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Fantastic movie. Here's a review that has changed how I think of the film and which will require me to rewatch the film: Tár Is the Most-Talked-About Movie of the Year. So Why Is Everyone Talking About It All Wrong? (https://slate.com/culture/2022/12/tar-cate-blanchett-movie-ending-explained-analyzed.html).

As a musician, I'll add that Blanchett pulls off a rare move for an actor: she actually appears to be performing the music--an achievement I also recently saw in the 2014 (and also fantastic) film "Whiplash," where the actor actually did the drumming and the rest of the musicians were actually musicians, not actors. (J K Simmons did a perfectly respectable job as conductor, too.) "Green Book" did and amazing job (particularly on "Blue Skies"), but they did so by digitally swapping Mahershala Ali's head onto Kris Bowers's body and hands.

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Thanks for sending that Slate review, now I too will have to rewatch it with that theory in mind.

I'm not a musician but I wondered about that when Blanchett was at the piano. As I recall some shots frame out her hands but others (like the scene with Max) don't. Good for Cate!

I agree with you about "Whiplash." Excellent film and excellent soundtrack.

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When you rewatch it, I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts. Thanks for subscribing to my Substack (Bastiat's Window) focuses largely on economics, science, and health, but I do some pieces on music and the arts in general. I'll lob a few suggestions your way. :)

https://graboyes.substack.com/p/lance-hayward-on-piano-alan-greenspan

https://graboyes.substack.com/p/a-nobel-prize-for-vince-gilligan

https://graboyes.substack.com/p/lullabies-and-anthems

https://graboyes.substack.com/p/the-rhetoric-of-swift-taylor-not

https://graboyes.substack.com/p/sunday-name-dropping

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Yes indeed and my pleasure. Bastiat is behind the scenes at Shiny Herd, as I'm interested in the unseen side of groupthink.

I definitely agree with you about Gilligan deserving a Nobel prize!

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Glad to gain an ally. If you like, let's see if we can get Substack revved up about a Nobel for Gilligan, Gilligan and Gould, or the who BB/BCS/EC production complex. (I've been thinking about doing a second piece.) I thought Dylan deserved the prize, as it was also a de facto prize for songwriting as a genre. Similarly, I think prestige television deserves similar recognition.

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I'd add Leonard Cohen to the songwriter list.

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I had actually written that in my comment, but deleted it to reduce the word count. Wife and I just watched the documentaries on “Hallelujah” and “Suzanne.”

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