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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Ref Date: 13 Jan 09 - 10:02 PM Get the DVD for the extra scenes and musical bits.
For 10 years this thread has done nothing but collect spam. If you wish to reopen the topic contact a moderator to reopen it. ---mudelf |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Alice Date: 13 Jan 09 - 09:18 PM A Mighty Wind is re-run on The Comedy Channel tonight. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego Date: 02 Dec 08 - 05:12 PM By the way, the KT member who played the four-string Martin was recently departed Nick Reynolds of our area. Some of the characters in the film reminded me of the types that showed up for on-campus outdoor shows in our college amphitheater in the late 1950's and early 1960's, often with more hair and attitude than talent, but that was half the fun. I was one-third of a trio back then. The best performance we ever gave, according to a local reviewer, was the day we had a 1:00 PM performance - same day as I endured a double wisdom tooth removal in the morning. I think the Darvon helped immensely. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST Date: 01 Dec 08 - 08:02 PM Teah, some body way back there pointed out the "Never did no Wanderin'" song. I thought it was great, purely for the celebration and portrayal of an ideal that they never actually followed! John |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST Date: 01 Dec 08 - 11:23 AM Is Fred Willard the illegitimate American brother of John Cleese? They both nail the mock-serious and the absurd like few others. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST Date: 01 Dec 08 - 11:05 AM Agreed. Great Stuff! |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Marc Bernier Date: 01 Dec 08 - 10:35 AM I just finished watching A Mighty Wind again. This movie may never develope the cult status of Spinal Tap, but it is a good movie. You do need to be able to laugh at yourself a bit though. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: John Hardly Date: 16 Jan 04 - 07:03 PM I confess.....it depressed me. I've never been able to tell how serious to take my music. Lotsa folks here on the 'cat make me feel the same insecurity -- like there's some kinda inside scoop on what is hip (tell me tell me). Same thing with taking my writing with any degree of seriousness -- I guess I'm too insecure. I wish I could be the snide PeterT type who's so in the know that I could spread belittlement with just the slightest slighting, just the right smirk. It was funny though. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: greg stephens Date: 16 Jan 04 - 06:25 PM Well it says it's on genral release in England today, but alas not in Stoke. As far as I can see the nearest cinema it's on in is Birmingham, and it'll take more than a movie to get me to go down there. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Mr Red Date: 16 Jan 04 - 06:07 PM Well I am getting a lot of good vibes on this one BUT.......... Mighty Wind - is it art? (with a capital F) ......... |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: katlaughing Date: 03 Jan 04 - 01:19 AM Well, we finally got to see this, too. It WAS a hoot; thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved Spinal Tap, best...probably because it was the first. These guys are spot on every time, though! kat |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Sttaw Legend Date: 02 Jan 04 - 05:51 PM Wind is always a problem after Christmas and New Year |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: wanderhope Date: 02 Jan 04 - 11:30 AM Just back from a hiatus from reading this stuff, and I forgot how much I missed it. I got the "Mighty Wind" DVD for Christmas, and enjoyed the movie. My high school group was "The Tradewinds", named after a local cafeteria. Bill Wharton (The Sauce Boss) and I were two of the three of us. Bill stayed with it. I went into counseling (getting and and giving it). |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Cluin Date: 01 Dec 03 - 11:50 AM Haven't made my mind up on this one yet. I was a bit disappointed because I had pretty high expectations I guess. Lots of funny parts, but maybe, as has been said, musically it was just a bit too close to the truth. I found Best In Show and Spinal Tap funnier. But I want to see it again, this time in DVD so I can see all the deleted scenes. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST,Kim C no cookie Date: 01 Dec 03 - 11:30 AM I finally saw this movie. Mister bought it used on DVD, so now it's in the library. I think it's a HOOT! I thought it was very well done, and impressed that the actors really were singing and playing. Eugene Levy has a pretty good singing voice! I think I like Best in Show a little better, but Christopher Guest and his crew make some pretty darn good movies. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Gareth Date: 30 Nov 03 - 08:55 AM Well - A Mighty Wind comes to the UK Here is the 'Observer's' review Click 'Ere I suspect the film will be confined to the "Art House" circuit, but yer never know. The 'Observer' says it will open on 16th January - but where, they say not. Gareth BTW - proof that I do occasionally read the 'Kultural' pages ! |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: JudyR Date: 30 May 03 - 03:06 AM Oh,dear, after all the expectations, I was slightly disappointed. I [i]would[/i] see it again, because there are subtleties (instrumentation, notes, lyrics), I missed, and the costumes were delicious. Darn it, my favorites far and above all, were the Folksmen, and I wanted to see them more, and more songwise (no, it wasn't a concert film, but why not let them finish a song?) Loved Harry Shearer's bass-voiced droleness, Guest's deadpan sublety. The Main Street Singers were cute for a little while -- and I recognized a lot of wierd California types in the two religous freaks. But (ohmigod, am I the only one that thinks this?) Mitch bored me to tears. Everytime he gave one of his spaced-out speeches, I tuned out. I read that he was given free reign as to what to do with the character -- I don't agree with his choice. I was looking for more direct parody of recognizable folk acts, and I certainly didn't see Ian in that. I think Roger Ebert had a point -- that the musicianship was just too close to the real thing, and not *quite* bent enough. I waited through the entire performance of the title song to get to the funny last line (I did entirely enjoy Shearer assigning each section of the audience to a different animal sound. Now *that* rang true from that time!) Things I liked: Bob Balaban (used to hate him, love him now). Even liked the Town Hall manager (turns out, he's a patient at my dentist's!) Liked Ed Begley's little Yiddish bit to kow-two to the Jewish aspect of the biz a lot. Loved the opening "Weavers-film" style segment. Wanted more like that. And LOVED all the album covers! (particularly great was the ersatz Ian and Sylvia cover, with the exact pose and sheepskin jackets -- would that they would have carried the Ian and Sylvia "joke" just a little further). A friend, who did like the film better than I -- noted that parts of the "Weaver" segment were too over-the top -- how stupid, he said, can they be to put out albums without a hole? He compared it to Spinal Tap, with the "11" on the needle (not sure if I am quoting him accurately, but he meant the ST nailed the players better). I did not mind that this satirized that pallid early-60's folk, and not the "authentic" stuff. After all, how funny could you get parodying Dylan (although, maybe folk madonnas like Baez/Collin). But, perhaps Guest *is* too close to the stuff. Could any of us parody Baez and not feel like we were trampling on sacred ground? The audience with me, came in wanting to laugh, it was obvious. We all laughed mightily at the beginning, and it tapered off. Again, I would like to see it again, though. Speaking of over-the-top, Fred Willard was just awfully unfunny. Maybe he's one that *should* have been scripted. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: MAG Date: 30 May 03 - 12:34 AM That onstage kiss was the sharpest bit of symbolic satire in the film. Both of them say in the post-interviews that they were caught up in "The theatricality of the moment." They actually said that. That kiss looked pretty real. (drool, drool.) The fact that they did it becasue it was expected showed just how exhibitionistic they both are, or were at that moment onstage. The pivotal moment, and a brilliant microcosm of what the film was saying. There was lots of other stuff I liked, but it's late and I'm tired and I want to get back to my Atwood book. MA, who finally saw it on Monday |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Burke Date: 29 May 03 - 06:24 PM Here it is |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST,amergin Date: 29 May 03 - 05:29 PM could this be why, Jean? BG "But even the "roots music" artists who performed in the shadow of groups like the Kingston Trio haven't disappeared. Smithsonian Folkways (www.folkways .si.edu) sends out a steady stream of CDs from singers like Jean Ritchie. She has recorded songs from rural Kentucky since 1952, introducing countless listeners to the spare, sweet sound of the dulcimer, and still performs at age 80. "My voice isn't what it was, but nobody seems to care," she says, chuckling." or this? ""Groups like the New Christy Minstrels led a lot of people to folk music," says Ritchie. "We were very grateful to them." So what if they weren't "real"?" BG |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie) Date: 29 May 03 - 05:18 PM Latest review (that I know)is in the June 2 issue of, U.S.News & World Report (next to last page)...you may like this one, Kendall- I certainly did, but won't say why. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: kendall Date: 27 May 03 - 08:21 AM It wasn't a total loss, there were a few parts that I got a chuckle out of, but, I wouldn't bother to see it again. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Amos Date: 26 May 03 - 11:32 PM Aw, Kendall, I am seriously bummed you didn't laugh your ass off at this rip-off of the ripper-offers. I thought it showed the commercial Folk shtick of the era for the tomfoolery it really was. I appreciate your feelings. Burl was an early and powerful influence in my life too. But that doesn't stop me from rolling around guffawing at this parody! Ah, well, chacun a son mauvais gout. A |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Charley Noble Date: 26 May 03 - 10:22 AM Really, let's start a petition to have Mickey booked for Old Songs. She deserves an empathetic audience. I'm not so sure about Mitchy. Bob Franke covers some of the same territory... Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Willie-O Date: 26 May 03 - 08:57 AM Mickey "cashing in"? At the end of the movie, she was playing her autoharp and singing about her hubbie's catheters at a tradeshow to completely indifferent passersby. All I could figure was she must for some reason really love her strange husband, be desperate to play, and she still hadn't heard about agents... W-O |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Charley Noble Date: 26 May 03 - 08:37 AM Mitch/Marty/Micky, never could keep them names straight. BG You know, even though I grew up with folk music that preceeded the 1960's "Mighty Wind" I'm still appreciative that there was that new generation of perpetrators and a growing audience. For me, it made enduring college much more fun. Growing up with my parents and their neighbors singing folksongs didn't mean that I ever led any songs or even learned to play an instrument; the grown-ups did that. Sure, I knew a lot of lyrics via osmosis but it wasn't till I got to college and found a small group of friends who were also interested in these songs that I learned to play a banjo and to lead songs. My family had an old recording of Frank Warner singing "Tom Duley" long before the Kingston Trio got hold of it but I probably wouldn't have learned to sing it if the Trio hadn't made the song popular. Gosh, two whole chords to try to coordinate! And at least part of that 1960's audience was what sustained our "folk clubs" and "folksingers" for another 30 years. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 25 May 03 - 09:38 PM I, too, saw it last night with my wife and son, but we were able to see all of it. Good movie. It's a hoot! Great movie? Of course not, but an entertaining evening. Great music? No, of course not, but it was good enough not to get in the way of an amusing movie. Charley Noble, the guy with the glasses and the stare and the rose is Mitch, not Marty. No big deal. I think my favorite bit in the whole thing was a metamorphosis of the bass player in the trio, at the end. Don't want to say any more about that, lest I spoil the occasion for someone who has yet to see it. Dave Oesterreich |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST Date: 25 May 03 - 09:16 PM You were lucky. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Charley Noble Date: 25 May 03 - 07:22 PM So, after seeing this movie myself I dragged my wife off to see it last evening, at the Railway Square Cinema in Waterville, ME. We were enjoying it hugely when the lights flickered and the film sputtered to a stop. But then everything restarted again. Now this began to happen quite regularly, or irregularly, and about the third time we had most of the audience chiming in "Wot happened?" But about the time were Marty returns from his wanders with a rose, the film died for good and a sheepish young man informed us that all of Waterville was blacked out for an indeterminate period of time. After waiting another 10 minutes we left, assuaging ourselves with another splendid dinner at Slates in Hallowell, where they did have power. We found out this morning that it wasn't an alien invasion but that one of their transformer poles became a Roman candle, and they really had to shut everything down. Somehow, it all seems in the spirit! I thought you'd all like to know. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Little Hawk Date: 24 May 03 - 12:34 PM Superb review, Willie-O. I had the same general reactions as you. God help "folk music" after this movie! I think I'm going to be a singer-songwriter from here on in. - LH |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: kendall Date: 23 May 03 - 08:38 PM I was listening to BURYL Ives in the 40's...and you say he was a Johnnie come lately? |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: kendall Date: 23 May 03 - 08:36 PM No, I meant BURYL Ives. From waht I've been told about Spinal Tap, I wouldn't be able to stand the noise. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Little Hawk Date: 23 May 03 - 12:03 AM kendall...you sure you don't mean "Beryl Ives"? :-) Now THERE was a Johnny-come-lately if ever I've seen one! You ought to see Spinal Tap very soon. Rent it. It's utterly hilarious. Much, much funnier than Mighty Wind. After all, there's a lot to make fun of when it comes to hard rockers and heavy metal groups. - LH |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Art Thieme Date: 22 May 03 - 10:34 PM Ah, this is all about time, these polemics are. It concerns where we are on the outer circle looking in at the center. Hindsight gives you a good view of the assholes and their antics, and it's so very easy to parody what you think went down in the other guys decades. As I've said, this film will never come to Peru, Illinois where I am stuck/at these days. Just remember: Time, it is a killin' fit, Time, it is a blossom, And if you want your finger bit, Stick it at a possum. FOD !!! (a paraphrase of Frank Warner---from Art) |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: kendall Date: 22 May 03 - 07:24 PM Don't dis Pete without lots of proof! You might make me angry, and, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Come to think of it, some people don't like me when I'm Not angry. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Frankham Date: 22 May 03 - 06:13 PM Nerd, Not sure these facts you present re: Wimoweh are accurate. I would challenge you on the point that Pete was not scrupulous in his dealing with Linda. "Paul Campbell" is a pseudonym for the Weavers and Harold Leventhal handles the publishing. Harold is not known for sordid business practices. Also, Mbube is hard to sing. Wimoweh is not. If it were Mbube, I doubt it would have been so well-known. Pete would have changed it if he thought so. Where is the source for your information? Frank Hamilton |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: kendall Date: 21 May 03 - 10:51 PM At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, I must say, I never saw Guffman or Spinal tap, and, I wish I hadn't seen this turkey! It was mildly amusing, but, didn't measure up to the hype. Someone mentioned the instruments; I saw a two Martin guitars, a Taylor, an Ovation and a Guild. The mandolin was, of course, a Gibson. The thing is, all those groups, the Kingston trio, the Highwaymen, Limelighters etc. were all Johnnies come lately to me. I was into folk long before they showed up, with my earliest influence being Buryl Ives. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Charley Noble Date: 21 May 03 - 05:10 PM Bart, I think you got it! Now shall we do the Mudcat Reunion? Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST,Kfogarty Date: 21 May 03 - 11:18 AM Having lived and been part of the 80's folk scene, I am not as up on who was supposed to be whom in the movie. But I can echo Amos' sentiments..I was chuckling from the first moments of the soundtrack and cracking up throughout the movie. My first husband lived through all this stuff and so I had some second hand experience of the time period. (But, even folkies of today have some of the attitude that the movie parodies.) My daughter is 19 and also loved it! I think if you've been involved in folk concerts from backstage and on stage, planned and been involved in festivals, done a folk radio show, etc. you just GET IT! I applaud the writers and all who pulled this off with so much warmth. Being picked on never felt so fun. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Mark Cohen Date: 21 May 03 - 01:23 AM LH, I don't think you're ever going to see a parody of Teletubbies. And do you know why? Oh, sure you do... Just think about it: haven't you noticed the colors of the Teletubbies? I mean, those COLORS!!! They've obviously reached...the 50th vibration. And, as such, are beyond parody. Aloha, Mark |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST,Arne Langsetmo Date: 20 May 03 - 06:17 PM Mark C: You're wrong. I see Guest posting here all the time. ;-) The funniest single moment of the movie is when Balaban finally gets to Begley (IIRC). But much of the humour isn't a guffaw-inducer, but rather a long running joke that keeps you chortling warmly. The lyrics are indeed superb ("Never Did No Wanderin'". . .). Maybe the movie will do for the Folksmen and the NMSS what "O Brother" did for old time music. . . . The most ironic thing for me was seeeing this movie the day after seeing the Dave Van ronk tribute in NYC ... in which city councilman Alan Gerson came out and presented a framed city proclamation to Dave's widow... ;-) (Don't get me wrong, Dave's tribute was a wonderful occasion, with real stories of Dave's immense contributions, and touching music...) It's all in good fun. Cheers, -- Arne Langsetmo |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Jim the Bart Date: 20 May 03 - 11:26 AM I had a revelation (for me, anyway) about the movie, which I love. It's not about "folk music" at all, it's about the folk music business. It's a concert to celebrate a promoter/manager, put on by three people whose wealth came from a father who latched on to some musicians and parlayed his percentage into an inheritance; one of the kids never even liked the music, not that that seems to matter. The acts that were portrayed are the kind of acts that got into the business to cash in. The New Main Street Singers only have one original member, who (if I remember correctly) didn't even have a microphone during their performance. It's the de-evolution of the "neuftet" from the group that accomplished the sound that he had in his head, to an amusement park re-creation. It's hard to complain about Mickey cashing in, when the whole thing is about cashing in. Even the big moment, by the act with the most real artistic credibility, is not about the song (Kiss at the End of the Rainbow) as much as it is about the schtick that went along with the song. The Kingston Trio got slammed for making a lot of money out of their version of folk music, but the market came to them as much as anything. They never claimed to be folk singers; they were admittedly entertainers first. This movie is about the people who saw the market open up and jumped in. There's nothing wrong with that. I started out by doing my best imitation of those guys myself. It was only much later that I started getting hungry to find out about the real guys, who made the real music. That's the topic of another movie. Does this make sense to anyone? Or is it just me? Have great days Bart |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Little Hawk Date: 20 May 03 - 11:19 AM And it will last a day or two at any movie theatre north of