#michael swank

[parxarchive]

underscoregeoff: 🦄Squaderparks👻 Love these dudes! [march 1, 2016]

[razorroseart]

Go on and run away

Stand up and run away

You were the death of me

Follow the enemy

You were the only thing that would never change

No time for recovery

I know that you're on to me

You never told me that it would be this way

Stand up and run away (Run away, run away)

Stand up and run away (Run away, run away)

Just know that you were the death of me

Follow the enemy

You were the only thing that would never change

Go on and run away

[mercenaryg]

Do you feel it? The Gravity is pulling us in, a singularity that none of us will escape alone.

[parxarchive]

tagged: Waterparks, Warped Tour, Vans Warped Tour, Houston, TX, Texas, live, band, concert, music, Michael Swank, Awsten Knight, Geoff Wigington, Reliant Park,

[august 4, 2013]

Waterparks on Flickr.

8-4-2013 Vans Warped Tour Houston, TX Like my photo page!

[fantastickkay]

From People, March 2000

[celebritycloset]

Hilary Swank Wore Michael Kors Collection To The Variety Spirituality and Faith in Entertainment Breakfast

[thebutcher-5]

The Gift (2000)

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo siamo tornati a parlare di animazione e questa volta abbiamo fatto un enorme passo indietro nel tempo, discutendo dei Flesicher Studios, rivali della Disney negli anni ’30, e recensendo il loro primo lungometraggio animato, I viaggi di Gulliver. Gulliver naufraga sull’isola di Lilliput e viene trovato da Gabby, il guardiano notturno.…

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Next Karate Kid (1994)

The first film in the Karate Kid series not to feature Ralph Macchio has convincing performances and enough heart to make it the kind of sequel that’s not quite good but still possibly worth recommending to little girls. They might respond to it better than the original film. Maybe. Ultimately, all of the good in The Next Karate Kid is counterbalanced by its cartoonish villains. Combined with the all-too-familiar elements and you've got a film with limited appeal.

While reconnecting with the widow of an old friend, Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) is introduced to her granddaughter, Julie (Hillary Swank). To help the high schooler deal with the anger of losing her parents and the bullies at school, Miyagi takes her under his wing.

Let’s start with the pros. This is Hillary Swank’s first theatrical appearance in a starring role and she’s great. She and Miyagi have terrific chemistry - more than enough to make you forget about Danny once the plot gets going. She handles the fight and stunt sequences well. Morita also surprises us in the unusually numerous amount of scenes that call for Mr. Miyagi to fight. Though there are ultimately more missed opportunities than payoffs in this gender-swapped scenario, any scenes with Miyagi and Julie warm your heart. The two take an excursion about halfway through the film to a Buddhist monastery to deal with Julie’s anger and learn about the true ways of karate. I'd call it the best scene but for a different viewer, it might be the one in which Miyagi teaches Julie to dance to get ready for prom.

On the negative side, when the writing gets bad, it's so awful you'll start thinking things you were never supposed to think of. You’d expect a female villain to go up against our female protagonist, but no. The film’s most prominent baddie is Ned Randall (Michael Cavalieri). I wasn’t able to find out when he was born so I’m not sure how old he was during filming but he looks 30. With his gang of dudebros always harassing Julie, waiting for her in the dark and chasing after her during the school after-hours, he looks like a serial killer rapist. Grown men leering at Julie is a bit of a recurring motif throughout the film, which makes it even more uncomfortable. It’s like there are racists and abusive men around every corner: at the gas station, the bowling alley, the school…

Assuming that Ned is supposed to be roughly Julie’s age - and not some creep who’s been held back for the larger part of a decade - he would be placed second in the list of “most heinous characters” in this film. The gold medal goes to Colonel Paul Dugan (Michael Ironside). The man’s a straight-up psychopath; bullying Julie nearly as much as his head crony does and taking any opportunity to strike his students or break them mentally. At one point, Julie has started a bit of a relationship with a boy named Eric (Chris Conrad). While at practice with the Colonel, Eric is called away to speak to his mother (actually, Julie pretending to be his mother) on the office phone. The Colonel tells him if he leaves, he’s off the team. For taking a call from his mom? What? And he proclaims this in front of the school secretary. What sort of Ironside grip does he hold over this establishment that he can go around doing whatever he wants, including setting up late-night Mortal Kombat-style death matches with his students?

