Tonic Pop

Enjoy

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol, the great American pop artist, was born Andrew Warhola on Monday, August 6, 1928 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to Czechoslovakian immigrants. He was the youngest of 3 children, 1 of who died before his parents made it to the USA. He was very tight with his Mum Julia. She moved to New York in 1952 to live with Andy and stayed with him until a year before her death in 1971. By those who knew him best it is said that she was his greatest inspiration. 

Andy died on February 6th 1987 Warhol died of cardiac arrest suffered after gallbladder surgery.

His career was built off blatant, overt appropriation of famous imagery and products. He was a fan of using bright and primary colors in his art and he loved giving pop vibes to what many might consider mundane objects, or the experiences of everyday consumer existence, like some of his more well-known works like Campbell soup cans, Coke bottles or Marilyn Monroe. His design work for a variety of music albums also kept him squarely in the realm of celebrity. 

His time in the spotlight was a time when pop art was exploding and he found himself at the forefront of its march. His art is philosophical and his philosophies are artistic. His works were and are intimately connected to American culture. He was considered to be a mirror of his times and even when he was accused of becoming too commercial he was acutely aware of his standing and unrepentant of his reasonings. He loved the Hollywood glam and once said: "I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're so beautiful. Everything's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic."

Aww yeah - music biopics. We haven't seem them all but from what we've seen these are our top 5. 

Wyld Stallyns Rule!

Bumblebee - the charming one

You'll love it or hate it - probably. Watch it twice for the first time.

Trivia (IMBD)

Attended Chatsworth High School with Kevin Spacey and Mare Winningham.

Ranked #62 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Co-authored play "How It All Began," performed at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, in 1981.

Was at the time the youngest student ever accepted into Juilliard's drama department. His record has been supplanted by Juilliard student Seth Numrich, who was admitted at 15 in 2002.

Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando infuriated director John Frankenheimer on the set of The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). Frankenheimer later vowed to never work with Kilmer again.

While being let out of the metal cage during the filming of the crossroads scene in Willow (1988), the rope holding the cage up broke and the cage landed on Kilmer's foot, nearly breaking it. Later on in the film, Kilmer (who played swordsman Madmartigan) can be spotted having difficulty walking.

Met first wife, British actress Joanne Whalley, when they filmed the 1988 fantasy, Willow (1988). They had two children: daughter Mercedes Kilmer (born in 1991) and son Jack Kilmer (born in 1995).

Is the second actor to play Batman in the movie franchise. He succeeded Michael Keaton (Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992)) and preceded #3 George Clooney (Batman & Robin (1997)); #4 Christian Bale (Batman Begins (2005); The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012)) and #5 Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)). If counting the two different film serials and the television series, then Kilmer is the fifth actor to play Batman. The first 15-chapter film serial, Batman (1943), was released in 1941 and starred Lewis Wilson. The second 15-chapter film serial, Batman and Robin (1949), was released in 1949 and starred Robert Lowery. The TV series, Batman (1966), starred Adam West.

Did his own singing while playing Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991). The real members of the band said they had difficulty distinguishing Kilmer's voice from that of Morrison's.

Turned down the role of Ponyboy in The Outsiders (1983) because he was working with a theater company at the time, and if he had pulled out, the show would have been cancelled and his fellow actors out of a job.

Got the role of Chris Shiherlis in Heat (1995) after Keanu Reeves, who was originally cast as Chris, backed out.

Contrary to popular belief, he enjoyed playing "Batman" despite his poor working relationship with Joel Schumacher during the production of Batman Forever (1995).

During the sled riding scene in Willow (1988), he can be seen wearing a black glove on his left hand.

Is the only blond actor to have played Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Oliver Stone once considered him for the role of Alexander the Great in his long-delayed Alexander (2004) project. Kilmer plays the father of Alexander, King Philip, opposite Colin Farrell in the Alexander role instead.

Did not want to appear in Top Gun (1986) but was forced to do so because of contractual obligations.

Appeared in Tombstone (1993) opposite Charlton Heston. Five years later, he succeeded Heston in the roles of both Moses and God in The Prince of Egypt (1998).

Does a variation on his trademark of twirling objects in Willow (1988): he twirls a sword during the fight in the snow camp.

Has played two legendary rock and roll musicians: Jim Morrison and Elvis Presley.

He was 4' 11" when he entered high school. He acknowledged this on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993).

Admits in interviews that he is a horrible cook.

After his first film, Top Secret! (1984), he went off and backpacked around Europe.

Enjoys scuba diving and traveling.

Filmed his part as Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993) in 1 day.

Good friends with actor Frank Whaley and musician David Crosby.

Has lived in New Mexico since 1983.

His first auditions were for commercials at 13 years old.

His parents divorced when he was 9 years old. His father, Eugene, died in 1993.

In 1995, Kilmer learned he was getting a divorce while watching CNN in a hotel room. "It was no fun," he has said.

In the past he used to send taped auditions to filmmakers, figuring they would be much better (a...

Our Top Tom Cruise Flicks

The 2017 Pixar animation Coco tells a tale that unfolds in an non-specific Mexican town on the evening of El Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). This is a yearly event where the living honour their departed loved ones.

Coco is the first-ever motion picture with a nine-figure budget to feature an all-Latino cast, with a cost of $175–200 million.

