Are there glimpses of Jake on screen before he even was on screen, in his mother's writing? Naomi Foner wrote the Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated screenplay for the movie Running on Empty, staring Judd Hirsch, Christine Lahti, and River Phoenix. The story of 60's political radicals who haven't been able to use their real identity for years after setting a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign. Ever since they have been on the run and are now parents raising two sons. The oldest son is a talented musician with a chance to go to Julliard, and wants a life of his own, and knows that it means his parents either get caught or he will never see them again.
It is a incredible performance by River Phoenix as the eldest brother who realizes that he has the choice to leave and pursue his own dream free from all the hiding and see what it is really like to live. He realizes that he does not have to pay what his parents did, that he can move on and that they are responsible for that but not him any longer. He also knows that he will have to leave them all behind.
But it is the little brother Harry who has to take on the name Stephen at their newest stop on the run, that is the focus today.
Harry is the little brother, kind and sensitive, not always knowing everything that was going on, sometimes a little left out. He tells jokes, and can be annoying, but you could see how hard Harry tries to get some more attention from his parents and wants to be a part of it all. And he wants them all to get along. His parents love him, but there is so much going on in these never ending hiding and their agendas, he seems to be lost in the shuffle, and he wants a little more, attention and love. In many scenes Harry turns to Danny (River) for his moments of connecting. The two of them bonded together no matter what is going on with their parents - they always have each other.
Have always thought that there was a lot of Jake in that little annoying brother who just wants to be wanted. Naomi uses family and family dynamics a lot her writing and you can see that she infuse some of her own family into the characters.
“Observing family allows you to use a small intimate palette to comment on the greater culture,” Gyllenhaal explained. “Family contains the best of us and the worst. And we can all relate to it, as we’re all part of some kind of family.
Its the best and worst that makes you think, if Jake looks back and sees pieces of himself and Maggie sprinkled amongst his mother's writing or his father's director and what he think about all of it. And then you wonder if they take piece of the parents and use them in their acting.
And Sam? Everyone's birthday cake always had Happy Birthday Sam written on it. (As in play it again Sam) It was the one constant in their lives.
OMG Season of Sharing
Heifer International
Heifer brings a holistic approach in order to build sustainable communities. They'e developed a set of global initiatives – areas of emphasis that must be addressed to meet the mission of ending world hunger and poverty and caring for the earth. They are:Agroecology,Animal Well-Being,Gender Equity,HIV-AIDS,Microenterprise,Urban Agriculture,Young People's Initiative.
Through Heifer family are giving live stock as well as other resources and tools for self-sufficiency and to build strong village and communities.
Through Heifer - you can purchase a llama, a cow, a goat, a sheep, or yes even a flock of geese that can make the difference in someone's life.
Running on Empty was one of my favorite films, way before I ever heard of Jake. Terrific performances and a touching story. I also actually worked with someone who turned out to be a fugitive and turned herself in, shocking everyone who knew her. I was blown away when I learned Jake's mom was the screenwriter. I was a fan of the TV series Everwood as well. One episode in particular seemed really well directed and I later noticed Jake's dad was the director. Say what you will about them, they do have a feel for family issues.
ReplyDeletePrairie Girl, I did see that about Zero. Not really surprised as most of the long time authors have moved on. There are still a couple good authors out there, but nothing like in the beginning. Jake's Eyelashes is practically dead as well. Bewteen Heath's death and Reeke, the enthusiasm disappeared.
{{Even more unbelievably is that FC came out as #1 again this weekend. Why would people go see a movie that clearly is bad? People are that straved to see a movie?}}
ReplyDeleteLet's be fair, You do have to realize that the woman does have a fan base regardless of what you or I think of her, and, I don't dislike her because of her relationship with Jake, whatever it is. Another point is the fan base that Vince Vaughn has. Has anybody forgot about that? I know about the rumors on and off the set between the two, but at the end of the day, Vince's fan base WAS thought about with the production of this movie. I am also shocked that it's still number 1, but we can never underestimate Reese or for that matter, the draw of some holiday comedy's and the draw of both of these celebrity's fan base. I saw Cadillac Records. Great performances by the entire cast.
^^ And, Great music performances!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Running on Empty. So many movie, so little time. I'm going to add it to my Netflix que, even though my que is getting so long it scares me sometimes. :-D
ReplyDeletePeople like comedies and like Reese in comedies. Her Vanity Fair (2004) and Just Like Heaven (2005) were flops, same as Rendition and Penelope.
ReplyDeleteOne of the questions I'd like to ask Jake - did he meet River Phoenix?
