Musical Artist Movie Hall of Fame

thank you for the correction, @mark f!! ALWAYS appreciate getting the RIGHT facts.

__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

The Commitments (1991)

Loved the music, it's right up my alley. I was even thinking about getting a CD of the soundtrack. I loved seeing the streets of Dublin, with the very realistic urban decay. I loved the way this was film, especially the stage shows which looked authentic. I still don't know if The Commitments are real or actors or what? I seen the bands name credited on some of the songs in the closing credits, but were they in the movie? Or were those actors?

It's a good thing this movie has a great soundtrack and is visually unique as I couldn't connect the characters, which meant I didn't care about them. That's mostly due to the strong accents, I must have only understood about half of what was said. I thought about putting on subtitles, but do I really need to read F*** 169 times, I don't think so. It's like there's a great idea here, but not much story or character development so in lieu of that the film makers have the band members fighting, and fighting...and bickering and screaming. All this conflict for entertainment's sake, reminded me of Withnail & I (1987).

Luckily the music makes the movie and who ever performed the songs were amazing! I really liked the music.

Attachments

 

Commitments is definitely goes on the list for rewatch improves enjoyment. I had watched one link over a third of the way and kinda fumbled through and when I found a better link and started anew, my enjoyment grew with the familiarity of things. Great lil movie, really great soundtrack.

The Idolmaker

I don’t know if I have ever heard of this film. I think I have. The title is familiar. But nothing else about it is.

I heard that it was based on the experiences of Bob Marcucci. So I decided to look more into it after I watched the film, and I think it made the story a bit more interesting when I realized what was what in this film.

You have the first singer, Tommy Dee. More my sort of singer/performer from that era, but what a jerk! I just didn’t like him at all. Now, from what I have read, he was supposed to be based on Frankie Avalon. I guess it is OK if Frankie was like that, but there is a tiny bit of disappointment because I always liked him, and he never came across as a “bad” guy.

Then there is the second singer, Caesare. From what I understand with that is that it is based on Fabian. OK. So Fabian is a “good” boy (to a certain extent). Alright. That is fine. But, in all honesty, I have never really cared for him. But if there is any truth to this film, I guess that is OK on my part.

And I suppose the film is loosely based on these two guys. But what I found interesting was how Fabian took Marcucci to court over it. Frankie Avalon didn’t bother, but Fabian did. If all of that was true, why did it bother Fabian so much more than Frankie Avalon to be portrayed the way that they were in the film?

Then I read that the original script actually had the two singers come across as better people in the film compared to the manager – the opposite of what this film was. So, I am a little confused and I don’t know what it true, but the film worked out alright.

The acting was fine. The songs were OK. But like I know Citizen Rules and I have both discussed earlier in this HoF, they almost sounded too 1980’s to pass as the 1950’s.

It was an interesting film to show just how show business does work. The dirty deals and the not-so-good guys that these people can be while putting on an angelic face for the fans and so on.

It is too bad that people may have trouble watching the movie because it is a good enough to watch what happens behind the scenes from the point of view of a man who made the singers rather than the singers themselves.

__________________
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe

Sweet Dreams

Sometimes I think you have to be interested in a particular subject to truly enjoy what you are experiencing. And I think that was the case here for me with this film.

I am not a fan of Patsy Cline. Never have been. I know something about her life (i.e. stories I heard about her husband, the car accident, etc.), but not much. I suppose I know more about her death than anything else. But I do know her music, which isn’t music that I have ever really gotten into.

I thought the movie was OK. Other than Jessica Lange and Ed Harris (and he is always good no matter what he is in), I didn’t think the actors were anything special. And I thought the film dragged a bit at times.

If I took anything away from this film, it was the impression of the plane crash.


I don’t really have too much else to say about this one. Like I said, it was OK, but I really do think this is a case where the film might be much more appreciated if it the person watching it was a little more interested in the subject matter.

Pink Floyd - The Wall

Oh my God! The film I anticipated the most to be nominated was also the film that I lived in fear of being nominated.

I do have to be honest here.

I don’t know why I would’ve seen this as a kid. It isn’t like my brothers were ever even into Pink Floyd to make that a possibility. But I had seen this. And I didn’t like it. Not at all. I can still remember this friend of my brother’s having the poster hanging on his wall (I thought the poster was kind of creepy), but I didn’t understand why he did because he didn’t seem to like that kind of music. Nobody I knew did. Pink Floyd was never a part of my world.

The reason I am saying that is that I kind of wonder if you have to like Pink Floyd in order to truly appreciate the film. Although, I can’t say that I really knew what was happening in there all the time. There were moments when I was just plain confused. I just don’t know. This just came across as a dark, depressing, somewhat dull film. And that is exactly what I thought it would be – from what I could remember.

