Love and Friendship and a slew of at-homing viewings on Monday Morning Diary (May 30)

by Sam Juliano

Heat and humidity have reigned supreme over the Memorial Day weekend, of which today is the annual day of remembrance for those who perished in the armed forces serving our nation.  For many trips down the shore and home barbecues have been the favored venues.  Moving into June this week others are tackling trip plans, upcoming graduations, retirement dinners and various outdoor activities, while others remain in holding patterns under the air conditioning.

Ballots for the upcoming science-fiction films countdown continue to trickle in, and will do so until the June 15th deadline.  The Top 50 countdown will begin on Monday, June 27th.  After the ballots are tabulated by Angelo D’Arminio Jr. writing assignments will be offered up by group e mail.

Lucille and I attended a retirement dinner and hosted family dinners for the birthdays of two of our kids this past week, otherwise we saw a single movie in theaters and for me a torrid week of at-home viewings:

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RIDLEY SCOTT’S BLACK HAWK DOWN “Can’t be too fine, can’t be too coarse…”

 

 © 2016 by James Clark

      There are two ways to approach a Ridley Scott film. The first and most popular way is to engage each outing as a totally new venture under the aegis of a writer (or two, or more) never to be heard from again. This preference takes up a vehicle like Black Hawk Down (2001) as a patented Scott patina of highly accomplished cinematic mood in the service of vividly introducing us to the nuts-and bolts details and stresses of modern military action. The second and rarely considered way is to note that, though seldom acknowledged as a (sort of) ghost writer of every production he undertakes, his efforts all zoom to a consistent and rigorously developmental communicative sense of cosmic crisis. As such our film here does not in fact well jibe with indifference toward the ramifications of an al-Qaeda take-down of elite military aircrafts in the productive sweep peppered with the al-Qaeda take-down of the World Trade Centre.

How on its toes is the discursive flood of action propelling Black Hawk Down? An epigraph leads the way—an epigraph far more abusive to the unwary than any of the countless bloody ambushes to come! “Only the dead have seen the end of the war.” The statement is attributed to Plato. Plato, like hell! This little tweak of erudition derives from the philosophy-challenged, General Douglas MacArthur, trotting out an old soldier’s bromide about the huge stature of those in the military and finding it apt that a universally revered clear thinker would be onside. The true author of that reflection on war is a far less celebrated participant within the process of sharing lucidity. That idea, far less self-evident than the General imagined, derives from someone who did his work around 500BC, a hundred years before Plato “flourished” (in the vernacular of professional teachers of the subject of thinking, a métier invented by Plato). Concern for the endlessness of war was a major project for one Heraclitus, of the town of Ephesus (in what is now Turkey), one of his pronouncements being, “War is the father of all and the king of all. Some he has made gods and some men; some slaves and some free.”

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Science Fiction Countdown, The Lobster, at-home viewings and Lincoln Center production of ‘The King and I’ on Monday Morning Diary (May 23)

by Sam Juliano

Seven completed ballots have been received for the mid June launching of the Science Fiction Countdown.  With a deadline of June 15th, it is certain many more will be forwarded in what is fast becoming another exciting venture at Wonders in the Dark after a slow build up.  After the ballots are compiled by Voting Tabulator Extraordinaire Angelo A. D’Arminio Jr. a Top 50 countdown will commence for ten weeks up until the beginning of September.

Over the past week I have watched a bunch of older films, several Czechoslovakian masterpieces.  Lucille and I did see one new release in the theaters and on Thursday night the Lincoln Center production of Rogers and Hammersteins’ The King and I at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.   A sylish production with some spectacular sets and spirited singing, the production was a fine follow-up to the same company’s staging of South Pacific a few years back.