The exception was John Ratzenberger who is perhaps a muse or lucky charm for Pixar and has been a voice in every single Pixar film. Director Lee Unkrich stated that it was a struggle to find a role in the film for John, who is not Latino. As Unkrich did not want to break Pixar's tradition, Ratzenberger was given a minor role with one word “Gracias’ making it Ratzenberger's shortest Pixar role.

young Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. The problem is that pursuing this dream would have to come at the cost of rebelling against his his family's generations-old ban on music, which he initially does in secret where he practises in an attic above his home. Miguel believes that if he can just prove his musicianship he’ll bring his family around and he’ll be off on a path to becoming a renowned musician. This urgency leads him to becoming trapped in the Land of the Dead – a gloriously prismatic, vibrant place which spins in a different direction the evolved idea of bright white heaven vs fire and brimstone hell. 
 
 Miguel meets up and teams up with the mischievous yet amiable and warm hearted Héctor, 
 
 the film becomes a buddy film from this point and while the goal is to return Miguel to the land of the living, it becomes just as much an adventure story about a journey to unlock the secrets behind Miguel's genealogy. 
 
 There are so many themes that could be unpacked and discussed and the main theme is best described by actor The character Mama Imelda's voice was provided by Alanna Ubach. Ubach felt that the film "is [giving] respect to one quality that all Latin families across the universe do have in common, and that is giving respect and prioritizing the importance of family". 
 
A sub theme that I want to draw out from the film and talk about in greater depth, is the power of forgiveness. The film has been out a while but not so long that I expect everyone has seen it so I want to avoid spoilers. Suffice to say that forgiveness is crucial to resolution. If forgiveness was personified it would be the ultimate hero of this film.   

Forgiveness is not something that can be forced upon us. It is a voluntary action. And it is an action. It does require active effort. Forgiveness can be a journey that is taxing, wearing and painful. It requires a lot more energy than flicking the off switch to an emotion.
 
 It is releasing someone from bondage – that person being you. Forgiveness can be accepted by the person who committed the wrong but really, that person may not ever have asked for it, wanted it or even considered that they needed it. Often, the person who can most benefit, is the one who carries the burden of unforgiveness and all of the associated feelings – resentment, hate, envy, bitterness…

I like a good revenge film as much as the next person but in reality, the peace that and eye for an eye brings is more of a fantasy than a truth. 

Reading from CBC.ca – “When Kim Phuc was just nine years old, she experienced emotional and physical trauma as a result of the war in Vietnam. In 1972, the U.S. military dropped four bombs surrounding Kim’s village. In an interview with NPR, Kim recounts her experience. “I saw an airplane getting lower and then four bombs falling down,” she says. “I saw fire everywhere around me. Then I saw the fire over my body, especially on my left arm. My clothes had been burned off by fire.” The attack killed her family, and while she survived, her severe burns led to 17 operations.

Kim says at one point, she wanted to take her own life. “The anger inside me was like a hatred as high as a mountain,” says Kim. “I hated my life. I hated all people who were normal because I was not normal. I really wanted to die many times.” But, it was the power of forgiveness that allowed her to be set free. “Forgiveness made me free from hatred. I still have many scars on my body and severe pain most days but my heart is cleansed.”

Today, Kim is an inspirational speaker travelling the world to share her story of love, peace and forgiveness. She also has formed a foundation, Kim Foundation International, to help other child victims of war.

To forgive takes more strength to than revenge. It takes a lot of hard work especially mentally and emotionally.

Mahatma Ghandi said “Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” 

Perhaps its not hatred or thirst for revenge that holds back our willingness to forgive. Perhaps we are justifiably concerned that forgiveness releases a perpetrator from their need to compensate for their actions or releases them from responsibility. It doesn’t. 

Pastor TD Jakes said I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It’s a gift you give yourself.

The perpetrator still has their own path to follow to find release and peace but if they choose to accept your forgiveness, it can help motivate them to becoming a better person and avoiding making the same mistakes that led to the conflict that caused so much pain for you, the victim. 
 
 If they choose not to accept it or never considered needing it in the first place that still remains their issue but you are now released from being tangled up in their past.

Let us forgive with generosity those who cannot love us. — Pablo Neruda

With that said, it is rarely an action that heals only one. 
 
 In the case of 2 of the Coco characters – deuteragonists if you like, the forgiveness was a reciprocal action that needed to occur in order to heal generations of hurt. In the case of the Coco story, forgiveness brought about a restoration.

Here are 8 steps – that I am paraphrasing from a blog post by Wayne Dyer – to lead you to forgiveness. “Even when Forgiveness Feels Impossible.” He actually lists 15 steps so if you want to read more go to waynedyer.com 

Step 1: Move On to the Next Act

Your past history and all of your hurts are no longer here in your physical reality. Don’t allow them to be here in your mind, muddying your present moments. Your life is like a play with several acts. Some of the characters who enter have short roles to play, others, much larger. Some are villains and others are good guys. But all of them are necessary, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the play. Embrace them all, and move on to the next act.
 
end quote
 
Imagine keeping every villainous, deceptive, hurtful, back-stabbing, wrong-doing person and act in your daily diary entry with updates on where they are in your life. How overwhelming is that? 

Step 2: Don’t Go to Sleep Angry

Each night as I drift off to sleep, I adamantly refuse to use this precious time to review anything that I do not want to be reinforced in the hours of being immersed in my subconscious mind. I choose to impress upon my subconscious mind my conception of myself as a Divine creator in alignment with the one mind. I reiter...