Music – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is a bland band biopic

The pacing in this movie was so fast. Maybe that would work for, I dunno, a biopic about the band Rush, but not Queen.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” tells the tale of the band Queen, with a significant focus on the life of Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek). The picture follows Mercury during his time in college where he discovers the band, all the way to his performance during the Live Aid concert.

As it goes on, the film covers Mercury’s sexual orientation, his creation of the song that shares the same name of the movie, his struggle with drugs and disagreements he had with other members of Queen.

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REVIEW: ‘A Star is Born’ will hook you in with passionate musical scenes

I’ll admit, when I hear the title, I think of the song at the end of the Disney “Hercules” movie.

In all seriousness, “A Star is Born” is actually a remake of a 1937 film with the same name. In fact, along with this most recent adaptation, that 1937 movie has been remade two other times in 1954 and 1976. This newest version was directed and co-written by Bradley Cooper, who also stars in the film as the lead character Jack.

Jack is a successful musician with plenty of hits, but also faces problems. Not only does one of his ears have a medical issue, but he’s also suffering from alcoholism. Despite, this, though, he meets a talented singer named Ally (Lady Gaga) who’s been overlooked her whole life. Not only do the two strike up a relationship, but Jack also helps Ally get her talent noticed. A strain remains, though, because of Jack’s health.

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Monday Movie Report: Biopics of Sammy Davis Jr., Marvin Gaye in the works

Two biopics about legendary singers are taking shape in Hollywood. One of them will follow the life of Marvin Gaye while the other is about Sammy Davis, Jr.

According to Deadline, the latter is coming together under the leadership of Paramount Pictures and Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Deadline reports that plans are in place to hire a writer and director soon to push the project into production.

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REVIEW: Catchy Songs Don’t Save Rushed Story In ‘Greatest Showman’

I’m not usually a stickler for 100 percent historical accuracy, but even I have to admit that “The Greatest Showman” takes a battle axe to P.T. Barnum’s true story.

The film tells the story of how Barnum (Hugh Jackman) went from a poor boy coming from nothing to a well-known showman who creates entertainment via circus acts. It doesn’t just do this in any ordinary manner, though. Instead, the film goes into full musical mode right off the bat and never lets up.

As the movie goes on, it explores Barnum trying to balance his family life with his wife Charity (Michelle Williams) and his business, which he runs with help from his partner Phillip (Zac Efron).

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REVIEW: A True Delight, ‘La La Land’ Is 2016’s Most Charming Film

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, who’ve co-starred before, reunite on screen for “La La Land,” which is arguably the best movie of their careers.

A true love letter to old Hollywood, “La La Land” kicks off by telling the story of Mia (Stone), an aspiring actress in Los Angeles. The key word is aspiring, as Mia is unable to catch attention in her auditions. Gosling, meanwhile, plays Sebastian who’s also a hopeful artist.

Sebastian is a pianist who’s all about jazz music and has a goal of opening a jazz club. Eventually, the two characters meet, a relationship develops and the film explores the effect it has on their dreams.

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REVIEW: ‘Sing’ Largely Forgettable Besides Fun Musical Numbers

The makers of “Minions” took a different direction in their latest animated film, “Sing.”

The picture tells the story of numerous characters living in a big city, all having dreams of being a performer. However, the film especially shines a spotlight on Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), the owner of a theater that’s fallen on hard times.

In order to save the theater and turn around his entire business model, Moon decides to have a signing competition. As a result, many different people from unique backgrounds come out to compete.

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REVIEW: ‘Rules Don’t Apply’ Falls Apart Because Of Scattered Story, Lack Of Focus

Director/Writer Warren Beatty took audiences to 1950s Hollywood in this period piece with a focus on billionaire Howard Hughes.

The film tells the story of two young residents of Los Angeles, Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich) who works as a driver for Hughes and Maria Mabrey (Lily Collins), who the billionaire has hired as an actress in Hollywood.

As the film develops, both characters meet Hughes (played by Beatty) and the movie displays how the billionaire influences the directions of their lives and their relationship.

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REVIEW: ‘Arrival’ Is A Remarkable Sci-Fi Epic Thanks To Its Wonder And Intrigue

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we like to call a thinker.

“Arrival” stars Amy Adams as Dr. Louise Banks, a professor who is the leading world expert on language studies. Those skills are nearly immediately put to the test in the film’s first act when multiple space crafts come into Earth’s atmosphere and land in random places across the planet.

In response, Banks and another scientist, Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), are brought in by the military to establish communication with the aliens. However, as the two researchers begin doing just that, tensions from world armies begins to increase on how to deal with the UFOs.

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REVIEW: Musical Scenes Are Greatest Feature Of ‘Trolls’ Movie

It’s nice to see something with the name Trolls and have it not be related to the internet in any way.

Instead, it’s the latest animated feature to hit the big screen and it’s based off the old toys with wild hair. As the name suggests, the film tells the story of Trolls, a race of happy-go-lucky beings who live in harmony, that is when they’re not under attack from the Bergens, giant creatures who only find joy from eating trolls.

Fortunately, at the film’s outset, the Trolls haven’t had to deal with the Bergens for two decades. One day they’re discovered, though, and a number of Trolls are captured by a vicious Bergen Chef. As a result, the Trolls Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and a rather grumpy Troll named Branch (Justin Timberlake) go on a rescue mission/adventure.

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Rock the Kasbah review

Director:
Barry Levinson
Cast:
Bill Murray
Bruce Willis
Leem Lubany
Kate Hudson
Rated: R

“Rock the Kasbah” tells the story of Richie Lanz (Murray), a music talent manager who has fallen on hard times. In an attempt to get back on his feet, Lanz travels to Afghanistan for a USO show with his singer Ronnie played by Zooey Deschanel.

Things take an immediate downturn in the country, though, when his act practically abandons him. To get things back on track, Lanz seeks out talent for an Afghanistan TV series titled “Afghan Star.”

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