Category Archives: film

BOOK: “The Tao of Bill Murray” by Gavin Edwards

Posted on by
1
The Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party CrashingThe Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing by Gavin Edwards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher site – Penguin Random House

This book lays out Bill Murray’s philosophy of life as revealed by his quirky, daring, and spontaneous approach to living. Much has been made of the influence of the mystic philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff on Murray’s thinking. This background is discussed a little in Edwards’ book, but mostly this is a book that uses anecdotes from Bill Murray’s life to make a case for a philosophy of life that involves spontaneity, generosity, service, and connection. (Furthermore, it’s not clear to what degree Gurdjieff influenced Murray’s thinking, versus Gurdjieff’s ideas appealing to Murray because of the way the comedic actor already experienced the world.)

The author organizes the book around what he calls “The Ten Principles of Bill,” a set of ideas that Edwards argues can be seen cutting across Murray’s working and non-working life (and most of the stories are from his interactions with everyday people in everyday [but often unexpected] settings, and not from Murray’s acting work.)

I found this book to be highly readable and illuminating. The stories are funny but also offer a distinct approach to experiencing the world. I’d highly recommend this book for those interested in living a more spontaneous and rewarding life, or just those who like Bill Murray.

View all my reviews

PROMPT: Villain

Posted on by
Reply

Have you ever liked a villain more than the hero? Who and why?

The more kleptocratic billionaires take control of the world, the more sympathetic The Joker (as played by Heath Ledger in Dark Knight) is over billionaire Bruce Wayne, with the latter’s willingness to abandon principles and listen in on everyone’s cellphone to win.

PROMPT: Regretted Reading

Posted on by
Reply

Have you ever regretted reading a book — which one and why?

“Hostage” by Robert Crais. The ending was terrible. The protagonist had zero agency in his own survival. They made a movie with Bruce Willis which improved the defect. While the movie may not have been good, per se, it’s my go-to refutation whenever someone squawks that pretentious cliche, “The book is always better than the movie.”

PROMPT: Most Annoying Trope

Posted on by
1

What’s the most annoying trope in books or movies?

The McGuffin. A thing chased for the sake of being chased. It only works because humans, like dogs, are programmed to chase certain things without a good sense of whether it’s worth it or what would happen if one ever caught it.

PROMPT: Cry

Posted on by
Reply
Daily writing prompt
What’s the last movie that made you cry?
View all responses

Tropic Thunder. Laughed myself to tears.

PROMPT: Inspired

Posted on by
Reply
Daily writing prompt
What’s a movie or book that inspired you to travel?
View all responses

I would say it’s much more common for travel to inspire me to read a particular book than the other way about. I can’t think of a case in which reading a book was the prime mover in a decision to travel to a given place. But I do try to read some literature from every country or literarily active city that I visit.

PROMPT: Out of a Movie

Posted on by
Reply
Daily writing prompt
What’s a moment in your life that felt like it was straight out of a movie?
View all responses

I once slipped and fell on ice, and it was like an outtake from a Jackie Chan movie.

PROMPT: Expected to Hate

Posted on by
Reply
Daily writing prompt
What’s a movie you expected to hate but ended up loving?
View all responses

I’ve had it the other way round (i.e. disliked a movie I expected to like,) but I can’t really say I’ve ever watched a movie that I expected to hate. Do people do that? In the very short life one has, are there people who sit around entertaining themselves with movies they expect to not be entertaining? Despite all that I have learned in this life, people perplex me more and more each day.

PROMPT: Erase

Posted on by
1
Daily writing prompt
If you could erase one movie from your memory and watch it again for the first time, which one would it be?
View all responses

If Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind taught us anything, it’s that one shouldn’t go around erasing memories. So, I decline to answer. [FYI: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is not my answer because I don’t need the lesson all over again.]

PROMPT: Movies or TV Series

Posted on by
Reply
Daily writing prompt
What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?
View all responses

Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Hustle, and The Matrix. Together, they contain the sum of all wisdom.