Category Archives: Cinema, video & DVDs

Minions Is Good

Posted on July 18, 2015 by barczablog

Never read a review before seeing something about which you have no choice.  Adults & children seeing a film aimed squarely at a child? Best to be a child or to be like a child. In Matthew 18:3 Jesus says … Continue reading →

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Filmscore 101 with Michael Kamen

Posted on June 30, 2015 by barczablog

I was already thinking about the art of the film score composer, having recently given James Horner’s work a look in the wake of his untimely death. A question I sometimes ponder: what is the hardest sort of music to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Deep Inside Out

Posted on June 21, 2015 by barczablog

There I was in a theatre full of children for Father’s Day. As we got deeper into Inside Out the small ones were often silent. The small unrepresentative audience survey I conducted suggests that the kids enjoyed themselves but couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Psychology and perception, Reviews | 3 Comments

Melissa McCarthy and the F word: Spy vs Spies

Posted on June 7, 2015 by barczablog

For more than half a century we’ve been watching various bodacious hunks enacting our fantasies of control at a time of great anxiety. Cold War jitters made the heroics of James Bond and his ilk extra attractive no matter how … Continue reading →

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“Location location location”

Posted on April 18, 2015 by barczablog

The saying goes like this: “‘There are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.’” It’s also true in theatre. I have a subscription to the Canadian Opera Company, a pair of seats in the second row. When I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | 2 Comments

Based on a True Story: Big Eyes and The Theory of Everything

Posted on January 18, 2015 by barczablog

A new production of Don Giovanni opens at the Canadian Opera Company next week, followed shortly by Die Walküre.  Neither one bears the epithet “based on a true story”, as so many current films seem to (thinking for instance of … Continue reading →

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2014 CD and DVD reviews

Posted on December 16, 2014 by barczablog

I am way behind in reviewing the CDs & DVDs i have been receiving in the mail, or the ones i have been buying.  This little summary may be too late for Christmas shopping although there are also the gifts we … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | 1 Comment

Don’t miss Stanley Kubrick at TIFF

Posted on December 7, 2014 by barczablog

Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition is currently on at TIFF Bell Lightbox until January 25th. You know it’s a happening when you see people dressed in special costumes. When the droog is actually a polite gentleman sharing quips with no threats … Continue reading →

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Maleficent’s traumas

Posted on November 24, 2014 by barczablog

Spoiler alert: this discussion requires me to give away a bunch of plot points, so if you haven’t seen this film & want to, don’t read this OR don’t complain if I give it all away.   (OH AND YOU … Continue reading →

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Stewart Goodyear and Czerny’s four boxes

Posted on November 13, 2014 by barczablog

Do you read liner notes?  I always begin to do so.  If there’s something of substance, not only do I read them but I cherish them, making them part of the big conversation that is the work of art.  Nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture | Leave a comment