| February 18th, 2005 05:34 AM |
|
|
| Ten Thousand Motels |
Fri, February 18, 2005
Blues documentary Bottle has flashes of Lightning
Winnepeg Sun
By Jane Stevenson
Action-crime drama director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), a veteran of music videos, tackles his first full-on music documentary with Lightning in a Bottle. It becomes clear early on, however, that he's better suited for Hollywood than Howlin' Wolf.
Most problematic is the venue for this 2003 all-star Radio City Music Hall concert celebrating the 100th anniversary of the blues.
Blues is best heard in a smoky, dark club, and the surroundings in this film are just a little too slick for my liking, regardless of the good intentions to give these artists their due and respect.
Given the presence of such blues legends as Ruth Brown, Buddy Guy, Solomon Burke and B.B. King, one wonders if musical turns by more modern acts like Macy Gray and David Johansen were really necessary here.
There's also the puzzle of why it took so long to recognize these long-overlooked artists in the first place, something never really addressed.
"Better late than never," sums up Brown.
On the plus side, there is some serious lightning during the performances and story telling by the blues elders, not to mention the new worthy crop -- African diva Angelique Kidjo and blues shouter Shemekia Copeland, the daughter of Texas guitarist Johnny Copeland.
Some of the best footage is provided by glimpses of the week leading up to the concert, such as when an angry Odetta interrupts a rehearsal by Brown because her band is drowning her out.
The accompanying history lesson of the blues is fascinating: For instance, some rare film footage of Jimi Hendrix at the front of the stage transfixed while watching Buddy Guy in a blues club.
There should have been more of that raw emotion and intensity throughout this documentary. Ultimately, Lightning in a Bottle is for hardcore blues lovers and those wanting to know a bit about a highly influential form of music.
But it's hardly the definitive film about the genre.
LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE
Starts today @ Cinematheque.
Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5
|
| February 18th, 2005 11:37 AM |
|
|
| FPM C10 |
David Johansen is in the film because he's Hubert Sumlin's singer, fer crissakes. The guy dissing the movie should have known that. I hate it when people don't do their homework - like the new issue of Rolling Stone mentions "Robert Lockwood Jr." It's Robert Jr. Lockwood, and the "Jr." is because he took guitar lessons from Robert Johnson. And damn it, everybody who writes for Rolling Stone should have to pass a test, and that should be one of the questions!
It DOES seem to be rare when a film-maker gets it right regarding the Blues, though. Even Scorsese's series on PBS got it wrong more often than they got it right. Mostly I just want to see archival footage, preferably black & white, with nobody talking over it explaining why I should be interested. Like "Devil Got My Woman". Now THAT'S the shiznit! |
|
CHAT
ROOM aka THE FUN HOUSE] [
RESTROOMS]