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) 

Don't Knock the Rock

Columbia Pictures, 1956

Starring Alan Dale, Alan Freed, Fay Baker, and Patricia Hardy

Directed by Fred F. Sears

Music and Lyrics by various

The Poverty Row studios weren't the only ones who recognized rock as a popular genre among the young. By 1956, almost every studio in Hollywood wanted to cash in on this big new teen sound. Columbia jumped on the band wagon with Rock Around the Clock, the first musical to have a true rock score. That went over so well, they grabbed Bill Haley and the Comets for more of the same, here joined by Little Richard and the Treniers, among others. How well does the story of teens in a small town who show their parents that rock is hardly a corrupting influence come off today? Let's begin with those teens dancing up a storm over the credits and find out...

The Story: Rock star Arnie Haines (Dale) flees Freed's constant promotion to spend the rest of the summer in his hometown. He discovers on his arrival that, while the teens in the town adore him, their parents are far less welcoming. They believe rock to be a corrupting influence on the young, especially the stuffy Mayor Bagley (Pierre Watkin) and influential columnist Arline MacLaine (Baker). Arline's daughter Francine (Hardy) not only doesn't share her mother's opinion about rock, she falls for Artie. 

Francine and Artie set up a concert with big name acts like Bill Haley and the Comets and Little Richard, but it's disrupted by a fist fight set up by jealous Sunny Everett (Jana Lund), who also has a crush on Artie. Artie's ready to give up and leave, but Francine convinces him to do one last show. They claim it's a pageant of art and culture...but it really proves that art changes over time, and today's rebellious youth music is tomorrow's happy nostalgia.

The Song and Dance: This is at least a little closer to what most people probably think of when they hear "early rock musical." Hardy is an attractive and sensible Francine, and Baker is wonderfully witty as her skeptical journalist mother. We also have a far more interesting story, almost a precursor to Footloose thirty years later. Not only does this movie discuss many parents' real-life attitudes towards rock at the time, it reminds people that rock was hardly the first musical genre adults thought would "corrupt" young people. We also get some sensational dancing here to go with that music, including the wild dance routine at Artie's apartment after his show in the opening. 

The Numbers: We open with Haley's rendition of the title song over the credits. Dale sings "I Cry More" (one of the first published songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David) and "You're Just Right" at a nightclub. Haley's numbers include " "Hot Dog Buddy Buddy," the instrumental "Goofin' Around," and "Calling All Comets." Their version of "Rip It Up" is heard over the big jitterbug routine at their first concert, and we hear the audio for "Hook, Line, and Sinker." Dave Apple and the Applejacks get "Applejack" and "Country Dance." Little Richard tears things up with two of his classics, "Long Tall Sally" and "Tutti-Fruitti." The Treniers "Come Out of the Bushes" and are "Rocking On a Saturday Night."

What I Don't Like: While the story is more interesting, the cast for the most part isn't any better than Rock Rock Rock! Dale is so blank and dull, you wonder what the girls see in him. Freed has more to do here, but he's no actor and comes off as stiff, not at all like someone who would be caught up in a payola scam by 1960. This is once again a vehicle for the music, and anything else takes a back seat.

The Big Finale: Pretty much the same deal here. For early rock enthusiasts and major fans of Haley or Little Richard only. Everyone else is better off looking for their records or watching Footloose again. 

Home Media: The DVD double feature with Rock Around the Clock is currently expensive on Amazon. It's on YouTube, though the copy is glitchy and keeps stopping every few minutes.

DVD - Rock Around the Clock/Don't Knock the Rock 

YouTube

Musicals On TV - Double Platinum

ABC, 1999

Starring Diana Ross, Brandy, Christine Ebersole, and Brian Stokes Mitchell

Directed by Robert Allen Ackerman

Music and Lyrics by various

We transition from Black History Month to Women's History Month this week with two TV movies featuring black actresses and singers. Ross mostly stayed away from films since The Wiz flopped in 1978, while Brandy Norwood was an up-and-coming R&B star who had a smash success in the lavish ABC version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella two years before. Ross finally returned to films with this soap soul drama that paired her and Brandy as a mother who tries to direct the career of the daughter she'd abandoned years before. How does all this look now? Let's begin in 1981, as a music executive tells aspiring singer Olivia King (Ross) that she might have a job waiting for her in New York and find out...

The Story: Olivia's husband Adam (Mitchell) is totally against her having a music career, so she leaves in the middle of the night, vowing to return for their daughter Kayla. 19 years later, Kayla (Brandy) is now an aspiring singer who admires Olivia King. She's thrilled when she wins a contest to see her idol in concert and enjoy a night out with her. She's so thrilled, she invites Olivia to see her perform in a local club. Adam's not as happy with Olivia's attempt to get back into their daughter's life...and neither is Kayla when she learns the truth. 

Olivia finally convinces Kaya to join her in New York. She introduces her daughter to everyone she knows in the music industry, finally getting her signed to a recording contract. Olivia wants to be in her daughter's life, but her attempts to direct Kayla's career drives her into the arms of handsome older music executive Rick Ortega (Allen Payne). Kayla's bitterness towards her mother boils over at a Grammy party and during a concert where her mother's performance steals her thunder. She moves in with Ric, just as the press gets word of her true parentage. Olivia flees to a cabin to avoid the scandal, followed by Kayla when she learns Ric's true colors. Mother and daughter have a lot of talking to do, but they finally come to realize just how much they have in common.

The Song and Dance: Ross and Brandy are backed by a terrific cast of stage actors, some of them making rare TV appearances. Mitchell plays off both well as the concerned father who worries he's losing both his ladies. Payne makes a suitably smarmy record executive who thinks he's the one in charge of Kayla's career. Some of the music isn't bad, either, including a decent "He Lives In You" from The Lion King. Ackerman specialized in TV movies revolving around strong women - he went on to do the Emmy-winning miniseries Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows two years later - and that shows in performances he coaxes out of Ross in particular. 

