"I've led kind of an unusual life," says Bob Weir, in a moment of understatement. "I've seen stuff that no one has seen," the guitarist adds, bringing to mind that "Blade Runner" replicant in the rain. And yes, Weir says, quoting himself: "It's been a long strange trip." The rhythm guitarist for the Grateful Dead steps out of the long … [Read more...]
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ on Blu-ray
The long-awaited Blu-ray of "A Hard Day's Night" comes with the prominent subtitle: Directed by Richard Lester. Truth in packaging, as the Criterion Collection's smashing release of the Beatles' film puts the focus squarely on the iconoclastic director, whose vision and bravery under fire made what could have been a forgettable "jukebox musical" … [Read more...]
‘Marley’: A stand up documentary
The documentary "Marley" opens not in Jamaica, but in Ghana, West Africa. Viewers are confronted with "the door of no return," the infamous portal through which passed generations of slaves, torn from their mother country. For Bob Marley, who sang passionately about slavery, "Africa was always the destination," his wife recalls. In 1980, … [Read more...]
‘X: The Unheard Music,’ ‘Sid and Nancy’
"Being under the radar is a good thing," says Exene Cervenka, the singer-poet of the L.A. rock band X. "Celebrity-hood is not a good thing. … Being able to live your life as an artist and matter is a good thing. … I'm happy with the way things turned out. She pauses. "Other people in the band, maybe not so much …" X holds the title of … [Read more...]
‘The Blues Brothers’ on Blu-ray
The Blues Brothers: Two white TV comics who dared to sing the blues and, incredibly, came out king bees. John Belusi and Dan Aykroyd's R&B musical plays like a honey-dipped harp, even after 30 years. Now it's enshrined in HD with Universal's Blu-ray release of "The Blues Brothers." Fans of the "Saturday Night Live" comics and the giants of … [Read more...]
