Tag: Film

James Altucher, Cujo, The Full Monty, ‘Sup Beautiful People, and an African Proverb

James Altucher, Cujo, The Full Monty, ‘Sup Beautiful People, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on September 19, 2021

Sunday Supplement #19 (September 19th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Honesty is the fastest way to prevent a mistake from turning into failure.”

– James Altucher

Book of the Week:

Cujo – Stephen King

My first post about Stephen King was in Sunday Supplement #4 and featured his fantasy novel The Eyes of the Dragon. I wrote about that novel because it disproves the notion that King is just a horror novelist.

Cujo does have some horror elements in it, but it is much more than a scary story. In my opinion, King’s greatest talent as a writer is his ability to construct characters that have depth and make the reader care about what they go through. Even though King barely remembers writing the novel, it is still one of his best.

I’ve read over 40 Stephen King novels, but I stayed away from Cujo for a long time because I thought it was just a horror book. I’m grateful I gave it a chance because it is one of my favorite books he’s written so far.

The story follows two families amid financial and personal struggles. Vic Trenton and his wife, Donna, are going through their own issues, while a family across town, the Chambers, deal with the abuse in theirs. Cujo, the Chambers’s Saint Bernard, has his own narrative that is struck by contracting rabies. The two families are brought together as the Cujo begins to lose control and attack.

I haven’t watched the movie, and I don’t intend to watch it because most of the adaptations of King’s novels fail to capture the magic he puts on the page. This novel has plenty of depth and will be one that hits you far differently than blurbs suggest if you give it a chance.

Movie of the Week:

The Full Monty

This British comedy is one of my favorite movies to put on when I’m feeling down. It is about six unemployed steelworkers in Sheffield, England, who decide to make ends meet by becoming strippers. Each character has their arc, and all have lessons to learn about themselves.

The Full Monty stars some of today’s highly accomplished actors. Mark Addy (Game of Thrones) and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton, Batman Begins, and The Patriot) show early glimpses of their talent and bare it all—pun intended. Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The World is Not Enough) stars in the lead role of Gaz and provides great depth as a father struggling to be a positive presence in his son’s life.

The movie was penned by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours), but it apparently took a lot of editing to make it the Oscar-nominated film it ended up being. In an interview on The Graham Norton Show, Carlyle revealed that the movie was set to be released straight to video until a lot of convincing got it a theatrical release. The result was a gross of over $250 million from a $3.5 million budget.

The Fully Monty has a lot of heart and has some poignant lessons about honesty, responsibility, having fun, and friendship. It’s a great watch and one that provides a lot of laughs.

Brainfood of the Week:

‘Sup Beautiful People – A mini-documentary of Ozro Hepworth by Logan Whorton

Ozro Hepworth grew up in the small town of Panguitch, Utah. He was a state champion in wrestling before he graduated high school and went to work in a factory. While working there, he saw an advertisement for a masseuse school and began taking classes after his overnight shifts. A year later, he became a massage therapist on cruise ships and traveled the world.

Hepworth ended up in Los Angeles and became a yoga teacher before he moved into education. Visual impairment came into his life, along with many other challenges, and he chose positivity as his way of moving forward.

This mini-documentary is a profound glimpse into the life of a man who faced many adversities and chose to move forward. In the video, you can see bits of his journey and how he cultivated a practice of positivity to help himself and ultimately help others. It is a nine-minute mini-documentary and is worth the watch. I learned from the video how you can take any situation and choose to do something about it.

Let me know what you picked up!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Knowledge is a garden. If it isn’t cultivated, you can’t harvest it.”

– African Proverb

This African Proverb is a reminder for me to continue to learn and grow. Knowledge is something that must be maintained. Whenever I think I’ve reached a point where I feel confident and stable with my knowledge, the universe gives me another challenge. I’ve learned to embrace these opportunities to grow.

I haven’t always seen the lessons in the past. I’ve done a lot of research and have talked with a lot of people about how to learn and move forward. Opening the door to inward reflection helped me understand myself and improve. I realized that knowledge isn’t something that is always focused on the outside. Knowledge of myself has been one of the most helpful exercises I’ve incorporated in my life.

I’m reminded to look for new experiences and opportunities to learn something new about myself, others, or the world. I find that some of my fondest memories come from areas of growth. I encourage everyone to look for those experiences.

Learn something new about yourself or others, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Bethany Hamilton, Exhalation, The Last Dance, Nietzsche, and a Buddhist Proverb

Bethany Hamilton, Exhalation, The Last Dance, Nietzsche, and a Buddhist Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on August 15, 2021

Sunday Supplement #14 (August 15th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Strive to find things to be thankful for, and just look for the good in who you are.”

– Bethany Hamilton

Book of the Week:

Exhalation – Ted Chiang

I’ve only read a few story collections, but I find them a fantastic alternative to novels. They usually contain short stories, novellas, and/or novelettes. All are excellent mediums for an author to explore a narrative without worrying about hitting a specific word or page count.

My experience with short stories, novellas, and novelettes is typically excellent. There is no excess filler, and they are perfect for a one-sitting read. Ted Chiang’s Exhalation is a brilliant collection of these types of narratives and provides truly remarkable reading experiences.

In Sunday Supplement #11, I highlighted the film Arrival. The Academy Award-winning movie is based on a short story by Ted Chiang. It is not included in this collection of his short stories, but there are many as brilliant as the novella Arrival is based on (“Story of Your Life.”)

My favorite stories from the collection are “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,” “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling,” and “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom.” Each explores a fascinating world with a story that taps deep into the human experience. They all made it to the finalists of the Hugo Awards, with “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” winning the prize.

Chiang has won four Nebula awards, four Hugo awards, and four Locus awards for his works. His Exhalation collection is a great place to start, and you go through whichever stories call out to you. The stories are unique and fulfilling, and there should be a few in there that will leave a lasting impression.

Movie of the Week (Miniseries):

The Last Dance

All of the Sunday Supplements so far highlight films. I haven’t highlighted television because I think they have their highs and lows and suffer from a lack of proper awareness around when they should end. A lot of TV shows continue well past a natural expiration date because they make money. The miniseries is a unique alternative in that it can explore a story over multiple episodes but has a balance of a finite time period.

I think some of the best visual stories have been told through the miniseries medium. The Last Dance is one of those special miniseries that reaches the highest level of visual storytelling.

The story captures a unique period in sports history that had a worldwide impact. Michael Jordan shouldn’t need an introduction, but for those who don’t know, he is arguably the best basketball player to ever play the sport and is one of the most talented athletes of all time. His influence on basketball broke through international barriers and created a new benchmark for modern sports icons.

The ESPN docuseries tells the story of Michael Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls. The ten episodes give an inside look into Michael Jordan’s story, from a child in North Carolina to a world-renowned superstar. The series bounces around different periods of his life and the lives of those who shared his spotlight. It is an astounding piece of storytelling that is able to touch on more than just basketball.

For those who haven’t seen this series, regardless of if you’re a fan of basketball or not, it should be on your to-watch list.

Brainfood of the Week:

Academy of Ideas’ video “Nietzsche and Psychology: How To Become Who You Are”

Academy of Ideas is a channel on YouTube with over a million followers that explains the ideas of history’s great thinkers. This video from their Channel goes over Nietzsche’s beliefs about each of us having a deep and abiding nature we are meant to discover.

—At the bottom of us, really deep down, there is, of course, something unteachable, some granite of spiritual fatum [personal fate or destiny], of predetermined decision and answer to predetermined selected questions. Whenever a cardinal problem is at stake, there speaks an unchangeable, “this is I.”—

The video delves into Nietzsche’s explanations of how studying familial, societal, and human history can help us understand our present. The knowledge of where we come from helps our awareness of primitive drives and impulses as well as our ancient instincts for survival and flourishing as a species.

Nietzsche believes that through this study, we can comprehend the competing forces in one’s psyche in a manner that allows one to strive with single-minded devotion towards a heroic goal that gives meaning to our lives.

There is a lot to be gained from watching/listening to the video. When I watch it, I am encouraged to learn more about my history and am reminded to stay in touch with my heart and conscience. If you check it out, let me know what you think!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Enough is a feast.”

– Buddhist Proverb

This Buddhist proverb hits me in two different ways.

The first is to be grateful for what I have. The more consistently I practice gratitude, the more I find my days colored a little brighter. I try to spend a few minutes in the morning meditating and wrap that up with a small gratitude exercise. I think of three big things I’m thankful for, three small things, and spend a few minutes with that feeling before getting out of bed. It’s a great way to start my day, and I never regret doing it.

The other reminder from this proverb is that if enough is a feast, excess can make you sick. One of the things I do periodically is a deep clean of my apartment. If there is anything that I haven’t been using regularly and can’t see myself using in the future, I donate or sell it. Removing the clutter from my environment is surprisingly refreshing and reminds me of what’s important in my life.