The Numbers: The film opens with Olivia singing "Back In Love With Me Again" at the lounge in 1981. Nineteen years later, she belts "He Lives In You" from The Lion King II at the concert Kayla wins tickets to.  Kayla's first number is the sultry "Almost Doesn't Count" at the club. She sees her mother sing "Someone That You Loved Before" at another concert, but she's not as happy to agree to join her backstage. The mellow R&B ballad "Have You Ever?" is the first song Kayla records after she gets that contract, and she's good enough to impress the producer (Harvey Firnstein). Olivia records her own sultry ballad, "Until We Meet Again." "Happy" is Kayla's number at her first major concert; "Carry On" is the upbeat dance number Olivia grooves to that upstages her. They finally come together in the finale for "Love Is All That Matters."

What I Don't Like: This is pretty obviously a TV movie that was shot in 20 days. The costumes are relatively lavish, especially Ross' sequined gowns, but the sets are minimal. The story is a huge pile of cliches that finally collapse onto themselves around the time Kayla suddenly realizes that mothers do know best in this case and Ric is more interested in his career than hers. This isn't for someone who's not into R&B or is looking for more action and less soap opera. The music is basically the two leading ladies bringing whatever they recorded in their last albums, and except for "He Lives In You," isn't terribly memorable.

The Big Finale: Worth checking out for fans of the two leading ladies or late 90's R&B for the songs and performances alone.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. The latter is currently free at Tubi with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Get On Up: The James Brown Story

Universal, 2014

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Ackroyd, and Viola Davis

Directed by Tate Taylor

Music and Lyrics by James Brown and others

Our next biography is of a real-life R&B legend. James Brown's tumultuous life story was one of the inspirations for The Five Heartbeats. Unlike them, his career spanned genres and generations, from passionate ballads in the early 60's to being one of the most sampled musicians in rap songs by the early 2000's. Brown was known as "Mr. Dynamite" for a reason. 

Universal had been trying to get this off the ground since 2000, but were prevented by financial and music rights difficulties. They tried again when Brown died of pneumonia in 2006,  but finally got it going in 2012 when Mick Jagger agreed to be one of the producers and they brought on director Taylor. How well did they do with the story of the man whose dynamic performances hid a lot more heartbreak backstage? Let's begin at the ending, with Brown (Boseman) attacking his own business while stoned, and find out...

The Story: Brown (Jamarion and Jordan Scott) grew up in a shack near Augusta, Georgia with his mother Susie (Davis) and his abusive father Joe (Lennie James). His mother walked out to become a prostitute and his father joined the Army, leaving him in the care of his Aunt Honey (Octavia Spencer). His aunt runs a brothel, and he becomes fascinated with the flamboyant people who come there, and even more with the "shout" gospel music lauded to the heavens in the church she attends. He boxes briefly later, but proves to be unsuited to it.

At 17, he steals a suit and ends up in jail. He meets Bobby Byrd (Ellis) when he brings his gospel group to sing at the church. Impressed by Brown's voice, Byrd's family gets him parole, and he joins the band and moves their sound from gospel to R&B and soul. Even Little Richard (Brandon Mychal Smith) is impressed when Brown jumps onstage with his newly christened Famous Flames during one of his shows. Little Richard admonishes  him to avoid "the white devil," but Brown joins a white R&B record company and hires one of their people, Ben Brandt (Ackroyd), to be his manager. 

Brandt at first shunts the band off to the sidelines, leading them to quit. They return in 1962 when James puts in his own money to record the hugely successful Live at the Apollo album. Two years later, he upstages the Rolling Stones at the T.A.M.I Show and pays young DJs to promote his albums and avoid paying promoters. He even manages to keep the audience from rioting in Boston after Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in 1968 and, despite almost being shot down, joins the USO and plays for Vietnam troops later that year. 

His home life isn't doing so well. He divorces his first wife Velma (Jacinte Blankenship) and abuses the second Deirdre (Jill Scott). He's not thrilled when his mother tries to get back into his life, and first  his band, and then Bobby quit over his tendency to expect perfection, insist they work on days off, and hog the spotlight. It's not until he gets out of prison in 1993 that he finally mends fences with Bobby, reminding them that, no matter what life throws at them, they still need each other.

The Song and Dance: Boseman and Ellis lead a parade of powerhouse performances in this story of a searing performer driven to sing at all costs, including the cost of his relationships. Boseman may be more attractive than the young Brown, but he still nails his mannerisms and his unending energy and charisma. Ellis more than matches him as his best friend through (almost) thick and thin, who is generally happy to be off to the sidelines and let James bask in the spotlight. Ackroyd and Davis also do well as the "white devil" who proves to be more of an angel in disguise and the mother who left him behind. Love the gorgeous cinematography in many of the real locations this was set, including Paris and rural Georgia. The non-linear story that jumps between incidents from Brown's life makes this a little more creative than most standard Hollywood biographies.

The Numbers: We don't get our first number until nearly fifteen minutes in, but it's Brown's searing "Out of Sight" that steals T.A.M.I from the Rolling Stones. He dances to his signature "I Feel Good" with the band in red ski sweaters on the set of the winter Beach Party imitation Ski Party ...at least until he realizes he'd much rather be taking things up a notch over a decade later. That "shout" preacher almost literally throws himself into "No More, My Lawd" at an all-white church, inspiring Brown's signature funky style. He's one of the inmates joining Bobby's gospel band for "O Mary, Don't You Weep, Don't Your Mourn," until he's attacked by another prisoner and starts a fight.

