Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built Discussion Has Begun!

Though I realize one can’t really put this DOC in the category of OTBP (Off The Beaten Path) the information it revealed to me regarding just how many of the countless musical delights I have enjoyed in my life had the common thread of being generated from the hopes , dreams and genius of one man’s vision was astounding. I am not well versed in music history so I’ll simply leave it at that. As always I look forward to reading your comments and gaining greater insight through them.

Some things on my mind:

. What’s up with ‘Kid Rock’?
. What’s up with Ahmet’s wife (she was ok with all the affairs?)
. Anyone have info regarding how Atlantic really ranked in the underpayment of royalties to the early artists? Payola issues?
. Ahmet died (at the age of 83) by slipping and hitting his head backstage at a Stones’ concert being given in honor of Bill Clinton’s 60th birthday…From the time Ahmet found himself in Harlem at age 12 partying with legends till dawn through his very last second on the planet this man was always where it was happenin…!
. Warner seems to have made the deal of the century when they purchased Atlantic. In two years they made back their investment just with the rights to the movie and soundtrack from ‘Woodstock’. Did Ahmet miss the boat on this or was it paid to him on the back end some how ?

Walk on Water--Discussion has begun!

Truth be told I found some of the back round scoop on this film to be almost as interesting as the movie itself! 'Walk on Water' is based on a true story about a former Mossad (Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations in Israel) agent who returns home from an assignment to find his wife has hung herself and left a suicide note blaming him. During his next assignment he breaks down and decides to leave the agency, enrolls in an arts and literature program at University, meets a young man with whom he has an affair, eventually meets this mans' sister and falls in love with her and they set up a family together.
The film is a collaborative effort between screenwriter Gal Uchovskey and 43 year old director Eytan Fox who are long term committed gay partners of 18 years. Fox was born in NYC , moved to Israel when he was two and grew up in Jerusalem. His dad is a conservative rabbi and Hebrew University professor. Lior Ashkenazi who plays Eyal the Mossad assassin is considered to be "Israel's Brad Pitt." He is 38 years old, heterosexual and openly speaks out about his harrowing experiences in the Israeli army as well as the one gay relationship he did have.
As to the film itself- it took me some time to realize that not only was it addressing how the history of the Holocaust still influences many of their lives and the current day Israeli/Palestinian conflicts, but also some of the deeply rooted homophobic attitudes in the Israeli culture.
I certainly picked up on the sensual/sexual vibes that were dripping off of Eyal, Pia and Axel in almost every scene. All three of them had a powerful and commanding sexual and personal charisma that I questioned continuously throughout: Was this intentional? What was the point, etc.. It occurred to me that there was not one sexually explicit act shown, not a breast, not a kiss, and yet the film felt incredibly erotic.
The entire day where Axel and Eyal are at the Dead Sea all the way through to their evening campfire was delicious and I could feel Eyal's transformation happening.
Everything that took place from the moment Eyal arrived in Germany was EOS and as good as any well written page turner with endless, fast paced yet quietly provocative plot twists till its climax with Axel dealing the final blow to his own Nazi grandfather when he sees that Eyal no longer has it in him to do so. Here we have the about face of both Axel and Eyal's initially presented characters, Eyal the ruthless hit man and Axel the naive 'Nudnick' bleeding heart liberal (at least as seen through the eyes of Eyal). That shift began to make itself apparent in a pivotal moment as the two were coming out of the subway after the fight with the skinheads. Axel turns to Eyal and with a cold stare says, "It's too bad you didn't kill him. (Eyal looks back at him stunned, "What?") These people pollute the world. They turn everything into shit."
From most of the reviews I read feelings regarding the end of the movie with the marriage between Pia and Eyal were mainly negative with a lot of disappointed viewers who thought this was a major 'sell out' to assuage a U.S. audience with a 'Hollywood ending'. I hope some of you will share your thoughts on this in your comments. Thanks for watching!