Miles Ahead

Sony Pictures Classics (Columbia), 2015

Starring Don Cheadle, Ewan MacGregor, Emayatzy Corinealdi, and Michael Stuhlbarg

Directed by Don Cheadle

Music by Miles Davis and others

We jump ahead from the 1910's to the 1970's, and from ragtime to a very modern form of jazz. Miles Davis was one of the major jazz greats of the mid-20th century, a tempestuous giant whose experiments in cool jazz and be-bop from the late 50's through the early 80's revolutionized jazz and music in general, pushing the boundaries of what jazz could be and do. He was also said to have been notoriously difficult, his life plagued with drug and alcohol addiction and physical illnesses. His addictions led him to drop out of music entirely between 1975 and 1980. In fact, let's begin in 1979, as he was preparing to make a comeback, and find out just how hard that was for him to start over again...

The Story: Davis (Cheadle) is living alone, painting and dealing with debilitating hip pain, when a young Scottish reporter named Dave Braden (MacGregor) forces his way into his home to get an interview. Instead, he ends up following Davis as he pursues tapes of his most recent compositions stolen by local thugs. As he and Braden pursue the thieves, Davis recalls the creations of his most famous compositions, and his troubled relationship with his first wife, dancer Frances Taylor (Corinealdi). She was his muse and his inspiration in the late 50's and 60's, but their marriage ended with her fleeing for her own safety in 1968. 

The Song and Dance: Cheadle directed and wrote this project along with starring in it, claiming no one else could do it better. Maybe he was right. He's an electric Davis, capturing the musician's early spirit and drive, even as he dove head-first into his own addictions. MacGregor almost matches him as the Rolling Stones reporter who is determined to get a story at all cost, even breaking the law or pushing his way into Davis' house. The music is so fabulous, the soundtrack won Grammy. We get Davis' compositions in all their raw, eclectic glory, from the title song to "So What?" to "Prelude Pt. 2."

The Numbers: In fact, we open with "Prelude No. 2" from the live album Agartha, the last album Davis made before his self-imposed exile. Among those we see him working on are "Duran," "So What," "Frelon Brun," the title song, "Back Seat Betty," "Seven Steps to Heaven," "Gone," "Blue In Green," "Black Satin," "Sanctuary," "Teo, "He Loved Him Madly," "East of Rockford," and "Solea."

What I Don't Like: First of all, this is all fictional. While Davis really did take time off between 1975 and 1980 and really did make a comeback in 1981, Dave Braden was created as someone Davis could argue with and drag around to find the tapes - and the story with the tapes going missing was created to add drama. Second, this is for adult jazz fans only. This is rated R for a reason. There's tons of heavy swearing, fisticuffs, abuse, and drug and alcohol use. Start the kids on Davis' best-known albums first. It's also pretty obviously a low-budget indie movie, with cheap sets and costumes. No one besides MacGregor and Cheadle remotely register, especially Corinealdi in a thankless love interest role. There's also all the jumping around. The editing is confusing, and the movie isn't always clear where we're going or what time period or part of Davis' life we're in.

The Big Finale: If you're an adult fan of Davis or jazz like me, you'll want to check out this exploration of something that might have happened during one of the most difficult periods of his life. 

Home Media: Easily found on all major formats. Can currently be found for free on Pluto TV with commercials.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Pluto TV On Demand

Jivin' In Be-Bop

Alexander Distributing Company, 1946

Starring Dizzy Gillespie, Freddy Carter, James Moody, and Helen Humes

Directed by Leonard Anderson and Spencer Williams

Music and Lyrics by various

Some race films bypassed flimsy plots entirely to document the popular black singers and orchestras of the time. Gillespie's career began in the mid-30's. He played on several big band orchestras and did arrangements for others before he struck out on his own in a small combo in 1944. He was riding the rise of both small combos and be-bop, then considered to be a jazz sub-genre, when he and his combo appeared in this film. How well do these numbers come off today? Let's let our master of ceremonies, Mr. Freddy Carter, tell us what we're about to see and find out...

The Story: There isn't one. Carter introduces Gillespie and his orchestra and a variety of dancers, from a modern dancer swinging scarves barefoot (Sahji) to a laid-back tapper (Ralph Brown). He does gags trades quips with the musicians between numbers.

The Song and Dance: And obviously, with no plot to discuss, song and dance are the only things of interest here. If you love Gillespie, you're going to have a great time here. We get some of his biggest early hits, including "Salt Peanuts," "Things to Come," and "I Waited for You." Some of the dancing is pretty incredible, too. Sahji can do some amazing moves barefoot, on the floor, and in a skimpy costume, while the jiggerbugging chorus mid-way through has to be seen to be believed. 

The Numbers: And we open with Carter introducing "Salt Peanuts," as played by Gillespie and his orchestra. Singer Helen Humes wrote, performs, and helps to introduce the rollicking "E-Baba-Le-Ba." Gillespie and his boys perform "Oop-Bop She-Bam" and an original instrumental, the latter of which provides the backdrop for comic soft-shoe duo Johnny and Henny. Johnny comes out later for an even more dynamic solo routine. "Shaw 'Nuff" is Sahji's modern dance routine, with her spending more time dancing on the floor than on her bare feet. 

"I Waited for You" gets into more romantic turf, as a handsome young gentleman performs the longing ballad to his sweetheart. Pianists Dan Burley and Johnny Taylor, aka the Burley-Taylor Duo, play their own "Hubba Hubba Blues" for a group of appreciative young ladies. We get a taste of African dance as a leggy duo in a low-budget idea of scanty native costume dance "A Night In Tunsia." Humes returns for another one of her compositions, the slower and sadder "Crazy About a Man." Gillespie's next number with the orchestra is the more jivin' "One Bass Hit." 

Burley and Taylor come back for "Boogie In C," wigged to by a lovely, slender dancer in a scanty white fringed costume with some amazingly high kicks. "Dynamo A" is accurately titled as the chorus takes the floor for some outstanding jitterbugging. "Ornithology" is the first of two tap numbers from Ralph Brown, this one done in top hat, tie, and tails. Gillespie himself performs "He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped" with his orchestra. The slinky "Boogie In C" returns for a faster-pasted number in a slightly more lavish black dress to "Droppin' a Square." 

"You ain't heard nothin' yet!" Gillespie tells Carter as we move on to "Things to Come" with Gillespie's orchestra. A less well-dressed Brown returns with a more laid-back tap routine to "Ray's Idea." The "dance creation" turns out to be "Bag's Boogie," as the "Tunsia" male dancer gives us a more polished and airy performance on a literal pedestal. We end back with Burley, Taylor, and the slinky female dancer, this time in scanty black and silver for "Hubba Hubba Boogie."

Trivia: There's a version of the film on DVD called Things to Come that cuts Carter's prattle with the musicians between the numbers. 

What I Don't Like: Obviously, this isn't for you if you're looking for an actual plot with your musical numbers. It's also not for those who don't love Gillespie or the jazz, be-bop, or dance styles of the mid-late 40's. This is another one that could use some restoration, too, especially given how much it relies on audio. The film is scratchy here too, the audio distorted in places.

The Big Finale: Mainly for huge fans of Gillespie or the be-bop, jazz, and dance from this era.

Home Media: This is another one in the public domain, making it easily found everywhere and in all formats.

DVD

Tubi

Beware! (1946)

Astor Pictures, 1946

Starring Louis Jordan, Frank H. Wilson, Emory Richardson, and Valerie Black

Directed by Bud Pollard

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we dive into Black History Month with two "race movies" from the late 40's. From the 1910's through the early 50's, black filmmakers made movies directly for African-American audiences. They were usually low-budget efforts released through small independent companies, but some of them, especially in the silent era, could get quite elaborate. Later films featured singers, performers, and orchestras who were often neglected or could only manage cameos in mainstream movies of the time. Most of these films were largely forgotten or lost until they started to show up on cable in the 90's, and later streaming. Now that many of them are more visible, are they worth checking out, or should they be left at school? Let's start at Ware College in Ohio with Professor  (Frank H. Wilson) and find out...

The Story: Lucius "Louis" Jordan (Jordan) attended Ware in his younger years, but is now a famous bandleader. He and his band are passing through and only end up there because their train is being held over. Ware is in the midst of major enrollment and financial problems. The son of the founder Benjamin Ware III (Milton Woods) wants to close the school and marry pretty teacher Annabelle Brown (Black). Annabelle only has eyes for Louis, whom she's had a crush on for years. She and the head of the school Dean Hargreaves (Emory Richardson) convince Louis and his band to put on a show that will save the school. Louis is more interested in figuring out what's going on with Benjamin Ware, who seems a little too interested in having his family's namesake college shut down.

The Song and Dance: Jordan's no actor, but he is a charmer in this surprisingly fun low-budget effort. It's no worse than other school-based musicals of the period. In fact, just this being set at an all-black college in Ohio makes it a little bit more unique than most college shows. There's some really nice music, too, including Jordan's not-bad rendition of the Billie Holliday standard "Good Morning Heartbreak." 

The Numbers: Our introduction to Jordan and His Orchestra is the rollicking "How Long Must I Wait For You?" in a montage on a train that shows us Jordan's success. He sings a lovely "Good Morning Heartbreak" the day after encountering Annabelle again for the first time in years. He and his orchestra perform "In the Land of the Buffalo Nickel" for a tiny class of a few students...that gets bigger and bigger the more they play. He sings and plays "Hold On" on his saxophone for Annabelle, Professor Leary, and the dean...but Ware is only slightly impressed.

