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Jimdandy160
Reviews
Modern Family (2009)
Talk about jumping the shark
This once brilliant comedy has experienced a precipitous decline across the board: scripts, acting, direction. What was once fresh and hilarious about its wink-wink knowingness, has become predictable and crude. A show like "Parks and Recreation" remained fresh and funny for its entire run; this one, sad to say, has not. The actors SCREAM their lines, even when confiding to the camera. Sublety has gone out the window. Time to shut up the shop.....
The Constant Nymph (1943)
Practically unwatchable
Thank you Alexis Smith...
She is the only leading actor in this claptrap who is not woefully miscast. And the only character on whom the faux Hollywood British accent doesn't seem phony. Hearing the Sanger children speak the same way is risible. I must have paused this film 100 times; that's the effect treacle has on me.
Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq (2013)
Moving and informative
While part of me might have wanted more gossipy details at certain points in the film, overall this is a worthy tribute. Ms. Le Clerc was already in a wheelchair when I started going to the NYC Ballet, so I never got to see her dance. The archival videos of "Tanny" in this documentary are revelatory. And there are wonderful contributions from Jacques d'Amboise and Patricia McBride as talking heads. The film reinforces what I have felt for the past 40 years: that being alive during George Balanchine's (and Jerome Robbins's and Lincoln Kirstein's) life was akin to having Mozart across town. I had SEVEN subscriptions to NYCB in the 70's and 80's, and its repertoire and dancers have made my aesthetic what it is today.
The Oscar (1966)
Where to begin?
This is indeed a wonderfully terrible movie. In reality it deserves a 1, but a 10 for entertainment value. So the average is 5. Why haven't more users seen this film? I am reminded of a New York Times capsule review many years ago of "The Legend of Lylah Clare" : something on the order of "Absolutely terrible and not to be missed. But leave the windows open." The same can be said of "The Oscar." It is as if the creators sought at every step to create a camp Hollywood version of "All About Eve" without any of the sardonic, trenchant wit. Every line and every scene reeks of delightfully purple prose. And not a moment is boring. From the ripe performances of all of the principal players, to the cameos - one is riveted. And the mid-60's production design is yummy as well. This is right up there with "Valley of the Dolls" and the aforementioned "Lylah Clare" on the list of timeless flops.
NY Export: Opus Jazz (2010)
A treat for dance lovers
New York City Ballet dancers Ellen Bar and Sean Suozzi have created a very entertaining take on this classic mid-century Jerome Robbins ballet. Its musical inflection and choreography will remind you of "West Side Story" - and for good reason. The ballet premiered in 1958 in Spoleto, Italy. (This was the same year that the iconic musical premiered on Broadway.)
As someone whose aesthetic was majorly influenced by the glory years of City Ballet, when George Balanchine and Robbins were at the helm, seeing this one hour film staged all over New York City, in unusual locations, was a kick. You will even see the McCarren Park Pool in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in all its decrepitude and before its recent reopening.