The Great Buck Howard

I'm going to tell you a secret. I like films that don't have a lot of conflict. The ones that swim on by, where the issues they face are subtle ones that require the complexity of human emotion to pull them through. Just like life. How often do we fly off the handle, get into fist fights, or blow shit up?

Hardly ever. 

Life is more subtle and I like it when films are too. I'm in a minority; because the box office shows that people want monkeys jumping off of bridges and big metal oversized toys knocking over buildings in Manhattan. I always liked Rom-Coms. Of course, society says that those films are for the women -- but so what if I like watching 'One Fine Day'. Relationships are fascinating, and I like the comedy. Even though things will work out, I like seeing what obstacles they'll get over to make it. But I like the obstacles to be about the characters -- it's takes real talent to create characters we care about.

'The Great Buck Howard' is one of those films where not a lot happens. A character called Buck Howard, played to perfection by John Malkovich, is a has-been entertainer -- a hypnotist and a 'mentalist', who refuses to acknowledge that his time is up, he's finished. His road manager, Troy Gable, is played by Colin Hanks. Most of the film is the two of them going from town to town as Buck Howard performs his show. Not a lot more happens. Yet a lot happens. I know that makes no sense but I'm sure you know what I mean.

Colin's role is one that his father, Tom, would have done in the 1980's. I saw a comment on IMDB where someone said "Tom, stop trying to make your son the next you!", and when you watch this, it's hard to deny, because they're so alike. Sadly, Colin isn't Tom. He doesn't have that magic. But that's fine -- Tom was the everyman loveable genius on the 80's and 90's. Colin is a fine actor but he'll be something different.

Tom Hanks was always my favorite actor. That's not true these days, I don't think; because I feel like he's lost himself a bit. Or maybe Hollywood has lost him, because once you get past forty-five it's harder to get the great roles. You have to reinvent yourself. That's okay for most actors, but not for Hanks -- because he's our everyman; we just want him to be himself. 

But there is a side of Tom Hanks I really love. It's the version of him we get in 'You've Got Mail' and on Letterman appearances. An all-round good guy, a laugh, a hoot - someone who enjoys the magic of life. I like that version of Hanks. We saw it with 'That Thing You Do' - a lightweight comedy that he wrote and directed; full of the playful equilibrium I enjoy in movies. And we see it here with 'The Great Buck Howard' - a film he produced and financed through his company, Playtone. It's directed by Sean McGinly, a director who caught the attention of Hanks with his film 'Two Days'. The film is packed with Hanks' friends and regular collaborators; including Steve Zahn (Actor: You've Got Mail, That Thing You Do, From The Earth To The Moon), Playtone Co-Founder Gary Goetzman (Producer: Larry Crowne, The Pacific, Charlie Wilson's War) and numerous others. 

It's one of those films that you just sink into. A fascinating title character in Buck Howard, coming to terms with his fading popularity; and Troy trying to figure his own life out -- with a little help from an unexpected love interest; Valerie Brennan (Emily Blunt). Predictable? In some ways. But most films are predictable. We can go one of two ways; make crazy films like 'Inception' or stylish nonsense like 'Donnie Darko', or we can go deeper in the small and personal stories that fascinate us. Most people will choose the former, but I'm going to stand up for the latter. 

'The Great Buck Howard' is not a great movie. You'll only watch it the once. But that's enough; it's one of those films with engaging characters and a well paced story that does just enough to allow you to fly away into its world for an hour and a half. That's more than enough for me -- and it's actually quite rare. It's also fun to see Tom Hanks in a small role (he has two scenes; as the Father of his real-and-fictional-son.)

This is a film you probably didn't know about, because there are a lot of films you don't know about because they don't get wide releases, because they're not a safe bet. They disappear into nothing unless we dig them out. But it's great they exist -- there are so many little gems out there, full of our favourite actors. There are people out there who like stories and interesting characters and relationships rather than high concept plots and car crashes. It's good to know they exist. 