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“Songs of the Sea” by the Choral Art Society of New Jersey

by Sam Juliano

The May 14th concert by the Choral Art Society of New Jersey featured work by some of classical music’s most iconic figures, but it was the reunion of a student playing one of his one-time mentor’s most celebrated compositions that brought a special emotional heft to the proceedings.  Performed at the acoustic-friendly Presbyterian Church in Westfield -the group’s home base for decades, the night brought CAS Music Director Martin Sedak and his previous instructor – the composer Matthew Harris – together in a glorious presentation of the latter’s Oceanic Eyes, a four part cantata commissioned in 2006 based on texts by celebrated Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, and distinguished by the employment of classical guitar that allowed the work’s distinct Spanish romanticism to shine through.  The composition’s lilting metaphors and colorful imagery seems inspired by the British poet Alfred Noyes who wove undying nocturnal passions into the narrative of his arresting “The Highwayman.”  Yet it was the highly emotive, stirring and soulful reading by the committed singers of the CAS who injected Harris’ work with a sense of immediacy, aided by the prism of water, which flows through universal appreciation.Sedak’s decision to open the show with a rarely performed song by the great British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams proved to be a masterstroke of mood and staging.  To be sure “The Lover’s Ghost” (from Five English Folk Songs)  is one of the most sublime and haunting choral pieces from anyone, replete as the piece is with color, form, harmony and expression but especially prominent for its contrapuntal construction.  Sedak directed the singers to create two lines in the space between the central orchestra and the sides, making all the more of a powerful impression.  Though the second work is another infrequently negotiated composition, the fact that it was written by Beethoven elevates it immeasurably for classical music fans who can never get enough of one of the form’s supreme immortals.  A Calm Sea & A Prosperous Voyage is noted for the composer’s setting the text by Johann von Goethe and as an earlier example of his evocative nature writing that is strikingly evident in his later symphonic masterworks, so expertly visited by the CAS.

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Irving Berlin songbook revue; Choral Arts Society concert and Washington D. C. trip on Monday Morning Diary (May 16)

by Sam Juliano

The deadline for science fiction countdown ballots is June 15th.  I will be sending out my own list this week, and have been assured by others that they will be following suit.  I will be sending out reminders to the e mail chain tomorrow, and also encourage any readers at the site who are interested to forward a Top 50 to me at your convenience.

Another incredible week for the record books included a three-day trip to the nation’s capital.  This is the fifth year in a row I made the annual Lincoln school pilgrimage to a bunch of memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon, Ford’s Theater, several Smithsonian museums and other sites, and my 8th grade son Jeremy and teaching colleague and friend Broadway Bob were aboard for the trek.  For the most part the weather was overcast and temperatures hovered around 70, making this an especially comfortable venture.

Lucille and I attended two fabulous musical events over the weekend.  The Choral Arts Society of New Jersey presented “Songs of the Sea,” which included works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Beethoven, and Benjamin Britten, and at the Players Guild of Leonia, a program titled “The Memory Lingers On” featured the songbook of American songwriting icon Irving Berlin.  Both shows were sublime and spirited and will be separately reviewed.

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RIDLEY SCOTT’s THE COUNCELOR “Remember, we’re not looking for merit…”

 

© 2016 by James Clark

 

 

    Ridley Scott readily lets us know that he is an avid searcher amongst the films of newcomers, for the sake of keeping up with the latest thoughts and skills. He never gives us a break, however, about his encyclopedic coverage of films from the past. Unlike Michael Mann, who warmly treasures the impetus derived from the work of Jean-Pierre Melville, our eclectic helmsman here chooses not to explicitly identify that range of inspiration contributing to those heights he so often soars to. As with his breathtaking TV commercials, for Scott it seems to all come down to the season’s hit and its filmic brilliance. A large problem about that strict immediacy is that his formidable perceptiveness ardently digs into the problematics of world historical discernment. His sagas flame high and wide with being on the hunt for this planet’s catastrophic and institutional malignancy. This is long-term work in spades. And though that might constitute a reason for hiding it at the summit of Mount Everest, the forward motion of that contrarian manifold takes place with far more transparency than Scott, a hugely divided agent of popular entertainments— “I don’t make films for other people. I make films for me” –is prepared to tolerate.

