Cinema Cycle - National Geographic: Miniature Miracle, The Computer Chip

National Geographic

Friday, 03.20.2020

Media

Laserdisc

Attendees

Bruce Johnson

Notes

Miniature Miracle: The Computer Chip

1. Alexander Scourby could narrate the phone book and I'd listen
2. Computers, pre internet
3. Early early pioneers, historical
4. Many of these people aren't around to see what their work became.
5. Totally missed the internet and it's quantifying multiplier
6. Focus on biomedical potential, not Surveillance / A.I.
7. Ni eve, they ONLY saw the good.

Cinema Cycle Notes

• 14 miles
• 57  minutes
• Odometer =  11806.8 miles  

Cinema Cycle - Duck Victory

Looney Toons:

Duck Victory

Thursday, 02.26.2020

Media

Laserdisc

Attendees

Bruce Johnson

Daffy Duck Screen Classics

1. That classic animation
2. Lots of gunfire
3. All that gunfire, but no one is ever injured. Slap stick for sure, but so politically incorrect today.
4. Lots of subtle innuendos
5. The many incarnations of Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
6. Road Runner / Coyote theme.  Everything made by Acme.

Cinema Cycle Notes

• 19  miles
• 93 minutes
• Odometer =  11774.4 miles  

Cinema Cycle - Once Upon A Time In The West

Once Upon A

Time In The West

Friday, 02.14.2020

Media

Laserdisc

Attendees

Bruce Johnson

Setup / Background

1. I could just watch the credits for hours.
2. This appears to be the quintessential spaghetti Western.
3. There is almost no real dialogue for the first 30 minutes of this film
4. But I believe the body count is up to eight
5. Cinematography and soundtrack are excellent
6. Watching this film is like watching a motion picture painting, it's just all visual and sensory overload with very little dialogue.
7. The long slow unraveling plot told through a series of random events
8. It all slowly starts to make sense.  But you never know what's going to happen next
9. The great American story, the long-term development of resources
10. It all makes sense in the end.
11. I'm sorry but nobody looked as good as Claudia Cardinale does in this movie.

Cinema Cycle Notes

• 38 miles
• 165  minutes
• Odometer =  11741.1 miles  

Cinema Cycle - Far and Away

Far and Away

Friday, 02.07.2020

Media

Laserdisc

Attendees

Bruce Johnson

Side One

Ireland

1. Impressive credits, expecting quality film making.
2. I can see this will not be a simple plot.  Gorgeous imagery.
3. Whoever wrote the dialogue for this should have won an oscar.
4. Enter Nicole Kidman.  Fiery !
5. Talk about a series of unfortunate events.
6. A duel in the fog….really?  Hilarious.
7. Very good production values.  Accurate.      

Side Two

Boston

1. Welcome to America.  Poverty everywhere!
2. A very accurate film depicting the time.
3. Was there really this much pugilism in the 1890s?
4. No sex means more testosterone for the boxing ring.
5. Oh Yeah, welcome to grass roots American Government (corruption)
6. He loses everything for a woman….typical
7. So many random events.

Oklahoma

1. Finally made it to Oklahoma sans Nicole Kidman, where could she be?
2. There she is!
3. Finally the big payoff scene (with menacing villain)

Side Three

The Big Scene - Land Rush

1. Happy ending for sure, but the real moral is stay away from Irish Redheads, they just get you into trouble.

Cinema Cycle Notes

• 14 + 19.3 = 33.3 miles
• Time = 2 hours 20 minutes (140 minutes)
• Odometer = 11663.9 miles

Opera Sunday: Tannhauser (Wagner)

Tannhauser

Wednesday, 02.05.2020

Media

Laserdisc

Attendees

Bruce Johnson

Act One

That classic overture

1. Lots of imagery, erotic dancing, oh my.  Some sort of flashback dream sequence.

Let's argue with the Goddess of Love

2. Probably not a good idea
3. Basically, the rule is, don't fall in love with a goddess.  They can be nasty
4. A very minimalist production, but it works.  Moody and passionate

Act Two

Forget living with the Gods,  back on Earth

1.  Apparently being able to sing in this culture is highly prized.  "Like dude! You sing better than us. Damn!"
2. Intermission
3.  Interesting tour of the festival grounds.
4. The female lead in this really has some pipes
5. So this all leads up to a singing contest…..
6. This opera has almost everything,  Gods,  ballet,  chorus, duets,  fancy costumes…
7. The loooonnnngggg drawn out emotional phrasing.