As a whole, The Next Karate Kid is unmemorable and unnecessary. There’s so much that could’ve been done with the fact that teenage girls are usually bullied in a very different way than boys, or Miyagi getting to care for a girl after losing his daughter years ago. Instead, there’s a subplot early on about Julie taking care of an injured bird that feels like it was added just to fill time and make this different from the original. Well, this is different alright; The Karate Kid is great. This is mediocre at best. (January 21, 2022)

[parxarchive]

underscoregeoff: The Black Cat tour is over😿. I just want to thank everyone that came out to party with all of us. I've met soooo many amazing people along the way. I'll never forget our first tour thanks so much @lovewayrecords for having us. Much love!❤️❤️❤️ [february 29, 2016]

[astrangetorpedo]

Mick Management Doesn’t Just Represent Artists — It’s in the ‘World-Building’ Business

"We don't like to refer to ourselves as a management company anymore. We're a music company," says partner Jonathan Eshak.

BY FRANK DIGIACOMO 7/22/2024

Jonathan Eshak (left) and Michael McDonald photographed on June 3, 2024 in Los Angeles. Michael Buckner

Given the multitude of distribution, streaming, promotion and marketing options and expectations, the business of becoming an established artist has turned into a seriously heavy lift for music acts and their managers. It’s one reason that Mick Management partner Jonathan Eshak says, “We don’t like to refer to ourselves as a management company anymore. We’re a music company. What we do more than anything else is brand development, artist development — world-building … We’re not just trying to keep the train on the tracks.”

Eshak and his partner, Michael McDonald, the company’s founder, got into management after immersing themselves in other sectors of the business. McDonald served as Dave Matthews Band’s tour manager before co-founding ATO Records in 2000 with Matthews; his manager, Red Light founder Coran Capshaw; and Chris Tetzeli, who went on to start 7S Management. He opened Mick the following year with John Mayer as one of his first clients and, in 2004, brought on data savant Eshak, who worked at Universal Music Publishing Group (and is the twin brother of Island Records co-CEO Justin Eshak). Jonathan became a partner in 2015.

With a staff of approximately 20 in New York, Los Angeles and Nashville, the duo has built a boutique firm — with its own record label, Mick Music, distributed by Believe — that represents Maggie Rogers, who released the critically praised Don’t Forget Me in April; Leon Bridges and Ray LaMontagne, who will both release albums later this year; The Walkmen and the solo career of their frontman, Hamilton Leithauser; Sharon Van Etten; Brett Dennen; Mandy Moore; My Morning Jacket; and The Marias.

In a fragmented culture where “it’s very hard to find water-cooler moments,” according to Eshak, Mick’s team excels in building committed fan bases for a roster of individualistic artists who punch above their weight. “Artists all define success differently, and we understand that,” he adds. “We understand that there’s no one way of doing it anymore.” Their bespoke approach has resulted in some notable recent successes. In August, Rogers will embark on an international arena tour — including two shows at Madison Square Garden — though she has yet to achieve platinum sales with an album. In 2018, Leithauser began a five-night residency at the swank, 100-capacity Café Carlyle in New York, playing to “a few die-hard Walkmen fans and some fairly confused business travelers,” as Eshak puts it. This year, Leithauser sold out 12 nights, and the concept will be expanded with potential notable guests in 2025. And in June, The Marias celebrated the release of their new album, Submarine, with a secret pop-up show in downtown Los Angeles for approximately 5,000 fans. Eshak says 38,000 RSVP’d.

“What each of those things speak to is us finding interesting ways that the artists appreciate and superserve fan bases,” McDonald says.

What are the challenges of running an artist management company today versus 25 years ago?

Jonathan Eshak: When I first started with Michael, the sky had started to fall on the recorded-music business. This was the dawn of file-sharing companies like Napster and Kazaa. It was attractive to join Michael for that very reason. He was coming from building a world that was unique, not just to the ebbs and flows of the success of recorded music but also, how do you do things well in touring, merchandising, etc. He understood the creation of cultures, having worked with Dave Matthews and Coran.

Like the Grateful Dead, Matthews built a culture around his music.

Eshak: The Dead were the godfathers of that, and Mick’s ethos effectively starts there. While the challenges of the industry have evolved, the code of building an artist’s career remains the same. Which is, how do you focus on building a meaningful, long-lasting relationship with your fan base? We always say, “How do we make the artist the hit and not just the songs?” Music is just part of the cocktail. It’s also, how are we creating a dynamic of connectivity between the artist and the fan? How are we merchandising with them? How are we creating live shows that are meaningful, that evolve? There’s been a lot of lip service about artist development throughout the history of recorded music.

