Musical Artist Movie Hall of Fame

Don't feel bad about nominating movies that I didn't like. I have very unique taste in movies, (and music), so there are always a few movies in these HoFs that just aren't my type of movies. I knew that before I joined. That's what these HoFs are all about, watching new movies, and maybe finding some new favorites. Hopefully the rest of the people who joined will love your noms.

The film is based on a stage play (which I have also seen - probably one of the best plays that I have ever seen), and I am just going to assume that it is safe to assume that the idea for that play maybe came about because Alexander Pushkin had written a play about the two of them. And I think that is where the idea of Salieri having a hand in Mozart's death came about.

I personally love the film. I will wait to say what I have to say about it, though, because I might go on for awhile. So we will save my opinions for later.

I actually really like Lucie Arnaz. Always have. I have always actually liked her a hell of a lot better than her mother.


I couldn't stand the wife. I was perfectly fine with the way that it ended up because...well...I just didn't like her. But he actually liked Lucie Arnaz before the breakup of the marriage. In reality, I didn't care how it played out. But that could be because I just didn't like the wife. Truthfully, that "added" to the story, I guess (to have Olivier have his hissy fit), but the film could've done without the wife altogether.

...I actually really like Lucie Arnaz. Always have. I have always actually liked her a hell of a lot better than her mother. ...

...I remember having a huge crush on Lucie back then...

It's a real good thing that I edited my review before posting it. I had another dicey descriptive sentence about Lucie Arnaz in there

Yea I didn't like the wife in The Jazz Singer, but I did feel bad for her.

The Jazz Singer (1980)

I know some say Neil Diamond wasn't the greatest actor in this. But I liked him. He had this honest quality about him and I believed he was his character. The Jazz Singer, is a good story that gives us a lot of insight into Orthodox Judaism. It's not a splashy movie, it seems more sincere, than showy. The best part was Neil Diamond's music and he has a lot of great songs featured in the movie.

I didn't know Laurence Olivier was in this until I seen his name in the opening credits. But...I didn't see him in the movie! Until I realized he was playing the old Jewish-Polish immigrant who was a Cantor. Wow! what a performance. I would have never guessed that was Olivier if I hadn't seen his name first.

As much as I liked Neil Diamond in this, I couldn't stand his love interest, Lucie Arnaz. Even when I was a teen I couldn't stand her. She grates on my nerves, which didn't help the love scenes any! No!....Neil don't do it! don't kiss her, yuck!

Luckily she's a small part of the movie and I did enjoy the story, except the part where Neil breaks up with his wife and starts a new romance. It was all so sudden...They needed to show him grieving about the break up some. As the way it was shown, he breaks up and then immediately hops into the arms of Lucie. His wife instead should have been a childhood sweetheart that he was engaged to, but clearly incompatible with. It just seemed so cold heartened the way the wife ends up.

EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS
Though the film has earned a cult following over the years, I'm at a loss to figure out why 1983's Eddie and the Cruisers has any fans at all. This pretentious and snore-inducing drama with music suffers due to a swiss cheese story (plot holes as far as the eye can see), some really cliched dialogue, and some overripe performances.

This is the story of a magazine writer (Ellen Barkin) who is researching a small rock and roll group from the 60's whose charismatic front man, Eddie Wilson (Michael Pare) apparently drove his car off a bridge in March of 1964. The reporter reveals that at the time of his "death", Eddie was working on a new album called "A Season in Hell" and that some tapes were made of early recording sessions disappeared the day after Eddie's death. The reporter has decided she wants to locate these tapes as well as investigate the possibility that Eddie might still be alive, since his body was never found.

We are then introduced to former members of the band who the reporter approaches in her quest for the truth. Frank Ridgeway (Tom Berenger) was the keyboard player and lyricist for the group who is now a teacher and seems to want to forget his entire past with Eddie. We also meet Doc (Joe Pantoliano), Sal (Matthew Laurance) and Joann (Helen Schneider) who, along with Frank, all have their homes ransacked as it becomes clear that someone is serious about getting their hands on these tapes and the popular theory is that the only person these tapes could be this important to is Eddie himself.

Director and co-screenwriter Martin Davidson has concocted a convoluted and confusing story that, despite its flashing back and forth between the present and the past, moves at a snails pace and really doesn't endear us to any of these people, most of whom have one foot stuck in the past and trying to blame this moron Eddie for the mess their lives have become. We never really learn who broke into these people's homes and the eventual reveal regarding the tapes is uninspired and was not worthy of the ninety minutes of my life I'll never get back.

