I freely admit to being a pretty big fan of Malcolm Gladwell. Still, like many people, his recent comments on The Diary Of A CEO podcast left me wondering exactly why he was trashing the idea of working from home. In the episode’s headline, he blames this phenomenon for “destroying” us. Within the in-depth conversation with host Steven Bartlett, the New York Times best-selling author overtly doubts our abilities to contribute to society, to fashion meaningful lives, and to engage professionally, from outside corporate offices.
My deep appreciation for the talents of acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Sam Jones are well-documented in this site. To be honest, for any subject Sam chooses to make a film about, I will be on the edge of my seat. As you may have heard, Sam’s new HBO documentary, “Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off” premieres tonight on HBO Max.
YouTube commenter “Heckler 220” mentions thinking about this documentary every day since seeing it: I can relate completely. Everyone who grew up in my generation was saturated with exposure to the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and all the stars deemed famous by the non-stop pop-culture shock-and-awe of our era. Imagine hanging out behind the scenes with one of the wildest party people given total free range among the glitterati, who had the tenacity, gumption, and skill to capture them all through his camera lens.
That is the scene writer-director Josh Swade and his collaborators plunge us straight into, turning deep admiration and their all-seeing camera toward the world famous Ricky Powell, who lived that feverish dream until leaving us a year ago today at the age of 59. On film,
For American high school students of the mid-80s, “cable” and MTV radically impacted our perceptions of the world – and of the realm of possibilities. Driven, determined, ambitious, and male, my own dreams of success (focused in aerospace – and/or show business) took high-contrast form under the spells of John Hughes, Randal Kleiser, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. “Risky Business” was another phenomenon of time-space that refracted my aspirations. When the bold “Real Genius” and the ridiculous and ballsy “Top Secret!” appeared on HBO, I was star-struck. Next came “Top Gun,” and the alchemy of Cruise, Kilmer and their like cinematically orchestrated by master storytellers subconsciously seized control of my outlook.
Thus inspired, I brought my A-game to the film and television industry. Along the way, through digitalization, cameras became more accessible. Despite not being in position to direct my own “National Lampoon,” I could shoot stuff for fun, experiment, and document my life.
It winds up, while he was living the life millions dreamt about, heartthrob and “Einstein of the 80s” (according to the “Real Genius” poster) Val Kilmer was also shooting stuff for fun, and documenting his life.
Two months from today, our son will turn 18. Searching memory banks and analyzing recent conversations, I am recalling that unwelcome rise of daunting external pressures. As an adult, I understand that pressure makes it extra hard for most people to make good decisions … overall in life, and even in basic conduct.
Filmmaker and photographer Ben Strang joined the directorial roster of one-stop cross-media production company Sarofsky in 2019. As a director of both scripted and documentary works, Ben’s stories are born from the unique locations and individuals he has encountered as an independent photojournalist for over a decade. His scripted pilot “Beast” won the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Best Independent Episodic, and his latest documentary series “A Mystery To Me” won a 2021 Cannes Lion, and was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick, as you can see here.