Michael McDonald: There were fewer breakthrough moments then, whereas today, because of the way technology and culture has evolved, it’s been democratized. The upside is that more people can succeed. The downside is there are fewer channels that create that star-turn moment.

Maggie Rogers seems to be a prime example of someone who has grown through connectivity with her fans.

Eshak: Maggie has understood the importance of connectivity from the start. She had this moment of Pharrell-ity, for lack of a better word, and instead of sitting back and working that, she understood the importance of going around the world and connecting with her fans face-to-face. To your point, she’s doing two nights in Madison Square Garden without a platinum record. Now, she obviously wants that and we want that for her, but people who are in are in. Even as she’s grown, the No. 1 thing on the checklist is, what are we doing for that audience?

What’s an example of that?

Eshak: When we were announcing the fall arena tour, we created pop-up shops in all the markets where people could line up to buy exclusive merchandise and, most importantly, reduced-price tickets. She was hearing from unsettled fans about ticket prices, so we tried to create solves. Fans could walk [into the pop-ups], point at a seat map and get a ticket that was going to cost less than if they paid for it online. Because of that, her fans understand that she sees them.

What questions do you ask before signing an artist?

McDonald: Most importantly, “Do we love the music? Do we feel like we can really grow this career?” And then, “Do they, will they, work hard?” We can’t want it more than they do. Some of this is research you can do before you meet the artist. Much of it we do through conversations, but there’s also data that’s crucial. We’ve had great success following our passion and guts, but to not use the tools at our disposal to help make those decisions would be foolish. Data is a great strength of Jonathan’s and why we’ve evolved in using it to inform decisions but never to unequivocally make decisions. If we did, we never would have signed some of the artists we have.

Why did you partner with Firebird?

McDonald: Firebird brings us resources that a company our size doesn’t have. There’s a data department and an analytics department of 10 to 15 people. There’s a finance department. There are all sorts of things that allow us to double down on the data and free us up to stay focused on our artists.

What’s your pitch to artists you want to sign?

Eshak: It really comes down to having a shared code, so it’s important that we take the time to sit down with artists and say, “What are your life goals in addition to success in recorded music?” This is such a deep relationship that we talk all the time. We talk on weekends. We’re there with them for very big life stages, and it’s really important for us to have at least a common set of goals because it takes a lot out of everybody. Where we do a good job is acting almost as coaches now. It’s our job to be highly informed about how people are having success, distilling that and applying it to the artists that we represent, who are all quite different. In other words, how can we do this with you so that you remain true to yourself? We can’t do that for a thousand artists. It’s not the business model that Michael and I have elected to build.

You have a label.

Eshak: We have a label, and we’re working with some of our artists whose repertoires are returning to them and they need a mechanism to put music out. Some of it is also identifying artists that we like and helping them put music into the world.

Do you encourage your artists to own their masters?

McDonald: One hundred percent, whenever possible. Today, we would be hard pressed to pursue a deal that started with perpetuity music being somewhere else. There’s always a chance that it’s going to happen, and ultimately, it’s an artist’s decision. If they feel like this is their shot and they’re willing to give that up — absolutely. But one of the reasons we created the label was to say, “All right, let’s have an easy mechanism where we can control the deal terms. Let’s put music out and try to build on that. Then, if a great licensing option is not available today, let’s take a year and try to build something.” Ray LaMontagne’s album Trouble reverted to him in May after 20 years. So it’s not always a three-year or five-year reversion. But 20 years ago, we were able to take a long view and say, “Let’s take whatever percentage less today so at least there’s the option to sell those recordings X number of years later.”

Are your agreements with artists traditional percentage deals or partnerships?

McDonald: It varies. We have a lot of traditional deals, but any time we’re in true partnership, where we’re sharing [intellectual property] with an artist, it’s fully above board and clear with everyone’s legal teams. There is an evolving way that artists are going to get into business with different companies. We welcome that as things evolve.

(x)

[fnvminorcharacterpoll]

Round 2 is over! Let's recap:

A Bracket, Day One: Easy Pete crushed Santiago's post-presidential assassination aspirations in a landslide; Red Lucy avenged Maj. Elizabeth Kieran's incredibly close Round 1 loss by similarly crushing the poll's most pathetic man, Beagle, in a victory for feminism; Old Ben climbed further in the ranks with a close win over Manny Vargas*; and Ranger Ghost sailed into Round 3 over Tommy Torini.

