19 July 2003

Quotes

I have been reading a lot recently, and I'm sorta in the mood to share some fun quotes that made me think about things, and sort of explain what I think of them. They come from basically two sources at the moment, The Power of Black Music by Samuel A. Floyd Jr. and the Folio Weekly, a free weekly publication in Jacksonville.

The first quote is sorta long, but here goes:
"With the musical experience, the expectation is that something that fascinates, that elevates the expectation and places the hearer in critical mode. The "something" that is expected might relate not only to the sounds that will be heard, but also to the players' movements as they perform. The movements of the instruments the movements of an individual's limbs, torso, shoulders, head, neck, and eyes-even the wrinkling of the forehead--accompany the sonic gestures made by the musicians, the musical troping they perform on or within the tune or figure, in whole or in part, as they make the performance"(Floyd, p.97)
This quote both fascinates me and awakens a sort of understanding feeling. This is why I like live music.. if it's a good, fun band then I am amazed, awed, energized by everything. It'll make me happy for a very long time to just remember what happened.

The second quote is from a piece in July 8th's Folio Weekly about the IMAX film "The Dream Is Alive" by Pat Mcleod called "plenty of space"
"In 1984, over a period of three shuttle missions, the new IMAX movie was co-produced by NASA, obviously with the intention of celebrating America's space program and trying to ensure the public's commitment to it. Narrated by Walter Cronkite, whose familiar voice lends crdibility to the vision, "The Dream Is Alive" is a paean to the astronauts of America's space program. It's full of optimism, which makes one scene demonstrating the protective tiles on the shuttle's hull especially poignant in light of the recent Columbia tragedy"
Wow. What to say? I have such memories of this particular IMAX film, because I grew up near the Kennedy Space Center, which is on Cape Canaveral, and practically every year when I was young, we went to the space center, and I swear that was the only IMAX that played in the theater there for years upon years. All my memories are fond, and it gives me goosebumps and teary eyes, for some unknown reason. I remember the great nature shots that are in the movies, and the opening scene is actually something I remember fondly - the sonic boom that occurs during the shuttle's reentry. One of the classrooms in my high school had a wall that was half glass, and the windows would rattle. This movie is an IMAX that I would recommend anyone that hasn't seen it, just because it's so well suited for the format it is in.. I can't imagine watching it on a tv, or a regular movie screen.

My last quote is from Folio Weekly again, from the July 15th issue. It amused me more than it awed me or made me feel some deep emotion. It's about "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", and the article is "trivial pursuit" by Cole Smithey:
"Tom Sawyer (Shane West) spends his time bonding with Quatermain in a father/son relationship that would surely start a fistfight if Mark Twain were around to defend his creation."
A short quote, but right to the point. I have to agree.. this movie, after having seen "The Pirates of the Caribbean" was a real disappointment, and having read most of the Adventures of Tom Sawyer (and having seen the movie! *grin*) I don't really see this fitting in the personality I have in my head for Tom Sawyer, and I'm sure its the same for most people. I'm not saying the movie was bad I'm just saying that it could've been better.