Movie – Chess: In Concert (2009)

One day I happened to see Chess: In Concert offered from Netflix.  At the time I knew nothing about it other than it was about chess (duh) and that it had the late 1980s hit song “One Night in Bangkok” in it.  I was curious enough, so I got it.  I figured I would probably skip from song to song, listening to the ones I liked.  I ended up watching it from beginning to end, then the next day watching most of it again.  It turned out to be far more than just a collection of songs.  It was nothing less than chess as a metaphor both for the Cold War, and for the heart of a woman and a man.

Movie – Stop Making Sense (1984)

Over the years, the concert film I most often saw named by professional critics as the best of all time was 1978’s The Last Waltz.  This is because the music in it is what they listened to when they were younger and because Martin Scorcese directed it.  While I liked the music in the film a lot, the jarring transitions between songs, and the cuts back to a couple studio sessions, keep The Last Waltz from flowing as well as it should. 

I freely admit that my choice of Stop Making Sense is also impacted by the music that I was listening to in college.  I consider the music of The Talking Heads to be great songs that still hold up today.  In addition to this, I consider this movie to be the absolute best at making you feel like you are part of the audience, which to me is the most important thing.

The Best Movies with Music

“If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,

The appetite may sicken, and so die.” – Duke Orsino, Twelfth Night

Notice that the title of this category is not “Best Musicals”.  When I see people comparing films such as 1965’s The Sound of Music to 1970’s Woodstock I have a little trouble understanding why they are getting lumped together.  The former is a traditional movie musical.  The latter is a combination concert film and documentary with no plot to it.  The only thing uniting them is the superficial. 

It’s not just movies where this happens, though.  True story – many years ago I was in a mail order music club.  For about six months their catalog had a ridiculous “Black Music” section with listings for Michael Jackson, Public Enemy, Robert Johnson, and Miles Davis all grouped together.  I used to wonder just how out of touch this (major music) company was to not even realize that those were four very different kinds of music that had little in common other than the skin color of the performers.  For some reason they never added a “White Music” section with The Beatles, Metallica, Garth Brooks, and Glenn Miller all lumped together.

To me, movies with music in them break down into four distinct categories: the traditional movie musical; movies that happen to be musicals (the performances are secondary to the plot); concert films; and operas (i.e. 1996’s Evita or 1964’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg where all of the dialog is sung).  For a time in the 1980s people used to talk about “music video movies” such as Flashdance, but those have kind of faded away.

I will be reviewing my choices for the best movie in each of these four categories.  As I post the reviews, I will come back and post the links to them here:

Best Concert Film:  Stop Making Sense

Best Opera:  Chess in Concert

Best Movie That Happens to Be a Musical:  Cabaret

Best Musical:  Singin' in the Rain

Along with this you may want to check out my earlier category Movies with Musical Numbers for No Apparent Reason.  You can find it here.

On to the reviews…

Announcing: Lists from Chip

I wanted to let everyone know about a new service I will be offering.  I have created a separate blog named Lists from Chip.  The goal of it is to provide tracking lists of movies for people to refer to or to use for themselves.  Many people are using one list or another for recommendations on movies to see.  They will be able to find most of them here.

You may be wondering, “What’s the big deal?  I’ve been able to create lists on IMDB and Amazon for years and I can track them on the new Letterboxd site I am beta testing.”  This thing is, on all of those sites you have to go to the trouble of creating the list.  Sure, someone else may have already made the list you want, but you have to find it among the millions of other lists on those sites.  They also require internet access, which may be constant if you live in a big city, but which is less reliable the further out in the country that you get.

If you find a list on Lists from Chip that is interesting to you, you can easily save it to your computer and have it with you at all times.  This also means you can customize it for your unique use.

Why am I doing this?  I just started actively working from the 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book.  I bought a copy way back in 2003 and I had checked off in it which movies I had seen.  I recently joined an organization of bloggers who review movies from the book.  (You can find much more about it, as well as the blog club that has been formed, by reading my post on it here.)

I needed a better way to track what I had seen, had reviewed, that the club had reviewed, etc., so I built my own tracking sheet.  I also researched what movies I had yet to see that were available via Netflix.  At some point a light bulb went on over my head and I realized there were probably others that would like to have a tracking sheet like this, but didn’t have the time to build it.  I was going to post it on this site, but then I stopped to think about other lists I had used over the years.  Why not share those, too?  I kept going with these ideas and the result is the new Lists from Chip site.

