I bet you didn’t even see it.
This past Father’s Day, 2003, something remarkable happened in the little town of Budds Creek, Maryland. The sun came out (remarkable in itself, as the entire region had been literally flooded with rain for weeks), and James Stewart, Jr. raced his first National Motocross race for 2003.
Why is that remarkable? Well, it wasn’t the fact that he was racing, or the fact that it was only his first race of the season after sitting out the first four rounds with a broken collarbone. What was absolutely remarkable was the manner in which he devastated his competition to finish the day with a perfect 1-1 score. I wasn’t there, but I read enough of the “remarks” on the internet and in Cycle News to know that what James did that day was nothing short of amazing. Or remarkable.
According to the reports, the 17-year-old phenomenon blasted away from the pack and rode off to a dominant 45-second lead in the first moto, absolutely demoralizing everyone else in the 125 class. Then, after falling in the first turn and tangling with another rider, James finally got going in next to last (37th place!) and charged through the pack to convincingly win the second moto. Some of the most experience journalists in motocross have been quoted as saying they have never seen anyone ride a 125 that fast.
How fast was James on Father’s Day? According to the stop watches, James set the fastest lap of the day, even faster than superstar Ricky Carmichael, who was the dominant force in the 250 class! Somehow, young Mr. Stewart was able to will his 38-horspower Kawasaki around the Budds Creek circuit faster than Carmichael’s 50-horsepower Honda. Yep, that is indeed remarkable.
Go James!
Monday, June 23, 2003
The Streetsweeper.
It was definitely serendipity that caused me to come in contact with this wonderfully heartwarming film. I was looking for a movie to see the other night, and titles like “2Fast 2Stupid” and “The Italian Car Ad” just didn’t appeal to me. And who really cares about “Alex and Emma”? Anyway, I found myself in Old Town Pasadena, walking past the United Artists theater and pondering whether I wanted to spend money on something called "The Eye”, when I nearly stumbled into a sign they left on the sidewalk, advertising a movie called “The Streetsweeper”.
So I stopped stumbling and started to read the photocopied reviews that were taped to the sign. Just as I was getting to the heart of the story, this white-haired guy pops out of the movie theater and says to me “If you want to see a great movie, and you don’t care about explosions and car chases and all of that, ‘Streetsweeper’ is the one. It has a great heart” or words to that effect. I looked at him, and he looked like someone who could pass for a madman in a Coen Brothers movie. So that cinched it for me. I took a chance and walked in for the show.
As I said, it is a wonderfully heartwarming film.
“The Streetsweeper” is the story of Enzo (compellingly portrayed by Paul Michael), a kind old Italian American gent living in San Diego, who puts his only son through Harvard by working as a streetsweeper driver. What Enzo’s son (played with conviction by Michael Cavalieri) doesn’t know is that his dad has made some extreme sacrifices in order to pay his college tuition. The story is about their reunion right after graduation day, when the son finally learns the real price of his education. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it is, but it’s even more than that. The film takes a surprising dark turn, and then gets even darker still. And just when all hope is lost, it pulls off a transcendent ending. Kudos to writer/director James Hill for taking a risk instead of staying with the standard formula.
“The Streetsweeper” is definitely a low-budget independent film, but it looks good for the most part, give or take one or two out-of-focus shots and a few wooden lines by non-professional actors. That they shot with the complete cooperation of the City of San Diego is apparent; at times it feels like an advertisement for the San Diego Board of Tourism. But that’s okay because all of the scenes fit the story and San Diego is indeed a beautiful and diverse location. In any case, the impact of the story overcomes the minor visual ticks.
I definitely recommend “The Streetsweeper”, but because it’s on a very limited release schedule, you might have to go out of your way to see it. It’s well worth the effort, though.
More later…
Paul
It was definitely serendipity that caused me to come in contact with this wonderfully heartwarming film. I was looking for a movie to see the other night, and titles like “2Fast 2Stupid” and “The Italian Car Ad” just didn’t appeal to me. And who really cares about “Alex and Emma”? Anyway, I found myself in Old Town Pasadena, walking past the United Artists theater and pondering whether I wanted to spend money on something called "The Eye”, when I nearly stumbled into a sign they left on the sidewalk, advertising a movie called “The Streetsweeper”.
So I stopped stumbling and started to read the photocopied reviews that were taped to the sign. Just as I was getting to the heart of the story, this white-haired guy pops out of the movie theater and says to me “If you want to see a great movie, and you don’t care about explosions and car chases and all of that, ‘Streetsweeper’ is the one. It has a great heart” or words to that effect. I looked at him, and he looked like someone who could pass for a madman in a Coen Brothers movie. So that cinched it for me. I took a chance and walked in for the show.
As I said, it is a wonderfully heartwarming film.
“The Streetsweeper” is the story of Enzo (compellingly portrayed by Paul Michael), a kind old Italian American gent living in San Diego, who puts his only son through Harvard by working as a streetsweeper driver. What Enzo’s son (played with conviction by Michael Cavalieri) doesn’t know is that his dad has made some extreme sacrifices in order to pay his college tuition. The story is about their reunion right after graduation day, when the son finally learns the real price of his education. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it is, but it’s even more than that. The film takes a surprising dark turn, and then gets even darker still. And just when all hope is lost, it pulls off a transcendent ending. Kudos to writer/director James Hill for taking a risk instead of staying with the standard formula.
“The Streetsweeper” is definitely a low-budget independent film, but it looks good for the most part, give or take one or two out-of-focus shots and a few wooden lines by non-professional actors. That they shot with the complete cooperation of the City of San Diego is apparent; at times it feels like an advertisement for the San Diego Board of Tourism. But that’s okay because all of the scenes fit the story and San Diego is indeed a beautiful and diverse location. In any case, the impact of the story overcomes the minor visual ticks.
I definitely recommend “The Streetsweeper”, but because it’s on a very limited release schedule, you might have to go out of your way to see it. It’s well worth the effort, though.
More later…
Paul
Monday, June 02, 2003
Where have I been?
Man, I've been busy! I've seen "X-Men 2", "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Cremaster 3" since my diatribe on Apple's Music Store...but I haven't worked my way into actually writing reviews. So to all of my loyal readers...or, I should say, to my loyal reader...I apologize for the lack of content. Reviews will be coming soon!.
More later...(really!)
Paul
Man, I've been busy! I've seen "X-Men 2", "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Cremaster 3" since my diatribe on Apple's Music Store...but I haven't worked my way into actually writing reviews. So to all of my loyal readers...or, I should say, to my loyal reader...I apologize for the lack of content. Reviews will be coming soon!.
More later...(really!)
Paul
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