Tag: Kevin Bacon

Edward R. Murrow, The Day of the Locust, Frost/Nixon, TED-Ed, and a Japanese Proverb

Edward R. Murrow, The Day of the Locust, Frost/Nixon, TED-Ed, and a Japanese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on May 26, 2024

Sunday Supplement #159 (May 26th, 2024)

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.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts.”

– Edward R. Murrow

Book of the Week:

The Day of the Locust – Nathanael West

Nathanael West was an American writer and screenwriter. Although his works didn’t receive the most acclaim during his lifetime, they received greater praise as the years passed.

The Day of the Locust follows Tod Hackett, a young artist from the Yale School of Fine Arts hired to design scenes and paint for a Hollywood studio in the 1930s.

Hackett meets a variety of Hollywood stereotypes and navigates the Hollywood American Dream while meditating on those who slipped through the cracks and were disillusioned.

West’s prose is excellent, and the novel brilliantly sheds light on the darker side of human nature with a haunting narrative of chasing glamour.

Movie of the Week:

Frost/Nixon

The Ron Howard-directed Peter Morgan-written Frost/Nixon received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing, and Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay.

Frost/Nixon is a dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former President Richard Nixon.

The cast of Frank Langella (Oscar-nominated for his role as Nixon), Michael Sheen (as Frost), Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, Kevin Bacon, Matthew Macfadyen, Toby Jones, and Oliver Platt all put in stellar performances.

I feel like many people haven’t seen Frost/Nixon, and it has so much to appreciate. Some historical films can be overdone or miss their mark. Check out this one.

Brainfood of the Week:

3 Tips on How to Study Effectively | TED-Ed

The TED-Ed video starts by providing the example of medical students’ studies being vital to saving lives, then teases research on effective study techniques, and then moves into understanding how the brain stores information.

TED-Ed’s mission is to create lessons worth sharing through their award-winning animated shorts.

I’m a big fan of these short videos, and they tend to pack a few key learning points in each video that are worth checking out.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the video since it’s only five minutes, but I’ll mention the overview of how making mistakes can improve long-term memorization.

It reminds me not to be afraid of failure and to constantly test and update my current pool of knowledge. Check out the video and see what you pick up!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Time flies like an arrow.” (光陰矢の如し)

– Japanese Proverb

This Japanese proverb emphasizes that life is short, goes by quickly, and doesn’t wait for anyone. It reminds us to make the best of each day.

I like breaking the proverb down further and thinking about how shooting an arrow has many components. The one that sticks out for me in this proverb is picking a target.

It’s vital to look ahead at where we’re aiming. Time goes by quickly, and if you are unaware of your direction, it can be harder to change your target the longer you wait.

Minor degrees of change each day compound and affect the direction of your life negatively or positively.

Choose how you write the chapters of your life’s story, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Nelson Mandela, Will, A Few Good Men, Cory Booker, and a Bhagavad Gita Passage

Nelson Mandela, Will, A Few Good Men, Cory Booker, and a Bhagavad Gita Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on February 19, 2023

Sunday Supplement #93 (February 19th, 2023)

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:

“It always seems impossible until it is done.”

– Nelson Mandela

Book of the Week:

Will – Will Smith & Mark Manson

I only read Will Smith’s autobiography the other week, but it’s still fresh in my mind as a reminder of perseverance and growth. It helps that the book is wildly entertaining too.

For those that don’t know, Will Smith is a Grammy Award-winning musician, Academy Award-winning actor, and NAACP winner.

Smith covers his journey from his youth in Philadelphia to his career as a hip-hop artist, conquering Hollywood, and all the struggles in between.

Mark Manson, the #1 New York Times bestseller of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, pens Smith’s autobiography and helps it flow while still being authentically in Smith’s voice.

I don’t put too many books on my must-re-read list, but this is one of them.

Movie of the Week:

A Few Good Men

Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men follows a military lawyer assigned a case of two Marines accused of murder despite their claims of being under orders.

Tom Cruise stars as the military lawyer, and Demi Moore, Wolfgang Bodison, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, and Jack Nicholson all give phenomenal supporting performances.

The actors are so brilliant in the film because of the writing by Aaron Sorkin. The story and the characters are wonderfully crafted to supply a compelling drama.

A Few Good Men was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (for Nicholson).

I typically put this film on once a year, and I always find it worth the watch.

Brainfood of the Week:

Cory Booker Interview | The Tim Ferriss Show (Podcast)

I wouldn’t usually recommend a politician in a brainfood of the week since I don’t know much about politics.

However, Tim Ferriss’s podcast interview with Cory Booker is one of the more memorable episodes I’ve come across.

The interview was conducted in 2017, so it’s a bit dated, but the conversation has much worth tuning in for.

Booker talks about his mentors, receiving a Rhodes Scholarship, his participation in a hunger strike to draw attention to urban development issues, and much more.

