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CINEMA SEEN - "Music To My Ears...And Eyes!" By William Margold It was brought to my attention recently by a gregarious fellow who barters massage ad space for THE LAXPRESS that I apparently have a very soft spot in my heart...and in my head...for musicals. And while I poo-poo’d the accusation immediately...upon further review---and particularly after being liltingly and lyrically swept away by the premiere offering of GLEE (on FOX)---I must admit that he was right. (For those who missed the pixilating pleasure of watching GLEE when it first aired...be advised that you can catch up with it on www.fox.com...and you’ll be able to see it as many times as you like...and like...and like...before the Ryan Murphy created series returns in the fall.) Flashing back now over my film (and television viewing) life, I realize that I have almost always placed quality song and dance enriched productions on a very high plateau, and have, in fact, used them, when I was (and am) in need of having my spirits uplifted...or to simply revitalize my appreciation of those ebullient type of productions that are overflowing with energetic creativity. Frankly, I think that I am considerably more prone to being impressed (as in awe and admiration) by such special forms of movie and television magic---such as in the case of Alan Parker’s stylishly soulful FAME and Colin Higgins’ delightfully decadent THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS...all the way to Trey Parker’s scandalously sly SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT and Josh Whedon’s wondrously witty ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING musical episode of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER---because I can’t carry a note in a bucket, and I have the dancing ability of a hamstrung ox. And for that reason...nestled securely among my all-time top ten favorite films is 1955’s euphoric and euphonic SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. And to this day...I consider its barn-raising dance number without equal. And while none of the productions (including the most recent films) mentioned and featured pictorially on this page reach the level of the magnificent "Seven"...each in its own unique way worked its own very special form of magic on my song and dance starved sensibilities...and...of course...my aforementioned dearth of warbling and terpsichorean capabilities. WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY---I caught up with this one long after it strutted its stuff on the big screen near the end of 2007, and was so dazzled by its "era-vocative" style, that after watching it twice (thanks to Netflix), I went out and bought the two disc set, and then watched it a couple of more times. John C. Reilly is a revelation as the legendary Dewey Cox (an amiable amalgamation of Elvis, Cash, Dylan, and anyone else you can think of), and the Jake Kasdan directed (from his script with Judd Apatow) film is a treat. That it wasn’t a "big hit" may well be that it was simply too smart (and insightful) for its own good...and...in all probability... soared way above the heads of the audience(s) that it was aimed at. CADILLAC RECORDS---This one was as much of a musical history lesson for me as it was a richly entertaining motion picture experience. I missed it during its theatrical run, but finally caught up with it when it became available through Netflix. Writer-director Darnell Martin’s look at the life and times of Leonard Chess (superbly etched by Adrien Brody) and his (Chess Records’) stable of Black recording artists including Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Little Walter (Columbus Short), Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Howlin’ Wolf (Eamonn Walker) and Etta James (Beyonce Knowles) is an intense trip down a very bumpy memory lane that is strewn with quite a number of emotional boulders. And to prove that I thought highly of the production, I went out and bought the DVD (so I could watch it whenever I wanted to...plus utilize its cover artwork on this page) right after I dropped the copy that Netflix had sent me in the mailbox. end NOTE: Originally published in LA Xpress, May 28, 2009 issue. |