Music Review: 50 Classic Wagon wheels

 50 Classic Wagon Wheels: Legendary Songs of the Old West, The Beautiful Music Company, Sony Music Special Projects, 1992. 

This is a pretty good collection of old songs.  Some of them are pretty good and AI have heard them before.  While others I have never heard.  I was really looking forward to the song "(I've Got Spurs that) Jingle, Jangle Jingle" but did not really like the way Tex Ritter sang it.  Gene Autrey sings a very nice "Home on the Range."  Autrey also sings, "Back in the Saddle Again" and "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You." I really like "Mule Train" sung by Frankie Laine even though it is new to me.  Marty Robbins sings, "The Streets of Laredo" and Slim Whitman Down in the Valley."  Tex Ritter does better with "Jealous Heart and the c.d. concludes with "Deep in the Heart of Texas" sung by Bob Wills.  This is sides E and F of six sides.  

Music Review: American Heritage Songs Volume 1 and volume 2

American Heritage Songs: 200 Years of American Heritage in Song, CMH Records, Los Angeles, CA, 1991.

Some of this music has a definite bluegrass feel.  Many songs are instrumental, such as dueling banjos.  Most of the songs were not known to me.  There are well over 100 songs on four CDs.  It does have the Bob Dylan songm "Blowin' in the Wind."  It also has "Greensleeves" which I always thought was a British song.  It has a wide variety of artists.  Tommy Faile sings "Yellow Rose of Texas."  He and the Jones Brothers sing many of the songs.  Dick and Jacquie Schuyler sing "I'll Give my Love and Apple."

Music Review: Adele at the Royal Albert Music Hall (2011)

 The set I have has a CD and a DVD of the concert at the Royal Albert Music Hall.  I llike the DVD a bit better because for many of the songs Adele gives an inroduction, where she was when she wrote the song etc.  She also explains why she covers the songs she covers such as Bob Dylans song "Make you Fell my Love" which she sings every concert.  

Adele has such a unique voice.  I have heard others describe it an angelic and it is that, but her ability to sing lower makes her voice more than that.  Then at time she sings low intermingled with her head voice which is very effective.  Much of her music deals with her love life, break ups and disappointments.  This C.D. includes "Someone Like You" and "Rolling in the Deep" as her encore songs, and they really do bring down the house.  Both songs the audience sings along.  "Set Fire to the Rain" is another very special song.  

Adele is very much a treasure, in fact a British treasure where she is considered a national treasure and a beacon of cultural pride.  

Disney/ Pixar Movie Review: ****^ Elio (2025)

 After his parents die, Elio (Yonas Kibreab) is lost.  He is being raised by his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña).  He has no friends, and in fact a couple kids who pick on him.  He keeps asking for aliens to pick him up and take him to another world.  His wish finally does come true, and he represents himself as the leader of earth so they will let him stay.  However he ends up having to face Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), leader of a race intent on taking over the universe.  Elio's attempt to reason with him fails; but then he meets Grigon's son, Glordon (Remy Edgerly) who is a large slug.  They fast become friends.  They duplicate Glordon, and the double is given to his father, while Glordon accidentally travels to earth.  Earth is not good for Glordon, it is too cold and he is week, and he is taken by scientists for study.  Grigon quickly sees through the clone, and Elio has to save Glordon.  He travels to eart where a clone double has been sitting in for him.  They get the aunt, and together the break into the facility to rescue Glordon.  They use his ship to flea earth.  The barely make it through the junk field.  When Grigon intercepts them his son is almost dead.  Grigon has to leave his battle shell to warm his son's body.  Grigon sees things differently and is appeased not to conquer the universe.  

This is a movie about belonging and finding purpose.  Purpose comes from relationships with others.  Elio finally finds a friend, one on earth too.  And he finally accepts his aunt as a caregiver and returns to earth.  I really enjoyed this story.  

 

Classic Disney: **** 101 Dalmatians (1961)

 In this Disney Classical musical we are introduced to Cruella De Vil (Betty Lou Gerson) with the song.  Roger (Ben Wright) writes the song based on experiences with Cruella.  Roger's wife, Anita (Lisa Davis) and her interest is to recruit pretty dogs to give herself a spotted fur coat.  Perdita (Cate Bauer) has had 15 puppies with her mate, Pongo (Rod Taylor).  Nanny (Martha Wentworth) nurses the 15th to life.  Pongo and Perdita are the dogs of Roger and Anita and helped bring them together.  Cruella steals the dogs; and sets off a an incredible rescue.  I really enjoy the dog chain, and so many animals being involved in the rescue, even a cow who gives milk.  Cruella has two bumbling henchmen, Jasper and Horace (J. Pat O'Malley and Frederick Worlock) who help give a light touch.  

Harrison Ford Movie Review: ***^ Air Force One (1997)

 The President (Harrison Ford) and his plane are under attack by a group of Russian Nationals who want a general restored.  Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) is a retty violent person.  In fact he and his team kill many people taking over the plane, and then Korshunov kills more to get people to do what he wants.  He threatens the first lady (Wendy Crewson and his daughter (Liesel Mathews).  He kills a jr staff member and the security advisor.  The vice president (Glen Close) is in Washington and expresses to Russia our need.  She would not authorize a 25th amendment take over and declare the president compromised.  Important staff who die defending the president include his Chief of Staff (Paul Guilfoyle) and Major Caldwell (William H Macy).  On the other hand Agent Gibbs (Xander Berkeley) betrayed the president and was a mole for the terrorists.  He allowed them to access the weapons on board the plane.  They seem to succeed.  The general is being released.  But the president escapes and they retake the plane.  The general does not turn back when he is ordered to stop, and he is killed.

This movie is rated R with lots of violence and swearing.  There are more mellow edited version available.   It is very intense for a time.  They are able to rescue many of the passengers with parachutes, but the refuel plane explodes.  At times the dialogue seems off in my opinion.  But I did like the line, get off my plane.  Also with so many bullets flying around the plane would have been compromised at some point, but nothing happens as a result.  

Disney Pixar Movie Review: *** Elemental (2023)

 Ember and Wade meet.  Quite a feet in a world were elements don't inter mingle.  We have Fire, wind, rain and earth.  They are all different from each other, and in fact their properties can be harmful to each other.  Fire burns earth and water puts out fire.  Ember (Leah Lewis) is fire, and Wade (Mamoudou Athie) is water.  Ember sucks in Wade through a water leak she creates.  wade is an inspector, and writes notes to shut down the shops of Ember's parents (Ronnie Del Carmen and Shila Ommi).  The report already went to bosses so Ember and Wade are out to find it and get it back.  On the way the fall in love.  Eventually they decide to touch, and each practicing self control they find this is possible.  Their relationship goes against the standard segregation on this world.  But they make it work and are able to pursue their dreams.