Debo decir que el cine de época es un item importante en la capacitación del ojo crítico pero no necesariamente es el tipo de cine entretenido que uno busca en una sala de cine. Muy posiblemente, haya gente que le encante este género y respeto su opinión, yo por ejemplo puedo decir que hay un par que me vuelven loco como Clash of the Titans de Desmond Davies, Age of Innocence de Scorsese o Spartacus de Stanley Kubrick.

Repito, no son las más fáciles pero hay que verlas. Este fin de semana hice el ejercicio con la clásica Amadeus, peli de 1984 dirigida por MIlos Forman y me fue muy bien. La primerza vez me la vi en cine y recuerdo la pasé muy bien, recuerdo haber estado muy pendiente de la música, tanto que incluso, tengo en mi poder la banda sonora en acetato y creo que fue un bien al que me hice cuando mi abuelita la vió y quedó también fascinada. ¿Dónde uno escucha eso en estos momentos digitales y de alta tecnología? Ni idea. Pero ahí la tengo y ansío el momento de hacerlo.

La versión que me vi es bastante interesante porque le permite ver la peli con el audio original o cuadrar la peli para que sólo se escuche la banda sonora. Qué locura! No sólo es un elemento importante en la peli es la protagonista principal de toda la pieza. El Requiem es impresionante y la Flauta Mágica recuerda mi niñez cuando interpretabamos estas peizas de variedades súper divertidas.

La obra está basada en la éxitosa novela de Peter Shaffer quien además hizo el guión para la peli y se aborda mediante la perspectiva de Antonio Salieri, un músico que vive a la sombra de Mozart toda su vida pero corrompido por su poder le hace la vida imposible, lo tortura e incluso se asume que lo aniquila.

Lejos de buscar verdades en esta hipótesis, lo que quiero decir es que esta peli le significó el segundo Oscar de La Academia a Forman, el primero había sido con One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest en 1975 y fue galardonada con ocho premios más incluyendo mejor película, mejor actor secundario para F. Murray Abraham, vestuario, guión adaptado, sonido, vestuario y maquillaje. Lo cual es totalmente justificado porque la factura es impecable. Tom Hulce fue nominado como mejor actor pero perdió contra su compañero de obra, el mismísimo Abraham que hace una interpretación formidable como antagónico y oscuro personaje dentro de la historia quien se encargó de analizar la evolución del músico como una cata de vinos que de manera pedagógica explicaba la genialidad de Mozart.

Mi segunda percepción de la obra porque me motivó a averiguar un poco más de la teoría de su música, el interés de los alemanes por generar teoría alrededor y ser súper respetuosos con el protocolo melódico de Johann Sebastian Bach quien de alguna forma fue el motor de esa corriente occidental que le permitió tocar para cuatro, cinco y seis instrumentos y que le permitió a Mozart escribir las óperas y conciertos que se atrevió a hacer para un intrumentos y toda una orquesta. Sin embargo, me dejó un sin sabor el entender que su labor patrocinada por el rey de Austria de alguna forma delimitó su crecimiento, que su mecenas dominaba su creatividad y que de alguna forma era un músico comercial en la época así haya muerto pobre, genio y figura. Me sorprendió entender que, por el contrario, Ludwig van Beethoven se arriesgó mucho más y logró trasgredir su época hasta el punto de llamársele loco o irracional discapacitado para después un siglo después ser comprendido por colegas que en verdad develaron la genialidad dodecafónica de sus teorías.

Chévere. Recomendable totalmente, ojalá bien despiertos y muy atentos.

One of the most celebrated films of all time, Amadeus has always been a single inch away from my play-list, and it took a fellow lover of film named Jacob to suggest it to my face for me to actually get off my duff and watch it. And am I ever glad I did! Amadeus really is a must-see; now that I’ve seen it, I rue the years spent living without having seen it. It’s a very beautiful film about the aching, sorrowful differences between the unreachable heights of true genius and the rolling, lame slopes of mediocrity, and how that can lead to enmity that shouldn’t have existed at all.