Smith is equally magnetic in his one number as Little Richard. "Tutti Frutti" shows Richard's flamboyant style even better than "Caldonia" showed off Brown and the Flames. James' one boxing match even turns into an instrumental jazz number as he imagines a jazz combo playing as he's beaten black and blue. "This Thing Called Love" gives us a brief routine at a club showing Brown's early success with black audiences. Syd Nathan (Fred Melamed) doesn't understand "Please, Please, Please" the way Ben Brandt does, considering it repetitive and protesting Brown recording it despite Brandt pushing it.

No wonder Live at the Apollo was such a smash, with a short but really funky rendition of "Night Train" that the audience adores. "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" shows how he fell for Deidre and how dramatic his shows could get, which takes us back into a brief reprise of "Please, Please, Please." "Cold Sweat" is performed in the recording studio, showing how hard he could be on his band, his wife, and his best friend. His band mate Pee Wee imitates him singing "Mother Popcorn" in the studio...before the assassination of Martin Luther King. He convinces the mayor of Boston to let the concert go on, despite the riots in the summer of 1968...and keeps the audience from tearing the town apart with his rendition of "Mother Popcorn," even letting one kid dance onstage. 

He records the Civil Rights anthem "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" with a chorus of kids in the studio. A lean, mean James comments on his current situation right before a dynamic "Soul Power" in Paris. His truly heartfelt "Try Me" in 1993 is what finally convinces Bobby and his wife Vicki that all is forgiven. 

What I Don't Like: Though the non-linear story makes this unique among biopics, it also makes it hard to follow. The erratic quick-change editing that rarely lets anyone finish a number doesn't help here. While the costumes are nice and remain true to the time, the makeup on everyone later in the film is anything but convincing, particularly on Ells. They could have gone even further into certain aspects of his life, like his heavy involvement with the Civil Rights Moment and writing his own material. Like Five Heartbeats, this also goes on for way too long. 

The Big Finale: Worth seeing for Boseman and Ellis' performances if you're a fan of Brown or vintage R&B and soul music with time on your hands. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Thelma the Unicorn

Netflix, 2024

Voices of Brittany Howard, Will Forte, Jermaine Clement, and Jon Heder

Directed by Jared Hess and Lynn Wang

Music and Lyrics by various

We remain at Netflix and in the 21st century for this week's family musical. While the internet can make or break a career, it's a double-edged sword. Yes, a performer can go from an unknown to a sensation in an instant with just one popular video...but it also puts them even more on a pedestal. It's also too easy for anyone to create a false persona, as Thelma does here, and have people worship it. 

Thelma is an ordinary pony who learns that the hard way in this adaptation of the picture book of the same name by Aaron Blabey (who also wrote The Bad Guys). How well do they do in this story of a farm pony whose wish to be more glamorous brings her more fame - and trouble - than she ever could have imagined? Let's begin in the mind of Thelma (Howard) as she dreams of stardom for her and her two best friends and find out...

The Story: Thelma wants badly for her band the Rusty Buckets with her friends Otis the donkey (Forte) and Reggie the llama (Heder) to be in Sparklepalooza, but she embarrasses herself at the audition. After a truck driver (Zach Galafinkis) accidentally dumps pink paint and sparkles on Thelma when she has a carrot on her head, people passing by mistake her for a unicorn. She seizes the opportunity for her band to play, and the resulting video becomes an internet sensation. 

Thelma first attracts the attention of retired agent Peggy Purvis (Maliaka Mitchell), who thinks Thelma and her band will be a perfect comeback for her. Unfortunately, she's also courted by obnoxious Vic Diamond (Clement), the smarmy agent for diva Nikki Narwhal (Ally Dixon). Diamond insists on her opening for Nikki, then blows up her bands' limo to make them late. Thelma is a sensation as a solo act, but Otis doesn't think she should have to hide who she is, and Nikki is jealous of her newfound popularity. 

Thelma goes along with Vic's attempts to boost her career, including pairing her with internet star Danny Stallion (Fred Armisen), but she's not happy with him or the inane music she's singing. Meanwhile, Nikki sends her agent Megan (Edi Patterson) to get any kind of dirt on Thelma and destroy her image. She manages to convince Thelma to quit after she catches her putting on her unicorn makeup, but now everyone thinks she's missing. All Thelma wants is to reunite with her real friends at Sparklepalooza and prove to everyone that you don't need to be pink and sparkly to do what you love.

The Animation: Pretty typical computer animation. There's some rather odd or grotesque designs here, especially on the humans. Vic and Megan are scarier than any of the animals, including Nikki and her long horn. Some of the effects are pretty nifty, including the flashing effects with Nikki's big numbers and the "Sparklepalooza" in the finale.

The Song and Dance: While Howard's not bad in her debut as the short, plump pony who is determined to succeed in show business at all costs, it's the supporting cast who really shine. Forte is charming and funny as Thelma's role-playing-game-obsessed best friend who thinks she's fine the way she is, and Heder is adorable as their dim llama friend. I like some original touches here, like how talking animals and humans co-exist together with no questions, and some of the darker bits of humor and spoofs of shallow pop songs and the weird things people watch online. 

Favorite Number: We open with Thelma and the Rusty Buckets performing "Fire Inside" seemingly at Sparklepalooza, but really in her imagination. "Blubber Trouble" is Nikki's song on TV, performed as a Busby Berkeley spoof with her male back-up dancers surrounding her. Speaking of the male dancers, they reprise their number as Nikki's "Pool Boys" at her mansion. "Hurricane" is Thelma's number with her band after she's gotten covered in paint and attracted everyone's attention. She sings about making it "Big" for the crowds before Nikki's concert. 

