Kit Hesketh-Harvey was one of those surprisingly rare performers whose personality was the same on stage as off. When I saw him in the many revues he would write and perform, the audience basked in his humour and genuine warmth.
You could say that Hesketh-Harvey was the last of the old-style Vaudevillians, keeping alive the spirit of Noël Coward, while unafraid to surprise his audience by stepping into the caustic territory of Barry Humphries. He always revelled in that quintessentially English humour, self-deprecating but biting, drawing on a world of shared references from British culture, while at the same time carving out its own originality.
His version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “A Policeman’s Lot Is Not a Happy One” turned the jolly jape of a song into a critique of modern-day policing. “They want evidence that can’t be circumvented. So, invent it.” Delivered with such a smile,...
You could say that Hesketh-Harvey was the last of the old-style Vaudevillians, keeping alive the spirit of Noël Coward, while unafraid to surprise his audience by stepping into the caustic territory of Barry Humphries. He always revelled in that quintessentially English humour, self-deprecating but biting, drawing on a world of shared references from British culture, while at the same time carving out its own originality.
His version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “A Policeman’s Lot Is Not a Happy One” turned the jolly jape of a song into a critique of modern-day policing. “They want evidence that can’t be circumvented. So, invent it.” Delivered with such a smile,...
- 2/2/2023
- by David Lister
- The Independent - Film
Daniel Radcliffe has reflected on a “surreal” experience he had on The Graham Norton Show, when Rihanna and Colin Farrell were his fellow guests.
The Harry Potter actor, 33, appeared on the BBC One talk show in 2010.
In a new reader interview inThe Guardian, the star has now talked about how, on the show, he sang Tom Lehrer’s 1959 song, “The Elements”, which lists all the chemical elements in the Periodic Table known at the time.
“My most surreal experience was sitting next to Rihanna and Colin Farrell on Graham Norton and doing the ‘Elements’ song,” he said.
“Now, I’m mortified. ‘You did the nerdiest thing possible next to two of the coolest people on the planet. What were you thinking?’ But doing that and [the 1999 rap song] ‘Alphabet Aerobics’ [on Jimmy Fallon] have both got me jobs.”
He added that singing “The Elements” was “one of the first things that brought me to...
The Harry Potter actor, 33, appeared on the BBC One talk show in 2010.
In a new reader interview inThe Guardian, the star has now talked about how, on the show, he sang Tom Lehrer’s 1959 song, “The Elements”, which lists all the chemical elements in the Periodic Table known at the time.
“My most surreal experience was sitting next to Rihanna and Colin Farrell on Graham Norton and doing the ‘Elements’ song,” he said.
“Now, I’m mortified. ‘You did the nerdiest thing possible next to two of the coolest people on the planet. What were you thinking?’ But doing that and [the 1999 rap song] ‘Alphabet Aerobics’ [on Jimmy Fallon] have both got me jobs.”
He added that singing “The Elements” was “one of the first things that brought me to...
- 11/4/2022
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - TV
Midway through Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, the parody artist, played by the very un-Yankovic-like Daniel Radcliffe, shows up blackout drunk and belligerent to one of his own concerts. His new girlfriend, Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood), is by his side when they’re confronted backstage by his manager, Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson). “I think Madonna is a bad influence on you,” Demento says. “I think she’s an evil, conniving succubus and she’s only using you for her pathetic and selfish needs, no offense. She just wants that sweet,...
- 11/2/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
"Weird Al" Yankovic once gave a very strong opinion when it comes to accordions. On the "Ask Al" section of his website in March of 2000, Yankovic was asked if a 96-bass accordion was adequate. "Sure," Yankovic replied, "a 96-bass accordion is enough ... if you're a Wimp! Real men only play 120-bass accordions!" For the record, Yankovic typically plays a Roland Fr-7 V-Accordion, although a 2008 article in Wired pointed out that Al has supplemented his accordions with digital sound to eliminate the issue of constantly moving bellows which, historically, aren't very microphone friendly.
Yankovic has told the story several times that, when he was a boy, a door-to-door salesman arrived at his home selling either accordions or guitars. His parents, noting they had the same name as the popular polka king Frankie Yankovic (no relation) elected the accordion. Yankovic has joked that he's grateful for their choice, now that accordion players...
Yankovic has told the story several times that, when he was a boy, a door-to-door salesman arrived at his home selling either accordions or guitars. His parents, noting they had the same name as the popular polka king Frankie Yankovic (no relation) elected the accordion. Yankovic has joked that he's grateful for their choice, now that accordion players...
- 9/9/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Accomplished screenwriter and avid movie watcher, Daniel Waters breaks down his ‘Best of the Best of 2021’ list with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Drive My Car (2021)
A History of Violence (2005)
Larry Crowne (2011)
The Vanishing (1988)
Don’t Look Up (2021)
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Gerry (2002)
Swept Away (1974)
Swept Away (2002)
The Tender Bar (2021)
Riders Of Justice (2021)
Another Round (2020)
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Pig (2021)
Dune (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dune (2021)
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
Den of Thieves (2018)
Copshop (2021)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – Neil Marshall’s trailer commentary
Magnum Force (1973) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Driver (1978)
Memoria (2021)
Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Old Henry (2021)
The Village (2004)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Annette (2021)
Titane (2021)
Zola (2021)
The Killing of Two Lovers (2021)
Who You Think I Am (2021)
Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021)
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Drive My Car (2021)
A History of Violence (2005)
Larry Crowne (2011)
The Vanishing (1988)
Don’t Look Up (2021)
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Gerry (2002)
Swept Away (1974)
Swept Away (2002)
The Tender Bar (2021)
Riders Of Justice (2021)
Another Round (2020)
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Pig (2021)
Dune (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dune (2021)
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
Den of Thieves (2018)
Copshop (2021)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – Neil Marshall’s trailer commentary
Magnum Force (1973) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Driver (1978)
Memoria (2021)
Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Old Henry (2021)
The Village (2004)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Annette (2021)
Titane (2021)
Zola (2021)
The Killing of Two Lovers (2021)
Who You Think I Am (2021)
Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021)
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy...
- 3/29/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Before the saga begins, Daniel Radcliffe is revealing how he got chosen for the role. The Harry Potter star has dropped the wand and picked up the accordion to star as "Weird Al" Yankovic in Roku Channel's upcoming biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Yankovic chose the 32-year-old actor himself to star as the lead. "When I talked to Al for the first time," Radcliffe recently said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, "I was like, 'I'm immensely flattered by the idea that you would pick me to play you, but like, why me?'" Turns out it was all thanks to a TV appearance in November 2010, when Radcliffe sang Tom Lehrer's "The...
- 3/21/2022
- E! Online
Daniel Radcliffe was as stunned as the rest of us when he found out that he was going to play “Weird Al” Yankovich in a biopic film, to the point that Radcliffe had to ask the comedy icon — whom he had never met — “Why me?”
