Since the 1960s when The Beatles made A Hard Day's Night, the worlds of music and movies have often collided in film. Though numerous different kinds of music movies have resulted'dramas, documentaries, concert films, musicals, etc.'by far, the most subjective kind is when a director or actor gives their own unique interpretation of an artist, often deceased, through a drama biopic. Whether an Oliver Stone sleazefest, a crazy Bruce Campbell romp or an indie mood piece, these films often have widely varying degrees of quality. With the release of Walk The Line, the latest of this type of film, here's a look at a few that have come before.
The film 'Backbeat' is the story of pre-fame Beatles, including their fifth original member, bassist Stu Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe and John Lennon, who started the Beatles, were best friends before a brain aneurism took his life in Hamburg, where The Beatles were stationed playing gigs for awhile. The movie provides a fascinating glimpse into the raw rock 'n' roll of the early 1960s Beatles. It focuses on the wonderfully rebellious young Lennon, played by Ian Hart, and the cool, quiet Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff), but the rest of the the actors' performances are all dead-on too. The soundtrack is also excellent, with an all-star lineup playing The Beatles' early rockabilly tunes: Mike Mills of REM on bass, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth on guitar, Gregg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs on vocals and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum on guitar.
People tend to either love or hate anything directed by Oliver Stone, but his take on Jim Morrison and the rest of the seminal '60s rock group avoids either of those extremes and comes across as a pretty definite 'meh.' Stone's homage makes for good entertainment but, as a biography of a troubled artist or a history of a legendary band, it's a little wanting.
Val Kilmer deserves credit for reaching beyond his typically stolid performances to portray the eccentric and tragically alcoholic Morrison; but even the original Doors members complained that the movie spent too much time romanticizing the drunken-addict side of his personality and not enough on his more lucid moments. Early live performances are always fun, but fans curious about their concerts would be better served by picking up 'The Doors Collection' and seeing the real thing.
Indie film director Gus Van Sant's take on the few days leading up to Kurt Cobain's suicide, 'Last Days,' was almost universally hated. Audiences and critics wanted something more they could sink their teeth into. Instead, this film featured a presumably drugged-
out Cobain in a constant stupor, wandering around a house and not doing very much at all. It succeeds, however, in that it creates an atmosphere throughout that seems very much like a calm before the storm.
Michael Pitt does very little acting and the film features very little dialogue, but he certainly looks like Cobain in both appearance and mannerism. Van Sant has said that the film was not supposed to be factual, but rather a representation of what could have happened. Taken at face value, the film is rather decent.
'Ask not what your rest home can do for you. Ask what you can do for your rest home.' This line represents one of the best Elvis lines ever spoken, and it did not actually come from the King himself; it came from Bruce Campbell's channeling of Presley in 'Bubba Ho-tep.' Now, 'Bubba Ho-tep' might not be a stereotypical biopic, because most biopics do not take place years after the subject has died, nor do many create fantasy stories in which the subject teams up with a former president to do battle with an undead mummy, but 'Bubba Ho-tep' is that type of movie.
Aside from the insane plot, the most shocking part of 'Bubba Ho-tep' is how well Campbell pulls off the role of a geriatric Elvis. He infuses the role with the mannerisms and vocal stylings of the King, yet puts his own unique spin on the man that works quite well. Campbell probably pulled off Elvis so well because he spent so many years preparing for it... 'Hail to the King, baby.'
The only reason 'Ray' received any critical notice was not due to a strong plot or direction. The praise came entirely for Jamie Foxx's tour de force performance in which he became Ray Charles. Foxx nailed everything that defined Charles; he even convincingly took massive amounts of heroin. With a lesser actor doing a lesser job, 'Ray' would be nothing. With Jamie Foxx, suddenly the movie becomes insanely compelling. He causes the audience to ignore any problems with the storytelling strategies and pacing problems and just stare at his amazing performance. Because of Foxx's gripping performance, Charles just might be remembered as something more than 'The Diet Pepsi guy.'
