CBGB
CBGB tells the true(ish) story of Hilly Kristal, the
owner of New York nightclub CBGB.
CBGB, of course, was the epicenter of the Punk Rock movement and a
launching pad for acts such as The Ramones, Blondie, The Talking Heads, and The
Police.
Alan Rickman (CDNW) plays Krystal, a man with no business
sense but a great ear for music.
Rickman’s just wonderful: slovenly, disorganized, kind of a jerk, but
totally good-hearted; it’s difficult to see that man in this role and imagine
him as anything else.
As for the story, well, I imagine that your response to this
movie will depend on your affinity for the subject matter. If you care about the history of
alternative music in general (and punk rock in particular), this movie is for
you. If not, well, it’s a peek
into a subculture that wasn’t your thing to begin with. As for me, the soundtrack alone made it
a great film to have on in the background while sorting through paperwork, even
though it doubled the time required for my project because I kept putting it
down to focus on whatever Rickman was up to next. As such, I enjoyed CBGB. I think I’ll buy the soundtrack.
Get on Up
Get on Up is a
reasonably straightforward biopic, enlivened by an exceptional performance from
42’s Chadwick Bozeman.
This film, a James Brown biography, skips around the
artist’s life to show us, warts and all, what this man was about. A canny businessman, a relentless
self-promoter, an artistic genius, a wife beater, a tax cheat, and an
all-around SOB, Brown alienated pretty much everyone on his way to the top, and
he kept on alienating them once he got there.
But man, that artistic genius part. That’s really something.
Chadwick Bozeman captures all of it, with a
lightning-in-a-bottle performance that spans a hardscrabble youth, electrifying
performing career, and drug-addled old age. From the speaking voice to the dance moves to the odd, almost
palsied shuffle, the actor has James Brown right on down. The film is worth seeing for him alone.
As an aside, the film captured the imagination of my
15-yr-old, who’s on something of a ‘60s music and history kick. I see some James Brown CDs infiltrating
his regular Doors/Stones/Hendrix rotation in the very near future.
