OK, probably not the best strategy to admit my dislike for the Beatles and my fondness of for Barry Manilow in the same paragraph and still expect people to take anything else I say about music seriously. But, in my (admittedly weak) defense on the Manilow comment, it really stems more from his lyrics than anything else. That guy wrote some seriously depressing and bleak stuff. Sandwiched in between the disco and show tunes is some really mopey material that could probably get Robert Smith to want to give him a hug and say it'll be all right. Wouldn't hold him up there with Leonard Cohen or Scott Walker, but more surprised that his sad-sack routine is widely forgotten.
Send some links man. Let me see where I'm wrong. And this is not an ironic comment. Also, tell me that this song ain't a masterpiece. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCUeia-nEio
Quickly, I'd say read the lyrics to: Copacabana: Two of the three main characters are dead and the survivor is an aging alcoholic at the end of the song Even Now: the narrator can't stop thinking about the woman he lost despite being "happily" married Starting Over, Old Songs, Trying to Get the Feeling: all about trying to rekindle old emotions in varying degrees and the emptiness that results This Ones for You: a song for his dead father (Could it Be) Magic: I swear this is a protype for most goth tunes from the late 80s And, i suppose i should clarify a bit more. What actually surprises me is that there aren't more covers and reworkings of his stuff by younger, edgier musicians as (i think) some of the source material stripped from its 70s trappings could actually be fodder for some good songs. Not when compared to these songs from the previous year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCeD_6Y3GQc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8HrA2T3lI4 - I realize that this one isn't actually Dylan, but I couldn't the original quickly and this is pretty close sounding
I too dislike the Beatles but I have so much respect for Lennon because he had balls. See Balls in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yRh5NNiFG0
Anaestheus, Ι checked the lyrics. You know what my problem is? In them I see the difference between a melodrama and a soap opera. I miss the weight of a real tragedy - they cannot get to me. In a way, the same goes for the beach boys song versus a day in the life.
Hey guys, this was on SNL recently. Thought it was pretty cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e00nq64v8Do
I use to rather hate the Beatles, but recently I've found I really enjoy George Harrison's output and think he's the best of the bunch. I discovered this quite by accident; when I'd hear a song I liked like Clapton's Badge or even Ringo's It Don't Come Easy I'd look it up and see Harrison wrote them. I even found the original recording of It Don't Come Easy with Harrison singing and it's 100x better. Sadly whenever I talk with Beatles fans they rarely know much of anything from George, being so overshadowed by Lennon and McCartney. I'd also like to throw out that Star Wars, Indiana Jones and even Jaws probably wouldn't have become the blockbusters they are today without John Williams; something I think Spielberg's even admitted as he's said he'd never make another movie without him. Now he's not my favorite composer or anywhere close, but I'd give him more credit for the films' success than any other individual.
I think the When a Stranger Call remake was one of the better films to come out of the remake cycle since it took the best part of the original and made a movie out of it.
yeah! ham blows. i especially hate the fried slices they try to pass as breakfast food at diners. gimme bacon or sausage.
I'm super sick of the current trend in "independent" cinema to produce stories around a given regional underclass, i.e. Winter's Bone, Frozen River, Sherry Baby. These are nothing more than wankfests for middle class America to look at as if at a zoo and then philosophically discuss the nobility of the people who "have been left behind by the system," "live with less," "don't have to deal with the complexity of modern life." They think just because they're watching a bunch of actors butcher the English language, swear incessantly and do drugs, that "it's more real, ya'know?" I've lived amongst people like this most of my life; go ahead and spend some time with them. You'll find most of them are totally ignorant and are either at fault or choose to live where and how they do.
I agree. It is no surprise that arguably the best Star Wars film (Empire) had the best score of them all. You can include the Superman films as well.
WINTER'S BONE was actually based on a novel by Daniel Woodrell, an author who was born and raised in the area where the novel was set [and still lives there], so I wouldn't exactly call it a "middle-class wankfest." He's written eight novels, many of which are set in the Ozarks region. I thought FROZEN RIVER was also pretty good just because it too portrayed people that aren't often shown in the movies, although that movie did have signs of my main complaint about indie films: The stories are often so minimal. A lot of the time they leave me with an "Is that it?" feeling. The indie films I like I tend to really like, but there are a lot of them that are terrible, and honestly, I'd probably rather watch a bad big-budget film than a bad or even a average-to-mediocre indie film.
That may be very fair to say but it's hard to hear- since I love so many of the films he's made very deeply. Edward Scissorhands is a remarkably touching, beautiful film (sometimes I cry just thinking about watching it). Batman is FUN AS HELL. Beetlejuice is one of the most impressive wacked things ever committed to celluloid. Pee Wee's Big Adventure is very tacky but also one of the most energetic films I've ever seen. And Batman Returns is a profound kind of depressing. It's hard for me to believe that someone else was responsible for all that. I agree. As a matter of fact, though Wendigo wasn't easy to swallow whatsoever, his Fear Itself episode - Skin & Bones - is one of the only 12 to 15 quality pieces of non-Asian horror filmmaking I've seen in the last 11 years. I was on the edge of my seat!! For the first time with a new-millennium horror film since 28 Days Later. I haven't seen Last Winter yet, but I'd say if people would give him a chance, he could rise to be as good as Cronenberg was. Skin & Bones showed that much promise. Do you mean scary as in they don't scare you now or they never scared you? As in, when you were younger and films actually could scare you? Because The Evil Dead scared the shit out of me. And I know I'm far from being the only one. Gotta disagree there. I agree! Although I also agree that pieces of the film do fall apart on repeat viewings. 1 is the music score. There are many moments when it isn't working as well as I remembered it (it aims to be too robust and so, it becomes less creepy). And 2 is the ending starting right where zombie/demon-Cheryl busts through the door and I can't look at Ash and feel there's any kind of struggle going on. I don't think there's a thing wrong with the claymation ending. For me, it's more when zombie/demon-Scott just allows Ash to poke through his eye sockets and the face doesn't move. If I were just seeing this movie for the first time, that would really stick out with me and I might not have given the film its' fair due. But very few films are perfect. I mean, I really think the acting in Night of the Living Dead is dreadful. And I don't feel for any of the characters- even though I enjoyed Judith O'Dea's performance (while everyone else hates her) and thought the music (library tracks) were beautifully chosen. I have no experience with Bob Dylan, but I will say the Beach Boys' song is very impressive. It's been a long time since I've heard it and I immediately start thinking Oliver Stone or something (though, if he used it, I can't pinpoint what film without the aid of Google). But are they really that much better than The Beatles? That would be a matter of taste- right? As for the Beatles, my roommate has all their original albums and I've picked through them a couple of times and so I've found some songs I like (I LOVE "Misery," "Think for Yourself," "If I Needed Someone," "It's Only Love," "Glass Onion," "Hello Goodbye," "Penny Lane," "Things We Said Today," "Every Little Thing," "Fool on the Hill," "Something"). But I really, really don't care for a great deal of their most popular songs from their very first 4 or so albums.
