Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
And The Band Played On. An HBO movie from 1993 about the AIDS crisis in the '80s and the efforts of the CDC to isolate the virus and to find a reliable test for it. Stars Matthew Modine as the doctor driven to find the answers. Also stars Lily Tomlin, Ian McKellen, Saul Rubinek, Charles Martin Smith, and Richard Masur as well as some big names in smaller parts, including Alan Alda, Glenne Headly, Richard Gere, Steve Martin, Anjelica Huston, and get this Phil Collins as a gay bathhouse owner. Pretty damn good movie. What's particularly sad and infuriating about it is the politicizing of the issue, which they go into. Infuriating because it was known at some point early on that HIV had infected the blood supply and no one wanted to do anything about it. Sad because people were infected simply due to having a transfusion with tainted blood. That's what killed the great SF author Isaac Asimov.
A Dark Song. "A bereaved mother and an occultist retreat to an isolated house in Northern Wales to practice black-magic rituals. The pair hope to contact the dead, but their attempts at witchcraft lead to something even more terrifying." (Rotten Tomatoes) This movie scored a 90% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes; the audience score is only a 56%. I should have loved this movie. I think I started watching it too late at night and fell asleep twice, so I'm sure that ruined my immersion into the story. I should probably watch it again.
Baby Driver. It's already been talked about so I won't go into it. I thought it was good but I liked Drive (which is vaguely similar) considerably better.
War for the Planet of the Apes. The first 4/5 of this movie felt like it was missing something. I kept thinking it was just an inferior sequel to the much better Rise... and Dawn... Fortunately, it mostly redeemed itself the last 1/5.
Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press. A reasonably interesting documentary "themed around the effects of big money on American journalism. The documentary focuses on two incidents: Peter Thiel financing wrestler Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media, and casino owner Sheldon Adelson's secret purchase of the Las Vegas Review-Journal." (Wikipedia)
Nosferatu The Vampyre. This is Werner Herzog's remake of the FW Murnau classic but is actually (supposedly) an adaptation of the novel Dracula. It mostly comes off as an homage to the movie Nosferatu. Klaus Kinski is truly excellent as Count Dracula. With Herzog at the helm, this should have been a great movie but, imo, it's vastly inferior to both the original and the 1931 classic with Bela Lugosi.
Shadow of the Vampire. I read 30+ years ago about some mystery surrounding the making of the silent film classic, Nosferatu, and the actor Max Shreck, who portrayed "Count Orlock" in it. There are no real details to the story other than Max Shreck was possibly an actual vampire. An urban legend for sure. This movie takes that legend and fleshes out a compelling story based on it. Stars John Malkovich as director FW Murnau and Willem Dafoe as Max Shreck. Both are excellent it in. Definitely recommended.
The Train. The 1964 classic directed by John Frankenheimer. Stars Burt Lancaster as a train inspector and member of the French Resistance tasked with derailing a Nazi officer's effort to steal a bunch of artistic masterpieces and ship them on a train back to Germany in the closing days of the war. I used to love this movie when I was younger. I don't, anymore. Maybe I've seen it too many times. Still a great one, tho.
Tootsie. Suddenly felt like seeing this again. Kinda skipped through much of the lesser bits in the middle, realizing in the process this could have been a shorter movie if the late, great Sidney Pollack hadn't padded it somewhat and instead edited it down. But the last 1/3 is so enjoyable. And Dustin Hoffman's big reveal in the end is a real high point. Incidentally, Sidney Pollack is really funny in it, too, playing Hoffman's agent.
From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away. Philip Marlowe
Teller grew up maybe 30 minutes from Philly. He went to a Drumming Boot Camp for a month or two to learn some chops for the film. But, all the more serious drumming in the film and soundtrack were done by the other drummer, who couldn't read music
Although Simmons character is a bit over the top, and I have heard other drummers bash the whole thing, I loved it and have the soundtrack on my usb shuffle stick in the car. Watched the movie 4 times.
"Thor- Ragnarok"
http://m.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/?ref=m_nv_sr_1
Caught a screening in 3D IMAX last night. Quite a thrill ride. Beginning to end excitement, humorous dialogue and enough flesh to please everyone.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
Sorry to be the party pooper, but I think they got the wrong director for Ragnarok. I hear it's bogged down with too much stupid humor and the third act is a typically MCU, i.e. not as good as the setup. Also, Taika's voicing Korg should have been vetoed.
I only clicked on it because I thought it was going to be something more interesting...
In My Mind - fascinating new documentary detailing filmmaker Chris Rodley's various attempts to interview Patrick McGoohan in 1982, for a documentary on The Prisoner. Some of this footage was used in the previous doc 'Six Into One - The Prisoner File'. However much of the footage was not used because McGoohan turned out to be...a little strange, to say the least. Ultimately he became un-co operative, and tried to control the interviews and even the camera crew himself. He would also become very elusive and constantly change the venues to film the interviews. To say he was a complex yet enigmatic character is putting it mildly.
The doc also serves as a fascinating look at the formation of and filming of The Prisoner, and includes a lot of never see before footage, including interviews with Lord Lew Grade and also new interviews with McGoohan's daughter Catherine.
I only clicked on it because I thought it was going to be something more interesting...
"Logan" http://m.imdb.com/title/tt3315342/?ref_=m_fn_al_1
Basically a daddy/daughter mutant shredfest. Freddy Krueger would be proud. Patrick Stewart was good as granddaddyofdisasters.
"City Of Ghosts" http://m.imdb.com/title/tt6333056/?ref_=m_fn_al_1
Documentary taken inside the Syrian city of Raqqa as it was overtaken by ISIS and how the reporters and photographers posted their plights.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
Cult of Chucky
Awful....Simply, Awful! Is Jennifer Tilley the worst actress ever?
A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence
Nope. She may have been bad in that movie but she was excellent in Bound (an excellent movie, btw) and Bullets over Broadway, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. Something a lot of people forget is that a bad performance isn't always the fault of the actor. Sometimes the director just doesn't know how to get a decent performance out of someone. Just look at Ed Wood.
And, from what I understand, she's a hell of a poker player, too.
From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away. Philip Marlowe
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
Jennifer Tilly co - starred in one of my favorite films, something called Let It Ride. It is to horse racing what Caddyshack is to golf.
Starring Richard Dreyfuss and Teri Garr about a dozen years after their ill fated Close Encounters union, this marriage turns out a little better though the movie is much less known. Also with David Johansen, and the first time I ever saw Robbie Coltrane.
Very funny. Jennifer was very good.
Hard to find, but worth it. Many memorable lines.
"Even when you know, you never know. Ya know?"
"I know!"
Perhaps finding the happy medium is harder than we know.
I love this movie. Another great scene/quote with the security guard in the bar. I forget the exact wording but the bit involves peripheral vision and a fly on the wall. The movie is packed with great stuff froma huge eccentric supporting cast of characters. Buster Poindexter , whatever the real name, is great too. Garr is luscious.
Something along the lines of (in a state of increasing agitation as the cop turned security guard seems to mistrust the vibes of the bar) "I have excellent peripheral vision. There's a guy passed out at the table on my right. There's a fly on the moneybox! I CAN SEE MY EARS!"
Knew someone would have seen this film.
Highly underrated. Kind of a cult status, almost.
Dreyfuss at one point breaks the third wall, and looking out at us asks, "Am I having a good day, or what?"
Possibly his finest comedic moments, in an almost unknown movie.
My father was a horse player. Everyone he ever introduced me to at the track is in this film in various character roles. Plus I got to share it with him before his time came and he enjoyed it!
Perhaps finding the happy medium is harder than we know.
[QUOTE=Frankh;749061]Something along the lines of (in a state of increasing agitation as the cop turned security guard seems to mistrust the vibes of the bar) "I have excellent peripheral vision. There's a guy passed out at the table on my right. There's a fly on the moneybox! I CAN SEE MY EARS!"
Knew someone would have seen this film.
Highly underrated. Kind of a cult status, almost.
Dreyfuss at one point breaks the third wall, and looking out at us asks, "Am I having a good day, or what?"
Possibly his finest comedic moments, in an almost unknown movie.
My father was a horse player. Everyone he ever introduced me to at the track is in this film in various character roles. Plus I got to share it with him before his time came and he enjoyed it![/QUOT
Another is when Poindexter gleefully reponds to Garr's Whats going on?" with "hes gonna blow it all!". So many minor charactors have so much to do. Its a classic.
Just got back from a fabulous movie. Remember "Through A Scanner Darkly," where they painted over every single frame of a movie so it looks animated, but still very real? "Loving Vincent" did the same thing, with a staff of over 100 painters painstakingly recreating Vincent Van Gogh's backgrounds while live actors perform (and are painted over). It's immensely visual, extremely well done, and the story was good too. It takes place a year after Van Gogh died, an apparent victim of a self-inflicted gunshot to the stomach.
But the main character isn't so sure. Nobody shoots themselves in the stomach to commit suicide. It's intensely painful and it took two days to kill him.
So this guy starts poking around in the village where Vincent spent his last few months, and start uncovering mystery after mystery.
All told in the glorious vibrant brushstrokes of Van Gogh.
Plus the music was REALLy good -- with a character playing piano which drifts in & out of the symphonic score.
And the sound design was incredible -- crows caw, dogs bark offscreen and these sounds come from the back of the theater and sound like they're not part of the movie ... until the critters run or fly into frame.
I'm not easily impressed. but I was flabbergasted.
This sounds very cool, but the video above says something like "The world's first fully painted feature film." Doesn't a film like American Pop or early animated Disney films count for that title?
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
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