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Tribeca: EliCross escapes the ASYLUM to sing the praises of GEORGE MICHAEL: A DIFFERENT STORY!
Hey folks, Harry here - Is it wrong that I have zero desire to sit through GEORGE MICHAEL: A DIFFERENT STORY - yet I'm dying to see ASYLUM with Ian McKellen and Natasha Richardson. EliCross says the first is good, while the second is not. But I'd rather watch a bad Ian McKellen film (Which I refuse to acknowledge could possibly exist) than George Michael. I mean, unless there's a WHAM reunion or something...
Before I get into my reviews I want to take time out for films I encourage everyone to go to that have already been reviewed. Before the festival is over, it would be worth while to catch the superb thriller ANTIBODIES which is a nice breathe of fresh air into the genre and SPECIAL THANKS TO ROY LONDON that gives a touching and very entertaining portrayal of one person that influenced a great many.
Both are still playing and are truly must sees.
Now on to the "movie magic"
GEORGE MICHAEL: A DIFFERENT STORY
Times have been trying for musician George Michael. He has had success both as part of the group Wham! and on his own as a solo artist. He's is not often interviewed here in the states and his many gaps in work remain a mystery to some. Through clips from his many music videos and the people who know him best, this documentary seeks out to fill those many gaps in progress and in work along with a little taste of his most recent record.
A Different Story is a portrait of a man who has the reverse effects of success and the effort to get through it despite it's many setbacks and roadblocks along the way. Southland Morris covers the last year with George reflecting back on the start of Wham!, his friendship with Andrew Ridgely (who is one of the many interviewed for this piece), his success as a solo artist and the many battles he has had with both the public and the music business alike.
This viewer notices a very private man who now is a little more comfortable with looking back at some of the peaks and valleys in life under the public eye's microscope. I will admit hearing all the music in this piece brought me back to the time when I had first heard it and really appreciated it. Today I still do and it sounds just as good as ever.
The documentary covers a good deal of Michael's personal life in between all of his albums as well as some of the close inspirations for many of his songs. It discusses the many gains, losses and the mysteries of George himself with some regrets but an effort of hanging in there long enough to pull together.
Very few things are left out (the dispute over the Too Funky video) but like every good concert, not every good song can be done in the short time period and the audience has to accept it's absence no matter how disappointing it may be. Nonetheless, George Michael: A Different Story is hardly disappointing and entertaining all the way through with a nice musical flow.
ASYLUM
With talent like the director of Young Adam, the writer of Closer and the author of Spider, an audience would think that this would be a solid combination for a project starring Ian McKellan and Natasha Richardson. But the question remains, would this promising film at the Tribeca Film Festival be the right combination to open the safe and find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?
It's the 1950s and a husband (Hugh Bonneville) takes a high priority job at an asylum. Meanwhile, his wife Stella (Natasha Richardson) notices one inmate (Martin Csonkas) and his slight attractivity to her. He once had a wife but could not keep her for he was found guilty for her dismemberment. She refuses his advancements but once she notices her husband puts his work before her, she takes him up on his flirtations and turns them into time in the bedroom with him. Little do they know, an associate (Ian McKellan) is watching everything going on for he was passed over for the husband's position.
It sounds interesting, it should be interesting but the final result is a 97 minute movie that feels like a 2 hour and 30 minute movie with one scene going to the next at a very snail like pace. This viewer didn't feel that there was any connection between Stella or any of the two men. Nor did I feel anything within the story and the connections between the characters.
There is also a more useless subplot involving a friend of the inmate. What starts out as a torrid affair extends into a lot of heightened drama of the slowest kind as well as the occasional "let's show just how powerful this can be by shouting" scene. Anyone can connect with that when it's in the right flow. In this case, it's a distinct case of overacting.
Maybe if the film took a more non-linear approach instead of the straight forward approach, there might be a decent attempt at creativity and something new to an otherwise straight story. Asylum is like a simple blackout, nothing works.
Even my boy Burt can do a jig around that, or better yet, a charleston!!!
And to all that have crossed Eli's path, thank you for your company.
EliCross
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What a scandal! And why the hell did someone waste the time and money to make a documentary about George Michael? Aren't there about 1 billion more worthy subjects to make a film about?
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I hope someone does a documentary on the actor who played Captain Panaka. I would really like to know what it took to bring such a deep, colorful, demanding character to life on screen.
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...for the gay bashing to start. But given the number of angry fanboys with repressed sexual issues on this site, I guess I'm not surprised.
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Sally Bretton is hot.
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not sure how to answer this one. "Gay" on this site is an adjective that means stupid, bad, annoying, tacky, flamboyant or wrong. Let's say is OUT.
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Say what you will about the man and his music, but George Michael was absolutely the best performer at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, where he performed amazing renditions of 39, These Are The Days Of Our Lives, and, most notably, Somebody To Love. As happy as I am to see Paul Rodgers performing with the remaining members of Queen, I think George Michael would have been great too!
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May 02, 2005 5:55:17 PM CDT
George isn't a 'closet fag' as you so delicately termed it
by ol' painless
For years there was speculation about his sexual orientation, by the British media in particular. He never discussed the topic until the public restroom debacle because he quite rightly didn't feel it had anything to do with his music, or should matter to the public in general. Of course it will matter to the dumber and more pathetic elements of society, the ones that shriek 'FAG' at the first opportunity they get. Keep fighting the good fight, guys. As long as there's people like you out there gay-bashing verbally and physically, America will be safe.
