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Mozart in the Jungle: Regresso Del Rey (2015)
Everything that is wrong in "Mozart in the Jungle" Season 2 Episode 5
So we're onto season 2 of "Mozart in the Jungle" now! MIJ is a great show – it has perfect casting, witty scripts, great actors
and screenwriters who try to unsuccessfully imagine how the classical music scene works. Actually it sometimes even adds to the fun that they don't have a clue, as we become witnesses to scenes and dialogue that would never happen in real life. Isn't that what TV is about? But as it is fun to nitpick here is a rundown of all the mistakes in season 2, episode by episode
.
1) First Violin is remarkably calm for having had his expensive violin stolen. If this happened to a real life violinist he would be completely and utterly destroyed, crying, lamenting his fate, calling people up on the phone
not sitting in a foyer holding hands with Rodrigo. BUT
.see 14)! 2) And why does Rodrigo have so much time to go on the hunt for the violin, before the most important concert of the tour? Doesn't he have press dates or rehearsals or something? Rodrigo seems to have an awful lot of time on his hands for the prodigal son who returns.
3) 9:00 – apparently he has had a WHOLE DAY to spend on the hunt for the violin! It's already dark
4) Even though it's kind of fun following Rodrigo through the night with his criminal friend – doesn't that use every cliché about Mexico in the book? And if Rodrigo had such a colorful past (knowing how to have dealings with the underworld, stealing cars, etc.), how has he ever found time to practice the 20+ instruments he allegedly plays? Is he some kind of mutant with superpowers? 5) 15:30, yeah, in Mexico City shady violin dealers can just put a violin to their chin and play with fantastic skill and studio audio quality even if in some old storage room.
6) And it seems to be a really long night – concerts in Mexico start around 8 p.m., like in most places in the world. And usually it is not even dark in Mexico by that time, except in winter (but that doesn't seem to be the current season). So how the heck could the violin search team spend so much time after nightfall and still be back in time at Las Bellas Artes for the concert (conductors and musicians usually have to be there at least an hour before to change and get prepared)? Gloria would already be scared out of her mind, calling Rodrigo every 5 minutes, but Rodrigo has time to visit the family of his friend, get chased by the police, drink Tequila, visit the violin salesman
and all this before actually arriving at the concert hall! 7) 18:30: Rodrigo stands in the biggest concert hall of Mexico City and speaks unamplified to the audience, in a normal speaking voice? How does he pull it off? 8) 19:44: that's definitely not how one would conduct this rhythmic passage! 9) 20:06: quite a short piece, isn't it? There was absolutely no cut in the music, and it just ends before anything like a development could take place. More like a jingle than an orchestra piece (or masterfully edited).
10) And the audience is frenetic! It's nice to know that it needs so little to excite those Mexicans, they're just really happy to see an American orchestra apparently
11) 20:20: Especially on a long concert tour: musicians don't hang around at the after-show wearing their tuxedo, that needs to be preserved for the next performances. They change before having a drink! In real life they would wear t-shirts.
12) It's nice to see Mexicans actually speak Spanish to each other while in Mexico. If this was "24" they would speak English even if they are alone with no foreigners around! 13) 22:00 if my bad Spanish doesn't deceive me the maestro is talking about a "cadenza of piccolo flutes" that was "rushing"? But which traditional orchestra piece (The "New York Symphony" doesn't seem to play contemporary repertoire so far) actually has more than one piccolo flute in it playing a cadenza? There is no such piece! And if there was it wouldn't be played
14) 24:00 OK, so that was why First Violin was remarkably calm. This is like the soldiers guarding Fort Knox in "Goldfinger" falling over unconvincingly, and later you learn they really faked it! 15) At 24:57 one can clearly see the shadow of the mike closing in on the monologue of First Violin on Rodrigo's shoulder. Or it's the long arm of the Mexican Law.
16) 26:00: and then he leaves without taking his valuable violin with him??? Moritz Eggert
Mozart in the Jungle: Touché Maestro, Touché (2015)
Everything that is wrong in "Mozart in the Jungle" Season 2 Episode 4
So we're onto season 2 of "Mozart in the Jungle" now! MIJ is a great show – it has perfect casting, witty scripts, great actors and screenwriters who try to unsuccessfully imagine how the classical music scene works. Actually it sometimes even adds to the fun that they don't have a clue, as we become witnesses to scenes and dialogue that would never happen in real life. Isn't that what TV is about?
