tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post8968704064257499567..comments2024-03-24T13:26:57.317-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: THINGS MY DAUGHTERS TAUGHT MEDennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-44370288016593027072009-03-09T15:46:00.000-07:002009-03-09T15:46:00.000-07:00Dennis - Thanks for this enjoyable post. Over the ...Dennis - Thanks for this enjoyable post. Over the years I've seen a lot of movies with my daughter - everything from <I>The Lizzie Maguire Movie</I> - which was lots of fun - to serious films like Roman Polanski's <I>Oliver Twist</I> and <I>Finding Neverland</I>.<BR/><BR/>Right now her favorite movie is <I>HSM3</I> - which she could watch repeatedly. To be in the know, and as research for a post I wrote about my daughter's viewing tastes, I watched <I>HSM</I> and I found it enjoyable. It is definitely a fantasy of wish fulfillment - but TV and the Internet inundate young people with enough reality that I think it's great they can take refuge in a film like <I>HSM</I>. I've seen a lot of entertaining movies that I would have missed if not for my daughter.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-55754041335062086842008-11-09T01:45:00.000-08:002008-11-09T01:45:00.000-08:00Flickhead, no doubt your recollections are accurat...Flickhead, no doubt your recollections are accurate. I was thinking back to when I used to think Peter Travers was a good writer, back when he wrote reviews for <I>RS</I> in the early '80s. And then I remembered it wasn't even him, but Michael Sragow who wrote the perceptive reviews in that mag of movies like <I>Blow Out</I> and <I>48 Hrs.</I> (just two examples I can recall off the top of my head) which raised the bar high enough that when Travers took over the drop was precipitous indeed.<BR/><BR/>Larry: The girls and I just got back from the drive-in. We put our PJs on (okay, they did) and we enjoyed <I>Madagscar: Escape 2 Africa</I>. I'm thinking you might enjoy it too. The first half hour is particularly amusing, and with the help of Bernie Mac and Alec Baldwin and Sasha Baron Cohen (again) it goes down much easier than the first one did. Thanks for chiming in. <BR/><BR/>Discman: I was just reading something about that whole teaching angle in regards to <I>The Boy with the Striped Pajamas</I>. What I read anyway was not anything official being promoted by the studio or an education organization or anything like that, but instead a suggestion/thought raised in chuck Wilson's review in the <I>L.A. Weekly</I>. Was what you heard some kind of endorsement of using it in such a way?<BR/><BR/>At any rate, I haven't seen the film, but I'm guessing from reading in between your lines that you wouldn't think it was a good idea. The argument as to the value of the movie in that regard is certainly of interest to me, especially as I begin looking at my teaching career. But as for my own girls, they are way too young for me to consider letting them see it, I'm afraid. Maybe after I got a look at it myself, but really I don't think I'd be ready to darken the oldest one's view of the world on that subject for another three or four years at least, which, if I'm not mistaken, is about the point where she'll be introduced to the subject in her school curriculum. (She's eight years old and in the third grade this year.) Of course, if she should somehow begin to hear about the Holocaust before then and ask questions I'll be there. But I think a movie, however well intentioned, is something I'll keep her away from for the time being.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-72644742230980142892008-11-08T19:22:00.000-08:002008-11-08T19:22:00.000-08:00I took the little one to HSM3 this afternoon. We b...I took the little one to HSM3 this afternoon. We both enjoyed it. Travers is a knob.WelcometoLAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05490618592042119755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-35248984443061345692008-11-08T13:17:00.000-08:002008-11-08T13:17:00.000-08:00Dennis, taking your comments about experiencing mo...Dennis, taking your comments about experiencing movies with your kids a step further, have you given thought to taking them to see "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"? I ask because the movie, a Holocaust drama (believe it or not), is being promoted as a teaching tool of sorts -- a good introduction for young kids to the historical event.<BR/><BR/>To say that I find this promotional strategy ill-advised it to put it mildly, but I don't want to launch into a jeremiad here. If you care to post about that film at a later date, I might join the discussion. I haven't had such a strong reaction to a movie in a long time, and find the idea of *promoting* it as a teaching tool for young people objectionable in ways that are difficult for me to put into measured words.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-55971037019094218972008-11-08T05:18:00.000-08:002008-11-08T05:18:00.000-08:00Unless I'm mistaken, it was Travers who originated...Unless I'm mistaken, it was Travers who originated the "Smart! Hip! Sexy!" pullquote used in the ads for seemingly every other movie released throughout the 80's.Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-2237414689308191902008-11-07T21:12:00.000-08:002008-11-07T21:12:00.000-08:00Peter Travers is generally an awful reviewer of mo...Peter Travers is generally an awful reviewer of movies. He let's personal bias get in the way of information for at least two of the four movies he reviews any given <I>Rolling Stone</I>, and the smaller the box is, the more likely the review will be written to revile and stir up controversy. <BR/><BR/>Still, not as bad as Rex Reed's tirade on <B>Synecdoche, New York</B>.Paul Arrand Rodgershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10369036006191440677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-83589120706273343802008-11-07T19:14:00.000-08:002008-11-07T19:14:00.000-08:00No date set yet, but I put up a small teaser ad fo...No date set yet, but I put up a small teaser ad for the <I>Guilty Pleasures Blogathon</I> on the sidebar of <A HREF="http://flickhead.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">my blog</A>!Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-85900286601463634092008-11-07T18:40:00.000-08:002008-11-07T18:40:00.000-08:00Well, you should feel guilty about Fantastic Four....Well, you <I>should</I> feel guilty about <I>Fantastic Four</I>. As for <I>Fathom</I>, LoveChick, that's a Bee in My Bonnet!<BR/><BR/>I'll whip up a Blogathon announcement soon!Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-23385291969426533162008-11-07T18:30:00.000-08:002008-11-07T18:30:00.000-08:00Heh-heh! Angie Dickinson. Forrest J. Ackerman. You...Heh-heh! Angie Dickinson. Forrest J. Ackerman. You always have the best ideas for blog-a-thons, Ray! I'm in!<BR/><BR/>And I'll see your <I>Fast and the Furious</I> and raise you with <I>Fantastic Four</I>. And toss in <I>Fathom</I> on top of that!<BR/><BR/>But I don't feel guilty about <I>Speed Racer</I>! :)Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-83117783405285373032008-11-07T18:25:00.000-08:002008-11-07T18:25:00.000-08:00Dennis, for what it's worth regarding this Speed R...Dennis, for what it's worth regarding this <I>Speed Racer</I> fiasco, I've seen the Vin Diesel movie <I>The Fast & the Furious</I> and Jessica Alba's <I>Honey</I> at least six times apiece. I wouldn't recommend either of them to anyone -- but I'd happily sit through them again right now.<BR/><BR/>A Guilty Pleasures Blogathon, anyone?Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-78483621447216642072008-11-07T17:38:00.000-08:002008-11-07T17:38:00.000-08:00Flickhead: And I hope you don't think for a minute...Flickhead: And I hope you don't think for a minute that I don't understand how someone might have a reaction that was the polar opposite of my own to <I>Speed Racer</I>. I certainly didn't think your comment was mean-spirited-- maybe written in annoyance because of an unpleasant experience, but not at all untoward or inappropriate. I just always hope that those whose ability to think about film I respect (this goes for you too, Jonathan) might see things my way on a movie like that, but I never take it personally when they don't-- and believe me, I'm still in the minority on <I>that</I> movie.<BR/><BR/>As for Forry, thanks for the link. He seemed awfully frail when I met him some years ago. Word was he was to have appeared with Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen at a local bookstore here a few months ago and that surprised me because I automatically assumed he would naturally be even more frail and too ill to attend. I don't know that he actually did attend, and hearing the info you pass along makes me doubt it. He is a wonderful man, to be sure, and I hope only peace and comfort for him.<BR/><BR/>Jonathan, Bill, I'm at work (4:55 on the Left Coast) and have a special evening with the Mrs. to look forward to, so I'm unable to take the time to respond in the manner which I think is appropriate to the conversation. I would love to do so, however, whether it be here or, since Jonathan has opted to delete his comments that were, however briefly, on view here, by private e-mail. I would like to suggest, however, (I can't say that it's always true, because I don't know to the exact number of instances), that my tendency to want to bring the views of other critics in on the discussion is usually in response to movies I love (unexpectedly or otherwise) that are being <I>very</I> poorly received and critically dismissed almost across the board.<BR/><BR/>I think this is clearly the case for both <I>Speed Racer</I>, and in the case of <I>High School Musical 3</I> I singled out Travers because I felt it was a shoddy, obvious, not to mention somewhat bigoted and overstated response to a movie that, if Travers found it so transparent and disposable, would seem to warrant more of a shrug and a wave of the hand rather than the lengths he goes (with such clunky prose) to make sure we all know he knows how dumb it all is. I hope I would never find it necessary to disparage anyone simply for disagreeing with me, either pro or con. My beef with Travers goes way beyond that-- frankly, had his tone been different I would have neither noticed nor cared if our views lined up. And had it been my intent, I'm sure I could have found lots of other smart(er) folks to drag into the argument.<BR/><BR/>Similarly, the day I begin to feel the need to regularly roast other critical voices for praising something I hate, well, then I guess it'll be time to devote all my free time to that big crocheting project. I don't believe I had anything to say about anyone who looked more kindly on <I>Mamma Mia!