‘Youngstown: Still Standing’ Shows That City Is off the Ropes By Art Byrd

‘Youngstown: Still Standing’ Shows That City Is off the Ropes
By Art Byrd

A few Saturdays ago, I attended a nightclub during the day. Club Gossip in Austintown hosted a screening of “Youngstown: Still Standing,” a documentary about the city.

Producer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Austintown native John Chechitelli, the documentary’s director, were on hand to introduce the film.

I found the film to be riveting; it has a lot of honesty, showing the good, the bad and the ugly of Youngstown.

The documentary took the audience on a historical journey, beginning with how the city was founded by John Young, an early settler.

The film moves smartly into four phases that can be said to define Youngstown: the steel industry, organized crime, corruption in politics and its well-known boxers. The segment featuring former congressman Jim Traficant was brilliant as it showed the rise, stumble and fall of the man.

Well-known actor and Youngstown native Ed O’Neill offered very interesting insight about the city in the film. His stories were warm and funny.

I enjoyed the interviews with city officials and people who lived in the city all their lives.

The film was narrated by Youngstown native Jim Cummings, a voice actor who has done work in numerous animated cartoons, mostly for Disney (the current Pooh and Tigger – that’s him).

That “Youngstown: Still Standing” was well written and well researched was evident. The use of actual local news footage gave the film a very realistic feel. The film’s music soundtrack also features local musicians, such as “The Zou” and “Poobah.”

If Youngstown was a boxer in a scene from one of the Rocky films -- or even “Boom Boom’s” fights – it was on the ropes, just hanging on. Then, with a burst of sheer will and pride, it is again standing up. “Youngstown: Still Standing” helps the referee of life raise Youngstown’s glove to victory.

The film is available on DVD at  http://www.mancini-smith.com.

edited by Michele Ristich Gatts

‘Alice In Wonderland’ Brings Out the Inner Kid in Adults By Art Byrd

When I think back to my fondest childhood memories, going to the movies come to mind…the excitement of sitting in a dark theatre watching cartoons and live-action films, such as “Star Wars,” on the big screen. Those experiences are what make going to the theatre magical for me still, with any movie I seen -- good or bad. But even more than most, “Alice In Wonderland” brought back those moments of watching movies as a kid.

Director Tim Burton (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) does something that other filmmakers don’t: he makes fairy tales come alive with a childlike sensibility that one can relate to as an adult.

To do the same with “Alice In Wonderland,” Burton has given the story a different spin. The tale is set when Alice is 20 years old instead of 6 and about to receive a marriage proposal from a future lord. But Alice is a daydreamer who is constantly wondering about things, despite being admonished for it by others. 

Alice is played by Mia Wasikowska, who looks like a younger version of stunning Gwyneth Paltrow. Mia brings a lot of strength to Alice, especially after she falls down the rabbit hole and the people in Wonderland don’t believe she is the right Alice. She slowly shows them through her actions that she is indeed the right Alice.

The special and visual effects are amazing. Burton knows how to create a world that draws you in and keeps you in. And I didn’t even see the 3-D version, which I am sure would have increased my enjoyment of the film.

In fairy tales, villains are always fun and mean. Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen is very comical with her high-strung attitude and enormous head. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter shows why he is the most versatile actor in films. He played the Hatter with both extreme wildness and calmness -- a weird combination to pull off.

Crispin Glover as the Red Queen’s personal enforcer was very good at being creepy. The White Queen was played by Anne Hathaway, who was beautiful and very elegant -- a perfect good queen.

A word of advice -- “Alice In Wonderland” is not for all kids. I would say 10 years old and up. But for adults, the film allows us to amuse ourselves in the playground of our minds. Just watch out for rabbit holes!

“Alice In Wonderland” will be on DVD and Blu-Ray June 1.

Edited by Michele Ristich Gatts

Hugs-The Human Touch by Art Byrd. Toastmasters speech, May 24, 2010

After last week, our Toastmasters' discussion about President Obama’s visit to the Valley.
There were different opinions on the President. The main question was “What would you say to President Obama if you had two minutes with him.

