Movie Review: Moonage Daydream

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A wonderful and very unique documentary on David Bowie.

This film does not feel like your average music documentary at all. Instead of having friends and fans talk about David or having a narrator tell his story, this film uses decades old interviews with him. So the only people we hear talk about David Bowie are him and the people who interviewed him. Because of this the movie is Bowie's take on Bowie. This works incredibly well because David was a very intelligent man and had thought provoking takes on every part of his career. You see a man who at first is looking for meaning in this world but is not sure what the meaning is. He feels a strong spiritual connection to something but cannot tell what it is. This movie explores his journey to find out what it is. This is a fascinating and quite different look at this musical great that we seldom see and it even brings new meaning to many of his songs and the stages of his career. Other than these interviews the main focus of the film is his music. We get many of his classic songs here. They are as wonderful as ever and I can picture someone who has never heard of David Bowie quickly becoming a fan after watching this movie. As for me these song sequences only gave me an even greater respect for David Bowie as an artist. If you see this movie in a theater, I highly recommend you see it in IMAX. The great sound system used on these great songs makes for a wonderful experience. Yet despite anything I said, this is not simply an auditory movie where you could close your eyes and watch. This is a wonderful cinematic experience. Director Brett Morgan turns this documentary into a visual treat. He combines live performances from David Bowie, with clips from various classic films (as well as films David Bowie was in), music videos, personal clips of Bowie and much more to create the feeling of one large scale music video mixed with great avant-garde filmmaking. Yet somehow this never becomes overwhelming or gets tiring. Any who wishes to study how to use montage to good effect should definitely watch this movie. What truly makes this film special though is that all these elements work together and never distract from one another.

A wonderful movie and a must watch whether you are a David Bowie fan or not. 

Movie Review: Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A wonderful documentary on Leonard Cohen and what has become his best known song. 

I absolutely love Leonard Cohen's music (I am listening to it as I write this review) and the man himself, so naturally this film had a huge attraction to me. It did not let me down in any way. This movie kept me glued to my seat through the whole runtime. While this movie can only tell so much in less than two hours, it still gives a wealth of information, and more than that one can tell the passion the filmmakers have for the subject matter. The clips of Leonard Cohen performing and being interviewed are priceless for those of us who love this wonderful artist. While we may already know much of the information given in the interviews to hear these words from Leonard's mouth make these scenes still incredibly engaging. The live performances make you remember just how much of a blessing this man and his music were. Like many documentaries this film also has new interviews. These interviews are with those who knew and worked with him as well as those who were inspired by him both directly and indirectly. Again even if you know the information stated here, these interviews are still engaging and valuable to any Leonard Cohen fan. 

Yet as you can guess by the name of this movie, much of the focus is on his most famous song, Hallelujah. It not only covers Leonard's version of this song, but the many covers of the song, ranging from Jeff Buckley to Alexandra Burke to Eric Church. Even Vicky Jenson, the co-director of Shrek talked about its use in that film. While I still greatly prefer Leonard's version to these covers, I found this section also very interesting and I admit this is part of the film where I learned the most. I was not as familiar with these covers as I am with Leonard's version and found much of this very fascinating.

The only problem I had with this film is that the part of the documentary that is about Leonard Cohen's life and the part that is about the legacy of Hallelujah outside of Leonard's version, can get in the way of each other and this can become distracting. 

This is an excellent documentary that I highly recommend to both long time Leonard Cohen fans and newcomers.  

Movie Review: Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A fantastic documentary on the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

