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All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music
By Chrystal Ann Heidemann
The American Cinematheque wrapped up its 9th Annual Mods & Rockers Film Festival over the Independence Day weekend, with a unique opportunity to view the entire All You Need Is Love series at the Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Music enthusiasts engaged in a two day marathon of Tony Palmer's vibrant catalogue which explores the history of popular music through memorable performance footage and one-on-one interviews with legendary musicians.
The Mods & Rockers Film Festival ran for two weeks this year, and featured 31 films and shorts, focusing on the likes of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, Arthur Lee of LOVE, The Beatles, and many more. The schedule also included a full-length solo concert by Neil Innes, whose documentary "The Seventh Python" premiered at the festival.
As a Grand Finale, Tony Palmer, an incredible British director with over 100 films in his repertoire consisting of music documentaries and historical drama, came out to Los Angeles for the screening of his 17-episode masterpiece All You Need Is Love. Palmer has won over forty international prizes for his work, and is the only person to have won the Prix d'Italia television award twice.
The weekend kicked off with an enticing free showing of the introductory segment of the series. Palmer greeted the audience, and gave a little background on why he did the film.
He explained his chance meeting with John Lennon at a press conference at his university before The Beatles became icons. Palmer gave Lennon a tour of the campus, and Lennon told Palmer to keep in touch. Years later Palmer got the courage to give Lennon a call, and over lunches of brown rice, Lennon inspired Palmer to create the films, All My Loving and All You Need Is Love.
Created in the mid-70s, All You Need Is Love was planned, filmed, and edited in less than a year. The films were broadcast around the world between 1976 and 1981. In these films, Palmer documents a complete history of popular music, weaving in and out of decades, so the viewer gets an idea of how earlier genres influenced modern musical styles. We also learn how the music industry itself has changed, in the practices of business, publishing, promotion, new media, and recording.
Palmer takes the audience on an entertaining and educational journey through Ragtime, Blues, Jazz, Vaudeville, The Musical, Folk, Swing, Country and Western, and Rock 'N' Roll. The episodes are packed with intimate interviews, performances, and backstage footage. Highlighted musicians include: John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Stephen Sondheim, Benny Goodman, Bing Crosby, Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters, Tina Turner, The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Phil Spector, Elton John and so many more.
I really enjoyed All You Need Is Love. The interviews were personable and enlightening. The films were made in the 70's, so the production value added a nostalgic element, which intensified the emotion for me. Just to see all the old footage and to see how far we have come culturally, creatively, and on a technological front, is quite incredible, and apparent in this representation.
I exited the theater inspired, and in hopes that somebody would pick up at 1975 where Palmer left off. It would be interesting to see the evolution in this series extend to genres like Electronica and Rap. We should document the masterminds behind the popular beats and production of today, instead of passing it off as quick money makers. There is a science and creative process to today's popular music and the world needs to see how it's made to appreciate it.
The 5-disc DVD collection of "All You Need Is Love" is now available for purchase at http://allyouneedislovedvd.com The box set would make an amazing gift for anyone in the Baby Boomer generation, and those studying music in college. Truly, this is a must see for anyone who loves music.
As for the Mods & Rocker Film Festival in general, this is something that you have to check out next year. Martin Lewis of The American Cinematheque produces this event, which has screened over 300 films since its start in 1999. The festival attracts musicians, composers, actors, writers and directors who appear as special guests to talk about the movies that they are associated with.
The American Cinematheque is a non-profit, viewer-supported organization that screens the best of worldwide cinema, video and television ranging from the classics to the outer frontiers of the art form. The Cinematheque's events are presented at Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and The Aero Theater in Santa Monica.
AMERICAN TEEN
By Ted Ott
The question is: "Is this a movie masquerading as a documentary or is it a documentary masquerading as a movie?" The answer: "Yes." For those whose teen years are well behind them, this might be an uncomfortable flick as it makes absolutely no effort to "disneyize" the high school experience.
There is no attempt to homogenize and simplify the cast of real kids with real, and wildly varying, insecurities. At one and the same time, this makes the film both more compelling and more uncomfortable to watch. Only one of the kids seems to have learned from her growing up process and in the epilogue when her progress is revealed, the audience of critics applauded! If an individual teen had been lost at sea in adolescence, with only one exception, that teen also seemed to be lost in his/her post high school experience.
The point this film argues is that if a kid founders through the rough seas of high school, he can expect to discover that the seas remain just as agitated post high school.
It is impossible to escape the sensation of voyeurism. And, it is only the knowledge that each of these teens signed on and permitted the cameras to trail about behind them that saves the watcher from the normal pangs of guilt.
In the end, though, this is a compelling work about normal kids just trying to get on and into life. It is worth watching if only because it teaches that, in the pains of youth, we are not alone!
