It was sad but fitting that news of the passing of Gary Stewart, a bedrock force in the modern age of rock & roll reissues, broke on Friday morning, April 12th — 24 hours before the doors opened for this year’s Record Store Day. Because for Stewart, every day was Record Store Day.
As the longtime head of A&R at Rhino Records, then at Apple Music as chief music officer and catalog curator for iTunes, Stewart — who was 62 and died by suicide in Los Angeles — celebrated the founding architects of rock & roll,...
As the longtime head of A&R at Rhino Records, then at Apple Music as chief music officer and catalog curator for iTunes, Stewart — who was 62 and died by suicide in Los Angeles — celebrated the founding architects of rock & roll,...
- 4/15/2019
- by David Fricke
- Rollingstone.com
In the Netflix biopic “The Dirt,” Pete Davidson of “Saturday Night Live” fame portrays A&R exec Tom Zutaut, the man who signed Motley Crue to Elektra and Guns N’ Roses to Geffen, while veteran character actor David Costabile is manager Doc McGhee. They follow in a long and illustrious line of label executives portrayed on screen, ranging from critical and box-office hits like “Ray” and “La Bamba” to lesser-seen music pics like “Cbgb” and “The Runaways.” Here’s our list of 10 of the most memorable:
1. Steven Coogan as Tony Wilson (“24 Hour Party People”). Coogan’s brilliant portrayal of the Manchester icon and Factory Records founder in Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 film also includes great turns from Paddy Considine as Rob Gretton, the manager of Joy Division and New Order who passed away in 1999, and “Lord of the Rings” star Andy Serkis as Martin Hannett, the noted producer and Factory partner...
1. Steven Coogan as Tony Wilson (“24 Hour Party People”). Coogan’s brilliant portrayal of the Manchester icon and Factory Records founder in Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 film also includes great turns from Paddy Considine as Rob Gretton, the manager of Joy Division and New Order who passed away in 1999, and “Lord of the Rings” star Andy Serkis as Martin Hannett, the noted producer and Factory partner...
- 3/25/2019
- by Roy Trakin
- Variety Film + TV
Let me explain, once again, that with the exception of the first book in this survey, I have not had time to read these recent releases, so my remarks are based on browsing. (I always begin with the Acknowledgements, to check the author’s credibility.) In addition to the titles below, I’d like to acknowledge the paperback reissues of two out-of-print books by the University Press of Kentucky: Michael Sragow’s Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master and Joe McBride’s Hawks on Hawks. I would also call your attention to The Rhino Records Story: Revenge of the Music Nerds by the company’s co-founder Harold Bronson and published by Select Books. While it mainly deals with the music...
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- 12/19/2013
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
Film review: 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love'
If it were a '40s romantic comedy, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" might be titled "Testimony of Three Wives".
A dark, dramatic biopic based on the downsliding life of doo-wopper Frankie Lymon, who rose to fame on the titular song, "Fools" stars Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox and Lela Rochon as the women who were married to Lymon and whose court fight over his royalty "estate" clue us to Lymon's sorry life, a drug-filled saga that had too little "doo" and way too much "wop."
Boasting some great late '50s and early '60s rock sounds, this Warner Bros. film, unfortunately, spins back and forth narratively so much that it has trouble settling into a consistent story rpm and is likely to get only a short play time at the boxoffice despite the excellent lead performances and nostalgic rock 'n' roll sound track.
Frankie Lymon (Larenz Tate) was short, cute and smooth. In the early '60s he was a star, lighting up the roadshow venues with his electric personality and, most popularly, his hit song -- "Why Do Fools Fall in Love". Even by rock star standards, Frankie had a way with the ladies: they adored him and, with his slight frame and boyish looks, he brought out their motherly instincts as well. According to Tina Andrews' fact-based screenplay, Frankie attracted all kinds as we readily see in the three very different women who vie for the royalties he supposedly acquired following his death by overdose. In a court battle, which very much resembles a game show owing to the varied nature of Limon's wives, Widow No. 1 is Zola Taylor (Berry), a former Platters singer and female rock star; Widow No. 2 is Elizabeth (Fox) a streetwise, petty criminal, and Widow No. 3 is Elmira (Rochon), a demure Southern schoolteacher. Frankie had a rather loose regard for bigamy laws, and all three contend that they are the true wife of the late singer. Each has a story and, as you'd expect, they're not exactly airtight.