But as it is fun to nitpick here is a rundown of all the mistakes in season 2, episode by episode .
(Moritz Eggert) 1) OK, the movement that Dermot Mulroney (the cellist) makes at 1:04 is very, very weird. Is this an outtake that they used? On the other hand I have to say that his cello playing – faking is so far the most convincing musician imitation that we had in the series. Perhaps he really took lessons? 2) The applause gets even lauder than the one for the soloist at 1:38 when the orchestra gets up. Very unusual – and kind of insulting to the soloist. Dermot should be sulking.
3) "I see you've been working on your molto sul ponticello" is quite a strange comment to make by Rodrigo (sul ponticello just means you bow closer to the bridge on a string instrument). It's like saying "I see you've been working on your hammer lifting skills" to a building worker. But perhaps that's exactly the joke.
4) What a nice cellist – giving individual compliments to players after the gig (who he seems to remember by name as well). Most modern cellists immediately vanish to their dressing room immediately – the concert is usually not finished after they play and they either go to the restaurant already or take a plane to the next city.
5) "Your performance tonight was magnificent" (2:30). Eh Rodrigo didn't actually "perform", he only waved a baton.
6) Rodrigo's assistant's behaviour is plain bizarre – carrying the cookie tray wherever the maestro goes, bowing deeply when the cellist talks to him. If only real life assistants where like that – usually they are upstarts who would love nothing more than taking the place of the conductor.
7) And again – why does the show seem to end after the cello concerto? It is extremely uncommon to put instrumental concertos at the end of a show, but Rodrigo seems to love doing that again and again 8) 3:35 "The East Germans with their obsession of Urtext". OK, allow me a small historical excursion here: Even though the attempt to go back to the facsimile (composer's manuscript) sources when creating new editions of classical works can be indeed traced to the Peters-Verlag in Leipzig the word "Urtext" was actually first used by the Henle-Verlag from Munich (not in East Germany). There was never a particular obsession with "Urtext" in East Germany, in fact the publishers there had usually difficulties to look at particular source material because of the isolation of East Germany in DDR times. "Urtext" was and is employed by publishers all over Europe, not particularly in East Germany. Boring historical excursion end.
9) 3:45 The cellist greets and kisses Cynthia as if he hasn't seen her in ages, but in fact they just performed on stage together (including at least 2 rehearsals before the show). Has he just walked by her with a blank face until then? 10) I love the idea of Immanuel Ax and Lang Lang playing games in this seedy bar, but why is Hayley dumbstruck when she talks to Ax but basically is easy going next to Lang Lang? Ax is the better pianist, that's why How much did Lang Lang's agency pay for the ping pong paddle shot, I wonder? 11) Malcolm McDowell, it's always fun watching you! 12) 11:10, Hayley doesn't recognize Joshua Bell? He just played with her orchestra last season! Oh, the memory of drug-addled musicians 13) The timer in the background of the two Maestros drug-hazed conversation creates all kinds of continuity problems. At 13:13 it say 2:52, at 13:15 it says 9:53, at 13:17 it says 10:00. It seems like they have entered another dimension altogether.
14) I love how drug-fueled Rodrigo imagines conducting the oboe section when there are actually no oboes playing in the music (19:25) 15) 27:20: kudos to Lang Lang really performing this on a bad upright-piano, wrong notes and dodgy sound included. Impressive showmanship! It's always good if these shows contain stretches of really live recorded music (like "Tremé"), and this is the case here.
