Author Topic: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015  (Read 36645 times)

Junior

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #80 on: May 05, 2015, 11:33:01 AM »
When I last saw Bedknobs and Broomsticks a few years ago, it was not a fun time. I didn't know the film existed in 2 versions, and I had the longer cut with lots of extra dancing. Slowed the whole movie down, but I can see why they thought to put it in. When I watch Mary Poppins, I frequently think about my unabashed love for the animated Jolly Holiday sequence. It's a lengthy period where the plot just stops - Just stops dead - for a couple of songs and a parade of effects. I'm the one who love plot and story and I think this is one of the most magical sequences in all of cinema.

You watch a similar attempt made in B&B or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and it just doesn't have the magic, which means it weighs the film down with dead air. I like CCBB enough. It's too long, but there are enough good musical moments in it. Director Robert Stevenson, the two writers, the Producer and The Sherman Brothers (all from Mary Poppins) were way off their game with B&B.

I, too, tried to rewatch CCBB during my most recent top 100 club. Eh. It's not actually a good time, it was just one of several VHSs I had as a child. That one has more interesting elements than BaB has, though. You're right, both miss the magic of Mary Poppins.
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1SO

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #81 on: May 05, 2015, 01:49:02 PM »

One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937)

Two years ago, I'd seen Deanna Durbin in the 1945 Noir Lady on a Train, but this is a fresh introduction more in line with the films she's known for. Durbin rose quickly to become the highest-paid actress in movies and walked away while she was still in her 20s to lead a quiet life. Because of that she maintains a cult fanbase, but she's not a name that commonly comes up among the Musical superstars. That's because her note-perfect voice favors opera and her speaking voice sometimes squeaks a little. (On the internet, the people who don't like her about equal the fans.)

The signing voice isn't bad at all, though it's not my kind of music, and yeah sometimes she speaks just one note below a screech. Her character is a pushy kid, but I wouldn't say she's obnoxious. What made me a fan were the scenes where she is reacting. She's got a great face for the dramatic moments. I'm not talking about beauty. She's cute, but at 16 the youthful baby fat isn't glamorous. It's the look in her eyes and the expression on her mouth. As the kid, she bears witness to the fallout from trouble she created and those scenes are among the best in the film.

The depression-era story gives this comedy nice dramatic weight. Durbin's character becomes acquainted with a few rich folks (inc. Eugene Pallette) and a famous orchestra conductor (Leopold Stokowski as himself) to create an orchestra of unemployed musicians, (inc. Adolphe Menjou as her father and Mischa Auer on the flute.) There are scenes which perfectly contrast the people comfortably surviving the depression with the people struggling to get through, without making a fine point of it, like Sullivan's Travels. One of my favorites is when Stokowski first hears the orchestra. He's in his tux and they are in their well-worn street clothes. They line his staircases while he listens from the upper floor. The music creates a bridge between them. Just a lovely scene.

The film is funny too, though I probably found it funnier than most because of Pallette, Auer and the great Billy Gilbert. (The one above with his eyes wide open. You may remember him from His Girl Friday and Destry Rides Again.) The three work up a comic froth with no effort, but in the end I'm most impressed with Durbin and look forward to watching more of her work.
RATING: * * * - Good

p.s. While doing my post-game I found this picture of Durbin and Duryea. It's the only time I've seen Duryea looking like he's not in character or even posing like an actor. It's kind of weird to see him as a normal person.


Bondo

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #82 on: May 05, 2015, 02:01:01 PM »
Girltrash: All Night Long (Alexandra Kondracke, 2014)

Based on a webseries (that I didn't watch), Girltrash is a faux-gritty lesbian musical set in LA. It focuses on a punk rock band headed by smoky voiced Daisy (Lisa Rieffel) and androgynous player/bassist Tyler (Michelle Lombardo) who get an opportunity to play an important gig but find a lot happens that threatens this, so it exists a bit in the spirit of A Hard Days Night and Spice World, minus fame. For those who watched The L Word, Tyler is the definite Shane type alpha-lesbian. Tagging along for the ride is Daisy's sorority girl lesbian-virgin sister Colby (Gabrielle Christian) and Colby's crush Misty (Mandy Musgrave), who just happens to be crushing on Tyler. Let the drama commence.