A Bracket, Day Two: Heartthrob Harland desecrated Pvt. Kowalski in the round's first of several dramatic upsets; the #TRASHSWEEP continued well apace by laying waste to Pacer; Swank and his big ol' eyes saw a win over old Ranger Andy; and the love for 10 of Spades carried him to victory over his fellow NCR soldier Maj. Knight*.

A Bracket, Day Three: The Hadrian Gang unfortunately could not survive against the high-seed monster, Fantastic; Rotface gave Boxcars a tip: get eliminated from the tournament; the Garret Twins made a smear on the sidewalk out of bubbly Brotherhood initiate Melissa Watkins; and Ignacio Rivas's* good nature wasn't enough to take down Trudy from Goodsprings.

A Bracket, Day Four: Fan-favorite Keely utterly crucified houndmaster Antony, which has knocked every member of Caesar's Legion who isn't a slave from the tournament completely; Mr. RADical successfully just laid there while Jimmy* from Casa Madrid couldn't impress; Regis from the Great Khans just barely eked out the W to make Cliff Briscoe extinct; and Mick & Ralph pulled an overnight upset against Old Lady Gibson to punch their ticket.

B Bracket, Day One: Daisy Whitman blew up Raquel; Ringo wrecked Ramos; preliminary fave Angela Williams pulled off an astonishing upset against number two seed Oliver Swanick; and Allen Marks' victory over Crandon & Jules goes to show that the corpses keep winning.

B Bracket, Day Two: Beatrix Russell ate Chomps Lewis; Emily Ortal left Pvt. Kyle Edwards in the radioactive dust; The Lonesome Drifter drifted easily into Round 3 over Michael Angelo & Kate; and Siri beat Malcolm Holmes but not without a surprising amount of turnout for the cap-collecting good samaritan.

B Bracket, Day Three: No-Bark Noonan opened up the all-Khans bracket by kicking Oscar Velasco out of the tournament; Jessup & McMurphy successfully defeated a frail and sickly child; Melissa Lewis succeeded where her father had failed the day before with a victory over Cannibal Johnson; Doctor Usanagi proves that STEM is more valuable than an English degree by giving Jerry the Punk another beating.

B Bracket, Day Four: Big Beard & Little Beard trounce the Gundersons, probably because Heck was the only one with a beard; Chris Haversam throws Meyers back in the clink; Mister Holdout couldn't hold out against Sarah Weintraub; and finally, in the single most massive (624 votes) and close (tied as late midnight with 500 votes) and polarizing (just check the notes) match-up in the entire tournament so far, Calamity the ghoul pulled an upset over Cpl. Betsy*, who's probably dealing with her loss in therapy. Hopefully Dr. Usanagi doesn't bring up her own win.

*Happy Pride Month, losers! The first round of June and literally every canonically queer character (except for Red Lucy, bisexual [edit: and Sarah Weintraub, also bisexual!]) got voted out, and that's hilarious. Funniest possible thing that could have happened on here, the gay and transgender website, during the gay and transgender month, in a tournament for the gay and transgender video game. (Beatrix Russell and Old Ben might also be exceptions, but it's minor; I only can't remember if you can sleep with them as the same sex or not when they're working at the Atomic Wrangler, but even then they may just be gay4pay. Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

You can see all of the Round 2 polls here, and the tournament bracket has been updated so that you can get a preview of the matches yet to come in Round 3. Voting will pause for a bit while I prepare graphics and bracket posts, so use this downtime to mourn the fallen, celebrate the risen, and submit designated cheerleader endorsements for your favorite remaining characters in their upcoming rounds. It's only going to get more tense from here!

[parxarchive]

tagged: Waterparks, Awsten Knight, Vans Warped Tour, Warped Tour, 2013, live, band, concert, music, Reliant Park, Houston, TX, Texas,

[august 4, 2013]

Waterparks on Flickr.

8-4-2013 Vans Warped Tour Houston, TX

Like my photo page!  

