There is no use in me giving any sort of a story summary here because the story is too big of a mess to effectively describe here. The story somehow manages to be too simplistic and incoherently complex at the same time. The result is a movie that constantly tries to prove itself as something artistic yet has nothing to actually say. So do not go into this film trying to find the deeper meaning underneath all incoherent weirdness. There simply isn't any. I love art house cinema and that is why I hate movies like this. They give artsy a bad name and make many movie goers believe art films are a bunch of pretentious slop like this. This may be Her Private Hell but that doesn't mean it has to feel like Hell for the viewers as well. There is only so much visual randomness, poorly defined characters, painfully pretentious dialogue and incoherent storytelling that one can take. This movie may be under two hours, but it felt longer than some four-hour movies I have seen. I kept waiting for it to end but kept being disappointed whenever the story continued. Even the visuals, which even some of the film's harshest critics like, are simply too much. There is too much going on visually that after a while it simply gets tiring to look at.
A great cast (lead by the always wonderful Sophie Thatcher) and a truly wonderful musical score (by Pino Donaggio) can't even come close to saving this mess of a movie.
A 1930 issue of Exhibitors Hearld dedicated a large section to promotion for upcoming films for MGM. Here is part of that section, which is dedicated to the short subjects that MGM would be making a distributing (including the films from Hal Roach Studios) in 1930 and 1931. It states, "The Greatest Short Product Line Up MGM Has Ever Offered." While this is obviously just publicity, it is hard to argue with a lineup that includes Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang (AKA The Little Rascals), The Boy Friends, Charley Chase and Ub Iwerks' bizarre Flip the Frog cartoons.
Now enjoy some shorts from 1930 and 1931.
You have seen Burton Holmes in the article. This is a name that you may not be familiar with. So here is a short video about him and his films.
Christopher Nolan has always been a filmmaker who has not been afraid to take chances. However, adapting The Odyssey may be one of his riskiest ventures yet. Still the result paid off with flying colors. While this may not be a fully faithful adaptation, it manages to capture the story's epic scale. This movie feels larger than life. It looks like an old school Hollywood epic in all the best ways possible. It is rare to find a modern movie that truly has this larger than life feel and that is exactly what this film does. That Nolan relies heavily on practical effects of course plays no small role in this. This alone would be reason enough to recommend it. Yet there is still much more to recommend here. The action scenes are excellent, and the best Nolan has done since Dunkirk. There is a strong emotion center here. The scene in Hades as a scene towards the end of the picture hit all the right emotional marks. What surprised me though is how well the horror scenes worked. I did not expect this movie to dip as far into the horror genre as it did and here Nolan proves himself to be an excellent horror filmmaker. The Cerci scene made me feel incredibly uncomfortable in a way that even some real horror films never have.
The casting is often excellent but sometimes misses the mark. Matt Damon is perfect as the lead, making this character feel larger than life and yet still human at the same time. Elliott Paige is fantastic in a smaller but important role. He is very much responsible for the film's most emotionally impactful moments. Anne Hathaway is great as the queen, and you forget you are watching a well-known actress. Samantha Norton is terrifying as Cerci. However, Tom Holland and Robert Patterson seem out of place here, like their characters don't belong in a period epic but instead in a modern-day story. There is nothing wrong Zendaya's performance. However, she is too recognizable as Zendaya, and the script gives her too little to actually do. Since most of the time when she is on screen, there is no opportunity for her to stretch her acting muscles, we are always aware we are looking at Zendaya instead of seeing the character.
With so many characters, there is little time to flesh many of them out. This can make some characters feel more like plot devices than actually people (especially Robert Patterson's bully). The movie can also feature bits of clumsy dialogue that are disappointing in an adaption of a classic work of literature.
This may not be perfect. However, it is a great movie going experience, especially if seen on a big IMAX screen.
Aladdin: The Return of Jafar marked the first of many direct to video movies for the Disney studio.
In this movie, the villainous Jafar, now a genie, concocts a plan to get revenge on Aladdin and his friends.
As well as being a sequel to Aladdin (1992), this is also essentially a feature length pilot for the Aladdin TV series, which premiered the same year. The directors (Toby Shelton, Tad Stones, Alan Zaslove) and writers even worked on that TV series. With its lower budget animation and villain of the week story, the movie itself feels more like an extended episode of a TV series than a proper sequel to a Disney classic. However, it feels like a pretty good extended TV episode. The best part of this movie is Iago's character arc. This movie takes a comedic sidekick and makes him into a much more interesting character. He at first attaches himself to Aladdin for selfish reasons but ends up actually caring for them. This is done completely convincingly, and you actually end up caring for him in an unexpected way. Also, even if the storyline is very villain of the week, Jafar as a genie is an incredibly big threat to our heroes. There are even some good suspense scenes here as we wonder just how our heroes are going to make it out alive. While obviously on a smaller budget and scale the final action scene is quite exciting.