I’ve featured Tim Ferriss’ podcast on many previous Sunday Supplements, but I’m still finding more that are worth highlighting. This is one of them.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“You have the right to work but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction.”

– Bhagavad Gita 2:47

This passage from the Bhagavad Gita makes me question the purpose behind my actions.

I think it’s an interesting prompt to consider whether or not you would pursue something if the result isn’t guaranteed.

I don’t think that means we shouldn’t want to achieve our goals, but it helps me focus more on the love of the process.

Thinking about why you’re truly engaged in any endeavor is an interesting insight into what you really want. Sometimes our surface-level wants often have much deeper needs.

Think about what you truly love in your life, nurture it, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Simone de Beauvoir, Project Hail Mary, Apollo 13, The Locus Rule, and Surah Ar-Rahman 60

Simone de Beauvoir, Project Hail Mary, Apollo 13, The Locus Rule, and Surah Ar-Rahman 60

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on May 22, 2022

Sunday Supplement #54 (May 22nd, 2022)

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:

“Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.”

– Simone de Beauvoir

Book of the Week:

Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir

In Sunday Supplement #7, I featured the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s book The Martian. Weir originally wrote the book one chapter at a time on his blog.

After completing the serial novel, some of Weir’s loyal readers asked him to self-publish the book on Kindle. He did, and the book went to #1 in science fiction.

Major publishers, Hollywood agents, and producers came knocking to pick up The Martian a few weeks later.

Andy Weir’s third novel, Project Hail Mary, is my favorite book that he’s written so far.

The book follows Ryland Grace, an 8th science teacher who had a previous life in academia as a leading thinker on microbiology.

At the start of the novel, Grace doesn’t know anything about his past life. He wakes up on a spaceship with severe amnesia on a last-chance mission to save humanity.

Grace’s fellow crew did not survive the induced sleep. While his memories fuzzily return, Grace realizes the enormity of his task.

Everyone on Earth is counting on him, even if he doesn’t remember why at the moment.

Grace must save the Earth from an extinction-level event and might have a chance, thanks to an unexpected ally.

Movie of the Week:

Apollo 13

I have a list of movies to watch when I feel in a rut, and Apollo 13 makes the list. Themes like patience and perseverance stick out, but the story offers much more that resonates with me.

The Ron Howard film tells the story of the Apollo 13 space mission.

NASA and the mission crew must devise a strategy to return the spacecraft to Earth after the spacecraft undergoes massive damage that threatens the lives of the astronauts.

Tom Hanks stars as crew leader Jim Lovell, with crewmates played by Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon.

While they work to solve the problem in space, Ed Harris, as flight director Gene Kranz, leads mission control at NASA.

Supporting roles from Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan, and Jean Speegle Howard brilliantly round out the cast.

The Apollo 13 mission started as the third human-crewed mission meant to land on the moon. The news dumped it as something inconsequential until the potentially fatal setback.

Many great films came out in 1995 for the 68th Academy Awards, and I’m surprised Apollo 13 only won two: Best Sound and Best Film Editing.

The film is still one of my favorites, though, and holds up today as a worthy movie to have on your watch list.

Brainfood of the Week:

How To Stay Motivated | The Locus Rule

The beginning of this video highlights a study done by Claudia M. Mueller at Columbia University in 1998.

Mueller took groups of 5th graders and had them work on numerous puzzles by themselves.

Regardless of how the children did, they were told they performed well and performed better than most other kids.

Half of the kids were told they scored high because they worked hard, while the other half were told it was because they were intelligent and gifted.

The video discusses the results of a second round of testing and then delves into the concept of the locus of control— the degree to which you believe you have control over your life.

An external locus of control leads to thinking that you can’t control the outcomes around you. You can fall into the trap of feeling like nothing you do matters and stop trying.

Studies on the locus of control have found that having an internal locus of control is the key to staying motivated.

The video then gives the example of solving problems in your own life to help develop an internal locus of control. By fixing minor issues, you see your actions directly impact your life.

The YouTube channel Improvement Pill designed the video. Their videos are meant to inspire, motivate, or teach something that can change your life.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Is there any reward for good other than good?”

– Surah Ar-Rahman 60

This quote from the Quran reminds me of how to gauge my experiences when I’m interacting with people and my goals.

I believe that when we become focused on an outcome as the only reason for taking action, we will end up unhappy.

A quick example is when you let someone in front of you on the road, and the person doesn’t even bother to give you a little wave.

When I feel frustrated, I try to pause to figure out what’s behind the emotion. Sometimes an irritation just needs to pass, but if I did the action for a reward, I know I’m not in a good place.

This quote and the situations where outcomes are put above the actions remind me of the locus of control.

If I’m doing something good, the outcome might have a temporary letdown if it didn’t go to plan. However, I’m happy that I did the action and know I came from a good place.

