Cameron Crowe, The Albums?

Albums you may ask, he does music too? No, well maybe, not sure. Be awesome if he did. But not what I am getting at. His films feel like albums, a bold statement - I know, but I don’t care. His films are important cinema, the kind of cinema that I can believe in. His films are beautiful, deep and touching, their reflections of times past and present, much like a good album, a classic album, an album you can put on a turntable and plug in some clunky headphones, hear the cracks and pops from the vinyl and listen to the album that you’ve listened to hounded times over. His films feel like a summers day afternoon where the wind blows through your hair and you feel that absolute feeling. It’s hard to describe but I am sure everyone knows that feeling. Or I could be wrong but I am getting off track here.

His films, any of them - from Say Anything to Elizabethtown, and probably his future films are like albums. I admire his filmmaking, he’s one of my favorite directors that I rarely talk about, out of all of his films I haven’t seen one that I didn’t love. I am use to talking about David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Terry Gilliam, Kevin Smith, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Stanley Kubrick, Hayao Miyazaki and Park Chan-Wook, but not Crowe and I think I understand why…

I was introduced to his film Jerry Maguire first, though at the time it didn’t sink in or touch me in any specific way at the time, I was relatively young when I had seen it. Around 2000 though, in October I went and saw Almost Famous for my birthday, this film became my favorite movie, I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it since, then I saw Vanilla Sky, then Say Anything, then Elizabethtown, then Singles, then Jerry Maguire again. But I rarely mentioned my admiration towards his films or his filmmaking, which I am regretting more and more. So now is my chance to make up for that. Though there is more then enough reason to talk about his work, simply because it’s amazing.

His films are normal, not in a bad way by any means. Their not strange, experimental, weird or distant. Their every day kind of films about normal every day people who you wish you knew and the ideas of the films aren’t to distant from reality, these things can actually happen. Something most films cannot even claim to have the ability to say, which isn’t bad at all.

His films deal from romance, to life trouble, to surrealism, to fame, to music, to life, to love, to family, to honesty, to his own life. He has a way with cinema that makes you feel like your at home, or in comfy jeans, or whatever your analogy is… Don’t miss out on this man’s talent. And I am sure I am one of many who boast about him, but I figured why not write one more, to add to the list of Crowe lovers.

Someday, whether it be now or 30 years from this very moment I am writing this, his films will be seen as classic films, like they see classic albums like Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Or the Door’s Strange Days, or Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti.

His next project is unknown at the time, but has the promise of his touch to it. The fallowing project will be a retrospective look at Pearl Jam, which to me is like a nerdgasm. Favorite band = Favorite Director, makes for tasty mixture. I am very excited about it also, not very often you see Pearl Jam doing something like this, especially with how they handle their “Fame”. But understandably so, they have every right to do whatever they please. Anyway, I’ve lost track of what point I was trying to get across other then what I said about his films being more like albums. Well, oh well. Looks like I failed at being a writer. Tough cookies…. Hah.

From 1989’s Say Anything , 1992’s Singles, 1996’s Jerry Maguire, 2000’s Almost Famous, 2001’s Vanilla Sky, and 2005’s Elizabethtown, you should see them all if you can. You won’t regret it, or you will, or you’ll not care either way, all possibilities of course.

What the hell, take a chance and not watch TV shows… rent a soon to be classic like any of his films.

- Andrew.