In an appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” Friday, Radcliffe said that Yankovich had watched an old appearance from “13-14 years ago” of the “Harry Potter” star on “The Graham Norton Show.” In it, Radcliffe performed a bit of an obscure song called “The Elements,” a 1959 song from humorist Tom Lehrer in which he recites all the elements of the Periodic Table to the tune of a Gilbert and Sullivan song.
“I sang ‘The Elements’ next to Colin Farrell and a very bemused Rihanna who was like, ‘who is this kid and why is he singing all of the elements,'” Radcliffe told Fallon.
In an appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” Friday, Radcliffe said that Yankovich had watched an old appearance from “13-14 years ago” of the “Harry Potter” star on “The Graham Norton Show.” In it, Radcliffe performed a bit of an obscure song called “The Elements,” a 1959 song from humorist Tom Lehrer in which he recites all the elements of the Periodic Table to the tune of a Gilbert and Sullivan song.
“I sang ‘The Elements’ next to Colin Farrell and a very bemused Rihanna who was like, ‘who is this kid and why is he singing all of the elements,'” Radcliffe told Fallon.
- 3/19/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
This weekend sees the release of a “follow-up” film to a delightful documentary I had the pleasure of reviewing about two months ago. Yes, you read that right. This can be called a “follow-up” rather than a sequel or even a “spin-off”. The previous feature doc in question was the adoring film “fan letter” from Edgar Wright all about the fifty-year-plus musical partnership of the Mael brothers, Ron and Russell, the duo behind the rock and roll band known as Sparks (that doc’s title was the fittingly-named The Sparks Brothers). The early part of that film told of the brothers’ love of film, as they delved into the “New Wave” classics of the 60s while in college, and made some “cinema” themselves. After their music success, they hoped to branch into the movies with proposed collaborations with (most famously) Jacques Tati and Tim Burton. To the Maels’ consternation, none of them materialized,...
- 8/6/2021
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Updated: Netflix’s musical comedy special Bo Burnham: Inside is extending a theatrical run planned for next week by an additional three days, pushing it into more than 400 theaters in the U.S. and Canada.
The news comes amid higher demand for tickets for what had been planned as a one-night theatrical stand July 22. It also comes after the special scored six Primetime Emmy nominations earlier this week including for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded), writing, directing and music.
Netflix and Iconic Events Releasing said Thursday they are now adding July 23-25 to the run, taking Inside through the weekend box office frame. It marks the first time Netflix has ever presented on of its comedy special in theaters.
Burnham tweeted about the expanded gameplan today.
in a week, inside will be in theaters nationwide (and canada). should be fun. if you couldn’t get tickets before, we’ve added many more theaters and screenings.
The news comes amid higher demand for tickets for what had been planned as a one-night theatrical stand July 22. It also comes after the special scored six Primetime Emmy nominations earlier this week including for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded), writing, directing and music.
Netflix and Iconic Events Releasing said Thursday they are now adding July 23-25 to the run, taking Inside through the weekend box office frame. It marks the first time Netflix has ever presented on of its comedy special in theaters.
Burnham tweeted about the expanded gameplan today.
in a week, inside will be in theaters nationwide (and canada). should be fun. if you couldn’t get tickets before, we’ve added many more theaters and screenings.
- 7/15/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
In this very special QuaranStreams, Ben and Daniel talk to Broadway producer and director Richard Jay-Alexander about 'Hey, Mr. Producer' the 1998 concert honoring Cameron Mackintosh. The concert featured performances by Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, Elaine Paige, Colm Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Jonathan Pryce, Ruthie Henshall, Ellen Greene, Michael Ball, Tom Lehrer and many more, including Julie Andrews as host. Richard Jay-Alexander served as Executive Director for the NYC office of producer Cameron Mackintosh and ran the North American operation for over a decade. Richard's recent directorial credits include 'Les Misrables' and 'Guys and Dolls,' both at the Hollywood Bowl. He has also staged concerts for superstars such as Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Kristin Chenoweth.
- 5/11/2020
- by Ben Rimalower
- BroadwayWorld.com
Red Joan IFC Films Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net with a Rotten Tomatoes link by: Harvey Karten Director: Trevor Nunn Screenwriter: Lindsay Shapero based on Jennie Rooney’s novel Cast: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Tom Hughes, Ben Miles, Tereza Srbrova Screened at: Digital Arts, NYC, 3/13/19 Opens: April 19, 2019 Tom Lehrer sang […]
The post Red Joan Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Red Joan Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/14/2019
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
The Performer | Amy Adams
The Show | Sharp Objects
The Episode | “Falling” (Aug. 19, 2018)HBO
The Performance | Through seven episodes of HBO’s hauntingly hypnotic murder mystery, Adams has been painting us a portrait of a hopelessly lost woman, chased by demons she can’t ever seem to catch up to. In Sunday’s penultimate episode, she unveiled the full, endlessly complicated scope of her creation — and it took our breath away.
Adams’ character, crime reporter Camille Preaker, is back in her hometown of Wind Gap to investigate a pair of murders, but really, she’s investigating her own past… and making...
The Show | Sharp Objects
The Episode | “Falling” (Aug. 19, 2018)HBO
The Performance | Through seven episodes of HBO’s hauntingly hypnotic murder mystery, Adams has been painting us a portrait of a hopelessly lost woman, chased by demons she can’t ever seem to catch up to. In Sunday’s penultimate episode, she unveiled the full, endlessly complicated scope of her creation — and it took our breath away.
Adams’ character, crime reporter Camille Preaker, is back in her hometown of Wind Gap to investigate a pair of murders, but really, she’s investigating her own past… and making...
- 8/25/2018
- TVLine.com
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “Better Call Saul” Season 4 Episode 3, “Something Beautiful.”]
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the man responsible for many of “Breaking Bad’s” most memorable musical moments would find the secret to returning to the franchise in another song.
In the recent “Better Call Saul” episode “Something Beautiful,” when we see Gus encounter Gale Boetticher in the halls of Gale’s lab, the chemist is cheerily singing along to Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements.” It’s a linguistically challenging song, and not the easiest tune to remember… or, as David Costabile told IndieWire, “It was fucking miserable. It’s a fucking miserable song, are you kidding me? It’s impossible. It took forever.”
But when it came to revisiting the character who made a major impact during Season 3 of “Breaking Bad,” Costabile said that “one of the things in the episode that makes it much easier is the song. Because...
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the man responsible for many of “Breaking Bad’s” most memorable musical moments would find the secret to returning to the franchise in another song.
In the recent “Better Call Saul” episode “Something Beautiful,” when we see Gus encounter Gale Boetticher in the halls of Gale’s lab, the chemist is cheerily singing along to Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements.” It’s a linguistically challenging song, and not the easiest tune to remember… or, as David Costabile told IndieWire, “It was fucking miserable. It’s a fucking miserable song, are you kidding me? It’s impossible. It took forever.”
But when it came to revisiting the character who made a major impact during Season 3 of “Breaking Bad,” Costabile said that “one of the things in the episode that makes it much easier is the song. Because...
- 8/24/2018
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “Better Call Saul” Season 4 Episode 3, “Something Beautiful.”]
Case Summary
Chuck is dead and Jimmy’s law career is on hiatus, but Jimmy is still finding ways to keep busy. However, his method of choice is to not pursue legal options, but to instead play around in the more elicit end of the swimming pool: specifically, coming up with capers that veer towards criminal, but don’t full-on feel like felonies.
Which is good, because honestly, the antics making headlines this week come from the less legal side of Albuquerque, as Nacho works with Gus’s people to stage a shootout that explains the death of Arturo. The fact that Arturo only died so that Nacho’s personal subterfuge never comes up, but he does certainly pay the price in the form of a bullet wound that’s just severe enough to make it look real.
Achievements in Cinematography
Past episodes...
Case Summary
Chuck is dead and Jimmy’s law career is on hiatus, but Jimmy is still finding ways to keep busy. However, his method of choice is to not pursue legal options, but to instead play around in the more elicit end of the swimming pool: specifically, coming up with capers that veer towards criminal, but don’t full-on feel like felonies.
Which is good, because honestly, the antics making headlines this week come from the less legal side of Albuquerque, as Nacho works with Gus’s people to stage a shootout that explains the death of Arturo. The fact that Arturo only died so that Nacho’s personal subterfuge never comes up, but he does certainly pay the price in the form of a bullet wound that’s just severe enough to make it look real.
Achievements in Cinematography
Past episodes...
- 8/21/2018
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
A review of tonight’s Better Call Saul coming up just as soon as I have a large gold nugget traversing my colon…
“You were meant for better things.” -Gus
Early in “Something Beautiful,” Jimmy is stunned to have Mike turn down his offer to steal the Hummel figurine out of Neff’s office. He has no idea that Mike’s laundered drug money makes the reward for a job like this not nearly worth the risk. And he’s too swept up in the thrill of being back in...
“You were meant for better things.” -Gus
Early in “Something Beautiful,” Jimmy is stunned to have Mike turn down his offer to steal the Hummel figurine out of Neff’s office. He has no idea that Mike’s laundered drug money makes the reward for a job like this not nearly worth the risk. And he’s too swept up in the thrill of being back in...
- 8/21/2018
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Mad Men is ending, and while the show's opening credits are inseparable from RJD2's haunting theme, there was a time when that beat was known only as "A Beautiful Mine," by RJD2 and rapper Aceyalone.
Matthew Weiner originally wanted a Beck song to play as the show's opening theme, but the singer turned down every offer from the show's producers. Weiner was driving and listening to NPR one day when he heard "A Beautiful Mine" played as segue music between two stories and was immediately struck by it, though the version that ultimately was used was so different from...
Matthew Weiner originally wanted a Beck song to play as the show's opening theme, but the singer turned down every offer from the show's producers. Weiner was driving and listening to NPR one day when he heard "A Beautiful Mine" played as segue music between two stories and was immediately struck by it, though the version that ultimately was used was so different from...
- 4/1/2015
- by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
- People.com - TV Watch
It has just been announced that Re-Animator: The Musical will return for new performances in Hollywood this October with new performers and brand new songs:
““Re-Animator ™ the Musical” tells the story of Herbert West, a brilliant young medical student who has created a glowing green serum that can bring the dead back to life. What should be a medical breakthrough results in hideous monstrosities and ghastly consequences. “I guess he just wasn’t fresh enough,” is West’s constant refrain in his quest for fresh subjects. Graham Skipper, who won a Best New Performer Award at the New York Musical Theater Festival for his crowd-pleasing turn, returns as the demented young genius.
And operatic Jesse Merlin is back as Dr. Carl Hill who loses his head for Meg, the dean’s beautiful daughter, only to actually lose it at the hands of Herbert West. But thanks to the glowing re-agent,...
““Re-Animator ™ the Musical” tells the story of Herbert West, a brilliant young medical student who has created a glowing green serum that can bring the dead back to life. What should be a medical breakthrough results in hideous monstrosities and ghastly consequences. “I guess he just wasn’t fresh enough,” is West’s constant refrain in his quest for fresh subjects. Graham Skipper, who won a Best New Performer Award at the New York Musical Theater Festival for his crowd-pleasing turn, returns as the demented young genius.
And operatic Jesse Merlin is back as Dr. Carl Hill who loses his head for Meg, the dean’s beautiful daughter, only to actually lose it at the hands of Herbert West. But thanks to the glowing re-agent,...
- 9/30/2014
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
October 23rd is a very special holiday, one that most of you probably haven't celebrated since high school. That's right, it's Mole Day. Chemistry nerds all over the world are donning their goggles and measuring out their compounds in honor of Avogadro's number, 6.02*10^23 (the number of atoms in a gram). To celebrate this day, here are our seven favorite chemistry videos on YouTube: 7. 'Balancing Chemical Solutions - Chemistry Tutorial' by TheChemistrySolution--This one is for all the actual chemistry students out there. Need some help with your homework? These guys know what's up. 6. 'Representing Structures of Organic Molecules' by Khan Academy--ok, I lied, this one is for chem students, too. I'm not sure I have the "basic knowledge of high school chemistry" these lessons require, but I do know that Sal Khan is the man. 5. 'Real Plutonium' by Periodic Videos. This channel's mission is to make one video for each element on the periodic table.
- 10/23/2013
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Introducing our look at the year that defined the modern era, the veteran writer recalls the extraordinary collision of politics, culture and social upheaval that he witnessed as a student
Was it a prefigurative year? I think so. Not that one thought of it as such at the time or even a few years later, when it was totally forgotten in the turbulence that engulfed the world. I am trying to recall that year, to find deep down some memories, even a few impressions on the basis of which I could reconstruct a misted-up past without too many distortions.
When I arrived to study at Oxford in October 1963, the bohemian style was black plastic or leather jackets for women and black leather or navy donkey jackets for men. I stuck to cavalry twills and a duffle coat, at least for a few months. The Cuban missile crisis had temporarily boosted...
Was it a prefigurative year? I think so. Not that one thought of it as such at the time or even a few years later, when it was totally forgotten in the turbulence that engulfed the world. I am trying to recall that year, to find deep down some memories, even a few impressions on the basis of which I could reconstruct a misted-up past without too many distortions.
When I arrived to study at Oxford in October 1963, the bohemian style was black plastic or leather jackets for women and black leather or navy donkey jackets for men. I stuck to cavalry twills and a duffle coat, at least for a few months. The Cuban missile crisis had temporarily boosted...
- 5/7/2013
- by Tariq Ali
- The Guardian - Film News
On Sunday, September 16, 2012 at 6:00 Pm, Colony Music -- located on Broadway and 49th Street in New York City -- closed its doors for the last time. This venerable music store had been open for over 60 years, selling CDs, sheet music, and music-related memorabilia, including entertainment-related autographs. Its closing marks the end of an era (or maybe more than one) in New York City: after the closing of Patelson's Music House (which specialized in sheet music and scores for classical music) in 2009 after an 89-year run, Colony was nearly the last store devoted primarily to sheet music and music scores -- mostly for Broadway, jazz, pop, and rock, but also some classical music -- and by far the most visible.
