dirac

And "The Best of Everything." Thank you for the report, miliosr, it sounds like a very interesting book. It's nice to know that Whitman spent his war looking after the wounded instead of creating more wounded.

Treefrog, I saw The Squid and the Whale. I thought it was very good. The writer-director, Noah Baumbach, seems to have had a little trouble wrapping things up – all of a sudden it’s over without much preparation – but it was refreshing to see a movie that I wanted to go on longer. The family bust-up material is dangerously familiar, but the writing and the acting are very fresh. Jeff Daniels was as good as I expected and so was Laura Linney and everyone else, although William Baldwin took me aback until I got used to him. The father is indeed monstrous, although Linney doesn’t shy away from showing us a certain ruthlessness in her character – you get the impression that in the end this woman will have what she wants and get rid of what she doesn’t want, and nothing’s going to get in the way of that.

Which always struck me as an odd circumstance. (It struck Moira Shearer, too, as indicated in her own Balanchine book, the brief “Balletmaster.”) I have my theories. Very true, bart. Balanchine is often mentioned with Stravinsky and Picasso as a great 20th century innovator, but you wouldn't necessarily guess that by comparing book titles. I think, however, that dance figures in general, including dancers, are underrepresented.

I kinda like the Taper book, too. It's not the Ultimate Balanchine Book, but it doesn't really aspire to be. It grew out of a profile for The New Yorker and of course that shows.

I'm not sure if we will see a definitive Balanchine biography any time soon. And many crucial witnesses are already gone, alas. Obviously it's impossible to know what's delaying Croce's book. Quiggin is correct to point out that a full length book -- which I don't think Croce has ever written, apart from the short book on Astaire and Rogers from many years ago -- is a significant undertaking. Let's hope all is well.

The late Dalton Trumbo, author of “Johnny Got His Gun” and screenwriter (blacklisted) continues to make waves in his hometown on the occasion of his centenary. Article in The Grand Junction Sentinel. http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/new..._geocolumn.html The Rocky Mountain News, with a photo showing Trumbo in the place where he got most of his work done, the bathtub: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/loca...4289249,00.html

Thank you for the update and for delurking, Phaedra392. I'm not holding my breath. We have an older thread on this topic, also: http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=12513

The New Yorker has thoughtfully reprinted the story in anticipation of the movie’s release. I hadn’t read it before. A sad, touching little piece. Kind of like The City and the Pillar boys in ten gallon hats meet Same Time Next Year.......

You know more than you think, I'm sure. I had actually been thinking of trying to see it this week, as you never know how long the little movies will hang around. If I do, I'll definitely report back.

The Squid and the Whale is playing close by and I’ve been intending to see it, but haven’t had an opportunity. I like Laura Linney and I think Jeff Daniels, though not star material, is a very underrated actor. I’m not sure how separate content is from style. I imagine that if you found The Squid and the Whale involving, it probably has plenty of cinematic virtues that don’t necessarily hit you in the eye, so you may be appreciating them without realizing it. If a picture is poorly written, shot, and acted, even the most interesting story will fail. True, but I think the script did better by her than it did by Phoenix. (I think Witherspoon is a lock not only because she's excellent in Walk the Line, but for other extra-aesthetic reasons. )

Thank you for those thoughtful comments, Anthony_NYC. In addition to the acoustic issue you mentioned, I also think there is a stronger resistance among today's moviegoers to accepting the convention of actors breaking into song and dance. It may be that Chicago worked (for many; not for me) precisely because they were careful to telegraph that the numbers aren't intended to be naturalistic. I did enjoy the "Little Shop of Horrors" from quite a few years back with Rick Moranis. I don't remember how it did at the box office, but I thought it worked very well. You are right, the score isn't all that bad. It works for me in the right context. "Here comes Ivor the dirty sooty old engine driver to make her feel all right"-- although that's not really recitative.......

Those who wish to see Rent should check it out ASAP unless waiting for the DVD works for you -- it's tanking at the box office. I must reluctantly agree with those who can't abide the score, but I was hoping that the picture would do better. I have a feeling this much-vaunted movie musical revival is going to sputter out. (I do not have high hopes for The Producers, but then I wasn't crazy about the non-musical original, either.) Thanks to all who have reported their impressions so far.

Thank you for the heads up, carbro.

Barring supernatural intervention of some kind, I think it’s perfectly safe to say that for a variety of reasons, Reese Witherspoon will be taking home a statuette.