This movie does have its flaws though. Unlike the great and memorable Alan Menkin songs from the first film, the songs here are completely forgettable and bland. If you try to remember any of these songs a couple days after watching the film, you will forget them. On the other hand, you can go years without watching the original Aladdin and still find the songs randomly getting stuck in your head. The humor here is also significantly weaker than that of the first movie. Part of this is naturally not having Robin Willaims as the genie. Dan Castellenta (best known as the voice of Homer Simpson) does a fine job providing the voice but without the improvisation of Willaims, the character simply isn't as funny. The basic slapstick gags involving the other characters also fail to get the laughs they should. Part of Jafar's evil plan is to use an incompetent thief, who gets a hold of his lamp, to help him get revenge on Aladdin (who they both hate). Unfortunately, this character can get rather annoying at times, and his incompetence is never as funny as the writers seem to think.
This is not a great movie by any stretch, but it is an enjoyable enough watch for Disney fans.
Upon its release this book was hailed as the greatest novel ever written about war. All these decades later, this book may still hold that honor.
The central figure of this novel is Paul Bäumer. This young man, who along with many of his classmates joins the Imperial German Army at the start of WW1. He learns how dehumanizing war actually is and becomes disillusioned with all he was brought up to believe.
There are plenty of great anti-war stories written but few hit as hard as this book does. This is a book that will move you greatly and stay with you long after you finish reading.
Much of the reason for this is the first-person narration of the story. Rather than simply telling the horrors of war, this is a deeply personal story of the effect it had on one individual. This makes the story feel all the more urgent and personal. By reading this from a first-person point of view, you see the dehumanizing effect of war firsthand. Our main character is instantly relatable being a person who is not that different from us. His normalness is at the heart of the story because at one time he is a simple relatable protagonist, while also being a stand in for all the young men who have been sent out to war and forever changed by it. This is especially shown during the scenes with Paul on leave. He returns to a world in which he once belonged and fit in. Only now, he finds himself no longer belonging or fitting into this world. By making him a bit of an everyman, you see how war changes even a normal person.
Erich Maria Remarque had fought in WW1, and he brings much of his own experiences to the main character's narration. Many have even referred to this book as semi-autobiographical. This makes all the difference. Even to those of us who have never fought in a war, this can easily be felt. It is obvious that there is a real feeling of authenticity and raw, honest emotion throughout the whole book. Though this is technically a fiction book, it is easy to forget that fact as you read. Because of this, the book here feels startlingly and terrifyingly real in a way that most anti-war stories don't. Remarque does not tone down or hide any of the horrors of war. They are all on full display here in a way that will make this story a haunting and emotionally exhausting way.
This is one of the all-time great literary masterpieces.
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing a medley of Whispering Hope and Star of Hope. Whispering Hope beautiful hymn comes from the pen of Alice Hawthorne (the pen name for poet Septimus Winner), who is best known for her contributions to children's music with songs like, Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? and Ten Little Indians. This lovely medley comes from Roy and Dale's 1973 gospel album, In the Sweet By and By.
This is followed by Jim and Jesse with If We Forget God.
Then comes Porter Wagoner and the Blackwood Brothers with The Family Who Prays (Never Shall Part). This cover of a Louvin Brothers classic comes from Porter Wagoner and the Blackwoods Brothers' 1966 gospel album, The Grand Old Gospel.
Country music has often focused more on the singers and the lyrics than anything else. That is why it is surprising that someone like Chet Atkins could make it as big as he did in Nashville. Chet Atkins was a guitarist rather than a singer and most of his output was purely instrumental. Yet his talent on the guitar can hardly be denied and he rightfully earned the nickname, "Mr. Guitar." His playing is a soulful and expressive as the voices of any of the great country singers. In 1962 Chet put out what I view as one of his finest albums, Chet Atkins Plays Back Home Hymns. This album is made up of instrumental versions of classic gospel songs. In this Cowboy Church post I have included his lovely version of Amazing Grace from this album.
Afterwards is The Louvin Brothers with O Who Shall Be Able to Stand. This self-penned song comes from the duo's 1963 gospel album, Keep Your Eyes on Jesus.
Now for the Hee Haw Gospel Quartet (Roy Clark, Buck Owens, Grandpa Jones, Kenny Price) with Keep on the Firing Line. Though they countryfied variety show first aired in 1969, the Hee Haw Gospel Quartet first appeared on the show in the late 1970's. Featuring regular members of the cast, this gospel group was one of the show's highlights for decades.
Today's musical selection ends with The Sons of the Pioneers with Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. This hymn began with a man named Anthony Showalter. As a fan of gospel music and an elder in a Presbyterian church, he held many "singing schools" at various churches in the south. One day he received two letters from former students who were struggling after their wives had passed. To respond to these letters, Showalter consulted scripture. He came across Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." After reading this verse lyrics for a song chorus went through his head and he wrote down, "“Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” After using this in the letters to his former students he sent this chorus to his friend hymnist, Elisha Hoffman. In the letter he also wrote, “Here is the chorus for a good hymn from Deuteronomy 33:27, but I can’t come up with the verses.” Hoffman then wrote the rest of the lyrics to which Showalter put to music. The hymn was published in 1887. Tim Spencer sings lead on this recording.
Now for the 20th episode of The Lone Ranger TV series.
Now for a message from the Reverand Billy Graham.
The Book of Philemon
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Paul’s Plea for Onesimus
8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Thank you for joining me. Come back for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
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