There is nothing overwhelmingly good about the story here, but they do occasionally hit upon a catchy enough song or find effective humor that it is enjoyable to watch if scrappy indiness makes you sympathetic to films. This low-budget nature definitely shows through in the quality of the audio dubbing. There is no secret that this isn't being sung live. The main thing that would keep me from giving this a clean pass as a pleasant indie musical is the character of Monique (Rose Rollins) who happens to be the only black woman in the cast and is basically a crazy gangsta type. Oof.

I am going to try to get through the webseries (11 episodes that are each a couple minutes long), but I'm not actually sure how much of a musical it is.

C+

1SO

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #83 on: May 05, 2015, 02:11:30 PM »
Is there a particular song you can recommend so that I can watch it and get a flavor for the film?

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #84 on: May 05, 2015, 07:31:48 PM »

Road to Zanzibar (1941)
"They'll write books about you."
"I'll tell you three words that won't be in them: 'ripe old age.'"

Had I first attempted the Road pictures in order and with no knowledge that the best was to come, this would've killed the Marathon. It's not a bad movie, but kind of like a baby attempting its first steps and stumbling to the ground again and again. The best thing I can say about Zanzibar is the Hope & Crosby chemistry is stronger here than in Singapore. The written scenes are starting to give way to funnier loose improvisation, though a lot of the competing dialogue ends up lost in the mix. They're almost comfortably in their groove and within the dialogue are stronger laughs.

Supporting cast Una Merkel and Eric Blore are wasted. The plot is non-existent, and with nothing connecting the comedy bits the movie feels like it goes on forever. A record number of scenes lack a good out line, so moment after moment ends on awkward silence instead of a smile. On top of that, there isn't a single decent musical moment in it.
RATING: * *

Antares

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #85 on: May 05, 2015, 08:19:19 PM »
El Amor brujo (1986) 81/100 - I bought Saura's Flamenco Trilogy for my wife many years ago and started to watch the first film in the trilogy, Bodas de sangre with her, but I just couldn't get into it. Years have passed by, and I've decided to try again, but this time, starting with the last film in the trilogy. According to the liner notes, this was to be Saura's most narrative story of the three, and after finishing it, I wished I had started with this one many years ago. This is a hauntingly beautiful film with a pretty basic story, but is highlighted by some magnificent dancing and also by the vibrant music of early 20th century Spanish composer, Manuel de Falla. You can definitely hear the influence of Maurice Ravel in his compositions, but he definitely puts his own stamp to the alluring rhythms used in the ballet. When combined with some very creative dance routines, this becomes not only a feast for the ears, but for the eyes as well. There is one dance routine that had me mesmerized as Carmelo pronounces his love for Candela as the two dance amongst wind driven clothing, hanging on clotheslines. Candela is still haunted by the memory of her dead husband and tells Carmelo that they can never be together. As they dance, they intertwine to the pulsing of the music, but they never touch. And through the separation, you come to understand that they won't become lovers as long as Candela is haunted by her husband's spirit. The film takes a little while to get going, but in the end, it is well worth the time you invest into it. I'm now looking forward to going back for the other two films.
« Last Edit: May 05, 2015, 08:45:19 PM by Antares »
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MartinTeller

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #86 on: May 05, 2015, 08:27:07 PM »
If I have time, I may rewatch that set this month.  Carmen is my favorite. 

Antares

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #87 on: May 05, 2015, 08:48:57 PM »
Antares, have you seen any of Cagney's other Musicals? I believe he's made 3 and they're all interesting, though Yankee Doodle Dandy is the best. Any comment on his horse-gallop manner of dancing?

