The Roots Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Watch This: Eric Idle and The Roots 'Always Look On The Bright Side'
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
I'm not known to be the sentimental type, but occasionally even I can get a little choked up (and trust me it can come at the oddest times). Well, the other night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon I had one of those moments when that goofy little girl I used to be and the goofy grown woman I am today came together to watch Eric Idle perform Always Look on The Bright Side of Life with Fallon's house band, The Roots -- who to my delight joined in on the trademark whistling refrain. The troupe was on Late Night to celebrate their NY Reunion show to mark the 40th anniversary of the comedy troupe and to promote the Pythonathon on IFC this Sunday.
Watching The Life of Brian as a child guaranteed that most of the jokes went right over my head, but it's effect was lasting, and I was never able to look at my Sunday school lessons the same way again. The flick was even charged with blasphemy when it was originally released, but over time has been recognized as one of the best British comedies ever made.
It's been a long time (30 years to be more precise) since Idle and Chapman climbed up on those crosses for the final musical number in the story of Brian, but when I watched this clip it didn't matter, and I was right back to being that little geeky girl I used to (and probably always will) be.
After the jump: Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin. Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow...
Scenes We Love: Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Music & Musicals », Fandom », Trailers and Clips », Scenes We Love »
I'm not exactly what you would call a sentimental kind of person, and I tend to get a little 'gaggy' when it comes to the so-called touchy-feely things in life. But if there is one thing that makes me feel like a big old softy, it would be Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Now this is what I call a call a 'feel good movie' with everyone from the lady behind the counter at a liquor store to a *
The 2005 documentary was written and hosted by Chappelle with Michel Gondry behind the camera, and even if you aren't the biggest fan of soul and hip-hop music, you can't deny that you can practically feel the joy that seeps through every frame. The musical line-up included artists like Mos Def, The Roots, Common, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu. Chappelle even pulled off the impossible by getting The Fugees to perform onstage together for the first time in seven years.
*Correction: the marching band Chappelle brings along is the celebrated College band, The Central State University Marching Band.
Review: Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Filed under: Documentary », Music & Musicals », Theatrical Reviews », Focus Features »
"If (fun on the set) meant anything, then Cannonball Run would be a great movie, because I'm sure it was fun to make." – Steven Soderbergh, Indiewire
Dave Chappelle's Block Party should be a nightmare – a self-indulgent vanity project without real rhyme or reason, a concert film with no organizing principle behind it other than that might be fun. ... But Dave Chappelle's Block Party is a lot of fun, and it never feels like you're peeking through the keyhole of a locked door at all the excitment the cool kids are having without you. What's even better is the fact that Chappelle's event and the subsequent film don't just offer the sights and sounds of a multi-millionaire comedian and his musician pals relaxing and having a good time; there's some serious stuff going on in this film behind the backbeats and smiles.
But there are backbeats and smiles, and plenty of them. Dave Chappelle organized a free concert for September 18th, 2004, to be held in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Not only were the bands performing kept secret, so was the actual location of the event; New Yorkers were invited, and at the same time the film opens with Chappelle roving the small town in Ohio nearest to where he makes his home and dispensing 'Golden Tickets" – good for a ride on a chartered bus, a hotel room and admission to the show – to the people in his community.
And Chappelle – mocking, mischievous and sharply aware of everything he's getting away with – is having a blast.
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