You will find the tracking sheets grouped into 10 categories:

1.      1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (and Related Genre Lists)

2.      They Shoot Pictures Don’t They

3.      14 Year Weighted and Consolidated IMDB Top 250 List (1998 – 2011)

4.      American and British Film Institute (AFI and BFI) Lists

5.      Oscars and Golden Globes

6.      Film Awards from Countries Outside the United States

7.      Film Festivals

8.      Publishing Company Lists

9.      Miscellaneous Film Lists

10.  Critics’ Lists – I have none now since these are part of the larger They Shoot Pictures Don’t They list, but I wanted to have a placeholder post in case I decided to do some in the future.

When you get a chance, please check out this new service and leave comments on the various posts for any mistakes you may find, or ideas on how to improve the service.

I have added a permanent link to this new site just below the Home link in the column to the right.

Go to Lists from Chip

Movie – The Avengers (2012)

First things first, I realize this is probably the umpteenth review of the Avengers you’ve come across.  I want to say thanks in advance for taking the time to read it and comment.

Anyone who has read enough of my reviews and comments knows that my expectations for a movie usually end up affecting how I feel about it.  If those expectations are low I can find myself pleasantly surprised by an okay movie; if they are high, I can find myself disappointed by an above average one.  My expectations going into The Avengers, a film written and directed by Joss Whedon, were very high.  I am here to tell you that not only was I not disappointed by this movie, it even exceeded my expectations.  It had everything I could have ever hoped for from a Joss Whedon Avengers movie.

2012 Big Summer Movies Schedule and Reviews

“Summer lovin’, had me a blast.” – Danny Zuko, Grease

The purpose of this post is to give you a quick reference for the big films that are coming out this summer movie season.  I will be writing separate reviews of the movies I see that are good enough to recommend, and I will put the links to those here.  If the movie is not good enough to recommend I will add a short review to this post.  Either way you may want to save this post for future reference.

[By the way, you can see my 2011 Big Summer Movies post here.]

Note – so many movies come out every summer, and so many of the smaller ones get moved around or even postponed, that I am going to concentrate on the “big” movies.  These are the ones that are heavily advertised, expensive to make, have big names in them, and/or have had their opening dates scheduled for a long time.

First, the list, then a little more about each movie:

Movie – High Noon (1952)

The movie High Noon may be best known to general audiences today from dialogue in Die Hard where Hans and McClane are verbally sparring with each other over westerns.  (“That was Gary Cooper asshole.”)  If this is the case, then that is too bad.  High Noon is a very good movie that is a true classic in the genre and it deserves to be seen.  I would place it among the Top 5 westerns ever made.  Some in the media tried to derisively say George W. Bush saw himself as the Sheriff Will Kane character from this film, but ironically it was his predecessor, Bill Clinton, who named this his favorite movie of all time.  This may be fitting since politics played a big part in the creation of this film.  I will explain.

Movie – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

When Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was first released it generated a lot of hate from politicians because of the way some federal Senators and state government officials in the film were portrayed as corrupt.  At the same time, the Press also despised the film because some in their profession were shown to be opportunistic and in cahoots with the politicians – just making up stories for the sake of selling newspapers.  Hell, more than seven decades later the Press still tries to tar director Frank Capra as nothing more than a maker of cheesy, lightweight movies (despite his three Oscars for Best Director).  I say any film that simultaneously pisses off both politicians and the Press is one that is well worth seeing.

Movie – Amelie (2001)

I have saved the year ending IMDB Top 250 lists since 1998 (more on that in a week or two).  I have used them over the years to get suggestions on films I might want to see.  Back in 2001 a film named Amelie showed up on the list.  It sounded interesting, so I rented it.  I absolutely loved it.  To this day this film still remains one of the very best finds I have ever had from a list of recommended movies.

Movie – To Sir, with Love (1967)

First things first: all together now – “To Sir,ir,ir with lo-o-o-o-ove”.  Okay, now that I’ve got that out of my system, I can start.  How do you write a review about someone who has taken people from crayons to perfume?  It isn’t easy, but I’ll try.  Okay, maybe it wasn’t completely out of my system.  (I’ll be serious now.)