ReplyDeleteI know Jake said his first crush was Martha Plimpton - who was River's girlfriend in the movie.
ReplyDeleteAll this talk of River Phoenix makes me miss him all over again. And today is the 28th anniversary of John Lennon's murder. Sigh.
ReplyDeletePeople
ReplyDeleteDate with Anne Hathaway Goes for $12,000
How much does a date with Anne Hathaway cost? Oh, about $12,000, give or take.
That's the price three fans paid for drinks with the Rachel Getting Married actress at the Cracked X-mas Fundraiser in Los Angeles Sunday night.
"I'm not usually very forward, but I thought if there was ever a crowd for me to do something like this, this is my crowd so I would like to auction myself off," Hathaway announced, "for drinks somewhere fabulous and basically get you totally s--- faced. Tell me what I'm worth."
The proceeds for the night went to benefit the Trevor Project, a crisis helpline for LGBT youth. Hathaway, 26, was embarrassed when her price kept going up. "I'm blushing," Hathaway said during the bidding process. "Wow, I feel really good right now." The actress returned to the stage later to present Sigourney Weaver with an award. "God you're sexy!" Hathaway said after watching a highlights reel of Weaver's career.
Also in attendance was newly out Wanda Sykes, who performed stand up for the crowd.
"Come on, it ain't like you never seen a black lesbian before!" she said as she walked on stage, then launched into a 12-minute routine about everything from gay marriage to the Obamas.
"This is the first time the First Lady can drop it like it's hot!"
Awwwww - sweet post Spesh. I haven't seen Running On Empty. & great song.
ReplyDeleteSurprised you don't have the Running On Empty song playing today, that would have been perfect. Jake was 12 when River died, 7 or 8 when ROE was made so Jake might not remember meeting him.
ReplyDeleteI saw ROE a long time ago and always loved it. Will have to get it on dvd. Best part for me was the scene at the teacher's house where Danny comes in and plays the good piano and gets dressed down. Discipline, humility and manners are important no matter who you are or wahat talent/gifts you have. That movie taught me a lot.
I loved ROE too; River was wonderful in it, torn between loyalty to his family and what he wanted to do with his own life, it's hard for a kid. He played it with an edginess or a jumpiness that you really could feel. I liked all the characters too - Christine Lahti, when her life and youthful ideals changed and she knew she couldn't run forever, the importance of family, and putting her children's young lives first, and healing her relationship with her own family, and how her kids needed that connection with extended family, and others. I haven't seen it in awhile so I'm sure there's a lot more I could say, but that's what I remember most. I'd like to see more from Naomi, I think she's interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat song today; great guitar and lyrics, kinda sad, the key or the urgency of the tempo or something. I love acoutic guitar/Flamenco-style guitar.
I second your sigh about the loss of John Lennon and River. Sigh.
My inspirational comment for today is this. Damn James Franco has a cute butt.
ReplyDelete^^ :) I'm really looking forward to seeing Milk.
ReplyDeleteI'm going off to watch my fave Holiday program, A Charlie Brown Christmas with Linus playing Dave Brubeck's Take 5. Never miss that and Ralphie in A Christmas Story.
Nite, all! :*
For those who like this song- check out the record. I found it uneven, with some great songs and some just so-so.
ReplyDeleteWill check it out, this one is very good IMO. Sorry, I meant Schroeder above. Nite! :)
ReplyDeleteMilk said...
ReplyDelete"Milk" Earns Its First Major Award
Sean Penn's film biography "Milk" is receiving the Producers Guild of America's Stanley Kramer Award, which honors pictures taking on provocative social issues. The prize, announced Monday, will be presented at the guild's awards show Jan. 24.
"Milk" stars Penn as San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, who in 1977 won a seat on the board of supervisors to become the first openly gay man elected to major public office in the United States. The film is directed by Gus Van Sant.
The following year, Milk was slain along with Mayor George Moscone by a board colleague.
The Kramer Award is named after the legendary filmmaker whose works include "The Defiant Ones," "Judgment at Nuremberg" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."
Oh boy, here I am again, a day late & a dollar short. What a barnburner of a day, but at least some things got done.
ReplyDeleteHey, this sharing organization, I know of! At my home church, Heifer Project has been participated in during Happy Birthday Jesus and other projects. What a great idea it is.
m, I'm busting at the seams! I just finished catching up over at LJ and madlori says that she can now say her news. Zero @ the Bone is going to be published! And if it does okay, then so will the sequel. Do you get on the Friends page? Go over there & you'll see her message. I'm so excited for her. That story is definitely worthy of being published.
Okay, well, that's all on this front, I guess. Sorry, guys, just dont' have the A-game lately. Hopefully, when I head back to the ol' saltmines tomorrow, things will start to calm down. I am thankful, in the economy that we're in right now, though, that business has been very good for us lately. Don't know if it'll make up for the rest of the year, but we'll see.
Hey, here's a few funnies if you've ever seen any of these? They're excerpts from church bulletins or were announced during church services. I'll print a few and see if they don't bring you a laugh:
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus'.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 pm - prayer & medication to follow.
This evening at 7 p.m. there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 P.M. Please use the back door.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 P.M. at the 1st Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Assoc. Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours" .
Lol! Our office had a hootfest reading some of these. There were more but I thought these were the funniest.
Well, hope you had a good time watching C Brown, netb. Isn't that just a classic? I'll have to watch it on dvd as I missed it tonight. So far, have totally missed the 24 days of Christmas on the Family Channel, or however many days it is.
Prairie Girl those were great! I copied them they were so good.
ReplyDeletem, I loved Everwood too. I hope Gregory Smith will come back, he can only get better wityh age. SG has directed so much more than I realized, good stuff too. He's a sneaky one LOL I'm always discovering something that he directed. I hope he gets another full featured movie to direct like he did A Dangerous Woman. And Naomi is so talented and smart, how shwe writes is original emotionally and very intelligent. She's a "still waters run deep" sort of woman. I like that. No matter what happens in the future, Naomi and Stephen really raised their children well. Thats worth more than anything.
I love Anne Hathaway, Wanda and Sigourney, thanks to whoever posted the Hathaway date post. I wonder who got the date, male or female. Theres been whisperings for a long time about Anne being gay, I don't know. All I know is AH gay is a lot more interesting and sexy than AH straight and dating a criminal.
Its sure reeke-quiet. The calm before a storm or a change in the trail? I hope they come to a fork in the Reeke road and stick a knife in it. I'm gettin tired of being spoon fed their shit.
Goodnight.
Just home from seeing Milk this evening, a week earlier than I expected. Phenominal. If Sean Penn does not win best actor, the Acadamy Awards are a sham. Actually I already suspect that from BBM best picture loss. All the performances were good. Franco, Brolin, Hirsch,everyone - dead on. The mark of a good director I think. More use of archival footage than I expected, and what was not archival seemed archival because it appeared so real. I had to remind myself it was not a documentary. I think if it had been out in Oct, prop 8 would never have passed. Even though I knew the ending well and good, having been in SF in those days, I cried at the end of the movie. Such a waste of a good man's life.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Heath is being pushed for best supporting actor. If I had to choose best actor between Penn/Milk and Ledger/Joker it would be an agonizing decision. Both were totalling mesmerizing and owned the screen.
Great news Prairie Girl,about Zero. I assume the names will be changed from Jack & D(Ennis). There are several slash works that would make good movies as well, I think. Maybe someday. Off to bed now, exhausted.
Hey, m! Yeah, she's changing Jack's name to Josh something. But D gets to remain D. I'm glad of that. I know what you mean, there are a couple others that would make a good movie, they're that good. Oh well. Least I get to read them and who knows what all I've missed but is now closed up forever. I keep hearing about this Del Mar Painting that was sooo good but that one's been put away for good for awhile now.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to go see Milk but I don't want to see the ending because I know that he gets killed in the end. I know that's a terrible reason not to go see it, but I'll have to wait for it on dvd and then either hide my eyes or just stop the movie. I don't know how on earth I survived Dead Man Walking in the theatre, but I remember crying and I hate walking out of theatres like that.
Pics from 8 Dec.
ReplyDeleteDear Ted:
ReplyDeleteWhy do you have links to sites like Perez Hilton, Just Jared and Lainey Gossip? I think all of them are going with the PR flow. For example, they all pimp Jake and Reese, nonstop, as a hot, real couple! Nobody with legitimate gossip could do that.
—Martha
Dear Bought and Paid For:
True, but they do have a delish mix of legit stuff, too.
Sorry for the quiet from me - technical difficulties at home had me sans internet overnight. Oh the withdrawl!
ReplyDeleteHeifer is a great organization. We've done it in church and my niece and her friends at school formed a Llama club when they were younger (too much Emperor's New Groove) and raised enough money to buy a llama and a knitting basket through Heifer.
And hey flock of Geese only goes for $20.00 bucks
Great to see Milk getting recognized. Know it is getting great buzz here in Boston. It is definitely on my must see list, days off around the holidays spending time tucked into movie theaters catching great movies.
One more big party tomorrow (200)that I do for work and then things will get less crazy.