Star Pick with Justin Paul Kelly

The last few years have been a dream for fans of films and television series of the 1980s and 90s, as it seems like more and more are getting sequels (often after many long years), usually with at least a portion of the original cast (and often the director back in either the same role or that of producer) returning to play a part left behind long ago. Think, in no particular order, Dumb and Dumber, Full House, Mad Max, Rocky (Creed), Star Wars, Wet Hot American Summer (actually early 2000s), Jurassic Park, and, as of this Friday, add Blade Runner to the list. Returning to the silver screen thirty-five years after the original, Ridley Scott this time puts his executive producer cap on, with Denis Villeneuve taking over directorial efforts, while Harrison Ford delves into the Rick Deckard character once again. . . though, you’ll have to wait to hear more on that. As a lead-in to the long awaited sequel, the original 1982 picture is the focus today.

It was lovely sitting down with veteran actor Michael Dante at Trekonderoga this past August. In the business for more than sixty years, it was not his original path in life. A top baseball player, he was signed by the Boston Braves out of high school. As fate would have it, he travelled a less expected path, finding his way, through interesting circumstances, into his first feature film, Robert Wise’s Somebody Up There Likes Me, in 1956 (with legendary names like Newman, Duvall and McQueen). Leading to an impressive career, Dante has graced the silver screen in such films as Westbound, Seven Thieves (Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins, Eli Wallach), Kid Galahad (Elvis), The Naked Kiss (with famed director Samuel Fuller), Apache Rifles, Willard, as well as playing the title character in Winterhawk. . . this is just a small sampling of his work.

It is rare to find a character so iconic that by simply uttering their last name, everyone is on point. One such case is Uhura. Brought to vivid life on the original Star Trek series (1966-1969) by the great Nichelle Nichols who developed an engaging, multi-faceted and wholly inspiring persona at a time when African American women were portrayed as maids or in other lowly servile positions on television. The fourth most powerful person on the USS Enterprise, Nichols was a part of a multicultural cast that was more than unusual for the era. The crew was comprised of African American, Asian American, Scottish, Russian (during The Cold War), half-alien, and white – symbolic that in the future, we, as human beings, would be able to come together to achieve something special, or as it was so aptly put: “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise. Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before”.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with legendary heavyweight boxer Gerry Cooney not too long ago. One of the biggest punchers to ever grace the bright lights of the ring, his career spanned from 1977 to 1990, a final record of twenty-eight wins and only three losses (twenty-four of those victories came by way of knockout). A towering six feet, six inches, and with an impressive eighty-one inch reach, the offensive minded boxer dismantled two legends of the sport, Ron Lyle and Ken Norton – leading him to a match with the great Larry Holmes, a spectacular bout that went into the thirteenth round, ending with Cooney losing by TKO. After three more convincing wins, Cooney faced two more formidable foes, Michael Spinks and George Foreman, the latter bringing an end to his illustrious career.

Whiplash, the story of a talented drummer who is pushed to the edge by a more than intense, militarist-style instructor, took the world by storm in 2014-2015 and has continuously gained steam ever since. The simple yet effective tale that consists of a battle of the wills helped the film earn three Academy Awards: including Best Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons as well as Best Achievement in Film Editing and Sound Mixing. Whiplash has also landed at number 45 on IMDb’s top 250 films list.

One of those rare movies that has been slowly reappraised with time, Kenny Ortega’s 1993 Disney family flick Hocus Pocus was panned by critics upon its release. Much like other films, including It’s a Wonderful Life, television played a major role in its rejuvenation (as well as its release for home purchase), finding a more than willing audience each and every Halloween as part of ABC Family’s 13 Days of Halloween – grabbing well over two million viewers (record breaking numbers) and transforming it into a true cult classic. At the third annual CAPE (Cornwall and Area Pop Expo), I chatted with up and coming actress Kimberly Leemans. Getting her start on America’s Next Top Model back in 2007, she has transitioned into the realm of television and film. Perhaps best known for her turn as Crystal in the first Hilltop episode, 2016's "Knots Untie", in the hit television show The Walking Dead, she had the unenviable task of punching fan favourite Rick right-off-the-bat. . . she is then taken down by Michonne. Still wandering around in the zombie filled world, we will have to wait and see when she reappears.