Take action on something you want to do, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Thomas Edison, Atomic Habits, Bad Boys (1983), Sadhguru, and Matthew 7:12

Thomas Edison, Atomic Habits, Bad Boys (1983), Sadhguru, and Matthew 7:12

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on July 4, 2021

Sunday Supplement #8 (July 4th, 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:

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

– Thomas Edison

Book of the Week:

Atomic Habits – James Clear

James Clear is an expert on habit formation. The New York Times, Entrepreneur, and Time are a few of the many publications that featured his work. Clear’s work has also been used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. His website receives millions of monthly visitors where he writes about habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement.

Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, was a New York Times bestseller. The book helped me quit smoking and get back in shape. I accomplished both before, but I found myself burning out at various points. I would eventually use my willpower to push myself back to my best, but I struggled. Atomic Habits broke down concepts that made it easier to improve in areas of my life that I wanted to build up while letting go of things that weren’t good for me.

In the book, Clear goes over topics like identity, which help with starting good habits or breaking bad ones. For smoking, I always viewed myself as a smoker trying to quit smoking. He explains how that frame of mind is rooted in identity and makes it hard to stop. The shift of implementing the identity that I’m not a smoker was a simple concept with profound results.

There are many valuable strategies and systems that Clear explains in his book. One of my favorites is akin to the Edison quote above. Clear gives the metaphor of an ice cube melting to signify one’s dreams and goals. You can work for a long time to melt the ice cube. You can bring the temperature up to 31.9 degrees, and it will still be an ice cube. But you are so close to making water from your efforts. Don’t give up!

Atomic Habits is one of my favorite self-help/self-improvement books. It is an enjoyable read as well. There are many true stories from various inspirational people that will entertain and motivate. Check it out!

Movie of the Week:

Bad Boys (1983)

A Chicago youth Mick O’Brien plans to rob a rival’s drug deal. The heist goes horribly wrong, and O’Brien is sent to a juvenile detention center. He must face the consequences of his actions and decide if the path he’s currently on is one he wants to continue. The story gets more intricate as the film continues, but that is a quick summary without too many spoilers.

Sean Penn stars as Mick O’Brien in his first film released after the iconic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. His role as Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High created the possibility of being typecast as a comedic actor, but Penn made the deliberate decision to go in a different direction with Bad Boys. Penn’s performance was assisted with a brilliant supporting cast. Reni Santoni, Jim Moody, Esai Morales, Ally Sheedy, and Clancy Brown are some of many who brought immense quality to the screen.

Bad Boys was a small film and didn’t get too much recognition when it came out, but it received mostly favorable reviews. A testament to the quality of the script and Sean Penn’s performance is that actors like Tom Cruise and Kevin Bacon auditioned for the lead role.

It could have been a simple movie, but instead, it allowed for depth in the narrative, which resulted in complex characters and a powerful story. Even though the film isn’t well known, Bad Boys deserves to be recognized.

Brainfood of the Week:

A conversation with Sadhguru led by Angella Nazarian.

Sadhguru is an Indian yogi and bestselling author. He is a spiritual leader and founder of the Isha Foundation, a non-profit spiritual organization with over 9 million volunteers. Sadhguru’s YouTube page features many videos where he discusses spirituality, perception, and various other topics. His videos have just shy of 1 billion views in total.

Angella Nazarian is a philanthropist, bestselling non-fiction author, and conference organizer. She co-founded Looking Beyond, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children and young adults with special needs, and Visionary Women, a non-profit community, focused on engaging conversations with innovative leaders and funding high-impact initiatives for women and girls.

In this video, Nazarian speaks with Sadhguru about vision, willingness, and joy. Sadhguru discusses how willingness can be tested when other people do not act in accordance with one’s beliefs. However, it ultimately our choice in how we respond or react. This culminates in a direct link with how we experience joy.

Sadhguru’s discussion is a great lesson and reminder of how we can shape our world.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Therefore whatever you desire men to do for you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.”

– Matthew 7:12

There are a few bible passages I can quote off the top of my head. Matthew 7:12 one of them. But I didn’t know about the final part— “for this is the law and the prophets.” This part reminded me of the law of attraction. The basic principle of the law of attraction is positive thoughts bring positive experiences, and negative thoughts bring negative ones.

It always sticks out to me when different religions or philosophies I come across repeat similar passages. More often than not, you can find the same messages in different religions or spiritual practices. However, quotes like think positively don’t always have a positive reception when I’m not doing well. That is something I want to change.

In my first Sunday Supplement, I quoted Matthew 22:39— “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” I discussed how if you don’t love yourself, you won’t be able to love your neighbor. I then talked about filling your cup so you can help others. Matthew 7:12 reminds me that assisting others in filling their cup can fill yours as well. I believe in this way, Matthew 22:39 is linked to Matthew 7:12.

Trying to balance the two and knowing when I’m balanced is the goal I’m setting for myself going forward. I also plan on re-reading Atomic Habits to help me with that objective.

Be kind to yourself and others, and have a blessed week ahead!

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