Do you know the film 'The Moguls'? It was also called 'The Amateurs' for a while. It's a comedy about a small community who are fed up with their lot in life -- so they come together to make a porn film. Sounds tasteless and crude, right? But it's not. It's a heart-warming tale, full of great performances and big laughs. It stars Jeff Bridges, Ted Danson, Patrick Fugit, Jeanne Tripplehorn and many others. 

These films exist. It's good to remind ourselves of that. I tend to enjoy them more than the big budget FBI-world-ending things. And I know I'm not alone. Check these films out if what I say resonates with you at all!

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Make You Feel My Love

I can't get enough of this song. This is why Bob Dylan is a genius. It's why anyone who is passionate about music appreciates him. Adele certainly does. She made 'Make You Feel My Love' her own. It has a sadness and a world weariness that the original doesn't capture. I've been listening to both versions repeatedly. I love them both but for different reasons -- because they both carry different messages. 

Songs are a bit like movies. The Dylan version of the song was written & directed by Bob Dylan, but the other version was written by Dylan and directed by Adele. It's her version. It works and it keeps you up at night listening on repeat because she's an artist, she's putting herself into the music -- all of those years of singing, of having her heart broken, of perfecting her art -- they're present and alive in the song. You don't get that with X Factor contestants. They may sound beautiful for four minutes but then you don't care anymore. 

The Dylan version is genius. It's resolute and assured. Dylan knows who he is, knows what he has to offer. He sings: 

"I know you haven’t made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong"

And you trust him. You believe him. He'd never let her down.  

Both versions are masterpieces -- that's the rarest thing. It works because they're so different, despite being almost the same. It's the subtleties, the nuance, the tiny moments of honesty in their voices. 

The best line is "You ain’t seen nothing like me yet", it's the type of thing we think when we're feeling good about ourselves; when we're firing forth with confidence and self-belief. At least; that's how it is with the Dylan version. He says it with certainty, even a touch of arrogance. 

When Adele sings the line, she sounds vulnerable. You just want to give her a big hug. It reminds me of an old girlfriend --  A few years back I was going out with a lovely woman; and the sad thing was that she liked me more than I did her. And the worst part was how aware she was of that fact. And I remember, as she felt me pulling away from what we had, she told me that I'd never have another girlfriend like her, because she's the real deal and there's no-one better than her. It's not as arrogant as it sounds, she just loved me. But she didn't really believe what she said and neither did I. Things were ending. And that's how Adele sounds when she sings "You ain’t seen nothing like me yet"; it's like she doesn't quite believe it. 

That's how it sounds to me -- but my ears are colored by my own thoughts and experiences. That's why art is so subjective, we all see and hear things differently. 

It sounds to me like Bob Dylan is patiently making his love realise he's the one for her, whereas Adele is poignantly and regretably losing the love of her life and not quite accepting it.

At least, that's how these songs sound to me on this particular night. They'll mean something else next time, and that's how you know they're keepers.

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A Brief Moment Of Something

I was standing by the window for about thirty minutes earlier tonight, just staring out at a star in the night time sky. A pretty great achievement, considering you rarely see stars in London and rarely focus on anything for more than nine seconds without checking your phone. 

But there I was, captivated by a star in the sky and wondering why I'm not in this state more often. I'm not even sure it was a star, I kept thinking it must be an aircraft of some kind -- but it stayed awfully still, for awfully long, so maybe it was a star. 

I remembered being a kid. Being six years old and staring up at the stars. Nothing changes. It's the same experience. The same view. It was a moment of peace -- probably because I've actually done quite well, and achieved a heap of stuff in recent weeks. I allowed myself off the hook. When you're underachieving you check your email and Facebook every four seconds in the hope someone will tell you you're doing something interesting with your life. A good week or two, full of creativity and the shaping of new projects -- and I feel a little more complete. Felt I had permission to stare at the stars on a Saturday night without convincing myself I'm a hack.

It's weird when you allow yourself to stare up at the sky and engage in what the universe is offering. The sky is so much more fascinating than the Facebook login screen, yet gets much less of my time. As I fixated my attention on the skies above, the thought hit me -- we don't go on forever. This is short. This is the only time I'll be this age. I don't want to look back in ten years to find that all I did was update my Twitter continuously and delete spam mail from LinkedIn. Life can be a lot more. 

