beatles Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Wild New Trailer For Julie Taymor's Beatle-Themed Film Drops!
Filed under: Drama », Music & Musicals », Romance », Sony », Trailer Trash »
Wow, now that was a nice surprise. Check out this rather lovely new trailer for Julie Taymor's Across the Universe and then come back and let me know what you think. To me it looks like 1969 meets Moulin Rouge ... or maybe Forrest Gump meets Sgt. Pepper. Either way I now have another movie title to add to my "oooh, gimme!" list for 2007. Written by veteran British wordsmiths Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, Across the Universe sure looks (despite my earlier comparisons) pretty darn unique!It's a story of love, lust and innocence lost in the 1960's, it's a musical, and it's all Beatles music! Neat! (The stars are Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson and the luminous Evan Rachel Wood.) Sony hasn't nailed down a firm release date just yet, but "September" seems to be the general consensus right now. Frankly I'm pretty darn psyched to check this flick out -- and this is coming from a guy who spends most of his days knee-deep in monster movies and stoner comedies. (And if you've never seen Taymor's Titus, I just now thought of a flick you need to toss into your Netflix queue.)
Vintage Image of the Day: John Lennon in A Hard Day's Night
Filed under: Comedy », Music & Musicals », Vintage Image of the Day »
When I compile lists of films that were never made and that I wish I could see, I always think of Up Against It, the script that British playwright Joe Orton rewrote for a Beatles movie, which allegedly was too racy for the band's then-wholesome image. According to Prick Up Your Ears, the Orton biography by John Lahr, Up Against It would have had The Beatles' characters "caught in flagrante, become involved in dubious political activity, dressed as women, committed murder, been put in prison and committed adultery." Can you imagine the possibilities? Instead, we have to satisfy ourselves with the zany Richard Lester movies featuring The Beatles in clean-cut situations, A Hard Day's Night and Help! (There's also Magical Mystery Tour, but I've never been able to sit through the whole mess of a film.)
The above image is from the credits of A Hard Day's Night -- of course, that's John Lennon, who was born on this day in 1940. A Hard Day's Night is still considered by many to be a comic masterpiece, but I fear it hasn't dated well over the years. In high school, I loved watching, reading about, and listening to John Lennon, but I'm not as blind to the film or the musician's flaws these days. The last time I saw the 1964 film, I felt restless and bored in spots. The non-Beatles actors aren't particularly interesting, and the "frenetic pace" is old hat for contemporary viewers. But the music is great and the guys are fun to watch as they race around mischievously parodying themselves, or titillate audiences of packed girls with their energetic musicmaking. It's the best chance we have these days to visualize The Beatles at their peak, when they were practically idolized by their followers.
Beatles promoter bio pic in limbo
Filed under: Newsstand »
If you've been anxiously awaiting a bio pic about Beatles promoter Sid Bernstein, you might have to wait awhile longer, and perhaps not outside a theater. The film project, which has already been going for five and a half years, has finally wrapped up, and no release date has been set, nor do its makers know if the film will be shown in theaters. When and if Sid Bernstein Presents is ever seen by the public at large, you'll learn of the man who single-handedly brought groups like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and many others to American audiences. 
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