I described in an earlier post, it’s a Never Ending Story. There’s always more to discover. There’s always something new to write about. There’s always the joy of revisiting older titles and or rediscovering something about a favorite that you hadn’t noticed before. There’s always box office predictions to make for this blogger. There’s always Oscar predictions as the race takes shape.
And there is always, always, always the love that I hold for the subject I choose to write about and the joy that those making and writing about movies give to us, the audience. Whether it’s Bill Murray in front of the camera or Roger Ebert at that typewriter.
Mr. Ebert might be gone, but his words are here for us to enjoy forever. In the last year, we’ve been saddened to learn that Robin Williams and Philip Seymour Hoffman are gone. Yet their work will live on for us to savor – from Truman Capote to a British nanny to a cult religious leader to a therapist telling his pupil that “It’s not his fault” to the Big Lebowski’s socially awkward assistant to that inspirational teacher telling his students to “Seize The Day!” For us movie lovers, the medium gives us these special moments and performances and memories to seize on those days when we might need it.
And I’ll close by saying that it’s a real pleasure to write about it.
There will be many articles written very soon, if not already, about the career of Robin Williams. I am not writing a comprehensive breakdown of his storied career. I’ll leave that to others. Needless to say, his life on the silver screen was an amazing one.
For someone who follows movies as closely as I do and love them like I do, my reaction to these unexpected and tragic deaths are difficult to describe. On Super Bowl Sunday this year, I had a similar feeling with Philip Seymour Hoffman. The details of both deaths were both shocking, but again – others will focus on that. Not me.
This blog serves as an outlet for my stream of consciousness thoughts and when thinking about Mr. Williams’ passing – here’s what has been most prevalent in my mind tonight:
I grew up with Robin Williams. Movies like Hook and Mrs. Doubtfire were released in my younger years. During this time frame, perhaps his most brilliant work came in Aladdin.
When Robin Williams came up in movie conversations with friends, my go to line was usually: “I like him even better in dramatic roles.” This is true. Truth be told, the greatest comedians are very often the greatest actors. You see it with Eddie Murphy. And Bill Murray. And you saw it with Robin Williams. Good Will Hunting, The Fisher King, Dead Poets Society, Awakenings, One Hour Photo, Insomnia…
If you’re a movie lover and a fan of Robin Williams but know him mostly for only comedic work – I implore you to watch those films listed above.
Robin Williams was an icon and has been for some time. He was the final sit down guest on Johnny Carson’s show. He could star in mega-blockbuster comedies and then go dramatic and win an Oscar. His stand-up comedy and appearances on Carson and Letterman are legendary. From TV to film to the Broadway stage to the comedy club stage – he did it all and so often exceled at it.
A word I’ve heard a lot on the news tonight is Joy. So true. He brought a lot of it to audiences. A whole lot. Much will be speculated on how someone who brought so much joy to others apparently didn’t experience it himself in the end. The only thing to say about that, in my mind, was said tonight by Jimmy Kimmel: “If you’re sad, tell someone.” Great advice.
Robin Williams was a performer who could make audiences feel the whole range of emotions we experience as filmgoers. He’ll be truly missed.
Just in case you don’t read the scroll at the bottom of CNN, today is the date of birth for your trusty movie blogger. I won’t say how old I am, but as of this morning – I can officially run for President of the United States should I choose to do so (it’s doubtful). This got me thinking: what were the #1 films at the time of significant birthdays in my past. Luckily we have an Internet to retrieve that information so here goes:
On the day I was born (known to most as A.T. – After Todd), the horror flick The Amityville Horror was scaring audiences. It would spawn sequels and a 2005 remake. Amityville would end up being 1979’s second highest grosser following Kramer vs. Kramer.
On my fifth birthday, Prince ruled the box office and the music charts with Purple Rain. For those who know me personally, this may seem fitting since His Royal Badness is my favorite musical artist and I’ve seen him in concert around a dozen times. I also touched his leg during a show in Las Vegas. It happened. Let’s move on.
On birthday number ten, Turner and Hooch topped the box office. This was three years before its star Tom Hanks would become a back to back Best Actor Oscar winner and he was still starring in comedies that weren’t always great. This was one of them.
As I became a teenager, Damon Wayans scored a #1 hit with Mo’ Money.