I was rethinking my two minutes with President Obama. I would use my two minutes to tell him I appreciate him trying to get the country back on track. Then I would give him a hug. How many people actually hug the president?  I mean a good tight hug with feeling hug.

Fellow Toastmasters and guests. We all need the human touch, a hug for the president, a hug for you and a hug for me.

History of the word: hug: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hugga to soothe. Date: 1567

So, hugging has been around for a long time.

 A hug is a form of physical intimacy, that usually involves closing or holding the arms around another person or group of persons. The hug is one of the most common human signs of love and affection.

How many of you got a hug today?
2 hugs
3 hugs

If you didn’t get one or give one. Don’t sweat it. I didn’t get one either.

When there are days, I don’t get a hug. I rely on “virual hugs.” The hugs I remember.

My cousin, Tiffany is the best hugger. In fact, her hugs are famous throughout our family and her friends.

What makes Tiff’s hugs legendary? First, it is her huge smile and second, her enthusiastic greeting which draws you in. Then third, she engulfs you with her arms.

Now her hug technique is not a tight hug. The pressure is just right.

Plus, Tiff hugs a little longer than the average hugger which could be a few seconds; she goes beyond that. Her hug can last about 10-30 seconds. She hugs from the heart and you can feel her heart as she feels yours.

Medical benefits to hugging.

Hugging has been proven to have health benefits. A team from the University of North Carolina studied the effects of hugging.

The study showed hugs increased levels of oxytocin (Ox C Toe Sin), a "bonding" hormone, and reduced blood pressure - which cuts the risk of heart disease.

Hugs certainly feel good, both on the giving and receiving end, and it turns out their effects are more than skin deep.
Psychologist Dr. Karen Grewen suggests that warm contact such as hugs and hand-holding before the start of a rough day "could carry over and protect you throughout the day."
UCLA's Pain Control Clinic, instructed a female patient who had reoccurring pains. to have her husband give her 4 hugs a day. Within weeks, she reported her pain had subsided substantially.

It not only works for adults but for babies too.
 Babies benefit from skin-to-skin contact with their mother with better physical development and positive bonding.
A telling example was a study of Korean infants in an orphanage. Those who received an extra 15 minutes of a female voice, massage and eye-to-eye connection and close body contact, five days a week for four weeks, gained more weight and had greater increases in body length after the four weeks and at 6 months of age than children without the extra stimulation. 

Therapeutic touch such as a hug has also been shown to reduce stress and pain among adults, and reduces symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, such as restlessness, pacing, vocalization, searching and tapping.
One study said "The older you are, the more fragile you are physically, so contact becomes increasingly important for good health."

There are different types of hugs.

Prolonged hugging in a cozy, comfortable position is called cuddling.

Spooning is a cuddling position, a kind of hugging when both the hugger and the hugged persons face the same direction,  the front of one person is in contact with the back of the second one.

The hug that starts with a high-five, then moves into a fist bump, followed by a slap on the back and an embrace.

The tight as possible bear hug.

If you can’t get a hug then ask for one.
under the pseudonym Juan Mann, was able to start the Free Hug Campaign on June 30, 2004 in central Sydney. He began wearing a “Free Hugs” sign giving out hugs in the Pitt St Mall in central Sydney. In the months prior to this, Mann had been feeling depressed and lonely as a result of numerous personal difficulties. However, a random hug from a stranger made an enormous difference, with Mann stating that "...I went out to a party one night and a completely random person came up to me and gave me a hug. I felt like a king! It was greatest thing that ever happened." He wanted to return the favor by hugging as many people as possible. His hugging video can be seen on YouTube with 50 million views.

An Ohio man set a new world hugging record this past St. Valentine’s day in Las Vegas. 51 year old, Jeff Ondash aka Teddy McHuggin by giving 7,777 hugs in 24 hours.

He hoped to become the worlds hugging champion to raise money for the American Heart Association because his brother and father died because of heart problems.