Now all that's left is the smaller, much newer, and vastly less famous Dowling Music, hidden on the second floor inside Steinway Hall at 109 West 57th St. (Frank Music, on...
Now all that's left is the smaller, much newer, and vastly less famous Dowling Music, hidden on the second floor inside Steinway Hall at 109 West 57th St. (Frank Music, on...
- 9/18/2012
- by Ian Alterman
- www.culturecatch.com
The periodic table, the bane of high school chemistry students everywhere, just got a bit of a magical update, thanks to an imaginative Harry Potter fan with a background in chemistry.
This new and improved table, which recently popped up on Reddit, lists the 117 elements known to wizards -- which, depending on how much of a Harry Potter fan you are, is either the coolest or nerdiest thing ever created.
Organized by categories such as "Ministry of Magic," "Death Eaters," "Potters" and "House of Hogwarts," each section has been meticulously Potter-ized with the names of characters from J.K. Rowling's hugely popular series.
Of course, Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev is generally credited with creating the modern table of elements as part of The Principles of Chemistry, published in 1869.
Mendeleev's table displayed the chemical elements organized by atomic numbers, electron configurations and chemical properties, and presented them in increasing atomic number in a block-like grid.
This new and improved table, which recently popped up on Reddit, lists the 117 elements known to wizards -- which, depending on how much of a Harry Potter fan you are, is either the coolest or nerdiest thing ever created.
Organized by categories such as "Ministry of Magic," "Death Eaters," "Potters" and "House of Hogwarts," each section has been meticulously Potter-ized with the names of characters from J.K. Rowling's hugely popular series.
Of course, Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev is generally credited with creating the modern table of elements as part of The Principles of Chemistry, published in 1869.
Mendeleev's table displayed the chemical elements organized by atomic numbers, electron configurations and chemical properties, and presented them in increasing atomic number in a block-like grid.
- 8/10/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
I only met Judith Crist once, but her career had an enormous role in shaping the world of the movie critics who followed her. She was the first full-time female movie critic for a big American daily newspaper, but set aside her gender: By her success and fame, she created jobs for movie critics where there were none before.
When she went to work for the New York Herald-Tribune in the 1940s, few newspapers had movie critics writing under their own names (the New York Times was an exception). The movie reviews were considered a "house column," farmed out on a film-by-film basis to assorted reporters, who wrote under such punning bylines as "Kate Cameron" (New York Daily News) and "May Tinee" (Chicago Tribune). Crist was fearless, acerbic and merciless--"Hollywood's most hated person," it was said.
She wrote a sensational pan of "Cleopatra," saying Elizabeth Taylor's acting "often rises to fishwife levels.
When she went to work for the New York Herald-Tribune in the 1940s, few newspapers had movie critics writing under their own names (the New York Times was an exception). The movie reviews were considered a "house column," farmed out on a film-by-film basis to assorted reporters, who wrote under such punning bylines as "Kate Cameron" (New York Daily News) and "May Tinee" (Chicago Tribune). Crist was fearless, acerbic and merciless--"Hollywood's most hated person," it was said.
She wrote a sensational pan of "Cleopatra," saying Elizabeth Taylor's acting "often rises to fishwife levels.
- 8/9/2012
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
Happy 23rd birthday to the Harry Potter superstar whose constant gay advocacy is even sweeter because he clearly thinks for himself. Daniel Radcliffe, in my opinion, is one of the gay community's coolest celebrity allies, and there are infinite reasons to dig his intelligent, articulate approach to stardom and promoting equality. We number just 23 of them here. (I went light on the Potter references because I think we all understand what tremendous blockbusters they are.)
1. Equus, the great leap (gallop?) forward
We all remember when Daniel Radcliffe became a man -- a man who really loves horses. In 2007, he starred in a West End revival of Peter Shaffer's play, and in 2008 that production came to Broadway. Controversial role? Yes. But he showed a true seriousness of purpose, and that makes him an interesting actor outside the Harry Potter realm.
2. His response to gay rumors
"It’s wonderful. I grew...
1. Equus, the great leap (gallop?) forward
We all remember when Daniel Radcliffe became a man -- a man who really loves horses. In 2007, he starred in a West End revival of Peter Shaffer's play, and in 2008 that production came to Broadway. Controversial role? Yes. But he showed a true seriousness of purpose, and that makes him an interesting actor outside the Harry Potter realm.
2. His response to gay rumors
"It’s wonderful. I grew...
- 7/23/2012
- by virtel
- The Backlot
A few years back, film director Stuart Gordon had the thought that his gore-filled 1985 horror movie Re-Animator might be improved with the addition of some songs. It was an odd idea — but an ultimately successful one. In the spring of 2011, Re-Animator: The Musical opened at Hollywood’s Steve Allen Theater to great reviews (Variety hailed it as “an entertainment of rich rewards and high accomplishment”) and tonight the play officially starts a second run at the Hayworth Theatre, prior to engagements at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and the Edinburgh Festival. The H.P. Lovecraft-inspired tale stars Graham Skipper...
- 5/3/2012
- by Clark Collis
- EW.com - PopWatch
Salon film critic Matt Zoller Seitz offers a lovely tribute to his wife, Jennifer Dawson, who died five years ago, and powerfully influenced his love of movies (and music). He writes: She loved books, music, TV and film, and was as important an influence in my development as a critic as any teacher or editor I ever had. As is always the case in long relationships, we had certain songs, films, shows and books in common. These were the things we talked about when we weren’t talking about people we knew. Some things belonged to both of us from day one: Martin Scorsese, Frank Sinatra, Shakespeare’s tragedies and sonnets, Tom Lehrer, Pauline Kael, Chuck Jones’ classic short “Feed the Kitty,” “Prime Suspect,” Albert Brooks, Public Enemy, Woody Allen, Looney Tunes, Jim Jarmusch, the Beatles. ... Sondheim. Kander and Ebb. “Feed the Kitty.” “Deadwood.” In the last few years, to greater or lesser degrees,...
- 11/25/2011
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
There are a select few comedians who use music as a large part of their delivery system, whether it’s comedians like Adam Sandler and Jimmy Fallon who work in the occasional acoustic guitar songs or Tom Lehrer and Stephen Lynch whose entire act stems from musical comedy, it’s a common device that funny men everywhere use to their advantage. Musical comedy guarantees neither fame nor obscurity, because for every time Adam Sandler’s “Turkey Song” and “Hanukah” get played on the radio during the holidays, Tom Lehrer’s “New Math” finds a new fan in an unfortunately smaller but just as appreciative audience. And while Sandler and Lehrer are both great in their own right, there is a clear king of lyrical comedy: “Weird Al” Yankovic, who could win by sheer quantity alone. The fact that most of it is hilarious and he a great showman only make his vast library even better.
