Cameron H.

*sigh* It was the mini after Bratz.. lol Yeah, I don’t know why I’m defending this movie so hard. It’s not that good. And I get all of your complaints. I don’t know, I guess I’m just feeling very contrary this week. Lol With that being said... I think Rivka does want kids with him. Again, I’m not trying to say she’s a “bad” person, but they both definitely want different things. She wants to be married to the Cantor and teach at the shul; he wants to write “jazz” or “rock” music. I think she wants him to give up on secular music and settle down. I think this is the point of the scene where he rebuffs her advances. It’s not that he’s just being mopey. He knows that she’s thinking about children, while he’s afraid having kids will tie him down. Molly believes in him right from the start and that’s what he’s attracted to. I think it’s all a big metaphor. Jess has a lot of sincere affection for Rivka/his faith, but his passion is for Molly/superstardom.

Sorry (again), I don't really want to be this movie's great defender, but I just wanted to give my two cents on these statements. It's not that Molly is the first woman he meets in LA, it's that she's the first person (outside of Bubba) to not only believe in him, but actually encourage his talent. After a day, Molly gets fired from a job she's had for a decade (and worked tirelessly to get) because she believes in him so hard. Rivka can't even leave New York for two weeks to give him a chance to pursue his lifelong dream. That's fucked up. No one should ever be with someone who holds them as an emotional hostage. Your S.O. should believe in you. If they don't, and they are actively trying to sabotage your dreams, then you should leave them. And just because a marriage doesn't work out doesn't necessarily mean that either person is "bad" and I don’t feel like divorce necessarily represents a moral failure. We don't know the whole story behind Jess and Rivka's married life, but I would suspect - if not "arranged" exactly - I'm sure it was...encouraged by their parents. And as miserable as Jess is, he never once cheats on Rivka. He doesn't "fuck the most convenient lady." He turns Molly down - repeatedly. Would it have been better had he slept with a ton of groupies first? The relationships between Rivka and Molly are supposed to be analogous to his feelings about being a Cantor and a pop star. One represents tradition, while the other offers freedom. It is all about that push and pull. No one is "bad " in this scenario.

Ha! That's funny as I've never attended a church that didn't employ a full time music director. All the churches I've been to have been mid-sized, so I assume it would be similar for synagogues. If it's within their budget, and they wish to have one, then they'd have a full time Cantor. Here's a bit of info I found online from a year ago regarding the shortage of Cantor's in the Atlanta area. It does say that it's unusual not to have a Cantor onstaff, but not totally unheard of. It also gives a little more information regarding the duties of a professional Cantor. http://atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com/where-have-all-the-cantors-gone/

A Cantor would basically be the equivalent of a church's music director. His family has been doing it for (I think) five generations. That dude's whole life is music. He's also the "assistant Cantor" which means he makes essentially nothing (hence him living at home). I imagine it's a fulfilling job if it's your calling, but infinitely frustrating if you're being forced to do it against your will.

Triple, I'm writing this on a tablet so I can't really quote you point for point, but I get you for the most part. And this is where my not having finished the movie yet really hurts any argument I have. At this point, I've only seen the first night club scene and the show where he opens for the comedian. For the opening act bit, I would guess the band is provided by the promoter. Getting that gig is a big deal because it's a professional show, so I can see that being a house band of some sort. For the nightclub scene, I'm not sure. It could be - because she believed in him so hard - she's paying the band or calling in a favor. They might also be getting a cut of the door. He also made some new friends (e.g. the banjo player during the "just got fired hoedown") and maybe they're willing to play for free. I've certainly filled in for friends before. As for the packed house, I never got the impression he was headlining. Maybe those people are there to see Christopher Cross or something. And regarding the "nothing happens in two weeks" line, I didn't take it as the movie "not listening to itself." She already knew two weeks was a ridiculous time frame, but she's like, "Hey, you're here. Instead of packing it in, why not just give it a shot?" After two weeks, she's convinced of his talent and wants him to stay. Since he's feeling defeated - and guilty about his wife and father - she's just trying to convince him to stay just a little longer. Luckily, he gets the call. It's not a huge gig, but enough for him to postpone his departure. I don't know. This movie just didn't bother me. Diamond is pretty low energy, but I felt that was him a) not being an actor and b ) his character feeling the crush of responsibility. The only place he feels truly untethered is when he's onstage. But that's just my opinion. For all I know, since i haven't finished it, more insanity is to come (I'm not far, but with the holidays, I ran out of time)

