Musical Artist Movie Hall of Fame

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Save the Texas Prairie Chicken
When I wrote the review for the Commitments I wanted to let others see it before talking opening about the way everyone were constantly fighting back stage and then coming together so well on stage. I just got a kick out of that aspect and didn't want to ruin anything for those going in blind.
That is because the show must go on.
WARNING: spoilers below
I think it is interesting, though, how FAST they broke up. I forgot it happened THAT fast. I figured then that this had to be something that they had all been tired of for awhile now, but they just kept going along with it for some reason.


Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny:

Sadly, (but probably not surprisingly), I don't have much good to say about this movie
Citizen Rules and I were right about how you were going to feel about this one then. I have to ask you this, though. Which one was better? Tenacious D or Get Him to the Greek?

School of Rock

There's usually at least 1 or 2 kids that I can't stand watching, but that didn't happen here.
I am not overly fond of all the kids in a movie either. There is usually a couple for me to dislike, too, but these were all pretty good. I know the one girl really reminded me of Emma from Bates Motel. It wasn't her, but I really thought she resembled her at times. She played bass, I think.
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I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe



Hi guys! I really like this HOF and I've seen so many movies that would fit to this kind of HOF. Please make sure you count me in once there will be number II. Thank you!
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You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.



Save the Texas Prairie Chicken
Hi guys! I really like this HOF and I've seen so many movies that would fit to this kind of HOF. Please make sure you count me in once there will be number II. Thank you!
I will most definitely remember you! Glad to hear that you're interested!



but I really love Ed Harris. I think he is one of those actors that doesn't get enough credit for his performances.

Totally agree...planning a list of my favorite Ed Harris performances.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Citizen Rules and I were right about how you were going to feel about this one then. I have to ask you this, though. Which one was better? Tenacious D or Get Him to the Greek?

Tenacious D was the better of the two movies, but I have no desire to ever watch either of those two movies again.
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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
That is because the show must go on.
WARNING: spoilers below
I think it is interesting, though, how FAST they broke up. I forgot it happened THAT fast. I figured then that this had to be something that they had all been tired of for awhile now, but they just kept going along with it for some reason.
WARNING: "very true" spoilers below
I've spent a lot of times with musicians and can be THAT fast. Sometimes in the very middle of a song. But, yeah, that was a little bit of a surprise for me too. Considering all their brawling beforehand.
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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



Nothing good comes from staying with normal people
Eddie and the Cruisers


The opening scene reminded me of Citizen Kane, the way the film reel gave way to a couple of news men discussing a story. And as with the story of Kane, the reporter gets the order to follow the story she propossed, in this case to interview the members of a band who's singer died 20 years previously...or did he?

I liked this one. It's allways fun seeing Joey Pants work, regardless of what he does. Same with Tom Berenger, here as young as I've ever seen him. He plays both parts of his character very well, the seemingly content yet restless teacher that goes to face his past as well as the unsure young man who meets and later becomes part of the band. The guy playing Eddie was great, if sometimes a bit overly moody and philosofical. He reminded me of Patrick Swayze's character from Point Break, spouting lines of "true art" and "real music". At the same time, you got the feeling that he was a talented musician. The way he took what Frank had come up with for The Dark Side and turned it into a Rock ballad more or less on the spot wa impressive, especially as it was the first time he'd heard it. The music overall was really nice in this, right up my alley. The scene with Eddie and Joann at the Palace of Depression was a heartfelt one, Eddie complaining about how everything is meaningless, only to then drive off and leave her there. That was something of a dick move, though. He was her ride and he just dumped her in the middle of nowhere.

As to the question stated in the beginning, wether or not Eddie is alive comes out to be almost a moot point in the end, as the movie isn't really centered on that as much as the impact of Eddie's dissapearance had on the rest of the band members. Frank never pursued his writing dream, as he'd been convinced by Eddie that writing and music is linked, so when Eddie died, there went the music. I don't really remember what happened with Joann, but both Doc and Sal seemed to be stuck in the same place as they were when Eddie was alive: Sal kept playing their songs, and Doc's hunt for the one big thing that would make him rich and famous just kept going, ending with the final scenes of the movie.

Overall, I enjoyed this. The music was great, and while the story was intreguine, it did drag for a bit at times. Despite that, I'm glad to have seen it and it was a good nom. Way to go, Des!
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Why not just kill them? I'll do it! I'll run up to Paris - bam, bam, bam, bam. I'm back before week's end. We spend the treasure. How is this a bad plan?