- 10/12/2011
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Daniel Radcliffe is to sing on the upcoming charity Christmas album Carols for a Cure Volume 13. The actor and the cast of his hit Broadway play How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying will record a version of Tom Lehrer's 'A Christmas Carol'. Carols for a Cure Volume 13 will also feature songs by the Broadway casts of Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark and the Tony Award-winning Memphis. The album can be purchased at Broadway shows beginning in October, with all proceeds benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights (more)...
- 9/13/2011
- by By Justin Harp
- Digital Spy
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is to lend his singing voice to a good cause and help raise money for those infected with HIV/AIDS.
Radcliffe, who currently stars in the Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, will team up with his castmates to record a cover of Tom Lehrer's A Christmas Carol for a new charity compilation album.
The album, Broadway's Carols for a Cure Vol. 13, can be purchased at participating theatre shows in the Big Apple throughout the holiday season, beginning in October.
Proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a fundraising and grant-making organisation launched in the U.S. to help those suffering with the disease.
Radcliffe, who currently stars in the Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, will team up with his castmates to record a cover of Tom Lehrer's A Christmas Carol for a new charity compilation album.
The album, Broadway's Carols for a Cure Vol. 13, can be purchased at participating theatre shows in the Big Apple throughout the holiday season, beginning in October.
Proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a fundraising and grant-making organisation launched in the U.S. to help those suffering with the disease.
- 9/12/2011
- WENN
Sometimes hitting the multiplex just isn’t in the cards. That’s when cable, the web and streaming step in to provide an instant movie fix. But how to separate the wheat from the chaff? I’m happy to help; every week I’ll pick a flick and see if it’s worth your time. This week? “Black Death”.
It’s 1348, and the Bubonic Plague is sweeping through England. In a small monastery, young monk Osmund is torn between the love he feels for a girl and his duty to the church. As he’s wrestling with that decision, a group of Christian knights come to the monastery, looking for help in finding and capturing a necromancer that is said to live in the area. Osmund offers his help, but is faced with much more than a decision between love and faith when he becomes caught between religious fervor and...
It’s 1348, and the Bubonic Plague is sweeping through England. In a small monastery, young monk Osmund is torn between the love he feels for a girl and his duty to the church. As he’s wrestling with that decision, a group of Christian knights come to the monastery, looking for help in finding and capturing a necromancer that is said to live in the area. Osmund offers his help, but is faced with much more than a decision between love and faith when he becomes caught between religious fervor and...
- 7/6/2011
- by Denise Kitashima Dutton
- Atomic Popcorn
Stories and their tellers, dreams and their dreamers; history, myth, overlapping realities — “The Hunt” is in many ways a prototypical Sandman story.
The layers of storytelling in “The Hunt” are numerous, with nearly every character at least briefly a teller or receiver of tales. The frame story gives us the grandfather as narrator and his granddaughter as audience. She’s not really a stand-in for us, as I expect most readers will not be as impatient as she, for, unlike her, we’ve come to this story deliberately.
I was struck by the granddaughter’s surprise at the end that her grandfather was, apparently, telling a story about himself. I thought she’d figured this out. On the third page, she expressed surprise that the character in the story was named Vassily. “But that’s…” she begins, and we can fill in the rest of the sentence easily enough. Her grandfather responds,...
The layers of storytelling in “The Hunt” are numerous, with nearly every character at least briefly a teller or receiver of tales. The frame story gives us the grandfather as narrator and his granddaughter as audience. She’s not really a stand-in for us, as I expect most readers will not be as impatient as she, for, unlike her, we’ve come to this story deliberately.
I was struck by the granddaughter’s surprise at the end that her grandfather was, apparently, telling a story about himself. I thought she’d figured this out. On the third page, she expressed surprise that the character in the story was named Vassily. “But that’s…” she begins, and we can fill in the rest of the sentence easily enough. Her grandfather responds,...
- 5/17/2011
- by Matthew Cheney
- Boomtron
While co-hosting (with festival head Rachel Belofsky and Jonna Jackson) last week’s Screamfest La mixer at Te’Kila and 504 on Hollywood Boulevard (in attendance were horror movers and shakers John Skipp, F. Javier Gutiérrez, Stephen Goldmann, John Michael Elfers, Drina Durazo and more), I caught up with Re-Animator filmmaker Stuart Gordon in order to discuss his current projects as well as the currently previewing play Re-Animator – The Musical.
Opening on March 5th at the Steve Allen Theatre in Hollywood, CA, the stage musical incarnation of Gordon’s 1985 filmic hit (both of which center around Dr. Herbert West, a medical student obsessed with reanimating the dead) runs Friday through Saturday nights through March 27, and Gordon told us of the play over a cocktail amid the boisterous din, “Audiences seem to really like it, which is great! We’re previewing all weekend, and those nights are already sold out, which is a wonderful thing.
Opening on March 5th at the Steve Allen Theatre in Hollywood, CA, the stage musical incarnation of Gordon’s 1985 filmic hit (both of which center around Dr. Herbert West, a medical student obsessed with reanimating the dead) runs Friday through Saturday nights through March 27, and Gordon told us of the play over a cocktail amid the boisterous din, “Audiences seem to really like it, which is great! We’re previewing all weekend, and those nights are already sold out, which is a wonderful thing.
- 3/1/2011
- by SeanD.
- DreadCentral.com
“I hold your hand in my dear, I press it to my lips.
take a healthy bite from your dainty fingertips…”
I Hold Your Hand in Mine
—Tom Lehrer
Such are the thoughts of this horror fan when Valentine’s Day arrives.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. It is beginning to take hold in other countries, as well. Statistics claim that 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. Perhaps all this romanticism—which doesn’t sit well with many men—is the reason for some of the fairly gruesome viewing available to horror fans.
Take, for instance, My Bloody Valentine (1981), celebrating the first Valentine’s Day party in 20 years, even though Harry had said no more Valentine’s Day celebrations in the town. When this party happens, Harry starts killing the revelers. And leave us not forget...
take a healthy bite from your dainty fingertips…”
I Hold Your Hand in Mine
—Tom Lehrer
Such are the thoughts of this horror fan when Valentine’s Day arrives.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. It is beginning to take hold in other countries, as well. Statistics claim that 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. Perhaps all this romanticism—which doesn’t sit well with many men—is the reason for some of the fairly gruesome viewing available to horror fans.
Take, for instance, My Bloody Valentine (1981), celebrating the first Valentine’s Day party in 20 years, even though Harry had said no more Valentine’s Day celebrations in the town. When this party happens, Harry starts killing the revelers. And leave us not forget...
