Sunday, June 21, 2015

Happy Father's Day

Especially to my own father, Cliff, who is both my hero and role model.

Note to those wives and kids planning to celebrate: no brunches. That’s Mother’s Day stuff. Let the old man sit in front of the TV and watch NASCAR or the WNBA. 

Or watch

FIELD OF DREAMS
KRAMER VS. KRAMER
MR. MOM
PARENTHOOD 

And now, as a public service, here are some movies NOT to watch on Father’s Day:


LOVE & MERCY
FEAR STRIKES OUT
CHINATOWN
SHINE
WALK THE LINE
OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
DEAD POETS SOCIETY
STAR WARS
LIFE WITH FATHER
THE GREAT SANTINI

Some TV shows and telefilms NOT to watch:

THE MARVIN GAYE STORY
THE BEACH BOYS STORY
MAD MEN
LOST
WHITE COLLAR
Any CBS family comedy

Some unfriendly father plays:

ALL MY SONS
DEATH OF A SALESMAN (any Arthur Miller, actually)
LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Some books to avoid:

Any Bing Crosby biography
Any Frank Sinatra biography
LOVE STORY (for so many reasons)

Records to skip:

PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE by the Temptations
BOY NAMED SUE by Johnny Cash
The sappiest record but a lot of people like it:
MY DAD by Paul Peterson

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Again, happy Father’s Day – the most sacred of the bullshit Hallmark holidays.

24 comments :

Matt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Johnny Walker said...

Avoid at all costs OLD BOY.

Scott Cason said...

Bull Durham, Blues Brothers, Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou are also good father's movies.

Oat Willie said...

I'd recommend "The Corpse"(Crucible of Horror) with Michael Gough and Sharon Gurney.

Kosmo13 said...

For Father's Day, do listen to:

Eighteen Yellow Roses--Bobby Darin
Put It There-- Paul McCartney
The Reverend Mr Black--the Kingston Trio
Younger Generation--the Lovin' Spoonful

H Johnson said...

Happy Father's Day.

Just the thought of that 'have a catch' scene (not pictured here by the way) toward the end of Field Of Dreams chokes me up.

The Descendants shows a pretty good Dad example too. So does Kevin Costner's Black & White.

Count me in with the 'My Dad' by Paul Peterson fans.

Aloha

Anonymous said...

Uncomfortably close to my old man's real life:

Patches - I prefer the Clarence Carter version.

I tend to agree that there are too many bs Hallmark holidays but having a father (or mother, for that matter) that is a loving, caring role model is a great blessing and advantage in life that too many are unfortunately denied.

Keith

Anonymous said...

Second on My Dad, especially the You Tube version Paul sang on Donna Reed to Carl Betz

- said...

No one's going to mention the greatest dad movie ever, Taken? Liam Neeson as the most badass dad ever with a particular set of skills who kills hordes of scumbag human traffickers to rescue his annoying daughter.

Hank Gillette said...

Ray Stevens also had a song entitled My Dad, which is completely different from the Paul Peterson version. It’s also on YouTube and well worth a listen.

I also would put The Shining on the “not for Father’s Day” list.

Stoney said...

THE FOLLOWING IS TRUE: The Syracuse Chiefs are tonight welcoming actor Dwier Brown, who played John Kinsella in "Field Of Dreams", as part of the Fathers' Day "Have A Catch On The Field" promotion in tonight's game against the Buffalo Bisons.

Stoney said...

Add to above pose: WEATHER PERMITTING. Just had a torrential downpour here.

Richard John Marcej said...

Avoid, avoid, AVOID this song, Harry Chapin's "Cats In The Cradle"!!!

Powerhouse Salter said...

Most every woman I know identifies with Scout Finch and regards Atticus Finch in the book and movie versions of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD as the best of fathers.

Igor said...

My tradition for this day - Song for My Father

Horace Silver Quintet, https://youtu.be/S1CilMzT55M

MikeK.Pa. said...

"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." - Mark Twain

So true, so true, so very true. I've had the pleasure of experiencing it on both ends.

MikeK.Pa. said...

Should have added "The Living Years" by Mike and the Mechanics for a song to bring a tear to you eye about a father.

iamr4man said...

A Bear For Punishment. Best cartoon for Father's Day

Diane D. said...

That was so beautiful, Igor. I had never heard of it.

Sinema Films Marketing Team said...
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Igor said...

@Diane D. - Glad you liked it. And thanks for letting me know. With jazz, some people like it, others find it as the proverbial fingernails on a blackboard.

That long version of the song does get a bit out there at the start of Act III (so to speak); the album version is a bit more accessible.

RockGolf said...

Too late to mention Cat Stevens' "Father and Son"? The song doesn't make a lot of sense unless you read the title first. I hear a cover recently by a female singer who sang both the "father" lyrics and the "son" lyrics in the same voice. So the only way you could make sense of the lyrics was to know the superior original. Anyone hearing her cover first would just get confused.

Diane D. said...

Igor, I know very little about Jazz I'm sorry to say, except that I sometimes hear a piece and like it, and that one was just wonderful. Part of the reason I listened to it was the title of the piece---charming and lovely but not sappy. Thanks for sharing it!

John Parrish said...

"Chef" Written, directed by, and starring Jon Favreau. Caught it on Netflix over the weekend, not realizing it was a great father/son story.