Hey folks, Harry here with the latest set of flicks from Capone... I, myself am terribly behind with my reviews, and plan to fight my way through them in abbreviated review fashion, to just get this stuff talked about from my views. Anyway, haven't seen these, but they sound wonderful. Here ya go...
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here with reviews of four films (one feature, three docs) that all have the common theme of entertainment. Two are about music, one is about the theatre, and one is about movie making. Each of these films involves personalities with egos the size of the Hindenburg, and all of them are varying degrees of very good. Allow me to continue.
THE END OF THE CENTURY: THE STORY OF THE RAMONES
I actually wrote this review the day Johnny Ramone died, the day before I found out that he died. God, am I sad. Three original Ramones in three years. Why aren't The Eagles dying at this pace? I went through what I'd written and considered changing things I'd said about Johnny and expanding the fairly short writeup, but thought better of it. No one paints a worse picture of Johnny Ramone than Johnny Ramone. Just see this film, everyone. Johnny is in rare grumpy form during his most recent interviews, but he's so damn honest sometimes in this film that it hurts. God bless you, buddy. My hero.
By the time I became aware of how crucial it was to see The Ramones in concert just once before I died, I was 22 years old, living in New York City. The band only had two of its original members (Joey and Johnny), but this incarnation of The Ramones still kicked it so very hard. I'd been listening to them since high school, but to see the awkward and imposing figure of Joey Ramone behind a microphone is an experience that no record can capture. Still, even at 22, I knew very little about the history, significance, and influence of this rock band. For some strange reason, despite how obsessive I've been about certain musicians in my lifetime, the history of The Ramones never mattered to me. It was enough to just know the music and witness the spectacle of them in concert. Seeing exhaustive documentary THE END OF THE CENTURY was such an eye-opening experience. I love going to documentaries on subject I know virtually nothing about, which was not necessarily the case here, but there is so much detail on the almost day-to-day goings on between the band members that you can't help but listen to their music today with such a new perspective and sense of enlightenment.
Sure we get the talking heads of other musicians (members of Blondie, the late Joe Strummer of The Clash) talking about the influence of The Ramones and telling some damn funny stories about meeting them or seeing them play. What becomes instantly clear is that as much as people admired their music, as a band, The Ramones didn't make a lot of friends in the music industry. None of their records ever sold as well as those that came up with them in the New York clubs (Blondie, The Talking Heads) or those that were influenced by them (from The Clash to Pearl Jam to Green Day). This fact was a source of constant frustration for the band, one that they are quite vocal about in this film. END OF THE CENTURY chronicles the band's recording, live act, and inner workings that at times got incredibly vicious. Dee Dee's ultimately fatal drug habit, Joey's poor health and ability to too hold grudges for decades, and Johnny's abrasive personality are meticulously examined almost to the point where I might recommend trimming the film slightly. At the same time, I wouldn't want to lose a frame of this wonderful film. Smartly, the filmmakers don't spend too much time diving into the significance of the band's song lyrics (with a couple of exceptions; I never realized that "The KKK Took My Baby Away" was a love song). The music, the archival interviews, the insight provided, the bitterness, the frustration, the trash, and the Shakespearean-level clashes are all here, and they make TURN OF THE CENTURY a priceless work of art and a film that must be seen by anyone who gives a damn about real rebel music. The film opens in Chicago on September 24 at the Landmark Century Center Theatre.
DIG!
More music, this time from the opposite end of the musical spectrum, which certainly doesn't mean that the egos are any smaller or the battle any less fierce. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the documentary category at this year's Sundance Film Festival, DIG! follows the careers of two bands over seven years: The Dandy Warhols, led by Courtney Taylor (who narrate the film in a far more balanced manner than I would have guessed) and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, led by the truly angry and infinitely talented Anton Newcombe. I've never seen a film that attempted to tell the story of a musical journey quite like this. In many ways these two bands grew up together.