Vic claims the "Three Cs to Success" will lead Thelma to fame and fortune. "Here Comes the Cud" is the ridiculous spoof pop number Thelma sings with Danny Stallion that winds up going to number one. It's so dumb, it ends up being smart satire. "Only Unicorn" is her other claim to fame. She finally admits at Sparklepalooza with her band that it's more important to be seen "Just As You Are." We end over the credits with Howard singing "Goldmine." 

What I Don't Like: This isn't anything you haven't seen in live-action and animated movies going back to the early talkies. The story is cliched to the absolute max. It also has a lot of padding from the original story, which was only about a pony who wanted to be a unicorn. There was no Vic, Megan, or Nikki, and no contracts or stardom. The grotesque designs on the humans makes this a little hard to watch at times. There's also a lot of inappropriate bathroom humor, especially on the farm in the opening and near the end, as Thelma's stardom is unraveling. 

The Big Finale: Not the best thing ever, but fun to watch if you're a fan of Howard or have a little girl who loves music, horses, and/or unicorns.

Home Media: This is a Netflix exclusive at the moment. 

Netflix

Ray (2004)

Universal, 2004

Starring Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, and Regina King

Directed by Taylor Hackford

Music and Lyrics by Ray Charles and others

We move to a later jazz and R&B musician for our next review. Apparently, this film had been in the works for at least 15 years while the producer tried to secure financing, and then find a studio willing to release it. Kids who grew up in the 80's and 90's like I do probably know him best for his series of Pepsi commercials with his female backup singers and his duets with Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, and Van Morrison. I didn't know until recently that his career spanned the latter half of the 20th century, covering everything from R&B ballads to country. Is it worthy of this big-screen treatment, or should it be left on the road? Let's begin in 1946 as Charles (Foxx) grapples with a cop in Northern Florida as he tries to take a bus to St. Louis for a job and find out...

The Story: Charles learned how to play piano at a young age while growing up in rural Northern Florida with his mother Aretha (Sharon Warren). He's still haunted by the accidental drowning of his younger brother in his mother's washtub as a child and his going blind by age 7. Even after he gets a job with a night club band in Seattle, the club's owner exploits him. He finally signs a solo record deal and tours the "Chitlin' Circuit" - a string of nightclubs owned by and designated for African-Americans. While the tour is successful, it's also where he becomes addicted to heroin.

Ray's life starts to look up when he lands a deal with Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong) of Atlantic Records, which releases his first hit, "Mess Around." He also falls in love with and marries pretty preachers' daughter Della Mae (Washington). Ray adds a female back-up group, which may not be a wise decision when he first has an affair with Mary Ann (Aunjanue Ellis), then a more serious one with Margie (King). He comes up with his first million-selling album after he comes up with "What'll I Say" when a show runs long.

Even as he hits the big time with "Hit the Road, Jack" and "Georgia On My Mind," he tells Margie to hit the road when she admits to being pregnant with his child. Margie leaves for a solo career, and Ray gets into trouble with the state of Georgia when he refuses to play a segregated venue. After encouraging black and white dancers to mingle during a concert, his room is raided, and he's arrested for drug possession. Della's not happy when he moves her to LA, then to a huge house in Beverly Hills, and his band isn't happy when he moves to ABC Records and hires smarmy Joe Adams (Harry Lennix) as his manager. A second drug arrest lands him in rehab, where he finally finds the strength to conquer his addictions and make amends with his past.

The Song and Dance: There's a reason Foxx earned one of the movie's two Oscars. He nails Charles, from his mannerisms to his voice and even his way of playing the piano. And yes, that is Foxx playing the piano. He apparently went to college on a classical piano scholarship and more than knew his way around the ivories. He's especially effective in the second half, as Charles battles his addictions and comes to terms with his brother's death and his dissolving relationships. The movie pulls no punches as it looks into what makes this man tick, showing us his deep addictions and how he was used and abused, and his multiple relationships with his singers, even as he remained married.

Favorite Number: Charles performs two hits usually associated with Nat King Cole, "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and "Route 66," early in his career before finding his own style. "We Will Walk Through the Streets of the City" is the ensemble hymn performed at the church during the funeral for Ray's brother, when his mother breaks down crying over her son's coffin. "The Midnight Hour" is another early Charles performance. He finally finds what he does best with Ertegun's jaunty "Mess Around." 

He's heard recording his next hits "I Got a Woman" and "Hallelujah, I Love Her So." When his concert runs short, he's stopped from leaving, which results in a quick performance of what becomes one of his biggest hits, "What Did I Say?" "Georgia On My Mind" becomes ironic considering his difficulties in that state later in the film. Margie reluctantly joins him for his other iconic song "Hit the Road, Jack," which she jumps into with a fierce relish at a performance. 

Later in the film, we get three of his best-known ballads, "Unchain My Heart," "You Don't Know Me," and the country number "I Can't Stop Loving You." The last-named is the performance in St. Louis that so impresses Joe Adams, he becomes his manager. "Born to Lose" and "Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)" are heard towards the end, when he's battling his addictions.

Trivia: Charles did get to see a work-in-progress print of the film before his death in June 2004. 

The movie also won Best Sound Recording.

Foxx and Regina King are dubbed by the actual recordings by Charles and Hendricks for most of the movie, with the exception of a few early numbers in the clubs. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the movie plays fast and loose with a lot of facts about Charles' life. Yes, he was addicted to heroin from the 50's through the 70's, and while he did kick that, he continued to drink and use marijuana throughout his life. The entire incident that led him to be barred from playing in Georgia was fabricated. He did refuse to play in a segregated venue, but after a telegram from civil rights activists convinced him to do so, and he was never banned in Georgia. Margie was fired in 1964, not '61, and he would never have asked her to have an abortion. She died in 1973, but the cause was never stated. By the time "Georgia On My Mind" became Georgia's state song, Della and Charles had divorced, and she would not have been there for the announcement. 

