Fish Frye Opens for The New Standards

Fish Frye, the official band of Sounds of Cinema, will be playing at the Red Sky Lounge in Mankato, Minnesota on Friday, May 29th as the opening act for The New Standards. The show starts at 7pm and is open to anyone over twenty-one years old. If you are in the area, please check it out.

Five Year Anniversary

As of this weekend, Sounds of Cinema (counting its earlier incarnation as Maverick at the Movies) has been on the air for five years. In that time, the show has included 239 episodes, featuring 646 reviews and approximately 9560 minutes of music. This has been a lot of work but also a great deal of fun.

I would like to thank James Gullickson of 89.7 KMSU FM, who took a chance and allowed me to start this show back in May 2004, showing patience with my inexperience in radio and allowing me to share my passion for movies. I'd also like to thank Mike Martin of 89.5 KQAL FM who not only adopted this program, bringing it to a new audience, but also allowed me to use the facilities at KQAL to produce the show.

Additional thanks to Greg Husak and Karen Wright of KMSU, Ann Fee and Joe Tougas of Fish Frye, Shyboy Tim and Shelley of Shuffle Function, Dustin Wilmes and Ton of The Five Count, Herb Kroon of Best of Broadway, Bob Pavlenko of Here There Be Dragons, Rachael Hanel of The Weekly Reader, Don Larsson of Minnesota State University Mankato, and the Mass Communication students and staff at Winona State University.

Lastly, a big thank you to all the listeners who have tuned into the show, kept the program and the stations it broadcasts from on the air, and shared their feedback (positive or negative) with me. With so many other options available on the radio, on television, and online, I'm very pleased that you have taken an interest in this show. Hopefully I've been able to entertain you while provoking thoughts and making your movie-going experience a little richer.

Sounds of Cinema Boldly Goes . . .

. . . oh hell, you know the rest.

This Sunday, May 17, 2009, Sounds of Cinema will take a look at the music of the Star Trek film series. I'll play selections from a number of films and composers, including both the original cast and the Next Generation films. I will also have a review of the new Star Trek film directed by J.J. Abrams.

Hindus Join Catholics in Protest Over "Angels and Demons"

From AHN:

The Hindus have joined in the Catholics' fight against the makers of the upcoming Dan Brown novel-adapted film "Angels & Demons."

The novel and film, which stars Tom Hanks and is directed by Ron Howard, revolve around the quest of symbologist Robert Langdon to unravel the mysteries of Illuminati. The story deals heavily on the conflict between science and religion, particularly with the Roman Catholic Church.

According to the statement made by Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, the filmmakers should have handled the subject more sensitively as cinema is a very powerful medium.

He stressed that films should entertain but not at the expense of ridiculing others' faith and spending disinformation. "Angels & Demons" and other such films bring more confusion and create stereotypes in the minds of some audiences.

As to why the Hindus are concerned with the film's subject when the movie deals with the Catholics, Zed said that despite the differences in their beliefs, they are all fellow seekers of the Ultimate Reality and are "all headed in the same direction." With that being said, they should help each other on that journey.

Sounds of Cinema Program Notes

Those listening to Sounds of Cinema from 89.7 KMSU FM in Mankato heard a re-run of last week's show (episode 235) due to a programing error. The current episode (236) will play today at 4pm on 89.5 KQAL FM in Winona. Audio files of the reviews are now available on the Sound of Cinema myspace page and the text of the reviews and playlists have been added to the website.

Next week, both stations will replay The Matrix anniversary show (episode 234).

Jackie Earle Haley is the New Freddy Krueger

According to this article, Jackie Earle Haley (who was featured as superhero Rorschach in Watchman and was nominated for an Oscar a few years ago for his portrayal of a sex offender in Little Children) will play Freddy Krueger in the upcoming remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

I have not generally gotten upset with remakes; as long as the original is preserved, my attitude has been to let filmmakers and studios do what they like. However, I felt a little angst when a remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street was announced because that film really is a well made piece of work and it is one of my personal favorites. So to hear that Haley, an accomplished actor (not a stunt man or a no-name performer), is cast in the role gives me hope that there will be a concerted effort to make a good film and not just cash in on a title.

Controversy over "Observe and Report"

The Huffington Post has a brief article about the new film Observe and Report and one of the film's cruder attempts at humor as Seth Rogan's character has sex with a high, intoxicated, and nearly passed out woman played by Anna Farris. The piece quotes Lindsay Beyerstein's take on the scene:

Rogen excels at a brand of awkwardness-based humor where much of the laughter is tension release. Which means that the scene fails on its own terms, unless you believe that an unconscious person can consent. Without the unexpected "evidence" of consent, it's just a rape scene. If you see the encounter as rape, Brandi's slurred semi-conscious interjection just seems piteous. It doesn't make anything "okay."

I will have a review of Observe and Report on next week's episode of Sounds of Cinema.