My sweet sixteen saw Kevin Costner’s Waterworld at #1. The pic is notorious for its massive budget and troubled production yet it’s not as bad as its reputation.
As I moved into “adulthood” – Air Force One commanded the charts with Harrison Ford forcefully asking Gary Oldman to get off his plane.
When the age of 21 came (and I was predictably at a bar on the Ohio State campus) – it was Eddie Murphy playing multiple roles in The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps that packed the multiplex.
At age 30 – G-Force. I don’t even remember this one and never saw it, but it’s a kids flick that managed to gross over $30 million in its debut weekend.
And now today – we have Scarlett Johannson’s Lucy atop the box office.
So there you have it – your Todd Thatcher birthday movie hits!
It’s been an interesting last few days on my “movie” blog as I write of 90s R&B music and now I’m going even further outside my comfort zone of entertainment and talking about sports. Yes, I’m daring to venture in on the biggest sports story today. No, not the German dismantling of Brazil but LeBron James and what team he’ll be playing for in the 2014-15 season.
As I write this, developments seem to literally be changing minute to minute. That’s at least if you follow NBA writers on Twitter… which I do (and I’ve followed about a dozen that I hadn’t before in the last two days).
Let’s get to a few points that help explain my perspective off the bat:
1) I live in Ohio and have all my life.
2) I have been a Cleveland sports fan all my life – meaning the Cleveland Cavaliers have always been my team.
3) I am an ardent NBA fan.
Obviously this means I’m closely following The Decision: Part II as LeBron decides which team to play for. Does he stay with the Miami Heat where he’s won two championships in the last four years? Or does he take his talents back home to Northeast Ohio where he spent his first seven seasons and won no championships? Those questions alone might lead one to believe Miami is the sensible answer, but not so fast…
The Miami Heat are an aging team with Dwayne Wade a shell of his former self. According to reports, Chris Bosh may be seriously considering an exit to the Houston Rockets where he can be part of another “Big 3” (though most reports believe he stays if LBJ does). And the supporting cast surrounding LBJ, D-Wade, and Bosh is questionable and I don’t believe signing Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger changes that.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are younger and full of potential with point guard Kyrie Irving as a budding superstar and a #1 draft pick in Andrew Wiggins who could be one, too (time will tell).
There are supremely valid arguments for LeBron to stay in Miami or return to Cleveland. If you’re following this saga like me, you’ve read them all. You know the scenarios and pros and cons. And I won’t bore you rehashing them.
Just like four years ago, media speculation is at a fever pitch with rampant speculation. And like four years past, there are probably a handful of people on the Earth who know what’s going to happen. LeBron would be one (if he’s made up his mind). His agent is likely another. Anyone else who thinks they know is suspect.
The world will probably know of The Decision Part II by week’s end. Maybe tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Who knows?
Here is where I wanted to give my perspective from a diehard Cavs fan. There are those who believe it’s a betrayal for a Cavs fan to welcome LBJ back with open arms. And as it is with sports – people’s opinions can be steadfast, unwavering, and a little rough around the edges if you see it a different way than they do.
Perspective is important. I was angry when LeBron James left the Cavs. I was angry for two reasons:
1) The Cleveland Cavaliers are my team and we lost the best player in the world.
2) The ESPN spectacle in which LeBron announced the infamous Decision.
Note that I wasn’t mad at his decision for leaving for Miami. I was mad that my team was losing him and mad at the way he did it. Did I understand why he left? Of course and I said that immediately in the 2010 summer. For seven seasons, the Cavs failed to put a team around him that won a championship. Antawn Jamison is no Pippen to LBJ’s Jordan. Nor is Drew Gooden. An aging Shaquille O’Neal is no Abdul-Jabbar to LBJ’s Magic Johnson. And let’s face it – Mike Brown has proven then and more recently that his coaching is not exactly Pat Riley or Phil Jackson level.
LeBron James leaving for Miami made sense. As a Cavs fan, it kills me to say that. It’s true though. He was able to partner up with teammates that were an improvement to anything he had in Cleveland and be on a program run by Pat Riley, a genius of the sport. Does that change the extreme disappointment of losing the greatest player on my team? Of course not. It also doesn’t mean I’m not sensible enough to recognize it was a better opportunity for him to win a championship… which he did. Twice.
Four years later, the Miami Heat have changed. They may not have what it takes to be title contenders in their current formation. And the players that Cleveland has — ironically, because LBJ left — just might. Time will tell.
About the ESPN PR disaster that was The Decision… it hurt as a Cleveland fan to see him do that. It was inconsiderate. It was tacky. It was arrogant. I did a lot of inconsiderate, tacky, and arrogant things when I was 25. I’m not excusing it. I’m just saying I understand (as Chris Rock might put it).
You know what happened with my extreme hurt of how he handled The Decision? I eventually got over it. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t about to root for the Miami Heat and never did and never will. However, I certainly don’t harbor enough ill will anymore that I wouldn’t want the best player on the planet back on my team. That’s because I’m a Cavs fan and their fans should wish for the best. LeBron James is the best. LeBron James gives us the greatest chance to win a championship.
And that’s my perspective on the situation. Truth be told – I have no idea what LeBron is going to do. Neither do you. We will soon find out together. If he comes back, it makes sense. If he stays, it makes sense. I know what I’d like him to do. Yet if he doesn’t – I won’t be filled with the sadness that came four years ago.
SPOILER ALERT: If you are not caught up watching the current season of “24: Live Another Day”, you should probably go ahead and skip this post until you are. If caught up, enjoy!
OK, folks. I realize no one watches the show “24” for its realism and, if you do, I’m sorry. I am an unabashed huge fan of the Kiefer Sutherland program. When the show returned for an abbreviated season after four years off the air, I was highly skeptical. However, I’ll be damned if “Live Another Day” doesn’t incorporate everything great about the show and I’ve had a blast viewing it.
Events that took place in the latest episode struck me and it led me on a research mission of the show’s history. My suspicions were confirmed through my findings. On this TV program, being the President of the United States is pretty much the Worst. Job. Ever.
Don’t believe me? Let’s examine the evidence. If you look into the amount of time that has lapsed between the day that occurred in Season 1 and the day that’s currently happening this season, it spans a time period of 17 1/2 years. In real life time, that takes us back to the beginning of 1997 and a grand total of three U.S. Presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama.
On “24”? There have been eleven (yes, ELEVEN) POTUS’s in that same time frame. That means the average President on the show serves less than two years in a real life era where we’ve had four of our last five commander-in-chiefs serve the full eight years.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?
It’s important to remember that in Season 1 of “24”, eventual POTUS David Palmer was running for President. We are never informed as an audience who the current POTUS is at that time, but that unnamed individual constitutes the program’s first President.
Of course, when we arrive at the events of Season 2, Democrat David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) is the President and that continues through Season 3. At the end of that season, Palmer’s reelection bid is thwarted and he decides against seeking a second term. Palmer is POTUS #2.
When we get to the fourth season, his Republican opponent John Keeler (Geoff Pierson) is POTUS #3. He spends the season not being seen much as he’s traveling on Air Force One. That is until the plane is shot down leaving President Keeler in critical condition.
This leads to Vice President Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) becoming the show’s #4 POTUS. It is never revealed whether President Keeler died or not, but clearly he was unfit to resume office.
President Logan continues serving when Season 5 arrives. While President David Palmer represented the nobility of the office, President Logan is a corrupt monster who had a hand in the assassination of ex-President Palmer, which occurs moments into Season 5’s opening. A series of events leads to President Logan being arrested and resigning, therefore paving the way for Vice President Hal Gardner (Ray Wise) to become POTUS #5.
When Season 6 debuted, President Gardner is no longer around and it’s David Palmer’s brother Wayne (D.B. Woodside) in office as POTUS #6. It is assumed that President Palmer likely defeated President Gardner. During this season, a bomb explosion critically injures him and this paves the way for his VP Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe) to become POTUS #7. It was never said on the show, but press materials later revealed President Palmer died of his injuries.
In between seasons six and seven, the show came out with a movie “Redemption”. In that film, Daniels is still POTUS serving the last hours of his term as Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) is set to take office. She is POTUS #8.
Seasons seven and eight feature President Taylor in office. And yet circumstances in that eighth (and final traditional) season force her to resign. Though we never see it take place, we can only assume her VP Mitchell Hayworth (Cameron Daddo) became POTUS #9 in the show’s universe.
