THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD

Morgan Spurlock is fascinating and has brought attention to a number of issues that require more attention.  My attention was drawn to the concept of product placement in movies.  Barely acquainted with the notion it seems it was of greater import than I had assumed.  Money is a driver of activity.

This post was almost stopped at one point for some personal knowledge of Morgan, but in the end I decided this was too interesting and perhaps even important and should continue.  In fact I decided to check out two more of his documentaries.  More about the obstacle at the end

Morgan was trying to make the point that commercials pay for much of what we think is free.  He developed the idea of doing a movie and having it paid entirely by sponsors.  Easier said than done.  They approached ad agencies and even placement agencies and received total rejection.  There is a snippet showing one agency that accepted a pitch.  After these initial failures they decided to approach companies directly.  They developed customized pitches for each company demonstrating how they would use their product in the movie.  It took over 500 cold calls before they found their first sponsor  After that it was easier as no body wants to be the first to buy a new concept, but there is always somebody ready to join a bandwagon.

In the movie itself there was a lot of points about how movies are dependent on money.  Lots of movie ideas are killed because not enough money can be raised.  Iron Man2 held a record of over 30 product placements in a movie.

Morgan's crew traveled to one of their co-promoters, Hyatt Regency Hotels in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  He noted there were no ads on taxis, buses or buildings. Talking to Brazilians they were told merchants relied on word of mouth (and good products).

Ralph Nader (who promoted his books when filmed) and Noam Chomsky, among many others made comments and gave some advice.  Donald Trump said a few words about the importance of promoting yourself.  The film showed examples of how some movies did placements.

Schools have been beaten down by budgets and some find themselves looking to advertising to help support some educational efforts.   Demonstrates that tax payers do not value education as much as they claim.  More and more schools are co-operating with commercial interests to have enough money for a wide variety of tools.  Nothing is too sacred.

One of the commercials brought back some memories.  Mane N Tail is a well known horse product and at a trade show I met the inventor who created it at home  The company I worked for at the time Orange aPEEL developed a shampoo that at first was for dogs, but as the owners had horse connections it got tested among horse owners they knew.  It was added to my list of products and I remember going into one small town (Perth) and talking it up when I was interrupted by a manager who said she only sold horse shampoos that she would recommend for people as well.  I gave her a sample.  Phoning her back she was very enthused about it, but said she was closing up shop.  I told her where else in town she could buy it.  Then I lost contact, but another store in that same town reported an increase in sales.  The other store was aiming it at dog owners.  I and my wife got to trying it and loved it.  Unfortunately I no longer have access to it or I would recommend it for you.

While filming they had a goal of being ready for TIFF, but unfortunately they were delayed.  Ended up debuting at Sundance

"Super Size Me" was an earlier effort that attracted a lot of attention.  An experiment under some medical guidance.  He was to eat all meals provided by McDonald's with nothing else.  The movie got into other issues, notably obesity.  Schools were being forced to adopt fast food, but some rebelled.  One good example came from Appleton, Wisconsin where they demonstrated that diet and exercise can have a positive impact on academic studies.  Schools were finding their budgets cut and demands made for subject coverage that limited or even eliminated physical education.

All through Morgan was being measured for his medical response.  It was pointed out that few if any ate all their meals at McDonald's, but many ate several times a week.  Morgan was several times told to stop this experiment as it was having a very detrimental effect on his health.  He stuck it out and had a plan to get back to his normal health.

Eric Schloss, author of Fast Food Nation appeared in bonus features--consumers sucked in by flavor (chemistry/testing), industrial agriculture.  He pointed out that with industrial farms, manure is concentrated .  One of the forces behind fast food is tv which gets a lot of revenue from fast food ads.   In a previous blog I discussed mindless eating and mindful eating:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/mindless-eating-cf-mindful-eating.html  A nephew worked at McDonald's and will not eat there.

"Where in the World is Osama bin Laden"  concept originates as his wife becomes pregnant and is concerned about safety.  Osama bin Laden was portrayed as a great menace and was used as a tool to demonstrate fear.  He interviewed Muslims in different countries (Morocco, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan).  Many commented on how foreign money sent is wasted through corruption  

He was realistic in his coverage.  Americans had supported dictators around the world.  Americans had displaced an elected Iranian Prime Minister and replaced with a dictator.  After the Iranian Revolution that replaced the Shah, Americans befriended Sadam Hussain, dictator of Iraq.  It was also pointed that much of the American financial aid was sidelined by corruption.   Read an earlier blog on that issue:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/07/thieves-of-state.html

In his travels he found Saudi Arabians and Israeli Orthodox Jews the most difficult to reason with. Morgan did agree that the problem wasn't just Osama Bin Laden as he would be replaced with others who felt the same antagonism against America.  Unfortunately when the movie came out there were few Americans willing to consider the humanity of the "other," especially Muslims.  This is perhaps another example of IMDB ratings being affected by political concerns.

