Recently I was asked what I enjoy most about working at The Music Hall, and I found myself answering without pause: the people. Since joining TMH last year, I have been warmly welcomed by staff, board and committee members, and supporters alike – and have seen first-hand the pride and commitment they share in seeing this organization thrive.Read More
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First of all, I wish each of you a Happy New Year! (I’d say it’s going pretty well so far although the dearth of snow is, of course, a black mark on the year’s record.) Tomorrow night at The Music Hall Loft, we will be discussing Jafar Panahi’s Taxi. At least that’s the official name. The film is really named Taxi and it was directed by Jafar Panahi. Whatever.Read More
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With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I keep thinking about how grateful I am to work at The Music Hall, in fact I’ve referenced it frequently in my #30DaysofGratitude posts. In my year and a half here, I am constantly reminded how lucky I am not only to work at The Music Hall, but to also be a member. What I find most striking is how many people believe so much in our product that they give the gift of membership as well.Read More
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Well, here it is again. It’s November. It’s not acting like November, of course, but don’t be fooled. It’s time for the frosty windshields, slick roads and frozen fingers part of the annual entertainment. Again.Read More
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It’s Telluride Week! We’re busy getting ready for what is sure to be a fabulous weekend of film and I thought I’d share some insider tips for navigating the weekend. Read More
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Anyone who thinks that the universe doesn’t have a nasty sense of humor just hasn’t been paying attention. A month ago, when I was selecting which of The Music Hall’s June films I wanted to discuss, Lambert & Stamp just leapt off the page at me. After all, I love The Who and I love documentaries in general and rock documentaries in particular. So a documentary about The Who (before they were The Who) promised to be a total peanut-and-jelly sandwich experience.Read More
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A boy wants to visit his girlfriend, so he climbs over a wall. That’s the basic setup for Omar, a Middle Eastern thriller that we will be discussing on Tuesday at The Music Hall.
It’s not that simple, of course, because the wall is the separation wall between the Occupied Territories and Israel. And the boy is also a Palestinian fighter who believes he’s helping the cause when he and his friends do a little killing. Interrogation. Admission. Informing. Double dealing on all sides. That’s what thrillers are made of.
Of course, any film about Palestinians and Israelis is automatically about moral dilemmas and how the same actions seen from a different point of view can be interpreted very differently.
But director Hany Abu-Assad, who scored big with his previous work, Paradise Now, isn’t just interested in sending messages. His movie is a thriller in the Hitchcock tradition, rife with mixed messages and ambiguities that keep the audience unsure of who to believe and who to trust.
A film that works on many levels is always ripe for a good discussion, and Omar works on level after level.
I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day and I hope to see you tonight at The Music Hall. We’ll be in the Big Room.
Note: A couple of weeks ago we did a discussion of Nymphomaniac Vol. I and found that it was a work of genuine character and feeling whose high level of sexual content was as natural to it as violence is to other movies. I was a little conflicted about not doing a discussion of Nymphomaniac Vol. II, which is playing in The Loft. I expect it is as heartfelt and insightful as Vol. I. But Omar is just too good to miss. And having two movies that are so good that the choice is hard is exactly why The Music Hall is so vital to the nutritional needs of filmgoers in the Seacoast.
Paul Goodwin
TMHMGRead More
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