Toronto...there is maybe one person in 300 around small town Ontario that has any idea what the jokes in "A Mighty Wind" are about. But that didn't stop me from enjoying it. :-) Now, get a movie in with Adam Sandler, teen sex, lots of swearing and fart jokes...and you're talkin' PROFIT, baby! You're also talkin' an audience that's even more annoying than the movie itself. They go to see themselves depicted larger (but not stupider) than life as they know it. - LH |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Bill D Date: 19 May 03 - 02:33 PM well!...last night a group of 15 of us from the FSGW folk group and ghetto (including 3 or 4 who got almost ALL the references)met and sat en masse in a fairly full theater to see this reamarkable film. I will confess, I had NO idea of it's theme when I went in. (unlike most of the group)..As it slowly sank into my head what was happening, my patented *grin* spread acroos my face and, with the exception of the times when I laughed/guffawed out loud, stayed there for the duration! Sure, there were omissions,(no way to show the entire 'concert) and you can't tailor parodies to meet everyone's concept of how it was....but, wow!...they captured the essential stereotypes so well that it would have been painful, if it weren't so funny! And they stopped JUST short of hokey criticism and embarassing stupidity. Those characters in the film were having fun, and doing what THEY liked, and THEY were as happy with their 'reunion' as anyone could expect. I saw, months ago, some REAL reunion/retrospective concert on (PBS?) and found I could NOT watch it all, as the performers were all too 'real', and unaware of the spectre they were participating in....but I WOULD have loved to see outtakes of THEIR rehearsals and planning for the concert! The songs in the movie WERE well done, in that they were so perfectly mediocre that only careful listening told you how BAD they were. I was shaking my head in wonder at the cocktail party where the camera panned briefly over the one old black 'bluesman' who was enduring his 'token appearance' with a nod and a mumbled word or 2..and "Mickey", cashing in on her renewed 'fame' by playing autoharp at the trade show 6 months later was a masterpiece of poignancy. Also, a wonderful touch was the way "Mitch" raised himself from his bumbling, tormented ineptness, barely able to sing and chord, to recapturing not only his 'musicianship', but his mind, just long enough to do the show....that part was not necessary for the success of the film as a whole, but it added a needed 'theme' to focus on. There was general agreement that someone will get the DVD and we will all watch it again together sometime when we can pause it to laugh, discuss, point out details, rewind parts and run to the john without missing anything! 'Twas quite a trick to make that movie, I'd suspect....I found myself telling someone in our group, tongue-in-cheek, that it was "12 years in the filming", because they had to re-shoot so many scenes trying to get the actors to quit giggling and rolling their eyes.(Yes, I saw the Chris Guest explanation that a lot of it was done spontaneously....but...*grin*) Go see it, folks.... |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Amos Date: 19 May 03 - 01:25 AM Johnny: That's like dismissing Best In Show as a take off on dog shows. See the movie -- it'll be much more interestng. A |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Little Hawk Date: 19 May 03 - 12:32 AM It's not easy to parody Barney, but I think "Death To Smoochy" might just qualify. It would not be easy to parody teletubbies either...at least I don't think so. UGH!!! - LH |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST Date: 18 May 03 - 11:00 PM there kind of is...it's called death to smoochy. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: GUEST,Johnny in OKC Date: 18 May 03 - 12:58 AM Okay, I've read the thread. So it's a send-up of the "phony" folk- music bands of the sixties? Isn't that what the Smothers Brothers were doing 30 years ago? Maybe what's funny is that we were all taken in by the Kingston Trio and others. Was it so wrong? Look at the competition of the time. Frankie and Annette, "I love you and you love me, we're as happy as two can be." Oggh! Porter Waggoner (I won't even go there), Elvis, and free jazz that was so far out even the players didn't know what they were doing. Give me Simon & Garfunkel any time. At least some of these guys could sing in tune, and many of them knew more than three chords. I guess I'll see the movie if it doesn't close before reaching Oklahoma City. On the other hand, if you guys keep going to it, they will probably make "A Might Wind - the Sequel". What I would like to see is a parody of tv's Barney Show. |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Charley Noble Date: 17 May 03 - 06:10 PM Or in OZ where the focus would be on "koalas." Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Review: A Mighty Wind From: Little Hawk Date: 17 May 03 - 04:38 PM That is an inspired idea, Charley! We give far too little thought to how everything is made of colors...except in Canada and the UK, where everything is made of colours. Were are all just a magnificent amalgam of color/colour, and that is just so cosmic, that, well...it leaves me breathless! - LH |
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