Morgan Spurlock confessed in 2017 to being  a sex predator including being accused of rape, settling a sexual harassment lawsuit and cheating on his two wives.  I don't want to associate myself with Harvey Weinstein, but it wasn't so much a degree of difference as a degree of self awareness.  I am reminded of Jimmy Carter confessing lusting in his heart.  I confess that I read it in the original Playboy format as a young person.  It hurt him with some of his supporters but struck me as being honest.  Jimmy and Morgan recognized a human failing that has caused a lot of harm, much of which is not even consciously appreciated.  The three documentary films I have seen and I suspect many of his others are real mind openers.  Apparently Morgan may be another victim of his own indiscretions.

 Some of my thoughts on sexual consent:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/09/sexual-consent.html

2018 Winter Paralympics a triumph for all people

Stephen Hawking died during the Paralympics (March 14, 2018), but left us with some inspiring words he spoke during the 2012 Paralympics Opening Ceremony held in London.  "We are all different there is no such thing as a standard or run of the mill human being, but we share the same human spirit.  Look up at the stars and not down at your feet."  Another quote, "However difficult life may seem there is always something you can do and succeed at"

Hawking was given a devastating diagnosis, as a young man, but he persisted and with modern adaptations was able to give greater understanding to our universe.  Given a chance and modern technology many people have adapted to a wide variety of disabilities.

I watched the Paramerican games when held in Ontario.   Snow and ice  add an increment of difficulty that those who live in northern climates have to make adjustments to (and enjoy).  Maintaining balance under slippery conditions requires skill and initially courage.

The sight of amputated limbs makes one uncomfortable, but one can get used to it.  Prosthetic limbs are becoming more normal.  Mankind has gradually and unevenly accepted  different races, both sexes and even sexual orientation.  The disabled are also humans with untapped potential waiting to make a greater contribution.

To make for a competitive contest requires classifications.   There can be endless discussions about how one amputation is more of a handicap than another, but international authorities have settled on criteria.  Even a sleight disability needs to be given an opportunity.  In some activities the visually impaired are given an opportunity to compete with the aid of guides.  They have categories for standing and sitting skiing.  In the future there are apt to be more classifications and opportunities for everyone to compete.

The American flag bearer, for the Opening Ceremony, Mike Schultz was a champion snowmobile racer until an accident took off one of his legs above the knee.  On a radio interview he recalled walking without a prosthetic device with his daughter and tripping.  He was forced to throw her to a nearby couch, but realized he needed to do more.  He ended up engineering his own prosthetic leg and set up a business.  One of his customers suggested he try snowboarding which he did, becoming a major champion.  He not only made a difficult adjustment for himself, but also for other people making them not only more independent, but also more productive.

The American flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony, Oksana Mastters also has an interesting story. She was born in Ukraine after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and suffered several birth defects that resulted in amputation on both legs and surgery on one of her hands to give her a thumb.  She had been abandoned in an orphanage and was adopted by an American woman who bought her to States.  Oksana got involved in rowing, cycling and later skiing.  She won medals in all sports, but finally got her gold in skiing.

Canadian ambitions always come back to hockey.  The final gold medal game was as exciting as any with the Canadians on top for most of the game, but banging the goal post on an empty net as the Americans desperately tried to tie up the game.  In the losing seconds of regulation time they did tie the game and won in overtime.  It has been hard for Canadians to accept that we aren't always the best in our chosen sport, but it shows our gift to the world

Wondering where the women were scheduled for sledge hockey I learned that there was no program for women, but that the organizing committee had decided to eliminate women and change to a mixed, but apparently no women took part.  Likely this boils down to numbers in that there weren't enough women who were qualified and desired to participate.  Maybe that is not altogether a bad thing, but likely the problem was not that there were enough disabled women, but that there wasn't enough interest.  The Paralympic movement has encouraged many disabled people to get more physically (and socially) active and will undoubtedly with the increasing success of their events the situation will improve for the disabled including more opportunities for women.

The original Olympics were also about the arts.  The Koreans have used their economic success to help spread their culture and have their culture contribute to their success.  For a few years I have enjoyed a few Korean cultural gifts--food, music and movies.   (see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/a-slice-of-korean-cinema.html ). The Paralympics brought us all some music and dance.  The deaf have their own interaction games, but the Paralympics gave a platform for some hearing impaired to demonstrate a dance.   Highlighted a performance of Bae Hui Gwan Band which included several members with different forms of disability.  Their leader was invited by major Korean pop star Ailee to take a spotlight and perform a duet.

Adam Hall from New Zealand and Sini Pyy from Finland were celebrated for best exemplifying the Paralympic value and spirit.

The Paralympics isn't just about the athletes, it is for all of us.  You can find old fashioned competitive fun, but you can also find inspiration that you too can overcome difficulties.  I remember a boss who sometimes steered me to view someone severely handicapped and asked me if I had any problems.  It made my problems seem pretty petty.  The Olympic movement for all its critics offers the world a platform to express international goodwill, the pursuit of excellence and a chance to display the humanity of us all.

Evaluating negative movie reviews

A lot of us like to check out a few reviews before we actually buy a movie ticket or a DVD and a negative review can cause us to move to another option.  The negative review can come from a media source, a rating site such as IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes or an acquaintance.  Ironically I have found negative reviews sometimes motivate me to watch a movie that mostly turned out satisfying.  Why?

