#the Wendell Baker Story

[mr-heebie-jeebies]

[hughesybear]

“Elliotte talks about the struggling Elias Pettersson.” (21/10/2024)

transcript of 32 Thoughts segment below cut

Elliotte: I have a theory on Pettersson. I think number one, he’s wired a little differently than guys like Miller and Hughes, which is okay. Not everybody can be the same, so I think that sometimes the way he reacts to tough or challenging moments, or when things aren’t going that well, it’s not as emotional as them. We’re going to be interviewing Mats Sundin this week, and I always thought that was a thing that hurt Sundin a little bit in Toronto - it took people a lot of time to understand that just because you’re more of a stoic, as opposed to emotional, person, it doesn’t mean you don’t care or that you don’t want to win just as badly as anyone else. But I think people who are like that in sports sometimes get penalized for it, Kyle. And I think a little bit that happens with him.

You know, you’ve got to produce (…) but you know what the other thing is, and I’ve really thought about this and I think it’s true more and more, I think Pettersson is one of those guys that reads everything or he’s aware of everything that’s said about him. And honestly Kyle, I think that’s one thing that he’s going to move past. Because I think in moments like this, when you’re struggling (…) I always say about markets like Vancouver, the rewards are high but the risks are high.

Jamie Baker, the former NHLer, told me a great story of when he got treaded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wendell Clark pulled him aside and said “Understand this: you’re never as good as they say you are, and you’re never as bad as they say you are. You’ve got to ride a flat line as much as you can. You can’t go up and down, it can’t be peaks and valleys, you’ve got to ride the flat line.” And I suspect, this is my opinion, because I think Pettersson is well aware of everything that is said about him, I think he rides the peaks and valleys, and I think that is the thing that he has to get out of his system.

(…) I think Hughes is excellent at riding the line. I think he’s captain for a reason, because he knows what matters and what doesn’t. And I think the key thing for Vancouver is that I think they have players who weren’t like that before, but have gotten there. Like I think JT Miller, over the last year or so, has gotten a lot better at riding the line. Now I think it helps because they’re successful, I think when they’re losing it’s extremely hard for him, but I think he’s gotten better at riding the line. I think Brock Boeser is a guy who’s gotten a lot better at riding the line, keeping it calm. I think you can develop it, I think you can learn it.

But I think one of the things, and this is my theory on Pettersson too, is that when he’s struggling and it’s not going well, I think it really - it’s something he’s really aware of, what’s being said about him, and he has to stop that. And that’s my constructive criticism for Pettersson (…) You have to learn to weed it out. There’s a difference between constructive criticism, which we all need, and just pure savagery. So I think that’s one thing Pettersson’s going to have to get better at, is blocking that out, and I think it’ll really help him.

Kyle: I think back to a couple years ago, I remember asking a question about like “when you’re going through tough stretches, who do you lean on to help get you through?” And he said “you know, I’m a little bit of a lone wolf.” And that really stuck with me. This is a guy who’s - I mean, he’s only gonna be 26 next month, just over 400 career games in the NHL, so this is a guy who’s still very much figuring out life as a person.

I mean, I grew up [in Vancouver] when the Sedins went through “they’re too small, they’re too soft, they can’t survive in the NHL,” to being one of the great dynamic duos in the league for an extended period of time. And seeing how that market can be with players who really learn to thrive amidst the chaos that market can provide. So I hope he does find joy in where he wants to get to, because it can be a really great ride out there when you can find that balance.

Elliotte: If I was good enough to play, and we all know I’m not, but if I was good enough to play I would be all over a Canadian market (…) I really do love it. And you can see this, like a guy like Miller, who’s signed long-term, he sees that. He’s been through the wringer, and he’s grinded his way through, and now you see the videos that his family is putting out like when he scored the other day, last year in the playoffs when Natalie Miller put on Instagram the video of their daughter hearing them chant his name, like that’s what I mean about the rewards are high.

If you succeed in hockey in a Canadian market, your ticket is booked for ever. Forever and ever, amen.

[hooked-on-elvis]

"HOT DOG"

"THE DAY ELVIS BLEW HIS TOP!"

Elvis' photo shoot for "Loving You" (Paramount 1957)

Elvis Presley: Loving You album, released in June 1957

Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for Elvis' second movie score, "Hot Dog" was recorded at the Paramount Scoring Stage on mid-January 1957. According to Ernst Jorgensen in "Elvis Presley: A Life In Music", the song "lasted all of a minute and twelve seconds but took seventeen takes to record".

Recording it must have been tiring, but the hard work with this track wasn't over at the end of the recording session. It would follow to the filming of the movie (from January 21 to March 8, 1957).

