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Moriarty’s One Thing I Love Today! SHINE A LIGHT In IMAX!
Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here.
I remember when MATRIX REVOLUTIONS came out, I was busy working on a script, and I didn’t have time to see the movie. It wasn’t until about a week and a half into the run that I finally snuck away to see an afternoon screening at the Universal Citywalk IMAX. And my overwhelming impression of the film, removed from anything involving the narrative, was “Goddamn, Lawrence Fishburne should never be in an IMAX movie again.”
That’s because... not to be cruel... but IMAX is unforgiving. Even if you’re dealing with a good 35MM blow-up to the IMAX frame, it’s still pretty amazing how you’re drawn into the details. If I’m given the choice between a regular screening or an IMAX screening, there’s never any question. And in different films, it’s different things that really make the experience great. Sometimes it’s the clarity of the oversized image. Sometimes it’s the sound mix, since you’re sitting on about 474,007 speakers, I think. Or at least, that’s what it feels like.
SHINE A LIGHT would be a damn fine film in any format, and I look forward to owning it at some point, but in IMAX, it’s particularly effective. The beginning of the film is a documentary, rapid-fire impressions of the hectic build-up to the performance of the concert. This was originally going to be a film documenting a gigantic concert the Stones threw in Rio, with the idea being that they would try to film the entire amazing circus of performing live for a million and a half people. But after Scorsese watched their live show a few times, he realized that what he really wanted to do was stage their show in an intimate setting, and then film that. The Beacon Theater in New York was chosen, and it’s a great choice on his part. It allows him a lot more control.
Of course, “control” is Mick Jagger’s middle name, and that’s what the entire opening sequence is about. Scorsese wants a set list so he can plan the shoot, and Jagger won’t give him one because it’s not done yet. Scorsese milks every bit of tension and humor out of that set-up, all the way up to that last moment as the Stones are taking the stage and someone runs in and slams the set list down in front of Scorsese just as the opening chords of... well, I won’t ruin it for you, but just as one of their songs kicks in. That’s when the movie blows out to fill the full IMAX frame, and the rest of the movie is a close-up look at who the Rolling Stones are right now and how they work together after all these years.
It’s unfair to dismiss this as a film entirely just because you don’t like the Rolling Stones or you think they’re past their sell-by date or whatever the gripe is. I’m not a huge fan of anything they’ve recorded in the last 25 years, but I respect the fact that they still draw a huge audience when they tour, and that they’ve weathered things that would destroy most bands. The performance in the film is at its best when they’re playing songs you don’t know as well, things that aren’t their giant iconic hits. They almost throw the hits away when they play them, and a few of them sound like there are two different bands playing at once because of the near-indifference they exhibit towards the songs. But on lesser-known tracks, they really relax into what they’re doing, and a few of these songs really soar as a result. One of the strangest moments in the whole thing comes when they perform “As Tears Go By,” a song that was a hit for Marianne Faithful in 1964, even though the Stones wrote it. In his intro, Mick says they originally thought it was too cute for them, but that they’ve learned to like the song over the years. Mick’s performance borders on the surreal as he seems to morph into Lily Tomlin-as-Ernestine, doing some freaky thing with his mouth as he sings. This tour marked the first time the Stones ever performed the song live, and it’s memorable, certainly.
For me, though, what I find most intriguing is the actual shooting of the film. I remember going to see The Police live back in the ‘80s at the Omni in Atlanta, where they were recording the concert for Showtime. Most of my memories of that show involve the back of a cameraman and a giant camera tower, thanks to dumb luck and shitty seats.
Here, Jagger’s concern that the people in the Beacon were going to get screwed because of all the cameras made Scorsese work extra-hard to keep that from happening. He signed cinematographer Robert Richardson to co-ordinate the shoot, and that name would be impressive enough on its own. But Richardson put together a dream team of some of the biggest cinematographers in the business and had all of them come in to be the primary on-stage camera operators, and the results are fantastic. This is a textbook example of how you shoot a live performance, and little wonder when you arm Mitchell Amundsen (TRANSFORMERS, WANTED), Stuart Dryburgh (LONE STAR, THE PIANO), David Dunlap (SHAUN OF THE DEAD), Robert Elswit (THERE WILL BE BLOOD, SYRIANA, BOOGIE NIGHTS), Ellen Kuras (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, HE GOT GAME), Andrew Lesnie (THE LORD OF THE RINGS, BABE), Emmanuel Lubezki (CHILDREN OF MEN, THE NEW WORLD, ALI, A LITTLE PRINCESS), Anastas Nichos (MAN ON THE MOON), Declan Quinn (IN AMERICA, LEAVING LAS VEGAS), and John Freakin’ Toll (THE THIN RED LINE, BRAVEHEART, ALMOST FAMOUS) with cameras and tell them to capture the event together. If that theater had, god forbid, burned to the ground, international cinema would have taken an immeasurable hit. This is about as great a collection of cameramen as any film has even been able to assemble, and I think the payoff isn’t about it being pretty... it’s about the fact that they captured details that no one else would have shot. This isn’t just the band and the audience and the songs and nothing else. The goal here seems to be to capture that essential connection that happens between musicians onstage, especially guys that have been playing together longer than I’ve been alive.