We all have expectations and all too often they are not met.  But the key is our expectations are not all the same.  Some crave happy endings and will be disappointed obviously with a sad ending, or even one that is ambiguous.  Some crave adrenaline pumping action and become bored without it.  Other groups crave explicit sex or romance and will begrudge being teased.  Of course there are increments for these issues and sometimes your comfort level might be stretched a bit.

Mood effects everyone.   Maybe they had a bad day or maybe they were overly exuberant.  Of course movies are supposed to take your mind off of reality and often it does work that way.

Political overtures can of course include actual election political issues, but can tie into whatever group an individual identifies with.  For instance, a union worker, a health care worker, older/younger, different heritages, biker,  church member, etc.  Al Gore's movies attract a lot of opposition that is usually something to be dismissed.

"An Inconvenient Sequel" has suffered from a politically tinged populace who want to minimize its message.  Out of ten stars many IMDB voters chose one.  Much of what was predicted in the first one has become more obvious.

"Miss Sloane" had good reviews, but probably was boycotted by a lot of people reducing its distribution.  Not so much a part of its plot but essential was a gun control theme as a sort of tool of the plot.  It required something controversial, but if you thought they took the wrong side you wouldn't want others to watch it (and be contaminated).  I took the script side, but have occasionally seen movies that didn't agree with my political philosophy, but if well done could be appreciated.  For more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/09/miss-sloan-under-rated-movie.html


"A Ghost Story" created a wide range of views.   One viewer's boring is another's profoundness.  Critics as aggregated at Rotten Tomatoes loved it, but much of the audience had less enthusiasm.  Many complained it was slow moving or pretentious.  IMDB voters were overwhelming negative.  This may make many viewers side against the critics, but may have been tempered by their viewing more movies than the average person sees and reading more about them.  Read what they have to say as it might hit a nerve or might reinforce your opinion of critics. This movie can mainly be enjoyed for its philosophy and psychology, but you do not have to accept the path the director has pushed; you can veer off in another direction.  The phrase I would choose is thought provoking.  If you are looking for action or a satisfying traditional romance this is not it.

"Thanks for your Service" got an ok rating, but seemed downgraded by too many viewers with expectations of more battle scenes and disappointed with the human drama of PTSD.  The trailer helped set up expectations, a common enough effort.  But the movie had a message and it also had a plot.  Sitting comfortably in our chairs we may pay obeisance to the flag, but mostly unaware of the feelings of returning combat soldiers.

Many people are sticklers for historical authenticity.  This can be a tricky one as the true facts (and dialogue) are often not really known.  On the other hand historical facts are often distorted for dramatic effect.  Do you demand it, or looking for a feeling.  Several years ago I heard a lot of positive hype for a movie about Rubin Carter who had overcome injustices to become a boxing champion.   It interested me and friends were recommending it,  however I heard a radio commentator saying there were a lot of inaccuracies in it and that he was not such an admirable character as portrayed by Denzel Washington.  At the time I felt the historical inaccuracies were offensive and refused to see it. Now I feel I might have enjoyed it.

Subtitles turn too many people off.  They might be poorly written or executed which can impede enjoyment of movie or cause you to miss a subtlety.  On the other hand don't let subtitles be a barrier   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/09/do-subtitles-scare-you-who-knows-what.html  There is literally a much bigger world out there.

"Ki and Ka"  also had discouraging low ratings.  From Bollywood I have come to expect a traditional male dominant culture.  This movie had a very strong (but humorous) feminist theme.  Not an award winning movie, but worth watching and enjoyable if you don't have any hangups.

"Crooked Arrows" had a personal interest angle for me.  I was interested in lacrosse and native cultures.   I reserved it and then changed my mind after seeing bad reviews.  Later, looking for a time filler I gave it another opportunity.  It was a low budget sports plot--but had an appreciation of native American culture.  Check my blog:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/crooked-arrows-brings-back-memories-of.html   Bottom line don't deny yourself a similar experience but allow that maybe some movies can spoil your memories.

Movies have so many different aspects that most of us most of the time focus on only a few.  I have found otherwise inferior movies a great source of music or sometimes cinematography or even costumes.  Develop an appreciation of different factors involved in a film and you will get more out of good and bad movies.


Many watch a favorite movie star  and can be disappointed if their favorite has only a cameo or a role out of character.  Producers can predict profits if a big draw actor makes an appearance.  Actors are often looking to demonstrate versatility so they can obtain more roles.

Of course it is not only the opinions of the experts, but also of your friends.  Over a period of time one gets a feeling for the attitude of a reviewer.  With a personal acquaintance whether a close personal friend or someone at work or a neighbor you have a good idea of how they value things.  Of course in all instances if you haven't seen the movie you can only guess how suitable the movie is for your disposition.

I am no different.  Like all other movie viewers I bring my expectations and my understanding to each movie.  Maybe I should add that like others my attention is not always constant.  In other words I don't see things quite the same as you.  Hopefully my insights and reactions will overlap a bit with you and you can judge whether or not you want to pursue any further using my words as a guide.

If you can steer these sorts of factors into your evaluation you might benefit from reading more reviews.  What you are looking for and what you can appreciate are unique.  You can usually find a review to rationalize what you want to do or not do.

GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER

Self improvement advice is easy to buy and some of it has set readers on a better path.  "get your SH*T" together" is perhaps written for a younger generation, but might be the nudge that an older reader might need.  The advice is not incompatible with much of what is available,  just the presentation is different.   This might be what you need, or it might just reinforce your other efforts.

What will get your attention on the cover is the use of profanity. There is a lot more swearing  (without astericks) on most pages.  In some ways it is colloquial and used by a wide range of classes and ages.  More educated people expect advice to be more refined, however those who understand the street language might be more responsive.  For the rest of us snobs the important goal might be to get our attention, but really we understand the language.

Profanity has been a part of my life from early days.  I suspect to some degree most people indulge in it, but don't feel comfortable in many situations.  Of course that is changing on all fronts.  I have a a nephew with his own business who talks in a similar manner to the author.  For several years I have worked in an ad agency and have been struck how their creativity is often expressed.  Profanity lends itself to creativity and much of their best ideas don't reach the drawing board.  My attitude in an earlier blog:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/10/swearing-over-years.html

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, we can consider the advice.  Sarah sees that people, her readers, need to identify what they want and then uses three actions to obtain it: strategize, focus and commit, symbolized by key, phone and wallet.  A key is to prioritize and she boils the list of things you want to do down to the list of things you must do involving clarification of what is really important to you.  Then you strategize the best method forward, in small manageable chunks.  Focus refers to the necessity of setting aside enough time to accomplish.  Commitment means the determination to overcome all obstacles.

Her metaphors of key, phone and wallet are easily understood by today's generations, including a good chunk of baby boomers

Often negative thinking can be useful.  Sometimes it is easier to decide what you don't want than on what you do want.  An example might be you don't want to be fat.

She tackles such problems as saving money, managing time, clearing out emails, developing or discarding relationships and deciding on your priorities.

A few of her suggestions struck me as common sense, but ones we might need reminding on.

Ask what you have to do to get what you want.  Avoiding uncomfortable conversations delays resolution.  She gives a personal example of trying to deal with bulimia and finally asking her mom for help.  Maybe not surprisingly, her mother provided sympathy and also the necessary hard support.

Happiness is a goal in and of itself.  Happiness is different for each person  after you do what you must do then work towards what you want--after all that is what motivates you  Don't be self-righteous regarding recovered drug addicts, born agains, health food fanatics who love to tell everyone how much better they are now.  And they are better off.  You can be too and choose what you want in the end.

"Brevity is the soul of wit" borrowed from Shakespeare.

Perfectionism can prevent you from doing something else instead.

One of the superficial differences Sarah has with a favorite mentor of mine, Stephen R. Covey is to do with urgency.  With Sarah, urgent matters are put on her must do list.  Stephen spends a lot of time emphasizing how important it is to do important things so that you can over time minimize urgent but unimportant matters.  Nonetheless both advisors realize really urgent matters must be attended to.  If you don't take care of urgent matters the problems will get worse.  To learn more about Stephen R. Covey check: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/stephen-r-covey-pointed-way.html

Acknowledgements are sometimes interesting and give their own insights.  While writing this book she and her husband had temporarily moved from their Caribbean home back to New York to finish up business.  Sarah acknowledges many friends and relatives helped provide accommodation and other support.  I should acknowledge that I became aware of this book by a Facebook posting of my sister Jennifer.  Of course there are lots of people who contribute to any book and she is gracious and humorous in her appreciation.

To get more provocative creative insights you can visit her website:  http://sarahknightbooks.com 

Winter Olympics 2018

In truth my Olympic enthusiasm has worn down over the past years, but still once it occurs something stirs.  Some of the reasons for less excitement are commercialization, too many events to track and perhaps my kids are not pushing me.  The circus atmosphere has some advantages, but can also be tiresome.  Drug use has also disillusioned me.  Ben Johnson lost a gold medal but I have read that all the other runners in the same race had used drugs.

My enthusiasm started as a 12 year old.  I consciously remember the 1960 Olympics in Rome where I cut out newspaper clippings and watched a few delayed tapes.  Over the years watched and then taped television coverage, sometimes even including the unique tv commercials.  Both my kids seemed to enjoy it as well.  This year I slid over the first week, but in the 2nd week my interest picked up, but realized I had missed many outstanding moments.

Canadians get a chance to watch more Olympics on tv. as the CBC put out over 10 hours per day and worked out an agreement with other networks so that pretty much all events could be covered.  This coverage makes at least Canadians more aware that we live in a big world with many time zones.   Complaints were common that it was so difficult to see some events (especially if you have to work the next day).  With the internet it was difficult to avoid spoilers which actually spoil experience for some would be viewers.  There is a trade off between live and taped.  We all love to watch winners whether we saw it live or on tape.  In some ways I prefer the hi-lites.

Politics is always intrusive.  North Korea conducted a charm offensive after a few months of playing nuclear brinkmanship.  Mike Pence seemed very distant from the North Korean leader's photogenic sister, but claims he had a meeting with North Koreans that they cancelled.  It was also disclosed that the vice president insisted that the North Koreans must abandon their nuclear weapons totally  Koreans took pride in their accomplishments and wanted to show off.  They did impress technologically.  They made an effort to develop athletes building on success with short track skating. A surprise was their women's curling team that drew a lot of attention and won a silver medal.   Ivanka Trump sent to offset the North Koreans and probably left a better impression than Mike Pence.