(1) Elvis' during filming of "Loving You" (Early 1957). (2) Page from article for the Silver Screen magazine (1957)

HERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF HOW IT WAS FILMING THE COUNTRY FAIR SEQUENCE FOR "LOVING YOU" — THE "HOT DOG" PERFORMANCE — ACCORDING TO A 1957 MAGAZINE ARTICLE:

THE DAY ELVIS BLEW HIS TOP! When he's restrained by strict demand of movie-making, Elvis has got to explode somewhere, somehow - and explode he did! By Viola Swisher "Hot Dog!" That's how the lyrics go. Singing them, Elvis Presley spun into a forward lunge, one arm out-thrust, eyes afire. Hypnotized... hypnotizing. Hot dog? What did the words matter? Elvis exploded them as if some overwhelming earth force had hit him right in the heart. He hunched over to hug the sensation to himself. He swayed with the eternal rhythm of nature. Elvis was blazing through the action of his pre-recorded song "Hot Dog," featured in a country fair sequence of "Loving You," his new Hal Wallis picture for Paramount. Director [and co-writer] Hal Kanter called for a full rehearsal using about fifty extras bouncing and juggling to Presley's music at the fair. "All right" shouted an assistant. "Places, everybody." "Let's try it," Kanter nodded to the star. "Well, here's where I get censored," quietly commented Elvis in his understated, off-screen manner. But only a few alert ears caught the remark. He gave an experimental leg-quiver and looked at the director for an okay. Kanter shook his head in a pantomimed "no". What followed was a running series of dilutions, deletions and compromises for Elvis. Charles O'Curran, a top-rated dance director staging the routine, tried to make up some "typical Elvis Presley" action for the number. Only he kept getting nowhere. The more he struggled to gear the Presley-style to Hollywood's cameras, the more static and inhibited Elvis became. Things grew just a litle bit tense. Head lowered, the singer rolled his velvety eyes upward to level off at Charlie. Not a word exchanges. None was needed. Elvis remained quiet and courteous. No throwing his weight around. No acting big-big. Only his eyes making the polite plea: "Don't tell me how to do my stuff." Presley and O'Curran tried over and over again to get together on the routine. Elvis was aware of what he wanted, yet because it wasn't natural for him he couldn't get with it.

Excerpt from article on the Silver Screen magazine (1957 issue) , pg. 45.

More was written in this article about the filming of "Loving You", possibly something more about how the filming of the scene went on until the final result but I, unfortunately, haven't found the following pages online. I guess the most important story was told by this excerpt anyways. They got the scene. We know they did. I wonder tho how Charles O'Curran had imagined the number. What we see Elvis doing onscreen while singing "Hot Dog" is more Elvis acting like himself or something like Charles wanted him to look like?

Pictures of the outfit Elvis wore to perform "Hot Dog" and, below, the King performing the song in scene featured in his second movie, "Loving You" (1957).

Scene from movie "Loving You" (Paramount Pictures 1957), starring Elvis Presley, Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey. Directed by Hal Kanter. Screenplay by Herbert Baker and Hal Kanter. Story by Mary Agnes Thompson. Produced by Hal B. Wallis.

"HOT DOG" — LYRICS

Hot dog, you say you're really coming back Hot dog, I'm waiting at the railway track Hot dog, you say you're coming home for good Hot dog, I'm going to keep knocking on wood And baby, I can hardly wait I'm gonna meet you at the gate, hot dog I fell in love with you and then you went away But now you're coming home to stay Hot dog, soon everything will be all right Hot dog, we're gonna have a ball tonight I've got a pocketful of dimes It's gonna be just like old times, hot dog You went away and every day was misery But now you're coming back to me Hot dog, my heart is gonna go insane Hot dog, when you come walking off the train Oh how lonely I have been But when that Santa Fe pulls in Hot dog, baby, baby, hot dog

Lyrics by Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FURTHER INFO - WHAT DOES 'HOT DOG' MEAN?

I'm not American, and that's why I don't get slangs in English right away (and that's also why you'll find typos in my writing, sorry 'bout that). So, until this very moment, I never understood why the song was entitled "Hot Dog". I found it so silly... I thought about the food, not gonna lie, but I just googled the word and, in slang, it seems 'hot dog' can mean someone who's dangerous, a daredevil or something. So, the poetic persona in the song is calling out the lady for leaving him for a while. I guess that's it. Probably many already got it from the start (and if I got it wrong, please, correct me) but this note is here just in case someone needs an explanation. Oh, I also found an article about the meanings of "hot dog" as a slang, over the years. It's really interesting. Like I say, Elvis is always directly or indirectly teaching me something. Read more about the meanings for 'hot dog' here: today.com/food/hot-dog-meanings.