In essence, Frankie's life and career is refracted through the prism of these three women's viewpoints and, not surprisingly, each paints a startlingly different portrait of the troubled entertainer. With most of the film told in flashback with multiple viewpoints, we're given a textural portrait that is both entertaining and illuminating. Best, this includes some great rock 'n' roll period stuff as well, early Alan Freed shows with such groups as the Shirelles, Little Richard and the Platters performing up and through the mid-'60s on shows including "Hullaballoo". Most of this is engaging, especially owing to the gritty and glossy lead performances, but some of the period evocation is a bit scratchy: '60s protesters come across as variety-show entertainers and the authenticity is muddled by the all-too-obvious studio-lot look of the settings. Like all music bios, we get the feeling that much of the story is grooved according to which music rights were available -- it's odd to see the mid-'60s in rock history with only a one-line mention of the Beatles and a cursory selection of songs that, overall, gives us no "Satisfaction".
The high note of this affectionate production is in the performances, especially Fox as the sultry bad-girl who decides to take on the music-industry practice of producers plastering their name on the writing credits of pop songs for royalties. Fox's don't-mess-with-me demeanor is a powerful pack of facial expressions, body language and attitude. She's reached back for some moves we haven't seen before. High praise also to Berry for her sassy, splashy performance as Frankie's songstress/wife, while Rochon is splendidly credible as Frankie's provincial Southern schoolmarm wife. As the troubled Frankie, Larenz Tate is a perfect blend of charisma and self-destructiveness. Once again, Paul Mazursky is outstanding in a supporting role, hitting all the right slimy notes in his role as a sleazy music producer.
Despite the artificial, studio look of much of the film, light up the applause meter for Cary White's garish, eye-catching, pink-patched production design, perfectly conveying the excess and transience of the characters and the era.
WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE
Warner Bros.
Producers: Paul Hall, Stephen Nemeth
Director: Gregory Nava
Screenwriter: Tina Andrews
Executive producers: Gregory Nava, Mark Allan, Harold Bronson
Director of photography: Edward Lachman
Production designer: Cary White
Editor: Nancy Richardson
Music: Stephen James Taylor
Costume designer: Elisabetta Beraldo
Casting: Reuben Cannon
Sound mixer: Veda Campbell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Zola Taylor: Halle Berry
Elizabeth Waters: Vivica A. Fox
Emira Eagle: Lela Rochon
Frankie Lymon: Larenz Tate
Little Richard: Himself
Morris Levy: Paul Mazursky
Herman Santiago: Alexis Cruz
Sherman: J. August Richards
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
A dark, dramatic biopic based on the downsliding life of doo-wopper Frankie Lymon, who rose to fame on the titular song, "Fools" stars Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox and Lela Rochon as the women who were married to Lymon and whose court fight over his royalty "estate" clue us to Lymon's sorry life, a drug-filled saga that had too little "doo" and way too much "wop."
Boasting some great late '50s and early '60s rock sounds, this Warner Bros. film, unfortunately, spins back and forth narratively so much that it has trouble settling into a consistent story rpm and is likely to get only a short play time at the boxoffice despite the excellent lead performances and nostalgic rock 'n' roll sound track.
Frankie Lymon (Larenz Tate) was short, cute and smooth. In the early '60s he was a star, lighting up the roadshow venues with his electric personality and, most popularly, his hit song -- "Why Do Fools Fall in Love". Even by rock star standards, Frankie had a way with the ladies: they adored him and, with his slight frame and boyish looks, he brought out their motherly instincts as well. According to Tina Andrews' fact-based screenplay, Frankie attracted all kinds as we readily see in the three very different women who vie for the royalties he supposedly acquired following his death by overdose. In a court battle, which very much resembles a game show owing to the varied nature of Limon's wives, Widow No. 1 is Zola Taylor (Berry), a former Platters singer and female rock star; Widow No. 2 is Elizabeth (Fox) a streetwise, petty criminal, and Widow No. 3 is Elmira (Rochon), a demure Southern schoolteacher. Frankie had a rather loose regard for bigamy laws, and all three contend that they are the true wife of the late singer. Each has a story and, as you'd expect, they're not exactly airtight.
In essence, Frankie's life and career is refracted through the prism of these three women's viewpoints and, not surprisingly, each paints a startlingly different portrait of the troubled entertainer. With most of the film told in flashback with multiple viewpoints, we're given a textural portrait that is both entertaining and illuminating. Best, this includes some great rock 'n' roll period stuff as well, early Alan Freed shows with such groups as the Shirelles, Little Richard and the Platters performing up and through the mid-'60s on shows including "Hullaballoo". Most of this is engaging, especially owing to the gritty and glossy lead performances, but some of the period evocation is a bit scratchy: '60s protesters come across as variety-show entertainers and the authenticity is muddled by the all-too-obvious studio-lot look of the settings. Like all music bios, we get the feeling that much of the story is grooved according to which music rights were available -- it's odd to see the mid-'60s in rock history with only a one-line mention of the Beatles and a cursory selection of songs that, overall, gives us no "Satisfaction".
