A quote from his about page: “I’m fascinated with the way our immediate surroundings tell us stories as powerful and persuasive as those in novels. A collector of vintage objects, I’m aware that the physical things we add and subtract around ourselves compose an ever-changing narrative.”
It’s your world…we tend to be passive about it like it’s a restaurant and we can only order off a limited menu.
When truly the world is not a restaurant it’s a kitchen. What do you want to cook? How do you want to design this world?
You know those type of cooks who can open a fridge, see a handful of items and they instantly know what to make?
That’s guy with an eye but for design not food: “I want to help you tell your story with the things you love. My goal is to become your trusted advisor as you choose things that declare who you are and that help you become who you want to be.”
That’s a captivating conversation as some of us are working from home. The pre-pandemic balance between work and home is tilted.
Hence my recommendation: (re)design your environment and flourish.
New month means new TV and new movies to go see at the local cinema.
I offer 2 movies for you to see at home (they’re #CouchWorthy!) and I recommend 2 movies for you to see at the movies (they’re #PantsWorthy!).
Are any of these your jam?
🎥 SAMMY SUGGESTION: ANYTHING FOR FAME
Director: Tyler Funk Streaming: Currently on Paramount+ (Canada) Streaming: NFB.ca: Will be on NFB.ca for free starting on November 8. (p.s. US streaming dates are coming soon…)
Why #CouchWorthy?The keyword in the description of this provocative NFB doc is reckless: “A startling and timely study of contemporary celebrity, Anything for Fame ventures into the virtual Wild West to profile an ambitious-and reckless-new breed of content creator.”
What would you do for fame? In the doc you’ll meet Ava who went viral for licking an airplane bathroom toilet set. She called it a Coronavirus Challenge.
What would you do for fame? In the doc you’ll meet Jake an Ontario skateboarder who performs Jackass type stunts with nail guns and getting shot at with sharp needle tipped darts. There will be blood.
What would you do for fame? In the doc you’ll meet Jumanne who went viral when he quit his Subway job by trashing the restaurant. He threw the food on the floor, stepped on all the food, crushed the bread and more. (That one angered me…we have line ups at food banks. Just to throw food on the floor for a cheap viral video is offensive and irresponsible.)
So…what would you do for fame? Remember Hoop Dreams from the mid-90s? It was a doc following two inner city kids and their struggles to make it into professional basketball (NBA).
Anything for Fame is Hoop Dreams for influencers. It’s a nuanced looked at going viral and the struggles of influencers to become wealthy and famous.
Yes: if you got kids you should check it out.
🎥 SAMMY SUGGESTION: BLACKBERRY: LIMITED SERIES
Director: Matt Johnson Streaming: CBC Gem: All three episodes will be available on CBC Gem on November 9. Streaming: AMC+: All three episodes will be available on AMC+ on November 13.
Why #CouchWorthy? In a rare father and son bonding moment my dad and I sat down to watch the 3 part BlackBerry: Limited Series. My dad is a business guy…retired now but suit and tie, worked at Toronto Stock Exchange, downtown Toronto office. Whole bit. (He enjoyed seeing late 90s downtown Toronto in BlackBerry.)
2023 has given us biopics about a mobile phone, Nike shoes, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and a bomb.
On May 12 we got BlackBerry the iconic mobile phone. In Waterloo, 1996, Research in Motion CEO Mike Lazaridis and his best friend and co-founder Douglas Fregin prepare to pitch their "PocketLink" cellular device to businessman. That’s how it all started.
An additional 16 minutes has been added to the theatrical release hence the TV mini-series. (I’ve seen both: the original theatrical release and now the Limited Series. You’ll have fun with either choice.)
Dad and I enjoyed BlackBerry. It’s got heart and soul and an incredible soundtrack. White Stripes, Moby, Joy Division…MC Hammer.
The opening credits montage is remarkable as well. Savour that.
So move over Laura Secord and guys who created Superman…this is an incredible Heritage Minute for Canadians worth capturing. Turns out we can do hubris as well as Americans.
Director: Andrew Jenks In theaters on Black Friday (Friday November 24, 2023).
Why #PantsWorthy?Cabbage Patch Kids, yo!
The ‘80s are truly a you hadda be there kinda thing.
It’s a wild decade of outlaws and outliers. It many ways it was the last full decade where we lively freely and freshly.
This is the wild story of Cabbage Patch Kids: all the retail pushing and shoving that would become traditional video with Black Friday sales.
(As you can tell from the title the Cabbage Patch Kids were (are?) a billion dollar business. That’s stunning. I knew they were popular but not that popular.)
And yes it’s narrated by Neil Patrick Harris. Fun, right? As my dad and I bonded watching BlackBerry this is is fun one for moms and daughters.
Also? Suck it Beanie Babies! (And mad shout out to Garbage Pail Kids!)
🎥 SAMMY SUGGESTION: NAPOLEON
Director: Ridley Scott In theaters on Wednesday November 22, 2023.
Why #PantsWorthy?First of all…Napoleon didn’t shoot the nose off the Sphinx. The nose was gone by the time he got there.
However, he did successfully conquer Egypt in the Summer of 1798. Approximately 2,000 Egyptians were killed. So yes, as an Egyptian if you wanna spread fake news about Napoleon Bonaparte go for it!
We (Egypt) got mashed by Napoleon!
And sure nobody enjoys being conquered yet it’s like getting dunked and destroyed on by Michael Jordan.
If you’re gonna get conquered it may as well be by the best. (Plus we made life a living hell for Shorty. So many uprisings!)
This theatrical release is 157 minutes so get a small pop for this one. Sometime soon Apple TV+ is expected to air a 4 hour director’s cut (much like the BlackBerry limited series above.).
Joaquin Phoenix is Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby who you’d recognize from Mission Impossible movies is Joséphine.
As you’d expect Napoleon tells the story of ruthless rise to power and his relentless fall from grace coupled with his volatile relationship with Josephine.
Where the Ridley Scott film shines is it features violent depictions of six epic battles. Though in the course of his research Scott points out, Napoleon took part in 66 battles over the course of his career.
So cannon fire, horseback and infantry ruckus all showcasing Napoleon’s superb warfare strategies. And sigh…yes conquering Egypt. Let’s go: I’m in the mood for ruckus.
An Aside: Filmmakers seem to be parking lot rumbling with Marvel movies with literally epic in scope and non-fiction ruckus: Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (running time 3h), Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon (running time 3h 26m) and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon (running time 2h 38m.).
Is this a coincidence or is this a trend? Comments are below…
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Did you look at the 4 offerings and think: That’s My Jam?
Hopefully you did.
And if not? Well he is new Shad:
“It’s dystopian What I do to the game I ruined the game I’m Jordan with the flu in the game Air Jordan How I flew in the game Air Jordans cuz they all Feel defeat Like the shoe in game I’m in a shoe in Never losin the game”
