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 Post subject: DBL FEATURE! Rear Window & Mr T Be Somebody or Somebodys Foo
PostPosted: 06 Jan 2021, 00:26 
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Watched a double feature this evening. First up was the Hitchcock film Rear Window, in 4K HDR. Then I watched Mr. T: Be Somebody Or Be Somebody's Fool! on VHS afterwards.

Starting with Rear Window, I'd never seen it before but am glad I waited for the 4K HDR release. The film looks superb and is completely captivating. What a treasure Grace Kelly was too. Gorgeous!

It's another one of those one location films I love. It's brilliant how you become.as engrossed in spying on the neighbours as James Stewart is! I also enjoyed how each neighbour in the apartment block neatly tied in their story with someone else, but also on the flip side, how neighbours in the big city can be cold and keep themselves out of anyone else's business.

The 4K edition is superb with some wonderful colour tones thanks to the HDR layer. The hot city nights look great but also sound pretty good too. The audio is a little quiet but doesn't need cranking up much. Besides, Rear Window is not a film that I think is reliant on the soundtrack but more about listening to and absorbing the dialogue. It's very much a visual experience.

Rear Window was gripping and exciting to the very end and I'm delighted I have finally seen it.

Immediately after Rear Window I fired up the VHS player and slipped on Mr. T: Be Somebody Or Be Somebody's Fool!, a 1984 educational video that, with Mr. T as the host, preaches life lessons aimed at young people.

The film is split in to sections such as Shyness, Roots, Anger, Styling and so on. It opens with Mr. T preaching to a young girl about overcoming shyness. Shyness girl is one of those typical child actors, pushed to the limits by clamouring parents desperate to extort every last cent out of their child that displays a mere hint of talent.

Shyness girl then appears in 'Roots' where she tells Mr. T about her heritage. Probably before slinking back to her trailer to curl up with a bottle of Amaretto.

There's an absolutely tremendous sequence with pop group New Edition performing a song about peer pressure while a group of kids aged about 10 are actually genuinely drinking Budweiser and chain smoking, and forcing a 6 year old to drink and smoke, while Mr. T looks on.

Yes, really.

A lot of the 'lessons' are broken up with people saying "Be Somebody" and quickly followed by a quick preach by Mr. T before he lifts something heavy, usually by taking off his shirt first or breakdancing.

The best moments come from some of the rap songs Mr. T sings, including the wonderful opening song. The songs are so expertly written that Mr. T has to extend his words to make them fit to the music.

Most impressive of all is the nostalgia overload when you realise that Mr. T must have had a neck made of palladium to carry half of Ratners around his Gregory. Unreal.

Kids today could do with watching this video, if only for the rap song Treat Your Mother Right, delivered in a manner Eminem, Jay Z and the guy from the Micro Machines adverts could only dream of. Butter smooth.

Be Somebody Or Be Somebody's Fool! is a masterpiece, and I mean that genuinely. The guy was at the peak of his popularity when this film was made. To put himself on the line and try and help children to understand and appreciate and value the good things and to do the right thing in life was a decent thing to do. Fair play to him.

Side note, I want the luminous Adidas boots Mr. T wears in the 'Workout' segment. Where can I get them?

Oh, and I watched Phantasm 2 last night. 2 down, 3 to go. It was alright, a lot of build up but the ending was a good payoff.

TRIVIA: The main song 'Be Somebody' by Mr. T was written by Ice T!
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