I had a direct line tonight to me as a six year old. We're the same -- there's the same through line, the essence, the feeling -- the notion of what it is to be me, to be alive, to be full of possibility. When you truly give yourself over to a moment with nature; you realise it's just you and the elements, it's existing and being. The relationship problems and the work issues and the bodily aches and pains all fade away -- you're left with you and the stars. It was everything at six years old and somehow you lose your way. 

It felt like a gift. A peaceful, private moment -- witnessing the world again. A treat given to me merely because I've put some work in recently. It's impossible to be at peace when you're mad at yourself for not doing your creative work. At least, that's how it is for me. And by the time Monday comes around that will probably be me again.

But for a short time tonight, the world had a bit of magic to it. Life was more than buildings, problems and disagreements, and anything was possible.

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Shut Off

When I'm writing, and I mean really writing, not almost writing or trying to write -- when I'm really onto something, I go into shut down.

I was never really aware of it previously, but now I've been thinking about it (I'm currently writing a 1st draft of a screenplay), my life virtually goes into shutdown mode.

I get distracted watching movies, I get short and moody around friends --- the only thing that works for me is writing.

Not that the writing is always flowing. Sometimes it's not, yet my mind fixates on the story, on the world I'm creating.

Right now I'm finding I write best in coffee houses. I have a specific one I go to. But only certain tables work for me. The good tables all share traits: privacy, electric supply, a mystical aura!

I like chatter around me; but not loud people, not film industry people, and not Americans. I hate Americans in coffee houses.

This morning I had a bad table, and a group of loud Americans talking about a film project. I couldn't focus, so I went and watched a movie. But I couldn't focus on that.

I did the thing I hate other people doing: checked emails. But I was hidden down in the front row and no-one could see me. I got an email about another project, about how it's definitely going ahead. My brain focused on that momentarily but then back to my script.

And I'd arranged to meet a friend at 4 which bugged me because I needed to write. Then she flaked out, and I was nowhere. But I went back to my writing zone and got onto it. And the pages flew by and characters came to life.

And this is the best writing I've done. Whether producers will feel the same I don't know, but by my own barometer, I'm rocking it.

I'm three quarters through the screenplay. This is where all scripts go bad. I took a walk to Trafalguar Square, stared out at the tourists and saw how the script will end.

Tomorrow I'll continue. Same place, same time. No choice but to write.

The rest of life fades from focus. I'm not a great friend or family member during this. I can only stomach supportive people; the ones who get me. The rest can too easily shake me out of creativity. I've learned that the hard way.

Creativity is about the art,  but its equally about learning how to reach a flow state, how to block out the world and do what you do. And this is a spec screenplay, an idea I had, I'm not being paid to write it. So I have the pressure. You hold on to the belief that you work now and get paid later.

This is me and if you see me typing away, think twice before talking to me :p

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Shuffle Theory

I have this theory. I think that whenever you play music on your iPod or similar device, if you hit shuffle/random, the song that plays first is exactly the song you need to be hearing at that precise moment in your life.

Whatever you're going through, however your day has been, that song carries the wisdom of the day. It knows how you feel and what you need.

I'm serious, I trust this theory more than I trust the government.

Okay, bad example. I trust it more than my girlfriend, and all the guys she's sleeping with.

No, but really; shuffle theory. Try it.

I was heading home last night and on came Rod Stewart's "Mandolin Wind". The song sounded like me. It was me, just in mp3 form.

Tonight, I was heading home on the tube just a couple of hours ago, when I put on my headphones and hit play. The song was Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic".

I'd skipped that song three times already this week. But tonight? The shuffle Gods got it right. I needed that song. It took me off into a dreaming world. I was on the tube yet also everywhere else all at once.

And the lyrics resonated. The song has wisdom. It knows life. It knows my life. And it was exactly what I needed. Exactly where I am and who I am and how I am.

Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic.

And my soul really did. Flew all up in the London air all crazy and joyous. Only music can do that.

I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old

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