16) And kudos to Jason Schwartzman for directing one of the most experimental episodes so far! 17) But again: the idea of high-class and famous musicians like Bell, Lang Lang, Ax, etc. meeting up by chance in a New York bar and spending the evening together for such a long time is quite ludicrous. Even if they had played a concert together (which in this combo would be weird) they would probably have to catch a plane or something. The life of a classical musician is not as glamorous and easy-going as "Mozart in the Jungle" makes it out to be
Mozart in the Jungle: It All Depends on You (2015)
Everything that is wrong in "Mozart in the Jungle" Season 2 Episode 3
So we're onto season 2 of "Mozart in the Jungle" now! MIJ is a great show – it has perfect casting, witty scripts, great actors
and screenwriters who try to unsuccessfully imagine how the classical music scene works. Actually it sometimes even adds to the fun that they don't have a clue, as we become witnesses to scenes and dialogue that would never happen in real life. Isn't that what TV is about? But as it is fun to nitpick here is a rundown of all the mistakes in season 2, episode by episode
. (Moritz Eggert)
Episode 3: It all depends on you
1) 0:20 "in the second bar of the diminuendo" is not a very precise description, as every orchestra piece contains countless diminuendos usually. Why is Rodrigo never giving bar numbers or rehearsal marks like real-life conductors? Because it would sound boring on TV, that's why
2) 1:00
this is definitely not how an orchestra is going on strike. They would not even come to the rehearsal for a start, and they also would not make "gee, I'm not playing" jokes. They would form a picket line or protest in front of management, not smoke joints and read books.
3) 1:21
AND IT WAS ALL A DREAM!
4) 4:00
he is shooting a video for his podcast? That must be a vidcast then. Just saying.
5) 12:05
Branford is really very knowledgeable about music if he knows an orchestra oboist from times long bygone by first sight. It's even amazing that Hailey recognizes the dude. And some conductor called "Klemper" liked him. Does he mean Klemperer? Well, it's an old people's home after all.
6) And the guy is legit! His mixing advice for a vodka martini is spot on (15:45). Stirred, not shaken.
7) Pemberton now acting as an assistant to the artistic management and phoning up conductors as a replacement is
taking it a bit far. It is unrealistic enough that the guy is still lingering around the place that basically kicked him out! Does he have no pride?
8) 17:50: "He can conduct all night long!", says Pemberton. What a weird pedigree – it's not like waving a baton in the air is such hard work.
9) If a new conductor walks into a hall with an orchestra, and there is no rehearsal scheduled with him, he could not start the orchestra "like a car", no matter how much he waved his baton around. The orchestra would simply completely ignore him. And if it's their union ruled break they wouldn't even play for Rodrigo. And come on: the guy looks like a pimp, not like a conductor!
10) OK, there are wild conductors out there, and Rodrigo is most certainly an already exaggerated version with no resemblance to real life conductors, but this pimp guy is pushing it. Having his baby strapped to his back? Come on!
11) 19:00 And why the hell is the orchestra so creepily silent during the conversation between the 3 conductors? Either they have a break (but then they wouldn't sit idly on stage, they would smoke or drink coffee) or they have a rehearsal, but if the latter is the case they would not listen to these guys talk but instead talk among themselves. Whatever it is, the whole situation is unrealistic. 12) And come to think of it: Why are they on strike for Rodrigo, but not for the pimp conductor, who just walks in?
13) 19:20: Hayley wants to surprise her boyfriend but waves the very bag which contains her present to him in front of her while walking next to him. Wouldn't that ruin the surprise a bit?
Mozart in the Jungle: Nothing Resonates Like Rhinoceros Foreskin (2015)
Everything that is wrong in "Mozart in the Jungle" Season 2
So we're onto season 2 of "Mozart in the Jungle" now! MIJ is a great show – it has perfect casting, witty scripts, great actors
and screenwriters who try to unsuccessfully imagine how the classical music scene works. Actually it sometimes even adds to the fun that they don't have a clue, as we become witnesses to scenes and dialogue that would never happen in real life. Isn't that what TV is about?
But as it is fun to nitpick here is a rundown of all the mistakes in season 2, episode by episode
.
(Moritz Eggert)
Episode 2: Nothing Resonates like Rhinoceros Foreskin
1) OK, I get it now: The title music is now different for each episode! Quirky
only, it still is pretty similar each time. But I won't complain
2) For once Rodrigo sounds like a real conductor for the first time in the series
because he is reprimanding the orchestra (4:00)
3) But then
he mysteriously starts conducting without telling the orchestra where he wants to start. Nobody would play in real life!
4) 6:50: stroppy pianist is playing quite well from a handwritten score he hasn't ever seen in his life
.WITH EYES CLOSED! And why the hell is Pemberton conducting? It's only a single piano for chrissakes, a conductor is only needed if there is more than one single instrument
.And have I already mentioned that Pemberton's composition is godawful? Oh, stroppy pianist thinks that as well. Well, GOOD!
