Showing posts with label Pop Notes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pop Notes. Show all posts

Pop Notes: Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds; Gilmore Girls; Tiny Dreams

"Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds" If not for the recent, shocking back-to-back deaths of its stars, this documentary, now showing on HBO, would likely play as a portrait of Hollywood eccentricity, not a poignant last farewell to a pair of movie greats.

While re-capping the careers of both mother and daughter via film clips and home movies, "Bright Lights" gives us a day-in-the-life view of behind-the-scenes celebrity life.

Fisher and Reynolds live in neighboring houses on a plot of land they call "the compound" in Beverly Hills. Each house is what you might expect: Reynolds' is more the aging movie star palace with ornate furniture and draperies, while Fisher's is funky and bohemian, decked out with goofy metal signs and kitschy collectables.

We're invited inside both homes. Mother and daughter spar cheerfully with one another and, on their own, give more confessional interviews to the camera. We also eavesdrop on their phone calls, join Reynolds in Las Vegas for her final singing-and-dancing performance (at age 83) and accompany Fisher to London, where she's filming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," understandably griping about the studio's orders that she eat well and exercise to keep off weight.

Both women are lovely, but odd, company. Spending time with them, you get a sense of how weird it must be growing up in show business. Fisher seems to relish the absurdity of it all, while her mother seems fully committed to the life of an entertainer. She's never wanted, or really experienced, anything else.

Perhaps because we know both women passed away shortly after this film was completed, there's an air of mortality hanging over it all, too. Reynolds is frail and would like to continue performing, but can't. Meanwhile, despite her fantastic wit and grounded sense of humor, growing up in Hollywood made a wreck of Fisher, who suffered decades of mental illness and substance abuse. You're left wondering, even though you already know, what's next for these women? When stars grow old, do they flash out or fade away? For Fisher and Reynolds, it was a little bit of both.


"Gilmore Girls." Speaking of mother-daughter teams, I recently finished up a major binge of this series along with my wife and teenage daughter. We watched the whole dang thing, original series and recent revival, on Netflix and enjoyed nearly all of it.

As with any series, there are occasional plot lines that seem contrived or don't payoff, and the show's utter cuteness can get cloying after a bit. But the dialogue is sharp and the players and characters are likeable and engaging.

It was nice to find a series we could enjoy together, that pulled us all in for the long haul. Even the new mini-series was pretty good. Though it wasn't completely necessary, it didn't diminish the original series and provided a chance to re-engage with the characters (although, unlike people who watched the series years ago, we were never really separated from them.) It all ended on an unexpected, but perfect not. The producers could leave it there, and I'd be happy. But if the Gilmores come back again, we'll be there.


ZBS Media's "Tiny Dreams." I always like to plug ZBS' audio series and show mainly because they are always fantastically entertaining, but also because I feel like not nearly enough people know about them.

If things were right in the world - and lord knows they aren't - people would be walking around in Jack Flanders t-shirts and starting up Ruby fan clubs. But that's not the way it is.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be on the bandwagon. And here's another chance: ZBS recently launched a series of standalone, short "mind movies" that can be heard on select radio stations or via weekly free downloads from ZBS website. Check 'em out!

Pop Notes: So long, Mary Tyler Moore

I figured 2017 wouldn't be any kinder than 2016 when it comes to losing our pop culture icons. The painful fact is, we're all getting older. Even our seemingly immortal idols.

This loss hits hard in our household. My wife and I have recently enjoyed watching "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" Hulu with our 13-year-old daughter. She's also a fan of "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Despite some outdated gender roles ("DVD," especially) and atrocious fashions ("MTM," omg), both of the series hold up extremely well. It's fun to laugh out loud together as a family and, watching these shows, we frequently do. For the next little while, though, watching will be bittersweet.

It goes without saying that Moore was a masterful comic actress. A graceful dancer, she could pull off great physical comedy alone and/or in tandem with the rubber-limbed Dick Van Dyke. Verbal comedy as no problem, either.

She could be stern, silly, sad, sheepish, embarrassed, sly and everything in between, all to hilarious effect. She was a bemused straight woman to Ted Baxter and bumbling nervous wreck to Lou Grant.

She also received an Oscar nomination for her dramatic role in "Ordinary People,"and was a leader in the fight against juvenile diabetes. Plus, she acted opposite Elvis!

And incredible woman, she'll be greatly missed.

Pop Notes: La La Land, Hidden Figures, Manchester By the Sea

Wow, it's rare that I see many "Award season" films, but I've been doing pretty well lately.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've enjoyed three films that have received Golden Globe nominations and awards, and which will likely be contenders for the Oscars, as well. And they're all good!