In the early years, it appeared BJM was destined for stardom as they rose from the San Francisco music scene and played a type of '60s retro psychotronic rock that was completely mind-bending, bordering on impenetrable. This film was my first exposure to the band's music, and I was utterly transfixed by it and of Newcombe's on- and off-stage presence. The "Dandys" were more accessible for sure, but still rocked with the best of them. For a time, each band cited the other as the greatest band working. Members of both groups were inseparable, they were great friends that listened to each other's records with a passion. In the early scenes of the film (directed and edited by friend to both bands Ondi TImoner), you almost wonder why this movie was made. It's a huge love fest about semi-obnoxious, full-of-themselves rock stars who wax poetic about staying true to their artistic vision and not caring about money or fame. Easy to say when both bands are virtually unknown, but then an interesting thing happens: The Dandy Warhols get signed to a major label and threaten to become popular. BJM members starts making fun of them in the press; The Dandys retaliate. Thus begins a bizarre look at what I can only describe as musical and artistic envy on the part of Newcombe, who by this time has become a heroin addict and complete asshole to all that care about him.
I can't remember a documentary that so elegantly captures the complete and utter self-destruction of a man right before your eyes. Newcombe can't play a concert without getting into a fight with either an audience member or band mate. The audiences actually start antagonizing the band to get a fight going; it was part of the fun of a BJM show! Meanwhile, The Dandys have become mega-stars overseas and typically fill 20,000- to 30,000-seat arenas in the UK. Both front men are good-looking, powerful performers, but for reasons that date back to childhood, Taylor is able to hold it together and successfully steer his band's career and business. Newcombe, on the other hand, is a ticking timebomb 24 hours a day. Director Timoner's access to both men and groups is astonishing and sometimes eerie. Watching Newcombe on a drug-fueled argument with his girlfriend is uncomfortable to sit through, and his self-aggrandizement of his greatness is just embarrassing.
At nearly two hours long, DIG! may try the patience of even fans of either of these bands. The music is overwhelmingly strong stuff, but the people behind it are annoying bastards 90 percent of the time. Having zero knowledge BJM and limited exposure to The Dandys, I was surprisingly moved by this tale of jealousy and self-destruction. I don't see anyone in this film as a victim of anything but their own self-inflated image, but I do feel bad that two clearly talented artists couldn't share the spotlight and allow more people to hear what they have to say musically. DIG! is supremely fascinating, highly watchable, and a must-see cautionary tale for anyone who picks up a guitar. The film is scheduled to open in mid- or late October in Chicago and probably everywhere else.
BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE
After so much musical strife, finally a movie about how great the world is, or was. The set up is simple, director-writer-editor-etc. Rick McKay grew up in Beech Grove, Indiana, completely obsessed with the Broadway of old, specifically the Broadway of the 1930s through 1960s. He examined old New York newspapers and was amazed to find that in one year, he could have seen the original productions of Silk Stockings, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Bus Stop, and Damn Yankees all playing at the same time. Finally the urge to explore that era overwhelmed McKay and he armed himself with nothing but a digital video camera and set out on what turned into a five-year journey across four continents, interviewing more than 100 performers, directors, writers, and composers from Broadway's golden age. For many of these people, McKay conducted their last interview before they died. To simply list the names of the luminaries would be ridiculous, but trust me, if they were alive when McKay came to New York or wherever they were living, he got the interview. And what he comes away with isn't just a series of glowing discussions of seeing this person or that person on stage (although there's a lot of that here); it's the stories of young actors coming from all over the country to hopefully break through and make it on stage. The acting community was a family; everybody knew each other; they all hang out at the same drug stores with hardly a dime in their pockets if they weren't working. They would sneak into the second acts of plays and musicals regularly.
