Summer Of Soul (Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on April 14, 2022.

(PG) ★★★★★

Director: Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson.

"Mister, won't you please help my pony!"

Concert films are usually just documents of bands doing what they do - playing live on stage, in front of fervent audiences, running through their hits.

Sometimes they end up being more than that. Sometimes they become a snapshot of a moment in time, or even an historical document. Sometimes they capture a profound turning point in culture, or demonstrate the deeper power of music and how it connects a community.

Summer Of Soul does all that and more. It captures some incredible artists at the peak of their powers, all performing at a remarkable event, the likes of which have never been seen again. But it's also a powerful essay on civil rights, politics, religion, and black identity, as viewed through the prism of a forgotten piece of history.

Questlove (of The Roots fame) does a marvelous job of capturing and celebrating the vibe and power of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, an event that drew a largely black audience of around 50,000 people to Mount Morris Park over several weekends.

The festival took place the same summer a certain other music festival happened, leading some to dub it the Black Woodstock. The event was filmed, but very little of it was ever aired, despite boasting a killer line-up that included Stevie Wonder, Sly & The Family Stone, The Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Nina Simone, BB King, The Fifth Dimension and more.

In between banging musical performances, Questlove slices in interviews from those who were there, providing important context to the festival. In some cases, he drops pieces of dialogue in between lyrics, like a DJ sampling. In other places, he lets the performances or the recollections run on, like a muso feeding off the audience, not wanting to break the spell.

The magic of music is definitely the key attraction, but it's also used in fascinating ways to explore the culture and politics of the time. The film segues seamlessly through its high-profile line-up in between discussing civil rights, black identity, the importance of the church in black culture, the role of the Black Panthers, the politics of the time, and Harlem's multi-cultural make-up. It's an impressive juggling act that seems effortless.

In Summer Of Soul, the festival becomes not only a lens through which to explore black society and the issues facing it, but a metaphor for black history. That this important event and its amazing line-up were largely forgotten about by the wider American society says it all really.

Questlove's film show the capacity for the music doco to be about so much more than music. It's one of the best examples of the genre to date.

REWIND REVIEW: Beastie Boys Story

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on April 14, 2022.

(M) ★★★★

Director: Spike Jonze.

Cast: Adam Yauch, Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz. 

Beastie Boys Story is streaming on Apple TV.

"Welcome to Old Men Dancing!"

On May 4, 2022, it will have been 10 years since the death of Adam Yauch, aka MCA, aka the heart and soul of the hip hop legends Beastie Boys. 

That the band ended with his passing is testimony not only to how integral he was to the group, but also the integrity of the remaining members Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad Rock). Since Yauch's passing, Diamond and Horovitz have used the Beastie Boys' name selectively, and predominantly to celebrate Yauch and their legacy as a trio.

This integrity and sense of legacy is evident in the two-shot of Beastie Boys Book and Beastie Boys Story. The first is an essential tome detailing the big and small of their career. It allows Diamond and Horovitz to right wrongs, set records straight, and peel back the curtain on a fascinating and hugely influential career.

 

The second is essentially a live stage show version of the book, turned into a semi-documentary in order to allow it to travel the world without Mike D and Ad Rock having to actually travel the world.

The advantage the doco has over the book is the endless stream of footage and music available to help sell the stories, give visual context, and provide opportunities to poke fun. When things go awry in the live show, Jonze leaves them in, because that's part of what Beastie Boys were all about - goofing around, making each other laugh, and generally having a laugh.

However there was always a seriousness hidden in the beats and rhymes of their music, and that's even more in the mix in Beastie Boys Story. Mike D and Ad Rock talk candidly about the mistakes they made and the personas they created around their smash-hit debut Licence To Ill, and how the touring and success of that record turned them into the very things they despised. Their honesty and mea culpas are impressive.

But it's when they talk about Yauch that the doco really hits hard. Watching Ad Rock struggling to talk about his departed friend is heartbreaking. It's part of the honesty that makes the film feel valuable and important, and not a cash-in - paying tribute to Yauch and his work is a key reason for this doco to exist.

Most of the film is excellent, but some parts don't work. While Ad Rock sounds like he's just chatting with the audience, Mike D sounds like he's reading off an autocue (because he is). Some bits drag and some gags bite. There's also nothing on their final two albums, with the doco skipping from Hello Nasty to Yauch's death - a 14-year leap that omits their post-September 11 album To The 5 Boroughs and their brilliant comeback/farewell Hot Sauce Committee Part II.

Perfect for the hardcore fans, it also serves as a great overview for the casual passers-by. A deeper dive would be welcome, but it feels like this is the best insight we'll ever get into the band, and perhaps the last word on a stunning and influential career.

CODA

This is a version of a review appearing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on March 31, 2022.

(M) ★★★★

Director: Sian Heder.

Cast: Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Amy Forsyth.

CODA is streaming on Apple TV.

"Honey - you don't have red wine with fish."

Is CODA the best film of 2021? 

No, it isn't. I'd give that honour to The Power Of The Dog or Belfast. 

But is it the kind of feelgood movie we all need after a couple of tough years? Absolutely.

CODA's high-concept story of a girl from a deaf family wanting to be a musician sings as sweetly as its star Emilia Jones, and its themes of dreams, outcasts, communication, joy and family help make this the uplifting and sincere movie experience many have been searching for.

Jones is excellent as Ruby Rossi, the only hearing member of her family. Between her schoolwork, her family's fishing business, and serving as her family's interpreter, Ruby's life is full. When she tries to squeeze in her dream of becoming a singer, as well as having a love life, her world overflows, and she's forced to choose between her own needs and the needs of her family.

CODA succeeds thanks to its great cast, its strong idea (adapted from the French film La Famille Belier), and the sincere way it tells its sweet story. Jones is brilliant, carrying the weight of the film and the singing with apparent ease. She is the shining heart in the centre of the movie and it's no exaggeration to say CODA stands or falls on her shoulders.Thankfully, Jones delivers. 

Kotsur is also great, and a worthy winner in a tough best supporting actor field at the Oscars. His award season success has overshadowed Matlin however, whose role is arguably more difficult and multi-faceted than Kotsur's lovable crank. Matlin deserves just as many accolades. Also noteworthy are Durant as Ruby's brother Leo, and Derbez as the passionate music teacher, Mr V.

Heder's adapted screenplay is a neat ball that wraps up most of its story strings nicely. Her direction is unfussy and to the point, which only helps the film's heartfelt sincerity and uplifting nature shine through.

So why isn't it the best film of the year? Compared to the likes of The Power Of The Dog and Belfast, CODA is a safe bet that doesn't push the limits of its artistic endeavours. The cinematography, complexity and thematic depth of the other two mentioned films are leaps and bounds ahead of CODA, as is The Power Of The Dog's score.

But that's ok, that's fine. CODA isn't that kind of film, but it's a beautiful, well-told story is one well worth many accolades and your time.