It begins with an attempted suicide and a tearful confession. An old man in 1823, the famous Italian composer Salieri to be precise, is in a mental institution for trying to kill himself after confessing to the murder of Mozart. A priest comes in to talk him out of his horrible malaise, and advises that perhaps confessing will ease his heart. Salieri confesses for nearly a day and a half, setting a scene that recounted the contentious relationship between he and fellow composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He recalls his youth as a devoutly God-fearing man who believed that his life as a composer was a blessing from the Lord himself. He lived under the patronage of the Austrian Archbishop of Salzburg, and made very pretty music that suited the age and his peers. But when Mozart bursts into his patron’s palace to play a piece, everything changes. Salieri regards Mozart’s music as magical, miraculous, but when he sees him off-stage and hears how inappropriate and lewd he is, he doesn’t know what to think. He slaves to write Mozart a March of Welcome, which Mozart, upon receiving it, improvises upon and makes it better! This creates a conundrum for Salieri; he believed that Mozart was somehow touched by God and given a voice to create wonderful music, but now that he has seen Mozart, he feels that God has forsaken him. He hatches a plan to get back at both God and Mozart that is both insidious and cunning, and it requires him to do things he never would have even considered before that damn Mozart came into the picture. Will Salieri’s envious heart and devious mind end up costing him his very soul and Mozart his life? Or are these merely the ramblings of a senile old man?

This was such a splendid piece that my spirits were lifted for the rest of the day after I left the TV screen. Its scope is grand, its vision is elegant and truly gorgeous, and its emotional strength is bolstered exponentially by some of the greatest music ever recorded. It’s a movie that has its roots in the darkness of the human soul, but doesn’t forget to make us laugh. And would you believe that a movie called Amadeus really isn’t about Mozart? This is a story about jealousy, a jealousy that is inspired by Mozart’s incredible talent, and the man himself, while featured prominently, is really more of a source of ire for Salieri rather than a main character.

Directed by Milos Forman, famous for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and, well, THIS movie, Amadeus is exultant in its amazing look at the Classical period in European music created by a man who surely understood its power. Forman transports us to a time of a life at court, composing for the wealthy and educated, a time in music that changed the world forever, breaking away from the Baroque in a way that would pave the way for composers throughout the next 200 years. Forman’s greatest achievement, as a director, though, is getting the larger-than-life stories of these two men on the screen and squeezing it in to a tasteful 181 minutes. The tumultuous relationship between these two geniuses is nothing short of phenomenal, and it must be said that with everything that happens, it certainly doesn’t feel like a 3 hour film (unlike the recent 150 minute debacle of 2012).

The leads here were so good that the Academy Awards gave them a rare double nod for Best Actor. F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce are Salieri and Mozart respectively, and each plays their characters like true acting powerhouses. F. Murray Abraham never really got the break he deserved in Hollywood, and I think this should be his Exhibit A for getting a second chance. His Salieri is so good that I can’t really separate the truth from the fiction now. If someone told me that Salieri didn’t act so cavalier and didn’t hold a grudge like a champ, I don’t know if I would believe him. And Tom Hulce… Tom Hulce is incredible. He gets every nuance about Mozart that anyone ever wrote about him. His high-pitched weird laughter, his relationships with his friends and family, and even his unexpected love of poop and fart jokes! That’s right, both in real life and in this film, Mozart thinks farts are the funniest thing since Chuck Norris! He brings it up a few times, and if you don’t laugh when Mozart lets one rip, I will officially question your humanity.

It’s a timeless, wonderful film set in the most extravagant time in Western Europe, and I don’t think anybody’s DVD collection would be complete without it. If you have a sensibility that is classy with a tinge of weird, you have one major priority right now; go see Amadeus! It’s well worth the time you put into it; it might be the wisest investment of exactly 181 minutes you’ll ever make. The two leads are phenomenal, the director is extremely invested, and the music is some of the best of all time! You’ll never look at classical music the same way again! I give Amadeus 10 Mozart farts out of 10! My highest recommendation!

Tomorrow we give the site a shot of the classical sauce again with Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny! Until then!

John Gallagher, Jr. and Tony Vincent in Green Day's American Idiot at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

If you are a fan of a punk or pop band (or a punk/pop fan for that matter) as well as the theater, you rarely would think of your favorite band creating new wonders for what some believe is the old, worn out, medium of live theater.

I thought I’d never see the day when a rock band from the 21st century would endeavor to bring an album to the stage again. The night before I saw Green Day perform live on Good Morning America in May at Central Park, I saw a production of the The Who’s Tommy performed by the Gallery Players in Brooklyn, NY. The musical was fabulously performed, with an earnest, fresh cast, and though the show itself is a a bit dated, the love for the music never dies with Tommy. Who can’t rock out to “Pinball Wizard” or get emotional with “See Me, Feel Me” or be mesmerized with the eerie premise of “Fiddle About” or be astounded by the power of “Acid Queen”?

