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Reviews
George Michael: Portrait of an Artist (2023)
Too many Academic Talking Heads!
.... and not enough people who were actually knew personally George Michael -- where is his family, friends? Instead, you get plenty of Academic Talking Heads from some psyche dept. At some college or university or social-psych centre you've never heard of, who never met George, never talked with him, etc., but, oh, they knew exactly why he did, when he did it, etc.
The filmmakers did manage to find one person who personally worked with George in the control room, mixing and recording the songs, etc. Oh, wow, big whoop!
I am so tired of all these documentaries in the last 10 years (mostly end up on Streaming Services anyway) where people who didn't know the Subject personally just go on and on and on about why Artist did this or did that.
Actually, the best of all the recently released documentaries is the only I saw on Netflix, simply titled "Wham!" because it only deals with the Wham! Years - not George's post-Wham! Days.
In the Netflix docu, there are many interviews with people who actually knew and worked (and sang!) with George! Especially nice to see Andrew Ridgeley, showing us all those scrapbooks his mom made (and kept!) all through the "Wham!" years. It would be cool if some savvy publisher -- or even Andrew's family -- published a fascimile-sized book of all these scrapbooks. What a treat that would be!
Anyway, skip this one (please!) and that other British-TV docu that interviews neighbors et al right after George's death. ("So how did you know George?" "How did you react to his death?" and other inane questions. Lots of required camera shots of all the flowers stacked up by the home's front entance. Blah, blah, blah... Seen it all before, folks!
George Michael (and the seemingly left-behind Andrew Ridgeley) deserve better.
Ma vie avec James Dean (2017)
Reminded me of the French films of the 1970s...
This film reminded me of the French films I loved during the 1970s: odd-ball, screwball characters, stuck in unusual situations, working their way through life, with of course a typical (then) French ending for a film.
If you liked or loved "Day for Night," "Cousin, Cousine" (not the American remake!), "The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob," "Les violins du bal," or even the original "La Cage aux Folles" (and especially not the American remake!), then you might find yourself smiling to yourself at the ending.
Oh, and for those uncomfortable with a particular plot reveal (spoiler alert!), the Age of Consent in France is 15.
The Dream Team (1998)
What's the name of that song?
Okay, so yes, this is a great adult movie -- oh, my God, a plot! Flashbacks! No tattos (whew!). And actors who actually seem to embody their characters' roles.
Now this is my question: What is the name of the song (and the artist) whose 45 single plays throughout the movie? The lyrics go somewhere along the lines, "The first time I saw you / In my favorite blue jeans / And you new penny-loafers / Just like James Dean // ...Chorus : I close my eyes / and visualize / when we were young and mean / but that was oh so long ago / Where we ever seventeen? (etc.)
The movie credits "Rock Hard" )ha=ha) with the "music," but not this song that is played repeatedly throughout the movie.
Anyone out there know? Or is this just one of those songs written specifically for the movie and then files away in the archives, to be forever lost?
Six by Sondheim (2013)
A wonderful documentary, with an unexpected bonus
This is a wonderful documentary, composed chiefly of interviews Stephen Sondheim has given in the past, with the addition of the musical numbers, some specifically filmed for this HBO documentary.
And it is one of those versions I want to address: James Lapine's filmed version of "Opening Doors" from "Merrily We Roll Along." It stars Darren Criss, Jeremy Jordan, and America Ferrara, and I truly wish this version was available as a full-length film version of the difficult- to-produce musical. It brought back the magic I felt seeing this in a 1982 version in Washington DC and later in a 1983 Los Angeles Equity production. Subsequent revisions of the script and songs have left me feeling flat, including the much-raved-about recent London production. These three actors have the charm and innocence and musical presence that was required of the original roles, and they recreate the period and excitement with thrilling results. During their number, I kept thinking, "Where is this version?! Why isn't there a movie version with this cast?" Kudos to all involved in truly bringing back to life "Merrily We Roll Along" (and to that sly actor singing about songs having "hummable" and "memorable" melodies).
The Sasquatch Gang (2006)
A nice surprise at Slamdance
I went into this film with little knowledge of its plot beyond what IMDb and the Slamdance Film Festival published (at the time of this writing, there isn't a trailer or even a poster!).
That being said, I found myself starting to laugh at the very opening sequence, where the three geeks "prepare to do battle." The moment that won me over was when Gavin (played by Jeremy Sumpter) went over to a little portable CD boom-box to play some medieval music to set the "proper scene" for the battle! From then on, I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed a pleasant comedy that was well-written, directed, edited, and acted (definitely a breakout performance by Sumpter as well as Hubbel Palmer as his sidekick).
Judging from the sustained laughter from the audience, I wasn't alone in my admiration for this independent film.