This movie like all of the best music documentaries and concert films, works first and foremost as a celebration of music. Because of this, Jazz Fest is a film that you leave the theater happier than when you came in and isn't that just what you want from a trip to the movies. Both movies and music have the power to do this and so a film like this certainly does. Despite the name of this film, and of the festival it is about, being Jazz Fest, neither the festival nor the movie limit themselves to one genre. While there is some traditional jazz, there is also a wide variety of other genres including gospel, R&B, Cajun music, hip-hop and rock and roll. All of these genres are treated with equal respect and fans of any of these genres should be more than happy with what this film gives them. The highlight of the movie of course is the performances from the many great artists. These artists range from people that everyone reading this will know (Bruce Springsteen, Al Green, Earth Wind and Fire, B.B. King, Jimmy Buffett, Katy Perry, Pitbull and many more) to some great local talent from New Orleans that you will be introduced to here. All of these artists give fantastic performances and even if one of them is not your taste and music, you will still truly appreciate their showmanship and talent. Plus there is a wide enough variety that everybody will find some music that they will love. Watching these performances makes nearly anyone who ever likes music want to attend this festival. There is a joyous feel in these parts that I don't see how anyone can resist. This film also gives a great history of this festival and the artists there and I am sure even many music buffs will learn something new. The interviews with various artists and people who work on the festival add to the movie's joyous feeling. They so passionate about everything they are talking about that it is hard not to get caught up in the excitement yourself. There is something that is simply always wonderful about seeing the joy in someone's face as they talk about something they are truly passionate about and that feeling is all over this movie. 

The only real problem I have with this film is the length. To cover 50 years of a festival in an hour and half, is just not giving yourself enough time and this can cause a bit of a rushed feeling. But when everything about the film is this joyous, it seems to only be a compliment to say that you want much more. 

A must see. 

Movie Review: The Jesus Music

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A- 

A truly fantastic documentary about Christian music from the late 1960's until the early 2000's.

What makes this movie work so well is the filmmaker's obvious passion for the subject matter. As you watch the film their love of Christian music shines through in every second. Everything about this movie is extremely heartfelt. This can be seen even in the interviews with the artists. They are laying everything out on the table for you to see in a completely open and honest way. There are even times when you can see them getting emotional onscreen as they talk about some of their experiences. This makes this movie much more personal to its audience than most music documentaries. The interviews also are incredibly informative and will give those who think they knew all about this type of music something they didn't know. This is not to say the entire film is simply people talking. Uses of concert and TV clips, as well as acted out reenactments of some of the musician's childhoods make this film just as must of a visual treat as an auditory one. One fear I had before watching this documentary was the sheer scope of what it was covering combined with a runtime that is less than two hours. Naturally I felt this film couldn't do justice to this whole subject. I was wrong. While this movie doesn't cover everything or every great Christian group, it gives you a strong feel of each era, how the music effected the culture around them, how the music changed and evolved and where the music come from without ever feeling rushed or forced. This was not an easy feat and I am amazed at how well it was carried off. 

This movie also addresses a serious subject that most Christian movies would shy away from. That is prejudice in the church. It does this in a very intelligent and heartfelt way. As a Christian and as someone who believes prejudice, whether it be for someone's skin color, way of expressing themselves or taste in music, should have no place in the life of a Christian, this was a message that I greatly appreciated and was very satisfied at how the filmmakers handled this. The Jesus Music is a sadly rare Christian film that will inspire much discussion after it is watched.

All in all this is a top notch documentary.  

Movie Review: The Sparks Brothers

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent music documentary for a very talented band that deserves to be better known than they are. 

Sparks has often been a band that has been on the verge of a breakthrough very often since the 1970's, yet strangely they never had that breakthrough. This has not stopped them from having very devoted fans for the length of their career (including this film's director Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim, Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead)) and having inspired many more famous bands. If this movie gains the band more fans then I assure you that it did exactly what Wright planned it to do. And I assure you many who see this movie will become fans of the band. 

While when we think of Edgar Wright, we do not think of documentaries, it is hard to think of a better director for this film. Sparks is extremely quirky, creative and not afraid to be silly. Therefore Wright's similarly quirky sense of humor works exceptionally well here. From the band themselves taking parts in puns to the humorous introductory subtitles to many of those being interviewed to visual references to the art house films that the band are huge fans of, this film definitely stands out as something different and more daring than the average music documentary and a good companion to the band's music. There is also Wright's clear passion for the subject matter and how clearly this passion comes across. 

Of course every music documentary clearly depends on how good the music it is about is. Luckily Sparks is a darn good band and we get to here some excellent music from them here. It is clear to see why all the people interviewed here are such fans. 

