I'm Not There - Blockbuster Exclusive - Bonus Footage Review

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(More customer reviews)It's hard to relate the Rock `n' Roll experience to film. Even harder to relate is the experience of the actual lives of rock stars. Rock stars live their lives on the edge of experience. Most rock bio-pics while great at relating the biographical details, fail at the existential experience of the person. So, maybe the way to relate an avant garde life is through an avant garde film?
We all have many selves within ourselves. Maybe it should be cellves, the different cellular aspects of our personalities that build the whole person. I'm Not There tries to capture the experience of Bob Dylan by breaking down the different aspects and personas Dylan has projected over the years of his fame. The young Woody Guthrie acolyte trying to find his voice, the Rimbaud rebel, the star, the born again preacher, the aged outlaw trying to lay low. A lot of writers, filmmakers, artists, and psychologists have all tried to break down the human psyche to one degree or another and I'm Not There does portray an interesting and complex personality in an interesting and avant garde manner.
Given it's experimental or avant garde credentials, I'm Not There isn't incomprehensible to the viewer. The portrayals of the different selves overlap and bleed into each other but the fragments fall together into the jigsaw of the whole. You just may have to spend a little time to let it all play out before you.
Probably the most daring aspect of I'm Not There is the casting of Cate Blanchett as Jude Quinn, the mid-60's era Dylan that went from folk music to electric. This could have been nothing but a cheap gimmick to flaunt the experimental nature of the film. But it isn't a gimmick, you quickly forget Blanchett is a woman playing a man, or in the context of the film you're never really conscious of it. It fits in with all the other portrayals in the film. Each is a subtle, nuanced fragment. Christian Bale's usual knock you over the head delivery is toned down to match the rest of the film. Richard Gere as the aging outlaw living in the surrealistic village of Riddle that's full of anachronisms and you're never sure if it's set in the 19th and 20th century. Gere's performance is sympathetic to a man trying to live out quietly his later years without all the fanfare and attention his early celebrity generated. A feeling I'm sure Gere can relate to. Another performance I really liked was David Cross as Allen Ginsburg. Cross leaves behind all his comic goofiness and delivers a nice little cameo.
The movie admits it's failure to categorize Dylan in the title, I'm Not There. As soon as you think you've nailed down the complexity of a person they've moved on.Special Features-There's an Introduction to the film that gives you a little thumbnail synopsis of the personas. I thought it was a little unnecessary, the movie more than adequately defines the characters. There's a commentary by Director/co-writer Todd Hynes, and a making of documentary.

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Dylan - What Happened? Review

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(More customer reviews)Paul Williams doesn't attempt to understand Christianity, but he does attempt to explain Dylan's conversion to it. The book consists of the semi-random speculations of a Dylan fan, and it is filled with tentative conclusions drawn largely from Dylan's song lyrics and public-record information about his life. It offers no new startling insights.
Williams, like many Dylan fans, was none too thrilled about Dylan's conversion or the condemnatory arrogance that accompanied his new music. (The condemnation was nothing new, only the object had changed.) However, Williams does at least appreciate the quality of the music Dylan produced during this period. He appropriately attacks the critics who refuse to acknowledge Dylan's post-60's genius.
Much of the book seems to be only slightly relevant to the topic. As far as the title question is concerned, the author basically argues that because Dylan could not find salvation in women, he sought it in Christ. The musician's conversion does not concern Williams so much as the possibility that Dylan might try to force Christianity "on the rest of us." Dylan's conversion was horrifying to many of his fans. This is perhaps because these fans had related so closely with Dylan's words for so long, that when the musician accepted Christ, they were forced to ask, as does Williams, "where have we diverged? Is he wrong, or . . . does this mean one day I'm going to wake up in love with Jesus too?" A scary thought to a lot of people.
On the whole, there is not much substance to be gleaned from this book with reference to the title subject, but if you like reading opinions of Dylan's music, it should prove an interesting book. The question that remains (besides what really happened, which the author never answers very well), is: What does Dylan believe now? Is he still a Christian? Williams words of 1979 might have been prophetic: "I can't say he'll be any more faithful to the Lord than he was to Sara. . . But the evidence is already in that this is one heck of a passionate relationship."


