MOVIE REVIEW: Joan Jett - "Bad Reputation"

MOVIE REVIEW

Joan Jett

Bad Reputation

Documentary ‧ 1hr 33min

Release Date 9.28.18

(BMG / Blackheart Films)

__________

After 40+ years in the

music biz, Joan Jett has

become an iconic, all-

American brand. I

guess her reputation

ain't so bad after all.

__________

Details regarding this much-anticipated bio pic first were revealed onstage during Joan Jett's 2018 summer concert tour supporting classic rock stalwart, Styx. My interest was piqued immediately. However, despite my acknowledged obsessive passion for the iconic singer / songwriter / guitarist, the film somehow eluded me when it was released a year ago. In fact, I didn't finally discover it (on Amazon Prime) until last night. Was it worth the wait?

Directed by Kevin Kerslake, Bad Reputation is the compelling life story of rock trailblazer Joan Jett— from her earliest memories of receiving her first guitar as a little girl to her groundbreaking days as the co-founder of the Runaways in the '70s to her platinum-selling breakout success as a solo artist in the '80s to her 2015 Rock and Roll Hall Fame induction and beyond.

But offering more than heart-stopping recollections of rock and roll access and heart-breaking revelations of overcoming career obstacles, Bad Reputation is a heart-warming account of Jett's longtime relationship with creative and business partner, acclaimed songwriter, producer and manager, Kenny Laguna.

Jett's story is enhanced through the personal insights provided by those who know her best — past and present bandmates, including Cherie Currie, Gary Ryan and Thommy Price, rock legends, Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry and a host of others, as well as such current chart-busters as Billy Joe Armstrong and Miley Cyrus. Along the way, Hollywood stars Kristen Stewart and Michael J. Fox also reflect on their experiences of working with the rock superstar.

The Bad Reputation WOW factor amps-up further through often never-before-seen, high-energy live concert footage of Jett as a solo artist as well as with the Runaways.

All in all, Kerslake does an impressive job of recreating Jett's story. Although I'm not sure how I managed to miss the film for a year, I'm sure glad I finally experienced it. Well worth the wait, indeed!

-Christopher Long
(September 2019)

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- SUPERSTAR -

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- SHOUT IT OUT LOUD -

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- C'MON! -

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MOVIE REVIEW: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

MOVIE REVIEW

Once Upon a

Time in Hollywood

2019 / 2hrs 41min

(Columbia Pictures)

__________

This is the film I have been
waiting months to see. And
while I realize that Tarantino
could probably have knocked
an hour or so off the running
time without compromising
any of the story's cred, I'm
certainly glad that he didn't.

__________

As a feeble little old man who grew up during the groovy, shag-carpeted era of the late 1960s and early '70s, I find myself now navigating desperately through a super-sophisticated iWorld. Hence, I was intrigued instantly by the premise and nostalgia-factor of director Quentin Tarantino’s latest big-screen epic. Sexy-looking, action-packed pre-release trailers promised a fast-paced film based on semi-factual accounts of shocking historical events of the time — pinned to a glitzy fictional backdrop — starring today's hottest and hunkiest A-list talent. Squeezing into my favorite faded bell bottoms and heading out to my local cineplex to see this one on opening weekend was a bona fide no-brainer. The only question was whether or not it would live up to the hype. One senior's matinee ticket to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, please!

The new Redford and Newman.

Hollywood — 1969. TV / movie star, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his longtime compadre / stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), are struggling to salvage their careers. The fictional Dalton character soon finds himself cast in the actual 1960s Western TV drama, Lancer. It's a bit of a stretch, but it works. At the same time, Dalton and Booth's fictional personal stories are woven into semi-factual real-life accounts of the notorious Manson Family and their 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and several others. This too is a bit of a stretch. But doggonit, it works, really well.

The film's all-star cast is incredible. DiCaprio and Pitt both deliver in fashions reflective of their distinguished reputations — a modern-day Redford / Newman-caliber combo with legs. Margot Robbie becomes Sharon Tate. Although Robbie's talent demands co-pilot status, maintaining the authenticity of her character requires a seat in first-class. Emile Hirsch drops an impressive performance as Tate's ex-boyfriend, Jay Sebring, while Margaret Qualley is simply irresistible as spirited Manson Family member, Pussycat. Dakota Fanning is a legit Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and ten-year-old Julia Butters is a scene-stealer as precocious child "actor," Trudi Fraser.