One added note, Ondash holds the one-hour hugs record with 1,205.

Who knows you make get a hug from Teddy McHuggin. Ondash is from Canfield, Ohio

Are we all huggable?
Some people were raised in times where there was not a lot of hugging and we may be uncomfortable asking for and giving hugs.

One year research project found out that 83 percent of the people received less than one hug a day. The average of about four hugs a week.

97 percent of the same people polled wanted more hugs than they were getting.

Hugs are meant to be random acts of kindness - selfless acts performed just to make others feel better. Hugs help our immune system fighting off germs, Hugs have a healing effect our bodies. They can make us feel special. Hugs are a way to feel close to our families and friends.

Who knows your next two minutes with President Obama could be different?

‘Just Wright’ Is Modern Cinderella Story By Art Byrd

“Just Wright” is a romantic comedy that is predictable from the start.

I like Queen Latifah. Her smile and attitude make her appealing. Most of the time, she’s not the leading lady. This time, she is in the spotlight as a romantic lead and she is amazing. She plays Leslie Wright, a happy-go-lucky physical therapist and a huge basketball fan who is having trouble finding a man who sees her as more than a friend.

Her leading man is Common, a rapper-turned-actor who often stars in films as a thug, such as in “Date Night.” Here he plays Scott McKnight, a star basketball player for the New Jersey Nets. I liked Common as a romantic lead; he was charming and a gentleman.

Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”) plays Scott’s mother. She was very good at being extremely protective of him. Another veteran actress in the film was Pam Grier (“Smallville”). She was great as Leslie’s mom, who wants to see her daughter happy.  James Pickens Jr. (“Grey’s Anatomy”) plays Lloyd Wright, Leslie’s dad, who was trying to fix things around the house without much success but giving good fatherly advice. 

One of my favorite up-and-coming if not already there actresses is Paula Patton, who was in “Precious.” She plays Morgan, a self proclaimed gold digger looking to become a NBA wife. She is cold and selfish.

The storyline goes like this: Leslie meets Scott at a gas station. He doesn’t know where the gas cap is and she helps. He invites her to a birthday party. She brings Morgan. Scott meets Morgan, who plays hard to get. She and Scott get together and start dating. Then Scott suffers a possible career-ending injury. Soon after that Morgan leaves him.

Leslie helps Scott recover from the injury. Of course, a hidden attraction to each other surfaces. Then, some sort of drama comes between them --which is the classic romantic comedy plotline. I will stop describing the scenario at that. Queen Latifah and Common have a good on-screen chemistry

“Just Wright” is predicable, as most romantic movies with the Cinderella elements are. But the Cinderella plot is one that continues to charm audiences, and if you’re looking for that kind of fun, this movie will do the trick.

Edited by Michele Ristich Gatts

‘Robin Hood’ Gives Different Twist on Traditional Story By Art Byrd

A few months ago, I saw for the first time 1938’s “The Adventures of Robin Hood” with Errol Flynn. I thought it was great with the humor, boldness and the cool swordplay. Flynn had a presence felt throughout the film.

So when I heard there was going to be another Robin Hood film, I wasn’t jumping for joy -- especially with actor Russell Crowe as Robin. I am a fan of his, but he is so intense. Did I want an intense Robin Hood?

I thought maybe the film had a chance to be good because it’s directed by Ridley Scott. Scott and Crowe teamed up for “Gladiator.” Still, I am very leery of big epic films with thousands of extras. But my dad had an interest in seeing the new “Robin Hood,” so we went.

Director Scott gave the Robin Hood story a twist with King Richard the Lionheart played by Danny Huston; that let the audience know that this was a different story. The story is set before Robin hooks up with his band of merry men, when he is just a regular archer in the king’s army.

After leaving the army, Robin and some other soldiers, such as Little John (played by Kevin Durand) and Will Scarlet (played by ER’s Scott Grimes), come upon soldiers who were ambushed. One dying solider makes a request to Robin to deliver a sword to his father.  