Act Three

A lot going on here, Gods of Emotion vs The God of Christ?

1. Lots of frustration, lots of denial.  
2. Guilt and banishment, jeez.
3. I really have a hard time believing that people ever really lived and thought this way.   Its more of a Nordic Fable focused on love, denial and sacrifice.
4. Here come the three contest songs about love…….
5. Banished for blaspheming at the song contest,  the Horror!
6. So in the end,  what I believe Wagner is trying to say here,  is the struggle between pagan desires, and love of Christ through a pious woman resides in us all.

Cinema Cycle Notes

• Miles Ridden = 30.4 miles
• Time:= 3 hours 9 minutes (189 minutes)
• Total Odometer: = 10,768 miles

Opera Sunday: Die Fledermaus (Strauss)

(My Live Twitter Stream Of The Opera)

Opera Sunday: Die Fledermaus

Let's Waltz!

— Bruce Johnson (@lotus07) January 27, 2020

What amounts to a long and drawn out practical joke played on a friend for a past transgression.  The libretto (dialog) can be painfully long at time, but the viewer has to keep in mind the target audience, which is Vienna in the 1800s.  The subject is actually quite risque and scandalous, but also comedic.  Hence, you get the feeling that you are watching a 150 year old episode of 'Friends" with a really good soundtrack.  

For RePeats Sake: Beethoven - Symphony #4 & #5

TAKE AWAY: 

If you combine Karajan and Beethoven you are going to get some good music.  No surprise here.  Although the presentation is unique.  It is a live performance, but done in a studio with very intimate camera angles on the musicians and on the conductor.  I don't believe that the entire orchestra was ever present in one scene. 

Sunday Morning Opera: Arabella (Richard Strauss)

REVIEW:

Unexpected.  The classic operatic comedy of misdirection and missed cues leading to misunderstanding and final resolution.  Dramatic comedy for the masses back in the 1800s.  Inspiring music and singing with very good direction and camera work.  

My live stream review of the film as I watched it can be found below. 

Sunday Morning Opera: Arabella

This is gonna be interesting......

— Bruce Johnson (@lotus07) January 19, 2020

For RePeats Sake: Miles Davis - MIles In Paris

TAKE AWAY: 

There is one glaring problem with this live performance by Miles Davis recorded in Paris, France.  It isn't long enough!  After 73 minutes of music and interviews, you come to the awful conclusion.  Which is, you don't know nearly as much about music and expression as Miles Davis did.  He was a bit eclectic, but talent would be an understatement. 

For RePeats Sake: Kitaro - The Light Of The Spirit

TAKE AWAY: 

Smooth jazz with a background of natural images of rain, surf, snow, etc.  Great for background music and calming visuals, but otherwise nothing really earth shattering or interesting here.  What was probably an innovative presentation back in the 1990, is more like visual elevator music today. 

For RePeats Sake: Enya - Moon Shadows

TAKE AWAY:

A music disc comprised of five songs.  What appears to be a cross of an 8" music disc and a full Laserdisc, this is a one-sided CLV disc totaling 22 minutes.  Most of the work here is from cinema soundtracks and her other well known works.  It is artsy and laid back, ideal for background music, otherwise, somewhat forgettable. 

For RePeats Sake: Playboy Video Playmate Calendar - 1993

TAKE AWAY: 

These discs were the holy (expensive) grail of collecting laserdiscs when they were still in production.  This is a video  extension of the Playboy Calendar (which was ubiquitous in every 1980s college dorm room). What we have here are six vignettes of wholesome young woman, with slick production and direction, who are mostly promoting Hugh Hefner and his brand of hedonism and masochism. However, by today's standards, you will see more scandalous content at the grocery store express check-out lane. 

For RePeats Sake: Oriental Dreams

Take Away: 

The ideal repeat disc for the Man Cave.  Generic soft jazz with images of topless woman cavorting on beaches and riding motorcycles.  Sort of like a cross-over disc for young boys transitioning from Anime to Pornography.  It is simple and makes for great background music and visuals, but not much else.  Interestingly enough, this is a CAV disc (nerd speak), so you only get 30 minutes per side, but you can freeze every luscious frame!

