Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

Overall, I agree: there is a great deal of information, and much of it accurate, readily available at Wikipedia;  and it is my go-to source for (e.g.) day-to-day needs for much musical detail. Apart from (what might be considered my own fastidiousness) a lingering revulsion at finding the Shostakovich a fiefdom which at least one activist was determined to make his own (let the portal be marked "Abandon all wish for integrity, ye who enter here") -- I've not visited the main Shostakovich page in a decade or more -- I do still (not frequently, but neither seldom) find conflicting information/remarks within the same "article" (I think there must be a better word).

So its usefulness is inconsistent;  it is prey to the same unhealthy dynamic as US politics (that those readiest to make the effort to participate, and those who are capable of applying the best thought to the task, are different sets of people, and there is too little overlap between the two sets);  and one needs to have developed critical research skills in order to derive reliable use from Wikipedia -- which is one good reason for not making it a crutch for young pupils.

[North Star]

Overall, I agree: there is a great deal of information, and much of it accurate, readily available at Wikipedia;  and it is my go-to source for (e.g.) day-to-day needs for much musical detail. Apart from (what might be considered my own fastidiousness) a lingering revulsion at finding the Shostakovich a fiefdom which at least one activist was determined to make his own (let the portal be marked "Abandon all wish for integrity, ye who enter here") -- I've not visited the main Shostakovich page in a decade or more -- I do still (not frequently, but neither seldom) find conflicting information/remarks within the same "article" (I think there must be a better word).

So its usefulness is inconsistent;  it is prey to the same unhealthy dynamic as US politics (that those readiest to make the effort to participate, and those who are capable of applying the best thought to the task, are different sets of people, and there is too little overlap between the two sets);  and one needs to have developed critical research skills in order to derive reliable use from Wikipedia -- which is one good reason for not making it a crutch for young pupils.

I suspect that the Shostakovich article might have improved in the past decade - the whole of Wikipedia most certainly has. The DSCH article is even among their featured articles:

Featured articles are considered to be the best articles Wikipedia has to offer, as determined by Wikipedia's editors. They are used by editors as examples for writing other articles. Before being listed here, articles are reviewed as featured article candidates for accuracy, neutrality, completeness, and style according to our featured article criteria. There are 4,388 featured articles out of 4,622,490 articles on the English Wikipedia (~0.1% are featured). Thus, about one in 1,050 articles is listed here. Articles that no longer meet the criteria can be proposed for improvement or removal at featured article review.

On our desktop website, a small bronze star icon () on the top right corner of an article's page indicates that the article is featured, unless the appropriate user preference is set. Additionally, if the current article is featured in another language version, a star will appear next to the language page link, in the list on the left of the page (see also featured articles in other languages).

[Karl Henning]

Thanks.  And I mean to read the piece you linked to . . . these were just my off-the-cuff thoughts while trundling into town on the bus

[Karl Henning]

http://blog.wikimedia.org/2012/08/02/seven-years-after-nature-pilot-study-compares-wikipedia-favorably-to-other-encyclopedias-in-three-languages/

Thanks, most interesting!

Thread Duty:

Last night, "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" from season 3 of The Twilight Zone.

[TheGSMoeller]

Birdman, from Alejandro González Iñárritu' and starring Michael Keaton, is getting some great press. Looks promising. Add it to the Fall's Must See list. It's Award Season!



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/birdman-review_n_5973520.html

[North Star]

Thanks.  And I mean to read the piece you linked to . . . these were just my off-the-cuff thoughts while trundling into town on the bus

Thanks, most interesting!

You're very welcome, Karl.

[Todd]

Ain't Them Bodies Saints.  A romance and crime flick of sorts, filled to the brim with B-listers of ability.  (Is Rooney Mara A-List yet?)  The movie is set in 70s Texas, and from what I saw onscreen, director David Lowery sure does like him some Terrence Malick.  There are more than a few shots that mimic the older master - you know, low perspective, wide angle, great depth of field shots of fields and trees shot in the magic light of sunset, that sort of thing.  Except Malick's shots are more beautiful and weave into his films better.  The dialogue is a bit stilted, the plot not especially compelling, the drama not involving.  There are a lot of really nice elements, but the whole is much less than the sum of its parts. 

[Drasko]

[milk]

All the teachers K-12 (in my experience) seem to tell the kids to never use Wikipedia when they are doing projects in their classes.  It is a bit bizarre as it contains a wealth of information (and is very current).

I think it's always a good place to start, though I think relying on any encyclopedia for research is not recommended?   

[kishnevi]

I think it's always a good place to start, though I think relying on any encyclopedia for research is not recommended?

I was told in high school that anything in an encyclopedia was considered general knowledge, meaning it did not need citations/footnotes...which of course meant it could not count as a source for a research project.

Of course there are articles in Wikipedia so comprehensive and detailed they could serve as academic sources.

[North Star]

I think it's always a good place to start, though I think relying on any encyclopedia for research is not recommended?

Indeed it isn't.

I was told in high school that anything in an encyclopedia was considered general knowledge, meaning it did not need citations/footnotes...which of course meant it could not count as a source for a research project.

Of course there are articles in Wikipedia so comprehensive and detailed they could serve as academic sources.

Wikipedia doesn't allow original research, so all the information there (at least after the editors' touch) is based on other peoples' research, and those sources are there. Using them is the right way.
I think what people meant by encyclopedias back in your high school days, Jeffrey (and very nearly mine, too) was something very different compared to Wikipedia - I would hardly call all of Wikipedia's contents 'general knowledge'.

But of course high school research and real research are two different things.

[TheGSMoeller]

With Birdman getting critical praise, it's time to revisit Alejandro González Iñárritu's debut film, which also happens to still be his best, Amores Perros.


http://www.youtube.com/v/xvwk-xYZcr0

[listener]

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence won its director Don Andersson the Best Film Award at this year's Venice Festival.  It's the third in a series and I found the previous at a good price on PAL so today it's Songs from the Second Floor from 2000.  You the Living is on hand and I'll watch for Pigeon... if I like them.

[TheGSMoeller]

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence won its director Don Andersson the Best Film Award at this year's Venice Festival.  It's the third in a series and I found the previous at a good price on PAL so today it's Songs from the Second Floor from 2000.  You the Living is on hand and I'll watch for Pigeon... if I like them.

Hopefully not overhyping it for you, but "Songs From the Second Floor" is one of the greatest films I've ever seen, perhaps in the top 20.

[listener]

Hopefully not overhyping it for you, but "Songs From the Second Floor" is one of the greatest films I've ever seen, perhaps in the top 20.

First one in a  l  o  n  g  time that I watched without taking a break.  Andersson=Bunuel without a shoe festishist, I'll wait to see the others to discover what he uses fo a replacement.

[Todd]

Gone Girl.  Slick, stylish, meticulous, and now, this he said/she said murder (?) mystery told from the two main characters' points of view for the first two thirds or so glides by, its length barely registering.  Near the end, one of the plot developments is just too convenient, and it serves to turn one of the characters into something of a cartoon.  That written, it's pulpy fun.  With one notable exception, the cast is excellent.  That exception is not Ben Affleck, whose limited range is used expertly here by David Fincher, and whose burgeoning Batman physique is on display.  Rosamund Pike is superb.  Tyler Perry is perfect in every way.  The movie rightly savages the sensationalist tendencies of the press and the resulting mob justice mentality that often erupts as a result.  I also detect more than a whiff of cynicism on the part of the director and presumably the author in the treatment of the main characters, which ended up teasing out intellectually lazy accusations of misogyny from some feminist dullards.  (Free press is good press, provided everyone's names are spelled correctly.)  Bravo, Mr Fincher.  Bravo.

[Mookalafalas]

Finally saw this.

[asin]B000936H7S[/asin]

I don't agree with the glowing reviews, in general. I thought the script and directing were, at best, irritating. However, the performance of the Eroica was gorgeous, and the sets and clothing and period instrument combination really did give something of a magic time machine effect that made the film worth watching for me.

[Bogey]

Finally saw this.

[asin]B000936H7S[/asin]

I don't agree with the glowing reviews, in general. I thought the script and directing were, at best, irritating. However, the performance of the Eroica was gorgeous, and the sets and clothing and period instrument combination really did give something of a magic time machine effect that made the film worth watching for me.

It's actually my favorite performance of the 3rd.  As for the acting, we enjoyed it.

[Bogey]

Double-header last nite ..


[asin]B001KVZ6LQ[/asin]

An all-time fave at this end.  I enjoyed the Peter Jackson extras as well.  Still have not seen his rendition, but hey, anyone that gets more geeked about Kong than even me is cool.  As for the transfer?  Top-shelf!  They knew where to say "enough" and let the original come through. 

[André]

Xavier Dolan's Tom at the Farm. Bertrand Tavernier's Quai d'Orsay. Both were excellent choices for a plane trip. Young Dolan's huis clos is not quite suffocating because of its flashes of humour and the many exterior shots. It lingers in the memory.

Tavernier's wordy comedy is delivered at a cracking pace, thanks to the perfectly balanced hyperactivity+thoughtfulness of the brilliant tandem of actors (Thierry Lhermitte as the French Minister of Exterior Affairs, Niels Arestrup as his subdued, overworked, subtle troobleshooter Chief of Cabinet).