There’s some story to like in Bill and Ted Face the Music, but ultimately, it’s about the next generation and what they can do to help their dads.
Available on VOD SPOILER ALERT
Bill and Ted still have an insurmountable task to accomplish in Face the Music. They still have to make that song to bring harmony to the universe. The pseudoscience and sociology behind being able to achieve that is hard to grasp as not even the Oa who created the Green Lantern Corps can promise universal peace. As cinema’s most lovable doofuses would say, being happy means being excellent to each other.
The story by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon is not too perplexing. Time travel stories often struggle with its own internal logic, and this film is no different.
The film is brilliant at realizing this mantra because the future shelves of Bill and Ted simply forget their own credo and need reminders. They are cruel to their past shelves. It’s sort of funny, but I can’t help but wonder when each future iteration decided to be nasty. Part of it has to do with how they failed as musicians. Sadly, the film doesn’t spend any time about them as family men. Their wives are concerned for their wellbeing and suggested couples therapy to “separate” them. Just why their kids adore their fathers is mind-boggling.
“This year’s Pop Conference is an exploration and celebration of youth across generations, locations, and disparate contexts; listening with intensity to what is behind the urgent call we’ve heard from multiple artists to remain ‘forever young,’” said MoPOP Manager of Public Engagement Robert Rutherford.
Conversation – September 10 at 3:00 p.m. PT Event Runs September 9-10, 16-17, and 23-24
To kick off “Forever Young: Popular Music and Youth Across the Ages”—this year’s special virtual version of Museum of Pop Culture’s Pop Conference 2020, spanning three consecutive weeks—MoPOP today announced that the Conference keynote conversation would feature seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette. MoPOP’s annual Pop Conference, first held in 2002, mixes together ambitious music discourse of every kind to bring academics, critics, musicians, and dedicated fans into a collective conversation. This year’s conference was delayed this past spring due to the on-going global health crisis, but returns this month as a purely digital format. Continue reading “[Seattle, WA] Pop Con 2020’s Special Keynote feat. Alanis Morisette!”
The Men’s Room is a sombre documentary about a men’s choir who don’t have much of a future for themselves.
By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Feb 7 | 6:30 PM | Capitol 6 Feb 14 | 12:15 PM | The Vic
For Vi er Gutta (original title) or The Men’s Room is a sombre documentary about a men’s choir who don’t have much of a future for themselves. This movie length work by Petter Sommer and Jo Vemund Svendsen follows “The Male Choir,” a band of merry men who should be burdened with uncertainly. They are 40 somethings by my reckoning. Every Tuesday, they get together and sing the blues. It’s laced with references about women, whisky and wine one day, or that desire for rockstar fame in another. Ivar is their conductor. He helps the team fine tune their singing voice and honestly, they’re quite good. The music is therapy for them.
When they learn their lead has cancer, the plot is simple. Just how long does he have? They’ve been asked to open for Black Sabbath–no easy feat–and they better be on top of their game.
A new documentary series detailing YOSHIKI -Life of a Japanese Rock Star is slated to premiere on YouTube Originals in March 2020.
It was hand-picked by this service as part of a select group of internationally-renowned artists to be profiled. He’s likened to such powerhouses such as Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, BTS, Robert Downey Jr., Will Smith, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Mark Ronson, Dwayne Johnson, and Taylor Swift. The six-episode series marks the first documentary program from a Japanese artist to be featured.
People cheered and people cried. Freddie Mercury’s spirit will never be forgotten because footage of him will always be used in one form or another in Queen + Adam Lambert’s concerts.
Queen + Adam Lambert Rhapsody Tour Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC July 10th, 2019
The biopic Bohemian Rhapsody did more than reignite interest in the music of Queen. Not only was it a cursory glance at the life and times of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer but also it gave a bit of insight to how a few of their best known tracks were composed. Some fans complained about it not being the story they wanted. This movie took a very long time to get developed and I’m certain many arguments between producers and actors took place over what to focus on; ultimately the story had to end on a high note than be a reminder of a life cut short.
Anyone who has followed this band knows Roger Taylor and Brian May kept busy with many other projects. They weren’t ready to say if their band is fully retired or not. They tried a comeback with Paul Rogers but I felt that team-up did not work. Their collaboration with Adam Lambert was fortuitous; he has the vocal range and the flamboyance to remind us of Freddie but yet be his own unique presence. Lambert put his own stamp to Queen’s tunes and reminds us in every tour that he’s not out to recreate. He is honoured to be part of this lineup and says it every performance, otherwise the detractors will jump on him.
The angels must be singing; When Sarah Brightman‘s HYMN World Tour comes to a close at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall on November 11, 2019, internationally acclaimed composer Yoshiki will be there to perform alongside.
He was a special guest at Radio City Music Hall (New York), The Masonic (San Francisco), Dolby Theatre (Los Angeles), and Yokohama Arena (Japan) and those fortunate to see those shows were not disappointed. For those who did not go, there’s one more chance! Tickets can be bought online or through TicketMaster.
“Miracle (Sarah’s Version)” – composed by Yoshiki and performed by Brightman with Yoshiki on piano – reached the Top 10 on iTunes Classical Charts in 15 countries and it continues to gain accolades. Brightman has called the song “the number 1 masterpiece on the album.”
Yoshiki will return to the UK for the first time since his band headlined Wembley Arena in 2017. The soundtrack to the award-winning X JAPAN documentary We Are X reached the #1 position on the UK Rock Chart.
“MIRACLE (Sarah’s Version)” feat. YOSHIKI
He brought his solo Classical Concert Series to London in 2014 and gave a live performance of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the UK’s Classic Rock Awards in 2015.
Yoshiki previously collaborated on the single “Foreign Sand” with Queen drummer Roger Taylor.
Yoshiki – “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Classic Rock Awards)
In March 2019, PBS premiered a one-hour version of “Yoshiki – Live at Carnegie Hall” on WNET Thirteen, the nation’s #1 public television station, with additional U.S. markets to be announced soon.
YOSHIKI – “Live at Carnegie Hall” Trailer
Yoshiki and X JAPAN have headlined internationally famous large venues such as Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, and Wembley Arena, as well as selling out Japan’s Tokyo Dome 18 times. The elegant dinner events are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans to see the celebrated artist, and visitors from overseas are increasing year by year because of Yoshiki active role on the world stage.
Although direct tickets are now sold out, the secondary market may see a few go for exorbitant prices. If anything can be found, let the buyer beware as this musician have publicly criticized resellers as fully taking advantage of his fans.
“I usually don’t like summer because I’m a nocturnal creature who dislikes the sun and heat,” said Yoshiki. “But ever since I started this show several years ago, I started to look forward to this season. I’m truly grateful to all my fans who support me. I wish I could have adjusted my schedule to make room for more than 12 shows, but this is the best I can do at this time. I’m looking forward to seeing you all.”
Available on VOD
By Ed Sum
Queen + Adam Lambert Rhapsody Tour
The angels must be singing; When