movie review
The best music movies throughout history.
Miss Americana
As a black man, in my early fifties and having grown up in south London, my musical influences and leanings were towards soul and funk with a smidgen of reggae. My clubbing days were solidly soul and funk, moving into house and garage music and embracing the musical mores that surrounded that scene.
By Q-ell Betton6 years ago in Beat
A Filmmaker's Review: 'I Saw the Light' (2015)
Hank Williams is one of my all-time favourite singers and when I was a slightly younger me, I used to really enjoy watching this film. All in all, it is a fun film about Hank Williams and shows us what his fame would've looked like way back when he was actually alive. Set in the late 40s, this film gives light to the final years of the singer with the deterioration of his marriage to Audrey and his alcoholism getting the better of him. The only problem I had upon the next and more analytic watch of this film is that it really lacks some substance. Yes, it's a fun film - but nothing that you'd say is any good critically and that's how we're going to look at it today.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Beat
A Filmmaker's Review: 'Behind the Candelabra' (2013)
Behind the Candelabra (2013) is one of those films that everyone remembers being released but nobody knows where it went. It's like after its cinema play it kind of dropped off the face of the earth even though it did fairly well at the box office. I can assure you that this film, if you haven't seen it, is a lot more entertaining than you think it is. A mixture of music, comedy, drama and biography - this film tells an incredibly whimsical and slightly off-key tale of the latter part of Liberace's career. It is a visually stunning movie and I think that Liberace himself would've liked it quite a lot. Let's start off with my history with this movie...
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Beat
A Filmmaker's Review: 'La Bamba' (1987)
The stunning story of the father of Chicano Rock, Ritchie Valens - this film gives us a highlight of his short life and his shoot to stardom when the song "Come On, Let's Go" gets released as a single. I'm not going to lie, I purely enjoyed this film because Ritchie Valens is one of my favourite singers of all time. This film is so enjoyable because it's fun and musical - it doesn't focus all too much on tragedy but focuses instead on giving you enough of Ritchie Valens to know how his legend was perfectly preserved by those around him. It is such an incredible film to watch.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Beat
My Review of 'Rocketman'
Rocketman came out not too long after Bohemian Rhapsody. Both are about flamboyantly gay musicians making it big in the music industry with tons of drugs, sex and underhanded people. The fact that the characters of these two movies are so similar and that the movies came out so close to one another entails that comparisons will be made, but these two movies are very different from one another.
By Brian Anonymous6 years ago in Beat
Movie Review: 'Desolation Center' Doc Explores Guerilla Concerts of the 80s
Where did the idea of festivals mixing art and music come from? Some will credit Lollapalooza or Burning Man for creating this unique combination of art and music. But, the real origin of a truly punk festival of music and art may be Desolation Center. Director Stuart Swezey was the founder of Desolation Center in the 1970s and now, Swezey has taken the reigns to tell the story himself of the founding of a festival.
By Sean Patrick6 years ago in Beat
Movie Review: 'I Can Only Imagine'
Released in 2018 and with a modest budget of $7 million, I Can Only Imagine became a box office success, raking in $85 million worldwide to become the fifth highest-grossing music biopic and the sixth highest-grossing Christian film of all time in the United States. Still, it took me well over a year to watch it. And then I immediately saw why the movie won "Inspirational Film of the Year" at the 2018 Dove Awards.
By Rachel Carrington6 years ago in Beat
'Rocketman'—A Movie Review
Let’s get ready for that Elton John concert! I’m sure we’ll be elevated off our feet. Rocketman is a biographical musical based on the talented and troubled life of Elton John, directed by Dexter Fletcher. While the singer was cherished onstage, his life behind the scenes was anything but. Struggling with drugs, alcohol, sexuality, and his own identity, Elton John faces the battle of a lifetime.
By Marielle Sabbag6 years ago in Beat
Movie Review: 'Wild Rose' Is a Messy, Wonderful, Brilliant Movie
Wild Rose is an absolute powerhouse, a brilliantly written and performed movie with a star-making lead performance by Jessie Buckley, and yet another Academy Award level supporting turn from the incredible Julie Walter, arguably, the single most generous actress on the planet. Walter could steal any scene she's in and instead she helps everyone else into the spotlight through her remarkable strength.
By Sean Patrick6 years ago in Beat
Movie Review: 'BTS: Bring the Soul'
I must admit, I am a little intimidated by the idea of writing about BTS. This Korean boy band, my apologies if that sounds dismissive, that's not my intent, has become the biggest thing in pop music not called "Old Town Road," and they've done so in a way that is very specific to the generation that has embraced it.
By Sean Patrick7 years ago in Beat
