Essay "Extremely Big Rocks" ～The Band Wagon and Marvel's Spider-Man～

I am Japanese. I write this blog not only in Japanese but also in English. But I'm not good at English very much, so I think that there are many mistakes in my English. I appropriate your understanding.

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I like musical movie of the golden age of MGM and I often watch those musical movies.

One day, I watched "The Band Wagon".  There is a scene that Fred Astair and Cyd Charisse dance in the park at night.

Astair and Charisse get off the carriage at the park where grow thick. And they have walked for a while. They arrive at the place with nobody. We can see the skyscraper in the distance and some extremely big rocks nearby. The dance started at the place.

One of the most memorable scenes for me.

About half a year or one year later, I bought SteamDeck and I have played Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered which I had wanted to play for a long time.

This game is open world game set in New York of Marvel's world. We can move Spider-Man and Spider-Man who is moved by us can go around Manhattan freely. Air movement with web-swing is very refreshing. Day after day, I walk and swing around Manhattan.

One day, I walked in the Central Park. I found it is very big park with a lot of nature. When I walk a certain corner, I thought there are some extremely big rocks.

I suddenly realized.  I experienced connecting the dots. I searched about the scene of night park of Band Wagon. I found the movie's park is set in Central Park exactly.

Of course, I have known existence of Central Park for a long time. I have seen the Central Park's aerial photo. But I can't go to America because too far. So, I have not Known landscape in the Central Park. 

Therefore, when I watched Band Wagon, the park of that scene is "so far city NY's beautiful park I don't know where it is and it has some extremely big rocks" for me.

But, after played Spider-Man, Spider-Man he is not me, but I move him and he let me see Manhattan's landscape through game. So, the park of that scene in the Band Wagon became "the park I have walked, and I know where the park is in Manhattan, and have some extremely big rocks, I also know its name is Central Park".  

Years ago, I watched the TV commercial of PS4 in which appear Takayuki Yamada. The commercial's theme was "we can do anything in the game."

 That is true. I have been to Manhattan.

External links

The Band Wagon

Amazon.co.jp: バンド・ワゴン（字幕版）を観る | Prime Video

This movie is streamed on Amazon Prime Video in Japan. This movie is famous for a song "That's Entertainment".  Directed by Vincente Minnelli. Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse starred. If you are interested in this movie, watch please! 

This is the song that plays during the dance scene in Central Park at night ↓ (from YouTube "Topic" channel)

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered | ゲームタイトル | PlayStation (日本)

Very very exciting videogame. I didn't know about Spider-Man befor I play this game, but I could enjoyed fully. I watched Spider-Verse because of playing this game. Now, I like Spider-Man very much. Not only this game's story is amazing but also it is fun only move with web-swing without purpose. There is PS4 version and PS5 version and PC version. I play PC version with SteamDeck. I can play it with SteamDeck comfortably.

Takayuki Yamada's CM of PS4

↓Article of Japanese PS blog about the CM

山田孝之が、人を超えて超人化。PS4®新TVCM｢できないことが、できるって、最高だ。2017｣篇を公開！ – PlayStation.Blog 日本語

↓We can watch CM movie in this X's post. This CM is like musical. The song is in English. Please check out!

Xユーザーのプレイステーション公式さん: 「山田孝之、超人になる!? 空を飛び、パンチを発射!! PS4®ならできる最高に楽しい体験を集めた新CM｢できないことが、できるって、最高だ。2017｣篇公開！ https://t.co/Et2St8Gbki #PS4 #できないことができるって最高だ #2017PSカンファレンス https://t.co/WmEDszoaTC」 / X (twitter.com)

I watched this CM for the first time in a long time. It's amazingly wonderful.