Last Movie You Watched

[Cato]

Yeah, Mr. Holland's Opus got a full five-cringe rating from me.

And an extra rosette-cringe for teaching rhythm to the black kid who just didn't get rhythm the way the white kids did.

"Full-cringe" is right!

Out of nowhere, we are supposed to find the main character admirable for nearly running away with one of his high-school students to commit rape of a minor?!

See e.g.:

http://oddholler.blogspot.com/2010/06/concerning-mr-hollands-opus.html

"...We are led to believe that:

...

1. Mr. Holland could actually make it as a composer/musician in the Big Apple.
2. That (any) girl would actually ever fall for Mr. Holland...uh...it's Richard Dreyfus. Not exactly the type of guy that 18 year-old girls fall in love with and move to NYC with.
3. Mr. Holland has chosen right over wrong by NOT going to NYC.

This is false because of this fact:

...Mr. Holland was about to commit statutory rape... He almost had an affair with an underaged student. He kissed her. He is MARRIED. He didn't choose his family. He dodged jail, that's what he did. GOD...I hate this movie so much...

 

[Karl Henning]

Yeah, Mr. Holland's Opus got a full five-cringe rating from me.

And an extra rosette-cringe for teaching rhythm to the black kid who just didn't get rhythm the way the white kids did.

You guys are making me very glad I've ignored this one. 

[Madiel]

18 years old is not under age. I checked.

[Papy Oli]

The Greatest Showman



Well, that's two hours I'll never get back.

What a pile of...

[Cato]

(As an aside, Liam Neeson in Batman Begins is awesome.)

Liam Neeson was the only redeeming aspect of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, although Ewan McGregor's attempt to imitate the voice of Alec Guinness was not bad.

The Greatest Showman


Well, that's two hours I'll never get back.

What a pile of...

Much ado about nothing, or very little.

[Cato]

Concerning a lump of Dreck called Mr. Holland's Opus
...

Oh. My. Lord. I had blanked that scene from my memory. God, that movie was truly terrible.

You guys are making me very glad I've ignored this one.

I recall the Music Teacher at the high school where I was teaching nearly foaming at the mouth about this movie!

We have a rule: practically every movie about a teacher is dreadful.  This one proves the rule! 

[LKB]

For me, The Twilight Zone understood teaching the best:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5PtdkBovd6w&pp=ygUedHdpbGlnaHQgem9uZSBkb25hbGQgcGxlYXNlbmNl


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce6HlKSODwE

If he'd ever had the opportunity to see the episode, l suspect George Butterworth would agree. 

[Karl Henning]

For me, The Twilight Zone understood teaching the best:

"The Changing of the Guard" is superb!

[Bachtoven]

Maestro. A mixed bag. I thought the first third or so (all of the black and white scenes) were frankly corny, but it got better after that. Bradley Cooper was amazing, though. 7.5/10.

[Karl Henning]

Maestro. A mixed bag. I thought the first third or so (all of the black and white scenes) were frankly corny, but it got better after that. Bradley Cooper was amazing, though. 7.5/10.

Interesting. A fellow composer will watch shortly. I'll share his report.

[Roasted Swan]

Maestro. A mixed bag. I thought the first third or so (all of the black and white scenes) were frankly corny, but it got better after that. Bradley Cooper was amazing, though. 7.5/10.

Paused half way through but was not as "whelmed" (the opposite of underwhelmed!!) as I'd hoped to be.  A few passing thoughts observations; the narrative feels rushed almost gabbled.  One minute its Bernstein's NYPO debut, next minute we have an interview where they say "at your debut 12 years ago...."  It also struck me that you (the viewer) need to know quite a bit of background.  Otherwise who the hell is Koussevitzky or Copland?, what is Tanglewood?  Who are Comden and Green, What is Candide? The early musicals/ballets/orchestral music are touched on but never contextualised - its just a torrent of music/image.  Now of course this might be a way of representing just what an extraordinary creative artist Bernstein was but for a lot of people it will simply be confusing......

I'm curious to know if Bernstein did conduct at his debut with the NYPO without a baton - that strikes me as quite unlikely for the 1950's??

[Karl Henning]

Paused half way through but was not as "whelmed" (the opposite of underwhelmed!!) as I'd hoped to be.  A few passing thoughts observations; the narrative feels rushed almost gabbled.  One minute its Bernstein's NYPO debut, next minute we have an interview where they say "at your debut 12 years ago...."  It also struck me that you (the viewer) need to know quite a bit of background.  Otherwise who the hell is Koussevitzky or Copland?, what is Tanglewood?  Who are Comden and Green, What is Candide? The early musicals/ballets/orchestral music are touched on but never contextualised - its just a torrent of music/image.  Now of course this might be a way of representing just what an extraordinary creative artist Bernstein was but for a lot of people it will simply be confusing......

I'm curious to know if Bernstein did conduct at his debut with the NYPO without a baton - that strikes me as quite unlikely for the 1950's??

I'll check the bio I've got, my off-the-cuff guess (pending confirmation) is yes it was unusual, but he may well have.

[Roasted Swan]

I'll check the bio I've got, my off-the-cuff guess (pending confirmation) is yes it was unusual, but he may well have.

Frankly I'd be surprised if it was a continuity error in a film that has taken so much care over so many details!

[Karl Henning]

I'll check the bio I've got, my off-the-cuff guess (pending confirmation) is yes it was unusual, but he may well have.

Lenny's predecessor Mitropoulos did not use a baton. I'm leaning into my unconfirmed suspicion that Bernstein eschewed a baton for his début.

[Cato]

I'm curious to know if Bernstein did conduct at his debut with the NYPO without a baton - that strikes me as quite unlikely for the 1950's??

I'll check the bio I've got, my off-the-cuff guess (pending confirmation) is yes it was unusual, but he may well have.

Leopold Stokowski of course, did not use a baton.

I tried to find information on connections between Stokowski and Bernstein: from 1995, concerning a restoration of a Tristan und Isolde "synthesis" recorded by Stokowksi, this is of interest...

...If Stokowski was a great Tchaikovsky interpreter, he was no less so in Wagner. I would recommend any of his Tristan und Isolde recordings to a tyro interested in learning more about the opera. True story:

Some years ago I got a call from Sylvan Levin. He had talked with Leonard Bernstein, who was about to perform and record Tristan und Isolde. He wanted a cassette of Stokowski's Symphonic Synthesis to listen to before doing the work. I made the cassette at home and sent it to him. I never got a thank you note, but did get a handsome check for the work. Anyway, if that is not sufficient evidence of the quality of Stokowski's work in this piece, then you are just going to refuse to be educated....

[Todd]

Rewatched this holiday classic for the first time in a while.  One forgets just how good John Ritter could be, even in small roles.

[George]

Rewatched this holiday classic for the first time in a while.  One forgets just how good John Ritter could be, even in small roles.

By far, my favorite Xmas movie. Bernie Mac and Billy Bob are great in this too.

[drogulus]

    As good as Bad Santa is, I find The Night Before to be superior.

    Seth Rogen does mass quantities of Christmas spirit.

   

     Where's the barf bag?

     It's a question for the ages.

[Karl Henning]

I guess I'm zagging: I watched Elf and Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol.

[Christo]

For the fourth time: Das Leben der Anderen. The best German movie I know: