Trivia Tuesday: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Want to know some fun trivia about this guy?

His mom ran for congress in the 1970's.  His dad was once the producer of a Radio Station in LA.

His grandfather, Michael Gordon, was a director in the 1940's & '50s.  His most notable film is Pillow Talk, starring Doris Day & Rock Hudson?

Do you remember seeing him as this adorable kid?

Bonus Trivia:  Did you know Angels in the Outfield also starred Adrien Brody and Matthew McConaughey?  It's true!  Both were just starting out their careers.  Hopefully those connections will help your next game of 6-degrees-of-separation ;)



[A very young Academy Award Winner Adrien Brody]




[Matthew McConaughey's character was the first to get helped by an Angel.]

And you may have seen this before, but it's too funny!




[They went to high school together in Tacoma!]

Well, actually, on the set of 10 Things I Hate About You, which was filmed in a Tacoma high school as well as locations in and around Seattle (including Gasworks Park and the Fremont Troll). One last piece of bonus trivia:  The scene in which Kat reads the "10 Things" poem was the first and only take, according to the DVD extras. Kat's tears towards the end of the poem were not planned.  [Such a great scene!  And so cool she nailed it in only one take]

He's been published.  He curated & edited The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories.



[Volumes 1 & 2 are out, with Volume 3 coming by the end of the year.]



[I agree whole-heartedly!]

He speaks French.

Oh, and he sings.  I'm sure you've seen his duet with Zooey Deschanel for "What are you doing New Year's Eve?"   He's covered quite a few songs, including this french one with Anne Hathaway.


And, taking after his grandfather, he's about to have his directorial debut. 



[Renaissance Man]

"The most valiant thing you can do as an artist is inspire someone else to be creative."

- Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Sources of Triva: IMDB, Wikipedia

So, this weekend, I finally saw Batman Begins and Dark Knight. 


I know! I know!! I should have seen it already... but I had been dreading Dark Knight for so long (4 years to be exact). But I decided a while ago that I wanted to see Dark Knight Rises--and that meant facing the darkness. 

And while [for various reasons I won't go into now] there were parts I really didn't appreciate, I loved. the. ending.

"I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be."

Woooooow!!! Watching this movie reminded me a lot of Sherlock, especially the Reichenbach Fall. I had heard people compare Moriarty to the Joker before (but, seriously, he's way more likeable... and better to look at ;)

[via]

But tonight I was struck with the similarities between Batman and Sherlock Holmes. Both want to stop evil, but both are faced with horrifying choice. And both respond with incredible self sacrifice. 

I didn't get to write my reaction to Reichenbach right after its airing, but I can now (and, surprisingly, Batman recalled some similar feelings for me). As a student of art and of literature, I've wrestled for years with trying to understand what God calls beautiful and how he defines a hero. And I don't have the answer to that question.

But I know that self-sacrifice is beautiful.

These two dark, canonical figures remind me of so many Biblical heroes--with their flaws, their egos, their sin. But they also remind me of Christ because they'd put reputation, priorities, their very lives on the line for people they loved even more than themselves.

[via]

I cried like a baby at the end of Reichenbach not only because it was heart-wrenching portrayal of how much Sherlock truly loved John, but because it was just a small representation of the fall Christ took for each of us. After the disciples mourned for 3 days, as John mourned for 3 years, the finality of death was shaken and the Hero returned... but only after the greatest display of love.

I don't mean to over-spiritualize things, but, the way I see it, God is the original author and any truly good work mirrors His in some way. Death and resurrection is common enough in literature, but I have been deeply moved by these film adaptations' as a type of Christ's love for His Bride and His people.

For now, though, noticing all of the similarities, I think Sherlock is my Dark Knight =)

update 7.19.12 - 

[Worlds collide at London premiere of the Dark Knight Rises 7.18.12]