across the universe

[bangg trimm]

the new film from julie taymor.. it's a story out of the traditional highlights of the 1960s and strung together by beatles songs. it's a freakin musical. it also has some amazing and compelling imagery, scenes featuring puppets from the bread and puppet theatre (an political theatre), etc. performer cameos by eddie izzard, bono, salma hayek, et al.

i saw it last night and was i glad i did, even though it has some faults.

some of the masks used in the film were made in a production house in nyc that i did temp work at 2 years ago. that flipped my lid.

anyhow... see on big screen because the key here is imagery. and only super fancy tv's will cut it.

[matty]

I finally saw this last night.

The imagery is very good, but since I didn't see it on the big screen or a fancy tv, I can only imagine how impressive it would have been.

The story had some serious problems. However, I did enjoy the movie, and I liked seeing their use of the Beatles canon. Sometimes their choices were a little forced, trite, cheesy, or downright stupid, but other times it was very appropriate and brought life to many songs.

I especially enjoyed:

the drunken "With a Little Help from My Friends"

the gospel "Let it Be"

Joe Cocker singing "Come Together"

the imagery of the American War Machine, using "I Want You" (maybe my favorite--this was the first part where I thought the movie might be good.)

Eddie Izzard's "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" was pretty amazing, though I thought it didn't fit with the movie in the least.

the part where "Strawberry Fields Forever" is sung is very well done, I thought.

All the other parts I thought were pretty ho-hum. I will say, however, that the singers all had AMAZING voices, especially the characters Lucy, Prudence, and Sadie, and that gospel lady who sang "Let it Be." Every time Lucy sang, I payed attention.

There's also an exhausting list of subtle (and not-so-subtle) references to Beatles songs, Beatles trivia, and 70s culture throughout the film. Character names are the most obvious. Characters climbing in through bathroom windows, numbers (64, 9), Max has a couple of hammer jokes, etc.

I'm curious if 007 has seen it, I bet he would instantly get most of the references. I got several, but I had to look up a cheater's list of the movie to see the others.

All in all, it's a fun movie, and I was entertained. My date, however, fell asleep.

[Soul Queen]

We did watch this the other night. I agree that some of it was extremely cheesey. But I overall liked it.

I think I really liked it though because its the first movie I've seen in a long time that I bet if in the right mind frame, it would blow your mind. The colors were so pretty.

I watched it mainly for the colors and the music. I'm not sure what 007 thought of it.

[zero2056]

Is it just me, or is it time to let the Beatles die? I'm of the same opinion to those peeps who worship Elvis.

Ya. They were awesome. Emphasis on the past tense. McCartney is no longer awesome. New music is PAINFUL. It's like 80-year olds singing pop music.

But it seems like every year there is a new compilation, musical, Las Vegas Show, book, recently found tracks (ya right), remastered tracks, you name it, it's been marketed and gobbled up by zombie Beatle's fanatics.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy their music, and have their primary albums, but.... Go away! McCartney's a billionaire. He doesn't need anymore of your money. Who the hell knows what Ringo's up to.

[slam]

yeah, it was a cute movie, with a plot hacked together to ensure as many beatles songs as possible.

my only real gripe is that i'm fucking sick of this boomer 60's nostalgia crap. right, right, protesting the vietnam war was the most important thing that anyone ever did in the whole history of the universe... i get it! let's move on now!

[matty]

We also have to keep in mind that this movie is made for people younger than us. For an entire generation of kids, this movie will be their sole exposure to The Beatles. (Sad but true.) The guy I watched the movie with is 23 years old, and he said that he didn't even realize that The Beatles sang some of the songs used (including Ob-La-Di, and With a Little Help), and that other songs he'd never even heard before at all. (He kept called Ob-La-Di "the Wonder Years song," if that gives you an idea of what I'm talking about.) Young people don't know the nostalgic Beatles, they know the cultural ripple effect.

I started to make that point to talk about Vietnam protests. There's something about protests that taps into a basic adolescent aggression/frustration. Raging against the Machine, if you will. So while we may find the whole Vietnam protest thing a little played out, we've had a decade longer to get tired of it than this movie's target audience.

In short: You're old. Get over it and let the young people have their experiences.

As for Beatles obsession, they were such a ginormous part of pop culture that they will never go away. There are people today obsessed with American Idol contestants (let alone actual American Idol winners), and an American Idol contestant is a tiny hiccup in the pop culture universe. So if one person can buy three albums, a poster, and a dress-up doll of some clown who didn't even WIN American Idol, imagine the fandom that a pop culture earthquake like the Beatles has on people.

Granted, The Beatles stole all their early stuff from black people, but I believe everything from Help! on is original, fantastic music, and has yet to be replicated, though many have tried. that's worth something.

Also, about 90% of the people on The Board were or are stoners, and stoners love them some Beatles. it's one of those cultural signals, a meme, if you will, that shows other stoners that you're "cool" without having to come right out and say "Hey, you wanna hit a bong sometime?" Like gays listening to techno or diva music, or rednecks listening to country music. You get exposed to a certain music in a formative moment, and then it begins to help you form a stereotyped shell that you can use until you figure out who you are.

For a lot of people, The Beatles were a steadying hand, a guiderail that helped them belong to a group of individuals, while they fluttered along and figured out whatever it is they needed to figure out. In that way, The Beatles aren't just a memorable band, they're an important part of many individual's formation. Beatles nostalgia isn't 60s or 70s nostalgia, it's personal nostalgia.

That being said, a lot of people never pull out of that comfortable place and take the leap to being a true individual. They use the Beatles (and other stoner favorites) as a crutch, constantly stuck in a butt-shaped dent in the couch, surrounded by a cloud of weed smoke, and suffering from a permanent adolescence. I was there once--I had to eventually pull myself out of that and start doing something with my life, and trust me, it's hard to get up.

So it's important for me to always value the part that The Beatles played in my life. It's also important for me to let misguided, lazy stoner Matty stay in the past.

And this concludes my 6th Grade essay on "What The Beatles Mean to Me."

As for The Beatles lying low, two of them are dead, so give them a break. And I think there should be a distinction drawn between The Beatles and the members' solo careers. John Lennon's solo stuff is overrated porpoise hork. The Walrus does need to shut up, yes. And Ringo was only in the band by happenstance, so I really don't pay attention to him. George was my favorite, and in my opinion the most talented. (Also, he was dreamy.)

[JVO]

That essay rocked!

I haven't seen this yet, but it sounds like something I have to check out.

Isn't there some time of musical that is traveling the country based on the Beatles? That seemed like something that would be very cool too.

I watched HELP the other day on PBS (which seems strange). I could only watch it for about half hour than I had to change it. I was stone cold sober which probably isn't the recommended way to see it, but I thought it was incredibly silly and there wasn't enough music. Of course I have never thought that British humor was all that great (except Monty Python) especially like Benny Hill and that other 50's and 60's crap.

[matty]

That essay rocked!

Thank you.

:roses:

[False Alarm]

heh, porpoise hork.

[007]

I liked this movie a lot. It was cheesy, but I really enjoyed the references & the music. Can't go wrong with the Beatles.

Also, to Zero -
Long Live the Beatles! There will never be another act like them! They Rule!

:smileyrainbow::peace::smileyrainbow: