Musical Artist Movie Hall of Fame

I don't know how many times I've looked at the opening post for this HoF and I still couldn't tell you who nominated what films...the only time I find out is when people mention it when they respond to my reviews. I watched all the movies in the other HoF and have no idea who nominated any of them.

It's actually in the second post.

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My IMDb page

I always try to see who it is since I usually address them directly at some point, if not at the end; and I try not to let it get to me subconsciously and simply stay with how I truly feel, the best I can.
It's called Obsessive Compulsive and I think if we all chipped in, CR could get the help he truly deserves --
Seriously though, that IS pretty cool to be that organized

So, Silent, which three surprised you, if I may ask?

Also, I concur with Silent, @Nestorio_Miklos that would be pretty cool to see a few reviews of yours

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Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)

I have to agree with Gideon, this is not a well made movie. It's like a 90 minute musical version of the TV show TJ Hooker. Only instead of William Shatner as a cop, we get Michael Paré as the snearing-growling Eddie, who turns his character into a one dimensional parody. It's like the director didn't give a crap about production values either. I'd compare this to an old Ed Wood movie, but that wouldn't be fair to Ed Wood. At least Ed had interesting subjects, but here we get a hackneyed story with so many plot holes that I didn't care who was breaking into their homes, or were the missing tapes from A Season In Hell were at....And who thought of that name? A Season in Hell, that made me laugh it sounded so corny...The acting, if you can call it that was horrible. Some of the lines delivered by the actors were out right flat.

I could tell this was a lower budget movie by the way the stage performances were filmed. All the actors were crammed together on what was suppose to be a stage, but looked like a raised platform in the studio. I knew the director had no clue what he was doing, when I noticed he had EVERYONE smoking, and ALL the time. Usually smoking scenes are done to add something to the movie or it tells us something about the characters or what their emotions at the moment. The director had no clue on how to handle this film. None of the scenes set in 1963 looked any different than the scenes in 1983, it's like they didn't even bother to try. And the editing between the flashbacks was poor too.

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AMADEUS

Amazing film! For me, this is a masterpiece that deserves stand up ovation. It’s not about Mozart as it may seem, it’s clearly about Antonio Salieri on the verge of his insanity and his confession to a priest . However we don’t see the absolution but only terrified priest after hearing out Salieri’s journey to depths of his soul. It is he himself who ironically absolving all mediocrity somehow thinking he owns the power to do so.
This fictionalized play is about Salieri’s personal spiritual battle with God. He hates God for not given him talent to compose unforgettable music hence the cross thrown in fireplace. His music was indeed forgotten and then after this film revived again. I understand the fact of Salieri undermining himself because every artist, would it be a musician, actor, painter needs an honest feedback from people that surrounds, from people that loves him. There is always this feeling of not being good enough that tormenting every artist’s soul. It was fascinating the way he describes to priest his covetousness for Mozart’s talent, this subtle and sophisticated ways how to destroy him. All this jealousy leads him to madness ending up in institution. The deepness of it and detail depiction of his evil mind somehow reminds me of C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Salieri as Screwtape giving advice to Wormwood, or in this case to the priest or to all of us.

Directing, acting and obiously score was only impeccable with lavish costumes and wonderful architecture.

There is an important message, jealousy not good as it feeds on your soul, it makes you do horrible things, it makes you empty, it makes you insane.

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just read your review, CR, I had found this movie early on and started watching it and the sound wasn't very good and only made it about 20 min in before feeling I wouldn't be giving it a fair shake. So we'll have to see - or rather, I will have to see lol
@Nestorio_Miklos WOW you really got the inner workings of this movie and yes, Salieri does seem to share equal time with Mozart's character and Abrams did SUCH a phenomenal job. His nuances, ESPECIALLY while in the sanitarium were incredible.

Amadeus

That, that was Mozart. . .

I had, literally, fell in love with this movie when I first saw it when it came out. Connecting on so many levels with both the character of Mozart and being blown away by Abrams' brilliance playing Salieri.

"I'm a vulgar man, but I swear to you, my music is not."

While the very premise is fictional there were countless minor facts that were brought to this film. The billiard table that Mozart wrote from, the very fact that he wrote only once, no corrections; as if he "dictated" the music, the tragic demise of being buried in a Potter's Field (a common grave for the poor) and for me, at that time, such things reverberated through me in regards to the 'madness' of abandoning one's self to the "divination" of creativity and the parasitic price that it exacts.
And as I've grown older I also began to appreciate, or rather, lessen my disdain for Salieri's jealousy and his own acceptance into mediocrity.

While so many films traverse this all too familiar road of greatness being a "vessel" and being cast aside afterward and those who could not achieve that level and the pettiness that it brings, Amadeus creates something truly sublime and wondrously glorious even when the "price" is being exacted.

I am continually captivated by this movie and all that it entails.

The name "A Season in Hell" was explained in the movie. There was a guy who wrote a poem called "A Season in Hell", (I don't remember his name, but you can probably find it through Google), and after he wrote the poem, he disappeared and everyone thought he was dead. They found out about 20 years later that he faked his own death, when he showed up in a hospital in another country. They speculated that it was called "A Season in Hell" because Eddie had faked his own death, just like the author of the poem.

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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

I think this HoF is just proving how different my taste in movies is from most people here. I didn't like Amadeus, but so far the other reviewers loved it, but I love Eddie and the Cruisers, and so far, the other reviewers hated it.

If this continues, Get Him to the Greek will probably win this HoF.

I hope not!! not a fan of that one either

on a separate note, has anyone heard from clazor? Is he okay?

Clazor was on the board just yesterday, so he's around. But so far he hasn't posted a review in either of the musical Hofs.

I had PMed him a few weeks ago and asked if he was still in the Hofs, he said yes and that he had to finish the The Universal Monsters/Hammer Horror Crossover HoF first... He's been very reliable in other Hofs.

But just in case, I'm holding off on watching both Clazor's and ShopkeeperTriumph's noms until the end of the Hof. I hope they start participating, and then I will be happy to watch their noms.

Actually I already watched 2 of Clazor's noms.

THE JAZZ SINGER (1980)
Neil Diamond was a driving force in the world of pop music during the 1970's and 80's and someone got the bright idea that his popularity could be capitalized upon by making him a movie star. The 1980 film The Jazz Singer is the second remake of the history-making 1927 film that came to be known as the first "talkie", but this film shamelessly rips off a cinematic legacy and makes a singer's attempt to become an actor look pretty lame.

Diamond plays Jess Rabinovitch, a Jewish cantor who attempts to defy family tradition (cantors go back five generations in his family) and become a rock star, changing his last name to Robin. Jess forsakes his wife (Caitlin Adams) and his very strict father (Laurence Olivier) to go to California when he learns that rock star Keith Lennox (Paul Nicholas) wants to record one of his songs. Even though that doesn't work out, Jess decides to stay in California to continue pursuit of his dream with the help of Lennox's former aide (Lucie Arnaz) and his BFF from New York (Franklyn Ajaye).

Needless to say, this film probably bears little resemblance to the 1927 original, which was actually based on a play by Samson Raphaelson. Herbert Baker's long-winded screenplay attempts to give a contemporary face lift to an outdated story, utilizing every tired show biz movie cliche that we've been subjected to in far superior movies. I guess we weren't supposed to notice because it's Neil Diamond. We have the defying-the-family scene, to the showing-the-vet-how-to-perform-my-music scene to our hero achieving a modicum of success (which occurs in about 20 minutes) and letting it all go to his head to the leaving the pressures of success to go out and "find himself." Richard Fleischer's lackluster and unimaginative direction doesn't help matters either.

Diamond does provide some nice songs for this film, which are probably the best thing about it. Written by Diamond, Alan Lindren, Gilbert Becaud, and Doug Rhone, the songs include "America", "You Baby", "Amazed and Confused", "Summerlove", "Hello Again", and the fabulous "Love on the Rocks."

I remember seeing this film during its original theatrical release and having my high hopes dashed. I've always felt a bit of a kindred spirit to Diamond because we share a birthday, but it doesn't change the fact that this film is a real snooze-fest. The acting ranges from wooden to over the top. Diamond is just out of his element as an actor and even Laurence Olivier is hard to take here...the climactic scene where he tears his clothes and declares he has no son is almost funny, though it really shouldn't be. A lot of money and faith went into this project, but faith sadly turned to dross here.

Gideon, what did you think of Lucie Arnaz in The Jazz Singer?

She was OK, nothing more, nothing less.

I don't know if you read my review on the Jazz Singer, but I didn't care for her.

I just read your review of Eddie and the Cruisers but missed your review of this one, I'll have to check it out.

I'm sorry that you didn't like The Jazz Singer, but at least it sounds like you enjoyed the music.

I've always enjoyed Neil Diamond's music, but not this movie.

No you may not ask because that would spoil my reviews that I will write. (Although I am tempted to reveal them ).

@Nestorio_Miklos I have added your review of Amadeus to the list on the first page.

You just really want to find someone who hated her as much as you did, don't you?


By the way, @gbgoodies, would you like me to just consider your comments about Get Him to the Greek as your review for your film? I'll just link that then.

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I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe