Watching Yesterday, the new film about a world without the music of the Beatles, I couldn’t help but think about all the times I’ve seen accomplished musicians butcher the lyrics to “Come Together” on stage during some of sort of climactic jam — even musicians who arguably owe their existence to the influence of the Fab Four. Liam Gallagher’s abysmal attempt to sing it at Dave Grohl’s CalJam two years ago comes to mind, but in his defense, it does have a lot of verses and weird word variations. Most of us would probably get something wrong without googling it or a lyric sheet.Imagine not being able to listen to the songs you love ever again and wanting to recreate them, at least by singing them, but having to remember all the verses and choruses from memory only. After struggling musician Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) gets hit by a bus during a Y2K-style global blackout, he soon finds himself in this very position, realizing that the … [Read more...] about Review: To Enjoy Yesterday, All You Need is Beatles Love
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Review: Beatles tale ‘Yesterday’ could use a little help
Adam Graham Detroit News Film Critic Published 5:05 PM EDT Jun 27, 2019 After a freak accident during a brief global blackout, nobody remembers the music of the Beatles, save for one lowly English singer-songwriter. That's the fun, fascinating premise of "Yesterday," a light comedy which presents a fresh a way to reevaluate the cultural impact of the Beatles by, in essence, reintroducing their music to the world. But "Yesterday" is such an unabashed love letter to the Fab Four that it misses its opportunity to truly examine what made their catalog resonate on a global scale, and doesn't properly contextualize their impact against today's cultural landscape. Maybe it's not meant to, perhaps it's just a lark, and as a vehicle for servicing Beatles songs, it has its charms. But with such grand material to work with, "Yesterday" feels like it takes the easy way out. Himesh Patel is Jack Malik, a struggling rocker who becomes the lone keeper … [Read more...] about Review: Beatles tale ‘Yesterday’ could use a little help
Peter Jackson To Direct Documentary About The Beatles’ Let It Be
Let It Be has one of the most well-chronicled production and recording processes of any album in existence. Released in 1970, the album was the final Beatles record (though it was recorded before 1969’s Abbey Road). It came at a time when tensions within the group were at an all-time high, with the involvement of super producer (and future murderer) Phil Spector not exactly helping matters. But now, to commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary of its release, it’s been announced that Peter Jackson will be directing a new documentary about the making of the record. Of course, this won’t be the first documentary about Let It Be. The making of the album was recorded for a doc (also called Let It Be) directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and released in 1970. The movie quickly became notorious for showing the clearly frustrated group snapping at one another and the finished product was greeted with unfavorable reviews, with audiences and critics … [Read more...] about Peter Jackson To Direct Documentary About The Beatles’ Let It Be
Sundance film review: ‘Leaving Neverland’
By Owen Gleiberman | PUBLISHED: January 26, 2019 at 8:21 am | UPDATED: January 26, 2019 at 8:50 am Michael Jackson was one of the most photographed celebrities who ever lived. But in “Leaving Neverland,” a devastating four-hour documentary about the serial predator he really was, there are photographs of Jackson that have a quality unlike anything you’ve ever seen. They are homespun, casually candid, sitting-around-the-living-room shots, most of them snapped during the visits that Jackson paid to the modest boyhood homes of the two men the movie is about: Wade Robson and James Safechuck, both in their late 30s, each of whom describes, with disarming eloquence and self-possession, how Jackson befriended them when they were children and then, for years (starting when they were 7 and 11 years old, respectively), sexually abused them. The film suggests that they were far from the only victims. In “Leaving Neverland,” the testimony of Robson and Safechuck is … [Read more...] about Sundance film review: ‘Leaving Neverland’
Review: Sinatra tunes energize Pops program
By David Hendricks Published 10:55 pm CST, Friday, January 18, 2019 Jazz singer Tony DeSare Jazz singer Tony DeSare Photo: Express-News File Photo Photo: Express-News File Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Jazz singer Tony DeSare Jazz singer Tony DeSare Photo: Express-News File Photo Review: Sinatra tunes energize Pops program 1 / 1 Back to Gallery The jukebox era roared back Friday night as the San Antonio Symphony performed a Pops concert centered on the music of Frank Sinatra. Guest artist Tony DeSare led the way, often singing from a piano keyboard, through a program of 19 songs, at least 13 of which were Sinatra hits going back to the 1940s. DeSare frequently was … [Read more...] about Review: Sinatra tunes energize Pops program