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thatwoodb
Reviews
Seymour: An Introduction (2014)
Magnificent
A wonderfully composed and lovingly constructed film about a fascinating man. Mr. Bernstein has paid full attention in his long life, and it's paid dividends. His love of life and music, along with Hawke's love of Bernstein, are contagious. Catch a dose for yourself!
(And while you're at it, you may want to take a look at some of Bernstein's Youtube videos as well. There are lessons from his '80s instructional videos that even a non- player like myself found fascinating. There are some others where he's interviewed by Ben Laude on various artists and multiple facets of music on the Tonebase channel, at least one of which features an elaboration on why he dislikes Glenn Gould's Bach {and Mozart} so much, in case you're wondering after hearing his fairly brief criticism in Hawke's movie.)
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
Much Funnier Than His Song Parodies
I've always thought his song parodies were OK, with some better than others. The concept of song parody in general doesn't do much for me.
But an auto-biopic parody was a brilliant idea! And this one has an excellent and very funny script which the team executed well.
It was a pleasant surprise.
(The site is rejecting my review for being too short, so allow me to repeat:
I've always thought his song parodies were OK, with some better than others. The concept of song parody in general doesn't do much for me.
But an auto-biopic parody was a brilliant idea! And this one has an excellent and very funny script which the team executed well.
It was a pleasant surprise.)
A Concerto Is a Conversation (2020)
Beautiful
A short film packed with beauty and filled with gratitude for those on whose shoulders we stand.
Diqiu zuihou de yewan (2018)
Caution ...
Beware that Bi Gan shot the last section of the film in 3-D. Obviously, you won't be able to see it on DVD in the way he intended it to be watched.
(On the other hand, directors make their films to be seen on much larger screens in theaters with sophisticated sound systems, so DVD viewing is always a compromise. But just know that this particular film has an extra, significant, compromise built in for home viewing.)
Jingang Jing (2012)
Unfortunate Subtitles
In what I think would have been an excellent short film otherwise, there were some problems with the subtitles: up for too little time, tiny white type over B&W images, and some questionable translations. Apart from those three issues, they were fine. (For example, the Roman alphabet was used.)
Needless to say, this was really distracting and seriously handicapped this film.
Joe Frank: Somewhere Out There (2018)
For a long-time Frank fan, worth waiting for. For a non-fan ... ?
This movie was put together with some arresting visuals used under audio clips from Frank's shows-- not that this is the best way to enjoy Frank's art, but what other choices did the director have if he wanted to include portions of his subject's work in his film? (The best way to take in Frank is in a room alone with the lights out.)
For a decades-long fan like me, it was enjoyable to hear and see Frank's collaborators and friends talk about what it was like to know and work with him. But it wasn't really what you'd call a deep dive into Joe Frank's life or psyche, and I didn't learn much that I hadn't already read or heard from Frank himself through his show over the years, apart from the circumstances that led to his leaving KCRW. That revelation was a bit of a shock. Oh, and the interview done with one of JF's collaborators did buttress my hypothesis about his death in 2012.
If you're not a fan, would this be worth seeing? Hmm, not sure. It's hard for me to be objective about that. But I suspect a better way to familiarize yourself with him is to first listen to one of his shows. If you like it, listen to another (his old shows are in rotation at various radio stations around the country, and are also available for purchase at his website). Then, if you become obsessed with him, or simply curious about how someone could come up with these ideas, watch the movie.
Or maybe it would work just as well in reverse.
(Addendum to review, July, 2022: While reading court documents pertaining to a suit brought by Joe's widow against the filmmaker, I learned that she and Joe had a financial stake in this movie-- a fact not publicly disclosed by any of the parties until the lawsuit. This arrangement, clearly, should put the movie in a different light for anyone considering watching it. It should also, perhaps, put it in a different category than "documentary" altogether.)