Annabelle walks into an instrumental dance routine for the students in her own classroom that doesn't amuse her or Professor Leary. This turns into "You Gotta Have a Beat" when Jordan takes over the class. Their mule mascot inspires Jordan's "Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule." We get another brief instrumental chorus jitterbug routine at the dance before Ware starts admiring Annabelle a little too much. "Long Legged Lizzie" is one heck of a dancer at the school prom after Ware announces that the school isn't closing down. Jordan slows things down with the bluesy "Salt Pork, West Virginia." "Beware, Brother, Beware" is Jordan and the orchestra's warning against the lady who says one thing and does another. We end with "Old Fashioned Passion" as Jordan woos the slightly reluctant Annabelle.

What I Don't Like: First of all, I wish someone would take a crack at restoring more race films. Beware is in only slightly better shape than the 1941 Sunny, all scratches and raspy sound. Second, while the story is slightly stronger than usual for either a race or college movie, it's still full of all the attendant school musical cliches. About the only thing we don't get is a big football game, and they probably didn't have time for that in an hour movie. Note what I said up there about Jordan not being an actor. He's not the only one. Black's there as window dressing, and Woods is so smarmy, I'm surprised Jordan wasn't the only one who figured out what he was up to ages before this. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of either Jordan or the black musical films of the 40's, this is worth checking out for the good songs alone.

Home Media: It's in the public domain, so it's easily found anywhere and on most formats. 

DVD - Harlem Double Feature - Jivin' In Be-Bop/Beware

Tubi

Musicals On TV - Copacabana (1985)

CBS, 1985

Starring Barry Manilow, Annette O'Toole, Joseph Bologna, and Estelle Getty

Directed by Waris Hussein

Music and Lyrics by Barry Manilow

Tonight's venture into 1940's nostalgia has a few things in common with Queen of the Stardust Ballroom. Queen and Copacabana were TV movies that were big hits on CBS at a time when nostalgia for the mid-20th century was at an all-time high. They both won Emmys, despite musicals being passe on the big and small screens. They were also love stories with sudden tragic endings, although at least the end of this one was obvious from the beginning if you watched the opening and know the song it's based on. In most other ways, this one is a much different beast, with a familiar star and a slightly larger budget. How different is it from Queen and its intimate ballroom? Let's begin at the disco club Copacabana with the tattered, tragic Lola LaMarr (O'Toole) before flashing back to when she met her beloved Tony (Manilow) in 1948 and find out...

The Story: Lola and Tony meet when they both compete on a popular radio game show to win a spot at the famous Copacabana night club in New York. Tony wins, but it turns out to be a bartender job. He's still happy to have his foot at the door, even if his mother Bella (Getty) wants better for him. Tony finally finds Lola working in a dime-a-dance joint. He manages to get her a job as a Copa Girl when he reworks her dark ballad as a show-stopping dance routine. Owner Sam Silver (Ernie Sabella) eventually gives Tony a better job playing blues ballads on the piano too when the pianist is fired. 

Tony and Lola have fallen head-over-heels for each other when she catches the eye of Rico Castelli (Bologna), a gangster based out of Havana, Cuba. He convinces Lola she'll become a big star in his Tropicana nightclub, even getting his current mistress Conchita (Silvana Gallardo) to prepare her for their opening act. Tony gets his own major act at the Copa with the help of the wealthy, amorous Pamela Deveraux (Andra Akers). Pamela eventually gets Tony to Havana to rescue Lola and Conchita when he finds out what Tony does to his lovers. Even when Tony gets the ladies out, Rico still follows them back to the Copa...and tragedy comes along with him, leaving Lola heartbroken for 30 years. 

The Song and Dance: Manilow and O'Toole make a charming couple in this mostly delightful salute to vintage musicals. O'Toole in particular is a revelation, hilarious when pushing her dark ballad "Man Wanted," adorable and sweet with Manilow in the lovely "Who Needs to Dream?"Manilow surprisingly isn't bad either. Bologna makes a great nasty gangster too, and Getty has some nice moments as Tony's nagging mama. There's a nice production for a TV movie from this era too, with gorgeous gowns for the Copa Girls and the Havana dancers, lavish tuxes for Manilow and Bologna, and a nice recreation of late 40's New York and Havana in a Los Angels backlot. Director Hussein won an Emmy for his seamless melding of song and dance; "Who Needs to Dream?" is especially good here. 

The Numbers: We open with the last part of the title song in that 1978 disco as we see what became of Lola before flashing back to 30 years before. After the radio show, our first full number is actually three. Tony is "Changing My Tune," and changing the style of the song every time a publisher complains it isn't "now" or "tomorrow" enough. "Let's Go Steppin'" is the first chorus number for the Copa Girls, giving us the lavish, glamorous world of the nightclub Tony and Lola both badly want to work at. Lola originally performs "Man Wanted" as a dark ballad sung on top of a piano. Tony reworks it into a brassy showstopper that gets her the Copa Girl job. 

Tony starts "Lola" as a number on his piano, but he can't finish it until he encounters the real Lola at the dance hall. They dance together as Tony explains that his "big job" at the Copa wasn't so big after all. Walking home, he starts "Lola" on the accordion, which then segways into "Who Needs to Dream?" They're so delightful as they dance and play, everyone in the apartment buildings surrounding them ends up giving them deserved applause. 

"Aye Carrumba" is the second Copa chorus number and Lola's first. The Copa Girls go tropical in frilly dresses and huge Carmen Miranda hats as Lola leads the dance corps. "Call Me Mr. Lucky" is Tony's first song on the piano after he switches to playing. It becomes "Big City Blues" when Lola leaves for Havana. He gets another promotion to lead singer for "Sweet Heaven." This one has him with the Copa Girls, circling him in white and silver. "El Bravo!" is the big chorus number at the Tropicana in Havana. Lola is the damsel in distress in this swashbuckling spoof; Tony is the title hero in the second version. The movie ends with the start of the title song, as we see exactly what happened to kill Tony and break Lola's heart and mind.

Trivia: Copacabana has twice been made into a stage musical. The original one-act version debuted at Caesar's Palace in Atlantic City in 1991. This was expanded into a full musical that played London's West End from 1994 to 1996. Though it went over well in London and has toured and occasionally appeared in regional theaters in the US, it has yet to play Broadway.

What I Don't Like: First of all, as a big Manilow fan since childhood, I know the song ends tragically...but I don't think the movie should have. As with Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, Tony's sudden death in the finale doesn't really work with the mostly lighthearted romp that came before it. The stage versions have Rico as the one on the other end of that fatal bullet, and frankly, that makes more sense with the story seen here. My other problem is, like the vintage film musicals this is imitating, this is incredibly campy. If you're not a fan of vintage musicals, Manilow, or camp, this is no place for you. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of 40's musicals or are a big Manilow fan like me, you'll want to track down "the hottest spot north of Havana." 

Home Media: The DVD is out of print and prohibitively expensive at press time. You might be able to find it for a half-decent price used, but you're better off watching the decent copy currently on the Internet Archive.

DVD

Internet Archive 

This Christmas

Sony (Columbia)/Screen Gems, 2007

Starring Loretta Devine, Delroy Lindo, Idris Alba Jr., and Regina King

Directed by Preston A. Whitmore II

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's jump back thirteen years from a community-focused Christmas to a family-oriented one. Most Christmas musicals are big and bold. This one reminds us that there's music in smaller holidays, too. I also don't know of too many holiday musicals that focus on the African-American Christmas experience, like this one does. How well does the tangled tale of one family's troubled Christmas Eve and Day hold up over a decade and a half later? Let's begin as a singer performs a slinky "Santa Baby" and the Whitfield family begins to gather for Christmas and find out...

The Story: Shirley "Ma'Dere" Winfield (Divine) is looking forward to seeing her six children and their families and significant others. She's happy with her boyfriend Joe Black (Lindo) after her husband walked out, but her oldest son Quentin (Alba) doesn't like that he replaced their father. Her oldest daughter Lisa (King) is a housewife with two children whose unfaithful husband Malcolm (Laz Alonso) barely has time for her. Kelli (Sharon Leal) is a college grad living in New York, while youngest daughter Melanie (Lauren London) is a college student who brings her boyfriend Devan (Keith Robinson) home for the holidays. Youngest son Baby (Chris Brown) still lives at home. He loves photography, but he also loves to sing, which he hides from his mother. 

Musician Quentin is having his own problems with bookies Mo (David Banner) and Dude (Ronnie Warner), who want $25,000 yesterday. Kelli is happier with Gerald (Mekhi Phifer), the handsome guy she meets at a local nightclub. After middle brother Claude (Columbus Short) is arrested for pulling a gun at a nightclub, his very white wife Sandi (Jessica Stroup) turns up nervous and pregnant. There's also their mother's long-standing dry cleaner business that they all own shares in. Malcolm and Lisa want to pressure the others to sell, but it's their mother's business. Over the course of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, faith will be tested, new bonds will be created, and the Whitfield family will learn the importance of family, teamwork, connection, and sticking up for yourself and others.

The Song and Dance: I like how low-key this is. As I mentioned earlier, most Christmas musicals tend to be big, bold, and brassy. The focus on one family and their relationships makes this rare among holiday musicals, and almost refreshing just for that. It's sweet and thoughtful with just enough sass to keep it from diving into overly syrupy Hallmark movie territory. Brown's adorable as the youngest member of the family who worries that his talent may upset his mother, Divine is radiant as the family's anchor and matriarch, and Alba as the most tortured of the brothers. 