--

UPDATE - May 22, 2024: @thetaoofzoe and @lookingforrainbows helped us with this one. THANK YOU SO MUCH, BABIES. ♥ According to dear @thetaoofzoe, "I'm under the impression that 'hot dog' here means he's expressing delight or excitement about the girl coming back. Like a 'yay! I'm so excited'" and then I read @lookingforrainbows with: "hot dog in this case might mean ‘I’m so excited’. It was a saying in the 50s to mean something like ‘wow! that’s awesome’" -- There you go, friends! Solved!

[lightofraye]

All About Glen

I'm in the mood for something... easy.

Or, rather, I thought this would be easy. Then I went deep diving and have yet to surface. This post will likely edited a few more times in the next few days (maybe? I'll let you know either way), so keep an eye out!

So... who is Glen Powell? Besides a possible new rising star in Hollywood. (Certainly his upcoming projects say he's in high demand!)

Come with me, and I shall tell you!

Also, I had so much fun diving into his background! Learned more about this guy than I realized!

(And I also turned my daughter into a Glen Powell fan! I'll explain why/how in a bit!)

Raised in Austin, Texas, born on October 21, 1988, to Glen Powell Sr and Cyndy Powell, he's the middle child of three. And the only boy. He has an older sister named Lauren and a younger sister, Leslie. Named after his father, the Original Glen (no, seriously, that's his Instagram!), Glen was a child actor. He started performing with the Austin Musical Theater program when he was in the fifth grade, learning to tap dance--according to Leslie, there is video evidence--and appearing in The Music Man and 42nd Street.

Oh, he explored all sorts of extracurriculars' growing up. Football, lacrosse, all sorts. However, his passion and fascination were movies.

The actor recalled that he would be “picking dandelions” in the outfield while playing baseball as a kid, and his parents, Cyndy and Glen Sr., were ready to let him try something else.

“I played violin for a bit, and all of a sudden, I was like, ‘No, not into this anymore.’ They let me give it up,” he continued, noting they were supportive until Powell found something he “really loved.” That’s where his acting career comes in.

At the precious age of 5, his father took him to see Steven Spielberg's megahit, Jurassic Park, in the summer of 1993. Glen ended up watching the movie multiple times in theaters, and again on home video, trying to figure out the secrets of the film's special effects.

In an interview with Austin Monthly, Glen said he began making his own science fiction films growing up. He'd use a home video camera, computer, recruited his friends to be actors, and searched for props in his family's basement. Seeing this, his parents encouraged him to enroll in acting classes.

His second grade project was on Steven Spielberg's use of practical effects in Jurassic Park. In 2003, when he was 14, he got his first movie role as "long-fingered boy" in Spy Kids 3: Game Over. His location in Austin helped him land the role. Director Robert Rodriguez discovered Powell, then 14, while looking for "local hires" to accompany the primarily Los Angeles-based cast.

"You're just trying to find someone locally that won't get nervous, that'll give a performance that kind of measures up to the other actors. He walks in with a stature and confidence and just nails it," Rodriguez told IndieWire. "So now, it's no surprise to see [he made it as an actor], but he already had that quality at 14 and clarity of vision that that's what he was supposed to be."

Two years later, he played a paperboy in The Wendell Baker Story, a part that required him to get hit by a car, which he practiced with his mother in a church parking lot.

In 2006, everything changed. His mother, Cyndy, drove him five hours to Shreveport, La., to audition for Denzel Washington, who was directing and starring in The Great Debaters. Powell got the part--and a powerful agent: Ed Limato, who represented Washington.

Powell also starred in Fast Food Nation (2006), and The Hottest State (2006) over the next few years.

Still in high school at Westwood, Powell even considered deprioritizing his acting career until receiving a pep talk from Denzel Washington during the filming of The Great Debaters. In the movie, Powell played Harvard University student Preston Whittington and impressed the two-time Oscar winner. "Denzel Washington really pushed me out of the nest a bit and said, 'You should double-down on yourself. You should give [acting] a shot'," Powell said.

A year later, Limato called Powell in his dorm room at the University of Texas at Austin.

"Ed said, 'If you're going to spin the wheel on an acting career, now is the time to do it'," Powell said.

Taking a chance, Powell dropped out of college and moved to Los Angeles in 2008. “Ed always told me, over and over, that the definition of a movie star is somebody who guys want to grab a beer with — fun, not threatening — and who women want to date and bring home to meet their parents,” Powell said.

Limato had a history of helping turn actors into big stars--among his clients? Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, and Kevin Costner. Limato also gave Powell a crucial career tip: Don’t take on a role in a big franchise too soon, however tempting the paycheck; stars are built in smaller movies of varied genres.

Unfortunately for Powell, Limato died two years later, leaving him without an advocate.

It was a rough and learning time for Glen. He supported himself through coaching community sports and small acting jobs (a Dockers commercial, an episode of The Lying Game, a cable series).

Not long after Powell moved to Los Angeles, Limato introduced him to Lynda Obst, a fellow Texan and a producer of hits like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Contact, and Sleepless in Seattle. She hired Powell as an intern, a job that involved reading scripts and giving feedback.

It helped him learn how Hollywood ran.

Obst recalled, "He was adorable--charm off the charts. But that is not what impressed me, and it's not why he's succeeding." She went on: "Actors can turn on charm, but they can't turn on intelligence. Glen is smart and learned about developing scripts and the structure in movies. It made him independent and wily."

He eventually got dropped by the William Morris Endeavor talent agency. He began to question whether superstardom was even achievable anymore. He took to writing scripts and sold several to help keep himself afloat during his shaky start.

Glen took Washington's advice and gradually began appearing in more prominent titles, including the Christopher Nolan-directed Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, in 2012 as an unnamed Gotham Stock Exchange Trader. He also appeared in the ensemble movie, The Expendables 3, in 2014, appearing alongside action stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In 2016, he played astronaut John Glenn in Hidden Figures. Glen was cited as saying that upon viewing a rough cut of the film with unfinished special effects, he was critical of his performance. "I just remember being like 'I ruined this beautiful movie, the legacy of these amazing women'," he explained in an interview with Variety.

Fortunately, critics and the audience disagreed--the movie made more than $230 million at the box office and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

He took a detour into comedy for his next roles, including the teen movie Everybody Wants Some!! (2016), and the Netflix rom-com Set It Up (2018).

In between all that, he went onto a recurring role on Scream Queens (Ryan Murphy's show on Fox), and appear in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society. He's even done voice roles, such as the Netflix cartoon, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, and an episode of Rick and Morty.

How he got the huge leap to everyone's attention was something he nearly turned down. He lost out on blockbuster roles including Captain America, Han Solo in Solo, in addition to pieces in films ranging from Friday Night LIghts to Cowboys & Aliens and The Longest Ride.

His break was something he nearly missed out on.

When Miles Teller beat him out of the part of Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick, and Tom Cruise and director Joe Kosinski offered him the role of Hangman instead.

The problem?

"If I were editing this movie, I would cut him out immediately," Powell said to British GQ. The original version of the character was a lousy pilot who made it to Top Gun through nepotism, a storyline Powell thought did the film a disservice.

Luck was with him. Cruise and Kosinski decided to hear him out and ended up convinced, rewriting the character based on Powell's notes.

“What we were talking about is, how can Hangman service the story and give the flavour of the original Top Gun that you need?” Powell said.

“I said my piece to Tom about what I do and what I do well, and he listened. Tom’s a listener. He listens to the crew members, he listens to his collaborators, and he hears people.”

And good thing he did — Top Gun: Maverick went on to become a box office phenomenon, and Powell’s career got the kickstart he had waited so long for.

2022 was his year. He appeared in the war drama Devotion, the Netflix animated comedy Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, and Top Gun: Maverick. The latter, the sequel to the 1986 vehicle--became the biggest movie of the year, grossing nearly $1.5 billion at the global box office.

Powell underwent extensive training for the film, including underwater escape simulations and flights in F-18 aircraft to prepare for the G-forces he would experience on camera. Cruise even paid for the actor to complete flight school as a Christmas present, allowing Powell to earn his pilot's license.

We all know what happened after this. His role with Sydney Sweeney on Anyone But You brought him even more attention. His future projects will keep him busy for at least a couple of years. (He did tease he has a start date for Top Gun 3, but has refused to say more than that.)

He's been romantically linked to Nina Dobrev in 2017, Australian TV host Renee Bargh from 2018 to 2019. He began dating model Gigi Paris, starting in 2020. We know in April of 2023, they broke up for good.

Glen Powell Sr, his father, was an executive coach. His mother? A stay at home mom. Leslie is working on her career as a singer, and was fortunate enough to have had a song be used for the Olympics!

Both parents have trolled the hell out of Glen during the premiere of Hit Man. In a way, his family is what keeps Glen grounded.

Amusingly, Us Weekly described his parents as the first ever nepo parents.

“The greatest gift that my parents gave me is never making me sit in things I didn’t want to sit in and letting me chase the passions I wanted to chase, no matter what,” Powell, 35, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting his new movie Twisters. “I am really grateful for my parents for not trying to deter me from a job that has such a low success rate.”

As his fame continued to rise, his parents have made various cameos in his movies over the years.

His Instagram is full of photos of behind the scenes, with family, and of course, Brisket.

There was a rumor that Glen was opening a restaurant in Austin. This has been researched and debunked. I did go into detail about his future projects here.

