I am not sure who was the person who thought up the idea to pair up Glen Campbell and Stevie Wonder on a Bob Dylan song, but I hope they received a large paycheck. In this video, Wonder and Campbell find a lot of soul in the Bob Dylan classic, “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
It is unclear where the video is from, but it may be from when Glen Campbell had a TV show. They do a wonderful job, playing off each other and not getting drowned out in the production.
Stevie Wonder can make any song his own, and he does a fantastic job. But Campbell is a surprise here when he hits the high notes in a verse. Together the two make beautiful music.
What is your favorite unusual duet? Leave your two cents in the comments.
If you avoided the movie The Grey (2012) because you thought it was just another Liam Neeson action film, you should reconsider and give it a chance. From the previews, the movie appears to be just an angry Neeson fighting with wolves. But the film is much more than that.
Yes, in The Grey, Neeson and some other men are alone in the Alaskan wilderness being stalked by wolves. But the movie is really about life and death, and how one chooses to live (and die).
The film begins with Neeson working with oil workers in the barren cold landscape. He works hunting and shooting wolves to protect the workers, but he also is haunted by demons from his past.
After boarding an airplane with other workers, Neeson falls asleep and wakes to turbulence that results in a crash that leaves many of the men stranded. Other actors do a great job, including Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, and Nonso Anozie. But Neeson’s character John Ottway remains the focus.
The CGI wolves do not look completely real, but that may be part of the point. The wolves represent something more than a canine. I do not want to spoil the movie, but the survival struggle raises existential themes about life and death.
Joe Carnahan produced and directed The Grey, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Ian MacKenzie Jeffers. The film is based on a short story by Jeffers called “The Ghost Walker.” The wonderful subtle soundtrack is by Marc Streitenfeld.
So, if you are looking for a dark action movie with deep themes and do not mind some ambiguity in your films, check out The Grey. The movie may not be a light popcorn yarn, but it will stay with you after you watch it.
Various theories about the movie reflect on whether all of the men are parts of Neeson’s character, that they are all in Purgatory, and that the movie encapsulates common fears of flying, heights, dying alone, and drowning. And what does the movie say about the existential struggle to give meaning to one’s life? If you have already seen the movie and want to read more analysis of the film, one might start with some of the analysis from Mother Jones, Ryan Pratt’s blog, The Cinephile Fix, this video on “A Philosophy of Heroic Suffering,” and a ScreenRant interview with the director.
What did you think of The Grey? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In 1973, Barbra Streisand joined Ray Charles on the Buck Owens classic, “Crying Time.” Although many know that Charles had a hit with the song, not many know that Streisand also recorded her own version.
Buck Owens wrote “Crying Time” and originally released it as a B-side to “I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail” in 1964. Although Owens’s version of “Crying Time” did not chart, Ray Charles decided to record the song. He released it as the title track for his album Crying Time in 1966.
The song features a typical country and western theme, with the singer focusing on a lost love. The singer’s lover, however, has not left yet. But the singer knows the lover is leaving by the look in her eyes and the way she holds the singer. One may wonder whether the singer’s senses are correct, but late in the song in a key verse, the singer notes, “Now you say you’ve found someone that you love better.” But then, in what may be the song’s most interesting line, the singer adds, “That’s the way it’s happened every time before.”
In other words, it appears that the lover has cheated on the singer more than once before. So, while it is a song about love lost and Charles’s voice captures the aching pain of such loss, the reality is probably that the singer is better off and should find a new lover anyway.
By the time he released “Crying Time,” Ray Charles had already established himself as a wonderful interpreter of country music, including with his 1962 albums Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music and Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol 2. Those albums also established his skill in selecting country songs, whether or not they were big hits originally.
Charles’s version of “Crying Time” went on to make the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, the R&B chart, and the easy listening chart. The recording also earned two Grammy Awards.
Streisand subsequently released an album featuring much of the music from the special. The album, also called Barbra Streisand…And Other Musical Instruments (1973), however, did not include the “Crying Time” duet. Streisand did include the song (without Charles) on her later album Butterfly (1974).
To be honest, I prefer the individual versions, but hearing and seeing the two all-time musical greats together is pretty cool.
What do you think of the duet? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In Tim Burton’s take on the Walt Disney classic, Dumbo, Arcade Fire reinterprets the movies classic song “Baby Mine.” Director Burton’s live-action interpretation of the story about the flying elephant seems bound to bring tears to the eyes of hard-hearted cynics. And the song “Baby Mine” always warms the heart.
Burton’s film will also feature a version of “Baby Mine” by Norwegian singer, Aurora. For Arcade Fire’s version, the band’s Win Butler brought in several members of his family to help with the song. Check out Arcade Fire’s “Baby Mine.”
The new live-action Dumbo stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Eva Green. Edd Osmond, who has worked in Star Wars movies, did the real-life action behind the flying elephant.
The original 1941 version of “Baby Mine” for the animated movie was recorded by Betty Noyes. Check out the original movie version below.
The podcast Show Me the Meaning! does a wonderful job of delving into philosophical questions behind some of our favorite films. The podcast’s enjoyable focus and the hosts’ humor help Show Me the Meaning! stand out in a crowded podcast field.
Bauer helps keep things moving while allowing for the right balance of friendly banter and focused discussion. Like other most enjoyable group podcasts, the hosts make you feel a part of the discussion, not like you are an outsider listening to other people’s inside jokes. And the conversations welcome and inform you without talking down to you.
Each episode focuses on a recent or classic movie, delving into the story and the meaning and philosophical questions raised in the film. But it is not a dry academic exercise. The hosts take you on a fun journey, full of humor and insight. It is one of the rare movie podcasts where you finish actually knowing more than when you started.
Show Me the Meaning is available at Wisecrack’s website or wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play (which I use). If you watched the recent Netflix Black Mirror movie Bandersnatch and wonder if you worked through all of the endings and what the interactive movie meant, there’s a good episode about the movie on Show Me the Meaning. Some other episodes I have especially enjoyed including their examination of The Dark Knight, Starship Troopers, Idiocracy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and each of the Matrix films.
Wisecrack has video recorded some of the episodes and posted them on YouTube. Below is their take on the Coen Brothers film Fargo.
Make sure to check out all their Show Me the Meaning! podcasts. Start out with the movies that most interest you and go from there.
What is your favorite movie podcast? Leave your two cents in the comments.
