воскресенье, 14 апреля 2013 г.

Film Review №4



Raise Your Voice (2004)

Directed by Sean McNamara
Produced by Sean McNamara, David Brookwell, Toby Emmerich, A.J. Dix, Sara Risher, William Shively Screenplay by Sam Schreiber
Story by Mitch Rotter
Starring: Hilary Duff, Oliver James, Jason Ritter, Dana Davis, Kat Dennings, Rita Wilson, David Keith, Rebecca De Mornay, John Corbett
Music by Aaron Zigman, Machine Head
Cinematography: John R. Leonetti
Editing by Jeff Canavan
Studio: Brookwell McNamara Entertainment, FilmEngine
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release date: October 8, 2004
Running time: 103 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English, French Budget $15 million
Box office: $14,867,514

Plot
A teenage girl, Terri, has a passion for music. School's out and she wants to spend the summer at a performing arts academy in L.A. She is encouraged by her mother and brother but has a hard time convincing her father, who is a little rough around the edges. Things go bad when she sneaks her brother, Paul, out to a concert and they both end up in a car crash. Terri survives but Paul was less fortunate and he died. Terri was devastated and she decides to quit music, but with a little encouragement and a sly plan from her family (except her father) she decides to go ahead to L.A. Noone is nice to her at the academy at first but gradually they got better and she made some friends; Kiwi, Denise and Jay whom she starts dating after awhile. She also meets some bullies; Robin and her friends. Throughout her time there, she learns that her brother is the reason she got accepted in the first place. She gets closer to Jay, while continuing to lie to her dad. Haunted by her brothers death, her musical talents intensify.

Hilary Duff stars as Terri Fletcher, a 16-year-old anxious to explore her musical talent at a performing arts academy in L.A. for the summer. After a little persuasion, she makes it there, and the movie is more or less about her exploits therein.
              The film starts well; the Three Days Grace concert helps set the musical tone for the movie. That was an unexpected surprise, although I suppose I'm partially biased since I like the band.
              A beautiful performance by Hilary Duff. I am more and more impressed with her with every movie I see her in. She brought me to tears twice in the first twenty minutes of the movie. I was impressed by the colorful array of teens at the school, even if they were chosen primarily to make it believable that they're in L.A. I appreciated that none of the teens were written to fulfill any particular stereotype and all seemed like real people, for stereotypes are a sore spot for me, as my teen years were not all that long ago.
               I loved the scenes with Denise playing the violin; again, very refreshing and stylistic. John Corbett turns in a innovative performance as a progressive music teacher, breathing a little more life into the film.
               The direction really helps to further the movie along, as it is pretty anti-climatic. The 'unwanted kiss' was a bit predictable, however an element of predictability is generally assumed in movies of this persuasion. The make-out scene was completely unnecessary and should've been cut.
                And it should be noted that the film is more or less like a Crossroads (2000) for a slightly younger generation, but despite that, it still maintains its own life.
                 I absolutely love the last song in the film—that was the perfect song for the theme of the movie. And I don't care what anyone says, Hilary Duff is a true performer, even if she isn't that great of a singer. She just always has this glow about her, and no matter how I feel, seeing her perform always makes me smile, and that's something to be commended.
As for critics’ opinion, almost all of them say something very similar. Their verdict can be expressed in such review “It's particularly good at capturing that time of life when you simultaneously believe everything is possible and that each tiny misstep is the end of the world.
                  In conclusion I’d like to say that it is a very enjoyable musical film despite its predictability. Recommended to anyone with kids, who's young at heart, who likes Hilary Duff, or just needs a good smile, but be forewarned—you might get a little teary-eyed before that smile reaches your lips.

Rendering on Music №4



The article published on the website foxnews.com on April 8, 2013 is headlined “Taylor Swift shut out at ACMs; Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert big winners”. The article reports at length about the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 

It’s an open secret that Taylor Swift had some trouble at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Despite being nominated for four awards, she came away empty-handed. As well as Luke Bryan was instead the night's big story when he pulled off an amazing upset and won entertainer of the year.

In resolute terms, the author of the article reports that Bryan overshadowed top winner Miranda Lambert's big night by beating out some of country music's top performers, including Lambert and her husband Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and two-time entertainer of the year Swift in an upset that few would have predicted because of his relatively recent move into the spotlight. After an emotional  speech, Bryan's co-host Blake Shelton held his partner up and joked that he won in his "first and last year as co-host" of the awards.