Yet, the rock musical coming directly from a band these days is a rare proposition. Traditional Broadway crowds don’t like the loud, bold sounds of rock on their stages, but Broadway needs fresh musicals, the backbone of the Broadway economy, to survive. Current Broadway musicals like On the Heights (a great show originally performed downtown that moved to B’way), Rock of Ages (a show that you have to pay me to go see), Mama Mia (really? really?) and Billy Elliot (I’m glad all three kids who play the title character won Tonys, but I’m not paying $100 to see it) are thriving somewhat at the moment, but all in all, Broadway needs a few good, loud, raucous and audacious, pure rock musicals for a shot in the veins. Certain musicals, created by less-Broadway traditional musicians or theater folks, such as Rent and Spring Awakening, bring excitement and freshness to the stage and lure in new audiences that replace the older, staler B’way theatrical models. Mind you, I have never seen either Rent or Spring Awakening in full, mostly because I have issues with over-hyped productions of any sort, but I follow Broadway closely enough to know the storylines, the music, and the impact that both shows had on bringing new audiences into the theater and shaking up the status quo.

Well, there’s at least two rock-based shows on off-Broadway currently making their way to the big stage over the next nine months that will impact Broadway in a positive way: Green Day’s American Idiot and Lizzie Borden The Show, though Lizzie Borden does not originate from a band’s album. So let’s get back to the original premise: it’s good to know that in the near future, an actual band will bring some fresh spunk to the Broadway stage, and that band is Green Day and that show is American Idiot, which officially opened at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on September 17th.

While it’s not a done deal that Green Day’s American Idiot (or Lizzie Borden for that matter), will actually make it to the Great White Way, it’s a forgone conclusion at this point that more than likely it will. It’s got everything going for it: powerhouse Broadway veterans such as Michael Mayer (Director) and Tom Hulce (Producer), and a cast that is incredibly talented, including Spring Awakening lead John Gallagher, Jr., the irresistible Tony Vincent, and Rebecca Naomi Jones, of the Passing Strange cast, and this isn’t even taking into consideration the band, Green Day, or their seminal 2004 album, American Idiot. All of this equals one thing potentially: next stop, Broadway.

Green Day’s American Idiot, in previews for the last two weeks, opened to generally good local reviews today, including reviews in newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Fransisco Examiner, and the San Jose Mercury News, and blogs such as SFist, The Dope Report, and a review/report on the opening night from Rolling Stone. All of the reviews were generally positive, with some constructive criticism thrown in, but for the most part, positive. Of course, not everything is honky dory, as in this hyper-negative review from Jim Harrington at the A+E Blog from the Mercury News. It’s so hyper-negative, though, it kind of sounds as if the guy thought that the band was playing, and not a cast of 19 and a six-piece backup band. Harrington, who is a fan of Green Day, has nothing positive to say, and I find it difficult to believe that he found nothing redeeming in the show after reading the other reviews. Maybe he was just having a “Red Tide” moment, as it were.

On the whole, reading reviews from Green Day fans at the Green Day Community as well as the majority of reviews above, I’d say that with a few tweaks in the storyline (it’s consistently noted as weak), American Idiot could land in New York and London’s West End.

Just in case it doesn’t happen, however, Billie Joe has the right attitude toward it all, as reported in the New York Times:

For his part Mr. Armstrong, whose early Green Day performances were at 924 Gilman Street, a well-known local performance space, said he’d love to see the show make it to Broadway. But he’s not worried if that doesn’t happen.

“I think that would be cool,” he said of a New York run. “But if it ends up playing Gilman Street, that’s cool too.”

TOM HULCE

The Times of London, on its web site, presents its candidates for the ten most historically inaccurate movies. The bad news is that all but two were made before 1999, which — if one were to take this seriously — would suggest a fearsome and precipitous trend.

The earlier of the two monstrosities that were made before ‘99 was “Amadeus,” the 1984 hatchet job on Antonio Salieri in which Tom Hulce played Mozart. The second was “Braveheart,” which I understand is a significantly inaccurate account of the life of a 13th century Scottish hero, Sir William Wallace. I don’t know anything about Wallace, which is to the point: If I had overlooked the fact that Mel Gibson starred in this film and had gone to see it, I might have accepted the account as roughly correct.