[sharkssharpteeth]

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡Muses ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

“I'm down pounding my head against the kitchen floor, apologizing for my life and ever entering yours”

- “Against the Kitchen Floor” by Will Wood

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Listed below are my current fandoms and muses within them. I’m not too picky when it comes to ships, though I tend to lean towards those that are under-explored when the fandom allows (ex: Hadir Karim/Alex Keller). If you want to shoot me a DM or ask regarding a plot ideas, go for it.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Current Fandoms:

The Boys ♢ Brokeback Mountain ♢ Call of Duty (Modern Warfare Reboot) ♢ Detroit: Become Human ♢ Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ♢ Fallout (New Vegas & 4) ♢ Far Cry (4 & 5) ♢ Gen V ♢ Hannibal (NBC) ♢ House Of Ashes ♢ Legend of Zelda ♢ Moon Knight ♢ Mortal Kombat (1) ♢ Night At The Museum ♢ Outlast (1 & Whistleblower) ♢ Pokémon ♢ The Quarry ♢ Resident Evil ♢ Scream (1) ♢ Uncharted (2 & 4) ♢ Until Dawn

Muse List:

Brokeback Mountain

Ennis Del Mar

Jack Twist

Call of Duty (Modern Warfare Reboot)

Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

Phillip Graves

Kim "Horangi" Hong-jin

Hadir Karim

Alex Keller

John “Soap” MacTavish

Vladimir Makarov

Andrei Nolan

Rodolfo Parra

John Price

Simon “Ghost” Riley

Alejandro Vargas

Detroit: Become Human

Colton (RK900)

Connor (RK800)

Elijah Kamski

Markus (RK200)

Gavin Reed

Simon (PL600)

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Simon Aumar

Edgin Darvis

Xenk Yendar

Fallout

New Vegas

Craig Boone

Caesar

Arcade Israel Gannon

Benny Gecko

Joshua Graham

Vulpes Inculta

The King

Pacer

Swank

4

Paladin Danse

Deacon

Porter Gage

Preston Garvey

Robert Joseph MacCready

Mason

Arthur Maxson

Sturges

X6-88

Far Cry

4

Ajay Ghale

Paul "De Pleur" Harmon

Regi

Yogi

5

Charlemagne "Sharky" Victor Boshaw IV

Jacob Seed

John Seed

Hannibal (NBC)

Frederick Chilton

Francis Dolarhyde

Will Graham

Hannibal Lecter

Mason Verger

Legend of Zelda

Kass

Link

Prince Sidon

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Steven Grant ♢ Mr. Knight

Jake Lockley

Marc Spector ♢ Moon Knight

Mortal Kombat 1

Baraka

Johnathan Carlton ♢ Johnny Cage

Bi-Han ♢ Sub-Zero

Liu Kang

Kung Lao

Kuai Liang ♢ Scorpion

Raiden

Reiko

Syzoth ♢ Reptile

Kenshi Takahashi

Shang Tsung

Tomas Vrbada ♢ Smoke

Night At The Museum

Ahkmenrah

Jedediah

Octavius

Outlast + Whistleblower

Jeremy Blaire

Eddie Gluskin

Waylon Park

Miles Upshur

Pokémon

Archer

Archie

Beni

Colress

Emmet

Faba

Ghetsis

Giovanni

Guzma

Ingo

Professor Kukui

Lysandre

Matt

Maxie

Milo

Molayne

Nanu

Peony

Petrel

Proton

Chairman Rose

Professor Sycamore

Tabitha

Resident Evil

Karl Heisenberg

Leon Kennedy

Carlos Oliveira

Chris Redfield

Ethan Winters

Scream (Original)

Billy Loomis

Stu Macher

Randy Meeks

Dwight “Dewey” Riley

Supermassive Games

The Devil in Me

Charles Lonnit

House of Ashes

Nick Kay

Eric King

Jason Kolchek

Salim Othman

Man of Medan

Conrad

Bradley Smith

The Quarry

Jacob Custos

Ryan Erzahler

Chris Hackett

Travis Hackett

Dylan Lenivy

Until Dawn

Christopher Hartley

Michael Munroe

Matthew Taylor

Joshua Washington

Uncharted

All Entries

Nathan Drake

Victor Sullivan

Among Thieves

Harry Flynn

A Thief’s End

Rafe Adler

[jazzandother-blog]

When asked once about what made him different than anyone else, Lightnin’ Hopkins replied, “A bluesman is just different from any other man that walks this earth. The blues is something that is hard to get acquainted with. Just like death. The blues dwell with you everyday and everywhere.”

Lightnin’ was tremendously appealing for aspiring blues guitarists to emulate because his signature turnaround was relatively easy to learn, but it was extremely hard to replicate his sound because of his distinctive held notes, pauses, string bending, and shortened and lengthened measures. Sometimes, as bluesman Michael “Hawkeye” Herman points out, Lightnin’ “played it in triplets, sometimes as a quarter note, sometimes as an eighth note…. He knew how to play the same lick/riff forward, backward, from the middle to the front, from the middle to the back, from the back to the front … each effort creating a completely huge guitar vocabulary.” Ultimately, it didn’t matter what kind of guitar he was playing, acoustic or electric. “He just had this feel,” guitarist and luthier Sam Swank maintains, echoing the sentiments of so many Lightnin’ devotees. “There aren’t that many blues guitar players in the world that when you drop the needle on the record, anybody who’s anybody knows who that is. Lightnin’ Hopkins is one of those guitar players.”

"Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life and Blues" by Alan Govenar

Listen & enjoy: Mojo Hand - Sam Lightnin' Hopkins (Live Accoustic)

Listen & enjoy: I'm Going To Build Me A Heaven Of My Own

Lightnin Hopkins-New Orleans Jazz Festival is a photograph by Diane Hocker

Cuando le preguntaron qué le hacía diferente de los demás, Lightnin' Hopkins respondió: "Un bluesman es diferente de cualquier otro hombre que camine por esta tierra. El blues es algo difícil de conocer. Como la muerte. El blues te acompaña todos los días y en todas partes.”

Lightnin' resultaba tremendamente atractivo para los aspirantes a guitarristas de blues porque su giro característico era relativamente fácil de aprender, pero resultaba extremadamente difícil reproducir su sonido debido a sus características notas sostenidas, pausas, dobleces de cuerdas y compases cortos y largos. A veces, como señala el bluesman Michael "Hawkeye" Herman, Lightnin' "lo tocaba en tresillos, a veces como una negra, a veces como una corchea….". Sabía tocar el mismo lick/riff hacia delante, hacia atrás, del centro hacia delante, del centro hacia atrás, de atrás hacia delante… cada esfuerzo creaba un vocabulario de guitarra completamente enorme". Al final, daba igual el tipo de guitarra que tocara, acústica o eléctrica. "Simplemente tenía ese toque", afirma el guitarrista y luthier Sam Swank, haciéndose eco de los sentimientos de tantos devotos de Lightnin'. "No hay tantos guitarristas de blues en el mundo que, cuando sueltas la aguja del disco, cualquiera sabe de quién se trata. Lightnin' Hopkins es uno de esos guitarristas".

"Lightnin' Hopkins: su vida y su blues", de Alan Govenar

[denimbex1986]

'We are on the verge of a "Hartnettaissance."

Josh Hartnett recently had impressive performances on TV ("Black Mirror") and in movies ("Oppenheimer").

Since he's known best for his work on the big screen, we're highlighting Hartnett's top movie roles.

14. John Tate in "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" (1998)

In his big screen debut, Hartnett played John, the son of Jamie Lee Curtis' character, Laurie.

It's what you'd expect — he runs for his life from Michael Myers. It's not the most memorable performance, but landing the role did help catapult him into the "next big thing" conversation in Hollywood.

13. Hugo Goulding in "O" (2001)

In this modern-day retelling of Shakespeare's "Othello," Harnett plays the evil Hugo (essentially an adaptation of the Iago character in the classic play), who plots against his supposed friend Odin (Mekhi Phifer) to get the attention of Desi (Julia Stiles) and ruin Odin's life.

Released at a time when Hartnett's star was rising fast, the movie helped show that Hartnett was more than just a pretty face.

12. Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert in "The Black Dahlia" (2006)

Though this Brian DePalma-directed adaptation of James Ellroy's classic pulpy noir didn't get the acclaim you'd expect with such legends attached, Hartnett still shined as a detective investigating one of Los Angeles' most notorious murders.

In a cast that also featured stars like Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, and Hilary Swank, Hartnett proves here that his dramatic acting chops are on par with those of genuine movie stars.

11. The Drifter in "Bunraku" (2010)

A rare impressive performance from the decade or so where Hartnett found himself in B-movies that often went straight-to-video or On Demand, Hartnett has a blast in "Bunraku" playing the movie's lead, The Drifter, who stumbles upon some interesting characters — and a lot of blood.

10. Matt Sullivan in "40 Days and 40 Nights" (2002)

Hartnett leans heavily on his heartthrob status in this rom-com, in which he plays a guy who gives up any sexual contact for Lent.

Playing up his character's wide eyes and penchant for hyperventilating as his hormones gradually get out of control, Hartnett delivers big on the laughs and the charm here.

9. K.C. Calden in "Hollywood Homicide" (2003)

A year after doing the rom-com thing, Hartnett teamed up with Harrison Ford for this studio action comedy.

Harnett holds his own across from Ford, delivering a playfulness he doesn't often give us in his filmography.