- 2/14/2011
- by Jessie
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Okay, so Natalie Portman has some Opinions on chick flicks. I too have some Opinions on chick flicks and they align fairly well with hers. I do find it difficult, however, to take her Seriously as a Serious Person when she has this World Patrol Kids skeleton dangling in her closet. Oh, internet, will your wonders never cease? (Celebitchy)
I imagine these being sold at the Toshi Station because, in my head, the Toshi Station is like an intergalactic Pep Boys where you can get power converters, a pack of gum and bobble head dolls. (Nerd Approved)
Listen, Economist reporter, it's not necessary for you to lie to me in the title of your article and claim Portugal is using jujitsu to tackle their drug problems. What? Metaphorical jujitsu? Policy jujitsu? It's an article about the decriminalization of drugs! That should be interesting by itself! And actually, folks, it kind of is.
I imagine these being sold at the Toshi Station because, in my head, the Toshi Station is like an intergalactic Pep Boys where you can get power converters, a pack of gum and bobble head dolls. (Nerd Approved)
Listen, Economist reporter, it's not necessary for you to lie to me in the title of your article and claim Portugal is using jujitsu to tackle their drug problems. What? Metaphorical jujitsu? Policy jujitsu? It's an article about the decriminalization of drugs! That should be interesting by itself! And actually, folks, it kind of is.
- 1/20/2011
- by Joanna Robinson
It’s wonderful when a tale of bikini waxing gone awry can bring you to a moment of blissed-out geekery, and that’s exactly what happened to me earlier this week when I clicked on Styleite for their Rihanna’s Waxing Tale From Hell story, as told to British television presenter Graham Norton on his eponymous show. While that’s certainly worth an excruciating look, for me the real gem was the next video in the YouTube chain from that program, featuring Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter — aka a ginormous geek. Because the thing he wanted to do, so badly that he studied and practiced and shushed the audience for breaking his concentration, was sing Tom Lehrer’s famous — and famously difficult — “The Elements Song.”...
- 11/28/2010
- by Rachel Sklar
- Mediaite - TV
Daniel Radcliffe: Actor. Anti-bullying activist. Universally adored wizard. Singer? As he prepares for the release of his latest movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the 21-year-old star appeared on the BBC's The Graham Norton Show on Friday to promote his upcoming film—and unleash his vocal prowess. While seated with Colin Farrell and Rihanna, Radcliffe busted out his version of the Tom Lehrer novelty song "The Elements," rattling off the periodic table in rapid-fire pace. Could a duet with Ri-Ri be in the works? Watch D-Rad unleash his mad flow in the video below, and check out Lehrer's original version below....
- 11/15/2010
- by Celebuzz
- Celebuzz.com
Proving that even boy wizards know science. From The Graham Norton Show:
I'm impressed that he can do it, even more impressed that he did it on national television, and very impressed that he thinks Tom Lehrer is the cleverest and funniest man of the twentieth century. And depressed that most of the audience has never heard of Tom Lehrer... although now, thanks to all those Harry Potter pans, I expect a renaissance.
I'm impressed that he can do it, even more impressed that he did it on national television, and very impressed that he thinks Tom Lehrer is the cleverest and funniest man of the twentieth century. And depressed that most of the audience has never heard of Tom Lehrer... although now, thanks to all those Harry Potter pans, I expect a renaissance.
- 11/13/2010
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
In the early 1950s, when Howard Marks was a child growing up in working-class south Wales, Tom Lehrer wrote an ironic pastiche of the sentimental song "The Old Lamplighter" serenading another local hero: "Every evening you will find him/ Around our neighbourhood/ He's the old dope peddler/ Doing well by doing good." Little could the 10-year-old Marks have guessed that one day he would be similarly, though less ironically, celebrated in a movie about his career as the world's most famous drug trafficker.
Presented as a lecture given to an enthusiastic young audience from the stage of the august little Bristol Old Vic theatre, the long-haired, 60-year-old Marks tells his story: how he wins a scholarship to Oxford in the mid-1960s, develops a taste there for grass, moves out of teaching into importing marijuana on what eventually becomes an industrial scale and ends up, in 1988, with a 25-year sentence in the States.
Presented as a lecture given to an enthusiastic young audience from the stage of the august little Bristol Old Vic theatre, the long-haired, 60-year-old Marks tells his story: how he wins a scholarship to Oxford in the mid-1960s, develops a taste there for grass, moves out of teaching into importing marijuana on what eventually becomes an industrial scale and ends up, in 1988, with a 25-year sentence in the States.
- 10/11/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Books of short interviews tend to be breezy, which often equals inconsequential. But the 60 Q&As Paul Provenza conducts with stand-ups, late-night hosts, writers, animators, musicians, and commentators for ¡Satiristas!: Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs & Vulgarians add up to more than the sum of their parts. (Dan Dion’s backstage portraits of the artists certainly help.) Individually, the conversations veer between casual, such as the reunited Kids In The Hall’s nonstop riffing on one another, and more obviously thematic, such as the long-retired Tom Lehrer discussing the pros of quitting early. But Provenza’s canny sequencing is the real draw ...
- 5/13/2010
- avclub.com
Unlike Glee or even 90210 and The Vampire Diaries, NCIS isn't exactly known for its music.
Still, the drama successfull released a soundtrack in February, featuring singles by Jakob Dylan, Oasis and Dashboard Confessional.
It will do so again this winter, as NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack, Vol. 2 hits stores. Here's a look at the complete play list from it:
Bob Dylan, “California” Norah Jones, “That’s What I Said” Joss Stone, “Every Time I Turn Around” Sick Puppies, “That Time Of Year” Sharon Little, “Genie In My Dreams” John Mellencamp, “Someday The Rains Will Fall” Sheryl Crow, “Murder In My Heart” Keaton Simons, “Grim Reaper” Otis Redding, “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember” Michael Weatherly, “Bitter And Blue” Saosin, “ Move Slow” Tom Lehrer, “The Elements”...
Still, the drama successfull released a soundtrack in February, featuring singles by Jakob Dylan, Oasis and Dashboard Confessional.
It will do so again this winter, as NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack, Vol. 2 hits stores. Here's a look at the complete play list from it:
Bob Dylan, “California” Norah Jones, “That’s What I Said” Joss Stone, “Every Time I Turn Around” Sick Puppies, “That Time Of Year” Sharon Little, “Genie In My Dreams” John Mellencamp, “Someday The Rains Will Fall” Sheryl Crow, “Murder In My Heart” Keaton Simons, “Grim Reaper” Otis Redding, “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember” Michael Weatherly, “Bitter And Blue” Saosin, “ Move Slow” Tom Lehrer, “The Elements”...
- 10/12/2009
- by matt@iscribelimited.com (M.L. House)
- TVfanatic
The great Tom Lehrer, explaining why the muse that had made him such a cutting-edge comic voice in the 1960s, deserted him in the 70s, once said: “Satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” This morning’s news from Oslo, that Barack Obama had won the prize, seemed like the unluckiest embrace since Fredo Corleone received the kiss of death in The Godfather. The prize will do Obama no good at all with his harshest critics here at home, and even among the many people who believe he has made important strides in changing the way the United States approaches the world, such an honor seems mostly a cause for blushing. It is one more step in the devaluation and politicization of a prize that has long been criticized for honoring some unworthy characters, and overlooking real heroes. Among the most prominent non-recipients, for example,...