Interviews have become a staple of music documentaries and somehow it seems appropriate that this the most conventional part of the film is also the weakest part. While many well respect artists are interviewed here, most have them simply say the same things. Especially considering the long runtime (2 hours and 21 minutes), this can be more than bit repetitive. We hear that they are brilliant, original and should be better known too times throughout this movie without one ounce of criticism of any of their work. It wouldn't have hurt to trim these interviews to cut out these more repetitive bits.

This movie will make fans out of newcomers, will please die hard fans and will widen the appreciation of causal fans. That is of course just what a film like this should do.

-Michael J. Ruhland    

Summer Concert Series: Gimme Shelter (1970)

This landmark documentary is still incredibly powerful and shocking today. This isn't just a movie about a rock band, but about a tragedy and the change in culture that created it. 

As many know the 1960's is often considered a time of idealism but thoughts of peace and love sadly couldn't last forever. This falling out of ideals is brutally and honestly shown at a rock concert in 1969 that took place at Altamont Speedway that erupted in a hideous display of violence. Though this film is technically about the Rolling Stones, the footage of this concert takes center stage and is what people remember and take away from this film. Anyone who wants a feel good fun rock and roll concert film, had better watch a different movie. The footage of this concert is unpleasant and will leave some with a feeling of discomfort and disillusionment. Yet this movie leaves such a powerful impression that anyone who has seen it can never forget it. Even as one of the most popular rock and roll bands in the world performs their most famous hits, they are unfortunately upstaged and overshadowed by the horror playing out in front of them. Of course the music is excellent but how musically talented the Stones are is not going to be your parting thought. There is little of the peace and love associated with 60's rock and roll, instead their is the violence and unruliness of a painful part of human nature that the hippie dream could not overcome no matter how hard it tried. What hurts all the more is that this is a documentary and what you see in the same is what actually happened as it happened. 

This is not an upbeat movie by any means but it is a thought provoking one that will stay with you long after the film is over. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Decline of Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years (1988)

Penelope Spheeris' 2nd entry into her incredible rock and roll documentary trilogy, turns the focus to heavy metal.

Like how the first movie was the ultimate punk rock film, this is the ultimate heavy metal movie. Like the first entry this sequel covers not only the music but the lifestyle. Once again the lifestyle is neither condoned or condemned. It is simply shown in full and complete honesty. To get the full feeling of the lifestyle, both huge name artists (Aerosmith, Ozzy Ozzborne, Alice Cooper, Poison) to smaller time artists that have bands you probably have never heard of are interviewed. Tales of drugs, rock and roll and especially sex fill this movie to the brim. The way many of the artists talk about sex is revealing and at times uncomfortable. The people interviewed often go into detail about the sexual experiences and talk about them with complete pride. While this can feel strange and off-putting to those of us who don't think about sex 24/7, I appreciate this movie's honesty when it comes to the subject. The gender politics of the genre are also discussed and can be rather sad to hear even if they are well known at times. Sadly there is a heavy metal image and unfortunately often women don't fit into it, despite that they have again and again proven they can rock as hard as the women. As well as musicians talking about how much they love heavy metal, there are also interviews with a woman who supports and practices what she calls "de-meatal-azation," a process of getting young people away from heavy metal music and the lifestyle it is believed to represent. Again what is great about this movie is that it does not take sides, it simply shows what it sees in full honesty.

The music is an excellent look at late 80's metal, showing everything that made the music so popular. There is such a pure level of energy and excitement to the music that is performed here. As much time as is spent interviewing huge names, the performances are often by lesser known artists like London, Seduce and Odin (though Megadeath does perform here as well). While this may disappoint those who want to hear Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kiss or Poison, there is nothing wrong with the music that is heard here.

This is in many ways this is the definitive heavy metal movie and a must watch for both those who are into the music and those who aren't

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

Before directing Wayne's World (1992) or The Little Rascals (1994), Penelope Spheeris made her mark upon the film world with this incredible documentary on the punk rock scene in L.A.

