Music

This is probably the best Marx Brothers movie. Not much in the way of a plot. But there a couple of excellent scenes amidst some dated mediocrity.

Bonus star for its age.

Searching for Sugar Man is a documentary about the artist (Sixto) Rodriguez who released two unsuccessful albums in Detroit in the early 1970s and subsequently faded away from the music business back into what is described as abject poverty. Unbeknownst to him, however, his music became hugely popular in South Africa where his fans were under the impression that he was dead. This documentary retells the story of how two of his South African fans tracked him down in the late 90s.

The setting was good, the music was classical, and the acting was mostly well above par. However, the script was lacking, the characters lacked depth, and the plot hurried along too quickly towards a very abrupt end. It was enjoyably different. Unfortunately, I do not expect it to be memorable.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I'm a sucker for movies about music and try to watch 'em all regardless of how good or bad they are. Pitch Perfect was a fence-sitter for me as it looked like some kind of teen college flick and yet had Anna Kendrick in it. The plot is pretty clichéd albeit with a USP of it being a movie about an a acapella band contest which is new, and the acting is average. However, every now and then, it surprises you with something ridiculous out of left field which results in a periodic revival of interest.

A weak plot, dull direction and good acting make this this French movie a real mixed bag. However, it is about music and classical music at that and I can overlook even Godzilla-sized issues for its sake. It is also a comedy and there are some moments of note. But all the whole, it really isn't all that funny.

Don't expect much out of this one and just enjoy it for the music.

The Wise Man's Fear is the sequel to Patrick Rothfuss' enjoyable The Name of the Wind, and it's a good 'un. While the flaws notes in the first book are still present in this work, the plot and flow are far smoother. But what makes the difference in book two is the level of imagination which, in some places, is absolutely riveting. The world of the Fae and the Ademre is just the kind of thing I like to soak my brain in.

I've been a huge fan of Nodame Cantabile ever since it was released. I've watched the live-action series, read the manga and also watched series one of the anime. This review deals with the anime sequel, dubbed "Nodame Cantabile: Paris Hen", which deals with Nodame and Chiaki's stay in Paris.

You should probably not be reading further if you are yet to see the first series.

Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind is a pretty entertaining fantasy novel. It has all the usual ingredients for success: a young boy-hero gifted in magic, a quick thinker, and a general rags-to-riches storyline. Add in a school/university setting and more underdog-ness, and you wonder if the author made up a list of attributes in best-selling fantasy novels and decided to blend them all in for a sure-fire milkshake of success. There is also more than a little bit of Le Guin's Earthsea universe sprinkled throughout Rothfuss' effort.

So, thanks to a lot of hype, I ... acquired this anime and watched it all in a couple of sittings. I'm a real sucker for anything that revolves around music and the fact that this is directed by Watanabe Shinichirō (director of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, etc., who is known for blending music in really well) with music taken care of by Kanno Yōko (who is a bloody legend), is about as big a recommendation as any anime can get.