What the film Hudson Hawk Taught Me

It was May of 1991 and I was a 12 years old sixth grader who was an action and adventure junkie.  I’d like to tell you I found adventure every weekend riding dirt bikes or going to karate but the truth was I was more into Nintendo and Ninja Turtles than anything else.  The highlight of my childhood was once a month running home to the mailbox to find the latest issue of Nintendo Power Magazine, a periodical used by Nintendo to highlight the latest games for kids to pester their parents to purchase.  The magazine would often give readers the opportunity to win an elaborate prize, often tied into a R rated film like such at Total Recall or Robocop 2 (in retrospect any company who would even think to market a R rated movie in this manner to children today would be boycotted before the ink in the magazine would dry).  True to form, Volume 24 included a contest where one luck winner would win a Hudson Hawk themed scavenger hunt in their hometown.  I had no idea what Hudson Hawk was but was thrilled by the box art in the magazine, featuring a sharply dressed man dangling from a rope.  The picture showed action, adventure, and a sleek smooth looking guy against a New York City backdrop.  What more could a 12-year-old pixel addict ask for?

I soon started noticing commercials for the film, showing Bruce Willis flying out the back of an ambulance, getting cappuccino (which soon became my favorite drink) shot out of his hand, and singing lots of lots of singing.  I was a fan of the film without having seen one frame of the actual movie!  Sadly, my parents would not yet allow me to see a R rated picture (yes I know I was twelve at the time) but name of the film stuck in my head, crammed somewhere between the code for 30 lives in the video game Contra and the words to Weird Al’s song “Just Eat It.”  ( Yes I was quite the ladies man even at that age).  Months later I would trick my dad into renting the film from Rx Place, where we spent many weekends perusing the endless cache of VHS tapes we would almost never return on time, nor did we ever intend to. When we fired up the film and sank into a tub of popcorn the size of my head, it was apparent to me I was watching the best film of my young life.  If you haven’t seen the movie, it stars Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello as cat burglars charged with stealing and then protecting artifacts belonging to the Vatican.  The burglars did have one very unique feature separating them from other Hollywood thieves rather than rely on watches and carefully choreographed plans to foil security systems they kept time by singing.

Luckily, by the time I was able to drive I had forgotten about the terribly campy film.  Recently I employed a simple change into my morning schedule I would not have thought of if it weren’t for this film.  I have a tendency to lose myself in relaxed thought while showering, often turning a quick shower into more of a long soak.  Before turning the water on I now pick a song from my gargantuan playlist on my i-phone and noting to myself how long the tune is.  Rather than saying to myself, let me just try to be quick, I make a mental note to limit myself to no more than three songs before exiting the shower.  I have now cut my shower time by two-thirds, freeing me up for more time to get ready before hauling off to work.  Even though I can’t sing like Bruce Willis’ alter ego Bruno, its because of this truly awful film I’m able to get out of bed in the morning and start my day.

 Philip A. Maenza aka “Philtastic Phil” is an internet entrepreneur and consumer behavior professional whose interests include art, film, music, stand up comedy, fitness, and comic books. Phil is also a dedicated community volunteer and always open to connecting with like-minded optimists.  His go to shower time song has been Katie Perry’s “Firework” for the past three months, because sometimes we all feel like a plastic bag drifting in the wind.

What the film “Kill Bill” teaches us about goal setting and change

A quick note: If you are a regular reader to my blog, you may know I believe the arts have the ability to awaken, inspire, and unlock qualities within us in a way no text book (or in this case post) ever can.  Today I’ll be talking about one of my favorite films, Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 revenge/samurai/spaghetti western film Kill Bill.  If you haven’t had a chance to see the picture yet, be warned I will be examining the film, in other words SPOILER ALERT.  Further be warned: the film (particularly volume one) is known to be extremely violent and bloody.  If you are sensitive to such imagery, you may want to consider skipping this post entirely.  If you are familiar with the film, please note I consider volume one and volume two as one movie and will address it as such.

To say life can be unpredictable is an understatement.  The unexpected can happen and often does, hopefully not in the same fashion as the opening scene of the film Kill Bill, as shown above nevertheless we can learn how to readjust and re-purpose ourselves after being thrown off course.