8. Ernest Lawrence in "Oppenheimer" (2023)

In Christopher Nolan's biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Hartnett stars as one of the real-life physicists who joined the Manhattan Project to create the atom bomb alongside Oppenheimer.

Hartnett plays Ernest Lawrence as a man who is not just friendly with Oppenheimer, but who tries to make the genius understand that his actions, especially his favoritism towards Communist thinking, can lead to problems.

7. Trip Fontaine in "The Virgin Suicides" (1999)

In Sofia Coppola's feature directorial debut about the tragic lives of five teenage sisters, Hartnett plays Trip, the movie's heartthrob who dates the most rebellious sister, Lux (Kirsten Dunst).

Hartnett plays his role perfectly, and Coppola frames him as a high school God on screen, complete with a flowing 1970s-style haircut and stylish outfits.

6. Dave "Boy Sweat" Hancock in "Wrath of Man" (2021)

The recent "Hartnettaissance" can be traced back to this Guy Ritchie action thriller.

This revenge movie set in the world of armored truck guards finds Hartnett playing one of the guards who befriends Jason Statham's character.

It won't be the last time Ritchie calls on Hartnett to bring one of his characters to life.

5. The Salesman in "Sin City" (2005)

As the slick assassin in the Robert Rodriguez adaptation of Frank Miller's iconic comic series, Hartnett's character plays a key role in bookending the movie.

His voiceover narrates his target at the start of the movie at a party. Then, dressed as a doctor at the end of the movie, he encounters a woman in an elevator. She knows from the sight of him that her fate is set.

Though Harnett doesn't get a lot of screen time, his presence in both scenes is thrilling and chilling.

4. Matt Eversmann in "Black Hawk Down" (2001)

Hartnett is front and center in Ridley Scott's acclaimed war movie, which follows the aftermath of a Black Hawk helicopter crashing in enemy territory in Mogadishu in 1993 during the Somali Civil War.

The role was a breakthrough in positioning Hartnett as not just a heartthrob, but a good actor in his own right.

3. Danny Francesco in "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre" (2023)

Teaming again with Guy Ritchie, Hartnett delivers one of his best performances in recent memory. In this Ritchie action movie, Jason Statham plays a spy who must track down a device before an arms dealer (Hugh Grant) sells it to the highest bidder.

Hartnett plays the dealer's favorite actor, whom Statham's character uses to infiltrate the dealer's world.

Here, Hartnett gets to flex his comedic chops, as his egotistical actor character suddenly has to be as tough as the characters he plays on screen.

2. Danny Walker in "Pearl Harbor" (2001)

Michael Bay's blockbuster fictional epic about the attack on Pearl Harbor was slaughtered by critics and became a punching bag for audiences throughout the summer of 2001. But despite all of that, it features one of Hartnett's best performances.

Starring alongside Ben Affleck as two best friends who survive the attack, the role marks the biggest studio job Hartnett has had to date. Not only does Hartnett deliver an impressive dramatic performance, but he also carries the movie's main love story, alongside Kate Beckinsale.

1. Zeke Tyler in "The Faculty" (1998)

The same year Hartnett made his big-screen debut in "Halloween H20," he also starred in Robert Rodriguez's sci-fi horror "The Faculty."

As the rebellious, drug-dealing student at an Ohio high school who is repeating his senior year, Hartnett delivers all the qualities that would go on to make him famous: His boyish good looks, his brooding intensity, his signature deep voice, and that late-1990s look where you wear a long-sleeved shirt under a T-shirt.'

[screenmaven]

Films I’ve Loved This Year

I have already written reviews on some of them (not seen in this post), that you can already read here. So make sure to also do that.

I’m completely laid out in bed extremely sick, I thought between the delusional fevers, bomb exploding headaches, and literally feeling like I’m dying, I’d share the other films I’ve absolutely enjoyed watching this year.

I started up a separate account via Instagram to just post film, but having multiples is beginning to be too much, so from now on any other film content aside from the blog here will be on @ starrymayx.

So to start off the list here we go…

These 90s “Noir” films started my whole new movie Escapades, and I’m so glad they did -

Bad Influence, Guilty As Sin, Pacific Heights, Whispers in The Dark, Dream Lover, Untamed Heart, White Palace

Here are the others…

Thrashin - 1986

Starring: Josh Brolin, Pamela Gidley

Brooke McCarter (RIP homie), Sherilyn Fenn, Robert Rusler, & Josh Richman

Anthony Kiedis + RHCP

Tony Hawk, Kevin Staab, Mike McGill, Jimmy Star

What I liked: There was so much awesomeness in this film and a feel good story of triumph. Basically it’s about two skateboarding gangs, having beef, mix in lots of skating, graffiti, punk rock aesthetics, and a love story, and you have yourself a pretty badass film. Plus they overcome their rivalry in the LA Massacre challenge, and there’s even several rat tails. 🤣 Definitely worth a watch!

I really wish I could skateboard. I would have been so rad. To all my skater friends and Bo’s over the years, mad respect. 🤘🏻

The House on Sorority Row - 1983

Director: Mark Rosman

I swear Scream Queens was influenced by this film.

I really liked it. Loved the lighting, still had a seventies type feel, storyline was really good. Definitely a film to check out if you like really good horror, without all the super special effects.

*For any strobe light sensitive people* like myself out there, there is a scene where it’s wild,

Pump Up The Volume ✊🏻 1990

Director Allan Moyle

This movie is 🔥 Definitely a pioneer for all things talk radio but from a non-narrative perspective. Films like this and indie radio programs paved the way for our now podcasts. I loved the way it was written, the development of the characters personal selves, and breaking the rules.

I love me some Christian Slater 💓

The soundtrack is also amazing!

From Richard Hell, Leonard Cohen, Beastie Boys, Ice T, & more! I’ll link the soundtrack in my stories.

*trigger warning: there is a scene that deals with suicide and those scenes always get me. So I wanted to mention that.

Out of Bounds - 1986

Director- Richard Tuggle

Cinematography - Bruce Surtees

Starring: Anthony Michael Hall

Siouxsie and the Banshees 🤘🏻💓

& Meatloaf (in like 3 scenes)

What I liked: The cinematography of downtown LA & Venice Beach California, (actually the whole film is beautifully done). The 80’s colors, Dizz’s home, her style. The fact that Anthony Michael Hall was a badass hero, taking down a heroin drug man with his knife throwing skills. Really good film.

2 Days in The Valley - 1996

Written and Directed by: John Herzfeld.

Starring: James Spader, Eric Stolz & Charlize Theron

Synopsis: 48 hours of intersecting lives and crimes in The Valley of Los Angeles.

Why I liked it: Artsy Cinematography, James Spader obviously, and the correlation of numerous parties all being connected, going through individual stuff but being thrown into the mix of chaos. Plus sunglasses just seem to add viable cred to it. Why are sunglasses so cool yet mysterious?

Shampoo - 1975

Director: Hal Ashby

Starting Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, & Warren Beatty

I throughly enjoyed this film mainly due to the Jim Morrison/Sharon Tate style vibes it gave off throughout, and all the stylish decor/fashion. The Morrison looking guy played by (Warren Beatty) is basically a lover to many of his women hair clients (he does hair).

I really appreciate the 70’s swank and aesthetic appeal in this film. I’m also obsessed with Julie Christie’s glam Tate starlet look and I wish I could pull off bangs! Goldie Hawn is also in here and a younger Carrie Fisher.

From the 70s eye shadow, purple outfit I want, the main girls style, glamorous hair, river grotto, la house party with body paint and strobe lights (which that part I had to turn away - sensitive), it still rocked.

Based in the LA canyon/hills it’s definitely worth a watch to see the web of desire and aesthetic unfold. Keep your eye out for the creepy art in one of the scenes that just didn’t quite belong. 😳

Additionally there was some dialogue between two parties in the kitchen about questioning the lead male’s (hairstylist) orientation, and the f word was used a couple times. Didn’t like that part.

Really glad we’ve evolved on how we should identify people and what’s right to say and not to. A person can be gay or even not, but using derogatory terminology to hurt them is very low par. If you still do that. Stop.

Chopping Mall - 1986

Director: Jim Wynorski

Mall Location: Sherman Oaks Galleria

I loved this film. For reals.

Nothing better than a mall unleashing new technology security robots, only to go horribly wrong. Which I already knew where it was going as soon as it started 😂

Anyways a group of mall employee friends and two others throw a party in a bedding home store and get freaky - typical 80s horror, which I love. Then basically the robots go crazy and savage, hunting down all of them in a terminator/stranger things vibe kind of way. The aesthetic, 80s style, and scenery are very appealing, all the way down to even the playboy underwear from Miss Virgina Slims herself. Camel ciggs just won’t cut it. 😂

Lots of greats here, and I hope you check them out if you haven’t seen them.

Happy Filming 😘