</I> than I did; and when I ripped <I>Juno</I> I did mention the "Best Movie of 2007" status bestowed upon it by the likes of Ebert and Sarris as a matter of curiosity, but I was more interested in what Rex Reed had to say in his rave because I thought it was valuable to compare Reed's own style of writing with that of Diablo Cody's. <BR/><BR/>In general, that tactic would, admittedly, become tiresome. But I honestly don't feel that mentioning Peter Travers here, or constructing my <I>Speed Racer</I> review as a response to voices far more widely read and distributed than mine, was particularly below the belt. (I certainly tried to keep the conversation based in what they said, and not turning it into a name-calling rant.)<BR/><BR/>As for <I>HSM</I>, I haven't even seen the first two, nor do I much care to, and frankly I probably wouldn't have seen <I>HSM3</I> had I not had reason to want to witness, experience, and think about my daughter's reaction to it. So I'd be the last person to call anyone a snob for not wanting to endure those movies or anything like them. My whole reason for even talking about <I>HSM3</I> was not because I think it's a great (or even a particularly good) movie or to berate anyone for not giving it a fair shake (Travers' tempest-in-a-teapot excepted), but simply because others <I>do</I> love it, and to think about what that says about the way we as parents experience what our kids experience, as well as what that experience can teach us about ways to introduce them to the roots of whatever phenomenon they're currently obsessed with. <BR/><BR/>Well, I've taken the time I said I didn't have, and now I'm gonna be late for my anniversary dinner! Oh, well! If you're interested we can continue this by e-mail or right here. I'm always available. Thanks for reading, guys!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-66049818059134480182008-11-07T15:49:00.000-08:002008-11-07T15:49:00.000-08:00That's fine. I'll delete my comments rather than ...That's fine. I'll delete my comments rather than engage this any further.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-57162319842576245162008-11-07T15:42:00.000-08:002008-11-07T15:42:00.000-08:00Also, Jonathan, I realize that I put words (or tho...Also, Jonathan, I realize that I put words (or thoughts) in your mouth (or brain) as well, and I apologize for that.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-60826374806092768652008-11-07T15:35:00.000-08:002008-11-07T15:35:00.000-08:00Okay, Jonathan, you're making an awful lot of assu...Okay, Jonathan, you're making an awful lot of assumptions with that comment, and, in fact, most of you wrote had nothing to do with what I said. My reaction wasn't to any and all criticism of Bush, it was to the idea that his presidency made people dumber. People -- and not just Americans -- are getting culturally stupider practically every hour, every <I>minute</I>, and it has absoultely zero to do with Bush, or any president, and it started long, long ago. My comment was based on the fact that people choose to blame Bush for every goddamn thing they don't like, whether he had anything to do with it (or, in this case, actually could have <I>possibly</I> had anything to do with it). I find that immensely tiresome.<BR/><BR/>You say that you're tired of being told you're an elitist snob for not liking <I>High School Musical</I>. I have to ask, has anyone actually said that to you? Because I not only live in a "red" state, but I live in a very red part of a red state, and I have a book with me almost wherever I go, anything from John D. MacDonald to Fyodor Dostoevsky, and not one person has ever, <I>ever</I>, called me an elitist or a snob or anything like that. In fact, they're more often interested in what I'm reading (to an almost annoying degree. I mean, I'm trying to read here, folks), whether they have any idea what the book is, or even read themselves.<BR/><BR/>And why not bring up Travers? Why not call critics out on their bullshit? I don't understand what's wrong with that.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I'm sorry if I came off as insulting, but please don't put words in my mouth. I do get annoyed by the Internet on occasion, and I just had to vent. I hope there are no hard feelings.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-45774663957847479932008-11-07T14:22:00.000-08:002008-11-07T14:22:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-52201069366140616292008-11-07T13:39:00.000-08:002008-11-07T13:39:00.000-08:00Jonathan, I have no interest whatsoever in High Sc...Jonathan, I have no interest whatsoever in <I>High School Musical</I>, but this...<BR/><BR/><I>If you're gay and/or eight years old, HSM3 is the movie event of the year</I><BR/><BR/>...is condescending. It just is. You can agree with the sentiment, but how can you not understand that someone who enjoyed the movie might feel slighted? Why does Travers need to insult the audience like that?<BR/><BR/>And further...<BR/><BR/><I>I'm sorry, but after eight years of the dumbing down of America and constant anti-intellectualism I'm getting a little tired of myself or my children being called snobs because we don't like this horse manure.