Out of print for more than 30 years, now available for the first time as an eBook, this is the controversial story of John Wooden's first 25 years and first 8 NCAA Championships as UCLA Head Basketball Coach. This is the only book that gives a true picture of the character of John Wooden and the influence of his assistant, Jerry Norman, whose contributions Wooden  ignored and tried to bury.

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Yesterday (8/10)

by Tony Medley

Runtime 113 minutes

PG-13

Fledgling screenwriter Jack Barth had an idea and a script he had been pitching for years and years. Finally it got to writer Richard Curtis. He liked the idea but didn’t want to read the script. So he took it and produced a version that is apparently more upbeat. Directed by Danny Boyle, it takes the conceit that nobody remembers The Beatles’ music but one man, Jack Malik (Himesh Patel).

Early on we meet Jack and he’s an unsuccessful musician with his best friend, Ellie (Lily James) acting as his manager. Riding home on his bicycle after another unsuccessful performance, the entire world is hit with a short electrical blackout, causing Jack to be run over by a huge truck. When he awakens he is the only person in the world, apparently, who remembers The Beatles’ music (and Coca-Cola, too, for that matter).

Well, what would you do if you were the only person in the world who knew some of the best music ever written? As Jack proceeds to use this knowledge, he shakes up his world and his relationship with Ellie.

There are some outstanding performances here. Patel was basically an unknown when tapped for the role. He is a good actor but what makes this work is that he is a very good singer and guitar player, which was vital for the role.

James is charming as his unrequited love. She is so beautiful and lively that it’s a bit incomprehensible how Jack not only does not pursue her romantically, he isn’t even aware she is in love with him.

But for me the person who steals the movie is Kate McKinnon. The last time I saw her was in The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018). Reviewing that film, I wrote, “McKinnon continues in scene after scene to wisecrack and overact and just generally make viewers miserable.” Not so here. Playing Debra, Jack’s Hollywood agent, she is suitably overbearing and aggressive and dominates every scene in which she appears. I wanted to see a lot more of her. I’d go so far as to give her an Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

If you are a Beatlemaniac, as am I, you will be rewarded with fine versions of a cornucopia of Beatles’ hits sung by Jack.