Just finished re-watching Coal Miner's Daughter, a film that it's been a least a decade since my last view. This musical biopic about country music superstar Loretta Lynn is one of the few biopics ever made that was public endorsed by the film's subject. Lynn loved the movie and loved Sissy Spacek's performance and therein is the magic of this movie. Sissy Spacek's enchanting performance is the heart and blood pumping force behind this movie. I have talked frequently on this site about the fact that I wanted Mary Tyler Moore to win the Oscar that year for Ordinary People, but I completely understand and respect Spacek's win here. This was one of those performances, like Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, where the actress appears in virtually every frame of the film and not for one second makes you regret it.

With the aid of Michael Apted's solid direction, a screenplay that captures Loretta's humble sensibilities and her very special relationship with her father, and with the fabulous Tommy Lee Jones to play off of as Dolittle Lynn, Spacek is just magical here and makes you forgive the slow spots in the film and there are a few but Spacek makes the relatively few bumps in this cinematic journey bareable. Where biopics are concerned, this is one of the best. Don't even remember what I rated it in my review thread, but I'm re-rating it here.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé


Ray


To see what this man hears. . . wow

Even though I am a very big fan of Ray Charles and his music, I knew practically zero of his personal history and this film was a superb way of discovering a little bit about the man and where his music came from.

It was an impressive production that balanced itself between the music, those who were in his life and their impact on him, to delving within the man himself and the one true guiding light; his mother. I really found those parts of the film involving his childhood very touching and quite beautiful in their sadness.

And I think, that is the defining character of this film. The balance. All of which, in my eyes, were treated with an honesty that neither judged, glorified, or let you forget, in the end, this was about the man himself. Which isn't easy to do when talking about an icon. And they were able to approach it with, not only respect, but with an almost unbiased reflection. Which is quite commendable.

Along with this balance, was my enjoyment. I was both incredibly informed of this marvelous man and very entertained by the movie itself.

It is a given that Foxx WAS Charles. It was AMAZING.
Also, so was the rest of the cast in their roles. Another that shined was the actress playing his mother; Sharon Warren. She brought such inner strength and frailty into her role it was truly astounding. The scenes where she teaches Ray to stand on his own after going blind and watching, with pride, as he begins to listen to his surroundings was wonderfully emotional. Never mind the funeral! GOOD GOD! SUCH anguish!

Along with her are countless others that immersed you into Ray Charles' life story, and quite the life story it was.

Thank you, so much Gideon, I had been actually avoiding this movie because of all the hype and I am so glad that serendipity came into play for me to view this. Frickin YAY



Save the Texas Prairie Chicken
WARNING: "very true" spoilers below
I've spent a lot of times with musicians and can be THAT fast. Sometimes in the very middle of a song. But, yeah, that was a little bit of a surprise for me too. Considering all their brawling beforehand.
WARNING: spoilers below
You know, I bet this desire to leave was just brewing inside each of them. You could tell by that last show that all of them - at least the men - seemed to let their egos take over (just the refusal of wearing the suits told me how their attitudes had changed). And I think the breaking point was more the fact that the lead singer (I can never remember any names from this movie other than Jimmy and Imelda Quirk ) was going off for his solo career.


I had been actually avoiding this movie because of all the hype and I am so glad that serendipity came into play for me to view this. Frickin YAY
I know I said that with Eddie and the Cruisers the hype made me think I was going to see something epic, but I, too, tend to avoid movies that have a lot of hype. Most of the time, I finally give into them like 10 years later when the hype has died down (that is why I really thought EATC was going to be really good because the hype lasted so much longer). And I have ended up pleasantly surprised more than once. I'm happy to hear that this was the case for you with Ray because I think it is a very good film.



Save the Texas Prairie Chicken
Walk the Line

Alright. This is my second time writing this one out. Hopefully I won’t lose this review this time around.

This is the second nomination of mine (but it was actually the first one that I nominated ).

The first thing that I want to say is one of the things that I really like about the film is that I feel like it is more just a story rather than a biography. One could almost think it was fictional storytelling rather than a telling of someone’s life story. I have to give big credit to the filmmakers for creating a film that gave me that impression because I think that is what helped me to like this film more than I ever expected to.

I may be wrong, but I believe Johnny Cash gave his blessing to have Joaquin Phoenix portray him in this film. So if anyone thinks it wasn’t good casting, then blame Johnny for that one.

As for me, I thought he was an excellent choice for the part. I think Joaquin was perfect in this film. I am an incredibly huge fan of his, anyway. So my opinion on the choice and his performance may be a tad bit biased, but I will still express my opinion no matter what. I think he is one of the most underrated actors around. He is one that reminds me of the old-timers. He has a natural quality about his acting. There are few around today, as far as I am concerned, that are able to take a role and make it seem real, as if the actor IS the person that they are portraying (and I am including fictional characters, too). But I think Joaquin does that 100% here. I always thought he was robbed of his Oscar, but what can be done about it now?

As for Reese Witherspoon. I don’t think she fit the role of June Carter as well as he fit the role of Johnny Cash. I really don’t like her in here at all. I still don’t get how she won for Best Actress. I really feel that this was one of those cases where the one actor (Joaquin) made the other actor (Reese) look better than they actually were, but it is the actor that only looked better that was acknowledged for the performance over the one that was actually better.

I liked that they were both able to do their own singing. Her voice was good, but June Carter is better. But I think Joaquin did a pretty good job. There were times where I thought he sounded enough like Johnny Cash that I think if someone was the casual listener, and didn’t realize what they were listening to, I think that person could easily think that it was Cash who was actually singing.

If there is one thing that this movie confirms in my mind it is the fact that classic country is so far superior to the modern stuff.

Also, I wasn’t too thrilled with the choice of the actor who played Elvis. I always have a hard time with the actors they cast as Elvis.

Speaking of Elvis, and this film, it just makes me even madder at myself that I didn’t go to Sun Records Studio when I was in Memphis. Memphis was actually, literally, a last minute plan. I knew I had the time and I decided to drive there before I went home. I wanted to see Graceland (one of my absolute favorite places that I have ever seen). When I was there I should’ve gone to Sun Studio. I didn’t, though. And I have always regretted it a bit. Who knows? Maybe I will swing by that city again someday. Maybe.

Anyway, I think this is an enjoyable film. My only complaint is that I wish we would’ve seen more of the man that everyone loved over the man who was, essentially, an alcoholic. I would’ve liked to have seen more of the guy that was the real Johnny Cash.




Save the Texas Prairie Chicken
La Bamba

I am just going to say it right off the bat. I love this movie. I always have. It is a horribly depressing film. It is the kind of movie that puts me in a tiny bit of a funk, but I still love it. I know I mentioned somewhere in this thread that this is the sort of movie that I will watch every time it is on TV. I am happy to see it in this HoF because it just gave me another excuse to watch it.

What I like about this film is that it really does give you the truth about Ritchie’s family life, and it allows you to see more about this kid who was never given the chance to really have a great career (and from what I have heard, he was really popular – more than we might realize).

I can’t say that I 100% agree with the choice of Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens. I am speaking LOOKS wise. Otherwise, I think he was very, very good in this film. Just another one of those actors on my list that does deserve a lot more credit for his performances. He really should be working much more in bigger productions than he is. Anyway, all of the cast is very good in this film, though. But my favorite is Esai Morales as his brother, Bob. But that might just be because I have had a crush on Esai since I was a kid. I swear I spend my entire time watching that man in a movie and I will think “Nobody is good enough to deserve you”.

Anyway, I love the relationship that the brothers have with each other. I never cared for the way that the mother treated Bob. It is quite obvious that Ritchie was the one who mattered. I understand he was the good boy, but the mother’s attitude towards Bob didn’t help his behavior any. Still, despite that, I do like that the brothers had the relationship that they had. And I like it that they finally had their fight, too. It needed to happen. Just like that phone call that Ritchie made when Bob answered had to happen. They needed to have that one last talk.

This is just a sad movie. A good one but a sad one.

My one complaint that I have always had about it is the line in the plane that they have Buddy Holly speak. It is just silly to have that in there. I would’ve been perfectly fine with them getting in the plane, taking off and ending it with that. They didn’t need that extra line just because we don’t know what was said between them, if anything at all.

I know people are probably tired of me talking about it now, but since I have been to the crash site, when I see the plane take off in the film, I have a different opinion watching that now. Before I was always able to watch it and think it was sad. Now I watch it and think about how horrible it really is. The crash site is only like 5 miles from the town of Clear Lake. To walk, it wouldn’t be the fastest. But when you drive to it, it takes about 10 minutes, if that, and you realize how fast that plane crashed. They were hardly gone. And it almost seems worse than if they’d been in the air for even an hour. The length of time – and the distance that they were from town – was practically like it was nothing. It really is a tragic story.

Anyway, very good film, CR!! I am glad to see that you had the forethought to make this your second nomination as a companion to The Buddy Holly Story.



Yes, I do like this movie that much.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
really great reviews, @SilentVamp. Definitely agree about Phoenix BECOMING a role. A lot of folks just stay in that niche or get jobs for the same persona again and again, but Phoenix really does immerse himself. Ya gotta respect that.

Also agree with wanting to see the Johnny Cash as he was, not JUST the trouble he had with alcohol/drugs.

Been WAY TOO LONG since I've seen La Bamba so I can't comment directly, except a few tidbits about him being a really big thing at the time of his death. Him, Holly and the Big Bopper were on the top of their game. A very sad story.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Pink Floyd's The Wall


Daddy! What you leave behind for me?.....

