Life Chances to Heartfelt Terms

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, "50/50" is an original story (inspired by the real experiences of the screenwriter) about love, friendship, survival and finding humor in the most unlikely of places. It's also stars a cancer patient. Unlikely place indeed.

Gordon-Levitt's character is diagnosed with cancer, and meets with a young psychologist (played by Anna Kendrick) in order to work out his emotions. What he ends up finding is a deeper appreciation of life and what bizarre turns people take to consider themselves "healthy."

This week, I am stretching back to 1983.

Okay, let's keep the heavy topic of cancer. "50/50" may keep it light, but I'll take a film that treats the disease with a bit more gravitas. Surprisingly, that really narrows my options. People don't like films about terminal illnesses, at least not nowadays. However, back in 1983, a cancer film received a Best Picture Oscar along with 4 other statuettes.

This week, I'll look at the 1983 tearjerker "Terms of Endearment."

"Terms of Endearment" follows Aurora and Emma, a mother and daughter pair. They have their ups and downs, as all mothers and daughters: Aurora is fiercely protective, Emma marries a wishy-washy teacher, Aurora hates the new son-in-law but loves the grandkids, Emma and her husband both fall into affairs. You know, comedy stuff. About 75 minutes of the film is simple 80's schlock, like "Steel Magnolias" without the diabetes. Speaking of that particular dark turn... like "Steel Magnolias," "Terms of Endearment" turns heavy when Emma is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Mother and daughter need to come to terms before Emma dies. Emma must let Aurora care for her children, and Aurora must let her little girl go. So yeah, really heavy by the credit roll.

The Final Stretch:

Cancer is hard to tackle as a filmmaker. Either of these films could have been weepy or piteous. Despite this, both of these movies approach the topic in a respectful manner, showing the human side of an inhuman illness. One captures the modern fight by using gentle humor, while the other looks at how a fatal disease can upend families in one fell swoop. Cancer is a hard topic, but putting that fight on film can share the human experience and showcase great light in dark hours.

Oakland Controversy to Yankee Pride

"Moneyball" comes out this weekend, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. We follow Billy Beane (Pitt) as he confronts management teams with his new way of drafting baseball players. I am no expert in baseball (sports in general elude me), but this single controversial action allegedly took the soul out of baseball. Beane changed the sport irreparably by choosing players great in only one thing, creating a niche team. The soul of baseball was at stake, so let's find a classic with baseball soul.

This week, I am stretching all the way back to 1942.

Let's keep the baseball theme intact. Even biography can stay, but that whole controversy thing needs to go. Let's stretch that into a tragic tale of human fate. Now let's add one of the most beloved players of all time. A tale of tragedy, but a glimmer of what makes baseball great.

Baseball fans, I'm talking about the 1942 classic "The Pride of the Yankees."

Producer Samuel Goldwyn famously called this movie, "box office poison," but the film became one of the most popular movies of the time. We experience the tale of Lou Gehrig, who rose to stardom for the Yankees in the 1920's. We follow him from boyhood, and connect greatly by the time he reaches adulthood (as an adult, he is played by the impeccable Gary Cooper). When he discovers he has a fatal neurological disease, he tearfully bids farewell to a crowd of adoring fans.

The Final Stretch:
If you see "Moneyball" this weekend, you may not fully understand what Beane is destroying. The tradition and camaraderie of baseball was at stake, and that was built on the shoulders of players like Lou Gehrig. Beane changes baseball forever by making it more mechanical, and "The Pride of the Yankees" shows exactly how big of a loss this could be. The soul of baseball is something precious, and we see that in the sad farewell of a proud Yankee.

Premiere Post

Welcome to Cinema Stretch, your source for bridging the generational divide in film. I hope to introduce old films to new fans, relating classic films to modern hits in order to bring the generations together.

I am your host Justin Chisham, avid movie fan. Despite my young age, I have an eclectic library of films ranging from modern hits to old favorites. In fact, some of my greatest treasures premiered decades before I was born. As I talked cinema with my college friends, I noticed a gap in their knowledge. "Old movies" were all lumped together as black and white garbage, and nothing pre-Star Wars seemed to have any effect. Something needed to change. Thus, Cinema Stretch was born.

This is primarily a site to introduce old movies to a new generation, but I am also interested in showing old favorites to fledgling fans. If you have a passing interest in film, I hope to increase your base knowledge in the only way I know how: snarky comments and sarcastic quips. If you are extremely knowledgeable about cinema history... well, I may just have a few tricks up my sleeve to surprise you.

Over the course of the next few weeks, be prepared for a trip through film history. I will highlight a new film, then stretch that film's premise or idea toward a classic piece of cinema. I intend to introduce you to old films via the new, because some classics simply need to be taken off the shelf.