Director: Stephanie Black
Producer: Stephanie Black
Featuring: Danny Glover, Ziggy Marley, Damien Marley, Stephen Marley, Lauren Hill, Bob Marley
Year: 2008
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
BBFC Certification: Exempt

Africa Unite is a documentary framed around the celebrations of what would be Bob Marley’s 60th birthday and focusing on his vision of a united Africa. Several big-name stars and world-class reggae acts, as well as three generations of the Marley family came together in Ethiopia in 2005 to put on an epic 12-hour concert attended by over 300,000 people as well as take part in debates and seminars intent on bringing about African unity. Ethiopia was particularly important to Bob Marley due to it’s relevance to the Rastafari movement, being the home of Haile Selassie I, who is considered the second coming of God to many Rastafarians. He was also the regent and emperor of Ethiopia for several decades, bringing independence to the nation during the early 20th century when Europe had a stranglehold over the continent.

The film is very clear and blunt in it’s message that the best way towards solving Africa’s problems is to unite as one. It’s not an explorative documentary that looks at the pros and cons or even lingers on the continent’s tragedies. Instead it’s a vibrant, uplifting look at how Africa can come together in a united celebration. A cynic could call it a mild form of propaganda, but when the simple basis of it’s message is so universally positive and it’s presented so passionately, it’s hard not to get caught up in it all.

From a technical standpoint, it’s not a particularly impressive documentary. It’s shot very basically and cheaply and the sound mix is a bit murky (away from the concert which sounds fine). A lack of graphics (even name bars) and other such polish suggests a low budget too. This of course is no means for harsh criticism, although it has a meandering structure that caused me to lose interest from time to time. Intercutting the core documentary footage with the concert footage works in it’s favour though, giving the film a clear spine as well as invigorating the joyful vibe the film is aiming for. The concert scenes are great, giving a wonderful sense the of positive atmosphere of the day and will help the film become more accessible a wider audience, especially those not generally interested in the film’s political stance.

The documentary elements are generally quite effective too, with several of the speeches and debates proving quite powerful. Danny Glover in particular makes a great orator. There is some interesting backstory into the history of Ethiopia and Haile Selassie too, although I felt a lot of this was held back till a little too late in the film. Not knowing much about the man or the country I was a little lost during the first half and didn’t fully appreciate their importance for a while. I could have done with a little more of it in general actually, as it felt to have only skimmed the surface. I guess because the film is juggling so many balls with the concert, the visitors and the conferences it was hard to fit in too much history along the way.

It’s no masterpiece as a whole and won’t incite as much debate or controversy as many politically themed documentaries, but as a celebration of Bob Marley’s beliefs through music and a show of support it is undoubtably effective. A word of warning though, anyone looking to watch this film to learn more about Bob Marley himself will be disappointed. The focus is primarily on his vision for a united Africa. We learn more about Haile Selassie and Ethiopia than about Marley himself, although his great music becomes a bridge between the nations and through that his presence is truly felt.

Africa Unite is released on DVD by Network Releasing in the UK on 22nd August. It contains no special features. The picture and sound quality aren’t particularly impressive, although this is likely to be due to the nature of the source material so didn’t bother me.

Director: Eyad Zahra
Screenplay: Michael Muhammad Knight & Eyad Zahra
Based on a Story by: Michael Muhammad Knight
Producer: Eyad Zahra
Starring: Bobby Naderi, Noureen Dewulf, Dominic Rains, Nav Mann
Year: 2010
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
BBFC Certification: 15

The Taqwacores is a thought-provoking indie film dealing with the complexities of being a young Muslim living in modern day America.

It centres around Yusef (Bobby Naderi), a hard-working student who moves into a shared house in Buffalo, New York, full of fellow Muslims who are followers of Taqwacore, a Muslim punk movement developing in the West Coast. Meeting these ‘misfits’ and learning about their beliefs and the way they follow their religion gradually changes the way Yusef shapes and views his own identity. He develops a particular friendship with Jehangir (Dominic Rains) who plans to bring Taqwacore to the East Coast by hosting a concert at the house. Interestingly, the novel the film is based on was fictional, but a real Taqwacore movement grew due to the success of the book within Islamic circles.

It’s fantastic subject matter, ripe for cinematic treatment that grabbed my attention when reading the film’s press material, but I’m sorry to say that the film fails to deliver an experience to match it.

The main problem is the writing. There is zero subtlety to it – it’s centred around a punk scene, so subtlety maybe isn’t what they were after, but this is taking it too far. The film’s messages of keeping individual within a seemingly strict and inflexible religion and the constant demonstrations of the ‘unorthodox’ practises of it’s protagonists are hammered home to oblivion. There is also a tendency to over-explain everything that happens which stops the film from alienating non-Muslim audiences I guess, but is done so clumsily that it infuriates rather than informs.

All of this clunky exposition and need to over-state it’s points come at the expense of the film’s narrative which is barely existent. After we are introduced to the community within the house there is little to hold our interest until the concert finally takes place in the last 10 or 15 minutes of the film. The film seems more interested in showing off how ‘hardcore’ it’s characters are over and over again rather than actually delving into the Taqwacore scene and it’s music. The film’s stylish climax at the concert delivers what I would have preferred, letting the raw energy of the music do the talking over some powerful imagery. It’s a shame it comes too little too late.

The cast aren’t the finest actors in the world, but a couple of them, especially Rains, have enough charisma and energy to keep you interested. I imagine the clumsy writing didn’t do them any favours. It’s grungy look is effective enough too although due to the blunt moralising it reminded me at times of an educational film that was trying too hard to be ‘down with the kids’.

It’s sad really because there was so much to work with and it’s mainly just the screenplay that spoils the film and makes it very hard to recommend. There’s actually a documentary that has been made on the topic called Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam, perhaps that’s a better alternative. If not, someone should try again.

The Taqwacores is released in the UK on 12th August.

Directors: Jesse Holland & Andy Mitton
Screenplay: Jesse Holland & Andy Mitton
Producer: Eric Hungerford
Starring: Cassidy Freeman, Clark Freeman, Anessa Ramsey, Lee Wilkof, Laura Heisler, Alex Draper, Michael Laurino, Tara Giordano & Sam Elmore
MPAA Rating: Rated R for violent content, language, some sexuality and drug material.
Running time: 99 min

It has taken me over a year to finally have the chance to see Jesse Holland & Andy Mitton’s independent horror film YellowBrickRoad. The film which originally premiered at Slamdance in 2010 has been on my radar as a possible film for the Dark Bridges Festival. Last year I had hoped to screen it but was just never able to make it work. This year, I plan on trying again. Normally I do not write reviews for movies that I am seriously considering screening here on Row Three (Rammbock being the other exception so far) as I don’t want sway people into coming or not coming to the festival. I don’t want to ever be seen as promoting a movie just so the festival does better but when a distributor is willing to provide me with a screener for review I feel that I do need to write up a review. My promise to everyone is that I will always work to be fair and not over hype a movie which I am considering for the festival.

Back in 2010 when I first started to hear about YellowBrickRoad I was very interested. It had just played at Sundance’s younger brother (and much more interesting festival) Slamdance. What drew me into being interested was the initial concept and the possibility of the film being somewhat meta with references to Wizard of Oz. YellowBrickRoad tells the story of an academic, Teddy Barnes who gathers together a team to investigate a 70 year old mystery. In 1940 all the residents of the small New Hampshire town Friar headed off into the woods one day. No one knows why they left but all that was found was the dead bodies of several of the people. The majority of the town though had completely disappeared. For the last 70 years the FBI had covered up what had happened and only recently was the reports and documents made available.

Teddy and his team consisting of his wife, a park ranger, a student intern, two map experts who are married and a psychiatrist head off to Friar to discover the truth of what happened. Everything immediately goes wrong when they discover that the directions they have for the start of the trail lead to small town theatre. After some initial investigation and finding one lone teenager, Liv who is willing to take them to the trail if they bring her along. From here on in we get the slow slide into madness and horror that in all rights should feel derivative of films such as Blair Witch, Silent Hill, The Shining and other horror movies that rely on suspense and tension as opposed to gore and violence. What we get instead is an interesting new take on isolation and the horror of being in a situation out of your control. What makes YellowBrickRoad different is its use of music and sound. As the group travels deep into the woods they start to hear music. The immediate response is of course that someone is messing with them but slowly they begin to realize that there is something more that is going on. At times the music is pleasant and other times the music is best described as damaging. The pressure of the music and everything else that is going on wears down the group of investigators as they are driven to madness by what they are experiencing. The concept of using sound as a basis for a horror movie is nothing new but in this case it is not just used for jump scares but to truly create tension amongst the group.

For most of the movie the violence is fairly low key with a few bursts of gore, of which did not fully work for me but even when they didn’t the reactions of those witnessing the violence drew me back into the movie. The film features strong performances from each and every actor and it is because of them that YellowBrickRoad truly works. It would be very easy for a movie such as this to have over the top performances that try to create the tension. Each and every actor is able to really show us the slide into madness that is happening.

I will be very curious in the long run to hear how people feel about the ending of YellowBrickRoad. I’m not going to call it a twist or anything of the such but I do feel that it is either going to be a love it or hate it experience. I for one found it very interesting and plan to go back through the film to see what hints I can find.

YellowBrickRoad is like experiencing a nightmare on screen. It is a superbly directed horror film that is able to bring something new to the table which is always a good thing. The acting is definitely strong and the film over all is one of the horror highlights from 2010. YellowBrickRoad has been picked for distribution by Bloody Disgusting Selects and was just in AMC theatres at the beginning of June. If you didn’t get a chance to catch it you should definitely keep watch for it on DVD coming up.

• The Sitges Festival And Director Angel Sala Charged with EXHIBITION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY for Screening A SERBIAN FILM
  “A Serbian Film is shocking and extreme cinema and designed to be so. But child porn? That is absolutely ridiculous – the scene that tends to get people worked up occurring entirely offscreen with the violence implied and not actually depicted – and I can only hope that the courts recognize it as such and throw the case out.”
• Process of Blockbuster Sale objected to by Disney, Universal, landlords, U.S. trustee and others
  Other studios that have said in court documents they are owed millions of dollars for products shipped since September include Universal, 20th Century Fox and Summit Entertainment. Several of the objecting parties, including the U.S. trustee, argued in court papers that instead of seeking a buyer, Blockbuster should be forced into Chapter 7, a liquidation of all its assets. That would mark a dramatic end to a company that less than a decade ago dominated the U.S. DVD and VHS rental market.
• 52 Most Iconic Use of Pop Songs in Movies
  Who hasn’t heard a familiar pop song on the radio only to be transported back to the film that featured it? You probably never even paid a second thought, let alone liked that particular song before it became associated with that cinematic sequence. Yet, it was such a perfect complement to that one moment in the movie that you now know the lyrics by heart. In honor to that fleeting but powerful connection between music and film, we count down 52 of the most iconic pop songs in movies.
• If There Were an Oscar for Film Titles
  Saul Bass on Film Titles: “My initial thoughts about what a title can do was to set mood and the prime underlying core of the film’s story, to express the story in some metaphorical way. I saw the title as a way of conditioning the audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would have an emotional resonance with it.”
• A History of Choose Your Own Adventure
  From the start, the books were full of innovative page hacks. Readers would be trapped in the occasional time loop, forced to flip back and forth between two pages. Most memorable was Inside UFO 54-40, a book in which the most desired outcome, discovering the Planet Ultima, could only be achieved by readers who cheated and flipped through the book until they reached the page on their own. At that point, the book congratulated the reader for breaking the rules.
• Playing With the Truth: Film in 2010
  AIf I were to ask you to imagine the sinking of the Titanic, what images come to your mind? What about Roman gladiator fighting in the Colosseum? What do you picture when you think of John Smith and Pocahontas, or the Zodiac killer who terrorized San Francisco, or the fate of United Flight 93, or the storming of Omaha Beach on D-Day? You see where I’m going with this: for many people, films based on true events serve as the primary influence on the subconscious in remembering or imagining those events.
• The Best Picture Nominees And Their Video Games Counterparts
  Welcome to our very own version of the Academy Awards, where we’ve paired a recent game with the same dramatic aspirations, themes, or capital D drama as each of the ten best picture nominees. We’ve also picked an Oscar-worthy scene from each, proving once and for all that games belong on the red carpet as much as the next sighing starlet.

You can now take a look at RowThree’s bookmarks at any time of your choosing simply by clicking the “delicious” button in the upper right of the page. It looks remarkably similar to this:

Producers: Steve Devick, Paul Katz
MPAA Rating: PG
Running time: 100 min.

I promise you we’re working up to the main course but today is second appetizer day and on the menu, a look at the music of Twilight. Now don’t get super excited, I wish I could tell you that this is the greatest thing you’ll ever add to your growing number of Twigoodies but sadly, that’s not really the case.

Music and Video Performances from The Twilight Saga Soundtracks Volume 1 is exactly what it sounds like: a compilation of music videos from some of the performers on the various soundtracks to date. It’s not a bad compilation. On the contrary it’s a sort of “best of the best” of the soundtracks, itself a pretty impressive thing considering the great collection of artists featured on the soundtracks. What’s disappointing is that this feels like a missed opportunity.

Maybe I was wishing for too much but I hoped to get some insider info into the songs, why they were chosen, perhaps commentary from the artists on their experience with the franchise or heck, even commentary from the music supervisors on the films but nope, all we get is a playlist of music videos that could have been created on YouTube. At the very least, more of the songs should have been live performances – I vaguely remember mall tours with Paramore when Twilight was released. That would have been more interesting than a run-of-the-mill video. I will give them props for including a few live performances and those for some of my favourite bands; likely the result of lack of music videos – I don’t watch MTV but I’m pretty sure they’re not playing Bon Iver, Iron & Wine or Editors.

As under whelmed as I was by the DVD, I wasn’t disappointed in the music and I certainly enjoyed seeing some of the music videos, a few of which I’d never seen before. For the most part, this is the kind of thing you put on at a party to keep the TV busy for a few hours or good background music for your night of Twilight boardgames. I feel a slumber party coming on.

Maybe we’ll get a little extra for Volume 2.

Music and Video Performances from The Twilight Saga Soundtracks Volume 1 available on DVD from EOne in Canada and Summit Entertainment in the US on December 4th.

DVD Extras: Debussy’s “Claire de Lune: and Verdi’s “La Traviata.”

I’m actually a little bummed that they didn’t include the performer of either of these pieces. “Claire de Lune” is performed on the harp, a version I’ve never heard before, and it’s gorgeous.

In what is easily one of the best ideas in recent months, Alliance is releasing a number of box sets today, including two of particular note.

The first is what I’m dubbing the music collection which contains Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There, Michael Dowse’s It’s All Gone Pete Tong and Anton Corbijn’s Control.

Haynes’ film is not your average, straight forward biopic but it does, in Haynes’ artistically inclined way, get at the essense of who and what Bob Dylan stands for: the every man. Be sure to check out Andrew’s video review of the film from the early days of Row Three.

Though not exactly a biopic, Michael Dowse chose to take the comedic approach to the life of Czech DJ Kristov Masalin who lost his hearing due to excessive noise levels at the clubs at which he performed but who continued to create music despite being deaf. British actor Paul Kaye brilliantly plays the role of drug addicted DJ Frankie Wilde in a film that is equal parts sad reality and drug induced dream gone wrong (complete with a bunny which is nearly as creepy as that from Donnie Darko).

The set is rounded off by Anton Corbijn’s briliant Control which recalls the short life of Joy Division front man Ian Curtis. The film, which features a number of fantastic performances including Samantha Morton as Curtis’ wife, also introduced the world to Sam Riley, a raw talent with a bright future ahead of him. Add in Corbijn’s gorgeously vivid black and white direction and you have a film that is not to be missed, even if you were never a fan of the band.

Rating for the set:

Director: Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen (Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, Global Metal, Iron Maiden: Flight 666)
MPAA Rating: NR
Running time: 117 min.

As someone who grew up with a father who loves rock music, I was introduced to Rush at an early age. I always loved the music but over the years my taste shifted and with it my love affair with some bands while others took a foothold in the pantheon. Rush never quite entered that level of rock god status for me but they’ve always been a band I liked and then Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen came along.

Over the last few years the pair have become synonymous with rock documentaries from heavy metal in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey to fandom (Global Metal (review)) and most recently bringing to the screen Iron Maiden: Flight 666. With their eye turned home, their latest takes on Canadian legends Rush and the result is the unforgettable tribute Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.

Dunn and McFadyen begin with the band’s early heavy metal days as high-school entertainers and follows through on their long career of change and discovery. Using archival footage and in depth interviews with band members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, we follow Rush as they grow from bar band to global superstars and the road isn’t always easy. There are insights into the early days of touring, the difficulties of being a band with substance (the making of “2112” was particularly eye opening to me), and the constant struggle to be the best musicians they can be while still being true to the music. Rush is a band that made a conscious effort never to “sell out” and their ever changing sound goes a long way to support that.

There are few secrets here. There are no uncovered VHS tapes of band members in compromising situations or even fights but there’s a real sense of family and friendship between the trio that comes through in the interviews and the way in which they speak of each other. Though it’s never captured on tape, there’s a sense that things aren’t always easy or good but that as with any family unit, you work through the bad times and rejoice in the good. This is a VH1 type documentary and yes, it feels like a bit of a love-in and quite frankly, that’s ok. With so little information on the band floating around, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage was necessary and long overdue.

Though hard core Rush fans will likely find nothing new here there’s the entertainment value to be had. There is early performance footage and interviews with family but it’s the artist interviews that really impressed me. Listening to Sebastian Bach, Jack Black, Billy Corgan, Les Claypool and one of my idols, Trent Reznor, talking about Rush with such love and admiration warmed my heart. There’s little doubt in my mind that casual Rush and music fans in general will walk away having been entertained. As a casual fan myself, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage re-invigorated my love of Rush and has spawned a dig through the band’s extensive back catalogue.

Yes, Bubbles’ favourite band does indeed rock.

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage comes to DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday, June 29th care of Alliance Films.

DVD Extras: Tons and more than I’ve had a chance to see in a week. In addition to the extras on the DVD itself, there’s a second disc chalk full of great content including rare live performances and mini-docs on Rush fashion, fans and how the band entertains itself on the road.

Also be sure to check out Bob’s capsule review of the film from Hot Docs.

You may not recognize the name Alloy Orchestra but these guys have, over the years, built a reputation as the best musical accompaniment to silent films in the world. They’ve been everywhere, from the Louvre to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles and on July 24th and 25th, they’re coming to Vancouver.

The Vancity Theatre will be hosting the Alloy Orchestra as they perform live scores to Josef von Sternberg’s Underworld, Dziga Vertov’s Man With a Movie Camera and Albert Parker’s The Black Pirate. Seeing the films on the big screen would be cool enough but seeing them along with live accompaniment from the best in the world is tenfold more exciting!

Tickets are $25 per film or $55 for the three film pass. Screening details and ticketing information available at Vancity Theatre’s website.

If you’re curious about Alloy’s work, I encourage you to check out the video below. It’s a trailer for Nosferatu scored by the orchestra; gives us a nice idea of what to expect.

Check out his newest bit of entertainment. Grinderman is a band. It features the awesome Nick Cave. Actually, it’s basically a re-incarnation of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. They have a new studio album dropping later this year and to promote it, they called up their bud John to make a short commercial. It’s only 30 seconds but they’re an awesome 30 seconds.

Thanks for making my day John.

I’m not entirely sure what to expect from these stories, which span all the major genres (from romance to horror), but I do look forward to giving it a spin. In fact, right after this post, I’ll be checking out the ten story sampler that’s available as a FREE DOWNLOAD.

You can head over to Matt’s site, Wherethelongtailends.com for more information on the book; or just skip his spiel and head straight to THE STORE to pick up a copy.

hint: if you listened to the latest Cinecast (episode 171), you can find out how to get the book for cheaper and even FREE!

We’re all about film (mostly) over here on Row Three, but we indulge our love of other areas of pop culture over on MorePop. Here’s some of the things we’ve been looking at over there recently.

Damn, I need to do this more often; we’ve been posting more on MorePop than I thought! Breaking it up into categories.

Music

• A Few Favorite Rock & Roll Hall of Fame “Rookies” [music; video]
• Dave Grohl Needs Fresh Pots! [video]
• The National on Jimmy Fallon [video]
• She & Him – “In the Sun” [video]
• Shearwater’s Tiny Desk Concert [video]
• OK Go – This Too Shall Pass RGM Version [video]
• Tegan and Sara – “Alligator” [video]
• The Raveonettes – “Heart of Stone” [video]
• The Swell Season – “In These Arms” [video]
• New Song from Smashing Pumpkins Project [streaming audio]
• Wilco at the DECC Review [concert review]
• Music News – Dead Weather, Tokyo Police Club, MGMT, Broken Social Scene, Rilo Kiley, Libertines [music news]
• Foo Fighters to Make New Album With Nirvana Producer [music news]
• Drive-By Truckers Prepare “The Big To-Do” [music news]
• Details on Band of Horses Album and Tour [music news]
• Red Sparowes New Guitarist, Album & Tour [music news; video]

Literature

• What [Jonathan's] Been Reading: March 2010 [literature]
• Literary Quote: “I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids – and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” – Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man [excerpt]
• Literary Quote: “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn…” – Jack Kerouac, On the Road [excerpt]
• The More Pop Exchange: Would you prefer fame as a writer only while alive, or only after death? [writing]
• Rules for Writing Fiction [writing]

Other Cool Stuff

• Rowan Atkinson does stand-up [video]
• Artistic Skating [video]
• Diamond Maruti Car Circus [video]
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks: “The Beautiful Briny Sea” [video]
• Blind Gamer Beats Zelda [video]
• Tokyo Glow Time Lapse [video]

Selected Images of the Day

• Locke
• Donut seeds
• Mini Stormtrooper
• Get Into a Good Book
• Slipping Time
• Stapel Art

Director: Floria Sigismondi
Writer: Floria Sigismondi, Cherie Currie
Producers: Art Linson, John Linson, William Pohlad
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Scout Taylor-Compton, Alia Shawkat, Tatum O’Neal
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 109 min.

It’s hard to believe that both Lita Ford and Joan Jett got their start in the same band and if you’re looking for an inside story on how they went from all girl group to kick-ass rockers, you may be disappointed in what The Runaways has to offer for you see, this isn’t so much the story of the band as it is the story of two of the girls in the band and their relationship not just with each other but with sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Based on the memoir of Cherie Currie, The Runaways begins just before the band is formed. We meet Currie, a girl with attitude who recently won a talent competition lip singing to David Bowie. Then there’s Joan Jett, a guitar player who has the aspirations and talent to be more than a groupie. She hooks up with producer Kim Fowley and as the film goes, with his hard as nails attitude and a bit of hard work, the girls become the first all female rock group to get signed and cut an album.

It’s never an easy task to cram years worth of material into a film and Floria Sigismondi isn’t entirely successful in setting up the time-line of this story which is loaded with awkward time shifts and relationships which seem to spring out of no where but with the help of good lead performances, The Runaways manages to be more than lip gloss and sweets. Sigismondi and leads Kristen Stewart as Jett and Dakota Fanning as Currie manage to carry this through what seems to be an endless barrage of practice sessions and performances laced with drugs, booze and attitude. Thankfully, the film manages to keep some of the story’s punk roots and there’s little in the way of sugar coating: these ladies don’t play by the rules and they don’t always play nice.

Stewart and Fanning are both excellent though Fanning is the central character in this story. Gone (successfully this time) is the little girl we remember from her early roles and in her stead is a young actress with much talent and fierceness. This role is an indication of the Fanning who may well grow up to be the next Jodie Foster. Stewart is also good but it sometimes comes across as a rehash of her previous roles and though she makes her awkwardness (from interviews it appears that it’s not all put-on) work to her character’s advantage. It seems that in this real life story, Fowley was usually at the centre of attention (or at least trying to be) so it’s not much of a stretch to expect the film version of Fowley to be memorable and as per usual, Michael Shannon doesn’t disappoint taking Fowley’s over-the-top-in-your-face irreverent persona to heights only an actor of his calibre can muster while still being “in character.” Shannon is a genius as is his casting here and his performance steals the show (this is turning into a Shannon norm).

The Runaways seems to play wild and carefree with timelines and perhaps a few of the facts but then, this isn’t a documentary and when all is said and done, Sigismondi nails home what she set out to do: tell the story of the two girls at the centre of The Runaways. The film isn’t as groundbreaking as the music was but it does manage to be as entertaining and occasionally, as artful as the music.

Woodstock exists in cultural memory as the quintessential music festival – the festival that brought together the greatest musical acts of the late 1960s with the counter-cultural generation. Every musical festival since aspires to be Woodstock-like (though sadly, most achieve the comparison only by being doused in rain and becoming mudpits as Woodstock famously did). As a current music-lover and festival-goer who is admittedly under-informed about a lot of the history of rock music and its place in culture at that time, I feel very grateful to Michael Wadleigh and others for preserving the event so well on film.

He begins with the festival set-up, interviewing the organizers as they supervise stages being built and fences being set up. The fences would quickly prove useless, as the crowd of young people entering the grounds from all directions more than doubled expectations; rather than hold off a quarter-million non-ticket-holders, the organizers decided to make the festival free and let everyone in. A pretty incredible situation compared to today’s tightly-secured festival grounds.

It’s this feeling of freedom and openness that marks the film, and what you really take away from it. Wadleigh captures plenty of amazing music from The Who, Joan Baez, Joe Cocker, Ten Years After, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Jefferson Airplane, The Band, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and many others, as well as interviews with locals and festival-goers giving multiple viewpoints on the effects of the festival. That’s bolstered throughout the film also with well-done split-screen photography, either showing both the band on stage and the audience watching, or showing some aspect of the experience with someone else commenting on it.

But what really stuck with me and what I continue to remember, are the in-between moments. People making the most of the aftermath of the torrential downpour by sliding down the resulting mudslide over and over. Couples taking a few minutes alone by a nearby river. Babies and children dancing around with abandon. Tired attendees grabbing a nap wherever they could find room. The film is remarkably well-paced, especially for its length, cutting between these sorts of quiet scenes and the rock music happening on stage (and the manic performances and dancing accompanying the high-profile evening sets).

Is it balanced? No, not really – though Wadleigh puts in a few negative sound bytes from farmers upset about the destruction of their fields and residents concerned about the rampant pot use, this is very much a positive affirmation of the late ’60s generation attending the festival. It’s a celebration of the strand of counter-cultural thought that prefers to express disagreement through art rather than political action (or which sees art AS political action).

As one concert-goer put it: “I just, I’m a human being and that’s all I wanna be. I don’t want a mass change because a mass change only brings around mass insanity. I just wanna be myself and find a place where I can, you know, maintain some kind of balance inside myself.” Interestingly, he also stated: “People come here looking for an answer, when there isn’t one. [...] I don’t really think music is that important. [...] But people are just lost, I think” – suggesting a more wistful undertone to the proceedings, one which acknowledges the yearning to have something to hold on to after you’ve rejected or moved past the answers offered by previous generations. By and large, though, it’s shown just as billed – “three days of peace and music.” There’s an idyllic quality to the portrayal of Woodstock here that I’m not sure I entirely believe, but boy, I would like to.

Every year, the day after the Oscar presentation, beside the winners there is all sorts of talk about what went well at the Oscar show and what sucked. And every year someone always mentions the musical performances. Some people love those bits and others tend to think they lengthen an already yawn-inducing show and just bog down the entire ceremony.

– Well, we’re about to find out exactly what an Oscar show will be like without all of the performances. Oscar producers have already contacted the nominees and told them their services will no longer be needed. Instead, the music will be played in snippets over the top of clips from the nominated film. Ruffled feathers anyone?

While in some ways I’ll miss the performances (would’ve been damn fun to see Bridges perform his song from Crazy Heart), I do agree that it tends to just slow down the night a little bit. Also, I remember people throwing a fit a few year back when “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” won best song; because the on stage performance was undefendably atrocious. But I had to constantly defend the win (I still do) because within the context of the film, the song absolutely deserved to win. So placing the song within it’s film as to give it some context and depth will be a nice touch I think.

– Next up are the droning on and on speeches (“the single most-hated thing on the show,” producer Bill Mechanic said). The producers have asked potential winners to prepare two speeches: one 45-second bit for the on-stage, “what the Oscar means to you,” and then a second speech to be given backstage to a “Thank You Cam” during which the winner can thank specific people. These bits will be posted online and winners can email them to whoever they choose and even post them on their Facebook profiles.

– Amidst all of these tweaks and changes, apparently they’re going to stick with the way the presentations were given out last year: with the five previous year’s nominees reading the nominees for the Best Actor and Actress categories this year. A lot of people hated that bit last year but I thought that the ones that were done well were pretty good and more big stars is better than less big stars in my opinion. I also like the personal approach some of the actors took to their presentations; looking directly at the nominee and speaking just to them.

The Oscars will be broadcast on Sunday, March 7th. Here are the Best Original Song nominees:
“Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from Paris 36 Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyrics by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from Nine Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart Music and Lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

The brief, seizure-inducing trailer for the film is after the jump:

also a possible soundtrack leak from Daft Punk?…

According to the good folks at Soundtrack Geek, Brian Tyler, one of Hollywood’s hottest composers, has had no less than 6 scores disqualified from Oscar contention by the academy. Also disqualified, Marcel Barsotti’s great Pope Joan score, Nicholas Hooper’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Carter Burwell’s Where The Wild Things. That’s a few big contenders out of the running which brings up the question, what’s left? Quite a bit actually.

SG has a complete list of the eligible scores and there are some great ones left on the list. Michael Giacchino’s Star Trek score is epic, Danny Elfman’s Terminator Salvation score has some pretty impressive pieces but I must admit one of my favourites of the year is Alexandre Desplat’s score for The Twilight Saga: New Moon which is full of both romance and suspense.

Sadly, my favourite score of the year is no where to be seen. The one in question: The Countess. The film written, directed and starring Julie Delpy also features something else: a gorgeous score composed by Delpy herself. It’s pretty impressive and you can get a taste of it here. Not sure if this is an just an oversight or if the score simply wasn’t entered. Either way, not long to wait for the final list.

