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Reviews
Thelonious Monk: Live in '66 (2006)
Live Monk
This is a great companion piece to the Eastwood documentary "Straight No Chaser." Two clips from concert performances in Norway and Denmark during Monk's 1966 tour offer a glimpse of what Thelonious Monk was up to in the 60s. Charlie Rouse is on Saxophone, Larry Gales on Bass, and Ben Riley on drums. The first set is "Lulu's Back in Town," followed by "Blue Monk" and "'Round Midnight." The second set is a different version of "Lulu's Back in Town" -- a nice way to glimpse what live jazz was all about -- followed this time by "Don't Blame Me" and "Epistrophy." It's clear that Monk is engaged throughout with these musicians. Like any live jazz, some moments are better than others, but the DVD is work serious viewing by anyone who wants to get a better understanding of Monk's music. It's shot in black and white and has few cinematic flashes, a few close ups, some interesting camera angles, but for the most part it's pretty straightforward filmed performance, a documentary of some historic moments in jazz.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Where to begin?
This is just about the worst movie I've ever seen, not counting The Forty Year Old Virgin (which I did not finish). Well, I saw most of this one. I fast forwarded through the majority of scenes. I couldn't figure out what was funny about the sadism that seemed to be the only thing driving the completely ridiculous plot or story. I'm not sure how long the actual film runs, but even in my sped up version it was tedious as well as nauseating. I agree there was some amusing silliness in some of the scenes, but the near total lack of coherence, other than the Nazi-hating sadism that attempts to hold it together, made it difficult to appreciate. Oh, well, there's no accounting for taste, or the lack of it, either.
Captain Ron (1992)
Spontaneous Adventure! . . . and hilarious
This is one of my favorite comedies. It's well written, has great performances, and some very witty plot twists. Martin Short and Mary Kay Place are great foils, both completely under control, allowing Kurt Russell to provide the twisted comic relief. The kids are both good, but the young actor who plays Ben (Benjamin Salisbury) is perfect for the part. Comedy is often difficult to explain or dissect. So if you don't go for the silliness of this somewhat raunchy family adventure, it won't work. But if you go with the flow, this one just gets better and better. I try to watch it about once a year. It always lifts my spirits, which is what comedy should do.