With all of this movie talk over the last week with the Oscars, I could not help but think of one of my favorite filmmakers and wonder where he has been. What happened to Cameron Crowe??? He has only made eight films in his career, but all but one of them are outstanding. In fact, three of them rank easily within my top 25 favorites of all time. His last film was released back in 2005 and I, for one, would really like to know what he is up to. His last two movies were not met with much critical acclaim, but I still felt they were worthy efforts.

Crowe is now 50 years old, but he made his first big film when he was just 24. He has won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated one other time as well. He is married to Nancy Wilson from the sister band Heart (after meeting her on the set of one of his own movies) and has twin sons who are about 7 years old now. I am sure he has a beautiful life and is enjoying raising his sons and does not have as much time to devote to making movies, but us fans are really hoping that he has something new coming soon.

For those of you not as familiar with his work, here is a quick summary:

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) - This film was based off of the book Crowe wrote after posing as a high school student in San Diego when he was 19. The movie was ranked #8 on Old School's Top 80's Teen Comedies (January 9^th issue). It launched the careers of many stars including: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Forest Whitaker and Eric Stoltz. It even featured a young Nicolas Cage (under his real name of Nicolas Coppola). Sean Penn's "Jeff Spicoli" stoner surfer dude character was phenomenal. It also features the famous scene where Phoebe Cates gets out of the swimming pool. Crowe tried to create somewhat of a sequel in 1984 called The Wild Life, but this is the one dud on his resumé.

Say Anything (1989) - This is a fantastic film which he also directed and ranks as one of my all time favorites. It was #1 on my Top 10 films of John Cusack (January 15^th issue) who also happens to be one of my very favorite actors of all time. Though the characters behave a little older than the high school students they are meant to be, I feel this film really creates some amazing characters and captures teen angst in a special way. One of those classic scenes in cinema was created when Cusack's character "Lloyd Dobler" holds up a boom box outside of his true love's window and it plays Peter Gabriel's song "In Your Eyes." I truly love this film and I hope Crowe and Cusack hook up again in the future.

Singles (1992) - I am not as big of a fan of this movie which he also directed and produced. Crowe would direct all of his films from Say Anything on and also produce all of his films from Singles forward. This story follows a group of friends living in Seattle at the forefront of the grunge rock phenomenon that was beginning. The film shows Crowe's incredible skill at developing characters. It is always fascinating to me in all of his films to watch Crowe's characters interact with each other. This movie also really starts to emphasize the importance of music to the filmmaker and his movies. The soundtrack to this film became a best-seller even before the movie was released. Looking back, you definitely see that music is carefully chosen and very significant in his previous films as well.

Jerry Maguire (1996) - Again, he is not only the writer, but also the director and producer of this film which garnered him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. This is another one of my all time favorite movies. It has appeared on three previous Old School Top 10 lists: #1 on Tom Cruise performances (January 7^th issue), #2 on Best Picture Nominees Not to Win (January 22^nd issue) and #1 on with Cuba Gooding Jr. on the Best Supporting Actors (February 19^th issue). You could not have cast this film any better than it was. Crowe again creates an attachment to these amazing characters with incredible depth who interact with each other in a way that is pure entertainment. Then you also have catch phrases like "Show me the money!" which add to the fun. This film touched me on several different levels and I feel it is a work of pure genius in many accounts.

Almost Famous (2000) - This film is semi-autobiographical and earned him his first and only Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Another of his movies that features music at its heart, but still relies on rich characters and their interaction with each other to tell a great story. This particular story originates from his experiences as young journalist that goes on the road with a 70's rock band. Those rich characters are abundant in this movie which I consider to be very under-rated despite its Oscar winning screenplay. At this point in 2000, I felt that Crowe could do no wrong.

Vanilla Sky (2001) - This is the only film that Crowe did not write the entire story himself. Here he only wrote the screenplay to remake a Spanish film and this reunited Crowe with, his Jerry Maguire star, Tom Cruise. Though I feel this movie has a very interesting plot, it also often strays over into some strange moments. To me it seemed like it teetered on the brink of either greatness or confusion. It ultimately proved to be too surreal, but I still feel it has some redeeming qualities. I feel it is definitely a movie that you need to see 2-3 times before you can pass judgment. This was the first Crowe film since 1984 to not achieve critical respect.

Elizabethtown (2005) - Crowe returned with this film which also did not seem to get critical acclaim, but I feel it is a bit under-rated. This story harkened back to more of a Say Anything feel and starred Orlando Bloom who I thought was perfect in his role as "Drew Baylor." Crowe creates a very deep character that you become emotionally attached to and that is what makes this movie special. His wife, Nancy Wilson, helped construct the soundtrack for this film which really becomes intertwined with the story as it moves along. When I publish my Top 10 Most Under-rated Films, this one might just make the list. Unfortunately, this is the last film that Crowe has brought to the screen.

If anybody has an update or has heard any rumors as it pertains to Cameron Crowe, please fill me in. I hope he has a new film in the works, but until then I will just continue to enjoy his tremendous works he has chosen to share with us.

That will wrap up another issue of Kickin' it. In my continuing effort to provide you with additional sources of pop culture news, I have been meaning to recommend that you check out Popdose.com. This site features some fantastic writing on some topics that are less mainstream than what you find most places. I find it to be very entertaining, so let me know what you think if you decide to give it a try. Thanks for reading and please continue spreading the word on Kickin' it Old School. I appreciate any new readers you can send my way. Peace and much love.

Check this out: I thought this automotive innovation was kind of interesting. Here is a link that takes you to the disappearing car door.

Quote of the day: "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get." -H. Jackson Brown

Download this: "Same In Any Language" by I Nine - This song is featured on the soundtrack to the film Elizabethtown.