1. Recover 

When the unexpected happens and one finds them self thrown off course, its essential the issue its identified so we can move on. In the film, after waking from a four and a half year long coma the main character, referred to only as the Bride at this point in our story, has one thing on her mind: revenge.  Before she could even start to plan her mission, she needed to literally learn how to walk again.  Years in a hospital bed left her legs and feet in a stage of atrophy.  In a matter of hours she uses pure will power to correct what months of physical therapy would correct.

2. Focus on new goals and create an action plan

In the film, Uma Thurman’s character created the “death list five”, a list of the names of her former gang members and their nicknames.  This is The Bride’s action plan, who does she have to go through to reach her goal of revenge on her would be assailants.  The death list dictated her actions as she moved closer and closer to her ultimate goal.  Your action plan should do the same, keep you on course and focused on your goals.

3.  Share your goals with others, the right people will help you

Whenever I decide to adopt a new goal, once my action plan is polished to be clear and concise (including dates I want to hit my targets) I share it online using social media.  Friends and associates not only give me tremendous support, which helps hold myself accountable, but they also offer assistance. For example, in January of 2013 I wrote my first fleshed out action plan and shared it with my friends and family.  I had three goals 1.) lose weight, 2.) get in a good romantic relationship 3.) pay down credit card debt. Almost immediately I had words and text messages of encouragement from my Facebook friends and a few private messages for workout sessions.  I also had a few messages from friends and families asking if they would like to meet one of their single friends. Its amazing how many people want to help you when you let it be known you need help.

One of my favorite scenes in volume one of Kill Bill is when The Bride convinces the retired swordsman, Hatturo Hanzo (played by Sonny Chiba) to craft a sword for her to use.  Hanzo swords are known for being the finest quality of weapons available but Hanzo, known as the man from Okinawa, had swore he would never make another weapon.  When he heard The Bride’s goals and saw her dedication to the outcome,he had a change of heart and agreed to craft a blade for her.  People are want to help driven people on the way to their goals, in a way they can share in your struggle and your success.

4.  When obstacles come, you must overcome

Hiccups are going to happen.  It’s inevitable.  But if you remain focused on your goals they’ll be more like speed bumps than barricades.  In volume 2 one of The Bride’s targets, Bud (played by Michael Madsen) manages to get the drop on her and bury her alive.  Little did he know, he’s not going to let a little thing like being bound and trapped in a pine coffin under six feet of dirt stop her from getting to Bill. She’s able to overcome this seemingly impossible situation by recounting her training and putting those lessons into action.

5.  Don’t let surprises get you off track 

The ultimate twist in the film comes towards the end when Uma’s character, now known to be Beatrice Kiddo, enter’s Bill’s villa for the final confrontation only to be shocked when she learns her daughter is still alive and has been raised by Bill.  In that moment when she sees her baby girl, whom she thought she had lost in the womb during the massacre at the beginning of the film, her demeanor changes from a revenge driven women to a caring and loving mother. She does not keep this from her goal, she does not allow herself to grow complacent.  On your way to reaching your goal you will hit bouts of success, which are great.  Don’t let these little victories become plateaus you hang your hat on, keep going going.

Hopefully your goals don’t involve bloody gory revenge or a gang of assassins but I hope some of the tips I’ve shed some light on get you closer to accomplishing your goals.  Speaking of which, what are some of your goals?  Are their films you feel you can drawn an allegory from?

Philip A. Maenza aka “Philtastic Phil” is an internet entrepreneur and consumer behavior professional whose interests include art, film, music, stand up comedy, fitness, and comic books. Phil is also a dedicated community volunteer and always open to connecting with like minded optimists.  Now that you’ve read all of this, its time to wiggle your pinky toe. 

There is No Morocco: What the Film Almost Famous Can Teach Us About Goal Setting

As many regular readers to my blog know, I am a film fanatic and believe motion pictures, as with any art form, have the ability to educate the viewer about the human condition and about them self in a way no scientific material  or textbook can.  The Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous is my favorite picture and one I hold close to my heart for this very reason. For those who haven’t seen it, be warned I will most definitely spoil the story of the film in this post.  If you were planning on Netflixing the film tonight, its OK to close this screen for now (I forgive you) as long as you promise to come back here later when you’re done.  The movie has several layers; it’s a coming of age drama, a love story, and a love letter to classic rock based loosely on Crowe’s youth.   I’m not writing about a nearly fifth-teen year old film to give you a review, rather I had a thought recently regarding the characters in the film I feel we can all use to reach our own goals.