This movie just isn’t for me. Like I said, maybe you have to be a fan of Pink Floyd to appreciate it more.

But Bob Hoskins is in this movie. I don’t really need to say anything else.



I am so sorry, @edarsenal. I am. But let me let you in on something. You HAD to keep your nomination of Amadeus to redeem yourself with me. You had to. And the rest of what I have to say can what until the Amadeus review.

Eddie and the Cruisers

Well, this was one that I, and probably many others, have heard about for years. It was going to be the one that I was the most interested in seeing because I’d heard about for so many years now. I have to see what the big deal was.

First things first, and this has nothing to do with the film, but I know I have complained about such a thing before, and I will do it again now. At times this movie was really hard for me to understand because it was SO quiet. I really am not a fan of these companies not providing subtitles to their films.

Anyway, I can’t say I really liked this movie because I didn’t. I don’t know if it was all they hype surrounding it for all these years, or if it was just that I didn’t think it was too good of a movie. Either way, I didn’t care for it at all. I thought it was kind of boring. I didn’t really understand the big deal in getting those tapes. I guess I get it, but still, I didn’t get it. I didn’t really understand what made him so miserable either. I really don’t know what happened in life to make him that way. Unless that was to add to Eddie’s mystique.

And

It is too bad that this movie didn’t end up being one that I liked because I thought I would. The story sounded interesting enough. And it just seemed like it would be a good movie. But I just didn’t like it at all. I am sorry to have to be that honest, but I do have to be honest.

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

I know OF Tenacious D, but I didn’t know much ABOUT them.

Unfortunately I had to watch this twice. Well, at least the first 15 minutes or so. The copy from the library was SO bad that I had to return it and wait for another one to start all over again.

But I can’t lie. I actually enjoyed this movie. Did I think it was going to be a critically acclaimed film, or one that was a hidden gem? Of course not. I got exactly what I thought I would. A somewhat crude film that I didn’t necessarily laugh out loud to, but it is one that I actually did enjoy. This was one of the films that surprised me in this HoF. I ended up liking it much better than expected.

I didn’t mind the music. I got a kick out of Meatloaf as his father. And that kid was fantastic as a young Jack Black! Where did they ever find him?!

It is funny because why should I actually get so into this movie that I was upset over the break-up and worried if they would ever obtain the Pick of Destiny?

So, yes, I can say that I enjoyed the Tenacious D movie.

School of Rock

This was a movie that I wasn’t looking too forward to. The reason why is because I really did NOT like it at all the first time that I saw it. I didn’t even remotely enjoy it. In fact, I thought it was kind of boring. I didn’t find anything that spectacular for people to like it the way that they did. I never really had any intention of ever watching it again.

It was different this time. Quite different, in fact. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning this time around. And I stayed into the story until the very end. The fact that I didn’t remember too much about it probably helped me, in a way, to be able to stay engaged with the film.

I like Jack Black alright. I don’t really have a problem with him at all. I guess I can see why some might not be too amused by him, but I think he is alright. And, if I am to be honest, he really isn’t a bad actor. Strip away the comedy (and he is perfectly fine at doing that), he is a decent dramatic actor, too.

The kids were all good. My favorite was the drummer. I just liked his attitude. I could take or leave everyone else in the cast. While each character was needed for one reason or another, I was just very indifferent to them.

When I watched it this time, I really don’t know what made me dislike it so much last time. It is a good, light story. Nothing that you have to really think about, but one that you can just sit back and enjoy. I’ve said it before that I do like movies like that. And, honestly, I liked this one. And I liked it a lot.

Good nomination, @Clazor! If you hadn’t nominated it, I wouldn’t have watched it again, but thanks for doing so because I could now see what a mistake I made with it the first time that I watched it.

The Jazz Singer

I was never sure if I ever saw this, but I knew bits and pieces of it from years ago. So I had to have seen this at some point in time.

This was another one of those movies that I could barely hear while I was watching it. That is too bad because it kind of takes away from the enjoyment of watching a film. Especially if I don’t have any subtitles to take advantage of.

It was an OK movie. I guess if you know anything about the 1927 film, you kind of know what is going on here. There are many aspects of the film that is different from the ’27 version, but the gist of it is still there (they even managed to work in a blackface scene). Basically, a cantor who wants to sing modern music and is, essentially, disowned by his father for wanting it.

I like Neil Diamond in it well enough. I really didn’t think he was bad at all. And I liked Laurence Olivier’s performance. But I would’ve loved to have smacked him in the face a couple of times. His character got a bit tiresome.

The music is fantastic. But, then again, I am a very big Neil Diamond fan. It goes without saying that I would really enjoy the music. My favorite being “Hello Again”. That song is brilliant.