--

So how did I convert my daughter into a fan?

Because I was talking to her about the gossip regarding him and Sydney Sweeney. I showed her the photos, then I showed her how he was with his other female costars.

With Adria Arjona from Hit Man.

With Daisy Edgar-Jones from Twisters.

And her first thought: "He makes them comfortable. He's safe. That's why they're so relaxed."

In that instant, she became a fan. That's all it took.

So yeah. Got fans here.

We're looking forward to more about this green-eyed Texan!

--

BONUS: Glen also is rather hilarious on Twitter! Check this out!

Hilariously, he decided to run with it!

We love a star who can make a joke like this!

Sources (with blatant lifts when possible): New York Times (using web archive due to paywall) Entertainment Weekly Us Weekly Biography Los Angeles Time Variety *I freely admit/acknowledge I relied on existing writing to put all this together. I added, rearranged, edited, as necessary. I am grateful to the access of this information that allowed me to compile this biography!

[pxmun]

Cleo slowly came to her senses; she remembered being at Tidmouth sheds with everyone and hearing Percy arrive then, nothing.

As her vision began to clear, Cleo could see her brothers standing over her.

"I think she's coming too, everyone give her some room." Came the voice of Sir Topham Hatt.

"Darius, what happened"? Cleo asked.

"You got a bit over excited and passed out." Darius said.

"A bit? Bro she was a rocket ship fueled with sugar that failed to launch." Romeo retorted.

"Not now Romes." Darius warned.

"Over excited? About what"? Cleo asked confused.

"I'm afraid it was my fault my dear." Came a voice.

Wendell cautiously puffed up towards the three siblings.

"Wendell." Cleo said shocked.

"Hello young Cleo, sorry to have caused you to pass out. Are you alright"? Wendell asked.

"Yes, yes I'm fine but, how are you alive and where have you been"? Cleo asked surprised.

Wendell smiled.

"It's a long story my dear, why don't I tell you all about it during teatime? Guessing on how much time has passed this is Tidmouth if I'm correct"? Wendell asked.

"Yes, this is Tidmouth sheds, it's been here for a very long time." Percy piped in.

The silly engine laughed.

"My goodness, Tidmouth sheds is considered old now?! I remember when Ethan drew up the first draft for this place, poor man didn't know how many engines it should house or how spacious the berths should be." Wendell remembered.

He looked over to Gordon, Flying Scotsman, and Spencer.

"But I can see he made the right choice. By the Arc it's amazing how large the new generation of engines have become"! Wendell said astonished.

Gordon grinned with pride.

"Biggest and best, and we pull the express"! Gordon boasted.

"Except when you fall into a ditch." Snickered James.

"And lose your dome." Continued Henry.

"Or need my help getting up your hill." Added Edward.

Gordon blushed out of embarrassment and being crossed; he wasn't expecting Edward to join in on the teasing.

Wendell held back a chuckle.

"No hard feelings my friend, we all get into our mishaps. Why do you think they call me the silly engine"? Wendell grinned.

By teatime, Patty had arrived with some baked goods and tea for the engine crews and her friends. Patty was amazed to see Wendell in the steel and steam, Romeo invited her to stay so the young baker could hear the silly old engine speak.

"So, Wendell I have to ask, what was life back then for you and Dinah? Tidmouth sheds didn't exist back then, so I'm guessing things were probably pretty wild back then"? Romeo asked.

"In a way it was, but it was more of an organized chaos. Before the realms were separated, Ethan and the other controllers had hardly any say on how the railroads were run. Instead, we were commanded by the overseers, and they were in control of everything. Where the engines were allowed to go, which one would pull which train, when we were allowed breaks and for how long." Wendell answered.

"That sounds horrible! Why didn't you and the other engines use your magic to fight back against these overseers"? Thomas asked.

"Well, back then we didn't have magic." Wendell revealed.

Everyone in the sheds gasped in shock.

"No magic?! Then how in the name of Sodor did we rebel against these overseers or are even sentient for that matter"? Scotsman asked bewildered.

"Sodor does provide its own magic, enough for us to be sentient, but we engines were unable to utilize Sodor's magic in such a way like the overseers could. It wasn't until the magic railroad was built that the engines finally had access to magic." Wendell explained.

Cleo was busy writing down what Wendell said into her notes, meanwhile Romeo had a question to ask.

"So, the magic railroad didn't just appear out of nowhere and with it the engines of Sodor could finally use magic and use it to defend themselves against these overseers. Then, who built the magic railroad and who or what split Sodor off the rest of the world"? Romeo asked.

"The magic railroad was constructed by the king and queen of Sodor of course"! Wendell peeped.

"Huh"? Everyone responded in confusion.