The coach Canadian Sarah Murray, of the Korean women's team found herself in the midst of Korean  global diplomacy when North Koreans became part of a deal and she had some North Korean players added to her roster.  A North Korean figure skating pair drew a lot of positive attention but were marginal contenders.

There has been an effort to clean up drug abuse and one of my Facebook friends, Akaaj Makaraj has been part of the action.  Forcing Russia out got a lot of attention.  A sense of fairness is critical to appreciating sports.  Mixed feelings as Russians (like NHL Players) give the games excitement as far as quality is concerned.  Of course the top Russian players actually played to an ice hockey gold medal, but under a different banner.  A drug tainted event diminishes credibility.

Gay athletes made a statement.  Adam Rippon made a point of not wanting to shake hands with Mike Pence.  Many people don't know any gays and thus buy into stereotypes and prejudice, however when they represent your country and win it is hard to maintain the same level of prejudice

Climate change forced some adjustments.  Cold, but not enough snow.  Artificial snow to the rescue.  Caught some wind mills in the background.  Also saw some athletes with short sleeves and even shorts in bobsleigh runs.

The NHL took a risk and offended fans and the players union by blocking involvement of their players.   But they missed an opportunity when one thinks of the World Cup which assures the fans who is the best in the world.  Undoubtedly they will be paying attention to the technology.  When the referee blows their whistle it is digitally connected to stop clock.  Seconds do count, but fans also like to be assured nobody gained an unfair advantage.  Parity is happening with men, but with women it is still mainly the United States and Canada, although other nations are closing the gap.  Germans were the big surprise, but most of their players had basic training in Canada.  I understand that they have a well developed domestic league that likely will now draw more participation.  Marginal professional players actually opened up opportunities for the non traditional countries

Curling, not something I think about, but covered quite a bit.  Parity is occurring at the expense of Canadians.  Mixed doubles not seen except in hi-lites seems like a good idea.

I watched Facebook friend, Jesse Lumsden competing finishing 7th in two man bobsled and I believe 4th in the four man event.  I caught his father, Neil who I used to work with in the crowd.

Virtue and Moir Canada's favorite couple who are not a couple.  They certainly pair very well together.  Meagan Duhamel helped win a gold and a bronze for Canada, but also took time to rescue Korean dogs headed for the slaughter house.  Her pairs partner Eric Radford became the first openly gay man to win a gold medal (in the team figure skating contest).

Always in the Olympics there are lots of stories.  The ecstasy of victory and the agony of defeat are on full display.  Expectations are key.  Some are just glad to be there and perhaps achieve a personal best.  A Facebook friend was disappointed with a Canadian women's reaction to losing a very  tight game.  He is right it is far easier to be classy when you win, but more critical when you lose.  Still us armchair quarterbacks have not put in the effort required to even be there.  The original Olympics of 1896 were conceived as a sort of amateur gentleman's contest valuing sportsmanship and fitness. Hopefully we have not totally lost sportsmanship along with amateurism.  Canadian hockey teams have had very high expectations and have been known to resent even having to play for a bronze medal.  This year the Canadian men fought hard to earn a bronze medal and it could be argued that some flukey mishaps stopped them for contesting for the gold.

The Skate Gala is always a hi-lite for me.  The skaters are not competing and can make a statement.  Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir did a tribute to Canadian icon Gord Downey for their last Olympic skate.  A Spanaird and an Italian did humorous skits.  I missed the pairs contest in the first week, but saw very impressive medal winners in all divisions at the gala.  Both Japanese men were impressive, but the most impressive skater for me was Yazuru Hanyu.  Figure skating has been criticized for being more art than athletics, but all sports combine both elements  Two of my favorite artists remain Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky.

In the end I did get a lot of enjoyment out these Olympics, but regret I didn't pay more attention at the beginning.  If they don't add too many new sports I will be able to appreciate their artistry more next time around.  I saw only parts of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, but felt Koreans really do know how to put on a show.  I added a bit to my K-Pop collection.

A previous blog on the 2016 Olympics:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/09/olympic-impressions-for-2016.html

Music and Movies Part one

Movies are really just stories with lots of tools that are used to engage the viewers.  Music is very effective in setting the mood whether scary, action, romantic or sad.  Pumping the viewer up or calming them down.  Sometimes you can be very conscious of a beautiful melody or performance, but often you barely notice the background music.  Of course songs are what are most often remembered.

This post was delayed so I could watch "Score" and that was a good choice.   Some new music was discovered and some deeper understanding found.  The background music is more than just memorable melodies.  It helps set the mood.  One example was that by playing up or down musical scales it could subtly mimic the actions of the actors.  Many little bits could prepare the audience for action.  Another example was from the shower stabbing scene in "Psycho" when they originally played it without sound, and then adding the screeching violins of Bernard Hermann and greatly enhanced the scary element.

As always researching for these blogs helps me discover new things that make the effort personally worthwhile.  Some of the knowledge is spread around the blog and may or may not be recognized, but two movies struck me.  I had seen and enjoyed "Gladiator,"  but couldn't recall anything special about the music  Hans Zimmer working with others inserted one song that I have bought and enjoy listening to.