"La La Land" will appeal to lovers of musicals, but it's not all song and dance. The film is a tribute to L.A.'s fading glory and reflects on the difficulty of sustaining dreams and romance in the face of reality.

While there are a few upbeat numbers - including the stunning opener, "Another Day in the Sun" - much of the music is understated and carries a whiff of melancholy.

This is a musical that always keeps one tap shoe in the real world. When Emma Stone, as a frustrated barista/actress, and Ryan Gosling, as a frustrated jazz pianist, sing their first song together they are searching for her Prius. And the number ends with the ring of an iPhone.

As much as we root for these two - and they're both completely lovable and adorable - we fret for them, too. They are asking a lot from life. Is it too much? Maybe, so. But what would life be worth if they didn't? This is a musical that asks if it's really possible to live in a musical.

I predict the film's central piece, the lovely "City of Stars," will be played at a million kids' piano recitals over the next 10 years.


"Manchester By the Sea," in comparison to the vivid colors and sophisticated production of "La La Land," is a simple, sad film that flickers with a glimmer of hope throughout.

Casey Affleck is remarkable as Lee Chandler, a broken man called back to his hometown to care for his 16-year-old nephew after his brother, the boy's father, has died. Lee doesn't want, and isn't at all prepared, to take on this new role. He didn't realize it would fall to him and he left town years ago, hoping never to return.

Over the course the the story, we learn why Lee left and we become increasingly more sympathetic to his initially off-putting behavior. Everyone has his or her past hurts, and Lee's are profound. Affleck inhabits his character and provides a very moving performance, as do Michelle Williams as his heartbroken ex-wife and Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights") in flashbacks as Lee's brother, Joe.


"Hidden Figures," about three overlooked, mistreated and vital women working for America's space program in the 1960s, could've clobbered us over the head with it's importance, but doesn't.

Instead, it just gets to the business of telling it's story, which all Americans should hear. Without Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, it might have taken us much longer to get into space and to the moon. And more men likely would've died trying. Yet, up until now, how many of us knew about how much these three African American women contributed to our history?

The film doesn't tell us, but shows us the brilliance and dedication of these women, while also depicting the outrageously poor treatment they were subjected to while just trying to do their jobs.

The bright spots are provided in scenes that demonstrate the camaraderie among these characters. The co-leads, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáem have great chemistry. They make these inspirational figures real and it's a joy being in their company.

Kevin Costner is also excellent as a forward-thinking NASA supervisor and Glen Powell is heroic and charismatic in his brief scenes as astronaut John Glenn.

Pop Notes: Sing Street; Miss Sharon Jones; Riverdale; Jack Flanders

I caught a good family movie - with the family, of all people! - over the holidays. "Sing Street" is now playing on Netflix and is delightful in much same way as "The Commitments." In fact, it's sort of a "Kid Commitments," but a nice film in its own right.

It tells the story of a young teen, Conor, and his friends who are growing up in tough circumstances in post-punk Dublin. Music is their hope and salvation, and each week brings them new sounds and looks via "Top of the Pops." Conor and his pals try them all on for size. Their band isn't too bad, and the film's original songs do a dead-on job of catching the styles of the era while providing simultaneous laughs.

There's a little cussing here and there, but it's a good film for pre-teens and older. Despite being set nearly 40 years ago, its themes of alienation, adversity and acceptance still resonate.


Another great music film now on Netflix is "Miss Sharon Jones," a documentary about the powerhouse Dap Kings singer and her struggle with cancer. I saw it, and Sharon herself, shortly before her passing late last year, but I figure it still plays as an inspiring story about an amazingly talented and brave woman - just with a sadder ending. Lots of fantastic musical performances, too.


Anyone else annoyed by the prospect of "Riverdale," the CW's upcoming "dark" take on Archie Comics?

All the images and materials I've seen from the show are willfully provocative in a silly, not interesting, way.

I enjoyed Mark Waid's "realistic" update of the Archie universe (my daughter is fan). It places Archie and friends in a world more like our own, but retains elements from the classic comics, including its humor and upbeat perspective. But things like Afterlife with Archie and this new TV series just seem dumb.

Subverting Archie's archetypal characters doesn't take much imagination or skill. Will doing so yield any interesting or compelling stories? I doubt it. It's just a stunt that provides a few moments of intrigue and soon becomes a bore. Why not just watch "Twin Peaks" or "Buffy" or "Walking Dead" or any of the other series this show steals from, instead?

