Category: Entertainment

June 2025

June 1, 2025 by • Books, Entertainment, Financial, History, Law, News, Politics, Society • 0 Comments

ALIGNMENT OF KEY ANNIVERSARIES

  • 10th
  • 50th
  • 50th
  • 75th

June 1986

June 1, 2025 by • Education, Entertainment, History, Society • 0 Comments

At least two interesting things about June of 1986…

The first interesting thing, it was the month that the iconic school comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off had its theatrical release.  June 2025 is the first month after the Class of 2025 graduated from high school, a class of students that started kindergarten in 2012. 

The year before in 2011, some interesting coincidences happened on the 25th anniversary of 1986…

  • NASA’s final flights of all three of the remaining Space Shuttles in 2011…25 years after the Challenger disaster in 1986. 
  • After a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake, followed by a deadly and destructive tsunami, Japan suffered a level 5 nuclear power plant disaster in 2011…25 years after the Chernobyl level 5 nuclear power plant disaster in 1986. 
  • The Oprah Winfrey Show ended in 2011, 25 years after it started in 1986. 
  • In 2011, a 25 year-old fiancée second guessed her decision to get married to the founder of a magazine that had published a short story that turned into a movie from the 1950’s called The Fly.  In the 1986 remake, there is a nightmare birthing scene that may or may not have had an effect on her decision.  Or in other words, the 25 year-old fiancée called off their wedding in 2011, 25 years after the nightmare birthing scene from the 1986 remake The Fly.

So after these coincidences involving 1986 & its 25th anniversary in 2011, a class of students started kindergarten the following year in 2012…then went all the way through grade school, then middle school, and then high school.

The 2nd interesting thing about June of 1986…it was the month between the release dates of two different failed sequels that attacked God.  The sequel released just before June 1986 follows a movie that ends with a family checking into a motel room.  The sequel released just after June 1986 follows a 1960 classic with a plot development structured around a character checking into a motel room.  This points to the end of the other movie, an ending that could play a key role in improving our society.  A call to action.

So I guess June 2025 is as good of a time as any to heed this call to action.

So allow me to summarize what I’ve just stated…

June 1986…saw the theatrical release of an iconic school comedy.  An entire class of students that just graduated from high school had started kindergarten in 2012.  The year before, 2011 saw several compelling coincidences with the year 1986 from 25 years before.

June 1986…came between the release dates of two failed sequels that attacked God.  Sequels to two movies with critical scenes involving people checking into a motel room.  Critical to the plot of one movie, critical to society in the other movie.  A call to action that could seriously improve society.

Box-Office Numbers & Film Music

April 20, 2025 by • Entertainment, Financial • 0 Comments

Three lightning-in-a-bottle faith-based films (2002 thru 2005) that spent 18 weekends grossing at least $10 million at the domestic box-office.

  • 5 weekends for Signs (2002)
  • 7 weekends for The Passion Of The Christ (2004)
  • 6 weekends for The Chronicles Of Narnia (2005)

18 weekends compared to:

  • 15 weekends for The Lord Of The Rings trilogy (2001 thru 2003)
  • 15 weekends for the Star Wars prequels (1999 thru 2005)
  • 17 weekends for the first four Harry Potter films (2001 thru 2005)

 

TOPPING THE CHARTS

  • Signs topped the box-office charts in its 1st, 4th, and 5th weekends.
  • The Passion Of The Christ topped the charts in its 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 7th weekends.
  • The first Chronicles Of Narnia film from 2005 topped the charts in its 1st and 4th weekends, reclaiming the box-office lead from King Kong.

 

THE MUSIC

Interesting things about the music from those three lightning-in-a-bottle faith-based films…

  • The music by James Newton Howard during the last several minutes of the movie Signs was, for the composer, described as the most difficult get-it-right process he had done at the time.  His previous films included The Fugitive and The Sixth Sense.
  • John Debney’s score for The Passion Of The Christ was nominated for an Oscar along with two other nominations for that film, Best Make-up and Best Cinematography.  But in 2005, the Academy decided to make some of the winners that year give their speeches from their seats.  Very strange.
  • The Chronicles Of Narnia failed to get any Oscar recognition for its music in 2006.  Not for its score or for any of its songs.  In 2006, the Academy decided that only three songs were worthy of Oscar recognition that year.  Very strange.