It was a lot better than I thought it would be. It was a little slow at times, but it was still better than I expected. Those expectations really stem from the fact that I have always heard some pretty negative things about the movie. I don’t really pay attention to a lot of what people say, but there was enough negativity that I didn’t know if this would be one where I would definitely agree with everyone else. But it surprised me and it turned out to be an OK film.

Coal Miner’s Daughter

After all these years I have now finally seen this one. I was very curious to see what the big deal was going to be with it.

I know people like it, and they can, but it wasn’t as good to me as I expected it to be. It was OK. Just not as good as I thought it would be.

I know what I know of Loretta Lynn. And what I know varies from some of her music to her supposed haunted house that she lives in to the fact that Crystal Gayle is her sister. But that is it. I don’t know much else. I didn’t even know much about her life before her career other than she didn’t come from money.

I guess it is a basic rags-to-riches story, but some of it was just unreal to me. I can’t believe her father allowed his 13 year-old daughter to marry him. It wasn’t even like it was the 19th century anymore (and even that is unreal!). That was beyond comprehension to me. And, truth be told, I didn’t like her husband at all. I really did not like him. Yes, he helped push her into the music business, but at the same time, that would’ve been awfully hard to tolerate had someone done that to me. Also, he said some line to her like “you should have more time to love your man the way you’re supposed to”. Something like that doesn’t fly with me either. I really didn’t like the man and I don’t completely understand how they lasted. If they really loved each other, fine. But I didn’t see it there – unless I somehow missed it completely.

Sissy Spacek was good. Oscar-worthy? I don’t know. But she was good. I didn’t really like Tommy Lee Jones at all. But that may have something to do with the fact that I didn’t really like the man he was portraying. I guess the others were fine in the film, though.

And it said that was really Sissy Spacek singing? Was she?? Or was it a case of the studio giving her credit when it should belong to someone else? If that was her, that was kind of amazing because I thought she really sounded enough like Loretta Lynn that if someone didn’t know better, they might think it was her.

Like I said it was a good movie. A little slow for my taste, at times, but it was good.

The Buddy Holly Story

Now I knew this was going to be a hard one to sell to me. I love my Buddy Holly. And I was a little afraid of how it would turn out because I am exceptionally biased when it comes to that man. I think that is why I have avoided watching this film all these years. I had heard good things about it. But when it came to the devoted fans, the opinions weren’t as good. Needless to say, I was wary going into this film. I did consider nominating it myself, but that was because I hadn’t seen it before. Still, I would’ve been hesitant had I nominated it.

If I can erase the fact from my mind that Gary Busey is playing him (at least Buddy Holly was kind of cute!), and if I can erase some of the inaccuracies, it is a good film. I am not a big Busey fan, but he is good in here. The others were fine, also.

He was OK doing his own singing. I appreciate it. But he could NEVER come close to the voice that Buddy had. It just would never happen.

The thing that always bothers me about the real story is how he didn’t want to go. And I am a big believer in going after your feelings. If you just don’t want to do something, there is a reason for it, and just don’t do it. It is just a shame that he didn’t listen to whatever it was that was going on inside him to not go.

I know my mother said that when he died it was all that was talked about on the radio. And she said that the newspaper actually didn’t know how to tell the story. It was almost as if it was hard trying to give the details of the crash. I happen to know exactly what happened to them – what happened to their bodies. And it is very bad. So I can’t imagine how it would’ve been written in the papers back then.

I know I mentioned it in the Getting To Know You Song Tournament – I believe it was the second one – that I’d been to the crash site. I believe I even posted pictures. Again, it is an eerie place to have seen. When I watched this film, and knowing what I know now about the surroundings, how far it was from the town, etc., it just makes watching what happens even sadder.

A major issue I had with this film was that they said they were performing at the Clear Lake Auditorium. Why did they do that? They performed at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. I don’t understand why the name was changed. I didn’t care for them bringing the other two on stage that would die in the crash with him. I also thought it was funny that they said this was going to be a tour of major “cities” in the Midwest. Clear Lake, Iowa is hardly a city. They were in Milwaukee, though. The tour started here. It was at the a place that was once known as the Million Dollar Ballroom (it is in a building now known as The Rave). This is a list of their tour dates until they died:
January 23: George Divine’s Million Dollar Ballroom, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
January 24: Eagles Ballroom, Kenosha, Wisconsin
January 25: Kato Ballroom, Mankato, Minnesota
January 26: Fournier’s Ballroom, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
January 27: Fiesta Ballroom, Montevideo, Minnesota
January 28: Prom Ballroom, St. Paul, Minnesota
January 29: Capitol Theater, Davenport, Iowa
January 30: Laramar Ballroom, Fort Dodge, Iowa
January31: National Guard Armory, Duluth, Minnesota
February 1: Riverside Ballroom, Green Bay, Wisconsin
February 2: Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa

You see how crazy it really was. And if you are from around here, you just don’t know why they would’ve come up with something like that for these guys. And to think in less than 2 weeks they’d be dead. Sad.