What makes this movie so great is that it neither condones nor condemns any of the people shown in it. It instead gives you an honest and unflinching portrait of these individuals, who live so far out of societal norms. We are left to decide for ourselves whether the punk rock scene is a powerful form of protest against society, an advocation of anarchy, or just a bunch of crazy people being crazy. The rowdy and craziness of the clubs is also shown in all its glory or horror (depending on your persuasion) with unflinching honesty. Again Penelope Spheeris shows us this simply as it is and neither endorses or condemns what goes on here, leaving us to decide for ourselves. The footage of the individuals interviewed is raw and unpolished, but emotional powerful, just like the music being presented here. It should be noted that what is shown here is not the later more mainstream punk rock but a much rawer and rough edged style of punk rock. The filmmaking here purposely keeps much of that rough edged style of the music.

In my personal subjective-ness I enjoyed some of the music, while some of it I can't get into. The appeal of bands like Germs or Catholic Discipline is completely lost on me. Yet at the same time I really enjoyed the music of X and Alice Bag Band that I heard here. Of course some of you may like the music I didn't and dislike the music I liked and that is okay. This is not mainstream music and it is not meant to appeal to everyone.

This is a fascinating film to watch today, decades after it was made. We get to see how in some ways things have changed but the basic angst and attitude of so many shown here, show how in reality a lot is still the same today.

Whether you are a punk rock fan or not, this is such a well made and impactful film, that it is still a must see for all movie buffs.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Foreigner: All Access Tonight (2003)

In 2002 VH1 was doing a behind the music segment on British/American rock band Foreigner. When they were asked for archival footage of the band performing, they began to realize that they had none. Guitarist and founding member Mick Jones, decided that this was a fact that needed to be rectified. So he asked his friend Justin Bougerie (the director of this movie) to film the 2002-2003 tour of the band. In the end they had enough footage to make a feature length film.

This movie is hardly as polished as something like The Last Waltz (1978). It was filmed on one camera and therefore many of the cinematic touches seen in other concert films are completely missing here. The footage itself is about the same picture quality as a fan recording one of their favorite bands and concert and posting it to YouTube. However the sound quality is much better. There are some scenes where you see the band when they are not performing. While there is hardly the intimacy of say Don't Look Back (1967), these scenes are a lot of fun (with the exception of them checking into a hotel in a scene where nothing else happens).

While this movie may be lacking cinematically at times, it makes up for this with Foreigner's performances. They put on quite a show and are a joy to watch as they perform their hits. Many of these songs sound just as good if not better live. Despite this being 25 years after the band formed they had lost none of their talent by this time. Adding to this is that hit songs like Double Vision, Hot Blooded, Feels Like the First Time and Juke Hero are just as fun as they were when they came out.

This may not be anything groundbreaking but it is a fun concert film.

-Michael J. Ruhland  

Summer Concert Series: How James Brown Saved Boston (2008)

James Brown did an incredible concert on April 5, 1968 in Boston, the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. This was of course a very tense and emotional time for America and many feared that this concert would enact rioting and violence that might leave Boston in shambles or that someone might attempt to kill James Brown (who had vocally given respect to Dr. King). Mayor Kevin White saw this as a lose lose situation politicly. He felt could cancel the concert and be accused of discriminating against the black community, or he could do nothing and others would accuse him of allowing a riot. His solution was to televise the concert. This made James very angry as he would be losing a whole lot of money. This lead to a very tense experience for all involved, yet an incredible concert that was a landmark in musical history.

  The Night James Brown Saved Boston is an incredible look into this concert and the climate that created such a tension around it. This film has various very intelligent people intelligently discussing this period of time giving us a fresh and moving look into this tense and emotionally challenging time following a great tragedy in American history. It also gives insight into how James Brown felt about everything going on, as well how he was able to give an incredible performance with all that was going around this concert. Whether or not you are a fan of his music, there is no doubt James Brown had an incredible gift for entertaining an audience and to watch him on stage is like watching no one else. Watching the clips of him performing here are an incredible testament to how this man could control a stage and an audience like no other performer. This makes these clips a joy to watch for anyone regardless of musical taste.