We now arrive at “24: Live Another Day” where James Heller (William Devane) is the current POTUS and the show’s #10. We first saw his character in Season 4 as President Keeler’s Secretary of Defense. For these keeping count, the tally of Presidents by party would be 6 Republicans (Keeler, Logan, Gardner, Taylor, Hayworth, Heller) and 3 Democrats (Palmer, Palmer, Daniels). The party affiliation of outgoing POTUS in Season 1 is unknown.
“24” also has made history in the world of Presidents. Of course, President David Palmer was the first African-American POTUS and this happened six years before President Obama in the real world. President Allison Taylor is the first female POTUS and we haven’t had one in real life… yet. And in “Live Another Day”, actor Devane’s real age is 76 – so any way you cut it, he’d be the oldest elected POTUS.
Of course, for anyone who saw Monday’s episode, President Heller’s term ended in spectacular fashion when he willingly allowed himself to be the victim of a drone attack in Wembley Stadium. And that, naturally, means his currently unnamed Vice President is “24”‘s #11 commander-in-chief.
So the bottom line is… why on Earth would anyone wish to run for the highest office in the land in the world of “24”??? To put this into proper context, 11 Presidents ago in reality was Dwight D. Eisenhower over 50 years ago.
Let’s just do a final recap on what being President on “24” is like:
POTUS #1: Unnamed (he’s the lucky one)
POTUS #2: David Palmer. Can’t run for second term due to controversies. Later assassinated.
POTUS #3: John Keeler. Shot down in Air Force One. He either dies or is unable to resume duties.
POTUS #4: Charles Logan. Forced to resign. In later appearances on show during Season 8, ex-POTUS Logan attempts suicide but survives. It’s revealed he will suffer permanent brain damage.
POTUS #5: Hal Gardner. It’s assumed he’s defeated by Wayne Palmer after filling out remainder of President Logan’s term.
POTUS #6: Wayne Palmer. Killed in bomb explosion.
POTUS #7: Noah Daniels. Defeated in general election by Allison Taylor after filling out remainder of President Palmer’s term.
POTUS #8: Allison Taylor. Forced to resign.
POTUS #9: Mitchell Hayworth. Ascends to Presidency after Taylor quits, it’s assumed. Nothing is really known about his Presidency.
POTUS #10: James Heller. Killed by a drone.
BLOGGER’S NOTE UPDATE (06/23/14): Well, “24”, you pulled a fast one on us like only you can do. For anyone who saw tonight’s episode – you will know that President Heller is, in fact, not dead. Therefore there has not been a completely unreasonable 11 POTUS’s in the history of the show, but a completely reasonable 10!!
There was a time when a sequel would’ve made a whole lot of sense. After all, it grossed $219 million domestically and $441 million worldwide, making it second only to Jurassic Park for that year’s top earners. This was at a time when star Robin Williams was a box office force, especially with kids flicks (Aladdin had been released the year prior). Director Chris Columbus was also a hit making machine, coming off Home Alone and its sequel. Neither have had much success in recent years.
It has been noted that Doubtfire is one of the most replayed pictures on cable so there is likely a new generation of filmgoers who have caught it that way. It’s also encouraging that Elf screenwriter David Berenbaum is drafting the screenplay.
Still – one thought keeps tugging at me. Are there many people who thought there was a lot more to be explored in the Doubtfire universe? As I see it, the film seemed to be a self-contained unit with a follow-up not needed. Even Mara Wilson, who played Robin’s youngest daughter, immediately went to Twitter to proclaim she wouldn’t be involved. By the way, if you don’t follow Mara Wilson on Twitter you should. I’m not sure if Sally Field will reprise her role either and there’s no reason for Pierce Brosnan to return.
At least Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels coming back to reprise their roles in the Dumb and Dumber sequel (out this November) makes a little more sense. That picture would seem to lend itself more to a sequel. However, we’ll see how well that works.
Good luck to Mr. Berenbaum, director Columbus, and Robin Williams coming up with a story that brings audiences back in the Doubtfire fold. Maybe they should make it a horror movie because there’s already been a brilliant trailer cut for that scenario:
For now it’s hard not to be doubting the Doubtfire sequel.
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