Music Review: Traditional Songs of Singing Cultures

 Traditional Songs of Singing Cultures: A World Sampler by Patricia Shehan Campbell, Sue Williamson and Pierre Perron, Warner Brothers Publication, 1996.

This C.D. comes with a book which includes the english translation for all of the songs.  20 countries are selected to be represented, Canada, Netherlands, Japan, Taiwan, Austria, United States England to name a few.  With only 20 countries selected fr inclusion there is of course a lot of music no represented.  It includes a couple of my favorites.  From Englan there is "Billy Boy."  From United States there is "Simple Things."  The themes of the songs are very varied from singing of birds and ducks, to singing of children, knife sharpening and traveling.  The book and C.D. go nicely together.  The book includes information on the different cultures.

I have always enjoyed learning of different cultures and music is one way to do so.  Some of the songs sing of traditional dances as well.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling Movie Review: ****^ La La Land (2016)

 This is a romantic comedy over jazz.  Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is a jazz pianist with a dream of owning a club.  Mia (Emma Stone) is a struggling actress that works at a Hollywood studio coffee shop.  They meet several times and take up a relationship over jazz.  Sebastian gets a gig playing keyboards, and Mia gets a one person show, which flops.  They both seem to have let their dreams go, and confront each other.  

This movie asks some very good questions, dreams vs. happiness.  And if we could would we make other choices?  The jazz music is very good and carries the movie, and there is that one song.  That song with its haunting jazz piano, and eventually vocals.  Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds are so good at their craft, and then together even better.  I really liked Emma Stone's auditions with her going through so many emotions.  

Golden Globes this won best picture, best song and best actor and actress.  Oscar it won best actress, best director and best original song "City of Stars" and of course other things.  

Movie Review: **** Hidalgo (2004)

 A down on his luck cowboy, Frank Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) travels to Arabia to take part in a cross desert long distance horse race.  His horse Hidalgo has won many races in America and is considered to be the best.  In Arabia he will be pitted against full blooded Arabian horses.  After he arrives he meets Jazira (Zuleikha Robinson), her father, Sheikh Riyadh (Omar Sharif), Lady Anne Davenport (Louise Lombard), Prince Bin al Reeh (Saïd Taghmaoui), and an enemy in Katib (Silas Carson).  If the prince wins the race  wins the race he gets to marry Jazira as his fifth wife.  She does not want this so she becomes an ally to Hopkins.  This gets them in trouble when they are discovered together.  But Katib, the Sheikh's nephew and his men invade the camp.  He hopes to take over and force the daughter into marriage.  But Hopkins rescues her.  But Katib does not go away, and he is backed by Lady Davenport.  She tells him to kill the horse and leave Hopkins in the desert to die.  The racing on top of the drama make this movie very good.  I found this movie interesting.  Turns out Hidalgo is half Native American.  He was there at Wounded Knee but has denied his Native American side for some time.  

Music Review: Peter Paul and Mary (1962)

 Peter Paul and Mary self titled debut album form 1962.  Produced by Warner Brothers Records.  

The high light of this album is "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" written by Bob Seeger.  It is the last number on the C.D. and sets Peter Paul And Mary up as folk singers.  They also perform a few other folk songsg, "Lemon Tree," "If I Had a Hammer," and "500 Miles.'  "If I Had a Hammer" is also written. by Pete Seeger.  Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow wrote an arrangement of the nursery rhyme "It's Raining, It's Pouring" which is very nice.  It adds lines from several other nursery rhymes such as "Lady Bug" and "Star Light Star Bright with the original line being the chorus.  They also did an arrangement of a traditional song, "This Train."  Very enjoyable.  I like the mellow melodies, the tight harmonies and the messages.  

In Theaters: ****The Magic Faraway Tree (2026)

 This is a fun movie.  Tim and Polly Thompson (Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy) move to the country with their three children Joe, Fran and Beth (Phoenix Laroche, Billie Gadsdon and Delilah Bennet-Cardy) for economic reasons and also to bring their family back together.  The kids are always on devices.  They hope to raise tomatoes and make spaghetti sauce.

The forest is inhabited by faeries, and Fran discovers them.  They aren't all small but adult size faeries.  Silky, Saucepan Man, Mr. Whatzisname and Moon Face (Nicola Coughlin, Dustin Demri-Burns, Oliver Chris and Nonso Anozie) who adventure with the kids to different worlds.  Beth wants to go home and writes to her grandmother (Jennifer Saunders) who is down on her daughter and the chances of her succeeding.  Beth also makes a wish the tomatoes will die.  Her wish is granted but she realizes that is not what she wants.  She and her siblings are off to find a world where they can fix the problem.  The get a spell that will fix it, but Dame Snap (Rebecca Ferguson) captures them and does not intend to ever let them go.

This movie is delightful in their fantasy and the world is magical.  The characters are interesting.  Andrew Garfield does a great job as the father who will do anything to save his family.  

James Stewart, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn Movie: The Philadelphia Story (1940)

 This is a very good romantic comedy.  C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) and Tracy Lord (Katherine Hepburn) divorced about two years ago.  Lord is getting remarried to George Kittridge (John Howard).  Haven decides to crash the wedding, and bring two journalist along, Macauley Connor (James Stewart) and Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) as a joke as Lord does not like social journalists.  

Everybody gets too drunk at the dinner party before the wedding.  As a result Lord is saved by Connor and Kittridge thinks she has been unfaithful.  The wedding is called off, but Haven steps in to be the groom.  Lord has come to realize and focus on the good times they had.

Cary Grant, James Stewart and Katherine Hepburn make a great team.  It is good relationships can grow and evolve.  

Alfred Hitchcock Movie Review: **** Rebecca (1940)

 A young lady (Joan Fontaine) (we don't get her name but she is a ladies companion to an abusive old woman (Florence Bates)) falls for Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier).  He is a widower and it is assumed his wife suicided.  She was fished from the sea.  When they return to the house (they married and wed while on vacation) the head housekeeper and caretaker, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) does not accept her.  She plays psychological games with her, and even encourages her to jump off the cliffs and commit suicide.  She is obsessed with the first Mrs. de Winter.  She insists Mr. de Winter can never love the second Mrs. de Winter like he loved the first.  

This movie has a very strange twist about the first Mrs. De Winter.  Turns out there wasn't a great love between the Mr. de winter and the first Mrs. de Winter.  She was playing around with George Sanders (Jack Favell).  The twist is that the first Mrs. de Winter is discovered in a boat.  She was not fished from the sea as was supposed.  This sets of series of inquiries.  

This movie won the Oscar for best picture.  It is obvious why.  The psychological intrigue is well played.  Mrs. Danvers is really evil, as is Jack Favell.