"Well, that is how Dinah refers to them. I forgot what their actual names were, but I do remember our interactions. We would see them around Sodor from time to time and the two seemed to have some influence in curbing the overseers abuse towards the engines for the better. Anyway, one day they approached us with a proposal. They would construct a railway capable of giving engines magic while Dinah and I would be placed as the magic railroad's protectors and use our new found magic to reform the railway to be an inclusive and friendly place for all. As for the realms splitting, things got very heated between the overseers and the island of Sodor, so on that fateful night the overseers attacked the island in an attempt to have full control of it." Wendell told.

Everyone was silent, what they heard was horrifying. How could anyone attack Sodor and its residents? For what reason did these overseers feel the need to take over the entire island when they already had so much control over Sodor already? Meanwhile, Wendell removed his headlamp in the same manner a person would remove a hat at place it over their heart.

"In an attempt to save everyone, the king and queen sacrificed themselves by using every ounce of magic they had to split the realms and separate the enraged overseers from Sodor, thus saving all of us " Wendell said solemnly.

[disappointingyet]

Hit Man 

Director Richard Linklater Stars Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta USA 2023 Language English 1hr 53mins Colour

A load more fun than your average Nietzsche-quoting movie 

There’s a bunch of people in the media who reckon Glen Powell is on the verge of proper movie stardom. I learned long ago that I have no talent for picking winners, so I won’t offer an opinion on that, but he’s certainly co-written himself a blinder of a role here.

Gary Johnson (Powell) is a geeky lecturer in philosophy and psychology in New Orleans. As his students point out in the opening scene, there’s a huge gap between his full-throttle philosophical positions and his meek lifestyle. 

But Gary has an improbable side hustle (and, as it happens, there was a real Gary Johnson who did both these jobs.) He helps the police with stings on people who are trying to hire a hit man. Initially, he’s one of the crew listening in in the van, but then there’s an an emergency and he gets ‘promoted’ to the person playing the killer for hire. And, to everyone’s surprise, it turns out he has a flair for acting and improv.

For a guy currently best known for appearing in Top Gun: Maverick, the chance to go full Peter Sellers and do a wild variety of looks and accents must have been pretty irresistible. Of course, that can be a recipe for something truly terrible but, fortunately, Powell is very good and very funny in these scenes.  

One of the tricky bits for a movie like this is settling down from a series of entertaining set pieces into a main plot that has to keep us interested. So often, the need to tell a conventional story makes everything very plodding. I won’t spoil what happens in this one but Richard Linklater manages the transition smoothly, aided by the chemistry between Powell and Adria Arjona.

Beyond that, nailing the tone in a crime comedy is something that trips up filmmakers all the time. Is it OK to be silly when murder is a possibility? How do you balance a feeling of peril with good jokes? When is something dark comedy and when is it just sadistic? The post-Tarantino 1990s, in particular, were rife with films that got that balance horribly wrong and ended up both glib and nasty.

Linklater has made some of my favourite movies, but he likes to try a lot of things and doesn’t always succeed. His last three films are generally considered to be not up to scratch. The two I’ve seen have been disappointing but in very different ways.

With Hit Man, though, he’s got it absolutely right: it’s the good kind of daft but with some interesting ideas being discussed, the casting is great (from Retta and Sanjay Rao as Gary’s police colleagues to all people trying to hire a cheap assassin) and it rattles along.

Powell has actually been around for a very long time – he first worked with (his fellow Texan) Richard Linklater way back in 2006* – but if his time in the spotlight has come, this film makes an extremely good case for him.

*I first remember him from Linklater’s 2016 movie Everybody Wants Some!!, but the first thing I would have seen him on screen in was 2005’s The Wendell Baker Story. That film – which I think was unfairly dismissed – was made by the Wilson brothers, and Powell certainly has a touch of both Owen and Luke in Hit Man.

I saw Hit Man at the  BFI London Film Festival 2023

[pitchingnknocking]

Sorry I couldn’t figure out how to work this for a min, But its Wendell baker story

I like him a normal amount.

Pls help this is one of my most extreme fixations ever and I don’t think it’s leaving anytime soon.

Oh and I don’t know if anyone remembers him but I was indeed friends with the Cartman shrine tiktoker

[frogs-and-oscar-brainrot]

Maybe I'm late but I've just found out that Owen Wilson starred in a movie made by his brothers. But the funny part is that the movie was produced by company named Mobius Enterteinment. Like Mobius M Mobius. That's sus

[just-a-leech-boy]

Owen Wilson in The Wendell Baker Story

Bonus Luke cuz he's very cute in it

ALSO!!!!! The gift of prophecy:

[bexfangirlforlife]

Interviewer: "Since you've shown up the place is immediately exploded into a parade of victory and se×. Are you excited about the evening?"