The Numbers: We open with Lina's sexy performance of "Santa Baby" at the bar where musician Quentin works. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" provides the backdrop for Baby taking photos while his mother and Kelli wonder where the others are. Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up Part 1" provides the backdrop for Quentin's arrival via Greyhound as the rest of the family dances. "Merry Christmas Baby" by Charles Brown underscores Malcolm and Lisa discussing Quentin and why their mother doesn't allow them to play music. Quentin plays "The Christmas Song" on a piano in the garage late at night. 

A rap group at the nightclub performs "Go Getter" as they arrive. Baby performs "Try a Little Tenderness," to the shock of his siblings who had no idea he could sing. TLC's version of "Sleigh Ride" underscores the scene where the men buy a Christmas tree. Aretha Franklin's "I Ain't Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)" likewise provides the backdrop for an angry Lisa to drive her husband's beloved truck into the Los Angeles River. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me" by Stevie Wonder has Quentin leaving clothes for Joe. The church choir raises the roof with a gorgeous "O Holy Night," after which Baby sings the title R&B standard for his mother. The movie ends with the entire cast reprise their group dance routine to "Got to Give It Up."

What I Don't Like: If you're expecting a bigger, bolder, or more action-packed show, this is not going to be for you. This is basically a holiday family soap opera with a couple of goons thrown in. It also goes on for way, way too long. Most of the melodrama in the middle could have been trimmed. Some members of the family are heard from more than others. London in particular as the youngest daughter has the least to do other than talk about her night spent with Gerard. And what's with the random dance-off at the middle and end of the movie? They're funny, but they also have nothing to do with anything. 

The Big Finale: If you're looking for a quieter Christmas movie to watch with your grown children by a roaring fire, you can do far worse than this look at one family's tumultuous holiday season.

Home Media: The discs are pricey, but it's easily found anywhere on streaming, including for free with commercials on Pluto TV.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Pluto TV On Demand

Happy Halloween! - Sinners

Warner Bros, 2025

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, and Jack O'Connell

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Music and Lyrics by various

We celebrate Halloween with something truly unique, and one of the biggest surprise hits of the year. Director Ryan Coogler was mainly known for his adaptations, including the two Black Panther films. This is his first original. There was a lot of question marks surrounding this movie when it debuted this April, but it received some of the best reviews of the spring. Positive word-of-mouth turned it into a huge hit, a rarity for an R-rated movie and an original without a franchise behind it. Considering other musicals this year, including Snow White and Kiss of the Spider Woman, have struggled, what made this one stand out? Let's head to Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1932, where twin brothers Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore (Jordan) are "Wanraising the roof in their father's church with "This Little Light of Mine" and find out...

The Story: The twins buy an old sawmill from smarmy landowner Hogwood (David Maldonado) to open their own juke joint, an African-American nightclub and dance hall. They bring in their cousin Sammie (Caton), despite his pastor father Jeddiah (Saul Williams) warning him against the sins of blues music. They recruit local field worker Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) as the bouncer, Chinese grocery store owners Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo (Yao) Chow as suppliers, and legendary blues man Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) as a musician. Smoke talks his wife Annie (Wunami Mosaku) into cooking for them, despite them being estranged after the death of their infant daughter, while Sammie admires pretty singer Pearline (Jayme Lawson) and Stack tries to court his white-passing ex-girlfriend Mary (Steinfeld). 

The opening night of the juke joint attracts a lot more than customers who only pay in company money. Sammie's music is so transcendent, it attracts the spirits of the past and future...and Remmick (O'Connell), a vampire looking for someone whose music can restore his lost community. He's already turned Hogswood's nephew Bert (Peter Dreimanis) and his wife Joan (Lola Kirke) into vampires, and he attacks Mary when she tries to reason with him. After she turns Stack, he becomes set on taking the entire African-American community. Smoke won't go down without a fight, but when Remmick rallies the rest of the town, it's up to him and those who remain to save the joint and their music from this supernatural menace.

The Song and Dance: Wow, no wonder this was so huge. First of all, the movie is gorgeous. The costumes and sets (filmed in Louisiana) are stunning and period-accurate, perfectly redolent of the sweat and grime of the real south in the early 30's. There's some fabulous performances, too. Jordan does well as both twins, especially the determined Stack, and Caton's performances at the juke joint are good enough to make you understand why Remmick wanted him to play his music, too. Maldonado is a good smarmy landowner, and O'Connell's Irish vampire obsessed with resurrecting his lost home is chilling. And I appreciate how much music is central to the story. It's the reason they want that juke joint, that Sammie defies his father, that Remmick attacks them.

The Numbers: We open with Sammie raising the roof (along with the DC6 Singers Collective and the Pleasant Valley Youth Choir of New Orleans) at his father's church with the traditional "This Little Light of Mine." "Wang Dang Doodle" is the song heard while the men are driving to discuss opening the juke joint with Hogwood. Sammie performs "Travelin'," "Juke," and "I Lied to You" at that "transcendent" juke joint opening night. "Can't Win for Losin'" is another number for Delta Slim and his musicians. There's also "Old Corn Liquor." "Pick Poor Robin Clean," "Will Ye Go, Lassie Go?" and "Rocky Road to Dublin" are the numbers for Remmick and Hogswood's nephew and his wife. The last-named turns into a chorus number when they bring the others vampires in on it. The eerie "Pale, Pale Moon" is Pearline's big number in the juke joint, while Mary gets "Dangerous." 

Trivia: This became the first movie to ever be offered by a streaming service with American Sign Language interpretation (which is how I saw it on Amazon Prime). 

What I Don't Like: First of all, heed that R rating. Given vampires and gangsters are involved, you probably won't be surprised to hear that there's a ton of violence, blood, and swearing in this movie. This juke joint is for adult revelers only. Second, frankly, the more realistic first half, where we learn about the relationships between the Moore twins, their family, and the community is slightly more interesting than the supernatural second half. The second half almost gets into horror Marvel territory and shows that Ryan Cooger hasn't quite left the Marvel action movies behind yet.

The Big Finale: If you're an adult who loves horror, black cinema, or the blues and are willing to take a chance on something different, you'll want to take a trip to enjoy the Moore twins' supernatural Halloween horror party, too.

Home Media: Easily found anywhere, on disc and on streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Amazon Prime (American Sign Language Interpretation Only) 

Cult Flops - Burlesque (2010)

Sony/Columbia, 2010

Starring Christine Aguilera, Cher, Eric Dane, and Stanley Tucci

Directed by Steven Antin

Music and Lyrics by various

Evidently, some important lessons were not learned from the failure of Glitter. Director/writer Steve Antin created this one back in 2002 after seeing Aguilera and other artists perform at the Roxy Theater nightclub in Hollywood. He fashioned this story for her, and later for Cher, after she decided this would likely be her last chance to sing in a major musical. Though it was better-received at the time than Glitter and didn't suffer from that film's production problems or universal pans, it wasn't a huge hit with critics or audiences, either. Why didn't it work? Let's begin as Alice "Ali" Rose (Aguilera) takes money from her abusive boss and heads to Los Angeles and find out...

The Story: Ali has dreamed of dancing professionally ever since she lost her mother at age 7. She has little success, until she stops in a burlesque club owned by singer Tess Scali (Cher) and flirts with the bartender Jack Miller (Cam Gigandet). He suggests she audition, but Tess isn't willing to give her the time of day, until she notices their waitress shortage and grabs a tray to help out. Ali eventually joins the chorus after one of the dancers reveals she's pregnant, then gets the star roles when lead dancer Nikki (Kristen Bell) is too drunk to go on. The jealous Nikki turns off the music they usually lip sync to, but Ali just sings in her own voice.

Despite Ali becoming the talk of the town, Tess is in serious financial trouble. Her ex-husband Vince (Peter Gallagher) wants to sell to developer Marcus Gerber (Dane), who wants to build an office tower. He claims he only owns the "air rights" over the club. Ali has been having her own problems. She was living with Jack while his fiancee Natalie (Dianna Agron) was doing a play in New York, but leaves when Natalie catches them in bed together. She ends up with Marcus, only to discover he has a lot more in mind for the burlesque theater than making use of its "air rights." She and Tess have to reveal the truth to the developer across the street (James Brolin) in order to save the theater and the song and dance they both love so much.

The Song and Dance: The song and dance...and some surprisingly strong performances...are the key here. Unlike weepy Carey, Aguilera is obviously having a blast. She's not the greatest actress by any means, but she manages to hold her own against the magnetic Cher and Tucci and even does decently in the dramatic scenes. Cher's even more fun as the older businesswoman who sees Ali as her last chance for fame and to save the club she loves. Tucci's hilarious as her gay partner, and Alan Cummings gets a few good lines as a dancer at the club. The brief, glittery costumes and the theater itself are just as important characters as the actual humans, especially as Ali rises to fame in the first half. The spangles, beads, and feather fans evoke the naughty world of the older Gypsy Rose Lee burlesques of the 30's and 40's, but the music and attitudes are decidedly modern.

The Numbers: We open with Ali's dream at the club and "Something's Got a Hold On Me." "My Drag" is the first of our chorus numbers. Cher performs "Welcome to Burlesque" after we get our first chorus number. "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" starts out with leather and studs as Nikki sings along to Marilyn Monroe's recording...but it turns into Ali's big number, complete with her own vocals. Nikki sings "Long John Blues" before she's ousted. 

Ali joins the chorus for "Nasty Naughty Boy" and auditions to the "Wagon Wheel Watusi." Madonna's "Ray of Light" is a chorus number for all of the girls. "Tough Lover" is Ali's rise to fame, while "But I'm a Good Girl" and "A Guy What Takes His Time" are 30's feather fan and barely-there-pearls stripteases. "Express" is heard near the end for Ali and the girls. Tess defiantly belts "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" when she's on the verge of losing her club. Ali laments that she's "Bound to You," then finishes the movie with the big finale to "Show Me How to Burlesque." 

What I Don't Like: It's too bad all of these glittering numbers and enjoyable performances are bound to one of the silliest and most cliched scripts I've ever seen. This story has been done endlessly since cinema found its voice in the late 20's, and Burlesque does nothing fresh or inventive with it. The whole thing with buying the air rights and Tucci's sexuality do add mild modern twists, but it's not enough to sustain a whole movie. 

There's also the problem of Gigandet's character. Jack is, frankly, a jerk, inviting one woman over while his fiancee was half-way across the country, then lying and telling Ali he was free when he wasn't. Ali does deal with it somewhat better than Billie dealt with her betrayal, but she still went back to the jerk in the end after he left his fiancee (supposedly) for good. Nikki's alcohol story is defeated by the cliches and Bell's overwrought performance. 

The Big Finale: I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this one, cliches and all. If you're a fan of the leading ladies or love huge, flashy musicals and are willing to overlook or ignore the heavy cliche storm, you may end up having just as much fun at Tess's burlesque theater, too.

Home Media: Thankfully, this one is also a lot easier to find. The discs often turn up for under $5, and it's everywhere on streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musicals on TV - Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story

TV One, 2016

Starring Teyonah Parris, Gary Dourdan, Darius McCrary, and Amari Cheatom

Directed by Christine Swanson

Music and Lyrics by Miki Howard and others

I'm going to be honest, both the subject matter and the channel that debuted this are entirely new to me. Miki Howard was an R&B diva who had her biggest hits in the 80's and early 90's. Neither her early life, nor her love life were anywhere near as glamorous. Her troubled teen years and habit of marrying men who used her as a doormat boomeranged back at her later, when she fell heavily into drug and alcohol addiction. By 2016, she was attempting a comeback and was well-remembered enough by R&B fans to be the subject of this biography. How does all of this come across on the small screen? Let's begin with sixteen-year-old Michelle "Miki" Howard (Parris) fleeing to a friend's home in 1974 and find out...

The Story: Miki had a rough life, even before her mother Josephine (Vanessa Bell Calloway) threw her out after a boy attacked her. Josephine, a gospel singer, loved her daughter but resented her stealing the spotlight at her concerts and at church. Miki just couldn't resist being in the spotlight wherever she went. She and a friend went out to a disco, which is where she first encounters Augie Johnson (Dourdan). She records a single for them, then is thrown out of her friend's house when she resents Miki getting the attention and insults her homeless status.

Augie, as it turns out, is no prize either. Though they have two children together, he cheats on her and discourages her from leaving the group. After she leaves him, she signs with Atlantic Records who is willing to let her go solo. Not only does she have a series of hit R&B singles, but she falls in love with fellow singer Gerald Levert (McCrary) who inspires some of her best and most popular work. She's a global sensation who tops the R&B chart and appears in films, but her producers want her to become a pop diva like Whitney Houston. 

Miki finally leaves Gerald for smooth-talking producer Eddie Phelps (Cheatom). She also leaves Atlantic for Giant Records when she can't work with Gerald anymore. Eddie claims he's interested in helping her raise a family, but their relationship just ends with him abusing her and trying to control her. He career spirals downwards after she almost literally throws him out. She falls into heavy drug and alcohol addiction and can barely function or take care of her children. It's not until she almost dies of a drug overdose that she goes into therapy and realizes that what she really needs is to learn to respect herself, and that her life and that of her children are worth far more than any of the fame and fortune in the world. 

The Song and Dance: Damn, if any of this is remotely the truth, I feel very sorry for Miki. The abuse here is raw, real, and scary. It's hard to watch on film, let alone in real-life. Parris nails Miki, playing her as a vulnerable woman who has been thrown around and smacked around all her life, until she literally has sense frightened into her. McCrary comes off best of the three men as the most abusive and jerk-ish of the three loves in her life. Callaway also has some good moments as the mother who pushes her daughter away when she sees the woman she's becoming. Some really gorgeous costumes too, especially in the late 80's and 90's when Howard was at the height of her fame.

The Numbers: We open with the gospel song "Somebody Loves Me" as we see a montage of how Miki fell out with her mother and was thrown out of her home. Miki records "Just Not Enough" with two other women for Augie when he invites them to his studio, but her friend doesn't appreciate her getting Augie's attention. We get a cover of "Good Morning Heartache" as Miki wanders around LA after her friend's mother throws her out. She and Augie start a family and achieve minor success as part of Side Effect in a montage to the tune of the Toto cover "Georgy Porgy." 

After she signs to Atlantic, she finally gets a hit solo single in the uptempo ballad "Come and Share My Love." "I Feel for You" takes us to the party where she meets Gerald. They duet on the romantic "That's What Love Is," which covers their relationship and her first major tour. The title song gives us her marriage to Eddie and his insistence on changing labels. "Ain't Nothin' of the World" shows her continuing success on albums and in films, even as her relationship with Eddie deteriorates. "Ain't Nobody Like You" gives us her biggest hit single and the video for it, even as she demands money from the drug-addled head of the label. The movie ends with her real-life comeback, performing a more jazz-oriented reprise of "Ain't Nobody Like You."

Trivia: This was the highest-rated movie ever on TV One, an African-American oriented cable channel. 

What I Don't Like: Note the discussion of the heavy abuse scenes up there. There's violence, drug, alcohol, and marital abuse, strong language, and Miki pulls a gun on Eddie in front of her children at one point. This is absolutely not for kids. See if you can dig up Howard's albums for them first. As mentioned, the violence level makes it hard to watch at times, especially in the middle when Eddie's all but attacking her. It's also a mess of cliches, though the grittier tone does make this a bit more original than some recent music biographies.

The Big Finale: Adult R&B and jazz fans who can deal with the violence level may find this story of abuse and redemption to be fascinating, if just for the performances.

Home Media: Not on disc at press time, but it can be found on many streaming sites for free with commercials, including Tubi and Plex.

Tubi

Plex

All Night Long (1962)

J. Arthur Rank, 1962

Starring Patrick McGoohan, Paul Harris, Marti Stevens, and Keith Mitchell

Directed by Basil Dearden

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we head across the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea for two vintage movies exploring the black experience in England and Jamaica. We begin with this low-budget English take on the Shakespearean drama Othello. Dearden had been specializing in tight little dramas and comedies like this one for over a decade. He had no fear in delving into tough topics like racism, juvenile delinquency, and homophobia, or realistically depicting violence and sexuality onscreen. How well do his sensibilities work with the story of an ambitious drummer who almost comes between a black bandleader and his white singer wife? Let's begin with wealthy jazz lover Rod Hamilton (Richard Attenborough) as he heads to the warehouse-turned-performance space where the anniversary party for Aurelius Rex (Harris) and his wife Delia Lane (Stevens) is taking place and find out...

The Story: Johnny Cousin (McGoohan) is Rex's ambitious drummer who hopes to start his own band. Rod and booking agent Lou Berger (Bernard Braden) will back his new venture, but only if he can get Delia to be his singer. Delia is perfectly content the way she is and fears joining a band will cause strain in her marriage. 

Johnny desperately tries to break up her and Rex by reediting a tape of her conversation with Rex's saxophone player and Delia's friend Cass (Mitchell) to make it sound like they're in love. The truth is, they were discussing his relationship with Rex's current singer Benny (Maria Velasco). Johnny's manipulation leads to a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal, until his faithful wife Emily (Betsy Blair) reveals the truth.

The Song and Dance: This is worth checking out for some terrific performances, both from the cast and the jazz men making rare film appearances. David Brubeck and Charles Mingus were at the height of their popularity when this movie was released. We even get an improvised number from them, "Non-Sectarian Blues." Though Stevens and Mitchell also do well as the close friends who look like more, McGoohan walks off with the movie as the talented drummer who is so determined to have his own band, he's willing to turn his boss and his wife on each other. We also get not one, but two happy interracial couples who manage to stay together even after all the trouble Johnny caused. That would be rare in the US nowadays, let alone in a low-budget melodrama from 1962.

The Numbers: Most of the numbers are jazz instrumentals, including the afore-mentioned Mingus and Bruebeck jam "Non-Sectarian Blues." Bruebeck plays his own "Blue Shadows On the Street," and we also get "It's a Raggy Waltz" from him. There's also "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" and Mingus' "Peggy's Blue Skylight." Rex plays "Mood Indigo" and "In a Sentimental Mood," two pieces usually associated with another bandleader, Duke Ellington. Stevens is finally coerced into singing the title song and "I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody Like I'm Loving You" for her husband near the end of the movie.

Trivia: Patrick McGoohan did learn to play the drums for the film, though he was ultimately dubbed. He kept the drum set he used after filming.

What I Don't Like: First of all, this isn't for Shakespeare purists. There's a lot of changes to the original Othello, including a happier ending where all three couples survive. Second, this is a black and white melodrama performed largely in one set, with no huge dance numbers or lavish costumes or chorus. It's not for those who prefer their musicals on the happier, fluffier, more extravagant side. Third, those who aren't jazz aficionados like me may find the hepcat lingo and slightly arrogant attitudes on many of the musicians to be rather grating after a while. 

The Big Finale: Worth a night on the town to check out if you're a fan of vintage jazz, are looking for a unique Shakespeare adaptation, or love anyone in the cast or smaller black-and-white dramas from the 60's.

Home Media: Alas, the Criterion Collection set featuring this and three other well-regarded Dearden dramas from this time period is out of print and incredibly expensive at this writing. Streaming is far and away your best bet. It can currently be found for free with ads on Tubi.