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The Ballad of Bob Dylan: A Portrait Review

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(More customer reviews)Author Daniel Mark Epstein has set his goals high. How else can you explain the brave desire to assemble a new biography about someone for whom many others have already produced thousands of pages? About an individual who has already published the first volume of his own autobiography? To additionally spend time analyzing many of the tunes and lyrics created during this 50+-year musical career, knowing full well that myriad liberal arts students dissect those same lines and melodies in countless classrooms across this globe every day? What could possibly be said here and now that hasn't already been made public and well known?
Well, Mr. Epstein's got a hook. He's a fan. He has seen Bob Dylan four times in concert, with more than a decade separating each event. By anchoring his approach with those evenings (in 1963, 1974, 1997, & 2009), the author plants himself in that narrow aisle between his iconic subject matter and the rest of us in the audience. Epstein becomes Everyman, and it's easy for us to identify with his experiences and his viewpoints. We've sat in similar theaters and arenas. We know the music. The four gigs serve as the stanzas to the Dylan life ballad. Epstein's text could be sketched as a quadrupled Venn diagram. The concert hours are the overlapping slivers of time; and that which falls into the wide outside spaces represents the lives lived away from the stage, both for the performer and for the listener.
You might think, Great, four concerts. This won't take long. Wrong! The author fills in the gap of those intervening years with the kinds of details we crave from in-depth celebrity portrayals. He catches us up on what Bob Dylan was doing musically at those times and what aspects of his personal life affected his creativity, his lifestyle, and his performances. Epstein comes this close (pressed fingertips) to meeting the man in person. He interviews people close to Dylan at various points in his career. He does not dwell a lot on the topic of substance abuse; but he does document the letdown when Dylan abandoned his previous work for born-again religion at the beginning of the 1980s. We can relate. Somehow we expect our heroes (esp. our musical ones, it seems) to remain the same or to sustain a good level of predictability, even while we grow older and move in and out of relationships with people, ideas, places, etc. It doesn't occur to us that those icons are (mostly) human too, and that the same waves that change us might change them. Here we can tag along to the venues and share in Epstein's struggles to understand the varying musical styles, images and dimensions of one particularly gifted and knowledgeable singer/songwriter/painter/poet.
I saw Bob Dylan in concert in Amherst MA in November 2004. Admittedly, I'm not much of a fan. I don't own any Dylan albums, and I'm familiar only with his most popular and radio-friendly songs. But I am a huge follower of folk and rock music and I am a veteran concertgoer / reviewer. I went to the arena that night because I thought I had to see Dylan at least once in my life. And I can well remember the chills I got when he ended the evening with "Like a Rolling Stone" and came back with the encore of "All Along the Watchtower." I'm quite glad I was able to witness it. I guess journalist Ed Bradley must have been in the house that night too, because he later met Dylan at a local hotel in order to conduct his interview for "60 Minutes." Watching that TV show made the outing, in retrospect, much more memorable and real for me. That was my own little snippet of the circle: one that I kept in my mind as I was reading about Mr. Epstein's own concert memories. The lines blurred, and our encounters mingled. Anyone who has seen Dylan in person will find something to identify with here.
Cresting the 440-page mark, "The Ballad of Bob Dylan" is hardly a superficial treatment. It requires just as much dedication to read and to turn the pages as it must have taken to write them. Readers should know the generalities of the Dylan chronology before venturing into this volume, since it does not follow a typically stale biographical format. This narrative is aimed at an intelligent and thoughtful audience that wants to dive into history, musicianship, composition analysis, and critical performance -- or who just wants to hear a darn good story told well. It makes for an interesting and enlightening read for any Baby Boomer, any avid concertgoer of any ilk, and any student of popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries. And it arrives just as Bob Dylan turns 70 (!) on May 24, 2011. (... while unfortunately, his first muse and "Freewheelin'" album cover mate, Suze Rotolo, recently passed away at the age of 67.)
[This review was based on seeing an uncorrected proof of the publication.]