ANNE BANCROFT

Why The Times focused its attention mostly on the past decade I am not aware; maybe it reflects the level of confidence the editors have in their audience. Of course, inaccurate historical films have a proud history that extends back to decades before “Amadeus” appeared. Virtually every film based on the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, for example, tries to outdo the original writers — even one of my favorites of that genre, Franco Zefferilli’s “Jesus of Nazareth,” made for television in 1977. Zef famously took pains to place the events of the gospels in their proper historical context, but he couldn’t restrain the tinkering hand. Like all dramatists, he had to portray poor Mary Magdalene, played by Anne Bancroft, as a prostitute — indeed, show her in a scene with one of her clients — even though there is no support for that idea. In Zefferelli’s tale, Barabbas — encouraged by a well-meaning Judas Iscariot — personally invites Jesus to support an armed rebellion against the Roman occupation of Palestine.

VAN HEFLIN

And as long ago as 1942, the year I was born, Van Heflin starred in the mercifully long-forgotten “Tennessee Johnson,” which purported to be a biography of Andrew Johnson, 17th president of these United States and a particular obsession of mine. The film had a pretty good cast, including Ruth Hussey, Lionel Barrymore, and Noah Beery, but the title itself set the tone for the movie as history: Nobody ever called the man “Tennessee Johnson.” The climactic scene in which Johnson goes to the floor of the Senate to defend himself against charges of impeachment was wholly fabricated. In fact, Johnson’s counsel — recalling how he came to be impeached in the first place — would not hear of him appearing at the trial for fear of what he might say. Sort of the Joe Biden of his day, in that respect.

At any rate, decide for yourself on the The Times’ choices, available at this link:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6738785.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

Ah ! Aujourd’hui, c’est un de mes films cultes dont je veux vous parler. Le genre de films que je peux voir et revoir et revoir, seul ou à plusieurs, refaisant les dialogues en VO ou VOST, cherchant le détails que personne ne verra, absorbant la musique dans tout mon être.

Bon, d’accord. Depuis tout petit, je suis “habitué” à le reconnaître. Dès que j’ai commencé le violon (il y a fort fort longtemps), il m’a séduit, enchanté. Ce monsieur dont il a été fait un biopic n’est autre que Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart et le film éponyme étant Amadeus.

Ah, cette musique ! Toujours joyeuse, nouvelle, sans cesse renouvelée, travaillée, inventée et retranscrite comme par magie.

Mozart…. ce petit génie qui peut remercier son génial de père de l’avoir instruit tout petiot à l’ars musica et de l’avoir promené (comme un singe savant, hélas !) à travers toute l’Europe. Et lui, enfant, s’abreuvant, se gorgeant de cette musique rencontrée aux quatre coins de nos terres occidentales…

Ce film de Milos Forman, de 1984, reprend la théorie (purement inventée) comme quoi Mozart fut assassiné par un de ses concurrents directs à la Cour, Antonio Salieri, joué à la perfection par F. Murray Abraham (vu dans Scarface et dans Le Nom de la Rose).

Il y a le rire de Mozart joué par Tom Hulce.

Il y a la musique qui tient un rôle considérable, un autre acteur de ce film.

J’étais déjà fan du musicien, disais-je donc depuis l’enfance, mais là, le film scella définitivement mon goût. Ce génie, cette transcendance du savoir, cette capacité à retranscrire une musique déjà achevée dans sa tête, ce goût pour l’impertinence, ce jeu des mots continuel, cet esprit vif et alerte, cette capacité de travailler encore et encore… il ne m’en faut pas moins pour que j’adhère à la cause.

Je me suis aussi inspiré de ce film pour décrire l’atmopshère de la création dans mon livre MAHEL quant Thomas décide de rédiger SON livre…

Voici le trailer :

La solución a  nuestro concurso de ayer no podía ser otra que Amadeus, dirigida en 1984 por Milos Forman y protagonizada por los norteamericanos Tom Hulce en el papel de Mozart y F. Murray Abraham como Salieri. Enhorabuena a los acertantes.