- 10/9/2009
- Vanity Fair
This review was written for the festival screening of "Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains".
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Winning the Nobel Peace Prize does not automatically visit sainthood upon the recipient as Tom Lehrer observed while noting that satire died the day Henry Kissinger became laureate, but it looks pretty good on Jimmy Carter.
That's the problem, however, with Jonathan Demme's blandly interesting new documentary on the former president from Georgia titled "Man From Plains".
The one-term White House occupant, former peanut farmer and nuclear physicist, sincere Christian, and full-time humanitarian is such a reasonable individual that the film has trouble drumming up controversy.
Screened in the Horizons sidebar at the Venice International Film Festival, theatrical boxoffice is unlikely to be sparkling but it could do well on television and provide a lasting portrait on DVD.
The film follows Carter on a promotional tour in support of his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid", which argues that Israel will not find peace until it withdraws from the occupied territories.
It's a point of view rejected by many supporters of Israel but such is Carter's standing as a result of the Camp David accord he negotiated between Egypt and Israel all those years ago that even his angriest opponents temper their response.
Demme goes on the road with the Carter team to places such as Chicago, Washington and Los Angeles and he's seen being questioned by an assortment of television presenters including Jay Leno, Charlie Rose and Larry King. There are encounters with sycophantic interviewers and challenging ones but it seldom gets heated.
He goes to picnics and book signings, attends meetings at the Carter Center, and preaches the gospel. He says he and wife Rosalynn read aloud from the Bible every night even when he's on the road by phone. The film has no narrator and there are no direct interviews. Carter is free to say what he wants and while he states there's no conflict in belief in Jesus Christ and being a scientist, he doesn't elaborate.
There are many small but interesting observational moments in the documentary and Demme covers the major issues of Carter's presidency, his current work as a world statesman, and his work building homes with Habitat in New Orleans and around the world.
Demme also reveals that whatever else he may be Carter is a consummate professional in dealing with people from all walks of life. He may not have been the most dynamic or effective president in recent history but in Demme's snapshot he certainly appears to be the most decent.
MAN FROM PLAINS
A Clinica Estetico Prod,
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Demme
Producers: Jonathan Demme, Neda Armian
Executive producers: Ron Bozman, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
Director of photography: Declan Quinn
Music: Djamel Ben Yelles, Alejandro Escovedo, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Editor: Kate Amend
Running time -- 120 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Winning the Nobel Peace Prize does not automatically visit sainthood upon the recipient as Tom Lehrer observed while noting that satire died the day Henry Kissinger became laureate, but it looks pretty good on Jimmy Carter.
That's the problem, however, with Jonathan Demme's blandly interesting new documentary on the former president from Georgia titled "Man From Plains".
The one-term White House occupant, former peanut farmer and nuclear physicist, sincere Christian, and full-time humanitarian is such a reasonable individual that the film has trouble drumming up controversy.
Screened in the Horizons sidebar at the Venice International Film Festival, theatrical boxoffice is unlikely to be sparkling but it could do well on television and provide a lasting portrait on DVD.
The film follows Carter on a promotional tour in support of his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid", which argues that Israel will not find peace until it withdraws from the occupied territories.
It's a point of view rejected by many supporters of Israel but such is Carter's standing as a result of the Camp David accord he negotiated between Egypt and Israel all those years ago that even his angriest opponents temper their response.
Demme goes on the road with the Carter team to places such as Chicago, Washington and Los Angeles and he's seen being questioned by an assortment of television presenters including Jay Leno, Charlie Rose and Larry King. There are encounters with sycophantic interviewers and challenging ones but it seldom gets heated.
He goes to picnics and book signings, attends meetings at the Carter Center, and preaches the gospel. He says he and wife Rosalynn read aloud from the Bible every night even when he's on the road by phone. The film has no narrator and there are no direct interviews. Carter is free to say what he wants and while he states there's no conflict in belief in Jesus Christ and being a scientist, he doesn't elaborate.
There are many small but interesting observational moments in the documentary and Demme covers the major issues of Carter's presidency, his current work as a world statesman, and his work building homes with Habitat in New Orleans and around the world.
Demme also reveals that whatever else he may be Carter is a consummate professional in dealing with people from all walks of life. He may not have been the most dynamic or effective president in recent history but in Demme's snapshot he certainly appears to be the most decent.
MAN FROM PLAINS
A Clinica Estetico Prod,
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Demme
Producers: Jonathan Demme, Neda Armian
Executive producers: Ron Bozman, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
Director of photography: Declan Quinn
Music: Djamel Ben Yelles, Alejandro Escovedo, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Editor: Kate Amend
Running time -- 120 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the festival screening of "Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains".
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Winning the Nobel Peace Prize does not automatically visit sainthood upon the recipient as Tom Lehrer observed while noting that satire died the day Henry Kissinger became laureate, but it looks pretty good on Jimmy Carter.
That's the problem, however, with Jonathan Demme's blandly interesting new documentary on the former president from Georgia titled "Man From Plains".
The one-term White House occupant, former peanut farmer and nuclear physicist, sincere Christian, and full-time humanitarian is such a reasonable individual that the film has trouble drumming up controversy.
Screened in the Horizons sidebar at the Venice International Film Festival, theatrical boxoffice is unlikely to be sparkling but it could do well on television and provide a lasting portrait on DVD.
The film follows Carter on a promotional tour in support of his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid", which argues that Israel will not find peace until it withdraws from the occupied territories.
It's a point of view rejected by many supporters of Israel but such is Carter's standing as a result of the Camp David accord he negotiated between Egypt and Israel all those years ago that even his angriest opponents temper their response.
Demme goes on the road with the Carter team to places such as Chicago, Washington and Los Angeles and he's seen being questioned by an assortment of television presenters including Jay Leno, Charlie Rose and Larry King. There are encounters with sycophantic interviewers and challenging ones but it seldom gets heated.
He goes to picnics and book signings, attends meetings at the Carter Center, and preaches the gospel. He says he and wife Rosalynn read aloud from the Bible every night even when he's on the road by phone. The film has no narrator and there are no direct interviews. Carter is free to say what he wants and while he states there's no conflict in belief in Jesus Christ and being a scientist, he doesn't elaborate.
There are many small but interesting observational moments in the documentary and Demme covers the major issues of Carter's presidency, his current work as a world statesman, and his work building homes with Habitat in New Orleans and around the world.
Demme also reveals that whatever else he may be Carter is a consummate professional in dealing with people from all walks of life. He may not have been the most dynamic or effective president in recent history but in Demme's snapshot he certainly appears to be the most decent.
