There are still people out there that complain that wrestling is “completely fake”; I am always compelled to argue that wrestling is in fact not fake. In many ways the performers that wrestle give up their body and health to entertain. In Bret Hart’s case, it he gave up his livelihood, his self respect, and his family. “Wrestling with Shadows” is still a pretty sad and shockingly mesmerizing tale of one of the biggest athletes of the 1990’s and the incident that shook his world and nearly tore him apart.
Tag Archives: Biography
Elvis (2022)
This is one of the reasons why I normally detest music bio pics, is that they always present a skewed version of the actual story behind so many of these musicians. “Elvis” is by no means one of the worst biopics I’ve seen, but it once again presents Elvis as someone who spent his life being exploited. “Elvis” depicts the titular rock musician as someone who was hopelessly a victim to his manager Colonel Parker who managed to find ways to control the musician and his life. At every turn the movie frames Colonel Parker as this slimy mastermind who turned Elvis in to his own circus sideshow for his entire life.
Meet Me in the Bathroom (2023)
For years I was very keen to what was considered the last wave of rock and roll in the early aughts. I only was aware of it because MTV decided to air a lot of the more listenable brand of near rock and roll. From The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hive, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I loved all of it. But it being MTV they only scratched the surface of it all. “Meet Me In the Bathroom” is an okay documentary that has the ability to really capture a moment in time, a moment when rock and roll was really booming. It could have been a chronicle of a big final gasp for the music genre, and most times it feels like the directors left so much out, preventing it from feeling cohesive and even coherent.
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster (2021)
For the generation that cut their teeth on classic Universal horror movies, Boris Karloff is, was, and will always be the definitive Frankenstein monster. What “The Man Behind the Monster” seeks to do is act as an appetizer for the aspiring horror buff who hasn’t quite been lucky enough see much of Karloff’s work. Karloff was a man who was powerful on-screen even in to his old age; “The Man Behind the Monster” explores the powerful actor, and his tumultuous career that survived through political controversies, and the Hays Code.
The 10 Best Films I Saw in 2021
There was simply too much released in 2021 to catch everything that I wanted to, or intended to see before the end of the year. That’s either a great thing or a bad thing depending on your schedule. In either case, with the influx of movies being released every single week, I managed to catch some fantastic gems that kept me entertained, thriller, and stunned. 2021 had its share of stinkers, but it also bounced back from the lull in 2020 with some bangers, to boot. This is ten of the best I saw this year.
Of course I’ll still be playing catch up with 2021 over the next month.
You’re Watching Video Music Box (2021)
The story of Video Music Box is long, long overdue. Video Music Box existed in a world where everyone “wanted their MTV.” While MTV hesitated to play music from people of color well in to the eighties, “Video Music Box” was a New York institution that proudly played music videos and performances from African American and minority artists that were legendary and up and comers, and for that it continues to be heralded by iconic music artists.
Being the Ricardos (2021)
The last time we saw Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s life brought to the big screen was nearly twenty years ago in the glossy biopic “Lucy.” Director and Hollywood obsessive Aaron Sorkin brings to audiences a less than glamorous depiction of the masterminds that were Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Not only were the pair of Hollywood moguls, tabloid fodder, intense actors and controlling masters to their staff of writers and caretakers, but behind the scenes they were consistently at war with one another. Whether it was a clash of egos, or two people just too explosive to stay together, Sorkin shows us why the world is still enamored with Lucy and Desi.