The Dirt stars Iwan Rheon, Douglas Booth, Machine Gun Kelly and Daniel Webber as members of American rock band Mötley Crüe.
Directed by Jeff Tremaine; The Dirt is the story of how the group became one of the most notorious rock bands in history.
I’m not very familiar with Mötley Crüe’s music, but I am curious about the chemistry between the four leads, and I’m hoping for a convincing end result.
Leven Rambin, Pete Davidson, Daniel Webber, Rebekah Graf, Tony Cavalero and Kabby Borders also star.
Starring Lily James, Himesh Patel, Ana De Armas, Kate McKinnon – and directed by Danny Boyle; Yesterday is a new comedy/fantasy about a struggling musician who realises something unexpected after an accident.
He learns that nobody in the whole world except him knows of The Beatles, one of the most successful bands of all time.
I have to see how this extraordinary situation plays out, especially since it’s directed by the rather reliable Mr. Boyle. I need to know whether our protagonist ends up feeling guilty and what he intends to do with all his newly found financial success.
What if the whole thing turns out to be an elaborate social experiment? I. have so many questions.
Ed Sheeran, Camille Chen, Derek Siow, Joel Fry, Alexander Arnold and Lamorne Morris also star.
Directed by Bryan Singer and starring Rami Malek as late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsodyis a movie I really enjoyed. I’m certain that the ‘behind the scenes access’ look it felt like the film was providing is a big part of the reason why.
Before watching, I didn’t quite know how moving and tragic Mercury’s story was. Now, considering all the highs and lows in his life, it was just perfection that 1985’s dual-venue benefit concert, Live Aid, happened the way it did and that Queen were there to deliver their forever legendary performance.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Malek is well-cast, especially in terms of his acting talent. Nevertheless, it would have been super if facially, he looked a bit more like Mercury. Especially since the rest of Queen seemed to resemble their real-life counterparts quite well. This is basically the only complaint (if one can call it that) that I have about Singer’s movie.
Overall, I had a great time watching the brotherhood between the band members, adored Freddie’s wit and charm, especially liked the footage of the band’s time in the studio and during the very important negotiation before the song Bohemian Rhapsody was released. There’s also the moments of true and beautiful friendship that may stand out for you; they certainly did for me.
I say, watch Bohemian Rhapsody for all the reasons including the great music. Music I enjoyed so much that I found myself wishing that I’d been there on that special day at London, England’s Wembley Arena on July 13th, 1985.
Starring Julie Walters, Jessie Buckley, Sophie Okonedo and directed by Tom Harper; at the centre of new music/drama Wild Rose is Rose-Lynn Harlan (Buckley), a musician from Glasgow with big dreams of becoming a country music artist in Nashville, USA.
I’m in for a story about a dream that seems so far from a person’s beginnings and circumstances, and yet they still believe. I’m also interested in the family dynamic.
On a separate but connected note, I’ve just tried but currently cannot think of a single British musician who’s made it big in Nashville. That’s not to say that it can’t or hasn’t been done, of course. Anything is possible.
Jamie Sives, Gemma McElhinney, James Harkness, Ashley Shelton, Tracy Wiles and Daniel Campbell also star.
A Star Is BornstarsBradley Cooper as Jackson Maine, an ageing, alcoholic musician in a downward spiral, while Lady Gaga plays the talented young singer he helps find fame.
I’ll start by saying that I definitely misread the film’s duration of ‘one hundred and thirty six minutes’ as ‘one hour thirty-six minutes.’ Luckily though, in the end the longer than average two hours 16 minutes total length barely proved punishing.
As for why this movie appealed, I had to watch it to see how well Cooper fared in the dual leading actor/director role. The good news is, A Star Is Born is a well-executed story that’s heartbreaking, funny, layered, well-captured, and it features some rather memorable music. In fact, my favourite song on the soundtrack is called Shallow, and I’ve listened to it many times since.
I absolutely bought Cooper’s tortured character’s emotional journey. I also believed him as a rock star because of the good music in the film and how his character presented physically – including the way he moved – both on and off the stage. I especially enjoyed the first time Shallow is performed on stage; a pretty glorious experience that’s very beautifully shot.
Besides Cooper’s well-executed dual roles, other highlights include the deep bass in Cooper and co-star Sam Elliott’s voices. There’s also a memorable, perfectly timed funny momentthat involves one of the two/three times Frank Sinatra is mentioned.
As for the not-quite-great things about A Star Is Born, my suspension of disbelief was briefly interrupted by the uncomfortable close-ups near the beginning of the movie. Close-ups that luckily either eased off as the film went on, or they somehow bothered me less. There were also one or two moments of dialogue that felt awkward during Cooper and Gaga’s early interactions. Thankfully, though, that awkwardness also eased off as the film continued.
Watch A Star Is Born because it’s good, handles well themes linked to different kinds of relationships, familial, business, healthy, unhealthy, poisonous, etc. Lastly, if you’re not already in love, there’s a reasonable chance that A Star Is Born will make you want to be – and likely with a musician. So, good luck with that!
The Movie My Life 