Keeping in mind that caveat, with The Counselor (2013) we not only have wave after wave of presentations based upon films of Melville; but, moreover, without this component The Counselor cannot come into its own as a richly tempered hopeful communication. Sure, it’s got a flashy cast and devastating horror hooks. But, to all intents and purposes, it looks the part of a relentless dismissal of every vestige of adult integrity. Seemingly doing his utmost to leave intact the rattlesnake smarts of the Cormac  McCarthy screenplay, he declares, “I was very happy with The Counselor. I think it was cynical and too nihilistic for some people, but I like nihilistic.” He likes a lot more than that. And thanks to Melville’s Le Doulos he knows how to royally tip a scale, overloaded with sentient figures amounting to sewage trucks, with an abundance of rhapsody. “Music is dialogue,” is another of Scott’s sayings, one, in fact, which particularly reaps benefits from Le Doulos.

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Dheepan; High School “Shrek: the Musical,” book signing and at home viewings on Monday Morning Diary (May 9)

Jilllian in high school production of “Shrek: the Musical.

by Sam Juliano

The deadline for the science-fiction ballots has been extended two weeks, making the final day for submission June 15th.  Aside from an early ballot from Allan Fish, no others have been yet forwarded, though I expect my own will be very soon.  The ballots will again by tabulated by Angelo A. D’Arminio Jr., and a Top 50 five-day-a-week countdown will commence in late June.  Those planning to submit ballots can send them either to me directly or to the e mail chain presently circulating.

I predicted Donald Trump would win the GOP nomination all the way back in January, but just about everyone thought I’d be way off the mark.  Of course my vote in the primary on June 7th will go to Bernie Sanders, but it is clear that Hillary will be the party nominee.  We are certain to have quite the nasty November election.

Lucille and I were proud to attend out daughter Jillian’s high school play “Shrek: the Musical” on Saturday afternoon.  A freshman, she played one of the Three Little Pigs on crutches after she sprained her ankle a few weeks back.  We attended the latest Curious Reader Bookstore (Glen Rock, N.J.) presentation and signing in the morning of that same day (Sergio Ruzzier- “This is Not A Picture Book”), and saw the Palme d’Or winner DHEEPAN on Saturday evening at the IFC Film Center.

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“The Crucible” and “Orpheus Descending” on stage; classical concert at Rutgers; The Jungle Book and Montclair Film Festival on Monday Morning Diary (May 2)

by Sam Juliano

Hard to believe we have moved into May, but the passage of time rarely leaves us prepared.  Here at Wonders in the Dark we are approaching the planned time frame for the long-advertised “Science Fiction film countdown” and are anticipating the start of the first phase: the forwarding of ballots.  This particular countdown has admittedly received less enthusiasm in a general sense, but I am hopeful it will still be successful.  Otherwise, political junkies are no doubt getting their fix with the spate of crucial presidential primaries that have all but anointed Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as their party’s nominees.

Lucille and I had a pretty unforgettable week, one that offered diversity and quality.  Coming on the heels of the Tribeca Film Festival – where we managed 35 feature films over eleven days – it allowed us to maintain a high level of activity while straining the limits of our stamina.  I hope to post some reviews of the experiences, even while I continue by scene-specific Tribeca coverage.

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Tribeca Review: For the Love of Spock

by Sam Juliano

One of the most beloved characters ever created for a television series is one that is now become as a cultural icon, if not a worldwide phenomenon.  The Vulcan Spock was brought on to serve as science officer on the starship Enterprise for the pilot of a new futuristic series in 1966 by the show’s architect and Executive Producer, Gene Roddenberry, who insisted above network objection that his alien character be maintained beyond the debut appearance.  Spock was the only character on the show, titled Star Trek that was specifically written for an actor.  That fairly young but well-traveled thespian, Leonard Nimoy brought physical confirmation to what Roddenberry had envisioned, and with some crucial tinkering like the employment of pointed ears, Spock’s popularity even eclipsed that of the show’s central protagonist, Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner.  The fascination with Spock was and continues to be his logical demeanor and lack of emotions.  Playing yang to Shatner’s ying Nimoy helped to forge one of television’s most indelible pairings, one that defined casting chemistry, and continued to captivate viewers from all walks of life in virtually all age groupings in the decades that followed the show’s three year run from 1966 to 1999.

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