Tag: Biopic

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Puts Only The Essential Life in the Spotlight.

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis looks at this musician’s life through the eyes of The Colonel’s (Tom Hanks) and we have to wonder if this man had any compassion at all.

Elvis (2022 film) - WikipediaSpoiler Alert

Biopics about musicians are often sanitised for the big screen. Bohemian Rhapsody (review link) was more about Freddie Mercury, more than the band from a third-person perspective. Conversely, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis looks at this musician’s life through the eyes of The Colonel’s (Tom Hanks). It sometimes vilifies rather than objectifies his role in making this man a star.

Even this villain who managed this singer (Austin Butler) throughout the decades admits to his problem. We get little sympathy for the devil.

Anyone who followed Elvis’ career or was part of his inner circle knew Colonel Tom Parker was trouble. Even though he helped turn the teen from Tupelo, Mississippi into a superstar, the stuff he held back on (or didn’t allow him to partake) may have dimmed this superstar’s light by a little. The spotlight is back because of the award-winning performances between Hanks and Butler. The film is really about their relationship first and the music second. Any tidbits of actual history are marginalised. This performer was upset because he wasn’t given the respect he so deserved during his time in Hollywood.

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[Fantasia 2019] The Stardust Brothers are Back and Where to Find Them

null 20By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The Stardust Brothers has no relation to Ziggy, and nor it firmly rooted in 80s nostalgia. The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (星くず兄弟の伝説) is a movie that’s simply bonkers. I found a sprinkling of inspiration from Spinal Tap, a weighty nod to The Blues Brothers and a zaniness ala The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. I’m more inclined to say The Monkees, because I watched too much of this television show when I was a wee lad.

Relative unknowns, a crooner Shinga (Shinga Kubota) and a punk rocker Kan (Kan Takagi) from rival pop bands are paired into a hilarious manzai synthpop singing duo. To understand their rise to fame is far too gonzo to make sense of it all. This film is an experience–beginning with a black and white sequence until colour is splashed on screen–about these two parading their music to unimpressed lounge patrons. Where these two are performing now is ironic, and if the audience they are singing to care, I’d be surprised if they get an ovation. As any band will tell you, life after that initial moment of fame is different.

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The Dirt on The Dirt: The Mötley Crüe Biopic

Mötley Crüe had their share of individual problems. To compress nearly thirty years of their time into a 108-minute film is simply not possible.

The Dirt on Mötley Crüe PosterSay what you will about the lads from Mötley Crüe–Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx–but after watching The Dirt on Netflix, I felt rebellious again! I wanted to thrash it up and relive those glory days. Yes, I listened to a lot of heavy metal back then. Plus, the ’80s to ’90s was a memorable time in music history. We went from punk rock to heavy metal to grunge. To say what’s next this style of music, who knows.

This heavy metal band’s sound was toned down when they entered their glam phase and I’m thankful I had Judas Priest’s hard-hitting edge to counterbalance. The Crüe gang had another thing coming with the rockstar lives they led; not every telling moment and scandal was revealed.

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