Mett P-Star (better known to her friends and family as Priscilla). She’s a nine year old girl trying to break into the music world via rap. That, in and of itself is enough of an attention grabber but what really impressed me is the other part of P-Star’s story, the part that features her single father as the man fighting for her success. P-Star Rising incorporates both the struggles of an up-and-coming artist with the story of a single father and his bond with his children. Admittedly, it’s this father/daughter connection that has me interested in the film since most of the stories we hear are of mothers and their daughters surviving through tough ordeals; it’s nice to see the other side of the coin.

P-Star Rising has been making the festival rounds for a while now and I expect we may have a chance to see it on DVD some time soon. Looks promising.

It’s safe to assume that today, everyone’s familiar with the civil rights movement and the important role that Martin Luther King, Jr. played. Some may even have heard of other leaders, some more well known than others, who fought for and won their freedom but few ever speak of the music that accompanied the revolution though at nearly every turn, it was present. It was there in the background of the sit-ins and sometimes at the forefront of marches; songs and hymns, some new some traditional but all speaking to the moment and the want (need) for action. Documentary filmmakers Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman saw an opportunity to revive the music and so Soundtrack for a Revolution was born.

The retelling of the civil rights movement through song, Soundtrack for a Revolution is a sort of musical homage to the people and the sounds that energized a revolution. Incorporating some of the most famous songs of the time with interviews, archival footage and performances from acclaimed artists, Guttentag and Sturman have created an educational and entertaining record of an unforgettable period in American History.

Guttentag and Sturman interview many individuals involved at various levels of the movement and illicit from them both accounts of what was taking place but also the music that accompanied each step. From the early sit in days which spawned songs like “I’m Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table” and “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” and into “We Shall Overcome,” the film follows the struggle of the people through both music and action. I learned the heavy meaning of “Trouble the Water,” the importance and weight that song lyric carries while also being entertained by performances from an array of contemporary artists from Joss Stone to The Roots.

Soundtrack for a Revolution is a testament to a history we cannot forget. It’s also a powerful memorial to the people and the music that marked an era and it manages to be all of these things while also entertaining.

I’m still not sure what inspired me to see Wah Do Dem (What They Do). Was it the odd sounding title? Norah Jones’ name in the credits or the interesting sounding synopsis; take your pick as any one of those may be correct. As the film opened, I started to think that perhaps I’d made a grievous mistake. The characters were a little too hipster for me, the music wasn’t what I’d expected and the acting even less but already comfortable in my seat, I thought to give the film a try.

Max wins a Jamaican cruise. For a year he and his girlfriend have been planning the trip which will give them free access to Jamaica aboard a liner which will provide all the food they can eat and the R&R they may need except a few days before the trip, Max gets dumped. After unsuccessful attempts to convince any of his friends to go with him, the lure of Jamaica is just too good to pass up and he decides to take the trip alone. When the ship finally arrives, Max takes off for the tourist free areas of the city, meets a few locals, goes to a beach and loses his stuff. If that’s not bad enough, he also misses his ride back to the US and ends up with no money and no clothes or shoes (other than the swim trunks he’s wearing) on a trek to the American embassy in Kingston, four hours away.

Wah Do Dem (What They Do) spends much too long setting up the film’s premise especially when the circumstances are dull compared to the adventure Max embarks on when he finds himself alone on the road in the backwaters of Jamaica. It’s his travels through small communities and his quick friendships that mark the film’s best moments. His encounters with the locals are intimate and provide a look at the real Jamaica, not the cities filled with restaurants and shops catering to the passing tourists. Max meets the natives in their everyday lives, partakes in their food, their music and their customs and it’s these encounters that makes the film worthwhile.

An interesting idea, Wah Do Dem (What They Do) suffers from a weak set-up which is only made worse by Sean Bones’ bland acting (Norah Jones’ is hardly worth mentioning as she has all of 5 minutes of screen time – if that) but Bones’ wide eyed wonder that drags the film down in the opening 20 minutes is also one of the film’s most compelling features once the story picks up in Jamaica as the character provides the perfect mixture of innocence and understanding. Considering that writer/directors Ben Chace and Sam Fleischner came up with the idea for the film when one of them won a free cruise, I’m curious to see what they come up with for their next project. With this debut they’ve shown potential for good things to come.

Glenn Gould was a genius. A child prodigy turned world class pianist, he broke social boundaries and pushed the classical music establishment. He was well spoken, flamboyant and charming but what of the man behind the long coat, scarf and hat? Though the media often (if not always) chose to concentrate on Gould’s eccentricities, much was never revealed of the man behind the myth.

Over the years, documentaries and even feature films (some more straight forward and accessible than others), have tried to shed some light on the inner workings of Glenn Gould and Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould follows in that tradition using a combination of interviews, archival footage and Gould’s personal notes to shed some light on Gould’s life outside the public eye.

For the most part, Michèle Hozer and Peter Raymont’s documentary is a success, incorporating little seen footage and interviews with the people closest to Gould, from lovers to friends as well as scholars who have spent a better part of their lives studying the Canadian icon. Hozer and Raymond take a straightforward approach following Gould’s life and filling each major achievement with footage and background information that provide a more complete view of the man and the events that influenced his various projects.