This movie was rough going, requiring toothpicks on the eyelids to sustain interest until the end. Davidson had an OK idea here, which allegedly was based on a real musician named Eddie Wilson, but there's so much silly stuff going on here. Even the musical sequences came off as canned and unconvincing, bringing up another glaring oversight that I couldn't get past...John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band provided the vocals for the movie, including the fabulous "On the Dark Side", which became a top 40 hit. The onscreen group featured Joann, a female singing her heart out as part of the group, but there was not even a hint of a female voice on the audio track. That's just sloppy film making and the performances aren't much better. Berenger is sincere as Frank, but Michael Pare is just dreadful as the title character, a performance that's part Fonzie and part John Milne, part Danny Zuko, but not enough Eddie. Even the usually reliable Joe Pantoliano stunk up the place. I've heard great things about this movie over the years, but it did not live up to its reputation.

THANK YOU. I fully agree about what the HoFs are about and also that not everything is for everyone, nor am I worried IF people will like my noms. If that was the case, I REALLY shouldn't be in any of these
It's more of a courtesy thing, really. Like in the last general HoF, Miss Vicky was SOOO very tired of having to sit through yet ANOTHER Anderson film and, like with SO MANY folks here, including you, I got a lotta love and respect; and I had read SO MANY reviews of hers where she stepped out of her comfort zone of film watching that I would have happily switched to another film - out of courtesy and respect.
Much like we all were sure to avoid spiders in the animated HoF for you. It's a courtesy thing.
I know that its a very exciting crap shoot when nominating AND when joining in on these. But, at the same time, again, out of courtesy, if I know, honestly know, someone I respect and/or care about is REALLY gonna have a crappy time with something I nominate, in the spirit of it all, and if the opportunity is there, I'll happily choose another. Knowing full well that not everything is for everyone.

and since I feel like I'm going on and on about this, I'll shut up

.....I usually try to nominate movies that most people will at least like, even if they don't love them. My goal isn't to win the HoF. It's just to get an underrated and/or underseen movie out there for more people to see. (Or in some cases to promote a movie for an upcoming countdown.)

BTW, you'll be happy to know that Pink Floyd: The Wall is not the movie I hated the most in this HoF. I watched another movie this afternoon that I hated even more. Anyone want to take a guess what movie it was before I write about it?

It didn't happen to have Jack Black in it did it

I get the going for the specialized HoFs which is why I was pretty hyped when CR invited me to join in on the 40s HoF - big fan of that decade of movies and there such a number of flicks I'd not heard of and fully enjoyed.

And it struck me funny that you didn't recognize Olivier in the Jazz Singer. Really loved him in that as well. I do remember having seen VERY LITTLE of his work prior to this when it came out back in the 80's. I had loved his Richard III a lot as a kid and considered it THE epitome of the story until I saw Ian McKellen reprise it and took away Olivier's #1 spot for me. Though, barely and at times I simply leave them as a tie. . .

BTW, you'll be happy to know that Pink Floyd: The Wall is not the movie I hated the most in this HoF. I watched another movie this afternoon that I hated even more. Anyone want to take a guess what movie it was before I write about it?

It didn't happen to have Jack Black in it did it

I just assumed that one was going to be the most hated film of hers in this HoF. If I am wrong, and you are wrong (because I am pretty much sure that we are right), then I would be surprised.

I've loved the country biopics, I still need to watch Coal Miner's Daughter. I looked up Pure Country, pretty sure I would not have liked it, sorry

....The movie that I was talking about is Get Him to the Greek....I don't think there was even one redeeming quality in Get Him to the Greek. It was just two hours of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll.

I apologize to whoever nominated this movie, but if I could give it a negative popcorn box rating, I would.

That was ShopkeeperTriumph movie. So far he hasn't posted in either Hof.

Just like in the song tournaments, in the HoFs, I usually don't look to see which movies are whose nominations because if I know that person's taste in movies, I don't want to have any subconscious opinions or preconceived notions about the movies before I watch them.

There are two Jack Black movies in this HoF, but I've only watched one of them so far, (Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny), and while I didn't like it, surprisingly, that's not the movie I hated more than Pink Floyd: The Wall. I haven't watched School of Rock yet, but it sounds like there's at least one more movie that I'm not looking forward to in this HoF.

I keep a notepad file for each Hof that has the movie title,director, year, and who nominated it, and if I requested it (from the library, netflix or internet), if I watched it, and what order I ranked it.

wow, interesting nomination indeed! do you think i can just watch some of the nominations and write up a little about them?