DVD - Eclipse Series 25: Basil Dearden's London Underground

Tubi

My Tragic Valentine - Porgy and Bess (1959)

The Samuel Goldwyn Company/Columbia, 1959

Starring Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr., and Pearl Bailey

Directed by Otto Preminger

Music by George Gershwin; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Our next star-crossed couple weren't the only ones who had a hard time staying together. This film version of the 1935 Gershwin opera was plagued with production problems from the start. For one thing, Ira Gershwin wasn't crazy about there being a film based on his brother's life work to begin with. Second, Goldwyn made two popular musicals earlier in the decade, but Porgy and Bess was a lot darker than the fluffy comedian-driven extravaganzas he usually preferred. Rouben Mamoulien was originally going to direct as he did in 1935, but fought with Goldwyn and was replaced by Preminger. Arson destroyed the sets and costumes before shooting started, and Dandridge had just ended a relationship with Preminger and wasn't comfortable working with him. With all these problems, how did the film finally come out? Let's begin with the arrival of fishermen returning to Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina in 1912 and find out...

The Story: Crown (Brock Peters), the town bully, gets a little too rowdy with Robbins (Joe Fluellen) after a craps game and ends up killing him. He flees, abandoning his drug-addicted girlfriend Bess (Dandridge). Porgy (Poitier), a crippled beggar who travels by a goat-drawn cart, takes her in. They fall in love with each other, but when Crown turns up at a town picnic, he does a lot more harm to Bess than stuffing her drugs bought from Sporting Life (Sammy Davis Jr). Bess turns up back at Catfish Row two days later ranting and near-unconscious. Porgy nurses her, with the help of pious Serena (Ruth Attaway) and sensible Maria (Bailey). 

During a massive hurricane, most of the residents of Catfish Row take shelter in the largest house. Not only does Crown return and vow he'll make Bess his again, but Clara (Diahann Carroll) is killed waiting for her fisherman husband who was lost in the storm. Bess and Porgy are happy to take in Clara's baby, but Crown is still determined that Bess should be his alone. Porgy finally stabs and strangles him, but when he's called by the police to identify the body, Sporting Life sees his chance to try to get Bess to come to New York with him one last time...

The Song and Dance: Terrific all-black cast knows how to handle the melodramatic story. At the least, Preminger is on more accustomed turf with a dark opera than he was with the lighter material in That Lady In Ermine ten years before. Poitier makes a wonderful Porgy, especially near the end when he realizes Bess has walked out, and Sammy Davis Jr. is relishing his turn as the deceptively charming drug peddler Sportin' Life. For all the trouble Dandridge had on the set (she ended a stormy relationship with Preminger not long before the movie began), she does well by flighty Bess. The scene with her and Crown on the island is nearly terrifying.

The Numbers: We open with the arrival of the fishermen and Clara and her baby during "Summertime." Sportin' Life and Robbins remind the crap players why "A Woman Is a Sometimes Thing." "Here Comes De Honey Man" introduces the kindly old peddler who sells honey to the locals. Porgy explains his lot with "They Pass By Singin." "The Crap Game" becomes a chorus number when Robbins and Crown end up in a choreographed fight. "Gone, Gone, Gone," Serena wails after her husband's death, because "My Man's Gone Now." The others wonder why Porgy doesn't try for something better. "I Got Plenty O' Nuthin," and that's fine by him.

The duo admit that "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" when she finally agrees to stay with him. "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" sings Maria excitedly with the chorus before the picnic. Serena may scold everyone for having fun, but the chorus points out "I Ain't Got No Shame." After all, Sportin' Life reminds them, "It Ain't Necessarily So." Bess wants to know "What You Want With Bess," but she really already has a good idea of what Crown's after. Porgy begs for Serena to pray to "Oh Doctor Jesus" when Bess is sick. Bess assures her boyfriend "I Loves You, Porgy," while Crown claims "God and Me" will get by when he finds his "Red-Headed Woman." 

"Clara, Clara" is the brief lament for the young mother lost in the storm waiting for her fisherman husband. Bess reprises "Summertime" in her memory. Sportin' Life reminds Bess "There's a Boat Dat's Leaving for New York," and this time, she might be willing to join him on it. After we hear the "Morning Sounds" of the street vendors, Porgy comes home...and wails "O Bess, Where's My Bess?" when he realizes she's gone. We end with him taking off in  his goat-drawn cart as he sings "O Lawd, I'm On My Way."

Trivia: Robert McFerrin (father of singer Bobby McFerrin) dubbed Poitier. Adele Addison dubbed Dandridge. Inez Matthews dubbed Ruth Attaway. 

The original Broadway show debuted in 1935, with Mamoulien directing. It wasn't a success, but the music was popular enough for it be revived in New York in 1942, 1953, 1976, and 2012. 

What I Don't Like: For all the success of its music, there's a reason so many black performers turned this down, and many theater critics and historians have problems with it to this day. First of all, many of the characters here can come off as stereotypical, especially some of the nastier men like Crown and Sportin' Life. Second, this is heavy going. We're not talking about one of the Gershwin's lighthearted romps from the 30's here. Four people die (admittedly two of them in the hurricane), a woman is insinuated to have been raped, and they all but shout what that "happy dust" Sportin' Life keeps giving Bess is. 

Truth be told, no matter how much Goldwyn admired the original Broadway production, he was in over his head with this one. Preminger had a point that the lavish sets and costumes are maybe a bit too lavish for a run-down fishing neighborhood in South Carolina. No wonder someone burned them. For all the size, they're also too cramped. This is more like the filmed opera it is than an actual movie. Except for the location shooting on the island, you may as well be watching this at the Met. 

The Big Finale: Problematic but fascinating, with terrific music and performances that make it worth checking out despite the dated and dark story and treatment of black culture. 

Home Media: The Gershwin estate was so disappointed with how this came out, they won't allow it to be released on legitimate home media. The only places you can find it are in washed-out, blurry copies on YouTube and the Internet Archive.

YouTube

Internet Archive

New Orleans (1947)

United Artists, 1947

Starring Arturo de Cordova, Dorothy Patrick, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holliday

Directed by Arthur Lubin

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we celebrate Valentine's Day with historical movies that have tales of star-crossed or tragic lovers at their core. New Orleans has been one of the centers of the American musical scene for over a century, going back to the beginnings of ragtime, jazz, and the blues in its Storyville red-light district. Storyville was begun to give the prostitutes a place to stay, but by the early 20th century, it was a tourist hot-spot and one of the best places in the city to catch a live band playing that new, modern ragtime and blues sound. How does this historical drama about two radically different couples coming together at Storyville look nowadays? Let's begin with a look at the sights and sounds of Storyville as the camera moves to one specific group practicing in a bar and find out...

The Story: Armstrong (himself) and his Original Dixieland Band play for Nick Duquese (de Cordova) at his club and casino in Storyville. Nick falls for Miralee Smith (Patrick), the daughter of one his casino customers Mrs. Rutledge Smith (Irene Ryan). Mrs. Smith is pushing her talented daughter into an operatic career, but she falls for Nick and the Dixieland sound. Horrified at losing her daughter to a casino owner who pushes a type of music she doesn't approve of, Mrs. Smith tries to buy Nick off. Nick's first girlfriend Grace (Marjorie Lord) is even less thrilled. 

Nick has to leave under any circumstances. It's World War I, and the government is shutting Storyville down to avoid it being a distraction for the troops. He takes the band to Chicago, but his attempts to reopen his casino are blocked by a rival. He does better as a talent scout and music producer, eventually helping Armstrong to reunite with Mrs. Smith's former maid Endie (Holliday). Mrs. Smith took Miralee overseas to sing for the concert halls in Europe. After Nick and his band returns from a similar tour, he's determined to get Woody Herman and His Orchestra (themselves) into New York's Manhattan Symphony Hall. The owner is aghast at the idea, but Miralee's the one who finally proves that jazz, blues, and other "popular" forms of music are here to stay.

The Song and Dance: Interesting look at music and romance in the Deep South is better than it has any right to be from the low-budget pedigree. Lubin felt passionately about jazz, and it shows in his affection towards the characters. Even the snobs are more misguided and out of date than bad. Patrick's not bad as the spoiled debutante who falls for the music and Nick in that order. Armstrong is funny and charming more-or-less playing an adult version of  himself in this time period, and he does have surprising chemistry with Holliday. This would be Holliday's only shot at a feature-length picture, making this movie fascinating for that alone. She's no actress, but her voice throbs with heartache, and hers and Armstrong's numbers are definitely the highlights here. 

The Numbers: The standard "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" came from this movie. It's played no less than four times, including by Armstrong and his band, by Patrick at a concert hall with a less-than-appreciative audience, and in the enormous finale with Patrick and Herman in New York. Armstrong and the Original Dixieland Band open things at the club with "Name Your Poison Blues (aka West End Blues)." They play "Maryland, My Maryland" for the arrival of Miralee's steam ship. "When the Blues Were Born In New Orleans" is another new number for Armstrong and his band. They get the Jelly Roll Morton song "Buddy Bolden's Blues" when Mirilee visits the club the first time. 

"Farewell to Storyville" is an affecting blues ballad performed by Holliday as the residents of Storyville sadly pack their bags and belongings and leave the homes and businesses they love so much. "Honky Tonk Train Blues" takes us to Chicago, where it's played by its author Meade "Lux" Lewis. "The Blues are Brewin'" with Armstrong's band in Chicago. By the time he's playing "Endie," Holliday has joined up and joined in. 

