Category Archives: Cinema Scope

For the love of movies, and not just the musicals

TONI ERDMANN Finds The Greatest Love of All

Posted on January 7, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

I finally saw “Toni Erdmann”, which A. O. Scott in the New York Times calls “by a wide margin the funniest almost-three-hour German comedy you will ever see”, which swept all the top awards (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay) at … Continue reading →

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The Lights of Bergen Street

Posted on November 12, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

“Light” Song #1 We have entered dark times.  This week has ushered in a calamity that threatens many ills and horrors.  For me personally, the worst horror is the reversal in progress against the very real and already active threat … Continue reading →

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DAS LILA LIED – THE LAVENDER SONG – “We just happen to be Different from the Others!”

Posted on November 7, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

My recent posts about the Newfest LGBT Film festival included an enthusiastic look at the handsomely restored print of the first known movie to sympathetically portray homosexuality, Germany’s 1919 “Anders als die Andern” (“Different than the Others”). Soon after posting … Continue reading →

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QUEER SEX ON SCREEN – The Handmaiden, Theo & Hugo, and what’s left (i.e. Part 3) of the Newfest Baker’s Dozen

Posted on November 4, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

The Handmaiden – Paris 05:59: Theo & Hugo – Baby Bump – Where Are You Going, Habibi? – Different from the Others Between writing my second piece on the Queer Baker’s dozen of LGBT films I saw at the NewFest … Continue reading →

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN with Notes from a Composer

Posted on October 29, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

As Halloween falls on a Monday this year, I think it makes sense to call this a long Halloween Weekend.  Much costumed celebrating and ghoulish goings-on will have already begun yesterday and continue through today and Sunday into the official … Continue reading →

Posted in Chamber Works, Cinema Scope, Musicabilia, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres, The Teaching Artist, Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Queer Baker’s Dozen of NewFest LGBT films – Part 2

Posted on October 27, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

Akron – I Love You Both – Women Who Kill – Don’t Call Me Son – The Cult – The Nest – (and a Lazy Eye addendum) I experienced a marathon weekend of new LGBT movies from around the world … Continue reading →

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MOONLIGHT & the Queer Baker’s Dozen of NewFest LGBT Films – Part 1

Posted on October 25, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

Moonlight – The Pass – Esteros – Lazy Eye I am “recovering” from watching 14 LGBTQ themed movies over the course of four and a half days.  Not “recovering” in a bad way, only in as much as after seeing … Continue reading →

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The Sublime Coastline of Brazil

Posted on October 20, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

Between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro lie some of the most fabulous coastline views on Earth – (including that “Twilight” honeymoon spot) Brazil (Alternate Take) – Antônio Carlos Jobim It’s always fun when a movie shows you some impressive, … Continue reading →

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LENÇÓIS – The Bedsheets of Brazil

Posted on September 6, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

Brazil – Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra Around ten years ago Ed and I saw an extraordinary Brazilian movie called “The House of Sand”.  It is set in a landscape of endless, blindingly white sand dunes.  So unusual and otherworldly … Continue reading →

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The Many Voices of Marni Nixon

Posted on July 25, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

Marni Nixon passed yesterday.  She had a long, accomplished career as a classically trained singer on the concert and theater stage, but she is most famous for her leading contributions to some of the most famous musicals of Hollywood’s golden … Continue reading →

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NEW YORK NEW YORK in Pieces (of Song and Puzzle)

Posted on July 25, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

Let’s celebrate New York, New York in pieces!  Musical pieces!  Jigsaw puzzle pieces! The first song must be New York, New York of course! What, you thought It’d be Old Blue Eyes’ New York New York?  No worries, I won’t … Continue reading →

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So, Apparently the Corpse of Harry Potter Washed Up on a Beach

Posted on June 25, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

SPOILER AND ODOR ALERT: The following contains details of the movie Swiss Army Man, starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe, as well as of the Harry Potter series which many will consider spoilers.  As well as ghastly many references to … Continue reading →

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NfaC Repost: Forbidden Movies, Forbidden Music

Posted on May 26, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

*Originally posted May 14, 2015: I walked out of the Film Forum mind abuzz and guts churning.   I was chewing on a whole lot of food for thought as well as the ice cream melt I bought to soothe my … Continue reading →

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MERYL STREEP SINGS AGAIN – REALLY BADLY THIS TIME! YEAH!

Posted on April 21, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

Last August I posted a (lavishly video annotated) piece about Meryl Streep’s musical performances over the years (which you can reread below).  I concluded the article with the following: Streep’s movie musical career continues with Florence Foster Jenkins, a movie … Continue reading →

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NfaC Double Repost: BREAKING INTO SONG IN MUSICALS

Posted on March 21, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

Time for another Notes from a Composer rerun, or repost, this time a double feature from last April on the convention of breaking into song in musicals, and how cleverly the movie version of Cabaret subverted that convention.  This post … Continue reading →

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FASCINATING VIDEO OF JULIAN ELTINGE IN DRAG (with bonus clip of Gene Malin in drag too!)

Posted on January 27, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

One of the musical Speakeasy‘s lead characters, Julian Carnation, is based in part on the real life female impersonator Julian Eltinge (as well as the red Queen and the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll’s Alice books). I want to share … Continue reading →

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