Anyway, I can now say that I have finally watched this film, and I thank @Citizen Rules for nominating it.

The Commitments

I was kind of very, very hooked on this movie when it came out. No! I take that back. Not when it came out but when it was first released on video. I never saw it in the theater.

This was my first time watching it in 20 years, or so. It was a movie that always put me in a good mood after I’d seen it. Was it still going to have that power over me? Yes and No.

Am I still entertained by the ups and downs of this music group? Yes. Did I still end up in a good mood after seeing it? Yes. Did I love it as much as I did back then? No. I don’t know if it is my age – compared to when I was obsessing over the film – or if it was just the film itself, but I didn’t feel the same way about it as I did before. And I can’t really figure out why not.

I still enjoyed the performances of everyone in the film (I always did think – and still do – that the guy who plays Jimmy is the best). The music is great, but I think that goes without saying! Still amazed that the lead singer was only like 16-17 years old when this was filmed! I particularly like their rendition of “The Dark End of the Street”.

I will admit that I nominated this movie more for my sake than for anyone else’s. But if other people get some enjoyment out of it, that is a very good thing, too. But I hadn’t seen it in so many years and I really wanted to watch it again. I am a little disappointed that I didn’t love it as much as I did. But I think that really does have something to do with the age I was when it was out. It was just a different time in my life. I think if I give it another 10 years or so, I will watch it again. I think my feelings will be different once more, and I think, for probably more sentimental reasons, I will end up liking this film just as much as I used to.

Ray

This was not only a re-watch for me, but it was also one that I considered nominating in this HoF.

I think this is a very good film. I did the very first time that I saw it, too. I like biopics that do really delve into someone’s life. I like it when they are honest. But I never like it when they seem gossipy. And there is definitely a difference between the two. This film comes across as if they are talking about his life in an honest way. It doesn’t even shy away from his mistresses! But never once did it come across as a tabloid story.

Having said that, while I know relationships can play a vital part in the way someone’s life turns out, I had less interest in his affairs than I did the music. I wish the women would’ve been more of a side story and more focus was put on his career. A lot of time was spent on the career, but think about how much more of it could’ve been spent on it had they not paid so much attention to the women!

Anyway, I think Jamie Foxx is very good in here. He even got Ray Charles’ mannerisms down perfectly. Ray Charles changed when he got older and his body moved differently. What I like is that Jamie Foxx even went through that transformation with the character. That was good acting. Maybe other people wouldn’t realize that he was doing that, but if you know Ray Charles well enough, you should be able to pick up on that. I thought everyone else was pretty good in here, but this picture really is all Jamie Foxx. And I think he definitelly deserved that Oscar.

I always forget how he went blind. How terrible that was for him. How terrible it was for his mother that she not only had her one son who lost his sight, but also what she had to experience with the other son.

It does infuriate me when people have to be mean. Just because he is blind doesn’t mean he has to be treated the way some of those people treated him. I just really, really, really HATE that kind of behavior.

Anyway, very good film. Because I decided to not nominate it, and then I didn't, I was happy to see that someone else had.

Did you read that info somewhere or did you actually sit and count it out? I know there was talk about how often it was used in the film, but after awhile I just become immune to it. I will link your review later. I probably won't be back on until later and I won't be around tomorrow. So, I will link yours and mine that day.

Ha, no I didn't count all the F words. I wouldn't have commented on it...but...I went to IMDB to read about who the real Commitments were and that F number fact was on top of the trivia page.

excellent reviews, SV!! Don't have the time to comment, but will, monday, since sunday is Easter with family
TAKE SWEET CARE til then!!

I can see the real Frankie being a pita like he was in The Idolmaker, he just seems that way in his movies to, like a primadonna.


Laverne & Shirley were totally into Fabian He even gust appeared on their show and sang Turn Me Loose. I've seen him in at least one movie, and to me, he seemed way cooler and much more down to earth than Frankie Avalon.

I didn't take much stock in the films accuracy as they changed all the names, a sure sign that they dramatically altered the facts and don't want to be sued. But I guess that plan didn't work

Yeah, well, I don't care how much Laverne and Shirley loved him because Frankie was still cuter!

Although, I can't deny that I do own Fabian's music, though.

I actually own the original 45 of this song. I used to love this song. Well, actually, I still do.



There is nothing wrong with the 1950's. Great time for music.