Word: banality
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Thomson: Symphony No. 3 and Helps: Symphony No. 1--Virgil Thomson's undeservedly neglected third symphony written in 1932 is a relaxed, almost placid essay that demonstrates contemporary music need be neither bizarre nor banal. Thomson seems to be one of the few Americans who will shoulder his way into the concert hall repertoire, probably with this symphony...
A.T.C. concerns the living arrangement of three people-Earl, an alienated poseur; Laurie, a morbid bank teller; and Jake, a banal house painter and eater of grilled cheese. Earl has snuffed someone, so he is at the mercy of a mysterious Mr. White, the landlord who never comes on the stage. Laurie is Earl's former girlfriend--she is the only one who deals with Mr. White. Jake is a mass of muscle and simplicity, the common man who finds himself lost in the midst of this weirdness. Laurie works at the A.T.C.--American Trust Company--and the play...
Nevertheless, director Josh Milton--blessed with a talented, hyperkinetic cast--manages an enjoyable rendition of Greasepaint. He proves that with enough brass, good cheer, white teeth, and confetti, even the most banal of musical comedies can become pleasing...
...BEST SCENES in It's My Turn simmer quietly with tension, brilliantly capturing the awkwardness that pervades ordinary encounters. This basically banal film speaks most eloquently when it says nothing. Its characters are often only vaguely aware of each other's existence. Just about every conversation is a failed opportunity. Even when lovers dance, their steps aren't graceful...
...occasions when Mellow attempts a more penetrating analysis, his conclusions are disappointingly banal. In his discussion of Hawthorne's early tales, he paraphrases "Rappaccini's Daughter" at some length, only to prove that the author "was fascinated by the ambiquity and deceptiveness of evil"--an insight which any student would reach after 15 minutes of reading...