I was home from college one weekend and flipped the TV on.  I heard the opening lines from the song To Sir, with Love.  It triggered a memory with me.  The song was played on the radio when I was very little.  I remember thinking from the lyrics it was about a child who gets cared for by an older person, maybe even adopted.  I decided to watch the movie.  It turned out to be quite a bit different from what I expected.  I also really enjoyed it. 

Movie – To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

You would think that a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that was also beloved by millions would easily be made into a movie.  Not so with To Kill a Mockingbird.  Studio execs asked, “Where’s the action?  Where’s the love story?”  When a decision was finally made to do a movie both Rock Hudson and Jimmy Stewart were considered for the lead role of Atticus Finch and both turned it down.  When Gregory Peck found out about the role he sat down and read the book in a single evening and then called the next day to say he would do it.  What Peck, and movie audiences, would understand is that this is one of the finest examples of a story that speaks to everyone.  And at its lead is the character of Atticus Finch.  If I ever was forced give a single example of what it means to be “a good man” then I would offer up Atticus Finch as my choice.

Movies with Great Human Beings in Them

“You make me want to be a better man.” – Melvin Udall, As Good As It Gets

There has been any number of movies about great leaders, heroes, and inspirational people.  Because of the sheer number, I am going to restrict this category to fictional characters.  I will not be doing any biopics like Schindler’s List or Gandhi this time around.  I will save them for another day.  Unfortunately, this eliminates many of the movies I’ve seen with great women in them, but I will be including one fictional female character. 

And yes, I realize the first two films I am going to write about are based on books that are themselves partially based on real people, but I consider them to be far enough removed from the real person to not be a biography.

I am going to do something a little different this time.  I am going to list the characters below before any reviews are posted.  All of you will recognize some of the names; some of you will recognize all of them.  As I post a review, I will change the character’s name into a link to the movie’s review.  One of these – Juror #8 – is for a previously posted movie.

Note: Because I like positive movies more than pretty much any other kind, you will see higher ratings than usual across this category.  (Some people have commented that I am a little stingy when it comes to giving 5 star ratings, or even 4 star ratings.)

As I post the new reviews, I will come back and post the links to them here:

Atticus Finch

Mark Thackeray

Amelie Poulain

Jefferson Smith

Will Kane

Juror #8

On to the reviews…

50 Followers

I got my 50^th Follower a couple of days ago.  As Sally Field famously said in her acceptance speech for her second Oscar, “I want to say ‘Thank you’ to you. […]  And I can't deny the fact that you like me … right now … you like me!  Thank you.”

Actually…Sally?  Can you come here a second?

(One of the most misquoted quotes in film history, by the way – she never says “You like me!  You really do!”  It’s right there with “Play it again Sam” and “Do you feel lucky”.  The difference here is that it was a real speech.)

I would have reached this milestone sooner, but a few months ago I had one Follower who joined and then removed themselves a couple days later.  I felt like doing the Robin Williams routine from one of his comedy shows (Live at the Met, I think).  He saw someone in the audience get up and start to walk out.  He cried out, “Wait!  Come back!  I can be funnier.  I promise!”

My guess is that I either wrote something that offended this person, or because I had not yet had a chance to check out their blog and become a Follower they cut me off.  It was okay; I only cried myself to sleep for the first few nights.

While 50 isn’t that big a number compared to most blogs I follow, I honestly never thought I’d have anywhere near that many.  I’m not on any social media, so I don’t attract any attention that way.  People find my posts either by following links that other bloggers put up (many thanks!), or because my comments on other blogs attract their attention enough to check out what else I have written.  I actually get a lot more traffic from Google searches than I expected, but I don’t know that I’ve picked up too many Followers from it.

Anyway, my thanks to everyone who takes to time to read my thoughts on movies and other topics.  I appreciate it.

Hike – Shore Path

Looking towards Bar Island on The Shore Path

Some folks like getting away from all the people on the streets of downtown Bar Harbor by taking a walk along The Shore Path.  This path has existed for more than 130 years so that “genteel folks” could enjoy themselves.  This post describes a loop that will also take you through the main street of Bar Harbor (which most everyone walks anyway.)

Movie – House of Flying Daggers (2004)

After the success of his 2002 film Hero director Zhang Yimou returned to the wuxia genre to make House of Flying Daggers.  This movie is set several hundred years later than Hero, specifically in the 9^th century during the decline of the Tang Dynasty.  While Hero was overlooked by the Academy for a Cinematography nomination, House of Flying Daggers was not.  It was the only Oscar nomination the film received, though.  This time around Zhang’s movie has just as much intrigue and plotting as in Hero, but he adds a romantic component.  The result is a film that may go in directions that you are not expecting.