Second, good as Foxx's performance is, the movie itself is cliches of the highest order. This is nothing you haven't seen in musical biographies going back to the 1930's, including the somewhat similar Walk the Line on Johnny Cash that came out a year later. Also, it's way too long at 2 1/2 hours. Some of the slower middle section that gets bogged down in Charles' relationship problems could have been trimmed a bit. 

The Big Finale: See this one for the terrific numbers and Foxx's amazing Oscar-winning performance if you're a fan of Foxx, Charles, or soul and R&B music.

Home Media: Easily found on all formats, often for under $10.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Rock Around the Clock

Columbia, 1954

Starring Johnny Johnston, Lisa Johns, Alix Talton, and Alan Freed

Directed by Fred F. Sears

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we're jumping back a decade to investigate the early years of rock and roll. Rock began with rhythm and blues in the southern US around 1945. It moved slowly north as many black musicians migrated to the big cities. Freed, a disc jockey and promoter, played this jumpy and brassy new sound for white and black teenagers, helping to break down racial barriers in pop music. He also arranged live concerts for black and white audiences. 

Thanks to heavy promotion by Freed and others, this new music had caught on enough that the song "Rock Around the Clock" was a sensation when used over the credits of the 1955 high school drama The Blackboard Jungle. The song's success helped to bring rock into the mainstream and made its originators Bill Haley & the Comets into a household word. This movie was a response to that success and was a way for Freed to promote some of his other acts to the general public. How does the fictional story of the Comets' rise to fame look today? Let's begin with big band orchestra manager Steve Hollis (Johnston) as he witnesses the end of the Big Band era and find out...

The Story: Hollis quits his job with a major big band orchestra when he sees it's not drawing the customers anymore. His musician buddy Corny LaSalle (Henry Slate) joins him out of frustration. They're on their way to New York when they see a small-town dance hall drawing hordes of teenagers. They're swinging like mad to the music of Bill Haley and His Comets (themselves). Hollis is impressed with their music and the moves of Lisa Johns (Gaye) and her brother Jimmy (Earl Barton) and offers to find them better venues.

Corinne Talbot (Talton) owns most of the major nightclubs and dance venues where the Comets can make their names. Corinne is more interested in getting Hollis to marry her. She sends the Comets to play at an ultra-conservative girls' school. That backfires when the girls and even some of the teachers end up loving their bright new sound. When she simply bans them from playing, Hollis calls in disc jockey Alan Freed (himself) to play at his venue. The response is so enthusiastic, they create a rock revue around the Comets and Freed's other acts. Corinne, however, still has one more trick up her satin sleeve...

The Song and Dance: And it's the song and dance that carry things here, along with a story that's played more for drama than the comic Beach Party movies. One thing I really like is how the movie treats its female characters. While her schemes ultimately don't amount to much, Corinne is a pretty tough cookie, maybe more than some of the guys. Lisa may be young, but she's no pushover, either. She's the one who ultimately thinks of the way around Corinne's attempts to control them in the end. 

I also love seeing Freed's pioneering integration of black and white rock acts together carrying over here. The Platters share the stage with the Comets and Martinez and his band with no complaints or comments. Johnston does far better as a manager looking for a new sound than he did as a love interest for Esther Williams in her vehicle This Time for Keeps. 

Favorite Number: Our first real number isn't until nearly 10 minutes in, but it's the teens of Strawberry Springs going to town with the title song at the dance. They also get down to a signature early rock hit, "See You Later Alligator," while Lisa and Jimmy show their stuff to "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie." Martinez and his band give us the spicy Latin side of rock at Corinne's club with "Curero," "Mambo Capri," and "Solo Y Triste (Sad and Lonely)." The Comets take over the girl's school prom with their "Razzle Dazzle," while vocal group Freddie Bell and the Bellboys "Teach You How to Rock" and Martinez returns with "Bacalao Con Papa (Codfish and Potatoes)." 

The Platters give us the classier side of rock with one of their biggest hits, the gorgeous ballad "Only You." Haley auditions for Freed with the wild rhythmic anthem "R.O.C.K," which gives Lisa and Jimmy a looser rehearsal showcase. The movie ends at the "Rock Jubilee," with the Platters singing their other major hit "The Great Pretender," Bell and his guys getting into "Giddy Up a Ding Dong," and Haley and his boys finishing with "Rudy's Rock."

Trivia: Several members of the Comets left the group and were replaced before filming began. The only song where the performers heard singing are the same as the ones onscreen is "See You Later, Alligator," which was recorded right before the film.

The first full-length musical to have a full-on rock score. 

Teens got so into the movie and the music, there were riots in many parts of the globe when it was screened, including Norway, England, and the US. 

What I Don't Like: Obviously, if you don't like early rock or the groups involved, you're not going to be into this. The story, while harder-edged than the teen films of the 60's, is still piffle meant to bridge the gap between numbers. None of the groups are particularly good actors, including Haley and the Comets. The dialogue is stiff, Corinne's plot to sabotage Hollis is silly, the whole thing is cliches of the highest order. 

The Big Finale: This wound up being a pleasant surprise. The first rock musical is a lot of fun, with some terrific music and amazing jive dancing. Highly recommended for huge fans of the early rock era or the bands in question. 

Home Media: It's double-disc set with its follow-up Don't Knock the Rock is expensive nowadays. You're better off streaming this one or picking it up on that Mill Creek Musicals 20 Collection.

