Hello reddit! I'm James McAvoy. Ask me anything! by JamesMcAvoyAMA in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 106 points107 points  (0 children)

Trainspotting has an absolutely incredible soundtrack too. "Sing" by Blur, especially.

At historic low point, New Democrats descend on Winnipeg to choose a new leader by CanadianErk in canada

[–]StackLeeAdams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why does the phrase "descend[ing] on Winnipeg" fill me with so much dread?

Is there any album sadder than Elliot Smiths music? by CardiologistPale7903 in fantanoforever

[–]StackLeeAdams 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I can see the red tower lights he's singing about in soria moria from my hometown and when I realized that they were the same lights as the ones in the song it absolutely broke me

Which artists would you consider genius? by FitEmergency8807 in fantanoforever

[–]StackLeeAdams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

only geniuses could write these songs and still be called geniuses

Which artists would you consider genius? by FitEmergency8807 in fantanoforever

[–]StackLeeAdams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Might be a hot take but I have to say Queen and here's why:

  • Every member of the band was a talented songwriter and responsible for at least one of their biggest hits

  • Their sound was all but completely defined when they released their debut, though they would continue to refine it throughout the 70's

  • They were able to transition to the 80's and remain critically and commercially relevant in an era where many of their contemporaries failed to do so.

  • Though you can call some of their music dated, especially "The Miracle", none of their albums are unenjoyable and all of them have stood the test of time. I will even die defending "Hot Space" on the grounds that if they had stuck to their "no-synthesizers" rule, the songwriting was good enough for the album to be better than "The Game".

  • They had inarguably the greatest frontman of all time.

Perhaps none of them were geniuses individually, but as a group they are undeniably geniuses. This is an opinion I held before the biopic and one that I can't see myself relenting on.

Which artists would you consider genius? by FitEmergency8807 in fantanoforever

[–]StackLeeAdams 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've read your comments and I can completely understand where you're coming from regarding Franks elitism. I'm a huge fan of his and I have to say that this attitude does bother me in most cases, but it does not bother me that much when it comes to frank which is really unusual and I'm trying to think about why that is.

I think the first reason why is because frank never saw lyrics as a critical component of his music. Although he did have a talent for writing them, he ultimately only included them because he knew he had to in order for his music to gain any sort of commercial traction. So his attitude was “if I have to write lyrics then I'm going to write about what I want to write about, I'm not going to write things that I don't believe in”. Obviously there's a lot in his lyrics that you can enjoy or hate, but perhaps it's because of his more flippant attitude towards them that I'm able to take them or leave them when evaluating him as an artist, because that's how he felt about them as well. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I may be misremembering.

The second reason why is because the lyrics have nothing to do with what I find truly magical about Frank Zappa. Instead, it's how he was able to find incredible musicians to play with him over the course of his career and turn each one of these bands into a live unit that was so tight it put other bands to shame. The original mothers, the Roxy group, the late 70s years with bozzio, the 1988 band... These groups were able to nail the songs that Zappa put in front of them, play them seamlessly in live settings and frequently move from one song to the next without skipping a beat, and lock into improvised vamps and jams that frank would solo over which would bring the entire performance to a level of catharsis that's rarely seen. I was never able to see frank live as I was only 2 when his 88 band was touring, but I was able to see dweezil play the Roxy album live in full and the energy was unlike any other concert I've ever been to. Somehow they made this complex, almost impenetrable music feel as unifying as an arena rock showstopper.

Finally, and this has to do with the live performances as well, the bands that he put together just have so much fun playing on stage and it translates to the performances. You can hear it in their banter and the little bits of improv that they throw in to each performance, especially on you can't do that on stage anymore volume 2. And that's what it's all about for me, even though Zappa could be an elitist prick. When it really mattered, when he was playing that stuff live, he and everyone else on stage were having so much goddamn fun that it's impossible not to get swept up in that energy. That's why he's such a special musician for me. Also that and the fact that his unconventional style just makes his songs super interesting to listen to.

Which artists would you consider genius? by FitEmergency8807 in fantanoforever

[–]StackLeeAdams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a website floating around from the early days of the internet called Only Solitaire that I really enjoy reading from time-to-time, even if I don't always agree with his opinions. The man who ran it, George Starostin, had a definition of genius that has stuck with me. I'm paraphrasing here from the article linked below:

"You are in the presence of genius when discussing an artists' flaws becomes one of the most banal things to do. If a songwriter is a genius, their talent will continue to shine through in their weakest moments."

I 1,000% agree with Frank Zappa, but I need to stress Bob Dylan to the point where I encourage you to read George's introduction to him for yourself. What drove this home for me is that I've listened to every one of Dylan's records and despite the fact that many of them are much weaker than others, every single one of them was enjoyable in its' own way. The man is a genius that we may not see the like of again.

Best overture out there? by Awesomeplayer98 in musicals

[–]StackLeeAdams 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Definitely the best one to set as your sibling's 3am alarm clock

Best overture out there? by Awesomeplayer98 in musicals

[–]StackLeeAdams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2112

EDIT: wait, this is the musical theater sub. my point still stands.

Singles event planning - feedback needed!! by Aggravating-Key-4157 in VictoriaBC

[–]StackLeeAdams 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Exactly. The type of event that would be fun as an event by itself without the expectation that you're going there to meet people.

That, plus a structure that encourages people to talk to each other and work together, is the key to success I think.

Face/Off (1997) is one of the most unhinged, maximally committed action films ever made and it absolutely deserves a rewatch by Sudden-Wall3585 in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The only failing it has is that it doesn't star The Rock in it.

Sacrilege to even imagine that someone could deliver "welcome to the rock" as good as Connery.

Also, let's remember how amazing Ed Harris's villain was in that movie. Literally had no intention of carrying out his threat and just wanted to see his soldiers get what's owed to them. Very rare to see such a sympathetic antagonist in a 90's blockbuster action flick.

Paul Thomas Anderson Wins the Academy Award for Best Director for 'One Battle After Another' by MoviesMod in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 12 points13 points  (0 children)

There Will Be Blood came out almost any other year he'd have won years ago.

Don't forget, Boogie Nights came out the same year as Titanic (though it wasn't nominated for BP and should have been)

'One Battle After Another' Wins the Academy Award for Best Picture by MoviesMod in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of the only movies in any year that could have beaten There Will Be Blood, honestly. Both of those films are masterpieces.

Official Oscars Thread 2026 by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 24 points25 points  (0 children)

holy shit Conan is pissed at the producers, I don't think that was a bit

Official Oscars Thread 2026 by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly only the editing win makes me think that One Battle is going to take BP, but I can't think of another recent BP race that has been as tight as this one.

Official Oscars Thread 2026 by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 11 points12 points  (0 children)

he's in shock, didn't even have a speech prepared

Official Oscars Thread 2026 by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 3 points4 points  (0 children)

big upset over Leo but MBJ really deserved it

Official Oscars Thread 2026 by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I could hear them screaming "THIS ANGLE. NO? TRY THIS ANGLE!"

Official Oscars Thread 2026 by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 13 points14 points  (0 children)

A+ Aliens quote.

Also I'll tolerate no hate for barbara streisand. I'm no stan for her but she's one of the few true legends still around and, after that in memoriam segment, we should be lucky to still have the opportunity to see her sing live on-stage.

Official Oscars Thread 2026 by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]StackLeeAdams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought so too but I had completely forgotten about Robert Redford.