Yes, IMAX can be unforgiving, but in the case of Jagger and Richards, I find the mileage on them to be fascinating, especially when it’s intercut with footage of them dating all the way back to the start of their careers. The Stones, like many English bands of that era, were in love with the authentic blues of America, and they wanted to be bluesmen themselves. That’s ridiculous when you hear it coming out of a 20-year-old, but then when you see Richards now, he’s become the thing he used to pretend to be. This guy’s lived a hell of a life, and it’s taken an profound physical toll on him, and I get the feeling he wouldn’t want it any other way. Now when he plays, there’s a lifetime of experience in how he does it, and the result is finally that authentic thing he was striving for in his youth.
And Jagger? Well, all I can say is that he’s a performance artist. Love him or hate him, there’s no one else even remotely like him. He prances and struts and skips like a fucking Martian who is trying to do an Earth dance only ever having read about it in a book. He’s so weird that he’s cool by default, and I think it’s long since stopped being an act. It looks to me like this is simply Mick... like he doesn’t even consciously think about it anymore. He just clicks into this performance mode and suddenly he’s from outer space. It’s fun to watch because of how bizarre it is, and again... you don’t need to like a single song of theirs to still be captivated by the energy on display.
The guest appearances here are all fairly useless except for Jack White, whose joy while playing “Loving Cup” is palpable, and when the Clintons show up, it knocked me out of the movie for a few minutes. Even so, I’ll be going to see this one again while it’s playing IMAX and taking some people with me to share it with them. I keep trying to turn people on to this format that I love so much, and this is an absorbing showcase for what IMAX does best. Big sound, big picture, big fun.
I’ll have more about SHINE A LIGHT tomorrow when I run an interview I just did with Robert Elswit for the DVD release of THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Until then...
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Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
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boooooooo
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boooooooo
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yeah!
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For you to insinuate that Buddy Guy's appearance is useless shows that you're a U2 lovin musical know nothin. If it weren't for Freddy Mercury, Mick Jagger would be the greatest lead singer who ever lived. Fronting a band is only partially about singing. You've got to be completely comfortable standing in front of millions of people without being able to hide behind a guitar or drum set and keep them entertained. I wouldn't be caught dead dancing around in front of my 2 year old daughter like Mick Jagger does and yet that guy does it for thousands of strangers on a daily basis. No one else comes close.
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Morpheus had a hard, skin-abrasing life. How dare you.
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He was awesome! It was cool to see Kieth get so excited to watch him play and you realize that no matter how big they've become they still have heroes and look up to someone. Actually the look on Kieth's face was the same look Jack White had while playing.
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... I goofed. I didn't mean that Buddy Guy was useless. I guess I didn't think of him as a "celebrity guest," but rather just a good musician. When I said that Keeef finally seems to have become the thing he always wanted to be, Buddy Guy is of course the model he was originally imitating.
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It's a Stones concert. They shouldn't need any special guests. The fans should've bitched and moaned, "WTF?! I didn't pay $200 for these tickets to see Buddy Guy! Get him off the stage, Mick!"
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I've been reading AICN for years. Although I've often been tempted to post my thoughts in these talkbacks, I figured I'd let you folks have the floor. But you, gotham_night, should have no outlet for your mindless comments. You are everything that's wrong with geekdom, not to mention the world. You nay-say everything and never add anything constructive to the conversation.
I despise you so much that I'm actually posting here. You've compelled me.
"Shine a light up my ass."
"He owes a career to Keith."
"Who the hell is Buddy Guy?"
Those are three of the dumbest fucking things I've ever read, and they all belong to you.