Analyzing the situation, it is necessary to note that Bryan was the first male winner of the award since 2007 when Kenny Chesney won the first fan-voted award. Swift and Carrie Underwood have won two apiece since then. Bryan's win would be the talk of Las Vegas Sunday night but Lambert again walks away as the academy's trophy magnet.

There is a lot of comment on how church, this year's top nominee, also won vocal event of the year for his collaboration with Aldean and Luke Bryan for their collaboration on "The Only Way I Know" and performed his somber but powerful song "Like Jesus Does" with only an acoustic guitar and a backup singer.

The article draws the conclusion that Stevie Wonder made his first appearance on a country music awards show, joining Hunter Hayes for a performance by two guys who got their start as precocious teens. Hayes kicked off their set with his song "I Want Crazy," then was joined by Wonder for his hit "Sir Duke."

Having watched the clip, I can state that the award night was full of really colorful performances, but the anticipation of Garth Brooks and George Strait performing together overshadowed almost everything else.

Rendering on Music №3



The article published on the website foxnews.com on March 30, 2013 is headlined “Grammy-winning producer Phil Ramone dies at 79”. The article reports at length that Phil Ramone, the masterful Grammy Award-winning engineer, arranger and producer whose platinum touch included recordings with Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Paul Simon, has died at 79. 

It’s an open secret that Ramone's son, Matt Ramone, confirmed the death. The family did not immediately release details of the death, but Matt Ramone said his father was "very loving and will be missed."

In resolute terms, the author of the article reports that few in the recording industry enjoyed a more spectacular and diverse career. Moreover, Ramone won 14 competitive Grammy Awards and one for lifetime achievement. Worldwide sales for his projects topped 100 million while he was at ease with rock, jazz, swing and pop, working with Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney, Elton John and Tony Bennett, Madonna and Lou Reed.

Analyzing the situation, it is necessary to note that fascinated by the mechanics of the studio, Ramone was a pioneer of digital recording who produced what is regarded as the first major commercial release on compact disc, "52nd Street," which came out on CD in 1982.

There is a lot of comment on how he thrived whether producing music for the stereo, television, film or the stage. He won an Emmy for a TV special about Duke Ellington, a Grammy for the soundtrack to the Broadway musical "Promises, Promises" and a Grammy for the soundtrack to "Flashdance." A native of South Africa, Ramone seemed born to make music. 

The article draws the conclusion that Ramone's many industry honors were returned in kind. He was chairman emeritus of the board of trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and produced Grammy tributes for James Taylor, Brian Wilson and other artists. What is more, he was an advocate for musical education and a trustee for the National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress.

As for me, I can say that I have heard several songs by Ramon and I absolutely agree that he was a lovely person and a very gifted musician and producer.

Rendering on Music №2




The article published on the website independent.co.uk on April 14, 2013 is headlined “Anti-Thatcher song 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' misses top spot in Radio 1 charts”. The article reports at length that Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead - the song propelled into the charts by opponents of Baroness Thatcher - has failed to reach the number one spot.

It’s an open secret that the recording, taken from 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, entered the charts at number two. It was more than 5,000 sales short of this week's chart-topper Need U (100%) by Duke Dumont featuring A*M*E. Moreover, the Official Charts Company described Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead as "one of the most controversial chart contenders of all time".

Analyzing the situation, it is necessary to note that Sales were fuelled by an online campaign organised by opponents of the former prime minister, who wanted to see the 51-second song reach number one. It entered the charts at number 54 on Tuesday, the day after Baroness Thatcher's death, and climbed to number 10 on Wednesday. By Thursday, it had reached number four and was at number three by Friday.

There is a lot of comment on how there was a final rush of 18,000 sales between Friday morning and today, the Official Charts Company said, but its final total was 52,605 copies - 5,700 behind Duke Dumont, which achieved 58,321 sales in the past week. Despite failing to reach the top spot, Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead has broken a new record by becoming the shortest top 10 single of all time and is the only one in history to be under a minute long.

The article draws the conclusion that Ms Garvan then said Lady Thatcher had "strongly divided opinion", before listeners heard a brief instrumental section of the recording. The show also asked members of the public for their thoughts, with mixed opinions being aired.

I believe it would be wrong to ban the song outright as free speech is an important principle and a ban would only give it more publicity.