Owen Wilson: "I am excited. What was the part about se×?"

[nicks-corner]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Wendell-Baker-Story-DVD-WIDESCREEN-Comedy-Action-Adventure-Romance/173547023172?hash=item2868356b44:g:STwAAOSwzUJbpGzN

[disneytva]

Disney Junior And Disney+ Set A New Imagineering Age Of Fun With Eureka! On June 22th.

If you can dream it, you can do it 💡🦖 

Imagineering a new era of fun she’s a big thinker who’s ahead of her time. Way, way ahead of her time - in fact, she invented the wheel.

The series is set to premiere Wednesday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Junior. An initial batch of 5 episodes will also premiere the same day on on-demand platforms and streaming on Disney+ USA.

Additionaly a album featuring the first songs of the first season will be avalible at Walt Disney Records on June 24th.

Set in the fantastical prehistoric world of Rocky Falls,  Eureka! follows the story of Eureka, a young girl inventor who is way ahead of her time. She designs inventions and contraptions in the hopes of making the world a better place and moving her prehistoric community into a more modern era.

The series stars Ruth Righi (Sydney to the Max) as Eureka, Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) and Lil Rel Howery (Free Guy) as Eureka’s parents, Roxy and Rollo, and Javier Muñoz (Hamilton) as her teacher, Ohm.

Rounding out the voice cast is Kai Zen (Amphibia) as Pepper, Devin Trey Campbell (Broadway’s Kinky Boots) as Barry, Fred Tatasciore (Marvel’s Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur and Hit Monkey) as Murphy, Cree Summer (Voltron:Legendary Defender) as Verna, Kevin Michael Richardson (The Owl House) as Dima, Aydrea Walden (The Mandalorian) as Olive and Groopy, Connor Andrade (We Baby Bears) as Clod, Cade Tropeano (Raising Dion) as Bog, Madigan Kacmar (Chuggington) as Julia, Vivienne Rutherford (Seal Team) as Lark, Judah Howery (Uncle Drew) as twins Spruce and Cypress Stoneland, Dee Bradley Baker (Phineas and Ferb) as Ptero and André Sogliuzzo (American Dad!) as Link.

The cast in recurring guest roles are Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as the school librarian, Chee; Jack McBrayer (Wander Over Yonder) as a pet kanga bird; Ryan Michelle Bathé (The Endgame) as Barry’s mom, Sierra; and Wendell Pierce (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) as Barry’s father, Cliff.

Eureka! is produced by Academy Award-nominated animation studio Brown Bag Films (Doc McStuffins) in association with Disney Junior Educational Resource Group. Emmy Award winner Norton Virgien (Doc McStuffins) and award-winning children’s book author/illustrator Niamh Sharkey (Henry Hugglemonster) are the series’ creators and executive producers. Emmy nominee Erica Rothschild (Sofia the First) developed the series with Virgien and Sharkey and serves as co-EP and story editor. Writer and director Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood) and Emmy-nominated producer Donna Brown Guillaume (Happily Ever After: Fairytales for Every Child) are consulting producers.

Christiana “Chee” McGuigan, a science educator who has worked at the California Science Center, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, serves as the series’ science education consultant. Biomedical scientist, social entrepreneur and former senior policy advisor for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Dr. Knatokie Ford, advised on the original series development. Engineering experts from Disney’s world-renowned Imagineering team advised on the early development of Eureka’s inventions.

Multitalented singer, songwriter and producer Kari Kimmel (Spirit Riding Free) is the series’ songwriter, and Emmy winner Frederik Wiedmann (All Hail King Julien) is the composer.

[wolfpup026]

Owen Wilson in The Wendell Baker Story (2005). 

[llynwen]

it's funny cause at the start of this i was completely like "i'm not watching owen's entire filmography. that man has been in too many terrible movies i won't do that to myself" but i'm like 69% of the way through according to letterboxd. i still won't watch a few of them but.. we made it a lot farther than i ever would have thought....

some of them sure are,,,,, something *ekhm ekhm* the wendell baker story *ekhm ekhm* but most of them are just stupid and/or bad, with the occasional hidden gem

and like i really don't watch them for the plot or anything, i mainly just focus on objectifying the old man, like I've seen the big bounce at least 3 times and i still don't know what's it about 🤠

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

Black Movies Tags Masterlist

Black Movies | Blaxploitation | Movie Compilations | Movie Characters | Full Movie

A

Abby | Across 110th Street | Akeelah and the Bee | All About the Benjamins | Almost Christmas | Amazing Grace | American Fiction | Atlantics/Atlantique | ATL |