I just thought you should know how fucking annoying you are. Kill yourself. -
Were you sleep during Buddy Guy's duet? WTF?!?!
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Lip Synched and posed for ten minutes
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oh, u took it back already...
anyone else notice the sweet pirates of the caribbean pin that keith was wearing?? -
That film just knocks you out cold.
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about the obscure songs being performed better, mick just dusnt seem to care too much about the hits anymore, just spitting out wtvr words come to mind at the moment.... my fav was probably 'connection' which sounded great live compared to the studio version. but of course they would choose THAT song to be the one they had to interrupt in the middle. i hate when concert movies interrupt songs!
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See above. There are various reasons I called you out. Your inability to use a search engine factors into it, I suppose.
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Ann Landers would have hated it in 1975.
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... I'll do that right away. Oh, wait... no, I won't, since the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I've gotten more e-mail about this new feature on the site than anything in a long time. You are free to keep trolling each one with your Anne Landers shtick, though. Keep it up!
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Glad you came back to correct that, Mori. That was my favorite part of the movie. In all, a great film. I bought the soundtrack immediately after and have been jamming it ever since.
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I love it when you get all panty-wad in the room.
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Mori, you were at that Police concert on Showtime? Shit, I recorded that thing when it aired and probably watched it several dozen times. I think I've still got the VHS somewhere. Dune-Era, Sychronicity Sting, complete with spikey hair and funky multi-colored coat. Good stuff. As for "Shine A Light," I can't wait. Love me some Stones. Love me some Scorcese. Hope to catch it in IMAX.
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This is an awesome column, and as long as you keep writing, I for one will keep reading. :^)MisterMan, just leave it man, no-one cares.
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thanks for finally putting into words what I'm sure many have been thinking. Over the years I've learned largely to just ignore trolls like gotham_night, but this guys was finally starting to get to me.
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Apr 08, 2008 4:48:08 AM CDT
was just listening to Exile on Main St.and thinking....
by industrykiller!
about how hte Stones truly are the greatest rock band of all time. They have a heart and emotion that Led Zepplin lacked and an ability to rock that The Beatles never could match. ALl a matter of opinion of course, but still...
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Apr 08, 2008 4:55:18 AM CDT
Oh and please keep this whole "one thing" title going
by industrykiller!
I read it every day. Speaking of I just rented The Mist tonight for the first time tonight but the version they have at blockbuster didn't have the black and white version, which having watched the film I can tell would have added immesurably to the experience. The film had a lot going for it, but some of the out of nowhere craziness/assholishness of certain characters combined with take you out of the film bad CG, and an ending I felt, while interesting, was totally unearned given everything we had seen in Tom jane's character prior keeps me from truly being able to recommend it. But as a "characters in an otherworldly crisis" piece it absolutely destroys Cloverfield.
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when the hell will I learn to proofread these fucking posts? Please ignore the redundency in the first sentence of the post above.
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the only imax theater in austria hadn't gone belly up before they started to show "real" movies, instead of these nature documentaries...a well, perhaps there will come another one
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Mori, great piece. And nice review. I couldn't agree more about the band's "enthusiasm" for the big hits (save Jumpin' Jack Flash"). But you know, as a big Stones fan, I couldn't give a shit about the giant hits, and even feel like they link the major ones at the end (Start Me Up, Satisfaction, etc) so that those who have seen them live many times can get out of the stadium parking lot early. It's not that I don't love the songs, but damn, I really don't need Satisfaction live ANYMORE. I understand that the casual fans do, but geez...
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Rickey is dying to see the godfathers of rock emerge from their primordial gopher holes to show those little garage band emo punks how music is made. In goddamned IMAX. Shit yes. The Stones getting weary of Jumpin Jack Flash is totally understandable, but that having been said, whenever Rickey hears that song on the car radio, it never ceases to get him pumped up. It's the kind of song that makes the horizon seem just a bit more distant and simultaneously pulls the road closer towards Rickey's car.
Definitely keep up the "one thing" shtick Mori--people like lists & recommendations. Especially good ones. -
I gotta say, I don't understand why people insist that the Stones need to retire because they're old. Playing music is actually one of the few things you can do better the older you get. The Stones may not be the trendsetters they once were, but they still rock. I mean, Muddy Waters played music until the day he died, and no one complained that he's too old to be singing Mannish Boy. Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker? They both played as long as they possible could! Hell, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddly, and Little Richard STILL perform, and we're thankful (us relative Young 'Uns) for the chance to hear them live. It's weird, this attitude that "they're old, they should stop doing what they love"
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Rickey Henderson's gotta do what's best for Rickey Henderson! And if Rickey Henderson needs to get his ass to an IMAX, post haste, then Rickey Henderson needs to get his ass to an IMAX! Rock that shit, Rickey!