Later, Robin assumes the dead soldier’s identity. The man’s wife is Maid Marian, played by Cate Blanchett. She has one of the film’s most interesting faces, which exudes beauty and strength. Her character sacrifices whatever it takes to help her town survive, and wins. A perfect fit to Crowe’s Robin.

I liked that Crowe’s Robin was a total gentleman to Blanchett’s Marian. His character was actually laid-back and only intense during the fight scenes.

The love story didn’t overshadow the action of France’s plot to conquer a corrupt England and its king.

You can’t review a Robin Hood film without writing about the villain. Actor Mark Strong, who I have mentioned in other recent reviews (he was a bad guy in the “Sherlock Holmes” and was also in the film “Kick Ass”) is downright nasty as Godfrey, who is plotting against England with the French. I hope that Strong doesn’t get typecast as villain all the time. I am sure he is much more.

Other strong performances were Max Von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley and William Hurt as William Marshal.

Robin Hood is long, but I like that because the film took its time in telling the story. At the end, all questions were answered. The setup for a sequel is apparent.

If you are looking for romance and great epic action scenes, “Robin Hood” could make a surprising cinematic time on the big screen.

By the way, my dad really like the film and he is a huge Errol Flynn fan.

Edited by Michele Ristich Gatts

‘Iron Man 2’ Was Worth the Wait By Art Byrd

I’ve been waiting for “Iron Man 2” ever since “Iron Man” was in theaters in 2008.

The first time I saw “Iron Man” it was with one of my favorite people to see a movie with, Scott Schneider.

Many of you in the Valley see him Monday through Friday mornings on “WFMJ Today.” Scotty is a huge movie fan. So I called him to see if he wanted to see “Iron Man 2,” and he said yes. Scotty and I are like little kids at the movies. If you were to take a picture of us in our seats before the theatre lights go dark, the picture would look like two 11-year-old boys – one in a green hoodie (me) and the other with a baseball hat turned backward (Scotty).

Often sequels have lots of hype but end up being nothing more than a disappointing rehash of the original. True to tradition, “Iron Man 2” is a rehashing of the first one. But in this case, it was good thing.

I didn’t want much change. I just wanted to see where the characters had gone. “Iron Man” had ended with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) telling the world he was Iron Man. A totally different twist from the comic book, which kept Iron Man’s identity a secret.

The story picks up where the government is trying to take the Iron Man suit and technology from Tony. The senator trying to get the suit is played comedian Garry Shandling. This is a great casting move; his straight face and dry humor playing against Downey’s sarcastic wisecracking Tony makes for funny scenes.

There was a major casting change as Don Cheadle took over the role of Lt. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes from Terrance Howard. I liked Howard, but Cheadle has made the character his own.

I enjoyed that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of S.H.I.E.L.D, had an expanded role in the film.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Tony’s assistant, looked beautiful. She and Tony’s flirtation from the first movie carries over to this movie. Justin Hammer is Tony’s rival in the arms/warfare business. Sam Rockwell brings a cool insanity to the character. He recruits Ivan Vanko, a.k.a. Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), who does a great job as a vengeful genius. 

A new character had been added to the mix, Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson. She looked amazing with red curly hair; then she took amazing to another level with the Black Widow form-fitting outfit. Her fight scene is one of the coolest I’ve seen in awhile.

“Iron Man 2” worked a lot of levels with the action and the special effects, which were insane -- meaning fantastic! I really liked the portable Iron Man suit. Very cool.

However, while I really liked the movie, Scotty wasn’t impressed. He thought the movie was okay. He made a good point by saying a major part of the movie was just like the first -- which takes the originality level down a notch.

“Iron Man 2” lived up to the original for me, and my countdown to “Iron Man 3” has already started.

Edited by Michele Ristich Gatts

“Furry Vengeance” Gives Lesson: Don’t Mess with Animals By Art Byrd

“Furry Vengeance” is exactly what the title implies. Just think -- if forest animals were out to get you when their forest home is threatened, how would they do it? This film shows how, and it is very funny.

