KK

It was probably the first time I realized the power of film beyond the "fantastical" and "escapsim". The very idea that film is capable of making human stories transcendent.

Come now Alex. You can't possibly think you're the only or primary stats source for JWFanners everywhere. We're all bombarded with these numbers every morning on our screens!

The Return of the King Pan's Labyrinth Schindler's List Magnolia Before Sunset In the Bedroom The Thin Red Line Mirror In the Mood for Love Some of these would make to my all-time favourites, some not. But each of these films came to me at different times in my life and informed a lot of my worldview and perception of the power of film and art.

Oh please! Williams is widely respected across popular contemporary conductors and composers, largely for his technique and firm grasp over tradition. Maybe less so as an innovator or a significant contributor to contemporary classical vocabulary, but that's reasonable. The fact of the matter is, he's probably the most widely performed composer in concert halls of our time, and he's gotten just about every major award any conservatory-centric composer could dream of. But at the end of the day, his film work is simply far more popular than his concert work and it informs the bulk of his career, hence he will always be labelled as a Hollywood man first. And he knows that. His contribution to popular music is markedly different to that of Mahler and Shostakovich did, so any comparison there is hardly warranted. And yet, the average person on the street will probably be able to quote Williams, in work and name, over Mahler or Shostakovich. Certainly over Corigliano, Adams, Saariaho, Wolfe, Ades, etc etc. And let's be real. Williams is a millionaire and man of privilege who has earned the kind of respect and honours across both worlds of film and the concert hall in a way that no one before him ever has, and no one after him ever will. None of his contemporaries could claim similar success. So he certainly needs no defending. Any more whining really just speaks to fanboy entitlement.

Nah. Malick is probably one of the few directors who would still have the balls to push Williams outside of his comfort zone. Whether it would all make it to the film or not is a different matter, but the music would probably be some of the most meaningful work of his late career. Neither are probably at a stage in their careers where they're willing to put up with Malick's process anymore. It's why he sticks to the younger guys. I would love to hear Williams take on a Malick film though. It's basically carte blanche for a composer, without being beholden to cumbersome blockbuster technicalities. I'd argue that Lubezski's modern style is actually more informed by Malick than the other way around, though it's clearly a symbiotic relationship. A Hidden Life is still gorgeous to look at, as all Malick films are. But I really liked the way the film played with light and darkness, and the return of more classical framing (as much as you'd expect in a Malick film). Felt like it stood apart from the Lubezki-shot films.

Dogtooth Having only seen his English films, I wasn't really convinced about Lanthimos until The Favourite came along. But having finally gotten to see this one, I can see why he built such a loyal fanbase from the start. Dogtooth resembles a Haneke film in many ways, even beyond the deadpan faces and the stark lensing, but this one has the benefit of a lighter touch (unlike a Haneke film, you're allowed to laugh here). I've always felt Lanthimos' films were a bit neutered by their high-concept ideas, but here he seems to transcend his premise with its sheer absurdity. It also seems clear to me now, that as Lanthimos' films got bigger, they inevitably became more American and I'm not sure that's entirely a good thing. He should come back to his roots!

Looks like a Midsommar knockoff.

Praise be!!

Italy and Spain are showing signs of slowing down. So the peak is on the horizon!

The Met is streaming John Adams' Nixon in China for the night! https://www.metopera.org/season/on-demand/opera/?upc=811357014158&fbclid=IwAR12pmdOFaH1GYLAyAUHTYxxoh2o0bSymz0m7UNRXteNGmacKs3QT7b2HO0

Also, grimmer reality being debated for the 'Muricans...

China Concealed Extent of Virus Outbreak, U.S. Intelligence Says

Well yes. I have nothing against the measures at the present moment. We must do as the circumstances dictate. But till July? That's a harsh sentence.

So a government report apparently predicts that the best case scenario will require maintaining these measures until July. That sounds pretty grim to me. And I’m not entirely sure how that’s feasible...

Yea...it’s all kind of soapy isn’t it? I just remember the show hitting the same beats over and over at some point.