Remind yourself of the things you are grateful for and have a blessed week ahead!

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Jack Kornfield, Armistead Maupin, Moonlight, Daryl Davis, and Surah Ghafir 40:60

Jack Kornfield, Armistead Maupin, Moonlight, Daryl Davis, and Surah Ghafir 40:60

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on June 20, 2021

Sunday Supplement #6 (June 20th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”

– Jack Kornfield

Book of the Week:

Tales of the City – Armistead Maupin

Armistead Maupin was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He served as a naval officer in the Mediterranean and had a tour in Vietnam before returning home and working as a reporter for a newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1971, Maupin took a job with the Associated Press in San Francisco and moved out to the West Coast. Because of this move to the more open San Francisco, he announced his homosexuality publicly in 1974.

Tales of the City also came out in the mid-70s when Maupin joined the Pacific Sun newspaper. The story started as a serial and took off when Maupin brought it over to the San Francisco Chronicle after the Pacific Sun folded. Tales of the City, the novel, was published in 1978 after the success of the serial.

Tales of the City is full of adventure and packed with a lot of laughs. It starts with the narrative of Mary Ann Singleton as she visits a friend living in San Francisco in 1976. She decides to stay in the city and make the move permanent during her trip. The novel proceeds to follow Mary Ann as she navigates her way through this exciting new city and tries to make it home. The people she meets float in and out of her life, and those same people have their own narratives throughout the novel that tie everything together.

Because of its original serial format, the chapters are short and snappy. The characters come from a wide array of backgrounds, and there is something to connect you with all of them. It is a fun read and one that is perfect for the beach this summer.

There have been a few adaptations of Maupin’s work over the years, the latest on Netflix with Laura Linney starring, but I’d say the book should be your first experience with the story. The Tales of the City series spans nine novels, so if you enjoy the first, there’s plenty more to follow!

Movie of the Week:

Moonlight

I saw Moonlight in theaters without knowing anything about the movie. A friend told me to see it, and I’m glad I did. There haven’t been too many films in recent years that fully explore how much the medium of filmmaking can depict. This movie was an experience that few encapsulate.

Moonlight is told in three parts. The story focuses on the character Chiron at three seminal points in his life. A different actor plays Chiron in each segment, but each brings a considerable presence to the screen. The timeline covers Chiron at ages 11, 17, and 25. Each part depicts his struggle with his identity and sexuality and the experiences of isolation, abuse, and neglect.

Barry Jenkins directed and wrote the film. He adapted the screenplay from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play, took the non-linear story, and crafted it into three linear parts. Jenkins and McCraney grew up in the same area but did not meet during childhood. They had mutual experiences that helped Jenkins tap into the story he wanted to tell. In particular, Jenkins allowed and utilized a lot of the film to be revealed in silence. The emotions each actor conveys throughout the movie are more powerful than words. And when the characters do speak, their dialogue has immense weight.

The acting is a masterclass from all who were involved. Each actor who played the different ages of Chiron shone. The same can be said for the actors who played Chiron’s friend Kevin. Mahershala Ali won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, and Naomie Harris was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. While it’s clear why both of these actors were highlighted, everyone in the film deserves to be recognized.

Moonlight expertly explores and depicts what can be seen on the surface vs. what’s underneath. It is a fantastic film that hits on many levels. The ending left me wanting more closure, but I still think the movie is one of the best I’ve seen in theaters in the last decade.

Brainfood of the Week:

*Might need a Spotify account to access

Joe Rogan’s interview with Daryl Davis on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.

Joe Rogan is someone who divides opinion. He is a stand-up comedian, an actor, and a martial artist who regularly comments for the UFC. Rogan’s life story is an interesting one, but that isn’t why he’s part of this post. Rogan was one of the first people on the podcasting scene and created a massive platform over the years. While I’m not a fan of some of the episodes, he has conducted great interviews with many different people. An example of one of the better ones is his conversation with Daryl Davis.

Daryl Davis’s father was a Department of State Foreign Service officer, so he grew up moving around the world and lived in different countries during his childhood. When he moved back to the States, he experienced his first encounters with racism. In the podcast, Davis describes the initial incident as one that stuck with him, ingrained with the question “Why?”.

While Davis initially found his calling as a Blues and R&B musician, he came across another path that has changed many lives. He recounts a meeting with a Ku Klux Klan member that ultimately grew into a friendship. From that point on, Davis became an activist (although he might not use those words) in the fight against racism. To date, he has influenced over 200 Ku Klux Klan members to leave the brotherhood.