The story centers on Dan, played by Brendan Fraser, a development executive whose company is building houses near the forest in the Northwest. At first, the animals were okay with a few houses. Now Lyman, the CEO of Dan’s company, played by the always funny Ken Jeong (“The Hangover,” “Community”) wants to clear out the whole forest for more houses.

In one cute scene, the Raccoon, the leader of the forest animals, sneaks on an airplane parked on the tarmac – via a food basket – to spy on Dan’s meeting with Lyman. The Raccoon overhears Lyman’s plan for the forest.  

Shortly after, the Raccoon assembles the animals to take action to defend their forest home.

I am glad that the animals didn’t talk or have subtitles. They communicated by clouds with video above their heads. When Dan’s face comes up in a cloud, you could feel he was in trouble.

The things that happen to Dan are very funny and very over the top. It is needed in a film like this, because “Furry Vengeance” is like a cartoon with real people. The special effects with the animals were very good, as I couldn’t tell the real animals from the fake.

Poor Dan. No one believes that the animals are targeting him. In a great casting move, Brooke Shields plays Tammy, Dan’s wife, who has a hard time believing him. Her deadpan expressions are priceless.

The person who keeps the film interesting and entertaining is Fraser, who has no problem in having the audience laugh at him. His bug-eyes make the things that happen to him even funnier.

Is “Furry Vengeance,” the funny movie of the year? Probably not. The film is kid friendly and funny enough to entertain the adult with them. As I was in theater watching the film, one kid was laughing hard out-loud. He was having the best time. The coolest thing was that the adult with him didn’t try to quiet him or shush him. They let him laugh and laughed with him -- and so did I -- because the film is funny. 

edited by Michele Ristich Gatts

‘Kick Ass’ Not an Ordinary Superhero Story By Art Byrd

When did you ever think you would have a mainstream movie, directed at the general public, called “Kick Ass?” Well, one is here, and the name sums up the film. I can’t recommend the film for kids at all, especially those under 16. “Kick Ass” has a lot of profanity and tons of violence. I mean some turn-your-head-from-the-screen violence.

From the trailer, the film “Kick Ass” looks like the usual superhero movie. A young boy feels that there is no justice in the world and wants to stand up for it.  The film has those elements. The story centers on Dave, played by Aaron Johnson, who is a teenager going through the angst of growing up with bullies, girls who see him as invisible and a computer.

Dave’s saving grace comes in his friends, Marty and Todd, played by Clark Duke (“Hot Tub Time Machine”) and Evan Peters, who share an interest in comic books. One day, Dave asks the question, “Why aren’t ordinary people becoming superheroes to help people?” Marty and Todd say it’s because they would get their ass kicked.

Not deterred, Dave orders a scuba suit online and turns it into a superhero costume with a mask and construction boots. Dave uses two police batons as weapons.

After seeing two bullies he knows breaking into a car, Dave changes into the scuba costume. He confronts the bullies and gets beat up and stabbed. Then he stumbles into the path of oncoming car and is hit.

After recovering from his injuries, Dave suits up again and rescues a man being beaten by some thugs. This time, his heroic act is captured on video cameras and posted on the Internet. When Dave is asked what his name is, he looks into the camera and says “Kick Ass.” Kick Ass becomes an Internet sensation.

Kick Ass starts a homemade hero craze. Enter Nicolas Cage, who plays Damon Macready, a vengeful father who has trained his 13-year-old daughter Mindy (played by newcomer Chloe Moretz) in many forms of weaponry. There is a scene where he shoots her in the chest with a gun so she knows how a gun blast feels while wearing a bulletproof vest.

Damon and Mindy become the crime-fighters “Big Daddy” and “Hit Girl.” Their costumes look really cool.  Now, Moretz as “Hit Girl” steals the film. She does some serious killing of people; I felt weird watching a 13 year old stabbing and shooting grown men.

Edited by Michele Ristich Gatts