Pacino plays a former rock star on a redemption tour in this low-key comic drama that gives the actor an opportunity to both play off and play down his knack for big, showy performances.
Category: music
‘Beat Girl’ – British teen rebellion on Criterion Channel
This 1960 rock and roll rebellion melodrama is a British teen exploitation picture set in the seedy underbelly of Soho and set to a growling score.
‘Woodstock: The Director’s Cut’ – three days of peace and music on HBO Max
More than just a concert film, this is a chronicle of both the music of a generation and the community that formed around it for a weekend in 1969.
‘School of Rock’ on Netflix and Paramount+
A manic Jack Black plays a narcissistic rock god wannabe who inspired a bunch of elementary school kids to rock out in the comedy directed by Richard Linklater.
Modern musical ‘La La Land’ on Hulu
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone star in the Oscar-winning contemporary take on classic movie musicals from filmmaker Damien Chazelle.
What to stream: ‘Pursuit of Love’ on Amazon, ‘Freaky’ on HBO Max, music docs on Apple + and Paramount+
Here’s what’s new and ready to stream now on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, video-on-demand, and other streaming services … Lily James and Emily Beecham play cousins—one rebellious and vivacious, the other shy and careful—who take very different routes to love in the limited series “The Pursuit of Love“ (TV-PG). The handsomely-mounted […]
Last chance: The glory of Astaire and Rogers in ‘Swing Time’ on HBO Max
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were the most elegant of Hollywood’s dance teams in the golden age of American musicals and Swing Time (1936) is the peak of their ten-film output. The plot is as absurd as anything from the era: Astaire is a dancer and gambler who is set to marry his hometown sweetheart […]
‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years’ on Hulu
Do we need another documentary on The Beatles? Yes, they are music legends, rock royalty, and a popular culture phenomenon, and they have been duly studied, appreciated, dissected, and celebrated practically from the moment they set foot on American soil. Is there anything left to say? Ron Howard’s The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – […]
‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ – Saving the future on Hulu and Paramount+
“This is the story of our most excellent dads.” Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter bring those most excellent characters, Theodore “Ted” Logan and William “Bill” S. Preston, Esq., back to the screen in Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). More than thirty years after Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the teenage best friends, wannabe […]
‘Love & Mercy’ – Brian Wilson’s journey on Hulu and Peacock
Capturing the life of Brian Wilson, the troubled genius who pushed the surf pop sound of The Beach Boys into psychedelic symphonies as he spiraled into depression, in just a few key years is a tricky proposition. Love & Mercy (2014), a biopic that parallels the boyish enthusiasm and free-flowing creative drive of young visionary […]