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Rickey will be getting his ass to an IMAX, post haste. But Rickey's damn well gonne get paid for it. Rickey demmands royalties!
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You'd be lucky to see Buddy Guy perform live on stage. The man is a living legend and if it weren't for him there'd be no Stones, Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc... I'm a Stones fan but Guy is a far better player than Kieth can ever hope to be. As for you Gotham Knight, if you don't want to be ragged on for asking stupid questions, don't ask them. You're already on the Internet, go to the Google machine and type in "Buddy Guy" if you want to know who he is. You'll get your answer a whole lot quicker and the response won't be nearly as threatening as the one from the guy who told you to kill yourself. Common sense my man.
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As to Buddy being a better player than Kieth, I agree. The cool thing is, is that I think Kieth would push me out of the way to be first in line to agree with you. I loved the comment in the film where Kieth says something like "we (Kieth and Ronnie) are both pretty crappy players. But together we're better than most." One of the many reasons Kieth is great: a pretty realistic perspective on his talents.
And, we may splitting hairs here, but I think there WOULD be the Stones without Buddy Guy. They'd sound different, but the intentions would be the same. Now, without Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and Chuck Berry, the Stones... well, they wouldn't be called the Stones, and they'd have ended up being a failed skiffle band -
You're very welcome. I believed my words were necessary. I'm glad you appreciated them.
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Taking your first two paragraphs from this, and replacing every instance of "IMAX" with "BLUE RAY" it drives home the upchuck feeling I have whenever I visit Best Buy and glance at the Blue Ray demo TVs...
So here goes:
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Moriarty said:
"I remember when MATRIX REVOLUTIONS came out, I was busy working on a script, and I didn’t have time to see the movie. It wasn’t until about a week and a half into the run that I finally snuck away to see an afternoon screening at the Universal Citywalk IMAX. And my overwhelming impression of the film, removed from anything involving the narrative, was “Goddamn, Lawrence Fishburne should never be in an [BLUE RAY DVD] movie again.”
"That’s because... not to be cruel... but [BLUE RAY DVD] is unforgiving. Even if you’re dealing with a good 35MM blow-up to the [BLUE RAY DVD] frame, it’s still pretty amazing how you’re drawn into the details. If I’m given the choice between a regular screening or an [BLUE RAY DVD] screening, there’s never any question. [I'LL AVOID THE BLUE RAY AT ALL COSTS] And in different films, it’s different things that really make the experience great. Sometimes it’s the clarity of the oversized image. Sometimes it’s the sound mix, since you’re sitting on about 474,007 speakers, I think. Or at least, that’s what it feels like."
end quote.
For me, I don't see the point of Blue Ray DVD at all. Watching the presentation of Transformers on Blue Ray DVD at Best Buy, I almost lost my lunch, and last Christams dinner too, as I stared in agony at the zits and afterimage distortions of the blueray effect on Shia LaBouf's face.... now that's some sick shit.
--Xoandre -
Alright... I know I'll be drawn & quartered by all you old saggy people for this, but....
WTF is with the Rolling Stones???
I don't get it.
Sure, they have one or two songs that are catchy, but why in the universe would anyone want to sit through more than five minutes of these screeching corpses and strutting skeletons in their personal freakshow? Mick Jagger cannot sing. He's a cat trapped in a meat grinder, swatting the handle hoping to get out, screeching every time he realizes that every time he hits the handle, it grinds another inch of his body up.... That's what I imagine when I hear this band. An then to look at them.... I mean geesh! Like a little boy asking "are we there yet?" I keep thinking "are they dead yet?"
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And wouldn't it have been hilariously ironic if Charleton Heston had died from a shotgun blast to the head, self inflicted while cleaning his rifle? tee-heee...
---xoandre
p.s. call me cruel, but that's just the way my cookie was baked. -
That's why Mick and Keith would look better than Laurence Fishburn in IMAX. If they ever make a BATTLESTAR GALACTICA movie in IMAX, watch out! Edward James Olmos'face would be horrifying.
Anyway, I don't care how old the Stones are, "Bitch" from the 1971's Sticky Fingers album is one of the best jams EVER.
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