The new show also may ultimately be harmful to the comics. Right now most Archie series are kid-friendly and a way to potentially get younger kids interested in the medium. They are available in grocery stores and book shops, not just comic book shops. But if Archie, of all things, becomes something for teens and "grown-ups," we stand to lose that, too.

 
Finally, a plug for ZBS Media and it's new, final, Jack Flanders audio adventure series: "League of the Velvet Chairs."

Robert Lorick, the super-talented actor who voiced the intrepid Jack for more nearly 50 years died last year. This new series features Lorick's last recorded work and, according to Jack's creator, Tom Lopez, serves as a tribute to Jack and Lorick alike. You can hear samples and order it here.

Pop Notes: Pop '67; Kaluta and Fradon; Rogue One; Fisher and Reynolds

Hello and welcome to the New Year! I enjoyed a nice holiday from posting here at PCS. I hope you had some down time, too.
I've plugged it a couple times already, but I hope you'll check out our new side blog: Pop '67! It's a look back at pop culture 50 years ago. It's predecessor, Pop '66!, was a lot of fun to create, though it never enjoyed PCS-level readership.

And, speaking of 1966, our pal Booksteve mentioned that he's wrapped up his long-running 1966: My Favorite Year blog, too. Tune into his regular site for good stuff.


I enjoyed lots of good reading over the holidays, including the most recent issue of Comic Book Creator, one of the great many mags published by the folks at TwoMorrows.

This one featured lengthy, well-illustrated, interviews by two awesome, but very different, artists of the 1960s and 70s: Ramona Fradon and Michael W. Kaluta.

In my mind, these two exemplify the difference between a cartoonist versus an illustrator - not that one is any better than the other.

Fradon is a cartoonist - somebody with a perhaps God-given knack for telling stories in pictures. Her comic book art obeys all the fundamentals of anatomy and perspective, yet isn't overly "realistic." There's a sense she's depicting an imaginary, cartoonish world - not our reality.

Kaluta's work, on the other hand, hearkens back to the great book illustrators of yesteryear. Though his comic art conveys movement and action, it looks more like the real world. He's also a master of creating a singular image - such as a comics cover or poster - that tells a story in its own right.

Kaluta admits in his interview that storytelling is something he had to learn, while Fradon says it's something that's always come naturally.

We're very lucky to have them both. Who'd want to be without Fradon's Aquaman or Metamorpho, or Kaluta's Shadow or Starstruck? Combining these two profiles in a single magazine highlights the delightful diversity found among the great comics artists.

Good stuff, highly recommended.


 Like the rest of the world, I also saw "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" over the holidays.

SPOILERS for anyone who didn't see it!

I have to admit I was disappointed, and not simply because this is a darker story than the other Star Wars films. It boiled down to the story being unnecessary - I think we've gone back to the Death Star well enough times (before, during, after) - and the characters being a bore.

I wanted to like Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso. She has a compelling screen presence, but the character gave her nothing much to work with. The two males leads had little personality, either, and the snarky droid seemed trapped in the 1990s.

Unlike "The Force Awakens," which introduced us to new characters who were fun and who I'm eager to see return to the screen, I'm left not really wanting to see any of these folks again. And - I put a SPOILER up there didn't I? - I guess I won't!


Also over the holidays, I mourned the passing of Carrie Fisher and, the following day, her mother Debbie Reynolds.

I don't have much to say that others haven't. Like many, I grew up with Fisher as Princess Leia. I was there in the theater during the summer of '77 getting swept away like everyone else. And Reynolds will forever more light up the screen each time anyone watches "Singin' in the Rain."

It will be fun to see the upcoming documentary on these two, prepared without a suspicion that we'd be losing them both before it's release. And I'm glad we haven't seen the last of Leia, as Fisher reportedly had completed filming all her scenes as the character for the next Star Wars film.


Pop Notes: Christmas music, so long 2016, book reviews, Bruce Springsteen, more

As we wind up yet another year of blogging here at PCS, I want to say thanks for tuning in, whether you're a long time visitor or someone new.
With social media and the migration to reading-by-phone, it's good to know there's still a modest audience for a pop blog like mine - at least so far as I'm able to tell via my stats, which may or may not be reliable. Maybe it's just one guy clicking and clicking ...

A holiday hello, also, to my fellow pop bloggers, represented in the blogroll to your left (scroll down a bit). If you have a blog, or know of one, that should be added to that list, please let me know.

