'The Deer Hunter' Is So Powerful

A few days ago I watched again a movie with profound qualities. The film is 'The Deer Hunter.' It has so much gripping and poignant interpretation into the harsh material that is the modern war experience. In this film the focal point is the Vietnam War. I know the people that had WWII had hard times and of course the people of now with Iraq, Afghanistan and the other Mideast theater experiences are filled with so many things flooding through their minds. But for some of us the huge one was Vietnam. I had many friends who were there. The dimensions of their experiences are so complicated. This film, 'The Deer Hunter' with giant acting names like Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken is a monumental piece of cinematic art, indeed.

Vietnam remembered

I noticed something earlier today. Today is the 35th anniversary of the fact of the Vietnam War ending. It (that war) had a gigantic impact on our American culture. I remember hearing friends talking about Khe Sanh and some of the other battles. The powerful passion that is Vietnam permeates so many layers of our cultural infrastructure. Films like, 'The Deer Hunter' had so much meaning for me. Indeed, Christopher Walken and Robert DeNiro were overwhelming in that great movie.

Cannonball Adderley produces great jazz art

Cannonball Adderley is a strong man of the alto saxophone. Lord, yes. His classic tunes like the mighty, 'Work Song' and the wily 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy' are two of my great favorites. The heavy dash of blues style that reaches out to you from that great alto sax of his is so intense. The composition, 'Work Song' (written by Cannonball Adderley's brother Nat, a fine cornet man) sends me into total delight. As a southern man like me might say, the tune has plenty of get up and get. A jazz workout by the Adderley men sends me up into a great musical groove as the sixties characters might put it. I figure digging Cannonball Adderley and Nat Adderley is a little bit like viewing a fine set of performances by two dramatic giants like Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. Really profound performances can be very fulfilling. DeNiro and Pacino are clever and "hip" and so are the good Adderley brothers.