The Sound of Music (1965)

-Why am I always last? (Gretl)
-It's because you're the most important. (Max)

Minority opinion holders are by nature capable of resisting peer pressure -assuming they are not just trolling for a fight. The smaller the minority, the more difficult the positive consensus is to push against. Thus, only the devoutly and obstinately foolish hold unpopular opinions as a matter of fact without admitting the possibility of being wrong.

I only admit that I could be wrong when I say: The Sound of Music is not a particularly good movie. (cue pitchforks, torches, angry mobs, and the wrath of the internet)

I admit that I had never seen The Sound of Music before this viewing -Never. I almost held it as a badge of honor.

Here's why I found it underwhelming and contrite. - I accept contradictory feedback in the comments.

1. The songs are over used.
    I expected, as with any musical, that there would be a string of songs for each section of the film culminating in one final song to end the show with aplomb. Unfortunately, The Sound of Music reuses all of it songs in their entirety once, twice, even thrice. They filled 2 halves of a long musical with only enough music for a 90 minute sing-along. I got it. Doe is a deer, A female deer.

2. Choreography
   The exact same blocking and musical routines are performed once, twice, even thrice, without any apology. The same. Over and over. It certainly makes things adorable, but not particularly interesting.

3. Character development
  This is a small point. I sympathize with the challenge of taking a daring family tale from story to musical to movie, but somewhere along this line, the motives and development of the central characters were lost. I got a bit whip lashed from the father's love shift from Baroness to Governess.

On a scale of phrygian to TEE, I give The Sound of Music 2.87 out of 5 stars.

Race (2016)

"Nothing matters. not color, not money, not even hate." -Jesse Owens

I think we've all seen this movie before; an uplifting sports bio-pic that touches on racism, politics, identity, and grit. Race is more of the same.  Obviously, the story of Jesse Owens is inspiring. Talent, hard work, and opportunity will out. If you didn't know the story and accomplishments of Jesse Owens, I thoroughly recommend Race.

If you do know the story and have seen this movie before, there's no need to see Race. It is not particularly original or memorable.  However, Race did have some great points and interesting topics to discuss.

1. Nazis
1. I find it strange that Nazis have been the villains on screen for 70 years. One of the lasting legacy's of the regime will be as heels for eternity. Need a despicable cast of murderous ideologues that are universally despised?  Best make them either aliens or Nazis.
2. Time period
1. There are lots of period dramas. Some of them do the costumes, accents, periodicals, and locations right.  Some of them put just enough shine on these essentials to hope we don't notice. A few think fancy hats make things old-timey. For Race's part, they do a an amazing job with the costumes and locations. I was particularly impressed with the old stadiums, the Olympic venues, and the kits of the athletes. This is how period is done.  
3. Actors
1. Stephan James was spectacular as Jesse Owens. Beyond that, the rest of the performances were completely acceptable. Jason Sudeikis was pretty good in a dramatic role, and I would like to see him in more. I expect Amanda Crew will be getting better roles than Office Girl (Peggy) going forward. Carice van Houten still makes me only think of Mellisandre, but it is good to know that she has dramatic range. 

On a scale of 4X100M relay to 100X4M relay, I give Race, 2.9 stars out of 5.