Almost Famous
William Miller: So Russell. . . what do you love about music?
Russell Hammond: To begin with. . . everything.
Known as "director Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical account of life as a young Rolling Stone reporter", this film is chock full of references and inside remarks from those early 70s daze of touring with a Rock Band and all the good/bad and crazy situations that happen. A lot of them based on similar situations that occurred to Crowe during that time in a rosy-tinted perspective.
Some of the references that I got a kick out of included the remark by the Editor of Rolling Stone warning young William Miller (Patrick Fugit) that they already had one Hunter S. Thompson and they didn't need another one. As well as the acidic writer Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who, for a time, worked for Detroit based rock magazine, Creem magazine. He'd eventually die of an overdose in the early 80s.
Like he often did, Crowe used relative unknowns that would become very well known, such as Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Noah Taylor, Frances McDormand, Anna Paquin and Zooey Deschanel. Along with Jay & Silent Bob regular Jason Lee as the singer of the fictitious rock band Stillwater that young Miller tours with. The cast does an excellent job and like a number of Crowe's work there are little personal touches that causes you to find yourself happily drawn into this world and those experiencing it.
Much like my previous hesitations with Dazed & Confused from the previous HoF, and being very happy to have finally delved in, it is very much the same with this movie. A very feel-good, throwback to a different time of Rock and Roll.
Thank you to whomever nominated this for me.
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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
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