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GailPink
GailPink's stats
- Review count2
- Helpfulness votes4
- First reviewSeptember 21, 2012
- Last reviewNovember 12, 2012
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating5
GailPink's Reviews
Overall rating
5
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5
A Very Bright "Star"
PostedNovember 12, 2012
GailPink
from New York, NY, USA
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Female
Goes to the movies:monthly
Dialogue
5
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5
Special Effects
5
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
5
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
Perhaps you are unfamiliar with musician Alex Chilton, but if you’ve heard The Replacements’ song by that same name, then you at least know that children by the millions sing for him and are in love with his songs. And that’s all you really need to know in order to enjoy the sublime new documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, a profoundly detailed love letter to the wildly influential, Memphis-based 1970’s power pop band that Chilton cofounded along with guitarist/songwriter Chris Bell, drummer Jody Stephens and bassist Andy Hummel. Directed by Drew DeNicola, Nothing Can Hurt Me is by turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, as band members, journalists, photographers, label employees, family, fans and friends recount their own experiences with and memories of a band whose three albums (#1 Record, Radio City and Third) garnered volumes of critical praise, but whose record label lacked the distribution necessary for Big Star to break commercially. Despite its music being virtually unheard during the band’s existence, Big Star songs deeply influenced bands as diverse as Cheap Trick, The Bangles and The Posies, making them possibly the first cult band, ever.
Like I said, you don’t need to know anything about Big Star or its music to be completely engrossed by the band’s story and be charmed as well as intrigued by its four very talented members, particularly the enigmatic Chilton and the insightful (and still devastatingly handsome) Jody Stephens. The band’s music, as well as Chris Bell’s post-Big Star efforts and Chilton’s many and varied solo projects, are featured prominently in the film, and I can guarantee that if you do not already own Big Star’s catalog you will be downloading it from iTunes directly after watching this film. Like another great music documentary film released this year, Jobriath AD, Nothing Can Hurt Me provides a bittersweet hindsight to what went wrong and what might have been done differently. Most importantly, it provides a showcase for music that is timeless, amazing and simply should not remain a well-kept secret.
Adding an additional note of melancholy to the film is the realization that any true Big Star reunion is now impossible, with Stephens being the sole surviving member of the group. Chris Bell joined the 27 Club – the victim of a single-vehicle car cash – in 1978, and both Chilton and Hummel passed away within months of each other in 2011. It’s very likely though that this film will reignite a following and lead to more musicians being influenced by a band that never got to enjoy the fame and fortune they deserved.
Pros well paced, great story, great music
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3of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
A Great Trip Back in Time for Any Queen Fan
PostedSeptember 21, 2012
GailPink
from New York, NY, USA
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Female
Goes to the movies:monthly
Dialogue
5
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5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
5
/
5
Camerawork
5
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5
Being a fan of the band queen since the original release of “A Night at the Opera,” but ending up primarily as a fan of everything up to and including Jazz, I was surprised by how much I loved this film. The set list includes many classic early Queen songs such as "Lap of The Gods" and "Seven Seas of Rhye" – totally unexpected – as well as the played-out hits that don’t even need mentioning. The band plays great and Freddie Mercury’s voice never falters. I especial enjoyed Brian May’s guitar work – he is truly one of the masters of the rock guitar, with a tone like no one else! The local Budapest film crew shot the concert using over a dozen cameras, and you can tell by the many angles they capture: each member of Queen gets LOTS of on screen time. When shown in Theaters, this film includes a 20 (?) minute documentary short on the activities leading up to the Budapest concert (the first time the band played in Hungary) and includes interviews with all members of Queen including the elusive John Deacon. A very fun and informative film especially when you have loved the band as long as I have.
Pros well paced, great story, excellent concert performance
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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1of 1voted this as helpful.