Trivia: This would indeed be Holliday's only feature-length film appearance. Keep a sharp eye out for a young Shelley Winters in an uncredited role as Nick's secretary in New York near the end of the film. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, there isn't a drop of historical flavor in this. For one thing, Armstrong was a teenager when this movie was set. Most of the songs, including "West End Blues," were written well after 1917 and sound like it. Herman's band didn't debut until the 30's, either. There's no indication other than on a card at the beginning and several news headlines seen throughout the film that time has even passed. It looks and sounds like 1947 for the entire film. 

Second, though they get some credit for showing blacks and white interacting at all, most of the black characters still kow-tow to the whites (and to Hispanic de Cordova). They're the ones who are most effected by the closing of Storyville, but the movie is more interested in the rather cliche romance between Mirliee and Nick. Even Armstrong courting Endie (and how he eventually finds her) is more interesting. Not to mention, all those wonderful blues songs are seldom allowed to finish...and as much as I like "Do You Know What It Means," it turns up at least two or three times too many. 

The Big Finale: For all its difficult and dated aspects, jazz and blues lovers and fans of Armstrong and Holliday may find this exploration of Big Easy history to be a fascinating glimpse into not one, but two lost eras in music. 

Home Media: Streaming is your best bet here. The Kino DVD has been out of print and expensive for a while now. Can be found for free just about anywhere right now, including Tubi and The Roku Channel with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

The Roku Channel

Cult Flops - Forbidden Zone

The Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1980

Starring Herve Villechaize, Susan Tyrell, Marie-Pascal Elfman, and Phil Gordon

Directed by Richard Elfman

Music and Lyrics by various

Our second cult musical of the week jumps ahead five years to a very different rock group. The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo began life in 1972 as a surrealist street performance troupe. They added 30's and 40's jazz and their own material when original founder Richard Elfman's brother Danny joined in 1976. By 1979, Danny Elfman wanted to take the group in a whole new direction. This movie was seen as a way for Richard Elfman to transition from making music to making movies, and for Oingo Boingo to move from being a theatrical troupe to a New Wave rock group. How successful were they? Let's begin as the title card explains about the house with the entrance to the Sixth Dimension in its basement and find out...

The Story: Drug and slum lord Huckleberry P. Jones (Gene Cunningham) sells one of his houses to the Hercules family. They're told not to open the door to the basement, the Forbidden Zone. Sister Frenchy (Marie-Pascal Elfman) does it anyway and is captured by the Princess (Gisele Lindley), who brings her to King Fausto (Villechaize) and Queen Doris (Tyrell) of the Sixth Dimension. Fausto falls for Frenchy and wants to marry her. The Queen is insanely jealous and orders their frog servant Bust Rod (Jan Stuart Schwartz) to throw her in the dungeon.

Meanwhile, Frenchy's brother Flash (Gordon) and their Gramps (Hyman Diamond) have also gone to rescue her, but are taken prisoner as well. Their father (Cunningham) is blasted into the Sixth Dimension and ends up captured as well. Flash and Gramps escape and discover the first Queen (Viva), who wants her revenge on Doris for seducing her and locking her in the dungeon. There's also their meek friend Squeezit (Matthew Bright), who reluctantly goes looking for Frenchy and his sibling Rene (Bright), only to run a foul of Satan (Danny Elfman) and his Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo.

The Song and Dance: Um, yeah. You can't get much more out there than this movie. With its wacky pastel cardboard sets and surreal animation, this is about as cult as you can get. No wonder Danny Elfman would go on to work extensively with Tim Burton for years. They share a very similar sensibility. For all that they insult every race out there, this movie is surprisingly decent to its transvestite characters. At the very least, Renee and Squeezit are no worse or less strange than anyone else. Bright and Tyrell come off best as the sensitive drag duo Squeezit and Rene and Susan Tyrell as the Queen who is determined to fight off every newcomer and keep her throne and her short man. 

The Numbers: We open with the title song over the animated credits, performed by Danny Elfman and the Mystic Knights. Our first full-on number is a version of the standard "Some of These Days," performed by Ma, Pa, and Frenchy to explain why they shouldn't go into the Sixth Dimension. We then go down below for an instrumental version as a mostly-naked chorus performs it in the Sixth Dimension. Frenchy dances to the Josephine Baker number "La Petite Tonkinoise" during class, joined by two blind dancers. 

Frenchy arrives in the Sixth Dimension finds The Kipper Kids dressed as boxers joining real-life Latin singer Miguelito Valdes singing "Bim Bam Boom" in the ring. Queen Doris' introductory song is "Witch's Egg," on why she's such a bad girl and doesn't want to share her hubby. Frenchy briefly performs another Baker number, "Plure," while begging for help. Queen Doris does not like her husband watching this number one bit! "The Alphabet Song" is a spoof of the Three Stooges' "Swinging the Alphabet" that begins with Miss Feldman (Kendric Wolfe) giving their own version and ends with it becoming a rock number and those "kids" tossing out some pretty sweet dance moves. 

Rene laments what the Queen will do to them, while Doris rages about the "Queen's Revenge" and how she intends to eliminate her rivals. "Pico and Sepulveda" is the chorus number for Pa Hercules and the workers at the La Brea Tar Pits, singing with the real voices of Felix Figureroa and His Orchestra. Satan himself and his men get to lay into the jazz parody "Squeezit the Moocher" as Squeezit begs to help Frenchy and his sister. Queen Doris is not impressed with Mr. Bernstein's "Yiddishe Charleston" and zaps him out of existence. The wild "Finale" brings everyone who is still alive together to celebrate rock, jazz, and taking over the universe.

Trivia: The movie was filmed in black and white. It was originally going to be hand colored, but that was eventually discarded as expensive and inefficient. It would be digitally colorized under Richard Elfman's supervision in 2008. (I reviewed the colorized version currently at Tubi.)

Richard and Marie-Pascal Elfman were married at the time. They originally financed the movie repairing and selling houses. They ran out of money but were helped by a benefactor.

Richard Elfman has been trying to make a sequel to this for years and has discussed putting out collectibles and books based after the Sixth Dimension characters as well. 

What I Don't Like: If anything in the above descriptions offends, annoys, upsets, or mystifies you, this probably won't be your thing. This movie insults pretty much everyone else besides transvestites, including gay people, Jews, and African-Americans. The opening animation includes blackface, and the school "kids" include gay and black stereotypes. (The Mystic Knights' makeup in the "Squeezit the Moocher" sequence and the clown drug seller in the opening are said to be more obviously blackface in the original black and white version.) Violence, heavy swearing, women who spend the movie running around in little or no clothing, and some noisy and very casual sex makes this for adult cult movie fans only.

The Big Finale: Some things are just too weird, even for me. I thought this had some great music, but was otherwise a bit much for my taste. If you're a bigger fan of Danny Elfman or Oingo Boingo than me or are more into the weirder side of his work, you might find a lot more in the Hercules family's adventures in the Sixth Dimension than I did.

Home Media: Easily found pretty much everywhere, including on disc and free with commercials at Tubi.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Disney Short Subjects Special - Donald and the Wheel

Disney, 1961

Voices of Clarence Nash, Thurl Ravenscroft, Max Smith, and the Mellomen

Directed by Hamilton Luske

Music and Lyrics by Buddy Baker

Disney's last three shorts with Donald Duck were actually twenty-minute educational specials. Donald In Mathmagic Land was nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject in 1959, prompting Disney to put their popular duck into more of the same. Long-time Disney composer Baker had success with his score for Mathmagic Land and provided a full-on musical for this one, including vocal songs for voice actor and singer Ravenscroft and his group the Mellomen. How does this discussion of the importance of the wheel in society look today? Let's begin with the Spirits of Progress as they show us typical cave-duck Donald (Nash) and explain why he's important and find out...

The Story: The senior Spirit (Ravenscroft) insists that Donald is the one who invented the wheel after he sees a tiger roll down a hill. He and his hipster son Junior (Smith) take him through 3,000 years of transportation  history, then show him other uses of the wheel, from jukeboxes to oil derricks. Donald doesn't mind dancing with a pretty lady, but the traffic and machines overwhelms him. Even if it's not him, the senior Spirit still reminds him of just how important wheels are to our lives.

The Animation: This would be one of Disney's first productions in their new Xerox process, ably demonstrated by the simpler, sketchier backgrounds and Donald's thin-line design. They make use of something called Sodium Screen Processes that allow Donald to share the frame with that very human dancer. That sequence still looks pretty good, with Donald dancing around the lady, but the chroma-key that shows the outlines of the Spirits is a lot more obvious nowadays. 

The Song and Dance: While not as brilliant as Mathmagic Land, this one does have its own charms. Baker's jazz score is genuinely catchy, especially "The Principle of the Thing." No wonder he worked for Disney until well into the 90's. Ravenscroft and Smith's witty narration generally explains the concepts being discussed well, and Donald has a few funny gags in the beginning and with the live-action dancer in the jukebox. It's also interesting to be reminded how important the wheel was and remains to our everyday lives, and how this has changed through history.

Favorite Number: We open and close with Junior's scatting and his father explaining why "The Inventor of the Wheel" is such a big deal. "Wheels of Progress" covers transportation history, from Donald's simple cart on wooden wheels to modern automobiles on rubber tires. The two clicking gears Donald rides provides the backdrop for Junior and Senior's "The Principle of the Thing" as they show Donald the science behind how the gears move. We get three different types of music - slinky cool jazz, country hoedown, and classical ballet - as a dancer in costumes representing each steps prances with Donald on the disc in a jukebox. "Wheels, Wheels, Wheels" is the background for the sequence depicting Donald's typical day in the future and how everything from lawn mowers to satellites in space.

Trivia: Was released with The Parent Trap in theaters. 