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A reminder that PCS has two sister blogs: The Glass Onion Beatles Journal, which is going strong, and Pop '66!, which winds up its mission this month. Traffic over there has been ... modest. Still, reliving the pop culture of 50 years ago has been both fun and eye-opening and I don't regret the experiment. I learned a lot. The posts there will remain intact and I hope you'll tune in, because a special announcement over there is coming soon.

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Along with blogging (and writing a book and working and being a dad, etc.), I continue to contribute book reviews to the long-running print mag, Beatlefan, and to Wink Books. Click here to see my review of George Khoury's super fun "Comic Book Fever," which nearly anyone who like PCS will love. You can also read my recent interview with George here.


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I'm a Bruce Springsteen fan - more of the man than of his music. I have a couple of his LPs, but have always admired his down-to-earth, man-of-the-people persona, which, from all accounts, is genuine. He seems like a great guy.

And it's a pleasure to hear him being interviewed and sharing some of  his favorite music in this new episode of the BBC's long-running, and awesome, Desert Island Discs radio program.

None of the Boss' musical selections are a big surprise (Elvis, Beatles, Dylan, etc.), but his frank recollections about growing up, his relationship with his dad and his early days as a performer are very much worth a listen. Check it out.

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I didn't re-post my selection of top Christmas albums this year - just felt like I'd done that plenty of times. But I did pick up some new and new-to-me holiday LPs this season that I wanted to flag:


The Roches - We Three Kings is a  1990 collection by the eccentric sister-harmony trio that ranges from the sublime (most of the time) to the unhinged (a few tunes). At 24 selections, it's a bit on the long side - I think Christmas LPs are best kept to 12 songs or so - but there are some wonderful performances. Nobody sings/sang quite like the Roche sisters.

She & Him - Christmas Party is just the right length, 12 tunes to add to the dozen the duo issued in 2011 on their previous holiday player, A Very She & Him Christmas. This one is in the same retro-pop mode, if a little more stripped down than its predecessor. Tunes include the Chipmunks' "Christmas Don't Be Late" and Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," which always sounded like a 1960s holiday tune and sounds even more that way here.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - It's a Holiday Soul Party!  Bowie, Prince, Sharon - 2016 has been a terrible year of musical losses. I'm glad I got to see this group twice - the second time early this past summer. Jones was noticeably weakened by her battle against cancer, but by no means out. She sang with utter commitment. I think performing helped her - it certainly helped those of us watching and listening. She was an inspiration - and listening to this album makes me joyful - about what I've experience and what lays ahead, not matter what it might be.

St. Etienne Presents Songs for a London Winter is a holiday-themed compilation of pre-Beatles English pop and light jazz curated by music writer/musician Bob Stanley and his bandmates. Those featured include the pre-Bond John Barry performing with his jazz combo, the John Barry Seven, along with Johnny Dankworth, Cleo Laine, Billy Fury, Adam Faith and Lionel Bart. Sure, some of it's a little cheesy, but there's an air of sophistication present on many of the tracks, too. And they're so rare, and so British, that they present a nice change of pace by American holiday standards. I just finished reading Stanley's book, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyonce," which I also highly recommend. I don't agree with all Stanley's views (I love the Clash, for one thing), but the connections he makes between performers, genres and time periods are fascinating and will make you listen to familiar music in new ways.

Snowbound for Christmas - Fun Songs, Classics and Rarities is a 2-CD set on Jasmine, a UK public domain label. Considering all the songs included are "needle-drops" off vintage vinyl, the sound is pretty good and the selections are entertainingly diverse, a mish-mash of holiday tunes off singles, EPs and LPs from the 1940s and 50s. Those represented include Les Paul and Mary Ford, Ernest Tubb, Guy Lombardo and Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians. Nice vintage fare that will make you nostalgic for holidays you never experienced.

Big City Christmas is a higher class of vintage grab-bag, as compared to the entry above. Germany's Bear Family does things right, with pristine sound and informative, picture-filled booklets. This one is a great listen all the way through, including tunes from various pop, rock and r&b greats, including Brenda Lee, Dean Martin, Chuck Berry, Eartha Kitt, Ricky Nelson and Tennessee Ernie Ford. The choices are on the rare side, which makes it all the more fun.

Kenny Burrell - Have Yourself a Soulful Little Christmas captures the jazz guitar group in a variety of settings - big band to small combo and even one tune on acoustic - doing his sophisticated, groovy, bluesy thing on a variety of holiday chestnuts. Burrell's Midnight Blue is one of the best LPs ever released by the Blue Note label. If you have that, you'll like this. If you don't have that, you'll want it and this.