Tag: Music
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Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.
A collaboration between old friends from art school, Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. is not your average music doc. Most obviously because the music career of Sri Lankan born and Brixton bred rapper M.I.A. is only one component in a film exploring her beginnings, her inspirations, her activism and her global success in the early 2000s…
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Gaga: Five Foot Two.
I’ve been a longstanding Gaga fanatic since Fame Monster landed back in 2009, finding myself captivated by her angsty ballads such as Brown Eyes and Speechless. It was an album that defined my last long summer of freedom before heading off to university. When Born This Way arrived two years later I was once again won over by the mainstream singles, meanwhile falling…
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Born to Be Blue.
By delicately and thoughtfully multi-layering fact over fiction, Robert Budreau’s Born to Be Blue is a beautifully textured, loose interpretation of jazz musician Chet Baker’s 1960s comeback. We first meet Baker on the floor of a damp Italian jail cell, withdrawing from heroine. Moments later, we’re in a world of fast pace black and white,…
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Miles Ahead.
The title of Don Cheadle’s passion project refers to the innovation, revolution and originality found in the music and work of Miles Davis. You may have seen the main poster for the film which features Cheadle with his head down, sunglasses on, clasping his trumpet whilst a cigarette billows sexy smoke from his mouth. The…
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Janis: Little Girl Blue.
If you look for this documentary under the image tab of the search engine of your choice, you will come across many a photographed portrait of Janis Joplin. Very little else emerges except perhaps the occasional film poster. This is somewhat reflective of Janis: Little Girl Blue, a film deeply concerned with image and painting…
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Ricki and the Flash.
We first meet Ricki (and the Flash) in a Californian bar where they perform Tom Petty’s American Girl to the boozing onlookers. The sequence is alive with the sound of fingers on strings, and convincing echoes and acoustic reactions that one would expect from the surrounding architecture. Meryl Streep’s own vocals fill your ears joyously…
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Love and Mercy.
A musical biopic with a twist, Love and Mercy portrays The Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson at two different points in his life. A younger Wilson (played by the terrific Paul Dano) struggles to lead the band in an agreed direction. Trying to create great, innovative music whilst dealing with signs of concerning mental health problems…
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Whiplash.
Blood, sweat and tears are ever present in Damien Chazelle’s raucous drama about a painstaking search for genius. The innovative camera movements and invasive shots allow us to experience the anguish of every drum beat and each cymbal clash – making Whiplash the most satisfying movie I’ve seen in months. Nominated for five Academy Awards,…
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Short Film Reviews: Lone & The First Step.
Lone. (2013) Dir. Mark Pellington Lone elegantly combines experimental film and music in an almost hour long experience that is rich in ideas, textures and visuals. Its sound is layered and complex, developing and transforming as the film continues. It has elements of Terence Malick, David Lynch, Andrea Arnold and Harmony Korine. It is at…
Hannah McHaffie 