-Michael J. Ruhland 

Summer Concert Series: Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music (1969)

In many ways this movie is director Robert Elfstrom's response to Don't Look Back. Like that film, this documentary follows its subject with a camera and simply shows what he does on and offstage. The biggest difference the difference between Johnny Cash at this time and Bob Dylan at the time of Don't Look Back. Bob was tired of constantly being asked questions about the deep meaning of his songs and being viewed as a voice of a generation. He simply wanted to play music and be left alone when he wasn't. Because of this he developed a snarky persona that is present through the whole film. Johnny Cash on the other hand was at one of the happiest moments of life. After years of drug abuse and erratic behavior tearing away everyone who loved him, he had turned back to God and found peace and comfort there. The Johnny Cash we see here is very different from the one we would have seen a couple years earlier. We see him at peace and enjoying his soundings and what he is doing. As such this is a far more tranquil movie with a completely different appeal than Don't Look Back despite very similar filmmaking styles. We see Johnny help out a new coming singer, enjoy the company of his fans, hike in nature, stand up for social causes and play music.

Of course the music here is fantastic. Unlike Don't Look Back, we get to see the whole songs being performed here, which is a delight. This was John at the peak of his career and he has never sounded better. As well as Johnny we get to see him perform a duet with (appropriately) Bob Dylan as well as a brief performance by rock and roll great Carl Perkins (who by this time had become a regular part of John's live performances) with his biggest hit, Blue Suede Shoes.

John got along well with director Robert Elfstorm and when he produced the movie Gospel Road (1973), he picked Robert as the director.

This may not quite measure up to Don't Look Back, but is a very enjoyable movie in its own right.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Thelonious Monk Straight No Chaser (1988)

This movie is a very touching and human account of the great jazz pianist. Those who know much about Thelonious Monk will no that he had some mental problems that affected his life greatly. This is always a touchy subject for movies (documentaries included) because they have a tendency to let the disabilities become the person. This film does an incredible job about talking rather in depth about his disabilities while still showing that while they affected him they did not define him. Much of the heart of this film comes from interviews with the musician's friends and family. They speak about him with so much love that it is hard for us not to love him as well. Fellow musicians who spoke in this movie were so in awe of the man's musical talent that this film can give even jazz fans a new perspective on this great artist.

This film is also a sheer joy for jazz fans with so many rare clips of the great artist both on and off stage. These clips are an important part of jazz history that might have been lost to time if it wasn't for this movie. We also get to hear a lot of his music and all of it is excellent. This will make fans of newcomers and will delight long time fans.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Festival Express (2003)

In Canada in 1970, a brand new type of music festival was created. It was one that would not be tried again and remains a unique and exciting idea. This idea was to have many great music artists travel a country by train, performing at the places where the train stopped. This great documentary tells the story of that tour.

The music in this movie is in many ways not surprisingly the highlight. Janis Joplin in particular is an artist that is just as fun to watch perform as she is to listen to. Her performance of Tell Mama is incredible. Her voice not only sounds amazing but she knows how to perfectly command the stage. What she gives us here is pure and utter rock and roll at its finest. After reviewing The Last Waltz (1978) earlier in this summer concert series, it is great to get a bit of a different view of The Band here. There was a polish and perfection to The Last Waltz that is not here, but what is in its place is a rougher edge more rootsy sound that is just as great in its own way. The Grateful Dead seem to be the main stars of this movie and they are at the top of their game here. The Flying Burrito Brothers appear much to briefly but are excellent. Buddy Guy was so good, he left me wanting more of him in this movie. The one part of the music that didn't work for me was Sha-Na-Na. I am not a fan and they still didn't impress me here

The story is extremely interesting and tells a great story about the history of rock music that is often overlooked. We get to hear the people who organized the concert as well as the performers talk about the tour and it is a joy to listen to. The scenes of the artists on the train jamming out are a sheer delight for fans of rock and roll.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Devil at the Crossroads (2019)

