THE CAT’S PAWS

More often than not, soundtracks tend not to pair well with their films because of the rascals in the music industry conspire with the rascals in the film industry to promote their signed acts. Rarer, MUCH more rare,is when a film project’s production makes a concerted effort to integrate the mood and tenor of the music compatible with sequenced events that appear on the screen. Most rare are those that succeed entirely in this, and it’s nearly impossible to prevail on artists who are commissioned to write their compositions in a manner to accentuate the same flow and gist of the film at the very moments the tracks run behind what the viewers feel as their absorption in the power of what’s up on the screen. (more…)

This film, like the James McBride book it’s based upon, is excellent. Folks, this one is REALLY good. It’s a true story based on the American invasion of Italy that historians since–and commanding officers then–realized was an entirely unnecessary component of the invasion of Europe in ‘44. The ‘value’ of the campaign that engrossed troops made largely of African-Americans–the ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ from the Army’s Negro 92nd Division… (more…)

This would have been a considerably better movie–and this says alot because it’s very good–if it wasn’t so seriously tainted by uncalled-for vulgarity. I didn’t say ‘profanity’..the insertion of curse words in a movie’s screenplay automatically ‘upgrades’ mainstream flicks to an ‘R’ rating, and ‘R’ rated movies draw more at the box office. I find it surprising that the three very classy stars, who perform wonderfully, didn’t veto certain lines’ language and suggest softer insertions that wouldn’t have comprimised, but rather could have enhanced, the movie’s otherwise entirely extraordinary presentation of what is NOT a plot of cliches’. (more…)

Rutherfurd’s a heavyweight author, and this is book two of a three-part series that began with The Princes of Ireland which chronicles Ireland’s beginnings. This one respectfully kicks the left-behind Druid past, noting how the modern church’s beginnings gently interweaves with reverence to the pagan past. Through admittedly hard-to-follow-at-times progression of fictional characters in the backdrop of the everyday walled city of Dublin, Rutherfurd takes us slowly forward to events and times that we Americans can actually recall learning about, or at least hearing about. There’s nothing difficult to read; readers need to acclimate to the British way of phrasing style and should have it down pat, oh, by page 50 or so. Finally, Rutherfurd’s the real mccoy–the use of Irish expression here intended–and tackles my favorite genre’, historical fiction (that’s ‘literature’ to all you Library of Congress fans) pretty darn well. (more…)

Far be it for me to always seeming to be taking the opposite side of things—this book doesn’t because it’s balanced at the critical points—Once Upon a Country is a very revealing depiction of Middle Eastern drama that’s never NOT dramatically unfolded since 1948. It’s not very flattering to either side. At the same time, though, the societal landscape has stayed serene…when members are not being exiled, pushed back, or otherwise punished. (more…)

This one was a wee bit hard to take. I am a child of the sixties, and ‘Oliver’ or ‘Mary Poppins’ are each vastly superior endeavors. Perhaps it’s safe to say that the old days are gone.

I’ll get to the film’s virtues if I happen to recall any, but let’s make it clear that the Swedish packaged ‘SUPER GROUP’ …ABBA is to serious music enthusiasts what Dizzy the Baby Hamster is to a rabid wolverine protecting her cubs. That the flick spun not one, but TWO outtake scenes with otherwise more-than-fine actresses simply chewing up reel…BUT TO ABBA, for Christ’s sake???

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