Cinecast #91: An American In Paris/Top 5 Satires

Three films into a six-part Musicals Marathon, Adam and Sam realize, to their dismay, that they’ve nearly exhausted their supply of hyperbole. Watching Gene Kelly perform Gershwin's "I've Got Rhythm" with a street-full of Parisian kids in Vincent Minnelli’s "An American In Paris" just about tapped them out. If the Musicals Marathon has proved nothing else so far, it has at the very least proved the lasting potency of great performances. Gene Kelly is only the latest addition to a Cinecast pantheon already crowded with newly discovered luminaries like Ginger Rogers and James Cagney.

Adam and Sam agree that Minnelli is some kind of directorial savant -- "An American In Paris" nearly suffocates under the force of Minnelli’s theatrical imagination; and "Paris" is -- despite a lack of chemistry between Kelly and Leslie Caron, and an impressive but interminable finale -- wonderfully entertaining. But like "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Swing Time" before it, "Paris" is truly worth watching for the performance of its star.

Also on the show: Adam's twist ending mea culpa in Listener Feedback and our Top 5 Satires, tying in with Wednesday's review of "Thank You For Smoking."

Music by Kelly Hogan courtesy of Bloodshot Records ... Cinecast theme music by Age of the Rifle.

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Cinecast #91
:39-15:00 - Musicals #3: "An American In Paris"
15:01-15:58 - Audio Feedback
Music: Kelly Hogan, "Papa Was A Rodeo"
17:29-20:09 - Empire Strikes Back... at Adam
20:10-22:00 - "Flight 93"
22:01-28:00 - Listener Feedback (Twist Endings)
28:01-28:55 - Peerflix winner (King Kong, Brokeback Mountain)
Music: Kelly Hogan, "Between Love And Hate"
29:29-40:00 - Top 5 Satires
USA Network "Show Us Your Character" spot

Have a comment or Top 5 list you'd like to share? Send us an e-mail at cinecast@cinecastshow.com. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.