Tag Archives: Musician

Miles Ahead (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Miles before moving ahead

Shortly after the screening of “Miles Ahead” during this Saturday afternoon, I happened to have a brief conversation with one of the audiences. He pointed out how the movie was not so different from another recent jazz musician biography film … Continue reading

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Born to Be Blue (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): Improvised from Chet Baker’s bluesy bottom

As a music drama loosely inspired by Chet Baker’s life, “Born to be Blue” tries a little different thing. While mainly focusing on a melancholic late period of this legendary American jazz musician’s life, it freely mixes reality and fiction … Continue reading

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Sing Street (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : First Music – and First Love

“Sing Street” is a small but sweet musical movie with lots of charm and energy. While its musical period background is not that familiar to me, I was amused and entertained by its superlative soundtrack consisting of old and new … Continue reading

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Seymour: An Introduction (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): On his duet of life and art

The first minutes of documentary film “Seymour: An Introduction” was more than enough for me to become interested in its remarkable human subject. As a man who has happily maintained his own balance between life and art for many years, … Continue reading

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What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): What happened in her life and career

Oscar-nominated documentary film “What Happened, Miss Simone?” gives us close, intimate glimpses into Nina Simone, a legendary American singer who was called “the High Priestess of Soul”. Even if you are unfamiliar with her career like me (full confession: I … Continue reading

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Youth (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An idiosyncratic musing around youth and aging

“Youth” is amusing, baffling, and mesmerizing in its odd beautiful moments. It often feels uneven and random as juggling many various elements around its leisurely background, but then we are gripped by its fabulous moments, and its idiosyncratic musing around … Continue reading

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Amy (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A painful look into Winehouse’s downward spiral

Amy Winehouse’s tragically short life is a cautionary show business tale to say the least. She was young and talented with undeniable star quality, and she was lucky enough to be elevated to stardom within a few years, but, sadly, … Continue reading

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Danny Collins (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A turning point belatedly coming to him

“Danny Collins” is the third Al Pacino movie I watched in this year, and it is easily the best of the bunch. While other two films “The Humbling” (2014) and “Manglehorn” (2014) were disappointing misfires despite his efforts, Pacino gives … Continue reading

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Straight Outta Compton (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Rappers with Attitudes

Galvanizing the audiences with a bunch of propulsive songs from a famous hip hop group during the 1980-90s, “Straight Outta Compton” is a vivid, pulsating music biographical film to watch. Like their music and attitude in public, the movie is … Continue reading

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Ricki and the Flash (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : An aging rocker meets her family again

“Ricki and the Flash” is a conventional mix of two familiar movie genres. One is a musical drama about one aging rocker encountering what is probably the second chance for her messy life, and the other one is a family … Continue reading

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