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I'm Not There (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'M NOT THERE is clearly not a movie for everyone. The concept of the film is experimental, the execution of the 'documentary' is actually an amalgam of the aura and influence of one man in the music world instead of a linear history of a famous singer/poet, and the goal seems more to find the effect of Bob Dylan's chameleon persona on those people with whom he came into contact than it is to relate the story of a fascinating and important American artist.
Writer (with Oren Moverman) and Director Todd Haynes ('Far from Heaven', 'Velvet Goldmine') has gathered images, memorabilia, fragments of interviews, and responses from acquaintances and from these he has pieced together a quilt-like panorama of the enigmatic, elusive, ever-changing Bob Dylan. The result is not meant to be a precise history, but instead a 'feeling' for the man who so profoundly influenced American music in the 1960s. Haynes selected several top actors to inhabit various aspects of Dylan's life and times. The Narrator for this both black and white and color film is symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud (Ben Winshaw) who through a series of comments opens the vignettes that reflect Dylan. Eleven-year-old Marcus Carl Franklin radiates the energy of Woody Guthrie when he is suggesting the early formative influences of Dylan. Christian Bale becomes 'Jack Rollins', among the closest of the actors to impersonate the performing Dylan. Heath Ledger embodies the love-life side of Dylan's character with the Claire of Charlotte Gainsbourg while Cate Blanchett comes closest to showing us the inverted personality as Jude Quinn - the name assigned to the character who most resemble Dylan's appearance and talk and physical reactions to the public, the press, and the audience. And as an homage to Dylan's preoccupation with history, the final version of Dylan becomes Billy the Kid (Richard Gere) in the surreal town of Riddle. Other important characters pass through this musical mélange - Julianne Moore comments as Alice Fabian, a Joan Baez-type figure, Michelle Williams becomes Coco for a moment, and Bruce Greenwood has double roles suggesting influences from the height of Dylan's career to his old age.
Throughout the film the music of Bob Dylan pervades the soundtrack, the tunes as important as the timely poetry of his lyrical output. The film is as strange as the man who inspired it, and Todd Haynes and his amazing cast of actors give us an impressive slice of our history as well as an appreciation of the aura of the strangely haunting Bob Dylan. In extended featurettes on the CD the director and cast give wonderful insights both into the character of Dylan as well as the concept of creating this amazing film. For some, watching these introductions BEFORE watching the actual movie may enhance appreciation of this art piece. Highly recommended - but the audience must understand this is not a routine movie! Grady Harp, May 08

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Inspired by the life and songs of Bob Dylan, I'm Not There is "a profoundly personal and passionate film" (A.O. Scott, The New York Times) that captures the essence of this elusive genius.Six different actors -- including Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Oscar® nominee Cate Blanchett in a "soon-to-be-legendary performance" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) - each embody part of the Dylan legend: from Greenwich Village folk singer to electric guitar trailblazer to born-again preacher.Directed by Academy Award®-nominated writer/director Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven), I'm Not There is "unquestionably the year's most original American movie" (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).

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Elvis Costello (Kill Your Idols Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)While the author's account is factual accurate, I felt I did not learn much new information about EC. The book was very thin and really did not go into much detail. The author only alludes to what Elvis might have been thinking/feeling etc. or quotes what others have stated. The whole book felt like a term-paper I might have written at the end of high school. Being a huge Elvis Costello fan, I really expected more from this book. The book is divided up into three sections. The first section is the bio. The second is a discography (available at almost every EC website) a complete waste of paper (but given that the bio portion is so short the author probably needed to fill the pages with something). I only wish I had read a review of this book prior to pre-ordering it. I've learned my lesson. So basically unless you need to own every piece of Elvis Costello...skip this one!

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Any man who is prepared to take on the first name of the King of Rock 'n' Roll has to have enough confidence in his own talent not to care what the critics think of him, and this is certainly the case with Mrs. McManus' little boy. From the sneering 'psychotic bank clerk' look and short, sharp, splenetic singles of his early days with the Attractions, through the period when he wore a beard and made serious music with the Brodsky Quartet, to his mellow, tuneful songs written with Burt Bacharach, Costello has always been a musical chameleon. Commercial success has been sporadic, but Costello's refusal to follow fashion or bow in the face of often vitriolic criticism has marked him out as uncompromising, determined, and focused on exploring the boundaries of his craft. His influence on the next generation of artists remains unquestioned, and his acceptance as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the last twenty years is assured. The book includes a chronology and complete discography.