MAN FROM PLAINS
A Clinica Estetico Prod,
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Demme
Producers: Jonathan Demme, Neda Armian
Executive producers: Ron Bozman, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
Director of photography: Declan Quinn
Music: Djamel Ben Yelles, Alejandro Escovedo, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Editor: Kate Amend
Running time -- 120 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Winning the Nobel Peace Prize does not automatically visit sainthood upon the recipient as Tom Lehrer observed while noting that satire died the day Henry Kissinger became laureate, but it looks pretty good on Jimmy Carter.
That's the problem, however, with Jonathan Demme's blandly interesting new documentary on the former president from Georgia titled "Man From Plains".
The one-term White House occupant, former peanut farmer and nuclear physicist, sincere Christian, and full-time humanitarian is such a reasonable individual that the film has trouble drumming up controversy.
Screened in the Horizons sidebar at the Venice International Film Festival, theatrical boxoffice is unlikely to be sparkling but it could do well on television and provide a lasting portrait on DVD.
The film follows Carter on a promotional tour in support of his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid", which argues that Israel will not find peace until it withdraws from the occupied territories.
It's a point of view rejected by many supporters of Israel but such is Carter's standing as a result of the Camp David accord he negotiated between Egypt and Israel all those years ago that even his angriest opponents temper their response.
Demme goes on the road with the Carter team to places such as Chicago, Washington and Los Angeles and he's seen being questioned by an assortment of television presenters including Jay Leno, Charlie Rose and Larry King. There are encounters with sycophantic interviewers and challenging ones but it seldom gets heated.
He goes to picnics and book signings, attends meetings at the Carter Center, and preaches the gospel. He says he and wife Rosalynn read aloud from the Bible every night even when he's on the road by phone. The film has no narrator and there are no direct interviews. Carter is free to say what he wants and while he states there's no conflict in belief in Jesus Christ and being a scientist, he doesn't elaborate.
There are many small but interesting observational moments in the documentary and Demme covers the major issues of Carter's presidency, his current work as a world statesman, and his work building homes with Habitat in New Orleans and around the world.
Demme also reveals that whatever else he may be Carter is a consummate professional in dealing with people from all walks of life. He may not have been the most dynamic or effective president in recent history but in Demme's snapshot he certainly appears to be the most decent.
MAN FROM PLAINS
A Clinica Estetico Prod,
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Demme
Producers: Jonathan Demme, Neda Armian
Executive producers: Ron Bozman, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
Director of photography: Declan Quinn
Music: Djamel Ben Yelles, Alejandro Escovedo, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Editor: Kate Amend
Running time -- 120 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Winning the Nobel Peace Prize does not automatically visit sainthood upon the recipient as Tom Lehrer observed while noting that satire died the day Henry Kissinger became laureate, but it looks pretty good on Jimmy Carter.
That's the problem, however, with Jonathan Demme's blandly interesting new documentary on the former president from Georgia titled Man From Plains.
The one-term White House occupant, former peanut farmer and nuclear physicist, sincere Christian, and full-time humanitarian is such a reasonable individual that the film has trouble drumming up controversy.
Screened in the Horizons sidebar at the Venice International Film Festival, theatrical boxoffice is unlikely to be sparkling but it could do well on television and provide a lasting portrait on DVD.
The film follows Carter on a promotional tour in support of his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which argues that Israel will not find peace until it withdraws from the occupied territories.
It's a point of view rejected by many supporters of Israel but such is Carter's standing as a result of the Camp David accord he negotiated between Egypt and Israel all those years ago that even his angriest opponents temper their response.
Demme goes on the road with the Carter team to places such as Chicago, Washington and Los Angeles and he's seen being questioned by an assortment of television presenters including Jay Leno, Charlie Rose and Larry King. There are encounters with sycophantic interviewers and challenging ones but it seldom gets heated.
He goes to picnics and book signings, attends meetings at the Carter Center, and preaches the gospel. He says he and wife Rosalynn read aloud from the Bible every night even when he's on the road by phone. The film has no narrator and there are no direct interviews. Carter is free to say what he wants and while he states there's no conflict in belief in Jesus Christ and being a scientist, he doesn't elaborate.
There are many small but interesting observational moments in the documentary and Demme covers the major issues of Carter's presidency, his current work as a world statesman, and his work building homes with Habitat in New Orleans and around the world.
Demme also reveals that whatever else he may be Carter is a consummate professional in dealing with people from all walks of life. He may not have been the most dynamic or effective president in recent history but in Demme's snapshot he certainly appears to be the most decent.
MAN FROM PLAINS
A Clinica Estetico Prod,
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Demme
Producers: Jonathan Demme, Neda Armian
Executive producers: Ron Bozman, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
Director of photography: Declan Quinn
Music: Djamel Ben Yelles, Alejandro Escovedo, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Editor: Kate Amend
Running time -- 120 minutes
No MPAA rating...
VENICE, Italy -- Winning the Nobel Peace Prize does not automatically visit sainthood upon the recipient as Tom Lehrer observed while noting that satire died the day Henry Kissinger became laureate, but it looks pretty good on Jimmy Carter.
That's the problem, however, with Jonathan Demme's blandly interesting new documentary on the former president from Georgia titled Man From Plains.
The one-term White House occupant, former peanut farmer and nuclear physicist, sincere Christian, and full-time humanitarian is such a reasonable individual that the film has trouble drumming up controversy.
Screened in the Horizons sidebar at the Venice International Film Festival, theatrical boxoffice is unlikely to be sparkling but it could do well on television and provide a lasting portrait on DVD.
The film follows Carter on a promotional tour in support of his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which argues that Israel will not find peace until it withdraws from the occupied territories.
It's a point of view rejected by many supporters of Israel but such is Carter's standing as a result of the Camp David accord he negotiated between Egypt and Israel all those years ago that even his angriest opponents temper their response.
Demme goes on the road with the Carter team to places such as Chicago, Washington and Los Angeles and he's seen being questioned by an assortment of television presenters including Jay Leno, Charlie Rose and Larry King. There are encounters with sycophantic interviewers and challenging ones but it seldom gets heated.
He goes to picnics and book signings, attends meetings at the Carter Center, and preaches the gospel. He says he and wife Rosalynn read aloud from the Bible every night even when he's on the road by phone. The film has no narrator and there are no direct interviews. Carter is free to say what he wants and while he states there's no conflict in belief in Jesus Christ and being a scientist, he doesn't elaborate.
There are many small but interesting observational moments in the documentary and Demme covers the major issues of Carter's presidency, his current work as a world statesman, and his work building homes with Habitat in New Orleans and around the world.
Demme also reveals that whatever else he may be Carter is a consummate professional in dealing with people from all walks of life. He may not have been the most dynamic or effective president in recent history but in Demme's snapshot he certainly appears to be the most decent.
MAN FROM PLAINS
A Clinica Estetico Prod,
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Demme
Producers: Jonathan Demme, Neda Armian
Executive producers: Ron Bozman, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
Director of photography: Declan Quinn
Music: Djamel Ben Yelles, Alejandro Escovedo, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Editor: Kate Amend
Running time -- 120 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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