(Full disclosure: I’ve not listened to the episode or finished the movie [yes, Letterboxd followers, I know I’ve already reviewed it]) Speaking also as a person who once tried his hand at a professional music career, I don’t have any problem with how the movie portrays his success. And if a kid really watched this movie and thought it was a blueprint for success, I’d think that kid was an idiot. As to some of your other points, we know his character has been singing, playing music, and writing songs his entire life. He’s a cantor. That’s literally his 9-5 job. So it’s not like he doesn’t have any talent, he just doesn’t have a support system at home to pursue the type of music he’d like to be playing. His “real musician friends” are making their careers off the back of the songs he’s writing. Yes, they make the connections in LA for him, but only because it’s his song they’re doing. He then meets a woman who’s worked her whole professional life in the music industry and is successful enough to be sitting in on a record session with one of the biggest rock stars in the world. So while she might not have all the “ins,” I’d hardly call her connections tenuous. As far as session musicians go, they are just that. They get paid by the studio, not the artist. The Wrecking Crew (whom Neil worked with extensively) were mostly jazz musicians, and would play music they didn’t really like for artists they didn’t particularly care for. Whether they were playing backup for Neil Diamond or Brian Wilson, they’re probably making the same amount of money for their time. As far as filling a club to capacity, didn’t Bubba get him that gig? Aren’t we told it’s one of the hottest clubs? I’ve never been, but if the place was something like the Whiskey a go go, it was going to be packed regardless. Was that a lucky break? Of course, but not unheard of. And I get that you don’t like Neil or his songs, but a lot of people do. I thought his live performances were great and I loved the songs. Ultimately, you’re right. A young musician shouldn’t watch this movie and think, “Oh, that’s easy” any more than you should watch Saved by the Bell and assume that’s what high school will be like. The fact of the matter is, aside from being a cantor, this movie very much mirrors Diamond’s real life journey. He was a Jewish kid who moved out to LA and wrote hits for other artists (“I’m a Believer” for The Monkees for one). He didn’t like how other artists’ interpreted his songs, and with the connections and clout he’d established, started recording his songs for himself. The Jazz Singer is basically his real life journey compressed into a few weeks, but it’s not too far off from what actually happened. And I’m sure it was a huge reason this project appealed to him. My point is: everyone’s journey is different. For some, things come right away; for others, it takes longer - if it happens at all. But I wouldn’t say his success is just dumb luck. Whether you like his music or not, he put in the work, he had the talent, and he made the connections. If someone is serious about their success, isn’t that all they can do?

Finally a Pride & Prejudice movie for people who have always pictured Mr. Darcy as a racist mound of flavorless jello. We watched:

Sorry! I should have included “Happy Thanksgiving!”

I'm sorry. I don't think I worded my response well . We weren't trying to suggest that it wasn't always offensive. SeaSkunk was just trying to pinpoint when Hollywood itself finally recognized it as being such.

Portraying a Black man was still being done as late as Soul Man (1986). And Fisher Stevens was playing an Indian man as late Short Circuit 2 (1988) I’m not sure if there are any later (non-ironic) examples.

Dumb double post...

The black face thing is what I meant by the opening scene, but after that, nothing really matched that moment in terms of craziness. At least, not for me. Especially when you compare it to other HDTGM movies.

Not so far, this seems to be a “Love on the Rocks” showcase (one of my least favs). However, the song he does in black face is pretty great... ETA: Hold the phone. They’re having an “I just got fired” hoedown. Things just got (moderately) more interesting.

Okay, Runaways is on hold while I watch The Jazz Singer. I’m only about a half an hour in and I’m not sure why this one got picked. Aside from that opening scene and Neil’s low energy, it hasn’t been all that crazy. I kind of like it so far. I guess my biggest question is he playing his part younger? If he’s supposed to be in his Twenties I can see where the movie is going, but at the time, Neil was pushing Forty. Even that’s not a huge deal, though.

I agree with you regarding Molly's age. It looks like they aged her up from 12 to 14 just so they could all go to the same school. I don't really have a problem with that, and it might seem like not a huge deal, but there's a huge difference in maturity between a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old. If they were going to make that change, then the way the character was written should really have reflected that. As it stands, she comes off a bit stunted. That being said, I do like the actress they chose. They just should have rewritten the part a bit. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR RUNAWAYS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

I'm Team "Darcy being American was a statement about America." I also don't think it really worked. I agree he should have probably been either Indian or British.

Runaways UPDATE: ‪Not super stoked by the use of xenophobia and racial stereotypes in the cold open to establish tension... Also, a relationship quibble. Don’t open if you’ve never read the comic and want to be surprised. Otherwise, everyone is really well cast, and it’s different enough from the comic that I’m not entirely sure what’s going to happen in the long run (although, I have my theories) Overall, I’m enjoying it much more than Punisher.

It looks like just the first three episodes right now...which is dumb. Get it together, Hulu! I like to binge my shows and move on with my life!

Um...Marvel’s Runaways premiers on Hulu tonight? Sorry, Punisher, I believe this is where you and I part ways...

Um, actually I think you’re 100% right

I think my biggest issue with this movie - aside from Darcy - is that I think I’m P&P’d out. Like a lot of the responses here, I felt like I was comparing it to other versions rather than judging it on its own merits. The Bollywood style was wonderful, but rather than be engrossed in the narrative, I was in my own head thinking “How are they going to portray Wickham?” or “This is when [such and such] happens...” So while I think it definitely tried to bring something fresh to the table, it never transcended above just rehashing the same story I’ve seen (done better) before. While I know I’m in the minority in liking it, even “& Zombies” managed to squeeze in a “some zombies are sentient and can pass for human” subplot that allowed for a modicum of suspense as to how it might end.

You’re right. I guess he did cut his teeth in that rumble with the Socs...

Same! I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the poster either. And when Mush-mouth showed up at the wedding, and knowing what I knew about Darcy - and hearing him complain about “Delhi Belly” - I was like “uh-oh...here we go.”

I also don’t think Ponyboy would fare quite that well against The Punisher. Stay gold.