DVD - Rock Around the Clock/Don't Knock the Rock

DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection

Amazon Prime

Happy St. Patrick's Day! - The Commitments

20th Century Fox, 1991

Starring Robert Arkins, Michael Aherne, Angeline Ball, and Maria Doyle

Directed by Alan Parker

Music and Lyrics by various

We salute the day of all things Irish with one of the most Irish movies in existence. This adaptation of the book of the same title was a huge hit when it came out, especially in its native Ireland and the UK. Its soundtrack of R&B and soul covers was even bigger, going platinum all over the world. I remember having the cassette when I was a teenager and loving the passionate music. Does the film reach the heights of its score, or should it be left in the Dublin tenements? Let's begin with a young man searching for a different sound on the streets of Dublin, Ireland and find out...

The Story: Irish soul music-lover Jimmy Rabbitte (Arkins) wants to create his own soul band to rival the great groups of the 60's. He holds auditions, but ends up hiring his buddies, people he met on the street, and the attractive Natalie Murphy (Doyle) and her friends as backup singers. They're taken under the wing of trumpet player Joey "The Lips" Fagan (Johnny Murphy), who claims he went on tour with half the singers who ever lived. 

Getting the band together isn't easy. There's tons of fights, mainly between huge, egotistical lead singer Deco Cuffe (Andrew Strong) and the others. Things become even more heated as the band grows more popular. Deco gets angry with drummer Billy Mooney (Dick Massey), Joey seduces all of the female members of the band, and their bouncer Mickah (Dave Finnegan) takes over the drums when Billy quits. Joey says he get them a show with a major soul star from America...but will that be enough to keep these unruly Dublin scrappers from self-destructing? 

The Song and Dance: You can't get much more modern Ireland than this. The gritty cinematography was filmed at actual homes and locations throughout the northern end of the city. The performances are raw and real, especially from Arkins as music-obsessed Jimmy and Strong as the singer whose huge ego is a match for his massive bulk and equally enormous talent. 

The music is incredible. Whether they're playing at a church or a Dublin night club, the songs are expertly filmed and sung with all the passion of the soul performers Jimmy adores. There's a reason the soundtrack went double platinum in the US and Canada and five times platinum in Australia. It's presented with all the sweaty, nervous energy of a rowdy nightclub concert with a band on the verge of success, and makes you feel like you're really in the crowd, watching these people pour their hearts into the songs.

Favorite Number: The songs at that first church performance give us a taste of what's to come for the rest of the movie. We get "Mustang Sally" with Strong and the ladies, a dynamic "In the Midnight Hour," and Doyle's "I Never Loved a Man." Jimmy joins the girls for "Treat Her Right," as he wishes Joey would do just that. Singer Niamah Kavanaugh joins the ladies for "Destination Anywhere" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man." Ball's big solo is the Tina Turner number "I Can't Stand the Rain." Doyle gets "Bye Bye Baby" at the concert that's interrupted by Billy accidentally knocking his cymbals into Deco. The movie ends at the nightclub with one of its hit singles, the searing "Try a Little Tenderness."

Trivia: Glen Hansard, who played guitarist Outspan Foster, went on to write and star in another gritty Irish working-class movie musical, Once. 

A stage version debuted at London's Palace Theater in 2013 and ran for two years. There's been two tours since then, including one that concluded last year.

What I Don't Like: Heed that R rating. This has many of the same problems as the later Once, including thick accents that can occasionally be hard to decipher and a metric ton of swearing. There's a lot of violence, too, including two major fist fights, and at least one couple is seen naked (though it doesn't get into anything sexual). The ladies aren't always treated the best, either. This goes along with the working class Dublin setting and characters, but it may be pretty rough for anyone who prefers their musicals more uplifting or family-friendly. 

The Big Finale: Highly recommended for something different on St. Patrick's Day or adult fans of soul and R&B.

Home Media:  Easy to find in all major formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musical Documentaries - Soul Power

Sony Pictures, 2008

Starring James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B King, and Miriam Makeba

Directed by Jeff Levy-Hinte

Music and Lyrics by various

Having enjoyed the two documentaries on major black concerts I watched last year, I thought I'd dig up another one for Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend. This one had originally been intended as a lead-in to the big Mohammad Ali-George Foreman Rumble In the Jungle boxing match in what was then known as Zaire during September 1974. While the match ended up being delayed until October due to injury, the show went on...and what a show! Let's join James Brown on-stage and see how well this "rumble in the jungle" worked...

The Story: The people of Zaire join James Brown and some of the biggest names in rock and soul for this concert, representing the best of African music - in the US and the continent - at the time. Meanwhile, Mohammed Ali spends the documentary discussing the black experience in America and building up his own importance to the fight and to breaking the dominance of imperialism in Africa. He's encouraged by promoter Don King, who created the fight and helped develop the festival with music producers Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine. 

The Song and Dance: The real fun here is the footage from the first half of the show. We get to see how the concert worked, and how hospitable the citizens of Zaire were to their guests. Some of their numbers are just darn fun; there's some amazing dancers in the Congo. The backstage footage is equally fascinating and even more fun - check out that kickline half-way through! We also get rare and wonderful footage of James Brown and Mohammad Ali in their prime. 

Favorite Number:  We open with Brown's searing performance of the title song, and end with three jams, his "Cold Sweat," the dynamic "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)," and "Say It Loud (I'm Black and Proud)." He shows off his "Same Beat" during the credits. The Spinners croon their way through their big hit "One of a Kind Love Affair." African singers and dancers Lita Bembo and Les Stukaas really jam with her "Bakobosana" with the crowd before the show. Bill Withers insists that he'll "Hope She'll Be Happier" in his one number. B.B King also gives us a touching performances of one of his signature tunes. "The Thrill Is Gone." Mixed race group Sister Sledge really jam with their "On and On." The Crusaders insist that the crowd will "Put It Where You Want It." 