Margot Robbie is superb as Sharon Tate.

Although Tarantino’s choice of ending has been criticized, it's important to realize that despite leaning on certain historical events, this film is a "fantasy." Plus, it's a Tarantino "fantasy." So, to expect anything other than a disturbing, blood-spewing ending would be as ridiculous as the film's actual disturbing, blood-spewing ending.

In sum, believe the hype. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood delivers maximum bang for the movie buck — an absurd, yet thrilling tale — an authentic-looking period piece bursting with heart-stopping tension, excessive violence, offensive language and oodles of hard bodies and pretty faces.

-Christopher Long
(July 2019)

__________

- GARAGE SALE VINYL -

(2024)

Amazon

Barnes & Nobles

Books-A-Million

__________

- A SHOT OF POISON -

"10th Anniversary Edition"

(2020)

Amazon

CGPublishing.com

__________

- SUPERSTAR -

(2019)

Amazon

__________

- SHOUT IT OUT LOUD -

(2014)

Amazon

__________

- C'MON! -

(2012)

Amazon

MOVIE REVIEW: Rocketman (2019)

MOVIE REVIEW

Rocketman
2019 / (R) / 121 minutes
New Republic Pictures

__________

Of all the music-related
bio pics hitting both the big
and small screen these days,
this is the flick I've been
looking forward to most.

__________

The problem with the 2017 blockbuster, The Greatest Showman, was that it didn't know what it wanted to be. It kinda wanted to be an authentic bio pic based on the life and career of celebrated showman P.T. Barnum. But it also wanted to be a modern-day, pop fueled, Glee-style musical that somehow plays out in the 1800s. Be sure, I enjoy a lighthearted teen-targeted musical production just as much as the next aging hillbilly. And I definitely love a compelling, historically accurate bio pic. But by playing it from both sides of the fence, TGS failed to deliver either effectively. As a result, the integrity of the story was compromised — despite generating seven billion in box office receipts. Directed by Dexter Fletcher, Rocketman doesn't know what it wants to be either.

Elton John is arguably the most successful and influential music artist since the lads from Liverpool made their big splash in the early 1960s. As a lifelong super-fan of John and the iconic music he created with songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, what I was craving was a riveting, in depth, accurate bio pic revealing brutally honest insights into the lives and careers of both men — the songs they wrote, the albums they created and the legendary band members who brought the music to life. What I got often looked more like the latest installment in the popular High School Musical film franchise.

Taron Egerton delivers an award-
worthy performance in Rocketman.

Like I said, there's certainly nothing wrong with shamelessly spirited musicals. But when John (still going by his real name Reginald Dwight), performs as a young lad in a local British pub in the early 1960s, long before ever even meeting Taupin and he bursts into a signature John / Taupin standard from 1973 for the sake of a campy ensemble song and dance scene, well, it squelched the film's authenticity factor, PDQ.

However, when focused on the story, Rocketman delivers in spades. The splintered relationships between John and his parents are heartbreaking. The tension between John and former manager and lover, John Reid is riveting. And John's deeply personal and painful struggle to navigate through the world of superstar excess is fantastic, indeed.

A logical question might be; How can you have an authentic Elton John bio pic with NO mention of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy? Well, in Rocketman, there is no specific mention of any of John's iconic, chart-busting albums. There's no mention of his much-loved band members  — no Davey, no Nigel, no Dee, no Ray — not even as much as an "attaboy" for longtime producer, the late Gus Dudgeon. Did Elton John ever collaborate famously with his hero, John Lennon? You wouldn't know it from Rocketman.

Egerton, Howard and Madden
are simply superb in Rocketman.

John's story is recounted cleverly in the setting of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. And it's in that scenario, in the film's final moments, when Rocketman delivers its most powerful payoff, as John offers forgiveness to those who have hurt him most in life. Additionally, he asks forgiveness of those same people for his own transgressions. Powerful, indeed.

Huge props are owed to the film's superb cast. Taron Egerton doesn't play Elton John — he becomes Elton John. Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as John Reid and Bryce Dallas Howard as John's mother, Sheila also deliver amazing performances.

So, was Rocketman entertaining? Of course. Was it worth the $6.95 I paid for my senior's matinee discount ticket? Sure. Heck, I'm even gonna see it again, and take my GF. But it was no Bohemian Rhapsody. Which is unfortunate, as I expected this film to clear that bar easily. But what I find particularly baffling is, why on earth would such an adult, "R"-rated film be produced to seemingly appeal to such an impressionable teenage audience? Hmm, odd.

