Ryan McNeil
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done the watchlist wrap-up, mostly because a month dedicated to baseball watching left me precious little other time to soak-up film. As a result, what we have today isn’t just three weeks’ worth of backlog, but also a lower amount of backlog than usual for that amount of time.
However, in amongst all of that exciting-if-heartbreaking baseball, there was one moviegoing experience that was quite unique. On October 17th, Lindsay and I celebrated six years of marital bliss by going to a screening of BACK TO THE FUTURE at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra performing the score! I’ve seen the movie a zillion times by now, but something about that live music really made this showing feel special.
One of the first things I noticed was how the screening actually felt like a broadway show in that the orchestra performed an overture, allowed us an intermission, and returned from said intermission with an entre’art.
As the score began to that unique chime, I actually felt tears welling up at the prospect of hearing live musicians perform songs that I had grown-up humming. As the show went on, it actually made one notice how pivotal a role that score plays in this film’s success. It heightens the whimsy of Doc and Marty’s adventure, plays up their friendship and the eventual romance of George and Lorraine, and really becomes a character all its own.
One of the first true highlights for me came at the end of intermission when the orchestra returned to the stage to get us back into the film’s second act (Note: The Intermission break felt amazingly natural, coming after Lorraine says “I don’t know…[where he lives]…but I’m gonna find out”). With the house lights down and the conductor back on-stage, the orchestra welcomed us back into the proceedings by playing the main theme from BACK TO THE FUTURE III, which prompted an exclaim of joy from the crowd who obviously weren’t expecting such a treat.
The other highlight came late in the film, when the orchestra picked-up their instruments and underscored the end of the “Earth Angel” sequence at The Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. It’s the only time in the film where the score is interwoven with the pop songs that play on the soundtrack, and hearing the beautiful marriage of the two really gives you a new appreciation for how the new music compliments the old standard.
All in all, this was certainly one of the best screenings I’ve been to all year, and really has me hungry to do a few more (PSYCHO is happening tonight, THE GODFATHER follows in a few months), and likewise a great celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary.
If you’re going to cut-down on your filmgoing for baseball, only makes sense that you make it worthwhile, right?
Here’s the week at hand…
Screenings
BRIDGE OF SPIES – “Pretty good Spielberg, which is better than most directors, but not amazing for Spielberg.
BACK TO THE FUTURE – That score! That glorious score!!
CRIMSON PEAK – Definitely happy that I did the assigned reading for this one.
STEVE JOBS – Interesting approach to a bio-pic. More on this tomorrow.
ROOM – Beautiful and bleak.
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS – Not bad, but I feel like I’ve seen this story done better.
Streaming/Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
CAKE – This was the film people were suggesting Aniston could get Oscar-nominated for?
SMOKE – A high school friend of mine used to love this movie, I feel like she’d be proud to know I finally watched it.
PARIS, TEXAS – Thanks again to all who pointed me towards this blind spot.
THE RAIN PEOPLE – Early Coppola: Pretty interesting in an ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE sort of way.
NIGHT OF THE IGUANA – This was way bleaker than I anticipated.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME – Frank and Gene playing ball! What more does one need?
THE WARRIORS – One day I think I’ll do a 1970’s NYC series. This would be high on the list.
Streaming/Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Seen Before
MELANCHOLIA – How does LVT get me so drawn-in to so many bleak stories?
PONTYPOOL – Considering I’ve used a still from this film for over 150 podcasts, I figured it was time to revisit it.
FIELD OF DREAMS – In amidst all of that baseball watching, I stopped on The Kinsella Farm.
ROUNDERS – Considering the poker craze that would follow, is it fair to say that this movie was ahead of its time?
AMISTAD – Am I the only person who actually loves this movie?
BACK TO THE FUTURE 2 – Anyone else feeling the hangover now?
JAWS – Fun fact; While now replaced with a blu-ray, this was the first DVD I ever bought myself.
ROSEMARY’S BABY – Hail Satan!
A SIMPLE PLAN – I actually wish that Sam Raimi would make more movies like this.
THE HUDSUCKER PROXY – Y’know, for kids…
Boxscore for The Year
214 First-Timers, 140 Re-Watched
97 Screenings
354 Movies in Total
How’s about you – seen anything good?