Robert Johnson is one of the most fascinating figures in American music. His music itself is mysterious and defies explanations and for a long time his life was just as mysterious. Little facts were known and myths as mysterious as the man's music began to pop up. The most famous of these is that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil for incredible musical talent, a myth that seems to be supported by lyrics to songs like Me and the Devil Blues. This fascinating documentary not only addresses these myths, but also talks about how Johnson changed the blues and was a forerunner to rock and roll. Incredible musicians like Keith Richards and Keb Mo' talk about Johnson's music with incredible reverence. However where this movie really succeeds is when it discusses these myths. I will admit before seeing this film I knew Robert's music but not much about his life. What I heard here was completely fascinating and new to me. This movie gives a great insight into this brilliant musicians strange life while still keeping an aura of mystery around it creating a fascinating and one of a kind documentary. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Chasing Trane (2016)

Excellent documentary on Jazz legend John Coltrane.

This movie being only a little over an hour and a half, obviously does not give a full view of the many facets of John's incredible career, yet it does remarkably well with the time it spends on its subject. We get a brief basic overview of his career as well as incredible critical insight of his music by critics, musicians, biographers and more. They all explain what John's music means to them. After listening to them talk we can hear clips of Coltrane's music and we listen to it in a way we never could before. No one is ever going to completely change our musical tastes, but as music (especially jazz) can be heard and interrupted completely different by different people, others can help us see what they hear or feel when they listen to a piece of music and that can completely change the way we hear it. That is what this movie does best and why it is such a great music documentary despite giving us a very simplified historical overview of its subject.

This film will help fans get something new out of Coltrane's music, while striking newcomers interest at the same time.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (2008)

When the great albums of the 1960's are discussed it is mostly rock and roll albums from artists like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. However one country music album often finds its way into this list and that is Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison. While I would argue that there are plenty of great country albums of the 60's that could go on these lists, I can not deny that this album is a masterwork. If any album where to get a feature length documentary, this is a darn good choice. This album marked a turning point in John's career and happened at a very important time in his life. After this Johnny had proven to many that he had a coolness and honest that transcended country music. This was to honest and personal to define with a simple genre title. This was something new and exciting, while still being from an artist who had been around for over a decade. This also marked the time that Johnny had started to turn his life around, from the drugs and scandals of earlier the same decade.

This documentary gives great insight into why this album was so great and to all the stories of how it came about as well as the affect it would later have on John's life. Even as a Johnny Cash fan, when I first saw this movie I learned much more about the story of Glen Shirley (the inmate who's composition, Johnny performed at the concert and who Johnny would help get out of prison and start a music career for). These scenes about Glen Shirley show us a side of Johnny that many of us are not as familiar with. How even with his political and social activism, there were times when he tried to help but was misguided. He was sure he had the power to affect Glen Sherley's life in a much greater way than he actually did and how he dealt with good intentions simply not paying off. Listening to Glen's daughter and son talk is heartbreaking but powerful. It was also fascinating to listen to the people who were there with him at the show talk about his performance (from one of the inmates to a photographer to a prison guard to two members of the Tennessee Three (W.S. Holland and Marshall Grant)).

Still this film is far from perfect. At times it can feel more than a little unfocused. There is some time spent discussing John's early music of the 1950's and how the sound came about. This took up too much time for a documentary about one album instead of John's whole career, yet too little time to give any information that fans haven't heard a million times or that newcomers couldn't simply find with a quick Google search. Since there is no actual film footage of the concert, the movie uses a music video format for the songs instead. While it is always a treat listening to the songs, the music videos can feel a little flat and uninspired.

Still overall the good in this film, tops the things that don't work and therefore I still heavily recommend it to Johnny Cash fans or new comers.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Tom Petty: Runnin' Down a Dream (2007)

It is hard to think of a band that defines rock and roll music more than Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Their music has everything that rock and roll is and can be and I personally think they are one of the finest rock and roll bands of all time. Just as no band could capture the essence of rock and roll better than Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, no movie could better capture the essence of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers than Runnin' Down a Dream.

