Talking about... X-mas

What has happened to Chrismas in Russia? (by Moon_river)

Tell me what happened to Christmas in Russia.

Where has it gone or where was it lost?

We still has that spirit, the gifts and the rush, but

Why it`s The New Year that metters the most?

I remember the story about that Jesus,

All of merry traditions connected with it.

We still do love them, just explain me why this is

31st of December when they take the lead.

The 7th of Janiary is Christmas in Russia,

That the Christians here ought to celebrate.

But most of the people are drunken and crushed and

Those who are not are just tired and forget!

I am not religious, so why do I care?

Because we forgot what the holidays is:

This isn`t about carouse, prepare

For having a long night of eating all these...

The Chrismas is holiday when you visit your parents

When you pay your attention, bestow your smile

When you may say you`re sorry for being in absence,

But so glad to be here even if for a while!

You may spend the Christmas with friends or with strangers,

But the meaning of holiday still is the same:

That above and beyond our differences and dangers

We should still love each other without a shame!

It was all about the Soviet Union, when all of the traditions were crashed. Actually, I didn`t make a research about how Christmas was celebrated before, when a tsar reigned in Russia, but may be I will...

Let me think about... "The Neverending Story"

Usually rather popular things are thought to have no hidden meaning or rather good things are not popular enough.  I`m going to take sometimes some of them for a discussion.

The Sixteenth - "A Beautiful Fairytale"  - Discussion of the "Neverending Story" movie.

 

The movie is the most beautiful fairy tale I`ve ever seen. This one is out of the kind of movies that are memorable from the very first time you`ve seen it. It becomes a part of childhood memories, leaves reflections and makes you cry. One of the most fascinating stories, screened in 1984. Have a chance to watch it till you`re not a grown-up! 

Actually, the movie is based on a novel by a German writer Michael Ende «Die unendliche Geschichte». By the way, the writer rufused to admit the fact that this film refers his book, as it contains too little of it, but he lost the action. Unfortunatelly I still haven`t read it, can`t say whether he is true or not.

The actors who starred in the movie have changed incredibly as a lot of time has passed, and you`re interested how they live now.

Bastian was played by Barret Oliver, he is 39 now.

The Childlike Empress was played by Tami Stronach, now a 40 years old woman, married and have a child. She was 11 when she had stared in "...Story", but after that her parents didn`t allow her to act anymore.

The sweet Atreyu was played by Noah Hathaway, who seems to be the only one who stayed being an actor of the three leading actors. He is also 40 and he is also married:) 

You may see more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NeverEnding_Story_(film)

Make your own Fantasy world out of your fantasy!

Let me think about... "Easy A"

I wanted to write something about this film long ago, but wasn`t sure of my feelings about it. And here it is! I rewatched it! Yeah!

What`s so special about this stupid, banal, disgusting teen comedy? That all these are only rumours! All of the people I compare my marks of films with consider it a rubbish, but the film is just about that - about labels! You see young, unexperienced actors, uncomplicated plot, simple replics in the begining and put a lable "trash" at once! You, guys, obviously underestimate this work.

What things made me infuried? 

1) Amanda Bynes. I hate the way she plays. She just can`t make her comedy character at least pleasant and gives a rate to the movie she works in. As well as Lisa Kudrow, who was terrible here too, she was invited to make fans of Friends and stupid teen series go and watch "Easy A". The movie ridicules that girls who Bynes always play, but unfortunatelly it looks like it all was made on purpose. 

2) Poster. It`s so awful I don`t want to paste it here. 

Why should you watch the movie?

 

1) To wacth incredible (here) Emma Watson! Almost all of the jokes are spoken by her, and they`re natural , really funny, with mimicry and stuff like that. 

2) It shows ideal parents! The ones who cares, who treat everything with a sence of humour, who communicate with their children and don`t make a big deal from a triffle. And who really know their children!

3) It shows real priorities in school. Not making reputation, but studying! Try to analyze and see that similar problems our schools also has. Howhever the movie demonstrate problems only by words of the main character and not the stage scenery: it`s bright and optimistic. Ok.

4) It has links! Classic books, movies of 80s... Ideas and dreams. That what ordinary stupid teen comedy also lacks. We see not only the dreams, but what they`re consist of! "Sixteen candles", "The Breakfast club" are famous, cult movies, as we like to say. I`m sure, we all have such kind of fantasies. 

5) I personally found in Olive something similar to me. Especially those evenings spent singing, dancing and cleaning the flat! That`s exactly like me! I was shocked..:)

Don`t put lables. Judge objectively!

Favorite soundtracks №9. James Bond

As for me, I always thought that every Bond movie has its soundtrack named by the title of the film. I was mistaken. Not only there`re two movies that doesn`t have an intro song, but three others have nothing to do with the title! What happend to well-known British traditionality? By the way even unofficial "Never say never again" (1983) has a song "Never say never again"!