But the show really belongs to the Africans. Miriam Makeba has an absolutely blast with "The Click Song" as she shimmies around the stage. Likewise, samba legend Ceila Cruz joins African favorites Fania All Stars for "Quimbara." Her wild, colorful gown alone is worth seeing. OK Jazz were one of the biggest successes in Africa during the 60's and 70's, and they show why with their girl in leopard skins gyrating to "Simba Nkoni." Likewise, we get two very intense dancers who are so into the music, they're literally writhing on the floor at one point during "Ponte Duro."

What I Don't Like: This really should have been longer. I know most of the footage for Ali went into the Oscar-winning documentary on the fight When We Were Kings, but did they have anything else left for this? There are more musical numbers - they're on the DVD. The footage is pretty rough, too, more than on the comparable Soul to Soul and Summer of Soul, both of which are older than this. 

The Big Finale: Would actually make a nice companion to When We Were Kings or Soul to Soul for fans of Brown, Ali, or the soul, rock, and samba music of the 1970's. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming, often for under $10. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

The Rose

20th Century Fox, 1979

Starring Bette Midler, Fredric Forrest, Alan Bates, and Barry Primus

Directed by Mark Rydell

Music and Lyrics by various

For the Boys wasn't the first time Midler appeared in a fictional "biography" directed by Rydell. She made her big breakthrough in this smash hit. It was originally intended to be a real biography of Janis Joplin, but Midler and Joplin's family thought her death was too fresh to discuss at that point. Midler herself threw in some input on how to create a composite character and stay true to Joplin's tragic life while not being offensive. It certainly worked in 1979, but how does it look now? Let's begin as "The Rose's" (Midler) parents (Sandy Ward and Doris Roberts) go to her old room to piece together her sad story and find out...

The Story: "The Rose" is Mary Rose Foster, a rock star in 1969 whose life is out of control. She's being used and overworked by her greedy manager Rudge Campbell (Bates), who keeps pushing her into concert after concert without time off. She keeps pleading with him to let her rest for a year, but he doesn't want to lose his cash cow. He even humiliates her when he introduces her to country star Billy Ray (Harry Dean Stanton), whom she idolizes...but he rudely tells her he doesn't want her singing his songs and thinks she's trash. 

Angry with Rudge, she takes off with handsome limousine driver Huston (Forrest). They fall in love during a cross-country trip that includes a stop at a gay bar with male impersonators. Huston, however, finds it very difficult to continue loving Rose. She's inundated by hangers-on, including her former lover Sarah (Sandra McCabe), and is prone to violent fits of temper thanks to her drinking and drug use. 

Rose is obsessed with returning to her Florida hometown and showing them just how loved she is now. Rudge "fires" her to assure that she'll do the concert. She claims she wants to run off with Huston, but when Rudge calls her back, he realizes that her first true love will always be the spotlight...and she realizes how badly her life has spiraled out of her grasp.

The Song and Dance: Midler's crushing performance anchors this searing look into the darker side of fame. Hard to believe this was her first major role. Rydell wouldn't do the movie without her, and he was totally right. She's nothing short of a phenomenon, whether belting "Fire Down Below" with a drag queen playing her, doing acrobatics onstage, or sobbing in the phone booth near the end when Huston has finally walked out on her and she realizes what a mess her life is. Forrest got his own Oscar nomination as her laid-back lover with his own problems; Bates is also excellent as her controlling manager who does nothing to end her damaging lifestyle. 

Favorite Number: Midler's onstage concert performances are simply electrifying. "Night In Memphis," "Sold My Soul to Rock and Roll," and "When a Man Loves a Woman" are especially strong. Bob Segar's "Fire Down Below" was actually written six years after the story is set, but the sequence where she performs it with her drag queen imitator is so intense and well-done, you can forgive the discrepancy. "Stay With Me" is the big finale where she pours all of her grief and loss into literally just staying alive after a drug overdose. The film ends with the title song over the credits, a gentle, aching ballad that became a #1 hit. 

What I Don't Like: The melodramatic plot is where this one falters. It's dark and dreary, and while not bad, it's definitely not up to the incredible concert sequences. The ending is not one of the most uplifting, either, considering the finale involves a woman dying of an overdose in front of thousands of people. 

You'd never know this is set in 1969, either. From Midler's frizzy blonde curls to the long fluffed hair on men and women alike, this is definitely more disco than late 60's hard rock. This is also very much an R-rated movie, with some sexual situations, domestic abuse, violence, and heavy swearing from Rose in particular (including frequent uses of the F word). Let your kids listen to the classic title song, but they'll have to wait on the movie until they're much older.

The Big Finale: An absolute necessity for anyone with even a remote interest in Midler or the harder rock of the late 60's and 70's. 

Home Media: Currently on disc from the Criterion Collection. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Musical Documentaries - Soul to Soul

Cinerama Releasing Corporation, 1971

Starring Ike & Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett, Carlos Santana, and Guy Warren

Directed by Denis Sanders

Music and Lyrics by various

Juneteenth is the newest Federal holiday, but African-Americans in Texas and other southern states have celebrated it since 1865. It honors African-Americans being released from slavery in Texas, the last state of the Confederacy to do so. This year, we honor their independence by celebrating freedom of a different sort. Ghana declared its independence from England in 1957. Poet Maya Angelou approached the government in the early 60's about a concert with African-Americans and local talent, only to see that government overthrown. It took another pair of Americans, father and son Ed and Tom Mosk, to convince the Ghana Arts Council that the time was right for Ghana to rock. How does the concert look today? Let's begin right in the thick of things, with Tina Turner shimmying to the title song, and find out...

The Story: Some of the top names in rock, jazz, and soul arrive in Ghana to appear in Black Star Square (now Independence Square) and celebrate the 14th anniversary of their independence. In between numbers, we see them interact with the people of Ghana, and even get to see some dynamic West African folk dances and ceremonies.