First off, allow me to give both a gracious thank you and a sincere apology for those (so far) who suffered their way through this.
This is NOT an easy film for a LOT of people and, again, thank you for trudging your way through this.

Though it may not seem so on the surface, both of my noms, this and Amadeus play on a similar theme. The parasitic attributes of creativity and what they exact from those it is gifted to. It is a terrible, terrible price and The Wall really explores it with graphic minutia. From the claustrophobic opening scene that includes the horrific pounding at the doors signifying Pinks' inner fears bursting out to the extraordinary animation the delve into those fears with such vivid intensity.

We are trapped within the psychological chaos of Pink's brain from infancy to his adult life as a drugged out musician. Where, in his deranged mind, all his fears are put on trial and exposed for all to see.

When I first saw this as a teenager, I was already a fan of the album itself and it was countless times at the theater, midnight show and eventually on a copy of a VHF I relived this crazy movie full of hallucinogenic atrocities.

WARNING: "It is a very dark corridor that" spoilers below
you traverse in this movie and it never eases up until the closing credits as the children pick up the broken pieces of Pink's wall.

In my partying youth I was enthralled by this movie and watching it last year I was still caught up in the music, the imagery and the story of poor Pink.

Again, this is not an easy watch, thank you to those who have endured it and to those of you who will be.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Eddie and the Cruisers


The opening scene reminded me of Citizen Kane, the way the film reel gave way to a couple of news men discussing a story. And as with the story of Kane, the reporter gets the order to follow the story she propossed, in this case to interview the members of a band who's singer died 20 years previously...or did he?

I liked this one. It's allways fun seeing Joey Pants work, regardless of what he does. Same with Tom Berenger, here as young as I've ever seen him. He plays both parts of his character very well, the seemingly content yet restless teacher that goes to face his past as well as the unsure young man who meets and later becomes part of the band. The guy playing Eddie was great, if sometimes a bit overly moody and philosofical. He reminded me of Patrick Swayze's character from Point Break, spouting lines of "true art" and "real music". At the same time, you got the feeling that he was a talented musician. The way he took what Frank had come up with for The Dark Side and turned it into a Rock ballad more or less on the spot wa impressive, especially as it was the first time he'd heard it. The music overall was really nice in this, right up my alley. The scene with Eddie and Joann at the Palace of Depression was a heartfelt one, Eddie complaining about how everything is meaningless, only to then drive off and leave her there. That was something of a dick move, though. He was her ride and he just dumped her in the middle of nowhere.

As to the question stated in the beginning, wether or not Eddie is alive comes out to be almost a moot point in the end, as the movie isn't really centered on that as much as the impact of Eddie's dissapearance had on the rest of the band members. Frank never pursued his writing dream, as he'd been convinced by Eddie that writing and music is linked, so when Eddie died, there went the music. I don't really remember what happened with Joann, but both Doc and Sal seemed to be stuck in the same place as they were when Eddie was alive: Sal kept playing their songs, and Doc's hunt for the one big thing that would make him rich and famous just kept going, ending with the final scenes of the movie.

Overall, I enjoyed this. The music was great, and while the story was intreguine, it did drag for a bit at times. Despite that, I'm glad to have seen it and it was a good nom. Way to go, Des!

Great review Clazor. I'm glad to see someone else enjoyed Eddie and the Cruisers.





Just finished re-watching the 2004 biopic of Ray Charles titled Ray that won Jamie Foxx an Oscar for Outstanding Lead Actor and it is his performance that makes this elaborate and overlong film worth sitting through. Taylor Hackford, a director known for over indulgence, has provided a thoughtful if somewhat leisurely pacing that makes this journey a little rough but Foxx's incredible performance never allows you to take your eyes off the screen. The screenplay is a little simplistic and paints its subject in an overly pious light and I have to wonder how different this film would have been if the subject hadn't been around during production. Mention should also be made of a pair of terrific supporting performances from Emmy winner Regina King as Margie, a backup singer Ray has an affair with and Sharon Warren as Ray's mother. Have to admit that the film did not hold up as well as I thought it would, but Foxx still provides a pretty smooth ride. What's fantastic about the performance is that research reveals that some of the vocals are dubbed with original Charles recordings and Foxx does his own singing too and there are some scenes where I actually can't tell if Ray is singing or Jamie Foxx is.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
What's fantastic about the performance is that research reveals that some of the vocals are dubbed with original Charles recordings and Foxx does his own singing too and there are some scenes where I actually can't tell if Ray is singing or Jamie Foxx is.
I'd be curious to do a blind taste sorta thing and see