]]> http://sundayisforlovers.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/23-questions/ Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:52:52 +0000 aimeelovesyou http://sundayisforlovers.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/23-questions/

Tom Hulce plays Mozart in Amadeus

Have you gotten one of those silly questionnaire e-mails?
Below is my reply to the one I received this week…

From: AimeeLovesYou
To: XXXX
Subject: Re: Getting to know you
Date: Jun 10, 2009 5:33 PM

1. What is your occupation right now? Artist.
2. What color are your socks right now? Bare skin.
3. What are you listening to right now? Plane flying above.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Banana smoothie.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? No.
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? XXXX.
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Of course.
8. How old are you today? 34.
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? X-Games. (-Tricks on bikes or skateboards.)
10. What is your favorite drink? Water. (-Seriously.)
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, disaster.
12. Favorite food? Persimmons.
13. Favorite day of the year? I like January 1st, it’s quite, party’s over.
14. Cherries or Blueberries? Tough one, blueberries because they are pit-less, but not as sexy as cherries.
15 .What is your favorite season? Fall, but I love spring too.
16. When was the last time you cried? Sunday. (-Only a little, all dried out from crying Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,.. -I’m serious.)
17. What did you do last night? Went to hot yoga with XXXX at 8pm, got home late.
18. What is your favorite Movie? Amadeus.
19. Favorite animal? None. (-I’m not an animal person, but I like seeing animals in action, cheetahs running, birds flying, etc.. -Side note: I don’t like the idea of animals as ‘pets’. Sometimes I want one though. I want a black pug.)
20. Favorite day of the week? Monday. (-I get to start over.)
21. How many states have you lived in? 3.
22. Diamonds or Pearls? Beads.
23. What is your favorite flower? Oriental Lily.

Last night my wife, daughter and I watched Amadeus.  It was the 3rd time my wife and I saw this brilliant film; my daughter’s first.

Toward the end of the movie it came rushing back to me that the movie’s star, Tom Hulce, grew up right here in Plymouth.  The Joanne Winkelman Hulce Center for the Arts on Sheldon Road is named in honor of Tom’s mother.

Tom has made a number of movies, but besides Amadeus, he’s probably best known for his work in the classic comedy Animal House (he played Larry ‘Pinto’ Kroger) and the solid Steve Martin flick Parenthood (he played the ne’er do well brother/son, Larry Buckman.)

I wish I knew more about his history, especially here in town.   I have no idea whether he visits here anymore or maintains any ongoing connection to the community.  He is probably one of Plymouth’s most recognizable sons.  I like his work and would love to see him back in town for whatever reason.

This is the next in a series of reviews of films Roger Ebert has given four stars to between the years of 1967 and 2007, inspired by his book, Roger Ebert’s Four Star Reviews.

When trying to recommend this film to my friends, I can see their eyes deaden before me. After all, this is a period piece, full of frilly costumes and powdered wigs, about the life and times of a classical composer and Mozart, the man who drove him mad. It brings to mind the stuffy stilted costume dramas we are all familiar with, with its dry dialogue and mannered behavior. However, Amadeus is as far from mannered as films get. It manages to maintain an air of reverence to the genre while also rebelling against the mannerisms and emotional restraint that characterize similar films. It is passionate, moving, hysterically funny, and deserves to be placed alongside Goodfellas and Lawrence of Arabia as one of the greatest biopics ever created.

We begin with Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), ranting and raving that he killed Mozart. A doctor at the sanitorium asks him if he truly did what he claims, and the film is told in flashback from there. He was raised as a man of God but always longed to be able to pursue a life in music. When his father dies suddenly, he views it as a miracle that will enable him to follow his dream career. He is named court composer in Vienna, where he first encounters Mozart (Tom Hulce), a lewd disrespectful young upstart who hears a piece Salieri labored over and improves it so casually, it seems an afterthought. After suffering for years at watching this young man with so much more talent than him, he loses faith in God and his own sanity, and comes up with a way to exploit Mozart’s inner demons in hopes of killing him.

As directed by Milos Forman, Mozart is played with a twinge of punk-rocker self-righteousness, from the reckless behavior to the hints of pink lacing his wig in a sea of white powdered heads. Tom Hulce plays him with the charm of a popular teenager, peppering his enjoyment of life with an outrageous laugh, without losing sight of the mercurial swings in temperament that come with holding the burden of such an incredible talent. It’s no surprise that Forman was the man to helm this project—before he made Amadeus, he made Hair and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, both rebellious films in their own right, preferring a free-form lifestyle to conforming to the whims of society. Yet they are also about he struggles of a misunderstood individual to maintain his ability to live his life the way he sees fit, which mirrors Salieri’s struggle (later Forman films like The People vs. Larry Flynt and Man in the Moon deal with this as well). He keeps the dialogue reverent without becoming anachronistically contemporary, and he keeps the tempo upbeat while letting the film remain framed in a dignified powdered-wig period film visual style.