</I><BR/><BR/>Please. If you think the dumbing down of America started <I>exactly</I> eight years ago, and that all of our cultural problems are the fault of one man, then you haven't been paying a lick of attention.<BR/><BR/>But hey, Obama's president, and Bush can't force anyone to be stupid anymore. I'm sure everybody's going to start reading books again.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-73686119751324517872008-11-07T13:38:00.000-08:002008-11-07T13:38:00.000-08:00Woah, Speed Racer was in IMAX? I thought it was tr...Woah, <B>Speed Racer</B> was in IMAX? I thought it was trippy enough on the regular ol' big screen. IMAX may have blown my mind.Paul Arrand Rodgershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10369036006191440677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-40420647348439707252008-11-07T13:26:00.000-08:002008-11-07T13:26:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-83454390689965397172008-11-07T05:37:00.000-08:002008-11-07T05:37:00.000-08:00Dennis, according to Tim Sullivan, “"After being d...Dennis, according to Tim Sullivan, “"After being diagnosed with congestive heart failure, [Forrest J Ackerman] requested no further treatment and asked to be allowed to ‘say goodbye’.” There’s not much more on the web, but some information’s available at <A HREF="http://shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=8301" REL="nofollow">Shock Till You Drop</A>.<BR/><BR/>I deleted my comments about <I>Speed Racer</I> because — like so much on the internet — they could be misread or misconstrued as mean-spirited. To put it in more friendly terms, the movie really does bite the Big One. You’re a far stronger man than I for getting through it once, no less several times.Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-14230084348251230442008-11-06T22:51:00.000-08:002008-11-06T22:51:00.000-08:00Peter: You're right on the money. They already kno...Peter: You're right on the money. They already know the joys of Busby Berkeley (<I>The Gang's All Here</I>) and Stanley Donen/Gene Kelly (<I>Singin' in the Rain</I>), and I just got the new WB/TCM edition of <I>Meet Me in St. Louis</I>, so Minnelli is next! They both love the Beatles too, and though we have sprung <I>Yellow Submarine</I> on them, <I>A Hard Day's Night</I> is inevitable-- we're just not there yet. (The oldest is also a big fan of <I>Bend of the River</I> and Randolph Scott, but that's another pot of stew.) I really think that is the good thing about something like <I>HSM</I>-- it wears its influences on its sleeve to a certain degree, so if you're a parent who cares about giving them a little history, it's a great way to introduce them to musicals of all kinds.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the kind words too. My own posts are certainly less frequent these days, but I still enjoy a cup of <I>Coffee</I>, and it's always good to hear from you!<BR/><BR/>Patrick: It's called a golden window of opportunity. I literally don't get enough chances to write these days, so I figured as long as I could sit up straight... I appreciate your comment, though. New quiz coming up before Christmas for sure, but I don't know about Bertram Potts- maybe a holiday surprise?!<BR/><BR/>Thom: Happy anniversary to you too (one hour away yet...)! No, Zac's not my bag, though I do understand his appeal and thought he made a keen Link Larkin. He's definitely the most talented of the bunch. I have to admit I've taken a shine, though (innocent division), to the pre-nose job Ashley Tisdale! Calling all cars!<BR/><BR/>Comment deleted: Sorry for contributing to wasting any portion of your time. We do still have Forrest J. Ackerman, though I hear he's in grave health...Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-10259655597238449972008-11-06T22:25:00.000-08:002008-11-06T22:25:00.000-08:00Well maybe hanging around Dad, the girls will even...Well maybe hanging around Dad, the girls will eventually discover the musicals by Vincente Minnelli or Donen & Kelly, or not. Every generation has its own "discoveries", like The Beatles, who kids just a tad older than myself had dismissed as re-heated Everlys. Just a roundabout way of saying I enjoyed the post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-26920276172030801152008-11-06T15:55:00.000-08:002008-11-06T15:55:00.000-08:00Don't take this the wrong way, Dennis, but if gett...Don't take this the wrong way, Dennis, but if getting sick results in this much clear, warm, quality writing, I'm thinking about coughing in an envelope and mailing it to you every day. Well, once a week maybe. At least until the next quiz summary. (Wait - summar<I>ies</I>; you still owe us for the Bertram Potts quiz.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-70798993217369724462008-11-06T13:01:00.000-08:002008-11-06T13:01:00.000-08:00Thank you for this, hubby. I liked the movie more ...Thank you for this, hubby. I liked the movie more than you, but then you don't find Zac dreamy. But you perfectly captured a great moment of parenthood that I'll never forget. And happy anniversary.Thom McGregorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11714535798252336806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-63377314553450356882008-11-06T12:30:00.000-08:002008-11-06T12:30:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-35752108776210323932008-11-06T08:58:00.000-08:002008-11-06T08:58:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.com