Some of the most interesting discoveries for me include the existence of an actress named Laurette Taylor, whose lead work in the original 1945 production of The Glass Menagerie was seen by every person interviewed and was most often mentioned as a landmark in the halls of acting. Some say she seemed so natural as Amanda Wingfield that they thought an old woman had simply wandered on stage during the performance. She never made a talking film, only a limited number of silents, but a rare screen test that she made for David O. Selznick gives us just a taste of her greatness. The film is filled with rare footage from some of the plays and musicals discussed. I'm not big on musicals myself, but you can't help but get caught up in the excitement that the interview subjects have for their craft and their memories. It's like having 100 aunts and uncles sit and tell you great stories about a long-gone time and place that you just know you would have loved being a part of. Everyone will have a different list of favorite interviews, of subjects that may be half-crazed with the memories of how famous they used to be, of people who haven't lost a shred of their class and style in 40 or 50 years. BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE is a fine collection of moments that are on the verge of being lost forever by those who saw them first-hand. Consider it a mini-national treasure. The film opens in Chicago September 17 at the Landmark Century Center Theatre.
THE LAST SHOT
Jeff Nathanson has made a nice living writing screenplays for others to direct. They haven't always resulted in the finest films (SPEED 2; RUSH HOUR 2), but lately, he's had the good fortune of falling in Steven Spielberg's good graces and writing wonderful scripts for CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and THE TERMINAL. Now Nathanson gets a chance to direct his own script, and as far as I'm concerned the dude never has to write for anyone else ever again. THE LAST SHOT is the embellished account of a true story about would-be writer-director Steven Schats (Matthew Broderick) who gets a shot at making his first movie thanks to the mysteriously generous producer Joe Devine (Alex Baldwin, continuing to turn in great performance after great performance lately). The only thing is Devine is actually an FBI agent attempting to ensnare the mob-connected trucking business of Rhode Island by hiring trucks to work for the film production. The mobster he's most wanting to nab is Tommy Sanz (a scar-faced Tony Shalhoub), cousin to one Mr. Gotti of New York. The FBI has no intention of making the film, although this doesn't stop Devine from getting completely caught up in the trappings and power trips that go along with being a producer.
What I liked most about THE LAST SHOT is that it's not trying to be cute. This is a hard R-rated (mostly for language) romp of a film. Broderick pulls out all his old tricks to make us laugh, and guess what? The bastard made me laugh repeatedly. Baldwin has an entirely different set of tricks, and he's a stitch too. Nathanson's script is razor sharp. His musing and observances about the movie business, even at this low a level, are dead on and his actors are right there with him. THE LAST SHOT is filled to the rafters with great supporting performances by the likes of Joan Cusack as a Hollywood agent who teaches Devine the ropes of being a producer; Calista Flockhart as Schats' actress girlfriend who desperately wants a role in his film; Tim Blake Nelson as Steven's bitter brother, who has given up writing to play the villain in a Wild West show; Ray Liotta as Devine's boss; Buck Henry; and Toni Collette as the stunning Emily French, the emotionally fragile big-time actress who catches a whiff of Schats' terrible script ARIZONA and wants in. Her audition using a death scene from the screenplay alone should get her an Oscar nomination. I haven't seen Collette do comedy in quite a while, and man, does she nail this role.
I was genuinely stunned at how much I laughed watching this movie. I'd seen the trailers six months ago, and it seemed funny, but the kind of funny you assume means the best moments are in the trailer. I confess to being wrong about this assumption. Nathanson smartly only gives us small glimpses of what kind of film ARIZONA will be, and the prospects are not promising. Still, by the time shooting starts, I'd be willing to slap down $9 to see this set-in-Arizona, filmed-in Providence masterpiece. THE LAST SHOT is about the process of forcing a first-time director to succumb to the will the studio and backers of his film. Once the FBI gets a hint that this process might not only nab them a bad guy but make money in the process, Devine gets the wheels in motion for a three-picture deal. Classic. THE LAST SHOT is great fun that will renew your belief that it is alright to make fun of those who make movies. The film opens on September 24.
Capone
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