I was watching "Crazy Heart" - Jeff Bridges - earlier, thought he was brilliant as a washed out Country music star on the slide. Got me thinking - there's been a few films over the years, biopics if you like, about real musicians. I thought Joaquin Phoenix and Reece Witherspoon were pretty good as Johnny Cash and June Carter. I thought Jamie Foxx was INCREDIBLE as Ray Charles - had the voice down to a tee, got all those little mannerisms right. Well deserved an Oscar, IMO.
So - who do you think was good in a biopic? Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison? Kurt Russell as Elvis? Gary Busey as Buddy Holly? Lou Diamond Phillips as Richie Valens?
And - who do you think should be immortalised in a musical biopic? Why haven't they made a good film yet of Hendrix's life story?
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
I remember seeing somewhere where they were going to do a Jimi Hendrix movie with Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy. He died of a drug overdose before it could happen though. Now thats studying too hard for the role if you ask me. :?
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
I don't like this one better than others you mentioned, Vic, but I thought that Kevin Spacey's role of Bobby Darin was pretty good.
I thought the La Bamba movie (I think it's the Lou Diamond Phillips one) was horrible. It took me many years before I could handle going to go to the theater. I don't know what it's run time was, but to me, it ws 5 or 6 hours of torture. Probably more realisticly speaking, it was a 2+ hour show and just seemed longer with very little plot.
I thought Quaide did OK as Jerry Lee lewis.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Walk the line is streets ahead of anything else in the straight biopic vein, methinks.
Strangely enough, I still reckon the absolute best rock n roll movie is David Essex's 1974-ish film Stardust, which followed the path of rags to riches and huge fame followed by withdrawing from the world and an early death from an overdose on a purely fictional basis. Loads of big names in it (David Essex, Adam Faith, Keith Moon, Larry Hagman, Marty Wilde, and all the music by Dave Edmunds) and if you run it back-to-back with That'll Be The Day it makes for a good Sunday-afternoon-after-the-pub's entertainment.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
I was watching Ray the other day. Good music.
Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Not exactly a biopic, it is more a documentary. Almost mandatory for bass players.
they have made a biopic of jimi hendrix. it just sucked and no one saw it.
forest whitaker as charlie parker in "bird" was compelling.
the ensemble cast playing dylan in "i'm not there" had some very interesting ideas, although the actual movie was just ok.
i really liked shawn penn as the django wanabe in "sweet and lowdown" although it's not a bio.
i thought bob dylan playing a sort of oblique reference to himself in "masked and anonymous" was utterly brilliant and unique. a singularity. not everyone agrees with me on that. sort of like everything he does. you either love it or hate it.
With you on Jamie Foxx playing Ray Charles - it was an incredible portrayal and a great film.
Angela Bassett playing Tina Turner in 'whats love got to do with it' was also very good, as was Laurence Fishburne playing Ike.
Never seen ' walk the line' but must get round to it.
Gordon Smith GS1.5-40 Marshall VS65R
I have long wanted to write and direct a movie about, Bobby Fuller.
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
Great Balls of Fire! with Dennis Quaid. OK, maybe not. I don't really like those sort of movies.
Another good one is Backbeat on the Beatles' Hamburg days.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Kevin Spacey's role of Bobby Darin was pretty good.
Good one Roy, I thought Spacey nailed it as well.
forest whitaker as charlie parker in "bird" was compelling.
Another good one, Jason. Didn't Clint Eastwood direct that one, if my memory's still working OK?
Angela Bassett playing Tina Turner in 'whats love got to do with it' was also very good, as was Laurence Fishburne playing Ike.
IMO, Bassett was good, Fishburne was brilliant. He always is though, isn't he!
Another good one is Backbeat on the Beatles' Hamburg days.
Yep, definitely agree with you on that one. Seen a lot of Beatles biopics, and surprisingly, the standard's been pretty high. Remember seeing Bernard Hill playing Lennon in one biopic, thought that one was pretty good as well. He nailed the angry young man....
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
One to add to the list - I've now seen "Sex & Drugs & Rock and Roll" and Andy Serkis (remember him as Gollum in LOTR?) is quite brilliant in the role of Ian Dury. As good, IMO, as Jamie Foxx in "Ray."
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
One to add to the list - I've now seen "Sex & Drugs & Rock and Roll" and Andy Serkis (remember him as Gollum in LOTR?) is quite brilliant in the role of Ian Dury. As good, IMO, as Jamie Foxx in "Ray."
:D :D :D
Vic
Oh brilliant. Ive heard rave reviews about it and his performance and been wanting to see it since I read about it. Is it on dvd? may get it this weekend
Gordon Smith GS1.5-40 Marshall VS65R
Sid and Nancy
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
Not a Bio Pic ..... but rather a Mocumentary ......... my absolute favorite is "This is Spinal Tap".
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