At the end of it all, however, this movie belongs to F. Murray Abraham. Salieri is possibly one of the best characters in all of cinema, a perfect manifestation of a regular man with big dreams who realizes before our eyes that he will never be the best, no matter how hard he works. The scene in which Salieri reads Mozart’s music off the page and understands that he is in the presence of brilliance almost certainly won Abraham the Oscar—he is unspeakably upset, but Abraham doesn’t play the anguish. He plays the joy that overwhelms that anguish, the joy that God blessed him with the opportunity to witness such genius in the palm of his hands. It’s such a complex emotion to play, and Abraham lets the battle between those two feelings permeate through his entire performance. I have trouble recalling too many better performances that I’ve ever seen—one of the best roles of all time, contained in one of the best biopics of all time. I urge anyone reading this who hasn’t yet seen this film to stop what you’re doing and rent it. Yes, even if you hate frilly costumes and powdered wigs.

***

Ebert says: “Amadeus is a magnificent film, full and tender and funny and charming—and in the end, sad and angry, too, because in the character of Salieri it have given us a way to understand not only greatness, but our own lack of it.”

Read the rest here.

We love men. We do. We are men. We love men. You understand. In honour of this we have this week taken on a review of Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in I Love You, Man, howling with laughter at accents and bass-playing and the supreme power of Rush. We talk a little about documentary filmmakers moving into fiction, and vice-versa for the narrative players, and then chat about the likes of Amadeus and Pan’s Labyrinth as being among the films we have watched in the past week. To conclude however is a special treat, one in which you will hear and feel us give praise to the finest our sex has to offer, revealing, as we do, our top five mancrushes.

Download Episode 15

Oh my, what a night! Once again the ghosts of Blithe Spirit had their way with the photographers. Hell of a curtain call – 45 seconds and 17 shots.

Enjoy the pictures.

http://jplant.jalbum.net/Blithe%20Spirit%20Opening/

Quote of the night:

Shane: “Kurt Warner, everybody, Kurt Warner”

Photographers: “Who?”

A young man finds he has the ability to ‘jump’ to anyplace on earth and comes to find himself caught in a centuries old war between ‘jumpers’, those like himself, and ‘paladins’, those who try to kill his kind.

Directed by – Doug Liman

Written by – David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls, Simon Kinberg

Starring – Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rooker, Anna Sophia Robb, Max Thieriot, Jesse James, Tom Hulce, Kristen Stewart, Teddy Dunn, Barbara Garrick

I wasn’t expecting much before I sat down to watch this one. I originally was very interested in seeing it and then I realized that Hayden Christensen was in it and that it wasn’t getting very good reviews. Well, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, even with Hayden Christensen’s terrible performance. Watch out Keanu Reeves!

I like the idea here and the fact that once he learns to ‘jump’, he robs banks. That is exactly what anyone would do, admit it. Also on display here is Samuel L. Jackson. Every time I see him in a flick, he’s stealing the show. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the movie is, I can always look forward to a fun performance from Jackson.

Now, could this movie be better? Sure. It’s a great idea that I felt just wasn’t explored well enough. You have this war going on between ‘jumpers’ and ‘paladins’ but we never really see more than a few ‘jumpers’. Are there any or have they all been killed? It seems to me that this is not the thinking mans action movie and that’s alright. I still had some good fun watching and really dug the special effects. But could someone get Hayden to show some emotion other than Duh!

Under the marquee – Will

Today is Mozart’s birthday. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. So today, if people around you are whistling Mozart tunes with great fanfare (or is it, fan tutte fare?), you’ll know why.

Thinking about Mozart made me think of the 1980s’ movie Amadeus, which made me think of Tom Hulce, who played Mozart in the film. That made me think of the Tom Hulce scene in Ron Howard’s movie Parenthood where Tom Hulce’s character arrives home, rolling out — or was it being pushed out? – of a speeding Lincoln Continental while his dad, played by Jason Robards, looks on. So next I thought of All the President’s Men, in which Jason Robards plays Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post, and that made me think of Watergate, which made me wonder, what would Mozart have thought of Nixon? That brings to mind the new movie Frost/Nixon, which I haven’t seen, but just now realize was also directed by Ron Howard. What if today were also Ron Howard’s birthday? (Quick google check). Guess what?! It’s not. Ron Howard’s birthday is March 1. BUT, who can think of Ron Howard and not think of The Andy Griffith Show? And when you think of The Andy Griffith Show, naturally, you think of the theme (The Fishin’ Hole by Earle Hagen) that opened the program. It was whistled. And here we are back at whistling again.  And so it goes on Mozart’s birthday–start out with a tribute to a composer and end up finding a connection between Mozart and Mayberry R.F.D.