What I Don't Like: This seems like a bit of an odd choice for Donald. There was never anything especially educational about him or his original shorts. Nor has all of the information given dated well. Though wheels remain important in transportation and in the production of many things, digital technology has stopped them turning in other industries. Junior's hipster argot in a few spots may be as hard for modern viewers to decipher as it is for Donald and his father. 

The Big Finale: Donald's three educational shorts are truly unique and are worth checking out for those looking for something a little bit different from Disney or their most famous Duck. 

Home Media: Alas, this can currently only be found on the limited edition and super-rare Chronological Donald Vol 4 Walt Disney Treasures set that is ridiculously expensive on Amazon. Your best bet is checking used venues or looking around for it on Dailymotion. 

DVD - Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol 4

Dailymotion

Mo' Better Blues

Universal, 1990

Starring Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Joie Lee, and Wesley Snipes

Directed by Spike Lee

Music and Lyrics by various

School Daze was the first time Spike Jones made a musical, but it would be far from the last. Two years later, he traded pop and rap for smoky jazz halls and a more intimate plot revolving around a driven musician and how his bad decisions impact his relationships and his career. This would also be his first of six movies to date featuring Denzel Washington, just as he was beginning his career as one of the most beloved and intense stars in Hollywood. How does the story of that musician and his band look nowadays? Let's begin with the young Bleek Gilliam in 1969, whose mother is so obsessed with him learning the trumpet, she refuses to let him out to play with his friends, and find out...

The Story: Twenty years later, the adult Bleek (Washington) is the head of a popular jazz quintet with a regular gig at a Brooklyn jazz club. He does like his girlfriend Indigo (Joie Lee), but he's interested in other women, too, and isn't ready to settle down. The band's manager Giant (Spike Lee) is having his own trouble paying off gambling debts. Bleek wants a better contract, but the owners of the club insist Giant locked them into their current deal. 

Bleek's not doing so well with the ladies, either. He tries dating Indigo and Clarke Bentancourt (Cynda Williams) at the same time, only to buy them the same dress and call them by the wrong names. Doesn't help that his saxophonist Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes) loves Clarke, too, and is gunning for more solos and more respect. He finally fires Shadow after a confrontation, then Giant when he learns about his gambling. He still can't help intervening when the loan sharks attack Giant...but his injury in the ensuing fight leads him to lose his career and rethink his life choices.

The Song and Dance: Washington and the music are the things here. They both have an excellent showcase, whether Washington is bouncing heedlessly between the women in his life, or Jones is capturing the smoke and sweat and heat of small-time jazz clubs. Fans of Bradford Marsalis and his groups will really get a kick out of this. Some of his music is sensational, especially the numbers mid-way through.

Favorite Number: Our first song at the club is "Say Hey," which gives us a glimpse of what Bleek is doing as an adult and Giant's giant problems with gambling. Other Marsalis jazz compositions heard at the club include "Knocked Out of the Box," "Again, Never" (which was nominated for a Grammy), and the title song. "Pop Top 40" is Washington and Snipes parodying the then-popular rap and R&B culture. "Beneath the Underdog" is the last song Bleek does before the brawl in the alley that ends his career. "A Jazz Thing" is the song he tries to play along with after he returns. Williams finally gets her chance to sing with a band with the sultry "Harlem Nocturne."

Trivia: Washington and Snipes trained to mimic Terrance Blanchard and Donald Harrison's playing. They admitted that they were never going to be virtuoso players, but they were able to mimic the men very well.

Dedicated to character actor and comedian Robin Harris, who died shortly after the film's completion.

Joie Lee is Spike Lee's sister. During the wedding scenes, she's given away by her actual father Bill Lee.

What I Don't Like: For all the focus on Washington's character, I actually wish there was even more on his troubles. Giant is almost more of a lead character than he is, especially mid-way through when the movie has shifted gears to focus on his problems with the loan sharks. Lee's not a bad actor, but he's not at the level of either Snipes or Washington. Also, as in many of Lee's earlier films, the women are treated rather badly. They both deserve better than these jazz-obsessed jerks give them, and in real life, I doubt either would have gone back to Bleek, no matter how badly he wanted to be saved. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Washington, Snipes, or Marsalis' or Lee's other work, you'll want to join Bleek and his quintet onstage for this love letter to smooth jazz and those who make the music happen.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

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The Five Pennies

Paramount, 1959

Starring Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong, and Harry Guardino

Directed by Melville Shavelson

Music and Lyrics by various

Our next big band leader may not have had the lengthy career that Goodman did, but he frankly had the more interesting story. Red Nichols began playing in his father's brass band at 12 before falling in love with early Dixieland recordings. By the early 20's, he'd joined bands in the Midwest, then moved out to New York. His own band was hugely popular...but first the hot jazz he loved was replaced by swing, then his beloved daughter came down with polio, and he left show business to help take care of her. His comeback in the early 50's made him a hit all over again. 

Danny Kaye was also trying for a comeback after his last three films hadn't done well at the box office. How well does his manic style work with Nichols' hot jazz? Let's start at a speakeasy in New York as Nichols (Kaye) brings his date Willa "Bobbie" Stutsman (Bel Geddes) to hear Louis Armstrong (himself) play and find out...

The Story: Nichols works with crooner Will Paradise (Bob Crosby) and his band, but he makes jokes about their softer style. He starts a band with his buddies Jimmy Dorsey (Ray Anthony), Glenn Miller (Ray Daley), Artie Schutt (Bobby Troup), and Dave Tough (Shelly Manne) that he calls The Five Pennies. They tour the United States and become wildly popular, especially among jazz-loving college students. 

He marries Bobbie, the band's singer, and they have a daughter, Dorothy (Susan Gordon). Dorothy is the darling of every musician in her father's band, until she contracts polio. Nichols gives up the band to settle in Los Angeles and help Bobbie take care of her. As World War II rages, he takes a job in the West Coast shipyards. Years later, the now-teenaged Dorothy (Tuesday Weld) hears his music and is shocked at how good he is. He claims he's no good anymore, but his wife and daughter know better. If Dorothy can walk at least somewhat well, her father can reclaim his place among the jazz greats.

The Song and Dance: This ended up being very sweet. I love how believable manic, goofy Kaye and warm, down-to-earth Bel Geddes are as a couple. Their up and down relationship is one of the best things about this movie, especially the first half, when they're still on the road. Kaye also works well with Gordon and Weld, and doesn't do too badly later either when he thinks he can never play again. 

The cameos here are pretty cool, too. Bob Crosby was a famous bandleader in his own right, Ray Anthony was an actual trumpeter, and Bobby Troup was a musician and songwriter. Honestly, the movie's worth seeing just for Kaye's delightful two numbers with Louis Armstrong. There's also the gorgeous (and for once, relatively period-accurate) costumes and sets. They and the sound were Oscar-nominated. 

Favorite Number: We open with three early songs turned into jazz hits by Louis Armstrong and his band at the speakeasy. Bel Geddes tries to get Kaye to move along with "Ja-Da," After they've joined their friend Tony Valani (Guardino) and his date at a table, Armstrong moves into "After You've Gone" and "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?" He doesn't think Nichols can play, but the younger man shows him otherwise with "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Crosby croons "My Blue Heaven" as Nichols rehearses with his band, but Nichols finds his crooning absurd and makes fun of it. Nichols is far happier singing his own "The Five Pennies" to Dorothy. Bobbie (dubbed by Eileen Wilson) sings it again for her husband in the finale, when he also reprises "Battle Hymm."

Kaye joins the real Red Nichols for three very odd variations on "Back Home Again In Indiana" as he moves to different radio shows with very different sponsors and their national stereotypes! After the band becomes popular, we head to one of the college dances they would perform at and hear "Runnin' Wild" and "Washington and Lee Swing." Nichols is a little bit more worried about his wife bouncing around with the kids to "Follow the Leader" after he finds out she's pregnant! 

We see them take baby Susan on the road, singing "Lullaby In Ragtime" to calm the crying baby. Susan, now about 6, joins her father for "The Music Goes 'Round and 'Round" as he teaches her about his coronet. Hoping to get her to sleep, her father takes her to see Louis Armstrong. This turns into the delightful "When the Saints Go Marching In," with hilarious new lyrics written by Kaye's wife Sylvia Fine. The only way poor Susan can hear her parents at Christmas is to listen to her father sing "Jingle Bells" on the radio. Her father cheers up the children in her hospital room with the comic German novelty "Schnizelbank."

Trivia: That was the real Red Nichols playing his solos in the film. Nichols' comeback was, indeed, a success. He would continue to play venues across the US with his newly-formed orchestra until his death in 1965. 

Nichols' wild Charleston with the dancer (Lizanne Truex) in the opening wasn't scripted. She was only supposed to dance. He grabbed her and joined in. Shavelson liked it so much, he kept it in.

Keep an eye out for the quick cameo by Bob Hope - and the joke Nichols makes about him - as he and his wife and daughter wait to enter The Brown Derby Restaurant. 

Silent and early sound actress Blanche Sweet's last movie (she was the headmistress of the boarding school in the Christmas sequence). Danny Kaye's last film musical. 

What I Don't Like: This is about as sentimental as you can get, especially in the second half, after Susan contracts polio. Though the plot gets a lot closer to the truth than The Benny Goodman Story, it's still a huge pile of biographical cliches. Red played in a lot more bands before he formed his own. After swing supplanted hot jazz, he played in a lot of stage show orchestras and pit bands, which you don't really see. Willa was a dancer and chorus girl, not a singer, when she married Nichols. 

