Reviews

A Door In The Ocean by David McGlynn review by Edward Beshears

by
A Door in the Ocean- A Memoir- David McGlynn
A Door in the Ocean- A Memoir- David McGlynn

New book: A Door In The Ocean by David McGlynn. The new book A door In The Ocean is a fascinating story where David reflects on the unsolved murder of his closest friend and high school teammate. We thought this new book has a great story line and David does a wonderful job in the new book of dramatizing swims in open water.

New Book

A Door In The Ocean by David McGlynn relives an event that shattered peers and led the author into the radical world of evangelical Christianity. A second swimming-related tragedy and the prospect of fatherhood caused McGlynn to question his beliefs.

More information on the book can be found at: NPR, A Door In The Ocean.

New Book

Here is an excerpt from A Door In The Ocean by David McGlynn:

“In the ocean, I was not afraid, though I had plenty of reason to be. The water was dark and cold, the waves could swell to enormous heights, and no one knew where I was. I didn’t want anyone to know where I was. I wanted to edge away from myself. I’d left everything I owned on shore, and feeling the cold water work its way into the creases of skin beneath my arms and behind my knees, I was reduced to the raw dimensions of my anatomy, all body, no spirit, and so free from the burdens my spirit demanded.”

We hope you enjoy David’s new book!

Review by Edward Beshears

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi India Splendor

by

If you have Netflix then check out this movie
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

It’s sweet to see a love story again. A deception. You know all along he will be found out. Beautiful scenes of India, a look at culture, songs, and love.

It’s really cool to review only the ones you like. Those who do this for a living have to bring tiny scalpels. They know more stuff than I. Also I’m late. My cat ate my review and I had to……..it’s a long story.

The header is good, the music is great, I watch the credits like I do with the good ones. Here is a quote:

“Oh God why do you add spice to our sugar sweet love story?”

…or something like that. …bloggers do extensive research. Everyone knows that.

It’s just about the best sugar sweet love story with spice I’ve seen in a while. Don’t worry Aunt Grace they put the words on the screen so ya’ll kin see what they are a sayin’

This little video clip strikes a pose for the movie. An artistic pose. Is it a conflict between the new and the old as well as a conflict between western culture and other cultures. Is it tradition itself versus Brando and Dean? Is it a cliche’. Yes and it’s, well it’s,

It’s a walloping good story with great music. That’s what it is.  A story where you love these people not these characters. Yeah I got a sweet tooth mama!

I can accept the glasses hiding Superman’s identity, the mask for others. There are great films where we can set reason aside. Superman puts on the glasses, Lois Lane can’t tell it’s him.  With most movies we don’t accept such things, we point them out. With great movies we accept anything they say. We leap gladly.

In Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi we accept gladly a lady who does not recognize her husband without a mustache. We accept it gladly, as gladly as Superman’s glasses, Zorro’s mask. It’s the great story overcoming the details. The drab conventional husband becomes the cool lover guy at his wife’s dance class. She ultimately has to choose.

I love a good cliche’. Somebody spent some big money to make a splendor of color and culture. This movie seems so close to failure that it succeeds wonderfully.

Oh my goodness Aunt Grace

Let’s cook.

 

 

david michael jackson july 2, 2012  dave@artvilla.com   send onions

Marian McPartland and the Girls in the Band

by


 Marian McPartland Piano and Jazz

 

Marian Talks about her sound   Marian McPartland Jam

Buy Marian McPartland on Google Play

THE GIRLS IN THE BAND  a film by One Step Productions  tells the “poignant, untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their fascinating, groundbreaking journeys from the late 30′s to the present day.“Review in Variety

Jazz legendary piano wizard Marian McPartland continues to showcase the world’s best musicians on NPR’s longest-running  jazz program, Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz.

Here is an excellent article about visiting Marion McPartland by Judy Chaikin. Judy Chaikin is the director of The Girls in the Band. 