Davis’s story is amazing, and the podcast interview on The Joe Rogan Experience is worth the listen. There are great stories and powerful messages delivered throughout the episode.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Call upon me, I will respond to you.”

– Surah Ghafir 40:60

This passage from the Quran reminds me of the power of prayer and how it is a good thing to ask for help when you need it. Asking for help is something I still need to work on, but reminding myself that it is okay is a good place to start.

Prayer is also something I’ve worked to incorporate into my life. I was told that prayer can be divided into two types: thank you and please help. I gravitate toward gratitude in my prayers, but the above passage is also a reminder for me to ask for help when I need it.

Have a blessed week ahead, be compassionate with yourself, and ask for help if you need it!

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Mark Twain, The Pleasures of Reading, Murder on the Orient Express, Mr. Money Mustache, and Matthew 22:39

Mark Twain, The Pleasures of Reading, Murder on the Orient Express, Mr. Money Mustache, and Matthew 22:39

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on May 16, 2021

Sunday Supplement #1 (May 16th, 2021)

This is my first blog post. In it, I will discuss a quote worth pondering, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and starting on the first one.”

– Mark Twain

Book of the Week:

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction – Alan Jacobs

This book dismisses what has been referred to as the “right books” or “classic books” you should be reading. Jacobs gives an informative account of reading in America and delves into the many ways reading has been made into a dull affair. He then disarms this notion with the knowledge of how beneficial it is to read at whim, whether that is Harry Potter on repeat, Jane Austen, or comic books. His witty 162-page book about books helps remind any reader or former reader of the joy of reading a good book.

Reading Jacobs’s book helped me dismiss negative notions I had about what books I was reading. It also aided me in picking up a steady reading habit. I currently read a book a week on average. I mix it up between non-fiction and fiction, and I will provide recommendations for both in the future.

Movie of the Week:

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Murder on the Orient Express follows detective Hercule Poirot as he is tasked to solve a murder on the Orient Express train service. The train is stopped by heavy snowfall, and a body is found in a compartment the following morning. Poirot investigates his remaining fellow passengers to find out who the murderer is.

The film is an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic novel helmed by Sidney Lumet. I love Lumet’s films, but I wondered if his movie would do my favorite Christie work justice. I read that the recent Branagh version wasn’t great, so I set my bar lower in case time wasn’t kind to the 1974 version. Thankfully, Lumet brought the story to life faithfully and wonderfully on the screen, and the age of the film helped make the look more realistic for the 1935 setting.

In Lumet’s book Making Movies, he discusses a few interesting details about the production of this classic film. The all-star cast was full of movie and theatre heavyweights, including Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael York, and Vanessa Redgrave. Lumet revealed in his book that both the theater and film icons were in awe of each other and needed to be prompted by the director to speak up at the first reading.

Another great story relating to acting was the choice Ingrid Bergman made in regards to who she was going to play. Lumet wanted her to play Countess Andrenyi, but Bergman was adamant over the role of Greta. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. That would be the only award the movie won at the 1975 Academy Awards, but with films like The Godfather: Part II and Chinatown in the mix, it had tough competition.

Although Murder on the Orient Express might not be the most remembered film from that year, it certainly is one worth watching. If you’re looking for an excellent classic mystery film, check it out!

Brainfood of the Week:

Tim Ferriss’s interview with Pete Adeney (Mr. Money Mustache) on his podcast The Tim Ferriss Show.

Both Ferriss and Adeney are bloggers. Tim is famous for his “life hack” posts and interviewing many top performers across various industries. He also has six best-selling self-help books on various topics. Adeney runs a famous blog with a focus on tips and lifestyle advice to maximize your finances.

In the podcast interview, you learn about Adeney’s life going up, his early career in tech, and retiring at age 30. All of this is explained in further detail thanks to Tim’s insightful questioning and Adeney’s candid and meaningful answers.

The 2-hour interview is worth checking out and is perfect for listening to on a walk or the commute to work.

Closing Prayer/Passage:

Matthew 22:39 – Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

I wasn’t raised under any denomination, but I did go to Catholic school and a Jesuit high school and college. This passage always stuck with me throughout the years.

In the past year, I was shown how this phrase indicates that you must love yourself to love your neighbor. If you don’t have love for yourself, you won’t have any to give.

Make sure you’re filling your cup first, so you are full and can give to others.

Have a blessed week ahead!

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