The high note of this affectionate production is in the performances, especially Fox as the sultry bad-girl who decides to take on the music-industry practice of producers plastering their name on the writing credits of pop songs for royalties. Fox's don't-mess-with-me demeanor is a powerful pack of facial expressions, body language and attitude. She's reached back for some moves we haven't seen before. High praise also to Berry for her sassy, splashy performance as Frankie's songstress/wife, while Rochon is splendidly credible as Frankie's provincial Southern schoolmarm wife. As the troubled Frankie, Larenz Tate is a perfect blend of charisma and self-destructiveness. Once again, Paul Mazursky is outstanding in a supporting role, hitting all the right slimy notes in his role as a sleazy music producer.
Despite the artificial, studio look of much of the film, light up the applause meter for Cary White's garish, eye-catching, pink-patched production design, perfectly conveying the excess and transience of the characters and the era.
WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE
Warner Bros.
Producers: Paul Hall, Stephen Nemeth
Director: Gregory Nava
Screenwriter: Tina Andrews
Executive producers: Gregory Nava, Mark Allan, Harold Bronson
Director of photography: Edward Lachman
Production designer: Cary White
Editor: Nancy Richardson
Music: Stephen James Taylor
Costume designer: Elisabetta Beraldo
Casting: Reuben Cannon
Sound mixer: Veda Campbell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Zola Taylor: Halle Berry
Elizabeth Waters: Vivica A. Fox
Emira Eagle: Lela Rochon
Frankie Lymon: Larenz Tate
Little Richard: Himself
Morris Levy: Paul Mazursky
Herman Santiago: Alexis Cruz
Sherman: J. August Richards
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 8/10/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review:'Fear and Loathing'
Gonzo journalism has deteriorated into bozo cinema in Universal's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". A dunderheadedly inane adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's searing Rolling Stone article published 27 years ago and expanded into a book, the flaccid film is a goon-show version of Thompson's commentary on the craziness of the American Dream.
Nostalgia-crazed baby boomers who remember being glazed and grazed by Thompson's writings way back when will be sorely jilted by this simplistic reduction of the writer's work and experiences to bald-faced buffoonery.
In the slapstick cinematic, Johnny Depp stars as Dr. Thompson, the era's most flamboyant, outrageous journalist whose combative political pronouncements and incendiary volleys against the reigning establishment stoked countercultural fires then burning in college youth. As celebrated and wasted as a lead guitarist, Thompson was known as much for his drug-gorging persona as his colorful, inflammatory writings.
For studio execs too wet-behind-the-ears to remember Thompson's heyday, "Fear and Loathing" was based on Thompson's excursion to Las Vegas, ostensibly to cover an off-road race for Sports Illustrated. As per his custom, he was accompanied by his lawyer, Oscar Zetz Acosta, an activist and fellow substance abuser along for moral and legal support.
For Thompson, Las Vegas was a vast moral, ethical pit -- a microcosm of the warping of America -- and his writings were less about the road race and more blunt broadsides against establishment culture. That his comments and insights were fired and fueled by every known form of illegal substance was part of his legend. Unfortunately, in this lazy distillation, drunkenness and dislocation are the main focus and -- even dopier -- it's played out as variety-show slapstick.
Depp's reeling performance as the addled, brilliant journalist recalls Red Skelton's Clem Kadiddlehopper, when the popular comedian used to rubber-knee his way around stage with silly grins, flailing his arms to latch onto something. In short, "Fear and Loathing" has been dummied down to a "Beer and Foaming" level -- it's merely a one-joke show as Depp and Benicio Del Toro, as the lawyer sidekick, careen from casino to casino.
On a purely comic level, the film doesn't even achieve the loopy hilarity of "Where the Buffalo Roam", in which Bill Murray essayed the antic, gonzo journalist and every now and then captured his peculiar genius. (Remember that great scene where he had the Hispanic maids running around with the couch cushions simulating the Dallas Cowboys' flex defense?)
Unfortunately, Terry Gilliam's encapsulation is merely an uninspired series of stumblebum scenes as Depp and Del Toro crash and slide through the neon nether world of Las Vegas. As befits a project with four credited screenwriters, the story shows its seams. We note some Alex Cox influences, mainly in scenes of vomit and physical breakdown a la "Sid & Nancy," which ring true but are entirely counter to the slap-happy rest of the film.
Visually, "Fear and Loathing" is a disaster. Thompson's delirium and genius, including fits of drug-induced dementia and hallucinations, is visualized in the most banal terms. Lounge lizards and all sorts of reptilian imagery appear, but they seem to have landed straight from a cereal box or theme park, so humdrum and pedestrian are the designs. If Thompson sees this movie, we hope he'll have a couple bottles of Wild Turkey on hand to wash it down.