"Another one was Remember the Titans" (2000).  The theme was used for an Obama rally which by itself is of interest.  I was able to watch the movie which is engrossing.  Great music helps enhance great movies while at other times salvages not so memorable movies.

Just as scripts are classed as original or adapted, music can be broken down to original and borrowed.   Borrowing generally means using already established music.  My favorite classical borrowings are the Mozart No 21 Piano concert which is better known in some circles as a theme from "Elvira Madigan" and Ravel's Bolero in "10." Another famous borrowing was Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" used in "Apocaplypse."  It is cheaper to use long dead composers and it can leave a classic touch.  "Casablanca" used "As Time Goes By" that had been written 12 years before raising it from obscurity to become an overnight standard..

For many of my era the consciousness of music and stories first came from the Walt Disney studio.

Frank Churchill started by playing piano in film theatres and then doing short films for the Disney studio including the song "Whose Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf."  Moving onto feature films, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"was a major gamble for Disney, but proved a spectacular success. (1937)  Later Frank worked on "Bambi" (1942) and winning an Oscar for "Dumbo" in 1942. Unfortunately he killed himself in 1942

Lee Harline was musically responsible for "Pinochio,"and "Sleeping Beauty.  As an adult I watched "The Fox and the Hound" with my young daughter.

"The Lady and the Tramp" had Peggy Lee (an adult favorite)  co-writing some of the songs.  As a young man I really enjoyed her singing, particularly her phrasing.

Perhaps the most accepted Disney composers were Robert Sherman and his brother Richard.  They wrote a song, "Tall Paul" that was sung by Annette Funicello and got the attention of the Disney Studio.  As a team they wrote songs and music for such films as "The Parent Trap" (1961), "Mary Poppins" (1964) winning two Oscars.  Their most famous song was "It's a Small World After All," written for the World's Fair of 1964  "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins was Walt Disney's favorite song and was requested when he felt depressed.

"The Wizard of Oz" (1939) was one of the greatest films ever made.  It was a very big deal when it appeared on tv as it was rare.  The composer, Harold Arlen was really a song writer, one of the most successful of his time.  He wrote for Broadway and for the Harlem Cotton Club and lots of his songs made it into movies, even to recent times.  His lyricist E. Y. Harburg was clever.  One line will serve as an example (not from The Wizard of Oz) "when I'm not facing the face I fancy I fancy the face I face."  He was blacklisted.  One of his best known songs, "Brother Can you Spare a Dime."

Lyrics is another fascinating topic, but too much for this blog post.  The big question is what comes first, the music or the words?  It depends.

In my formative years musicals were fairly popular on tv in North America.  Gradually they became less popular and were considered unrealistic.  Many were adapted from Broadway, but also original.

Irving Berlin composed for "White Christmas," "Easter Parade,"and "Holiday Inn."

Richard Rogers, composed and formed partnerships with lyricists Lorenz Hart, and Oscar Hammerstein.  Some of my favorite musicals included  "South Pacific, "" Flower Drum Song,","The King and I", and "Carousel,"   "Sound of Music" and "Oklahoma,," were also very popular, but not seen by me, although much of the music was familiar.

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe collaborated for a number of Broadway musicals that were adapted for the screen.  I had never seen most of the movies, but was very familiar with some of the music.  I vaguely remember seeing "Brigadoon" and had seen "Paint Your Wagons," but not the more familiar, "My Fair Lady", "Gigi" (written for film) and "Camelot."  Frederick Lowe was born in Berlin with an operetta singing father.  Frederick learned to play the piano by ear and helped his father rehearse.   At age 13 he played solo piano with the Berlin Philharmonic.  After his parents migrated to the United States (they were Jewish) Frederick played piano in silent film theatres.  Meeting Alan Jay Lerner proved to be a key to his future.

George Gershwin wrote "Porgy and Bess," for which I had seen on tv fairly young and later on a high school trip on stage.

Leonard Bernstein is a name I associated with classical music and had seen him perform and talk on tv.   Long familiar with the songs from West Side Story,  I recently saw it for the first time and although dated, one can appreciate trend setting.   He also wrote music for "Girl Crazy."

Andrew Lloyd Weber is still active, but has a lot of laurels to rest on.  Evita, "Phantom of the Opera" (saw the play), "Jesus Christ Superstar" were a few of his film adaptations.

"La La Land" was a successful attempt to show musicals can still draw fans.   But to me it was not outstanding.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a classically trained musician and composer and had written "serious" music before coming to America.  His family fled Europe as Hitler was annexing Austria.  He had been asked to arrange some Medelssohn's music for "A Midnight Summers Dream."  He was approached to compose music for "Captain Blood," (1935) shortly before its deadline, but he could only manage about one hour of music and supplemented the rest with Franz Schubert.  He requested that his credits be "Musical Arrangement by Erich Wolfgang Korngold."  He later won an Oscar for "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) and was nominated for "The Sea Hawk"  and "The Private lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939).

Korngold was one of the first to write motifs for each of the leading characters.  Hugo Friedhofer noted, "He was the first to write film music in long lines, flowing chunks that contained the ebb and flow of mood and activity and the feeling of the picture.  Korngold often played a piano alongside a projectionist running the film.