-Christopher Long
(June 2019)

- GARAGE SALE VINYL -

(2024)

Amazon

Barnes & Nobles

Books-A-Million

__________

- A SHOT OF POISON -

"10th Anniversary Edition"

(2020)

Amazon

CGPublishing.com

__________

- SUPERSTAR -

(2019)

Amazon

__________

- SHOUT IT OUT LOUD -

(2014)

Amazon

__________

- C'MON! -

(2012)

Amazon

BOOK REVIEW: "Face the Music" by Paul Stanley

BOOK REVIEW

FACE THE MUSIC

A Life Exposed

- Paul Stanley -

(HarperOne)

 ______________

With three of the original

"Fab Four" having offered

their versions of  KISStory

in the last decade, only one

piece of this dysfunctional
family's puzzle remained.

And it's the one I've been

waiting for most.

______________

Superstar endorsements from the likes of Jimmy Page, Elton John and Dave Grohl grace the back cover and introductory page of FACE THE MUSIC: A Life Exposed — the long-awaited tell-all autobiography from co-founding KISS frontman, Paul Stanley.

Seemingly honest and transparent, Stanley begins sharing his life story while leading readers through his nightly pre-concert regimen. First, I wipe my face with an astringent, to close the pours. Then I grab a container of "clown white," a thick, cream-based makeup. I dip my fingers into the tub of white goo and start applying it all over my face, leaving some space open around my right eye, where the rough outline of the star will be. And in short order — before he can even lead us to the next step — sketching out that iconic star with the pointed end of a beautician's comb, the rock legend sets the stage for his rollercoaster tale.

More than the typical "rags to riches" rock and roll saga, FACE THE MUSIC is the rather unlikely story of how Stanley Bert Eisen — a Jewish kid of German / Polish descent, raised in a less than affluent part of Manhattan during the '50s and '60s, beat the odds — not only by overcoming a physical disability, but also by achieving unimaginable success.

Told in an engaging, no-nonsense style, the "Starchild" recounts in vivid, heartbreaking detail how he was taunted and ridiculed from an early age by other children who would wield such verbal daggers as, "Stanley the one-eared monster." He further reveals the dark realities of growing up in a dysfunctional home with less than nurturing parents and a one-time institutionalized sister who once came at him with a hammer — and then used said hammer to break down his bedroom door, Jack Torrance-style.

Of course most of Stanley's story centers around his epic 40-year career with KISS, including details of his often volatile personal and professional relationship with musical partner, Gene Simmons. And make no mistake, much energy is spent on maligning original KISS members, guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. In fact, despite the love, kindness and God-factor Stanley weaves into his story, his relentless snarky commentary regarding his two former bandmates tends to dilute his effectiveness. C'mon fellas, enough is enough already with the bashing.

Stanley does however, give credit where its due in portraying original KISS manager Bill Aucoin and choreographer / road manager / songwriter / producer Sean Delaney, yet the role of Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart is somewhat minimized. And while every one of Stanley's Playmate / actress liaisons made it into print, the names and stories of such key KISStory players as John Hartman, Peter "Moose" Oreckinto, Carl Glickman, Larry Harris, Jeff Franklin, Fritz Postlethwaite, Wally Meyrowitz, C.K. Lendt and others are noticeably MIA.

But jamming a 60-year life story of this magnitude into a mere 450+ pages certainly is a tall order. And be sure that despite glossing over a few prime eras, omitting some key players and bypassing such insightful topics as the KISS arena football team, KISS coffee shop, KISS miniature golf course and a series of hip replacement surgeries, FACE THE MUSIC certainly does deliver a slew of salacious stories and plenty of WOW-factor. However, one of its biggest payoffs is Stanley's more recent accounts offstage — starring as a dedicated husband and proud father. A recommended read, to be sure.

-Christopher Long

(April 2014)

- GARAGE SALE VINYL -

(2024)

Amazon

Barnes & Nobles

Books-A-Million

__________

- A SHOT OF POISON -

"10th Anniversary Edition"

(2020)

Amazon

CGPublishing.com

__________

- SUPERSTAR -

(2019)

Amazon

__________

- SHOUT IT OUT LOUD -

(2014)

Amazon

__________

- C'MON! -

(2012)

Amazon