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After the police incident, George Michael released his "Outside" video, poking fun at the incident. What the guy does in his private life is his business. Appreciate him for his music. Sean38 if you think the gaybashing has started, just wait until ForeverTJ shows up, lest we forget his comments on the SW TB.
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he has one of the best voice in the industry
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May 02, 2005 10:13:10 PM CDT
"Maybe he was referring to George Michael the singer-songwriter.
by danielkurland
God, I love Arrested Development
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You are spot on! George Michael & Queen together were amazing at the tribute concert. He would have been WONDERFUL channeling Freddy Mercury
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ForeverTJ, I was just saying to Sean38 that you have made it public your disapproval of alternative lifestyles, and that you made great pains to illustrate that on other TBs. I may disagree with you, but you are entitled to your opnion, no matter how inflammatory it may be. What would you do if someone in your family was like that? My fiance's sister is lesbian, and even though my fiance disapproves, she still loves her sister. When it comes to artists like George Michael, Elton John, KD Land, David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust Era), or Alan Ball, I'm sure they want to be judged on their performances and bodies of work, not on their private lives.
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I just don't get this new slang the kids use these days
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. . .to borrow a line from one of the best South Parks of all time "South Park is Gay", in which all the men of South Park become metrosexuals, only to be attacked by the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy cast, who are really the Crab People!!!!
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May 03, 2005 2:10:15 AM CDT
George Michael is one of the most underrated musicians from the
by llghtst0rmer
Anyone notice that he does all the instruments on all his albums? He's extremely talented, can sing better than anybody on the radio today and he can write a song like nobody's business. Dead serious; he's one of the better lyricists to emerge from the 80's, if you ask me. And don't just automatically shout out, "Oh yeah... Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go... REAL songwriting talent there, pal." He and Andrew Ridgely both will tell you the whole point of Wham was to have a good time even if it annoyed the shit out of the people who didn't like them. (The same reason they gave their albums names like "Fantastic" and "Make It Big." They found it enjoyable to be obnoxious when they wanted to be.) But when he took his music more seriously, he could really write a hell of a song. "A Different Corner" and "Praying For Time" are two excellent examples, and so are "Star People" and "Spinning The Wheel." Hell... every song of his that I can think of are really remarkable in their writing and performance. So if you don't like him, you know, you're totally entitled to your opinion. But at least learn to dislike the guy for being the wrong kind of musician for your tastes, not because you've chalked him up to being "just another fag." The world's too big to think so small.
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Also add to that "Cowboys and Angels", "Jesus to a Child", and the song "Dasafinado", that he sung in Portugese. His greatest hits dual CD from 1999 is great. Some of the stuff on there, never really released on radio, is great music. I never figured out why he dropped off the radar. I do know that he has bashed Robbie Williams a few times, but I think when his partner died of a brain hemmorage in 1998, that really affected him personally and artistically.
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ummm....no closet! Admitted!
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"SEX IS NATURAL, SEX IS GOOD. NOT EVERYBODY DOES IT, BUT EVERYBODY SHOULD.' MOVE OVER ROGERS AND FUCKING HAMMERSTEIN.
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And I'm sure the rest of us working stiffs could give a rat's ass about the lamentations of some queen who got to prance around and slap some dude on Mtv for a living.
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Gonna live my life sharp as a knife, I've found my groove and I just can't lose.
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Did anyone see this at Tribeca? I'm really interested in what an American audience would make of it.
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The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert took place before at Wembley Stadium (the same venue where Queen originally stole the show at Live Aid) shortly after the singer's death to aids. Like Live Aid, it was simulcast throughout the world, and also helped raise funds and awareness for people suffering with aids. The concert was divided into two sections. The first had performances from such bands as Metallica, Extreme, Guns n Roses, Def Leppard, etc., while the second half consisted of artists such as Roger Daltrey (The Who), David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Seal, Elton John, Axl Rose, Lisa Stansfield, George Michael, and, believe it or not, Liza Minelli performing Queen songs with the surviving members (Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Brian May). Of all the performances that day, George Michael's clearly stood out as the best. Apparently, most of the other singers needed to have the keys changed to the songs because they couldn't handle Freddie's range, but George Michael showed he was more than capable of handling the material. In fact, his performance was so good it was included in Queen's Greatest Hits 3 and there was much specualtion that he was going to join the band. Sadly, this was not to be, but the good news is that We Will Rock You musical (playing in London and Las Vegas) continues to keep the music alive, and the band has reunited with ex-Free/Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers for a European tour followed by a North American one later in the year. Now the only thing remaining is for Hollywood to get off its ass and finally make a movie about Freddie's life and tragic death. How can any studio head not see the guaranteed financial success of this project? Queen have always been like soccer - HUGE in every other part of the world except the USA (where their popularity dwindled in the 80's until Wayne's World catapulted them back on the map). I mean, seriously... the soundtrack alone would make a killing. If gay is cool, then Freddie Mercury was/is its ambassador.
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I forgot to mention that the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert IS available on DVD with some great behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsals, etc.
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May 03, 2005 11:38:36 PM CDT
"If gay is cool, then Freddie Mercury was/is its ambassador."
by bintman
He died of AIDS-related illnesses and, thanks to his hedonistic lifestyle, probably spread it to others too. Cool!
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So, I guess Magic Johnson would never be a good ambassador for basketball either. He was known to be quite promiscuous during his playing days as well - despite being heterosexual (or so he claims).
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