When you research a post you sometimes run into another who has already done a job far better than you of detailing and archiving the subject. When you meet such a resource, you have to  acknowledge. To learn more about Marian McPartland and piano and the times and history be sure to visit  Marian McPartland a Jazz Pianist, an overview of a musical career. by Clare Hansson. Excellent!

Here is Marian’s Facebook Page. Ladies and gentlemen that photo behind her is only the most famous Jazz photo in history and she, dear ones, is in it. Here is the photo again from A Great Day in Harlem  Here is A bio of the musicians and Marian McPartland.

Her start came in WW II, the big one. My dad was in that war and met my mom there. Marian was in that war and met her husband in England.
Thanks to the film and the people who made it, I, on an island in a far off land once called Tanase, have learned about this lady and now love her work. To blog is to be always on a discovery path.  This path led to Marian McPartland’s piano.

We have decided that this is a windmill to battle. This is the first blog of presentations of women musicians. Expect more. We, or I, or whomever this is, thinks we or you, yes you should want more music from more of the ladies in  this  blog starring  women featured in THE GIRLS IN THE BAND. It’s a good page.

Marian’s piano music speaks for itself.

 

 

 

The Girls in the Band
Audience Award, Best Documentary Feature – Palm Springs International Film Festival
Audience Favourite Feature, Victoria Film Festival
Audience Choice Documentary, Omaha Film Festival
Produced by Judy Chaikin, Michael Greene, Nancy Kissock. Executive producer, Greene. Co-producer, Hugh M. Hefner. Directed by Judy Chaikin. Written by Chaikin, Edward Osei-Gyimah

 

david michael jackson  june 29 2012,  dave@artvilla.com   send rose petals

Kangaroo Song SarahJayne Balash

by

Kangaroo – SarahJayne Balash (original) from SarahJayne Balash on

From Clarksville, Tennessee – SarahJayne Balash

We think there is talent budding. Maybe we should take the last train to Clarksville or just wait for her in Nashville! Look out SarahJayne writes her own songs and is unabashedly presenting them already. Showmanship starts early.

An artist always represents a moment. This moment is captured so beautifully. It is refreshing to see young talent portray a part of our lives. When it is done too well it is often professional. When it’s done just well enough it is often art.
Thank you Sarahjayne for making our day.

the-Kangaroo Song SarahJayne Balash

Carmine Famiglietti and Matthew Bonifacio Make Great Movies

by
Carmine Famiglietti

Movie reviews aren’t my thing. I tend to try to make art rather than review art, then Matthew and Carmine come along and make movies that count, that have real people in them, that say something for a change.

I just finished Amexicano In Wiki’s words The film explores the relationship between a blue-collar Italian-American man and an illegal Mexican immigrant as they both try to make a living in Queens, New York.

A little more than that please. The film makes human the political immigration discussion in America. It takes a hard realistic look into the lives of people rather than into the political bullshit of our opinions. This movie shows the effect of the journey to the United States by portraying an average Caucasian dude, out of work, joining the line of Mexicans waiting for work in the U.S. It is well told.
This story causes you to examine our feelings toward our neighbors by first turning them back into people in our minds.
Why don’t they stay there? Would you take the dollar an hour at G.E. or sneak across for your family for five? Ah but that is back to the political bs, or is it?

Carmen Famiglietti is a lead actor who does not fit the stereotype at all. His performances have brought the real into movies for the first time in a long time, if ever. His performances are the essence of the real world rather than the Hollywood world which Matthew Bonifacio has the courage to portray for a change. It is the American version of the best foreign film. Films from other countries are about real subjects rather than action. They leave you with a feeling of art. There is such a feeling, that they just said something important, that I should notice and be lifted  out of my conventions.

Matthew and Carmen have made two films Amexicano and Lbs. Both reach for something and improved my understanding. It needed improvement. Now that’s art!

Wake up Hollywood! I’m behind everyone else in movies, in most things, so this review is very late. So are the accolades it seems.

You can watch Amexicano and Lbs on Netflix now. If you agree then give the guys five stars for me.

Here is an interview:

But I love this one much better.

 

david michael jackson  June 10, 2012  dave@artvilla.com