Amadeus

Bande annonce

De Milos Forman Avec Tom Hulce, F.Murray Abraham…

Ce film a remporté 8 Oscars, dont celui du meilleur film, meilleur réalisateur et meilleur acteur.

Synopsis :

En 1781, arrive à Vienne un jeune artiste prodige précédé d’une enviable réputation : Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Accueilli avec scepticisme ou enthousiasme à la cour de l’Empereur Joseph, il se fait l’ennemi acharné d’Antonio Salieri, musicien réputé et compositeur officiel de sa majesté. Ce dernier se sentant trahi par Dieu décide de faire obstacle à Mozart par tous les moyens.

Notre avis :

Amadeus est un de ces films dont on se souvient pendant longtemps. C’est une histoire à la fois d’admiration, de jalousie (à cause des relations entre les deux musiciens Mozart et Salieri), mais aussi celle d’un homme au talent fabuleux, trop en avance sur son temps pour être reconnu à sa juste valeur. Le choix de faire raconter l’histoire par justement l’ennemi/admirateur de Mozart permet de mieux comprendre les sentiments complexes de Salieri et de poser un regard extérieur sur ce personnage si particulier qu’est Mozart. Si tout d’abord le jeune musicien est le modèle de Salieri, celui-ci sera vite désarçonné devant sa bêtise et le jugera indigne de son talent, qu’il pense avoir été donné par Dieu lui-même. Ce raisonnement le mènera jusqu’à la folie, puis au remord, car il sera condamné à vivre et voir l’oeuvre de Mozart devenir de plus en plus populaire après sa mort alors que lui-même tombera dans l’oubli. Cette relation amour-haine est une des plus intéressante de l’histoire du cinéma, mais reste également bouleversante (surtout lors de la scène de l’enterrement, mémorable).

Le Mozart représenté dans le film est absolument fascinant. Bien entendu, c’est un génie avec un talent énorme, mais aussi un personnage vulgaire, prétentieux et décadent, capable aussi bien d’improviser une marche que de parler de façon obscène devant l’empereur Joseph. Celui-ci, d’ailleurs au lieu de reconnaître son talent, n’apprécia pas sa façon de bousculer les codes établis pour créer des musiques “nouvelles” (après avoir assisté à un de ses opéras, il lui dira “Il y a trop de notes”), se laissant influencer par ses conseillers musiciens, conservateurs n’appréciant pas le changement (il est d’ailleurs précisé au début que l’empereur ne possédait pas d’oreille musicale).

Mais le personnage principal de ce film reste la musique : peu importe que l’on aime ou pas celle de Mozart à l’origine, puisqu’elle envahit toutes les scènes et est forcément liée à la vie du héros ( effectivement, il mourra à la tâche en écrivant son Requiem). Le film a également comme atout une représentation de l’époque (costumes, décors) irréprochable et de magnifique plans de mise en scène. Ce qui aurait pu être une simple biographie ennuyeuse (ou un biopic qui est actuellement très à la mode) se transforme en histoire, cruelle, mais extrêmement intéressante.

Après la grandiose interprétation de Tom Hulce (qui reste très discret depuis ce qui doit être le rôle de sa vie), le personnage de Mozart ne pourra sans doute plus être repris avec autant de performance, particulièrement grâce à son rire mémorable.

Moldy

A raw stock character actor is born, albeit as a bit part in Amadeus. Karl-Heinz Teuber was the film’s Hair and Make-up assistant. Not only did his department win the Oscar, but Karl was given the role as the wig salesperson.To quote actor Jeffrey Jones (Emperor Joseph II): “it was his reward for all that ‘bending hair’”.

These are a few of the outtakes for Scene 44 (Tom Hulce had the only scripted lines).

Trivia: Of Karl, Milos Forman said: “He had this beautiful accent, you know…” and in fact, of all the spoken parts in the entire film, Karl’s is almost certainly, the only accent with any semblance of German!

Hair and Make-up assistant Karl-Heinz Teuber appropriately cast as the wig salesperson opposite Tom Hulce in ‘Amadeus’.