Hugo Friedhofer helped fill in a missing piece of the musical puzzle.  Although in later life he was a successful recognized composer initially he was valued for his ability to orchestrate, that is fill in the bare composition with more instruments.  Learned to play the cello at age 13.  He dropped out of high school and married at age 22 but found work playing in theater orchestras and later making incidental music for stage and films.  Through a violinist friend he made contact with film studios and ended up orchestrating for both Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, with whom he spoke German.  He was so valued as an orchestrater that he was not allowed to compose.  In fact he did compose for 120 films without credit, but once he broke his attachments he received 7 Oscar nominations for scores including for "The Best Years of Our Lives" in 1946.

Elmer Bernstein was a protege of Aaron Copland and during World War II arranged some musical numbers for Glenn Miller.  He made a mark with "The Man with a Golden Arm" (1955 with its jazzy score earning an Oscar nomination.  He is most famous for "The Magnificent Seven" (1961) that was re-worked to be included in a remake in 2010.   Some other notable films included "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962) and "The Great Escape" (1963).  Not related to Leonard Bernstein, although they knew each other.

Bernard Herrmann had an abrasive personality which many thought hurt his Oscar chances, but he did win one for "The Devil and Daniel Webster" in 1942.  He had written for Orson Welles including the infamous radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds" in 1938.  He got to write the music for "Citizen Kane" (1941) which always ranks as one of the best movies ever.  One of his most famous bits of music was after Alfred Hitchcock declared he wanted no music for the shower scene in "Psycho," but Hermann was able to be more effective with music.   He did 9 films with Hitchcock, including "Vertigo" once declared best movie ever.  Hermann's favorite work was with "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," (1947).  His last film was "Taxi" and he died a few hours after completing.  Hermann insisted on doing his own orchestration.  He also introduced new instrumentation such as for "The Day the World Stood Still."

Dmitri Tiomkin's  Guns of Navarone (1961) was perhaps my first acquaintance with his music, and led me to buy a record album of movie themes.  Some others I recall "Alamo"--one that I enjoyed the music for "Unforgiven," but didn't see the movie for several decades.  He won an Oscar for "High Noon" (1952).   He helped with a Russian production of "Tchaikovsky."

Henry Mancini played the flute and sent an arrangement to Benny Goodman which resulted in a job offer.  During the war he was assigned to a band unit which probably saved his life as his original unit was wiped out during the Battle of the Bulge.  After World War II he joined the Glenn Miller Band.  He arranged music for "The Glenn Miller Story"  and in 1952 wrote music for "Abbott and Costello Meet Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde."  I was fascinated by "The Great Imposter" which he wrote the music for and inspired by the theme bought another album of movie themes.  Hatari, Moon River,--Sunflower (Italian/Russian).  He won Oscars for "Victor Victoria" (1982) and "Days of Wine and Roses," and Breakfast at Tiffany's" as well as 18 nominations  He was noted for injecting some jazz in the background.

John Barry, an English man got a break teaming up with pop star Adam Faith who got into movies.  Once there he got noticed and was asked to arrange music for "Dr No" and eventually he tallied 11 James Bond scores.  Altogether he won 5 Oscars, for "Born Free" (2), "Dances with Wolves," and "Lion in Winter."

Jerry Goldsmith wrote scores for a number of movies, including "Chinatown,"  I learned that for "Hoosiers" he added in sounds mimicking the sound of multiple basketballs being bounced as if in a practice.

John Williams favored by Steven Spielberg.  "Jaws' was a popular movie.  At that time I lived over a movie theatre and when having a bath it was unnerving to hear the surging part.  Superman, E.T. Jurassic Park,  He started as a musician and played the piano for movies.  He also was involved as an arranger.  One of his early successes was with "Jaws" which helped cement a relationship with Steven Spielberg and extended to George Lukas.  "The Book Thief."

Philip Glass is considered a classical composer, but has gotten involved with many movies.  While in Paris he transcribed music from Ravi Shankar for a French film.  Later studied music from India and parts of Africa.  He has a style that is easy to recognize such as  "The Hours" (2002).   He was nominated for an Oscar for  "Notes on a Scandal" (2002).  He did music for two Russian films, "Leviathan" (2014) and "Elena" (2011).  Also did music for "The Fog of War" (2003) and "Kundun" (1997).



Hans Zimmer,  German born as a young man was seen in a video ""Video killed the Radio Star"  He was a pioneer integrating electronic music with traditional orchestral arrangement.  "Gladiator" and   "Blade Runner 2049" are only two of his works.