For RePeats Sake: New Year's Eve Concert

Take Away: 

This is a big tradition in Europe.  The New Year's Day concert, which translates to a "Best of Pop - Circa 1880".  It is joyous and usually festive music by famous composers performed in concert to bring in the New Year.  In most cases with a lot of ladies in gowns and men in tuxedos sitting in ornate concert halls.  This was no exception.  Bring on 2020. 

For RePeats Sake: Dire Straits - Alchemy Live

Take Away:

Just a good concert film.  Nothing fancy or flashy, just really good music shot live in front of a large audience.  Knoffler and crew do some wonderful jam sessions of popular Dire Straits tunes here, which is when the band really shines.  They are tight and proficient. 

He Saw / She Saw: The Best of Mission Impossible - The Seal

Sue:

The Seal" is one of those Mission:Impossible episodes that involves a cat named Rusty who helps to retrieve the national treasure (a jade seal) of an Asian country.  Whomever trained Rusty the cat deserves some kind of an award - he does make it look like he understands verbal commands from Barney.  I learned were as many as twelve different cats used during the filming, and each one with a different talent.   Typical Mission Impossible...good dialogue and kept your interest throughout!

Bruce:

A reminder of how good this show used to be compared to the current crop of Tom Cruise films.  Here it is more about suspense, trickery and a plot that you often can't figure out until the end.  What made this enjoyable is the use of 'high technology' back in the day to pull off their missions.  In this episode, they use a punched Hollerith computer card to introduce a virus into a computer, which then starts spitting out Hollerith cards like a machine gun.....the HORROR!

For RePeats Sake: Hullabaloo Vol 1 & 2

Take Away: 

Volumes 3 & 4 were so infectious, I went back to the well for more.  Its sort of like your first taste of cotton candy at the County Fair, you want more.  This didn't disappoint.  There are more musical numbers here than I can recall, each interesting or entertaining, but there was one standout.  The trio between Nancy Sinatra, Lola Falana and Frankie Avalon where they harmonize and laugh through popular television theme songs from the 1960s was just too surreal.  I thought someone had dropped LSD in my coffee.  Check out the YouTube version. 

For RePeats Sake: Mstislav Rostropovich: J.S. Bach Cello Suites

Take Away:

Wow!  Never listened to this before and discovered that it is a 3 disc set totalling 5 sides.  This is a master class in classical music where Mstislav first discusses the piece (in detail) and then performs it solo in a cavernous cathedral.  I rate this series by how often I stop and watch the repeating Laserdisc while walking through the room.  I often stood for lengthy periods of time mesmerized by Rostropovich's virtuosity. 

For RePeats Sake: Cindy Crawford - Shape Your Body Workout (with Radu!)

Take Away:

I have often wondered who purchased and actually used these disc after more than 1 or 2 viewings.  Not a bad video, especially if you like ogling Cindy.  Every time I see a workout video like this, I chuckle at the fact that most of these celebrity fitness experts have the resources to do stretching and yoga on a beach or a high-rise Manhattan rooftop.  Must be nice. 

He Saw / She Saw - The Thriller Collection / Masquarade

Sue:

"Masquerade" first aired on network TV on October 30, 1961 -- the 43rd episode of the "Thriller" series.

Tom Poston and Elizabeth Montgomery play a young married couple that takes refuge from a storm in an old mansion (the PSYCHO house). John Carradine plays his creepy role as the head of the family that could be vampires, cannibals or just plain murderers.   

The episode was more amusing rather than scary, and the twist ending will either bring a smile or a groan to the viewer.  I was not impressed

Bruce:

Back in the day, you had 'The Twilight Zone', 'The Outer Limits' and this show.  While the other two had either great writing or pushed the bounds of television horror, this one just has Boris Karloff.  

This episode highlights a very young Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) and Tom Poston with a lot of dialog that requires a suspension in belief.  (i.e finding someone dead in the basement and then going to the kitchen to scramble eggs).  

In the end, there is sarcasm and a comedic ending but not much else.