5) 8:20
again, the sight reading skills of stroppy pianist are phenomenal. And he plays everything perfect, practically by memory. Probably because it actually IS Mahler (or Debussy).
6) 9:40
like in many films: This is essentially a half-minute business meeting which probably had to be arranged weeks before. But what is actually said and negotiated could have been said in one single email sentence. OK, that's the realistic part. What's unrealistic is that there is no small talk, no coffee, no cookies, no drink. In real life even brief meetings take at least 20 minutes, otherwise they would be deemed impolite. But it's a funny scene anyway, and the actress playing the assistant has the speech mannerisms of her superior absolutely covered.
7)
nothing to complain about for such a long time? Yes, even if the scenes where a bit exaggerated for comic effect nothing happened in them that could be called outré or out of place. And it's nice seeing Gretchen Mol back in action (as the lesbian lawyer). But I'm still nitpicking – check the huge light in the background at 21:45 – it's the film crew's lighting rig posing as a street – or park light. Nobody would carry such a thing to a spontaneous party in the park!
8) 23:00
Rodrigo invited the party to his apartment. They conveniently forgot the lighting rig in the park. Would have been too heavy to carry up the stairs.
Mozart in the Jungle: Stern Papa (2015)
Everything that is wrong in "Mozart in the Jungle" Season 2
So we're onto season 2 of "Mozart in the Jungle" now! MIJ is a great show – it has perfect casting, witty scripts, great actors
and screenwriters who try to unsuccessfully imagine how the classical music scene works. Actually it sometimes even adds to the fun that they don't have a clue, as we become witnesses to scenes and dialogue that would never happen in real life. Isn't that what TV is about?
But as it is fun to nitpick here is a rundown of all the mistakes in season 2, episode by episode
.
(Moritz Eggert) SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 "STERN PAPA" 1) So there is a new intro? I wonder how many composers participated this time in the writing of these few seconds. 8 maybe?* 2) OK, the actor portraying Mozart has the worst Austrian/German accent ever. Did the actor think that Mozart was actually French? 3) 2:42
that upbeat won't work, Rodrigo. It won't work at all. And then you continue in a different tempo than the orchestra is actually playing.
4) 3:55
a conductor would not say out loud in front of his baseball playing orchestra members that he likes another orchestra more. He would only say it to his conducting buddies late at night at the bar.
5) 6:20
showing a composer at work is really difficult, but Pembridge is not composing, he is just completely crazy. But perhaps that was the point. At 6:37 the music on the floor seems to have different handwriting, which also means that Tom has Multiple Personality Disorder.
6) 7:00
practicing from a Dover Study (full) Score is not normally the way to practice an Oboe solo part (you would do that from your part, which only contains what the oboe plays), especially when you're sleeping over with your friend and don't want to lug the extra kilos around New York.
7) 7:14
not many people will notice it, but why is the Turkish March played on a cheap electric keyboard with awful sound instead of a normal piano? Or is this supposed to symbolize the hollowness of modern city life? I guess not
8) 9:35
a company that supports the orchestra with
.FIVE MILLION DOLLARS???? I don't care what they do in Nigeria, just give me the money
9) 12:14
in a nice touch of realistic continuity: there actually is a poster of the Sibelius concerto of the first season in the background, with the correct name of the (planned) soloist.
10) 15:25
if there ever is a sentence that should not be spoken aloud then it is "I f****love Bach". Especially if you pronounce "Bach" that wrong. Or perhaps it is some freaky lesbian code?
11) 15:30
you don't applaud if your usual conductor comes to the usual rehearsal. Not even if it is Rodrigo. Are they so happy to see the guy they see every day
.again? 12) 16:00
in a rehearsal people usually know what is being rehearsed. And usually "Schubert" would be enough, you don't have to give the key and Symphony name to the players, they have that in front of them (and actually, thanks to the reliable continuity, they really have the correct symphony on their note stands).
13) 17:20
.Rodrigo is talking endlessly about batons and has one as a prop to reinforce his story
.but he never uses them! Actually this is a realistic, some conductors don't use batons, it is not unheard of. But then they also don't bring them to the rehearsal as they don't need them!!! 14) 17:35
while Rodrigo is clumsily fiddling with the pages, he misses the important upbeat to the new section. But the orchestra plays flawlessly anyway! 15) 19:32
the mobile phone ringing during the concert? Yes, it is completely and utterly realistic. I've seen exactly this happening countless times, my favorite was the Asian lady who frantically searched her handbag which hung from the note stand and who managed to topple it over during the concert.
16) 19:40
why is Bob is always saying he plays the piccolo instead of playing the flute (like he does here – correct, the 8th symphony doesn't have piccolo in it).
17) 21:20
the same cab is creepily following Rodrigo on his bike ride, but then it mysteriously vanishes once he reaches Hayley's apartment. It's Travis Bickle, I suppose.
18) 24:00
good call: Hayley's practicing actually does segue into the Mahler symphony they are playing "next week".
19) 25:56
"selected music is available at amazon.com". Which incidentally also produces the show. Talk about devious marketing! *actually it's 7 composers (!!!) who were involved in this, see 25:51
Doctor Who: Before the Flood (2015)
Toby Whithouse! Toby Whithouse! Toby Whithouse! Toby...
Sorry for gushing, but it needs to be said: this two-parter should be considered of the best episodes of both new and old WHO. The second part not only managed to be even better than the already excellent first episode, but also managed something that "Who" rarely does: telling a truly scary and mysterious story that is brought to a satisfying closure without resorting to a cheap deus ex machina (ok, the bootstrap paradox is a deus ex machina, but was presented in such an interesting way that you wondered why a series about a time traveller never adressed this paradox in it's 50+ years existence in such an elegant manner). One should not only applaud the fantastic, emotional and ingenious script by Toby Whithouse but also the very efficient and intelligent direction of Daniel O'Hara, who has a refreshing tendency towards giving emotional moments the time they deserve and cleverly setting up scary moments without ever being cheap. Kudos also to really all the actors - the story basically contains three love stories (if you count Clara and the Doctor), and the one that doesn't end happily is truly devastating, which is rare in a show that features characters that are only around for 1-2 episodes at most. The creators also took their time to create some additional fun stuff: like having the "Who" theme suddenly played by electric guitar and the Doctor seemingly talking directly to the TV viewers. It also seemed like a perfect episode for Peter Capaldi, the doctor for grownups, and he certainly pulled it off with gusto. He truly is the new worthy successor to Tom Baker!
Doctor Who: Under the Lake (2015)
"New Who" as it should be...
We haven't seen these things in a long time on New Who:
- a classical "under siege" story with interesting and genuinely mysterious and scary twists - all characters are sympathetic (even the company guy isn't played out as a complete dick head) and act thoughtfully and believable - the characters don't freak out over finding the spaceship (because they live on Earth in the year 2100, after probably 1057 alien invasions in the direct past, and many more in the distant past) - the deaf mute character is not there to prove some moral or "emotional" point or to be a gimmicky character, she is just a normal member of the crew and is treated like that throughout the show - the Doctor does act eccentric, but not over the top, choosing his words carefully and interacting with the other characters in a believable way (actually Capaldi really reminded me of Tom Baker here, and I mean in a good way!) - there is running through corridors, granted - but the usual jump-cut style that looks like in a cartoon for 4-year olds and that is so prominent in new "Who" is not used, instead one actually gets a sense of the layout of the submerged station - no silly music. No cheap laughs. - creepy situations that are not exaggerated so they are not creepy anymore, and humour in places where you don't expect it - well-written dialogue that makes everybody seem like they are adults.
If Moffat (who certainly has his merits) ever tires of "Dr. Who", please let Toby Whithouse continue - he's excellent!
Doctor Who: The Witch's Familiar (2015)
Clever Fanpleasing
A very good episode that one can find little fault in, except if one tries to view Doctor Who as "realistic".
How does the Doctor fit in Davros' chair, when Davros has only half a torso and the Doctor is much taller and has legs? How can Clara fit easily into a Dalek case when even she is about 10 times as tall as a Dalek's true body? (OK, the old series fit Ian into a Dalek casing, and he was probably 6') How merciful can you be to a little brat who - and the Doctor knows this for a fact - will end up killing billions (!) of intelligent lifeforms? Would you save Hitler from being killed as a child if you knew who he was? That the Doctor needs to save him to introduce "mercy" into the Daleks for one single moment that later saves Clara (otherwise the Daleks have NEVER shown mercy in their whole history) seems a little weird, but OK, he is consistently compassionate.