The Gould connoisseur may find few new tidbits of information but for those curious about the life of one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould is a must see film, one that both entertains and wets the appetite for more.

On a side note, if Hollywood ever decided to make a biopic on Gould, I would nominate Ethan Hawke to take on the role of Gould. The two share an uncanny resemblance.

Director: Gregor Jordan (Buffalo Soldiers, Ned Kelly)
Screenplay: Bret Easton Ellis, Nicholas Jarecki
Producer: Marco Weber
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke, Jon Foster, Amber Heard, Rhys Ifans, Chris Isaak, Austin Nichols, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mel Raido, Brad Renfro
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 98 min.

On the surface, The Informers appears to have everything going for it: great source material, a fantastic cast, a good director so what went wrong? The film, which premiered at Sundance earlier in the year, has been universally panned and for good reason too, it’s a mess of a film with no direction and nothing to say.

Based on a collection of short stories from a man infatuated with the 1980s, Ellis’ original work from which the script was based is itself a mess; a collection which was put out as a gap filler for his (at the time) continuously delayed “Glamorama.” Frankly, Ellis’ work started getting old sometime after “American Psycho” and though I can appreciate his stories, he has mined his own themes to the point of obscenity.

It’s difficult enough to adapt a film from one book but The Informers suggests that it may be impossible to create any semblance of a film from a collection of loosely tied short stories. Robert Altman may be able to pull it off but as much as I like director Gregor Jordan’s work, he’s no Altman and as they say, the proof is in the pudding.

So what’s the film about? If you know anything about Ellis, your guess of “excess of the 80s and the me generation” is pretty accurate. The joy of watching adaptations of Ellis’ works is seeing how different filmmakers get at that theme but Jordan fails to do get at anything beyond the surface. The film is a mess of threads and ideas varying from complete disaster to mediocre. Add in the fact that the stories run their course interspersed between each other and it’s all that more confusing. There are simply too many characters and stories to keep track of and the film would have been better served by having each story told independently of the other. Heck, this would have made a great anthology film.

Besides the messy story, there’s the overwrought production design. The film goes out of its way to set the time and place rather than simply presenting and then living in it. Attention is drawn to locations, clothes, hair and make-up. Subtlety is thrown out the window and replaced by endless streams of period music and the production designer’s full access to the Ray Ban warehouse complete with Wayfarer’s for all. This constant harking on the accessories is unnecessary, though its meta value is quite high considering the period in question, and took away from the few, very few, things the film has going for it.

Perhaps most disheartening is the fact that The Informers features some excellent performances. Kim Basinger makes a splash with her turn as a drug addicted, depressed housewife whose husband is only interested in re-establishing the relationship to avoid paying for the divorce. Chris Isaak plays the part of the over zealous father trying to reconnect with his son to a tee but the real gem is Brad Renfro whose performance suggests the young actor was back on track and ready to reboot his career.

The Informers could almost be seen as the perfect example of Ellis’ themes at work (I say almost as it’s not entertaining enough to re-watch on this level). It’s a vacuous film and though Ellis’ work always seemed to have one character that saw beyond the surface, this film doesn’t even bother to try. When all is said and done, the performances are the best thing it has going and they’re simply not enough to recommend it.

We already know that his next project is the martial arts actioner Knockout but it looks like Soderbergh will follow that up with the previously announced Liberace, a biopic about the famed performer.

According to Collider, Soderbergh recently told a French newspaper that they had already done wardrobe and costume tests with Michael Douglas who will play the titular role of Liberace. Matt Damon is also signed on to the picture in the role of Scott Thorson, Liberace’s longtime companion.

Soderbergh insists that Douglas “amazed” him though I still can’t see the actor portraying the role of the flamboyant performer. Could this be a possible run at Oscar for Douglas? Sure sounds promising.

While the rest of us eagerly await the film’s October 16th release date, we can bask in the knowledge that Hillcoat already has a new project to jump onto once promotion and film festival jumping is complete. Hillcoat has signed on for another adaptation, this time Nick Cave’s “The Death Of Bunny Munro” which tells the story of a “sex addicted travelling salesman on his final road trip.”

I’m not very familiar with Cave’s work outside of his music, and even then I’m a fan in passing but I like the idea of another Hillcoat project and one that sounds as promising as this one. I can’t be the only one excited to see what a sex addicted travelling salesman looks like never mind what sort of shenanigans he gets himself into.

This will not be the first time that Hillcoat and Cave have worked together. Cave created the score for The Road, the two worked together on The Proposition and Hillcoat also directed the Bad Seeds film Babe, I’m On Fire.

Karen O. and Yeah Yeah Yeahs

It’s a great, catchy tune that sounds like it will fit in nicely with the vibe of the film from what we’ve seen so far. The full OST will be available in stores on September 29th. Besides this track from Karen O. (who composed and co-produced the music), some other popular artists you’ll see on the album include Deerhunter/Atlas Sound mastermind Bradford Cox, YYYs Nick Zinner and Brian Chase, Dead Weather/Raconteurs members Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence, Liars’ Aaron Hemphill, and more. Enjoy the track below but please support the artist and the film by picking up the full album on September 29th.

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