Movie – Hero (2002)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had opened the door for big budget, well done martial arts dramas.  In my opinion the 2002 film Hero perfected them.  First, it is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen.  How this did not even receive an Oscar nomination for Cinematography, let alone win, is beyond me.  Second it has universal themes of heroism and sacrifice that will resonate with most everyone who watches it.  Finally, it is directed by the most respected Chinese film director there is – Zhang Yimou.  The result is the best martial arts film I have ever seen.

Movie – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (CTHD) was a landmark martial arts film in many ways.  Prior to 2000 most people in the U.S. thought of that genre as badly dubbed, poorly plotted, “chopsocky” films with cheesy sound effects.  This was due to all the inexpensive films of this nature that made up a lot of weekend TV programming.  CTHD is about as far from that as you can get.  It was the first martial arts film ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (and this was back when only five films could be nominated).  In fact, it received a total of 10 nominations – the most ever for a foreign language film.  It won four of them, including wins for Cinematography, Score, and Art Direction.  No foreign language film has ever won Best Picture, but in my opinion this should have been the one to do it.  While Gladiator was an entertaining film, CTHD was the better of the two.

Movies Where Ballet Dancers Kick Ass

“She does 95% of her [fighting] stunts herself, which was important to me because I could do long takes of her.  She’s a dancer and therefore we were able to train her in ways other action heroes simply cannot do, including this kick coming up.  The stunt coordinator came to me and said, ‘She can kick a guy in the head, behind her, around a pole.’” – Joss Whedon discussing actress and former ballerina Summer Glau in his commentary for his 2005 movie Serenity

I don’t know about you, but ballet dancers are not the first people I think of when the phrase “kicking ass” is mentioned.  (Just look at the street gangs in the opening of 1961’s West Side Story, for instance.)  However, a few of them have found a home in movies where they get to play action heroes or villains.  In these cases, their ability to learn complex series of fighting exchanges, and to move their bodies in ways most people cannot, serves them well.

One woman in particular has used her skills in several movies.  That actress is Zhang Ziyi.  She has appeared in three movies that I will be reviewing – Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  She also appeared in Rush Hour 2, but I won’t be reviewing that.

Another actress who I know started out as a ballerina is Summer Glau.  She is referenced in the quote at the top of this post.  I have a link to my Serenity review below.

As for the men, the two most famous that made the transition to acting are Mikhail Baryshnikov and Alexander Godunov.  I have not seen any movie of Baryshnikov’s where he really gets to do a big action scene.  Godunov does get to play a major villain in Die Hard.  He has a big fight with Bruce Willis (or at least Willis’ stunt double).  I have a link to my Die Hard review below.

As I post the new reviews, I will come back and post the links to them here:

Serenity (previously posted)

Die Hard (previously posted)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Hero (2002)
House of Flying Daggers

On to the reviews…

Hike – Acadia Mountain, Flying Mountain, Man O’War Brook, Somes Sound, Valley Cove

Somes Sound from the summit of Acadia Mountain

The east side of Mount Desert Island is the part that most people think of in regards to Acadia National Park.  The west side, or the “quiet side” as some people call it, provides a number of opportunities for hiking in the park, and without the crowds that can sometimes be a part of the popular hikes to the east.

This post describes a traverse of Acadia Mountain, a side trip to Man O’War Brook, a hike along the edge of Somes Sound on the Valley Cove Trail, and a traverse of Flying Mountain.  Although I usually do loop hikes back to my vehicle, I did not on this one.  I will explain below.

Movie – Room in Rome (2010)

Room in Rome is an intriguing story of one night in the lives of two women who have just met.  It is based on the 2005 Chilean film En la cama, but it is really a same-sex version of Before Sunrise (1995), albeit one that is more sensual.  The film received four Goya Award nominations (the “Spanish Oscars”) for Best Actress (Elena Anaya), Best New Actress (Natasha Yarovenko), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Song (the wonderful “Loving Strangers”).  I had this film in my Netflix Instant queue for months, but never got around to seeing it.  I figured it was some quickie, softcore film.  When I finally watched it about a month ago I found out that I had been very wrong.