Helene writes: I too was fascinated by the Saland interview, not only for what she had to say about Kirkland, but for its unusual candor and the vivid evocation of the era and the personalities.

I caught “Walk the Line” this weekend. The musical performances were the highlight for me, and in view of all the duets it was indeed wise not to go for lip synching. I wouldn’t pay money for a recording of Phoenix and Witherspoon, but for the purposes of the picture they are more than okay.

True. If I recall correctly, Murrow was the first pure broadcaster with no background in print to establish himself as a major force in reporting. To clarify my “cheap shot” remark. I thought that selecting a piece where Liberace talks about marriage was kind of an easy laugh at the expense of the closet case, and the point that justafan notes could have been made differently. I didn’t think it was a big deal, though. There’s a nice bit when the Liberace segment ends and there’s a shot of Strathairn just sitting there. He is very good at still moments like that; I recall a similar one in Eight Men Out.

Doubtless she's too modest to say so, but our own Alexandra Tomalonis made good progress in this department in her portrait of Henning Kronstam. I believe Alexandra was a pioneer in this respect. I read the excerpt with much interest and am looking forward to the book.

Mishura saved the production for me. Not happy with most other aspects of it, including Naglestad, I'm sorry to say.

It’s a good little picture. Most actors-turned-director tend to be not much more than competent, but Clooney seems to have a genuine knack for pace and staging. The concept didn’t really give Strathairn a chance to show all he can do, but what he did was plenty for this viewer. I could have done without the secret marriage subplot, which goes nowhere and is not that interesting in itself. Clooney does some eliding of the facts – for example, the movie makes it appear as if “See It Now” loses its regular time slot as a direct result of the McCarthy flap, when actually the change occurred some time later. The Annie Lee Moss situation had some knotty points that weren’t indicated. I also wish that he’d found some time for Murrow’s own divided feelings about his broadcast. Television news was still new (most people were still getting their news from the papers at this time) and its potential capacity for character assassination still largely unexplored. Senator McCarthy was hardly the most sympathetic of victims, and in a sense all Murrow did was hand him enough rope, but this aspect was worth mentioning and would have added complexity. Loved all the smoking and drinking. Maybe not the healthiest way to live, but it sure looks like fun. I enjoy any opportunity to hear Dianne Reeves, but the jazz singing interludes got to be a bit much. I thought the Liberace segment was a bit of a cheap shot, myself.

Leigh Witchel writes: San Francisco Ballet has presented both, and that was my impression also.

I suspect that Darcy as written just isn’t fiery enough for contemporary P&Ps. Nice to hear that gender stereotyping is getting underway early. I’m not crazy about the Harry Potter pictures so far, but they do give a lot of terrific English actors good material. Thanks for the report!

Thank you for reporting, canbelto. I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to muster up the energy for “Walk the Line,”which I can’t help thinking of as “Ray: The Cracker Version.” I assume that Reese is a lock for a nomination and Joaquin has a good chance, too, and that’s all we really need to know about it. However, your review makes me rethink matters, and maybe I will go. I sometimes think that too much is made of this. I don’t object to lip synching per se, it’s just ludicrous when it’s done badly. If I were a Cash a/o Carter fan, a primary lure for the picture would be the opportunity to hear lots of my favorites on the big screen, and I’d sooner hear the originals than actors’ imitations, however good they are. Jessica Lange’s Patsy Cline and Jamie Foxx’s Charles made you believe that those voices were issuing from their bodies, which is the main consideration IMO. As for Pride and Prejudice, the mere thought of seeing another Austen adaptation makes me want to stick needles in my eyes, but I’ll probably get round to it eventually. I'm glad to hear it's good. I didn’t see the new “Oliver Twist,” Dr. Coppelius, but your account of it sounds plausible. No actor could get away with Alec Guinness’ Fagin today, and he almost didn’t back then. (Fagin is played not only as a creepy Jew, but one who leers scarily at little boys. He’s great, and it’s Dickensian, but oh, dear.)

Here’s the review by Lewis Segal that Giannina refers to. A quote below: http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/segal/cl...2,3844811.story

Goody. Thanks for the heads up. I'm sticking with my VHS, which cost me an arm and a leg and was very hard to find when I first acquired it, for now, but this is good to know. I see Scorsese is weighing in again as he did for The Red Shoes. It's quite a picture.