The Mummy
Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
By David Ashley
Desperately hungry for a franchise, any franchise, Universal has thrown $175 million dollars (virtually the cost of the first two Mummy films combined) into the, clearly, wholly superfluous sequel to the series that just kept making money. Brendan "Why Brendan Fraser?" Fraser strolls back into the shoes of Rick O'Connell, the casually unstoppable and now extraordinarily rich American treasure hunter. Equally interchangeable wife-character is now Maria Bello, with one tiny and vaguely entertaining nod to the audience as such. Fellow spunky and translucent O'Connell, the now grown son (Ford), follows in mom and dad's footsteps by quite accidentally unearthing and resurrecting an ancient immortal despot - what're the odds? And, per formula, John Hannah is in tow for absolutely no reason at all, again complaining the whole way through. 2008's Mummy is the faux--first Chinese emperor (Li), whose efforts to become immortal backfired when he and his legions were turned into terracotta (it is easily imagined that this film was conceived after the writer saw a picture of Emperor Qin's actual terracotta army and uttered, "Wouldn't it be cool if…?"). Stop Jet Li from reaching… um… Shangri La… yes, right, that place… and, uh… "finalizing" his immortality, so that then he can… um… well, let's see… ah yes, resurrect his dead army and enslave humanity. Got it. Our formula is now in place for Mummy-action. Our enjoyment depends merely on this particular incarnation of the script and this new director at the helm. The result? Crash and burn!
The film is about as fun as an evening spent dining out at T.G.I.Friday's and about as funny as the funnies. Talent less shell of a man Rob Cohen sexifies this Mummy for the audience of seven-years-later, apparently doubling the budget in his requisites. Those funds did not inhibit the Mummy tradition of utilizing laughably obvious CGI, but rather made it so that during every quick cut there was something hugely expensive happening - unfortunately, the cutting is so lazily choppy that those spectacles often flit by in an instant. Each set piece and scene is allegedly bigger-than-life but is introduced and carelessly discarded without fanfare - you get the sense that the film was struggling with itself to demand the right to it is existence. Mummy 3 appears to be the perfect example a collection of suits in a boardroom glibly discussing what fodder they can throw at this summer's audience, the notion of content being so irrelevant that if it were mentioned, all men would cease speaking and nervously side-glance at the taboo-sayer. I suppose the worst thing of all is that the film isn't even enjoyable in that silly way where the previous Mummy films at least kind of succeeded. I believe it is evident that Stephen Sommers (Mummy champion) knew how to make a fun film, or at least had fun while making one. Rob Cohen would rather look sexy than enjoy himself - he doesn't appear to know how to have fun. So, Mummy 3 has come and will be accordingly forgotten tomorrow. Seriously, though - it is now a Mummy tradition for the main man to draw his respective pistol immediately after breaching and entering an ancient tomb. I cannot for the life of me imagine why.
BOTTLE SHOCK
By Ted Ott
This is one funny movie. It isn't a rollicking gut- wrenching-laugh-every-minute movie, it is the kind of comedy that is more interested in tickling your funny bone than in smacking you between the eyes.
It is the story of an event in 1976 during the American Bicentennial when an Englishman living in Paris decided to stage a blind taste-testing pitting California wines against French vintages. To everyone's shock the upstart Californians won and the world of fine dining hasn't been the same since!
It is also a wonderful example of how the art of ensemble casting creates the possibility for the art of ensemble acting to occur. The acting team and that is really the best way to describe this cast, is lead by the great Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman with a wonderful assist by Dennis Farina. And, there is never even the hint of a false step or a flat note. There is only a seamless tapestry of low key fun.
Very obviously, this cast was having fun and enjoyed themselves and their association with each other. I left the theatre envying them the experience they had had working together.
I could go on and on about what a genuinely good and fun movie this is, but I'd end up boring you and I and I don't want to do that. So, I'll close with two observations from the flick. Rickman has easily one of the funniest scenes while addressing a group of jeans clad, pick up driving American wine growers where he says, "You think I'm an asshole. I'm not, it's just that I'm British and . . . . .you're not." And, this he delivers with a throw-away panache that actors will study for years to come.
The second is a piece of inanimate casting. Chris Pine is given a wig to simulate the hair styles of the mid 1970s that takes on a life of its own. It reminded me of a similar wig in the more or less unknown indie, "The Trip" of a few years ago. Obviously in neither film was much of the budget wasted on fake hair. I'd be very surprised, indeed if it didn't turn out to be the same hairpiece living a double life. But, even that works and is funny.
The only reason not to see this movie is if you have a deep seated need to punish yourself for transgressions in a past life. Otherwise go see this movie and tell your friends that they have to go see it too.