Justin Cecil's Blog

            One of my favorite things to watch on YouTube are video essays, particularly when they discuss movies. For example, I love the work of Leon Thomas, who does video essays on films (and media overall) while discussing their themes and philosophy on his channel Renegade Cut . Another YouTuber whose videos I sometimes watch comes from Big Joel, and I was watching his recent video critiquing the Adam Sandler movie Click . I remember first watching this movie in the dollar theater with my family back in 2006. I kind of had mixed feelings about it. There were of course moments that made me laugh, even if I felt some of the humor was just ehh …, and this was also one of Adam Sandler’s films in which he tried to be more dramatic as well. And there is one aspect of Click I was thinking about after watching Big Joel’s video on the film.             Why is Adam Sandler’s character an architect?...

I’ve toyed with a great many ideas about what to do with my life. On occasion I have contemplated the idea of starting a business. In reality I don’t think I would start one anytime soon. This is due to the fact that honestly, I have yet to settle down (I’m currently teaching abroad); assuming that the business was a brick and mortar one (granted, many more businesses are strictly online now), I’d have to make sure that I was truly ready to settle down. And any idea for a business that I truly wanted to pursue would have to be a lot more concrete. But if I were living in Fantasyland, and had unlimited money and resources, here are a few ideas for businesses I might pursue. 1.      Bookstore – I’ve always been a big reader, and both libraries and bookstores have been places that I liked to visit. They’ve practically been havens, and honestly almost like places of worship for me. Unfortunately many bookstores, both big chains and independent ones, are closing ...

            Quentin Tarantino is planning on retiring from filmmaking after directing a total of ten films . Last year he directed his ninth film “One Upon a Time in Hollywood” (he counts the two “Kill Bill” movies as one). Apparently Tarantino wants to quit while he’s ahead , and while he may absolutely love directing, I’m sure it takes a lot out of him. While he plans on no longer directing films, he still plans on working by writing books and perhaps theatrical plays.             I do have a suggestion for him though.             There are plenty of filmmakers who, while they may mainly be known for directing fictional films, also direct documentaries. Martin Scorsese is mainly known for directing films like “Taxi Driver” and “The Departed.” But he’s also directed several documentaries (including multiple concert films) such as “The Last...

            I was reading about the actor Daniel Day-Lewis the other day. He’s definitely an amazing actor, whatever you think of his methods. Whenever I see the movie “There Will Be Blood,” I am always blown away by his larger than life presence. I’ve also enjoyed him in other movies, like “Lincoln.”             Anyway, the thing that struck me as I was reading about Daniel Day-Lewis was the fact that at one point, he took a break from acting. After starring in the 1997 film “The Boxer,” he moved for a while to Florence, Italy, living under the radar until he returned to acting with the movie “Gangs of New York.” While living in Italy, Daniel Day-Lewis discovered a love of shoe making. After years of having a successful acting career, he became an apprentice to celebrated Italian shoemaker Stefano Bemer (his shoes would often cost over $3,000.00 a pair).  Bemer spoke highly of Daniel Day-L...