(I thought I`d have to look for videos of every of the sountracks, but this video saved my life)

There`s not the only non-traditional thing. Some songs such as "Live and let die" or "Living daylights" are not like that classical kind of James Bond song like "Goldfinger" or "GoldenEye" or "Diamonds are forever" made in jazz style. In my opinion even though such intro would sound boring, but viewer will still feel that he watches James Bond, not another action movie. Actually, that`s what they tried to do with Adele. Unfortunatelly it hasn`t saved the movie.

I love Wiki for such kind of tables, where you can see brief information about all of the movies. I higlined my favotite soundtracks are highlined purple. 

Film	Year	Score composer	Title song	Composed by	Performed by
Dr. No (soundtrack)	1962	Monty Norman	"James Bond Theme"	Monty Norman	John Barry & Orchestra;Monty Norman
			"Kingston Calypso"		Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
From Russia with Love (soundtrack)	1963	John Barry	"Opening Titles: James Bond Is Back/From Russia with Love/James Bond Theme"	John Barry Lionel Bart Monty Norman	John Barry (title sequence) Matt Monro (vocal version heard in film proper and during closing credits)
Goldfinger (soundtrack)	1964		"Goldfinger"	Leslie Bricusse Anthony Newley John Barry	Shirley Bassey
Thunderball (soundtrack)	1965		"Thunderball"	John Barry Don Black	Tom Jones
You Only Live Twice (soundtrack)	1967		"You Only Live Twice"	Leslie Bricusse John Barry	Nancy Sinatra (charted single is produced byLee Hazlewood and arranged by Billy Strange and in marked contrast to soundtrack version)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (soundtrack)	1969		"On Her Majesty's Secret Service"	John Barry Hal David	The John Barry Orchestra
			"We Have All the Time in the World" (secondary theme)		Louis Armstrong
Diamonds Are Forever (soundtrack)	1971		"Diamonds Are Forever"	John Barry Don Black	Shirley Bassey
Live and Let Die (soundtrack)	1973	George Martin	"Live and Let Die"	Paul McCartney Linda McCartney	Paul McCartney & Wings
The Man with the Golden Gun (soundtrack)	1974	John Barry	"The Man with the Golden Gun"	John Barry Don Black	Lulu
The Spy Who Loved Me (soundtrack)	1977	Marvin Hamlisch	"Nobody Does It Better"	Marvin Hamlisch Carole Bayer Sager	Carly Simon
Moonraker (soundtrack)	1979	John Barry	"Moonraker"	John Barry Hal David	Shirley Bassey
For Your Eyes Only (soundtrack)	1981	Bill Conti	"For Your Eyes Only"	Bill Conti Michael Leeson	Sheena Easton
Octopussy (soundtrack)	1983	John Barry	"All Time High"	John Barry Tim Rice Stephen Short	Rita Coolidge
A View to a Kill (soundtrack)	1985		"A View to a Kill"	John Barry Duran Duran	Duran Duran
The Living Daylights (soundtrack)	1987		"The Living Daylights"	John Barry Pål Waaktaar	A-ha
Licence to Kill (soundtrack)	1989	Michael Kamen	"Licence to Kill"	Narada Michael Walden Jeffrey Cohen Walter Afanasieff	Gladys Knight
GoldenEye (soundtrack)	1995	Éric Serra	"GoldenEye"	Bono The Edge	Tina Turner
Tomorrow Never Dies (soundtrack)	1997	David Arnold	"Tomorrow Never Dies"	Sheryl Crow Mitchell Froom	Sheryl Crow
The World Is Not Enough (soundtrack)	1999		"The World Is Not Enough"	David Arnold Don Black	Garbage
Die Another Day (soundtrack)	2002		"Die Another Day"	Madonna Mirwais Ahmadzaï	Madonna
Casino Royale (soundtrack)	2006		"You Know My Name"	David Arnold Chris Cornell	Chris Cornell
Quantum of Solace (soundtrack)	2008		"Another Way to Die"	Jack White	Jack White Alicia Keys
Skyfall (soundtrack)	2012	Thomas Newman	"Skyfall"	Adele Paul Epworth	Adele
Spectre (soundtrack)	2015		"Writing's on the Wall"	Sam Smith Jimmy Napes	Sam Smith

Speaking about James Bond itself I consider it huge mass entertaining work such as Harry Potter, Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes. Many people were "grown" on the show, that`s why they associate it with their childhood, but not me. I... ha... I was "grown" on the Charmed:) Please, don`t think bad of me, I live in Russia!

UPD One guy seriously wanted to persuade me that before Sam Smith there was no male performed soundtracks for James Bond. Seriously? For your consideration, see the male performed highlighted blue - there are at least 8 of them by now!

Once again. THERE IS NO such a tradition as only women to perform OST for James Bond.