This is the only musical I've seen him in. As to his style of dancing, it gets repetitive pretty quick and I wouldn't want to watch too much more of it in another full length feature.
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Antares

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #88 on: May 05, 2015, 08:58:03 PM »
However, I also agree with Antares that Kelly is the film's biggest problem. My wife walked in towards the beginning, surprised to see I was watching something with two of her favorite musical stars.

"Isn't that..."
"It is."
"And..."
"Yep."
"And you're watching without me?"
"It's kind of ham. You hate ham."
"How bad?"
"Imagine Gene Kelly as Captain Jack Sparrow."
"That's a lot of ham."
"Actually, he's playing an actor pretending to act like Jack Sparrow."
"That sounds terrible."
"Yeah, it's not a slice of ham. It's the whole ham."

More like .............



When I decided to participate in this month of musicals, I actually almost did what I did in March, concentrate on an actor whom I felt was horrible in their most famous genre. But with John Wayne and Westerns, I found a new appreciation for his iconic character. But I new that I could not take a month of mugging from Kelly. I would have wound up gouging my eyes out.
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MartinTeller

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Re: Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2015
« Reply #89 on: May 05, 2015, 10:26:19 PM »

Intimate Lighting - Bambas (Karel Blazek) plays in a small, rural orchestra.  For an upcoming concert, a soloist is visiting: Bambas's old friend Peter (Zdenek Bezusek).  Peter, who is with a more prominent orchestra in Prague, arrives with his girlfriend Stepa (Vera Kresadlová) to stay with Bambas and his family: his wife Marus (Jaroslava Stedra), two children, the grandfather (Jan Vostrcil) -- also a violinist -- and grandmother (Vlastimila Viková).  Over the course of a day and a night, Bambas and Peter attend a local funeral/wake, have dinner, practice a Mozart string quartet with the pharmacist (Karel Uhlik), and get drunk.

This is one of those movies that's been on my watchlist for ages but I really didn't know anything about it going in.  Perhaps no expectations is the best way to approach this simple but charming little film.  Ivan Passer -- directing his first and only Czech feature before coming to America -- steers clear of things like a storyline or dramatic conflict.  He doesn't even show us the concert at the end.  Instead, he focuses on breezy anecdotes.  The grandfather talks about an old sexual conquest.  Grandmother demonstrates how she keeps her belly flat.  Bambas and Peter compare their wives' snores.  Stepa flirts with a simple-minded man passing by.

It all has such an easy-going tempo that it goes down smoothly.  As far as film movements go, Czech New Wave is one of the lightest and most comedic, and this movie is a shining example of that.  Shot in glorious, hazy black and white with warm, cozy shafts of light.  Kresadlová brings an infectious playfulness and Vostrcil is a hoot.  And the two leads are musicians, not actors, which enhances not only the reality of their playing but also the naturalism that pervades the film.  Music is both a vocation and a hobby for these people... the rehearsal of the string quartet is loaded with friendly back-and-forth critiques and commentary.  Music is present not just in the performances of Mozart and Jirovec, but also the funeral procession and the opening scene of the rural orchestra practicing, not the mention the musicality of dinnertime sounds, Stepa's laugh, and snoring.

As freewheeling and funny and charming as the movie is, it's not all sunshine and smiles.  There is tension between Bambas and Peter, a friendship that has gone stale over the years, with some jealousy thrown in the mix, and each with their own regrets.  The film has no overt political message, but the censors must have found something because it was banned for 20 years.  Perhaps it was the final scene, as everyone gathers around on the porch to drink egg nog.  The egg nog is too thick, and they all stand there with their heads titled back and their glasses upended over their open mouths, waiting for the delight to come to them.  "A bit of patience, that's what we need" the grandmother declares.  Patience, and eventually good things will come.  The pleasures of the film, however, are immediately rewarding.  Rating: Very Good (87)

 

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