Good Friday

April 18, 2025 by • Entertainment, Religion • 0 Comments

GOOD FRIDAY

Hollywood’s movie awards since 2004…

The Demonic

March 26, 2025 by • Books, Crime, Entertainment, History, Law, Politics, Religion, Society • 0 Comments

Previously I had written that in the late 60’s/early 70’s, that William Peter Blatty was working towards winning an Oscar.  I thought I remembered reading in a book somewhere that he was researching the story during the late 60’s, but I was unable to find much of anything on the internet to support that claim.

However, I did find that after him seeing the 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby, Blatty told his wife that he wanted to write a story like that.  I also found that on New Year’s Eve of 1969 while attending a party, Blatty ran into the editor of Bantam Books, who asked Blatty what he was working on.  Blatty responded that he was working on the story of a child possessed by a demon.  The editor said, “I’ll publish that.”  This led to Blatty signing a contract and was given a financial advance to write the novel about a demon-possessed child.

So there we have it…the evidence that he was headed towards winning an Oscar in the late 60’s.  And of course, he began writing at his home the book that was published in 1971.  Blatty would then write the adapted screenplay and produce the film released at the end of 1973.  A film that would win him an Oscar in 1974.

 

SPEAKING OF THE DEMONIC

So apparently, there are many demons in California. 

A mother of a child who had been socially transitioned behind her back by the school system in California was upset and decided prayer was needed.  So she began her prayer, and soon there were many demonic responses to her after she used the name of Jesus.  After the mayor (apparently the mayor) stopped her and told her “we don’t do prayer”, the mayor gave the mother 28 seconds to finish with her comments.

The mother continued with her Constitutional right to pray.  The mayor interrupted her just seven seconds later, followed by the word “stop” a few seconds later.  And 21 seconds after giving the mother 28 seconds, the mayor told her repeatedly that her time was up.

Anyway, if you ever get to see this clip of this mother praying in Ventura, California, be sure to take note of the demonic responses in that room as she prayed.

  • Nashville, Tennessee.  March 27th, 2023…politically-correct violence against children at a Christian school.
  • Vancouver, Canada.  March 31st, 2023…a politically-correct assault on Billboard Chris.
  • San Francisco, California.  April 6th, 2023…a politically-correct mob kidnapping Riley Gaines.

And speaking of the demonic and the politically-correct, praying for loved ones and other people who have been confused by the government and the public school system has been outlawed in Australia apparently.

Construction Of Disney World’s The Magic Kingdom

March 15, 2025 by • Entertainment, Law, Politics, Society, Television • 0 Comments

After Walt Disney’s death in 1966, his brother Roy took over the project of building a park larger and improved upon the version of Disneyland in California.  Walt Disney Productions began construction on the Magic Kingdom and the entire resort in 1967.  The theme park opened on October 1, 1971.  It has become the world’s most visited theme park.

In 2023, Americans spent $28.4 billion on amusement parks, about a 17% increase over the previous year.  There were over 600 amusement establishments in 2023.

The Magic Kingdom is located between Orlando and The Gulf Of Mexico, though much closer to Orlando.

Many people still attend the park despite the fact that the Disney company has fought against Florida’s parental rights legislation in recent years.  Parents still taking their children to Disney World despite the company’s stance against parents having rights to protect their young children from inappropriate indoctrination.  Seems to be a bit ironic.

Anyway, an entertainment tax on television, movies, and amusement parks that would be at the same tax rate as what the top 1% should be paying on their federal income taxes (slightly above 50%) would help remind Americans that we are all in this together to help our country get out of our $36 trillion national debt.

 

CONFLICTING COMMITMENTS

I got behind a family vehicle recently at a stoplight and noticed two small TV’s above the back seats…playing identical children’s programming.  And then I noticed the license plate with the words “Autism Awareness”.  Too funny.  Too funny.

 

Hollywood’s Disastrous Disaster Movies

March 15, 2025 by • Entertainment • 0 Comments

Early development in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s of Hollywood’s disastrous disaster movies.

  • Airport, a 1970 film based on the 1968 novel by Arthur Hailey, began its principal photography on January 31, 1969.
  • The Poseidon Adventure, a 1972 film based on a 1969 novel by Paul Gallico,   Obviously, the movie began filming between the publishing of the novel in 1969 and the movie’s release date in 1972.  Duh.
  • Earthquake, a 1974 film whose birth occurred in the summer of 1972 when Mario Puzo was paid to write the first draft after his success with The Godfather.
  • The Towering Inferno, a 1974 film based on the novels The Tower and The Glass Inferno.  Executives at two different movie studios were convinced to join forces to make a single film based on the subject of a tall building on fire.  A press release announcing the single film collaboration occurred in October of 1973.

It should be noted that Airport and The Towering Inferno both received Best Picture nominations, but none of these disastrous disaster movies received a DGA nomination for any of the movies’ directors.  One of many reasons I had always put more stock into the DGA awards than the Oscars.  But of course, both movie awards were burned to ashes since early January of this year with the movies they selected and honored for the best of 2024.

Rest in peace, Hollywood movie awards.  Rest in peace.

Hollywood Struggling For Economic Survival

March 15, 2025 by • Entertainment, Financial • 0 Comments

“The American motion-picture industry struggled desperately for economic survival during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  About 80% of all films produced lost money.  Nearly every studio was in serious financial trouble.”  –from The World Book Encyclopedia. 1983.

DOMESTIC RENTALS OF THE TOP FILMS  (In millions)

  • 1968:  $26.3
  • 1969:  $45.9
  • 1970:  $48.7
  • 1971:  $38.2

And then came the massive blockbusters…

  • 1972:  $86.2
  • 1973:  $89.0
  • 1975:  $129.5
  • 1977:  $193.7

 

OPENING SHOT AFTER THE TITLE CRAWL

  • Box-office champ for all films released in 1976.
  • Would win Best Picture and the DGA award in 1977.
  • With an estimated production budget of about $1 million, the movie would bring in $56 million in domestic box-office rentals for United Artists.

 

A WORK OF ART

“After searching for months for a work of art that would convey a contemporary notion of God, the editors concluded that there was no appropriate representation.” –from Time magazine, April 1966.

 

THE NEXT SPIELBERG’S TOP 10 LIST.  NEWSWEEK AUGUST 2002.

  • 10 films receiving DGA recognition…including 4 winners.
  • 7 box-office giants released within 10 years after the early 1970’s.
  • “It’s important, Marion.  Trust me.”

 

Hollywood’s Future King Working In Television

March 15, 2025 by • Entertainment, Financial, Television • 0 Comments

The late 1960’s/early 1970’s:  The movie industry’s future king, Steven Spielberg, working in television.

  • Night Gallery –a made-for-TV anthology film directed by Boris Sagal, Steven Spielberg, and Barry Shear that served as the pilot for the anthology television series written and hosted by Rod Serling.  The film premiered on NBC on November, 1969.
  • Spielberg directed the Columbo episode “Murder By The Book”, which premiered on NBC on September 15, 1971.
  • Duel –a made-for-TV film based on a short story written by Richard Matheson.  The film originally aired as an ABC Movie Of The Week on November 13, 1971.  Duel is considered a cult classic and one of the greatest films ever made for television.
  • Other TV films he directed early in his career:  Something Evil (1972) and Savage (1973)

He followed his theatrical debut The Sugarland Express in 1974 with the 1975 blockbuster Jaws, Hollywood’s first summer blockbuster and the first of three huge blockbusters that put Spielberg on top of Hollywood after the release of 1981’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark.  “It’s important, Marion.  Trust me.”

 

JERRY GOLDSMITH. 1982.    Homecoming for Hollywood’s brand new king and a Vietnam War veteran.  All is not well.

Scorsese Begins His Film-Directing Career

March 15, 2025 by • Entertainment • 0 Comments

Before Martin Scorsese was in an interesting and inconspicuous box-office derby with director John McTiernan during the late summer/early fall of 1988, he began his career as a film director during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  His first theatrical film was released in 1967.   His second theatrical film was released in in 1972.

 

“Don’t you got any Christmas music?” /  “This is Christmas music!” …words spoken during the opening credits of John McTiernan’s 1988 film just before the movie’s hero quietly enters Nakatomi Plaza…several scenes before the movie’s terrorists enter.  A film that had a quiet inconspicuous opening at the box-office in July of 1988.  Scorsese’s 1988 film would open at the box-office in August.

inconspicuous:  not readily noticeable

Any Christian who doesn’t see that Raging Bull is cinema’s most overrated movie and claims some other movie as holding that title is either being dishonest or is grossly ignorant of the movie world.  Even if that Christian is the force behind the two most important documentaries of our time.

 

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