The Song and Dance: Wow. As awesome as the performances were, I think the people of Ghana may have them beat. Some of their routines were downright incredible. It's wonderful to see how the people of West Africa bring the musicians in on their ceremonies, and how much they respect them and treat them like royalty. For the African-American musicians, this was a chance to learn about their own heritages and discover more about the world many of their relatives and ancestors came from. 

Favorite Number: We open with Tina Turner showing off her early raw style with the title song. She and Ike go into their hit "River Deep, Mountain High" towards the end of the film, and they also get the bluesy "I Smell Trouble." Wilson Pickett delights the huge crowds with his dynamic performances of his major hits "In the Midnight Hour" and "Land of 1,000 Dances." Carlos Santana wows the crowd with his frenzied guitar playing and manic energy to his two biggest hits of the time, "Black Magic Woman" and "Jungle Strut." Amid the celebrating, jazz singers Les McCann and Eddie Harris remind the crowds of "The Price You Gotta Pay to Be Free," while the Staple Singers wonder "When Will We Get Paid." Roberta Flack puts out the only ballad of the night, crooning about "Trying Times." Amoah Azango is a local witch doctor who can do incredible things by just shaking a calabash, a ball-shaped percussion instrument. 

Trivia: Robera Flack's performance was cut from the current DVD copies at her request.

What I Don't Like: Some of the language, in the music and between the performers, and a few of the dances from the people of Ghana may border today on stereotypical or inappropriate. Some of the discussions between numbers does use language that may offend today.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of soul, jazz, or rock from this era, want to learn more about African, rock, or black cultural history, or if you loved Summer of Soul from last year, you'll want to dig around for this celebration of all kinds of independence, cultural, personal, and countrywide. 

Home Media: The DVD is majorly expensive, hard to find, and edited. There's currently a copy on YouTube with Japanese subtitles that retains Flack's number, though it's admittedly not in the greatest shape. If you really love the music, you may want to sign with The Coda Collection, which streams musical films and documentaries with a subscription.

DVD

The Coda Collection

YouTube

Musical Documentaries - Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Couldn't Be Televised)

Searchlight Pictures/Hulu, 2021

Featuring Sly & the Family Stone, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and many others

Directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

Music and Lyrics by various

Having enjoyed No Maps on My Taps last Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, I thought I'd try another documentary about the black musical experience in America. This time, we skip ahead to 1969, the year after King's assassination. TV producer Hal Tuchin filmed the Harlem Cultural Festival, a celebration of Afro-American culture and music. It was made into two television specials at the time, then promptly forgotten. It wasn't until 2004 that film archivist Joe Lauro convinced Tuchin to digitalize the footage, and it took until 2019 for it to be bought from the owners following Tuchin's death. Was this history worth digging up, or should it have remained buried? Let's begin at Mount Morris Park (now Martin Garvey Park) in New York's Harlem neighborhood as the show is about to begin and find out...

The Story: The biggest names in soul, R&B, and blues converged on six weeks of sold-out shows at Mount Morris Park. The joy of the sold-out crowds is contrasted with their lives on the mean streets of Harlem and East Harlem. Harlem was rocked by riots in 1964 that left the neighborhood battered and scarred, but there was hope for the future as they celebrated how blacks fought to reclaim a culture and a music all their own.

The Song and Dance: Wow. It's a damn shame this was overshadowed by Woodstock and other major music festivals that year. There are some amazing performances you just aren't going to see anywhere else. They did an incredible job restoring the footage. I imagine it had to have been in bad shape after being locked up for 50 years, but it looks like it was filmed last week, with glowing colors and audio that beautifully captures every moment onstage. It's wild just to see the relatively conservative then-mayor of New York John Lindsay contrasted to the ultra-hip festival coordinator Tony Lawrence (who was also one of the acts). 

Even more than the music, it was fascinating hearing about this event from not only surviving performers, but people who actually attended. Their memories of how it felt to see this gathering of a culture that had until a few years before largely been forced underground helps show what a watershed this was to black New York audiences at the time. Several people called it "more important than the moon landing"...because this was about those of us on Earth in the here and now, not just far-away possibilities.

Favorite Number: Stevie Wonder kicks things off with a wild drum solo and his electric rendition of the Isley Brothers hit "It's Your Thing." Legendary bluesman B.B King tells us "Why I Sing the Blues" and shows us why he was King of the Blues. Gospel group The Staple Singers really get the crowds into their swinging numbers "Give a Damn," "Help Me Jesus," and "It's Been a Change." The Edwin Hawkins Singers add their own praise to "Oh Happy Day." Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples joins group Operation Breadbasket for Tommy Dorsey's "Precious Lord Take My Hand." 

Gladys Knight & the Pips really rock their cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Mixed-race group Sly & the Family Stone show why they're "Everyday People" with their vibrant performances of that major hit, "Sing a Simple Song," and "Higher." Afro-Puerto-Rican performers Mongo Santamaria and Ray Baretto show off another side of Harlem in their colorful polka-dot shirts with their Latin-influenced "Afro-Blue," "Watermelon Man," "Together," and "Abijdan." Jazz songstress Nina Simone steals the show with her intensely personal "Backlash Blues," "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," and "Are You Ready?"

What I Don't Like: Boy, do I wish they hadn't waited 50 years to do this. We might have heard from a lot of the actual performers, instead of mostly people who saw the show and a few major stars (like Gladys Knight). There are times with pinkish fringing on the edges of the frame or slightly blurry images when you're reminded this is footage from 1969. Watch out for violence and racial slurs that go along with many discussions of this era. 

The Big Finale: If you have any interest at all in black culture or the history of rock, R&B, soul, and gospel in the 60's, you owe to yourself to catch this glorious celebration of a time and place where people found joy in a music that was uniquely theirs. 

Home Media: It'll be available on DVD and digital February 8th. For now, it's a Hulu exclusive. 

Hulu