Director Peter Bogadonovich, quickly became passionate about the band of the course of making this movie and it shows here. After getting to know the boys, Peter decided that only they could tell their own story. Therefore he left out the typical documentary narration and let the band tell the story themselves. While this is a departure from your typical rock and roll documentary, I have to admit, I did not notice the first time I watched this film. This is because nothing feels missing here and when the band talks, I was so interested in what they were saying I didn't care. The boys are just as passionate talking about their music as Peter was making this film. These are people whose lives have been moved and changed by rock and roll and when this movie was made, they hadn't lost any of the passion they had when they were kids hearing rock music for the first time. Though this movie is near four hours, you are still hanging on every word that they say when the film comes to a close. Not only that but I felt like I'd be willing to listen to them talk for another four hours. In fact this became a problem for Peter Bogadonovich, who had more material than could fit in one movie and all of it was high quality.

You may have noticed in this review, I have referred to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as a band throughout this review. One thing I love about this film is that it treats them as a band instead of like Tom Petty and his backing band. After I watched this movie for the first time, I never listened to their music quite the same. Before I had listened to it as if the Heartbreakers were a backing band, but afterwards I began to appreciate what each member brought to the table, every time I would listen to one of their albums or hear the music on the radio. We get to know and respect the Heartbreakers throughout this movie in the same way we do Tom Petty himself.

Of course in a rock and roll movie, audiences want to hear rock and roll music. This film puts the music at the center stage. To be honest we learn precious little about the lives Tom Petty or the Heartbreakers lead when they are not making music. With the length of this movie and the amount of great material that ended up on the cutting room floor, perhaps that was best. There simply wasn't time and we watch the movie because we love the music. Another great thing about this is that this movie doesn't just show small little clips of the band performing these but we watch them performing the song from beginning to end and who can complain about watching and listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers do what they do best.

This film is also a treasure trove of information for me and my fellow Tom Petty fans. You learn the stories about how each of their studio albums came about, how they ended up being Johnny Cash's backing band on his masterful album Unchained (maybe one of the finest albums of Johnny's career), as well as the backing band for Bob Dylan on a concert tour, how the Traveling Wilburys came to be, the creative differences in the band at various points and just how a song like Don't Come Around Here No More ends up on  concept album called Southern Accents (I really like the song, but it seems a little out of place on that album).

This is a must watch for fans of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and a movie that will turn newcomers into fans.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Keith Richards: Under the Influence (2015)

If you are looking for a documentary that will give you deep insight into Keith Richard's personal life, than this is far from the film for you. This movie is in many ways the equivalent of hanging out with Keith and talking about music. Keith spends little time talking about the Rolling Stones or his solo work, instead focusing on his love and devotion to the blues, country music, reggae and early rock and roll. If you are a fan of the music he is talking about, there is little no insight here, but he discuses this music with such a passion that it is fun listening to him talk about it.  When someone is passionate about an artform, whether that is music, film, books, etc. because they enjoy talking about it so much that you enjoy listening to it. It doesn't matter if you know everything they are saying it is still fun to just hear their passion. Director Morgan Neville understands this and simply lets Keith talk and adds little else to the table. The result is a movie that is honestly not that cinematic or informative but is still a lot of fun.

This being a movie completely and utterly about music, naturally the songs are a huge reason to watch. Keeping with the theme of this film, most of what he plays are covers, but really good and heartfelt covers. Two that stood out to me as his brief version Merle Haggard's Sing Me Back Home and the lovely closing version of Leadbelly's Goodnight Irene. There are no extended guitar solos here or real rocking out. Keith keeps his musical offerings here on the acoustic side, but partly because of this it has the close intimacy that he and so many us love about the blues and country music. There is a laid back but still soulful feeling to his renditions of these classic songs. For a movie about one of The Rolling Stones, there is little sex, drugs or rock and roll here. But there is plenty of music and isn't the music why people became fans of Keith Richards in the first place?