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Universal Pictures
CREDITS:
Producers: Laila Nabulsi, Patrick Cassavetti, Stephen Nemeth
Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriters: Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Tod Davies, Alex Cox
Based on the book by: Hunter S. Thompson
Executive producers: Harold Bronson, Richard Foos
Director of photography: Nicola Pecorini
Production designer: Alex McDowell
Editor : Lesley Walker
Costume designer: Julie Weiss
Co-producer: Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt
Casting: Margery Simkin
Lounge Lizards designed by: Rob Bottin
Sound mixer: Jay Meagher
CAST:
Raoul Duke: Johnny Depp
Dr. Gonzo: Benicio Del Toro
Hitchhiker: Tobey Maguire
Uniformed Dwarf: Michael Lee Gogin
Car Rental Agent (Los Angeles): Larry Cedar
Parking Attendant: Brian LeBaron
Reservations Clerk: Katherine Helmond
Running time: 123 minutes...
Nostalgia-crazed baby boomers who remember being glazed and grazed by Thompson's writings way back when will be sorely jilted by this simplistic reduction of the writer's work and experiences to bald-faced buffoonery.
In the slapstick cinematic, Johnny Depp stars as Dr. Thompson, the era's most flamboyant, outrageous journalist whose combative political pronouncements and incendiary volleys against the reigning establishment stoked countercultural fires then burning in college youth. As celebrated and wasted as a lead guitarist, Thompson was known as much for his drug-gorging persona as his colorful, inflammatory writings.
For studio execs too wet-behind-the-ears to remember Thompson's heyday, "Fear and Loathing" was based on Thompson's excursion to Las Vegas, ostensibly to cover an off-road race for Sports Illustrated. As per his custom, he was accompanied by his lawyer, Oscar Zetz Acosta, an activist and fellow substance abuser along for moral and legal support.
For Thompson, Las Vegas was a vast moral, ethical pit -- a microcosm of the warping of America -- and his writings were less about the road race and more blunt broadsides against establishment culture. That his comments and insights were fired and fueled by every known form of illegal substance was part of his legend. Unfortunately, in this lazy distillation, drunkenness and dislocation are the main focus and -- even dopier -- it's played out as variety-show slapstick.
Depp's reeling performance as the addled, brilliant journalist recalls Red Skelton's Clem Kadiddlehopper, when the popular comedian used to rubber-knee his way around stage with silly grins, flailing his arms to latch onto something. In short, "Fear and Loathing" has been dummied down to a "Beer and Foaming" level -- it's merely a one-joke show as Depp and Benicio Del Toro, as the lawyer sidekick, careen from casino to casino.
On a purely comic level, the film doesn't even achieve the loopy hilarity of "Where the Buffalo Roam", in which Bill Murray essayed the antic, gonzo journalist and every now and then captured his peculiar genius. (Remember that great scene where he had the Hispanic maids running around with the couch cushions simulating the Dallas Cowboys' flex defense?)
Unfortunately, Terry Gilliam's encapsulation is merely an uninspired series of stumblebum scenes as Depp and Del Toro crash and slide through the neon nether world of Las Vegas. As befits a project with four credited screenwriters, the story shows its seams. We note some Alex Cox influences, mainly in scenes of vomit and physical breakdown a la "Sid & Nancy," which ring true but are entirely counter to the slap-happy rest of the film.
Visually, "Fear and Loathing" is a disaster. Thompson's delirium and genius, including fits of drug-induced dementia and hallucinations, is visualized in the most banal terms. Lounge lizards and all sorts of reptilian imagery appear, but they seem to have landed straight from a cereal box or theme park, so humdrum and pedestrian are the designs. If Thompson sees this movie, we hope he'll have a couple bottles of Wild Turkey on hand to wash it down.
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Universal Pictures
CREDITS:
Producers: Laila Nabulsi, Patrick Cassavetti, Stephen Nemeth
Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriters: Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Tod Davies, Alex Cox
Based on the book by: Hunter S. Thompson
Executive producers: Harold Bronson, Richard Foos
Director of photography: Nicola Pecorini
Production designer: Alex McDowell
Editor : Lesley Walker
Costume designer: Julie Weiss
Co-producer: Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt
Casting: Margery Simkin
Lounge Lizards designed by: Rob Bottin
Sound mixer: Jay Meagher
CAST:
Raoul Duke: Johnny Depp
Dr. Gonzo: Benicio Del Toro
Hitchhiker: Tobey Maguire
Uniformed Dwarf: Michael Lee Gogin
Car Rental Agent (Los Angeles): Larry Cedar
Parking Attendant: Brian LeBaron
Reservations Clerk: Katherine Helmond
Running time: 123 minutes...
- 5/18/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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