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”
― T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph

The characters in the film are dreamers, to one extent or another. William’s mother dreams of her son growing up as a respectful grounded and intelligent gentleman.  His sister dreams of freedom away from her mother’s over bearing behavior. The fictional band, Still Water, dreams of the fame, and Penny Lane dreams of visiting exotic locations.  The film’s main character, William, however, is a different kind of dreamer.  While everyone else in the film treats their dreams like a fantasy world they can close their eyes and think about with no real aim in to make it a reality William is actively working towards his goal of becoming a professional music journalist.  So what makes William different than all the others in the film?

First and foremost, he’s tenacious. We learn early on the film he has been submitting articles he’s written in his spare time for years to his idol, Lester Bangs.  This connection prepares William for his big break, writing an article for Rolling Stone on his new favorite band Still Water.  William is intent on getting the article completed, so much in fact he misses his high school graduation while attempting to get interviews with all the members of the band.

Second, he’s not afraid to ask for help.  William wrote the aforementioned articles not only to get his work published in Bangs’ periodical, Cream Magazine, but to recruit the journalist as a mentor. This not only led William to start this life changing journey on tour with an up and coming rock band but also served as a support system when he ran into trouble with the piece, later in the film.  He also recruits Penny Lane, played by Kate Hudson who received an Oscar nomination for her performance, to assist him in getting an interview with the elusive guitar player, Russell Hammond.

He’s willing to endure criticism.  William is very much an outsider and always has been in his life.  He’s too young, too smart, and at times too naive to embrace the world around him and its limitations.  Does he have tough mental armor made of steel and Kevlar?   Not at all, he is driven by his goal, amazement with creativity, and passion for music.

He’s not afraid to tell it like it is.  Throughout the film William gets distracted by the trappings of touring with rock stars, as I’m sure we all would.  The biggest and most charming scene in the film, typifies this perfectly.

At this exact moment, William realizes he is trapped.  He’s having a great time, feels like he’s one of the band, and even has the object of his affection, Penny Lane, leaning on his shoulder.  It’s a great, feel good scene, one that would probably trap any of us but William is focused on his goal. Several times during the film, when discussions with Penny Lane get a little too serious for her liking, she talks about her dream, going to Morocco.  What will she wear ? How will she speak? Until she meets William, however, she has no intention of actually going to Morocco, she just likes to daydream about it.  Towards the end of the film, William confront her about her diversionary tactics by loudly proclaiming, “There is no Morocco!”

It’s ironic in a film with characters who seem to be daydreaming about a life better than the one they have, the most grounded person is the kid who has the most impractical sounding goal.  The one major point of contention I have about William’s attitude toward his goals is hes too serious.  It’s been my experience if one takes their passion too seriously and doesn’t have any fun, they wind up hating it.  This seems to be something Penny Lane understood when she said, ” I always tell the girls, never take it seriously, if ya never take it seriously, ya never get hurt, ya never get hurt, ya always have fun, and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.” Lucking, it seem like Crowe picked up this lesson sometime after the events depicted in this film.  To recap, here’s what we can learn from Almost Famous and reaching our goals:

1. Be tenacious, don’t give up. If it’s important you’ll find a way to do it.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a mentor or a college.  Everyone needs a leg up sometimes.
3. You’re going to have critics.  They’re not living your life or paying your bills, you are.
4. Tell it like it is- in my experience people often appreciate it when you’re blunt and find your honesty refreshing.

Remember these simple guidelines and work hard towards them every day.  Make each interaction and action prove to be one step closer in reaching the finish line.  Most importantly, never stop dreaming .  This can be easier said than done at times but dreams and ambition are the fuel that drives us towards our future.  These ideals will dramatically increase your chances of reaching your goals, whether they be visiting Morocco, losing weight, finding (or forgetting) love, or just being a better overall person.

What are your tips for staying focused on you goals? Let me know in the comments and I’ll gladly respond and reply.

Philip A. Maenza aka “Philtastic Phil” is an internet entrepreneur and consumer behavior professional whose interests include art, film, music, stand up comedy, fitness, and comic books. Phil is also a dedicated community volunteer and always open to connecting with like minded optimists.  Oh, and like Russell Hammond, I am a Golden God.