Paul Zaza is a movie composer who I happened to meet through my in-laws.   Connection was a younger sister, Jennifer got used an extra for "Meatballs" and then research uncovered that actually Elmer Bernstein wrote the music for this while Paul wrote the music for Meatballs 3.  Related thru marriage to my wife's late step father Paul was lucky that at age 4 his musical talent was recognized and he was enrolled in piano lessons at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.  As a musician, toured with "Hair" and the Fifth Dimension.  Setting up a music studio he was able to help rectify an unsatisfactory movie score and subsequently did over a hundred scores, some winning awards.   Many of them were horror movies such as "Prom Night"

Part 2 is now available:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/05/movies-and-music-part-2.html

HILLARY CLINTON'S "WHAT HAPPENED"

At first her book was to be avoided.  It was too self-serving.  However as time marches on some commentators have praised her for her astute political observations.  I have blogged about her before and believe she has been a target of unfair vicious criticism.  Far from perfect, but one must realize it takes a strong personal drive to weather the many obstacles to the presidency.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/08/hilary-clinton-republican-target.html

The political process is structured, yet for most of us it is full of mystery.  She helps unravel some of it.  There was no one factor that did her in, but more a series of factors that chipped away at what was once a formidable lead.  She freely admits she has her share of flaws and in some cases itemizes her mistakes.

One thinks of America as one of the most free countries in the world, yet it falters in comparison  to many others regarding its treatment of women. Part seems to be the evangelical elements that feel strongly that a women's role is in the home.  Bill Clinton lost his first attempt to be Governor of Arkansas and some attributed it to Hillary maintaining her maiden name.  For his next and successful attempt she added Clinton to her name.  To many she seemed an uppity woman and was constantly criticized.

Press coverage seemed  to emphasize negatives, particularly the email "scandal" that really wasn't.  lt should have been a minor concern considering how many Republicans had a poor history in this area including George W Bush, Mitt Romney, even Mike Pence.  Donald Trump truly had some outstanding scandals.  Trump University and his Atlantic City fiasco really showed what he thought of the common working man.  What he thought of women was captured for all to hear and he still faces accusations of over a dozen women.

Bernie Sanders was my preferred candidate, but I can appreciate that he was not as practical as Hillary.  I preferred his plans on the Israeli Palestinian conflict where most American politicians are biased.  It seemed rigged against Bernie as if  Hillary was pre ordained.  Bernie who did draw large crowds still needed the public to get more familiar with him.  He did not get the coverage that other established candidates did.  Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were well known personalities. Although Bernie did what he could to boost Hillary after he lost to her it seems likely there was some resentment that caused some to look for a third candidate, not vote at all or even vote for the Republicans.

A lot of issues raised about the unfairness of the process which I agree with.  How can the Republicans screw people and make it seem like the Democrats did it?  George Lakoff has in my opinion a more robust way of dealing with the Republicans.  I can only imagine there must be some personal animus against him as his ideas are not controversial or difficult.  The only reference to him in the book is a sexist remark he once made.  Get more perspective at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/07/george-lakoff-wants-to-reform.html

Conservatives realize their true agenda has little appeal to most voters.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/10/social-conservatism-is-pivotal.html  For many the election is about one issue--abortion, or it might be acceptance (or not) of homosexuals, or it might be gun rights.  The National Rifle Association ganged up on Hillary stating that she planned to replace Second Amendment rights which was false, but scary to many.

After the book was published in September of 2017 we learn something almost every day how the Russians meddled in the election.  Donald Trump has a long history of dealing with Russians and his one attempt to alter the Republican platform was to diminish sanctions against the Russians.  Maybe he really thought that was the way to peace and was just overly sensitive that he didn't win the election on his own merits, but that stretches credibility.  The Russians helped dig up dirt or at least what could be spun as dirt, amplified false information and targeted information where it would have the most impact.  When Obama wanted to alert the American public to Russian meddling, Mitch McConnell threatened to sabotage the effort.

Hillary studied early voting states vs one day only voting plus polls to prove what a devastating effect Comey's press conference had.  All the polls had her winning right up until his announcement that further investigation was about to be conducted.  Those who voted early voted for her while those who voted later steered towards Trump or third party candidates.  Trump's campaign was being investigated, but that was not publicized.  Although Trump is accusing the F.B.I. of favoring Democrats, the truth appears the opposite.

The Electoral College presents a challenge.  You don't have to get the most votes, but get the most electoral votes.  By itself this distorts all campaigns, but everyone has the same rules.  Hillary argues that she did put in an honest effort (based on poll results) in the three states, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that made the difference.  In each of the states a third party candidate drew enough votes to allow Donald Trump to win.

Voter suppression was another very significant factor.  Voting rights were loosened in 2013 with the John Roberts led Supreme Court.  14 states added restrictions including not only new identification requirements, but also cutting early voting days.  In the states with new voting restrictions turnout decreased by 1.7%,whereas in other states turnout actually increased by 1.3%.

Although issues were significant Hillary notes that the best predictor of a Trump voter was someone who resented Mexicans, blacks or Muslims.  She was thinking of that when she said her infamous statement about "deplorables." She admits that others who favored some Republican policies but did not see themselves as bigots were resentful.  Still she admits it hurts that people preferred to vote for Trump or seek a third party alternative.  After all he has a history of racism, misogyny, that was well known.  So if voters didn't sympathize with Trump's views they at least accepted them.

Hillary's book doesn't tell the whole story, but voters would be foolish not to recognize the many truths.  She doesn't spare herself.  I am glad I overcame my initial reluctance to read the book. America is stuck with a very bad decision and although not enough realize it, things will have to change if America is to be the country that used to be respected and admired by most of the world. She tried to have serious discussions on policies while Trump was more comfortable with hyperbole, insults, and even threats.