Marshall Brickman (1941–2024)

I can’t say this is fun to watch, because it isn’t. In a way this doesn’t bother me at all—it’s a style—although in a subtle way it can be quite painful, even slightly grating. I won’t say it’s a GREAT movie, exactly—it doesn’t have a message or a hero or anything like that—but it’s a great MOVIE in this certain way; great script and acting and directing, excellent execution and thematic backdrop and asides. I admired his intelligence from the beginning. I didn’t show more like him, himself, in the beginning. I’m not very sure I liked him by the end. I watch movies very slowly; I watch each segment three times, and divide it into short segments. I treat movies like books; maybe books of poetry. I guess I “should” like Woody Allen, in that sense…. I’m not sure he’s a good person, but he might be, and if he’s not, he could have been, if that makes sense. I don’t know. Determinism is weird, but you could argue that he “had to” do the movie this way. It’s honest, which isn’t common. Americans aren’t honest people, and we all think we’re singers or movie stars or something. I can’t explain it. I’m at the stage in my life, though, when I reluctantly allow that many of these “classics” that people are insufferable about, actually DO deserve a certain reputation, a certain, respect…. I don’t know. It’s a good movie. It’s not a Paramore album, but you can see, maybe, how different forces can mold a life, complement each other, maybe. 1977 was a long time ago, but there’s an argument to be made that he was “speaking to us”, after the cliche phrase. Diane Keaton is great too; she just died, awhile back. She was very pretty when she was young, and she really does embody the character, a certain character. They both do…. Life is a journey; everything in the manifested world is context, right?

…. And I am actually more of a “strike oriented left-wing intellectual” than I used to be; I love those, aging-Millennial-easing-into-a-more-feral-leftist-life, memes, right…. But age is interesting. Sometimes when you can finally put aside dithering and honour the call to fight for something, you can also finally honour this coming-of-maturity, perspective-and-forgiveness thing, about this very Western man, quixotic though he be, right. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know what I know. show less

Halfway through, I knew I was reading a masterpiece. I saw the movie once about ten years ago, and I loved it. Some scenes have stuck with me ever since, and as I read, I remembered others. There were even moments I’d completely forgotten that felt like I was experiencing them for the first time. It made the whole experience amazing.

I’ve skimmed a few pages of scripts from some of my favorite films before, but this was my first time sitting down and reading an entire script. It was show more incredible.

It was a smart move by Woody Allen to cowrite the story with Marshall Brickman—it definitely made it stronger. I’d assume it also helped Allen grow as a filmmaker later in his career. show less

A neurotic comic recalls a past relationship.

Well-made and pleasant. I don't know about beating Star Wars for Best Picture, but as far as Woody Allen movies go, it's up there. Far from my favorite (I prefer my comedies sillier (not to imply that this isn't funny)), but certainly the most Woody-ish of his classics.

I got to see a regional tour of Jersey Boys. The musical was sort of a bio-pic of the group. The songs were framed by the story and dialogue. This recording is true to the show in that regard.

Sadly, I have to report that the recording is not safe for the workplace as the dialogue includes a couple of instances of the F-word. Other than that, the songs are well-performed and true to the originals. Some are trimmed to fit into medleys, though.

If you want the songs performed by Frankie Valli show more and the Four Seasons, I would strongly suggest getting a "best of" recording if you want the songs, complete and uncut.

This recording is for fans of the musical or fans of the group who want *everything* associated with them. The CD booklet contains background material about the show, but no lyrics or pictures from the show. show less