B

Baby Boy | Babymother | BAPS | Barbershop | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Beauty Shop | Belly | Beloved | The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday | Blacula, Scream Blacula Scream | Black As Night | Black Belt Jones | Black Gunn | Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Black Samson | Black Shampoo | The Blackening | Bones | The Book of Clarence | Boomerang | Boyz N The Hood | Brotherly Love | The Brothers | Brown Sugar | Bucktown

C

Candyman (2020) | Carmen Jones, Carmen: A Hip-Hopera | CB4 | Chi-raq | Cinderella (1997) | Cindy (Cinderella in Harlem ) | Class Act | Claudine | Cleopatra Jones | Coffy | The Color Purple | The Color Purple (Musical Movie Reboot)  | Coming to America | Coming 2 America | Cotton Comes to Harlem | Crooklyn |

D

Daughters of the Dust | Dead Presidents | Deep Cover | Def By Temptation | Deliver Us From Eva | Detroit 9000 | Dolemite is My Name | Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking You Juice in the Hood | Dreamgirls | Drumline | 

E

Eve's Bayou

F

The Five Heartbeats | Friday | Friday Foster | Foxy Brown

G

Gang of Roses | Ganja & Hess | Get Christie Love | Girl 6 | Girls Trip | The Great Debaters | Guava Island 

H

Hair Show | The Harder They Fall | Harlem Nights | The Hate U Give | Head of State | Hidden Figures | Higher Learning | Holiday Heart | Hollywood Shuffle | House Party | House Party 2 | The House on Skull Mountain | How Stella Got Her Groove Back | How U Like Me Now? | Hustle & Flow |

I

 I Am Not a Witch | If Beale Street Could Talk | The Inkwell | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge |

J

Jacked Up | Jackie's Back | Jason’s Lyric | Jean of the Joneses | Jingle Jangle | The Josephine Baker Story | Just Another Girl on the IRT |

K

King Richard

L

Lady Sings the Blues | The Last Dragon | The Last Fall | Lionheart | Love & Basketball | Love Don’t Cost a Thing | Love Jones | A Low Down Dirty Shame

M

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom | Madea’s Family Reunion | Mahogany | Masquerade | Major Payne | Melinda | Menace to Society | Meteor Man | Middle of Nowhere | The Mighty Quinn | Miss Juneteenth | Mo Better Blues | Mo Money | Monsters and Men | Mudbound |

N

New Jack City | Notorious |

O

P

Panther | Pariah | Peeples | The Photograph | The Players’ Club | Poetic Justice | Polly | Posse | Praise This | The Preacher’s Wife | The Princess and the Frog

Q

Queen and Slim | 

R

Rafiki | A Rage in Harlem | Respect | Roll Bounce | Romeo Must Die | 

S

School Daze | Selah and the Spades | Set It Off | Sheba Baby | Sister Act, 2 | Soul Food | Soul Plane | Sounder | Sparkle, Sparkle (2012) | Sprung | Stomp the Yard | Strictly Business | Sugar Hill | Suicide by Sunlight | Sylvie’s Love

T

Tales from the Hood, TFTH 2, TFTH 3 | Tap | That Man Bolt | They Cloned Tyrone | A Thin Line Between Love and Hate | This Christmas | Till | TNT Jackson | To Sleep with Anger | Twitches | Trippin | Trois | Trois 2 | Truck Turner | Two Can Play That Game |

U

Undercover Brother | The United States VS Billie Holiday | Us | 

V

Vampires in the Bronx | Velvet Smooth

W

Waiting to Exhale | Wendell & Wild | What’s Love Got to Do with It | White Men Can’t Jump | Why Do Fools Fall in Love | The Wiz | The Woman King | The Women of Brewster Place | Woo | The Wood | A Wrinkle in Time |

X

Y

You Got Served

Z

Numerical 

3 Strikes | 42 

As of 03/05/2022, this list needs A LOT of work, as I haven’t been as general with the tagging system for these. Will be rectifying that in my free time. Thanks!

- Auntie Nesha

Edit: In case it's not clear for untagged reblogs. These aren't the movies. It's a tags masterlist for the available content featured on the blog. Hope this helps.

[mobius-m-mobius]

u finally giffing the wendell baker story is so 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 and thank u for carrying the ocw fandom on ur back still with ur gorgeous gorgeous gifsets of him cuz in case u didn't know we are nothing without u 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I'm?????????? 😳😳🙏

Not worthy of the sweetest message of all time but thank you so much! 😭 I can't even come close to taking credit for supplying OCW gifs alone (shoutout to you yourself and @faylights especially 😘) but being the world's slowest watcher of movies does make it easier to look like I'm keeping steady content 😂

Also even more thanks right back at you for singlehandedly supplying the dash with Tom gifs so stunning they reverse all attempts by the Succession team to make it look like he doesn't fuck 🙏💕