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas (2019)

ZZ Top is often a band whose look and eccentric style have often over shadowed their actual musician ship. However after watching this documentary, it is hard not to feel that this is unjustified. These men are extremely talented musicians and they have put out some really good music. The music is always the focus of this documentary, which is perfect for ZZ Top. As the film discusses, the band always kept their private lives private, preferring to let their music speak for itself. As the movie brings up this is why the band's eccentric look works for them, it makes them feel as if they were somehow something bigger than life, while helping obscure who these people are. While of course listening to the members of the band talk about their music, will give us a look into their personalities, little else is given away about who these people are offstage. We find out a little about Dusty's childhood as well as Frank's marriage and drug addiction, but nothing else. From this film alone, you don't even know if Dusty or Billy ever married or had children and this is fine with me. Mystery only helps to make musicians so appealing (this may be part of why I'm a Bob Dylan fan) and do we really need to know anything about ZZ Top besides that they are really cool guys with beards (well except for the one whose last name is beard) who play a mixture of the blues and rock and roll? Once you get down to this, it is clear speaking about the music is the best way to make a ZZ Top documentary. This movie does give us a lot of insight into the music as well as where the eccentric style of the band came from. It also gives us some dang fine music and listening to them perform songs like La Grange, Brown Sugar and Blue Jean Blues show the band has lost none of their talent for performing these songs, and hold up just as well as clips of older performances of ZZ Top songs like I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide.

This documentary only follows the band up to their 1983 album, Eliminator. While this may disappoint some fans, I feel it is a wise thing to do. Too many documentaries try to fit too long of careers into too short of a time. To be fair there are still times the movie feels rushed but it is never distractingly so.

I definitely recommend it to both fans of the band and newcomers.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Summer Concert Series: Echo in the Canyon (2019)

Excellent documentary on the rock and roll music coming from Laurel Canyon in the 1960's.

What makes this movie is when you get hear the great musicians who made this music tell the stories behind them. They are very open, very honest, and very candid about everything. They tell truly personal stories that are simply fascinating to listen to. If you are familiar with the music of this era this film helps you look at it in a new way, understanding how all these artists inspired each other and freely borrowed from one another. The Beatles use of folk inspired chord changes in I Wanna Hold Your Hand inspired the folk rock of The Byrds, but in turn the folk rock of the Byrds inspired many Beatles songs. It is especially interesting how much British musicians such as The Beatles and Eric Clapton became a part of this. They visited, hang out with and shared songs with these artists and what was happening at this time in California also changed the way they did things. The most obvious instance of this is that Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club was inspired by The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds album. However my favorite moment in the film happens when Eric Clapton coming to the realization that his song Let it Rain borrows from Buffalo Springfield's Questions. When interviewer Jakob Dylan tells him that they can edit out the realization, Eric argues that he wants it left in the film  because he feels it is important for others to know. Tom Petty (in one of his last interviews) gives a humorous look at this saying he admires how The Beatles' If I Needed Someone more than resembles Peter Seeger's The Bells of Rhymney (or more importantly the Byrds' cover of the song), stating that it walks the line between "cross-pollination" and "outright theft." Tom Petty though not one of the musicians of the era discussed here, is always a joy to listen to talk about music, because he does it with such an undying passion. Speaking of influences it is interesting to hear about how classical music such as Bach influenced The Beach Boys and this also shows those who think of them as just a corny band that made silly surfing songs in the 1960's that they can be taken and studied just as seriously as any other band mentioned here. 

Where this film falters is that there is simply too much Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers. Don't get me wrong they are a good band, but they shouldn't ever be the center of attention in a movie about the music of the 1960's. I personally would have rather seen more archival footage of the original bands performing these songs instead of The Wallflowers. While they are a good band, hearing a modern band takes away from the 1960's feeling of a magical era of music that has passed and seeing performances from the 1960's would have instead added to this feeling and would have created a stronger personality for this movie. I am also not a fan of how often the camera focuses on Jakob's reactions to what the musicians were saying instead of the musicians saying it. There is a reason why many documentaries don't show the interviewer on camera and that is because he is not who we are interested in. Also scenes with The Wallflowers looking over these albums and talking about them feels more like what film and music critics should do when talking about this movie than what we should actually see in the movie.

Still there are some uses of  archival performances used in this film and they are fantastic and simply a joy to watch. There is a reason this music is so revered and that is because it was excellent. I do wish there were more of these clips and that we could have seen the whole performances but this does not take away from the pure joy they bring.

While certainly not a perfect movie, there is a lot to recommend here for fans of 1960's music and documentary films.    

-Michael J. Ruhland