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Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a meaty little tome, 392 pages of entertaining text with a small, b/w picture section in the middle. I got my copy two days ago and have found it hard to put down since. Despite his PhD in poetry and myth, Hinton doesn't go for academic jargon at all. The writing is brisk and down-to-earth. Hinton is confident not only in his literary knowledge but also in his encyclopedic knowledge of popular music, which enables him to put Van in interesting contexts at times.
Still, I've noticed a few factual errors and odd omissions (he doesn't know that the Bottom Line '78 MC is Peter Wolf), and the writing sometimes seems rushed, especially the last few chapters. Also, there are lapses in tone (Hinton will often jump out of his authorial character to address the reader with a chummy question) and paragraphs that jump from one topic to another disconcertingly.
Hinton seems to have about five main goals.
To argue that Van Morrison is indeed a very fine poet, albeit one who's poetry relies on its musical context. Hinton takes issue with the Johnny Rogan and John Collis books on this subject. To assert that VM's artistry is at its best during live performances. To demonstrate this, Hinton goes into great detail comparing the oft-booted Fillmore West 1970 show to MOONDANCE, arguing that the live versions of the MOONDANCE songs are more vital and interesting than the studio versions. (I can't agree in this particular instance - and *I* personally tend to feel that while the argument might be true with Van's '90s work, the studio was where Van tended to be most comfortable and vital in the '70s and early '80s.) To make a strong case for albums that critics often denigrate, such as TUPELO HONEY and COMMON ONE, although he isn't afraid to come down hard on some titles (HIS BAND AND THE STREET CHOIR, A PERIOD OF TRANSITION). And he comes right out and says that one of his primary motivations was to champion VEEDON FLEECE, an album that he feels deserves a stronger status than that of "cult favorite." To write a book that functions as a clearing-house of VM information. In this, he succeeds fairly well. There is very little Van knowledge, lore, and minutiae that is absent. Hinton has done an amazing amount of secondary research and incorporated it generously into the book. He has even immersed himself in back issues of THE VAN MORRISON NEWSLETTER and WAVELENGTH as well as many underground tapes and boots (from the archives of Geoff Wall), although I wish he'd taken more time to let all the info. digest before spewing it out in the book, sometimes rather cluelessly. Overall, Hinton's use of secondary research is one of the book's strengths. Unfortunately, there seems to be little *primary* research; most of his interview material seems gathered from the work of his predecessors: Ritchie Yorke, Johnny Rogan, Steve Turner, and even John Collis. To avoid the "wounded-journalist" bitterness that overtook the Rogan and Collis books. Hinton doesn't stint on reporting many instances of VM's rude, SOB behavior, and he doesn't try to defend it, but he also avoids moralizing about it or allowing it to (dis)color his view of the music. I'm sure Hinton has several other agendas in writing this book, but these are the five that stand out for me. I do recommend the book. Although the other books do more face-to- face research, and although the Turner book is the most cogent and revelatory regarding Van's spiritual concerns, this big clearing-house project may be the most purely entertaining volume yet written on the subject.

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For more than 30 years Van Morrison has weathered the eccentricities of the music world, single-mindedly pursuing his art while barely paying lip service to notions such as image, chart profile, and record company hype. Morrison's varied career has seen him explore rock, jazz, soul, folk, and even classical elements, while never forgetting his Celtic roots. Profiling the artist, poet, and man, Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison offers the definitive account of a most singular and talented musician. 24 black-and-white photographs, exclusive firsthand interviews and an exhaustive discography are featured.

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Masked and Anonymous (Destino Milagroso) Review

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(More customer reviews)You would probably have to go back to early Godard to find a movie as audacious, shockingly funny and brilliantly incisive in its analysis of the uneasy alliance between art and commerce as the sci-fi/film noir/spaghetti-western/Shakespearean musical-tragicomedy, Masked and Anonymous, the new movie from Bob Dylan and Larry Charles. As with some Godard, I can't say whether it's a comedy or a tragedy - but it's definitely a masterpiece.
To direct the Hollywood cast to speak in the script's poetic, ornate language could not have been easy but the actors do an exemplary job. Nearly all of them manage to hit just the right note of cartoonish hysteria to give the film a sense of unity and harmony. Except, that is, for Bob Dylan. His character, Jack Fate, is the calm in the eye of the storm, the one rational character surrounded by a world of swirling insanity and director Charles gets a lot of comic mileage out of the contrast
between Dylan's deadpan delivery and the over-the-top performances of nearly everyone else; it's like taking a Humphrey Bogart character out of the '40's and plunking him down in the middle of a massively absurd science-fiction landscape - the resignation and world-weariness of the film noir hero remains hilariously intact. The very idea is inspired and the execution is flawless.
The performance footage of course is terrific. Dylan and His Band play eight songs live on camera and there is a warmth, an intimacy and a relaxed quality to the performances that you will only see at Dylan's best club shows. Although none of the songs are heard in their entirety, these sequences are nonetheless beautifully filmed. There is none of the rapid-fire editing and pointlessly roving camera that mars the filmed footage of so many live musical performances. Instead, Charles' strategy is to have the band crowd together and film them in close-up with a wide-angle lens. There are numerous long takes in which all of the band members can be seen and when the camera does move, it's deliberate and meaningful.
In a recent interview, Larry Charles said he never worried about
finding a distributor for the film and that Dylan had told him long ago not to worry about the film "in the short term." However the film _is_ received in the short term, the richly orchestrated tapestry of sound and image that is Masked and Anonymous is sure to keep Dylanologists and film fans alike busy for decades.

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