How endlessly powerful is the Doctors' regeneration energy? He can power up a whole city filled with hundreds of thousands of Daleks AND revive all the basically dead Daleks in the sewers simply by hanging on some cables for a couple of seconds? If the doctor had this power, wouldn't he simply be able to revive EVERYONE at the end of EVERY episode, regardless of what happens? Timelords have become so powerful it verges on the ridiculous - Missy can stop every plane in the air just like that, the Doctor is Super-Jesus and can revive everyone, regardless of who shoots at them, time lords can always teleport away at the last instant....where does it all stop? All these gripes aside the script shows how well Moffat knows his Who, and the allusions to former stories and little explanations are a joy to behold, as is the acting of everybody involved in this episode. The scenes with Bleach and Capaldi are very strong and show again that sometimes the best Who-moments are simply well-written dialogue (and Moffat excels in that).
For me the only thing standing in the way to call this one of the best episodes ever (quite a stretch) is simply the tendency to inflate all the ideas involved, to make everything flashy and exaggerated. Again, less would have been more.
Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008)
Learn from the master
Harlan Ellison is hands down one of the most fascinating personalities of literature, and this documentary does him justice by just letting him talk about god (or his/her nonexistence) and the world. A lot of these monologues are rants, but they are so fascinating to listen to (and wildly entertaining) that you will enjoy this documentary greatly. I cannot judge how Ellison comes across in this film if you don't know his writing already, but one thing is sure: he doesn't care if you like him or not. In this age of political correctness, of hypocrisy, of dancing around important subjects out of fear of having any kind of stance or position Ellison is somebody you should listen to. Behind his facade of the angry old man spouting vulgarities is probably the most moral and ethical person you could ever meet on this planet. His views on subjects like intellectual property are enlightening and important, his critique of our superficial and anti-intellectual society is spot-on. As a film the parts that come across the weakest are some computer visualizations of Ellison's prose, but it's great to hear the man himself reciting excerpts from his stories. Neil Gaiman talks very sympathetically about his friend, as is Robin Williams (who comes across as endearingly vulnerable and warm-hearted, especially in hindsight of his suicide). Dan Simmons acknowledges that he owes his career to Ellison, as do many others. All in all a great an entertaining documentary that every budding writer should watch to learn one important lesson from the master himself: writing (and art) is not for sissies. You have to take a stance, and you should not be afraid of getting s***thrown at you. Ellison has gone through all that, and has remained true to himself all the way.
Doctor Who: The Magician's Apprentice (2015)
too much of everything
New Who has become the TV equivalent of candy floss - it's somehow blown out of proportion. The Doctor is constantly fighting the biggest enemies possible (this episode has Missy/The Master AND Davros AND the Daleks) and it's always about the end of the/some world. Missy wants to contact the doctor? What better way than to stop EVERY plane on earth midair, an ability that no time lord has ever shown. 21st century earth must already be completely traumatized after hundreds of alien invasions with the wildest threats happening practically all the time (and the moon laid an egg and body fat suddenly turned into creatures and and and...!)... and being abducted to alien galaxies or the end of the whole universe on a weekly basis. I wonder why all this stuff still surprises them? And the doctor cannot simply appear, he has to ride in on a tank in a pseudo-medieval arena, playing a bloody electric guitar. What??? This is all somehow entertaining (because the actors are great and the visual style is impressive for a TV show) but it makes me long for old Who, where the doctor arrived at some derelict station in space and solved a local problem or mystery with interesting characters. The chamber play formula has always worked best for the doctor, and some of the best ever new episodes (like "Dalek" or "The Empty Child") concentrated on a local situation that the writers took time to develop properly. I still like new Who. Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are excellent, I just wish them to become real persons in real situations again. Less is more, that's for sure. And not all the audience has an attention span of 5 seconds and has to be wowed with a sensation all the time. That said the sight of Skaros appearing from the illusion was a great scene and certainly a great homage to the beginnings of the series.