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.
Tag Archives: Music
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.
Wayne’s World (1992) [Female Filmmaker Friday]
Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World, Party Time, Excellent! By now, everybody knows the story here and if you don’t, go now, find the film, and watch it. Now! Ok, so as a reminder, Wayne and Garth host a community cable tv show from Wayne’s basement, go out to the local diner, go to shows, drive around in the Mirthmobile, love metal, and are always down for an adventure.
Five Best “Wayne’s World” Musical Breaks
1992’s “Wayne’s World” is considered a classic and is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite comedies. It’s also one of the very (very) few SNL based movies that took a great skit and turned it in to a great movie. It didn’t just become a movie, but built its own universe around it. One of the more underrated aspects of “Wayne’s World” is how it uses music to tell its story. It implements classic rock and heavy metal to really explore the characters of Wayne and Garth, and how they associate their world with their favorite music.
These are five of my favorite musical breaks in “Wayne’s World.” Do you have any of your own?
West Side Story (2021)
With Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” he manages to offer up a brilliant, dazzling, and engrossing epic retelling of the original musical. It’s stunning how much Spielberg is able to suck us in using the elements of dance as important and crucial moments of exposition in lieu of endless dialogue. To say that “West Side Story” is a surprise, is an understatement. While Spielberg is a wonderful director, there’s never been any indication he could deliver on a musical. But with his version of “West Side Story” is gives us the classic tale of star crossed lovers, and a race war amidst the back drop of New York. Except what Spielberg does is beautifully recontextualizes the entire tale of the Jets and the Sharks for Modern audiences.
Encanto (2021)
I am elated that Disney and Piax have begun finding the value in and delving in to tales that revolve around people of color. There’s so much rich heritage in the latinx community involving spirituality, honor, love, and the power of family. There’s so much amazing folklore that could really stand to be passed on to a new generation of movie lovers with great respect as presented in “Encanto.” Although it’s primarily about a Latinx family, it’s deep down about generational trauma, and the burdens that our elders can place on the youth, whether they realize it or not
You Have to See This! Last Night in Soho (2021)
Streaming On: Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV
While director Edgar Wright is still fresh in to his career and has churned out so many superb films, his ambition has managed to help elevate him in to a better filmmaker, one of bigger substance and larger scale. “Last Night in Soho” prove it, as it feels like that poppy bizarre sixties thriller that we might have actually seen in the sixties. Perhaps starring Natalie Wood? Maybe Peggy Lipton? “Last Night in Soho” has everything going for it; it’s the type murder mystery that audiences have been craving. It has a unique horror bent, and Wright has delivered on pop culture cult films like “Shaun of the Dead” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.”