The Big Finale: This is a warm and loving look at a jazz legend who deserves to be better-known. Highly recommended for fans of Kaye or jazz. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

The Benny Goodman Story

Universal-International, 1956

Starring Steve Allen, Donna Reed, Berta Gersten, and Herbert Anderson

Directed by Valentine Davies

Music and Lyrics by Benny Goodman and others

This week, we're jumping into that big band sound with biographies of two influential band leaders. The Glenn Miller Story was a huge hit for Universal in 1954 and proved, despite rapidly changing taste in music, there was still an audience for big band movies. Allen was influential in his own right. An accomplished comedian and pianist, he wrote thousands of songs, recorded hundreds more, and wrote novels, children's books, and essays. Today, he's best-known for his TV work, and in fact, was hosting the original The Tonight Show and about to star in his first of many prime-time variety shows. How well does he do playing another famous musician, the "King of Swing" who anchored one of the most beloved orchestras of his day? Let's begin at Chicago in 1919 and find out...

The Story: Benny Goodman (Allen) starts playing the clarinet for music teachers when he's 10. By the time he's 17, he's traveling with Ben Pollock (Himself) and his band. Near the end of the 20's, he breaks out and forms his own band. Though it's not successful at first, he does meet wealthy jazz lover John Hammond (Anderson) and his sister Alice (Reed). They invite him to their home, where he impresses Alice by playing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.

Benny courts her, but she's considered too high-brow for him. His mother (Gertson) wishes he'd find someone closer to his station. Meanwhile, his swinging sound has slowly become wildly popular, especially on the West Coast. Now, his band is doing extensive touring, have their own radio show, and will even be appearing in a movie. Even as he prepares to appear at Carnegie Hall, he still has Alice on his mind. Alice for her part is ready to concede, not only to her feelings about Benny, but to the fact that brassy American jazz can be as powerful and heartfelt as European classical concertos.

The Song and Dance: The real reason to see this is the wide variety of cameos from jazz and big band greats whom Goodman actually worked with. That's the real Ben Pollack he plays for, and the real Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, and Teddy Wilson performing in his band. One thing that's not often brought up about Goodman that many people would appreciate more nowadays is his racially integrated band. Though it's not heavily discussed in the film, just seeing black and white musicians playing together at a time when the Civil Rights Movement was picking up steam and most bands were still segregated - and black and white artists get equal respect for their music - is revelatory. 

Favorite Number: We open with Goodman's first attempt at playing the clarinet (and the only time we actually hear Steve Allen playing). Soon enough, he's so good, he joins Pollock's band for "By the Beautiful Sea" during a cruise gig...but it's the black band playing "King Porter Stomp" he really loves. His own band starts off with "Original Dixieland One-Step." Alice is impressed with how Goodman manages to tamp down the jazz and do an excellent "Clarinet Concerto" at her brother's home. "Stompin' at the Savoy" becomes a literal stomp when the teens listening get so into it, they start dancing in the aisles. One even grabs a bewildered Alice for a dance! We hear Wilson do "On the Sunny Side of the Street," while Krupa and Harry James go to town on "Sing, Sing, Sing" and James solos on "Shine." 

The last 20 minutes of the film is given over to that famous Carnegie Hall concert. Among the songs heard here, much as they were in the actual concert, are "Sensation Rag," "Avalon," "Don't Be That Way," and "And the Angels Sing."

Trivia: Unlike Glenn Miller, Goodman was still very much alive and active when this film was made. After his band dissolved in 1944, he segwayed into smaller bands and experimented with be-bop and classical. He continued with large and small bands until shortly before his death in 1986. 

Goodson plays all the clarinet solos heard in the movie. The only time beginner Allen actually played was in the first scene, where the young Goodman plays the clarinet for the first time.

What I Don't Like: Despite the wonderful music heard here, everything else is a snore. Though Allen does resemble Goodman, he's otherwise nothing like the reputedly temperamental and hot-headed band leader. The story is cliched to the max, and not only barely touches on many real details of Goodson's life, pretty much whitewashes everything but the racial aspect. Alice, for instance, had already been married and had children before she married Goodson, which isn't mentioned. Reed does what she can with a dull and thankless role. And as with most so-called "historical" musicals of the 40's and 50's set in the recent past, there's no attempt at historical accuracy after the first 20 minutes. Once they get into the late 20's, it looks like 1954 for the rest of the movie. 

The Big Finale: Terrific music aside, I found this to be overwhelmingly dull. Unless you're a huge fan of Allen, Reed, Goodman, or the musicians involved, you're better off looking up Goodman's real recordings and passing on this one. 

Home Media: DVD only at the moment. 

DVD

La La Land

Lionsgate/Summit, 2016

Starring Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, and J.K Simmons

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyrics by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, John Legend, and Marius de Vries

This week, we return to the here and now with two recent hit musicals about musicians, actors, the creative process, and how hard it can be to make it in show business. Director Chazelle based this on his years as a jazz drummer when he originally wrote it in 2010. He had a hard time getting backing for it until the success of his music drama Whiplash in 2014 gave him more clout. 

On its debut during Christmas 2016, it was hailed as a breathtaking masterpiece and one of the best films of the year. Does it remain so almost a decade after its debut? Let's begin with the Cinemascope banner that hadn't been used since 1967 and people stuck in LA freeway traffic and find out...

The Story: Among those stuck on the freeway are jazz musician Sebastian "Seb" Wilder (Gosling) and Mia Dolan (Stone). Seb plays piano in local restaurants, but what he really wants is to open his own jazz club. Mia is an actress, but she keeps getting disregarded or ignored at auditions. They initially meet when she tries to compliment him on his playing, but he brushes her off after being fired by the manager of his latest gig (Simmons). 

They connect again at a party where Seb's playing 80's rock with a cover band. Though Mia teases Seb, they do end up spending the evening together. One date turns into many, and they fall in love with each other as they explore Los Angeles She writes a one-woman show, while he gets a job in a jazz club, and then a jazz-rock fusion band with a friend (Legend). Her play isn't a success, but it does snare her one last audition. Even as he tells her about it, they realize that, no matter what happens, they'll always love each other...but in truth, they love their dreams more. 

The Song and Dance: No doubt about it, this is a gorgeous film to look at. The searing color almost literally bursts from the screen, especially in the epic opening number "Another Day In the Sun" and in the closing fantasy sequence. LA probably hasn't looked this good on film since the 50's. It really does look like a "city of stars," with its long, romantic cliffs, smoky blue jazz bars, and wild neon parties. 

Stone deserved her Oscar win as Mia, the adorable movie-lover whose determination to be an actress teaches her that sometimes, you need to step out of the box a little to find what you want in life and relationships. Terrific music, too. "City of Stars" won an Oscar and "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" was nominated, but my favorite is the iconic "A Lovely Night" dance at twilight, on the cliff overlooking a dreamy LA.

Favorite Number: We open with a typical Los Angeles traffic jam that becomes "Another Day In the Sun" as those trapped in it sing about their dreams, hopes, and desires in a rolliking chorus routine. Mia's friends convince her to come out clubbing with them and find "Someone In the Crowd" who catches her eye. "Take On Me" and "I Ran" are performed by the 80's cover band at the party. The lead singer especially throws himself into "Take On Me." "A Lovely Night" isn't so lovely at first for Mia and Sebastian as they complain about wasting a nice night with each other before going into their rousing tap dance. "Planetarium" is an instrumental number that turns into a dance in the stars when Mia and Sebastian waltz around the Griffith Observatory's theater. 

"City of Stars" turns up twice, as a solo for Sebastian on Hermosa Beach Pier following "Lovely Night" and a duet for him and Mia later showing him going on tour with his friend Keith's jazz fusion band and her renting the theater for her one-woman play. "Start a Fire" is the number with Keith's band, a strong pop-jazz melange with Sebastian playing a neon piano while ladies sing around Keith. "The Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" is Mia's heart rendering solo as she explains in tears to the producers why this dream is so important to her. "Epilogue" becomes a fantasy for Mia when she and her husband turns up at Sebastian's jazz club and she sees him play their love theme and wonders "what might have been" in an epic imagine spot.

Trivia: Mostly filmed on location in the real Los Angeles, including the Colorado Street Bridge, the Griffith Observatory, the Grand Central Market, the Watts Towers, and the Warner Bros Studio Lot. 

The historic Angels Flight funicular mountain train had been shut down for four years when it was reopened to film the Summer Montage sequence. It would resume service in 2017. 

It was shot on film, rather than digital, to give it the look of 50's and early 60's Technicolor movies like An American In Paris and the French Umbrellas of Cherbourg. 

A stage version was announced last year. 

Along with the Oscars for Best Song and Best Actress, it also picked up awards for Best Director, Cinematography, Production Design, and Score. 

What I Don't Like: Like Moulin Rouge, another director's bold vision of musical romance, this isn't for everyone. Sebastian can come off like a major jerk, obsessing over the past while not giving the present much of a chance. Neither Gosling nor Stone are the strongest singers and dancers in the universe, though that sort of works with their struggling characters. His friend Keith is painted as wrong for wanting to push jazz into the 21st century, but he does have a point. Music has to evolve to survive. 

"Another Day In the Sun" doesn't have much to do with the film, other than foreshadowing it being about young hopefuls in LA, and it's such a strong opening that the rest of the movie often has a hard time matching it. I understand the bittersweet finale a little bit better this time around than I did the first time I watched this in 2017, but it still feels a little off with the rest of the movie.

The Big Finale: If you love jazz, bittersweet romances, or the movies this is referring to, you'll want to head down to that "city of stars" and experience the Technicolor, Cinemascope magic for yourself.

Home Media: As a very popular and relatively recent movie, this is easily found in all formats, often for under $10. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

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