Ok, it’s not really “beating,” but that was the only title I could think of.
First, I have no idea who this YouTuber is, or whether he’s a real or self-styled “music professor.” This video just popped up in my feed. Second, I haven’t watched very many Beato videos and had no idea he posts about anything other than rock. Mr. Music Professor is correct: Bach’s harmonic innovations did not lie dormant until the jazz era. But, however polite and respectful he is about the matter, it seems a little obnoxiously opportunistic and showy to make a whole video about it. Why not just leave a comment in Beato’s original video, or pop him an email if possible? I like that Beato is pushing Bach to his rock audience. Who cares if there’s a musicological inaccuracy?
What thinkest thou, bastards? Is this just my well-bred southerness getting the better of me?
Reminds me of myself in the days when annoying commissioned salesmen weren’t confined to auto dealerships. They were everywhere; perhaps the most annoying ones were in clothing stores. People lament the decline of brick and mortar retail. They have a point, but I’m not all that sorry.
My favorite Beatles album finally got the much-needed Giles Martin stereo remix treatment. Squire Renfield ordered the lp version on the day of release, and we gave it a spin on the big rig last night. It sounds great, much better than the original stereo mix, where everything’s coming at you from two separate universes, as if they’d already broken up and decided they hated each other so much that they didn’t want you to think they existed in the same dimmension. For dorky fun, I played a CD of the original mix simultaneously; we could switch back and forth via remote. No contest. I’m pretty sure I would slightly prefer the mono mix over this new stereo one, as that’s been the case with the previous releases. I’ll A/B that next.
They gave this new RS the half-speed mastering treatment. Theoretically that should have added some clarity, but I’m not sure if that can make a difference with tapes this old. I wasn’t listening for that really.
I haven’t checked what reviewers think, and I likely won’t. So many are full of crap. With prior remixes, I used to check the blabbosphere for fun. While much of it was insightful, there was always an insane subset who would call every new re-mix a “missed opportunity” or a “cash grab.” The “missed opportunity” crowd usually acknowledged the need for a remix, but as far as I can tell the “missed opportunity” was that they were not the ones overseeing the project. As most of them were likely men over 60 who can’t hear above 10kHz, that’s a good thing. As for the “cash grab” crowd, they mostly think no remix was needed, that Sony/Universal and whoever’s else are just creating a false demand—which is ridiculous as people have been griping about the original stereo mixes for years and happily pay for the improvements. Selling people what they clearly want is not a cash grab.
Then there were absolute idiots who would say no remix was needed and also call it a “missed opportunity.” If it didn’t need remixing, what was the opportunity? Ridiculous.
Of course I had to go see this despite reservations about Matt Damon. How could he possibly convince as the wily Odysseus? Well, the script helped him out by ignoring “wily” and turning Odysseus into a pensive, guilt-ridden bore, a complete anachronism. Mr. Damon had no problem with that.
But there’s plenty to like. Most of Homer’s Odyssey is a flashback, and Christoper Nolan handles matters temporal very well. The Polyphemus episode, as well as those of Circe and Scylla/Charybdis were excellent. As were the Shades emerging from Hades. Cool shipwrecks too.
The Laestrygons episode might have been better had Monty Python and the Holy Grail never existed. For some reason the giants were dressed in medieval armor, which made me expect them to demand a shrubbery or say “none shall pass.” As they were chasing the Greeks off the island, I was half-expecting the Greeks to start shouting “Run away, run away!”
In a similar vein, Agamemnon resembled Darth Vader, which seemed comical to me. I was reminded of Rick Moranis in Spaceballs.
Some of the inevitable changes to Homer worked well, others not. The movie cut the island of the Lotus Eaters, instead having Calypso give Odysseus lotus flowers to keep him forgetful and happy. Excellent idea. But for some reason Helen and Clytemnestra are now twins. Why? I get changes that make a leaner movie, but that seems random. And where the hell was Laertes?
Borrowing Sinon from the Aeneid was an excellent idea, but poorly executed. Excellent as a plot connection that I won’t get into here. But completely wrong as a character. Sinon was the point man for the Trojan Horse trick, a glib con-man. But in this movie he’s an awkward innocent who utters a few words after getting mortally wounded.
The Trojan Horse episode was well-depicted despite Sinon’s botched character and Agamemnon as Darth Vader. But due to Sinon’s reduced role and the absence of horse-doubters (Laocoon and Cassandra), the Trojans’ decision to accept the horse would seem like idiocy to those unfamiliar with the story. As a majority of Americans can no longer tell you who won WWII, that likely would be most people. Granted, Laocoon makes no appearance in Homer’s version, but if you’re borrowing Sinon to add coherence, why stop there?
My biggest problem with this movie involves a spoiler, so I’m mum on that.
Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend seeing it on the big screen. Shipwrecks. Mythical Monsters. Minimal CGI. Yes, please.
