Stacy Wall of Imperial Woodpecker directed this spot in which L.A. Clippers’ superstar forward Blake Griffin plays a pickup game of basketball, inexplicably choosing as his teammate a youngster who calls himself D’arryl Drain, aka Dr. Drain. The lad’s specialty comes in the form of high-arching jump shots–unfortunately, those jumpers are errant and don’t even get a trace of net. Clearly, this kid’s game doesn’t match his swagger.
But there’s method to Griffin’s madness as he gives the ball to a wide-open Drain. He predictably lofts a shot headed for nowhere until Griffin plucks out of the air what unintentionally serves as an alley-oop pass and dunks the ball through the hoop. We then see one successful Drain-to-Blake slam dunk connection after another in the summer hoops game.
“Blake and Drain” was created by Wieden+Kennedy, New York, for the launch of the Jordan Brand’s shoe, the Super.Fly 2
Review: Director Ben Taylor’s “Joy”
Toward the end of Netflix's "Joy," the muffled cry of a newborn baby prompts a man and woman in a hospital to embrace out of pure bliss. They aren't the parents, but they had as much to do with the birth as the mom and dad.
This charming and winning movie charts the decade-long true story of how the world's first IVF baby was born in England in 1978 — a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl who paved the way for millions more. It's an upbeat, very English affair, mixing sober discussion of endometriosis with chocolate biscuits.
The couple embracing that day were pioneering scientist Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist. Together with surgeon Patrick Steptoe, the trio succeeded with in vitro fertilization, a method of treating infertility. Edwards would go on to win the Nobel Prize.
"Joy" has been birthed at a time when science is under threat in America — even IVF — so it's downright inspiring to see plucky, smart scientists working hard to change the world. "What we're doing, it matters," says Steptoe, played with quiet economy by Bill Nighy.
"Joy" is the personal stories of the three scientists — mostly through the eyes of Purdy, a polite lab-coated warrior. "If I hear a commotion, I'm not very good at staying out of it," she says. Perfectly played by Thomasin McKenzie, Purdy is both vulnerable and strong, learning through the process to be a better human. James Norton plays Edwards with charm, self-doubt and calm spirit.
Jack Thorne's script nicely explains the massive pressure the trio faced. IVF may have become common and uncontroversial over the last decades, but back in the late '70s it was experimental and shunned. The Anglican church called it a sin, the newspapers labeled it Frankenstein-ish and other... Read More