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Movie Magic with Star Power – A Star is Born

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Let’s get right to the point. Star is Born my favorite movie of the year. I’m not sure that is going to change, either. Something extraordinary is going on in this movie. If you love movies, you need to see this.

Despite a familiar storyline, director/actor Bradley Cooper and singer/diva Lady Gaga pump a lot of freshness into what will undoubtedly be a major Oscar contender for all the big awards (Movie, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Actor, Actress, and Supporting Actor).

This is because Cooper, the actor, has an astonishing range (think The Hangover to American Sniper) and can hold his own as a singer/performer next to Lady Gaga. And conversely, Lady Gaga, arguably the biggest pop star of the last decade, can hold her own as an actor next to thrice Oscar-nominee Cooper. Who thought that was possible? Not me. I bet you didn’t, either.

Thanks to this switcheroo, the movie’s spell cast begin with the first scene when Cooper starts singing and sounds surprised, like a singer. I mean, OMG, not only is Cooper good-looking and charming in a non-egotistical everyman way, but he can sing!

Then Gaga comes on, and here she is, the diva, warts and all, a hundred feet across on the big screen, and she’s simply riveting. She can act like Jesus plays basketball (very well).

What comes out from the screen is something we don’t often see anymore, genuine star power. A Star is Born a clinic on how to use star power without drawing attention to itself.

The chemistry is undeniable. The songs are strong. The duets are plausible and done with emotion.

The supporting actors (Sam Elliot, Andrew Clay, and Dave Chappelle) are both great and not distracting from the leads or the story. And the story? Worn as an old pair of shoes and is just as comfy. Told here told for the fourth time with great fondness and respect.

With this music, these actors, and this cinematography (Matthew Labatique) is a delicious and somehow surprisingly artsy combination. Maybe Cooper, the director, resisted the enormous temptations to go over the top, which he could do many times. Instead, he shows restraint. No camp or kitsch. This retelling of the coming out of undiscovered talent quickly could have become a clichéd, exploitive mess – but it’s not.

These actors are natural and reasonable, and the movie and storyline rise above themselves and become something more. Do I dare say transcendent? Yes, I do.

Cooper, we’ve seen it before, so not a surprise here. He was great in Alias twenty years ago and has improved in everything.

Gaga is the revelation. I can’t remember being that simultaneously knocked out and smitten by a performer in many years. Purple Rain?

The best recent analogy I can draw is when I first heard the Hamilton soundtrack. Listening to it was like seeing an undeniable genius at work. Gaga, in this film, is like that. Always fascinating to look at, unashamed as a singer, and never afraid to let it all hang out even when unflattering. A fearless performance.

Do you hate musicals? Do you dislike dark movies with sad endings?

Too bad. If that’s the case, you’ll miss what is most likely this year’s best picture.

Chef – Film Review

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Movie buffs know Jon Favreau.

His answering machine antics in Swingers (1996) are one of THE most memorable movie scenes of all time. He also wrote that movie.

Since then, he’s become a recognizable face to most casual moviegoers appearing in dozens of primarily non-staring roles.

Arguably his most tremendous success has come from behind the camera. He directed Will Ferrel in Elf (2003) to become a new holiday classic. More recently, he led Iron Man 1 and 2 to become worldwide blockbusters.

Chef is about a different kind of superhero. Chef is the story of a dad finding himself while reconnecting with his 10-year-old son. It is loosely based on the journey made by chef Roy Choi who went from a high-class restaurant to a food truck.

Chef is chock full of ridiculous contrivances and “cat’s in the cradle” stereotyping that could take you out of the movie if you paid attention to them, but you won’t.

This is because the movie is incredibly charming on so many levels. The actors, the locations, the music, and the food. Chef Choi was “involved in every food scene,” said Favreau.

I have never seen a more beautiful grilled cheese sandwich prepared and cooked than the one in this film.

So while we’re at it – let’s develop that analogy a bit.

Chef, the movie is like a grilled cheese sandwich. Familiar, not spectacular, but when done well and served at the right time, the result can be incredibly satisfying.

Chef has great pacing, rich performances, great cameos, and an excellent closing homage to Cinema Paradiso that delivers a similar emotional wallop.

Favreau has done okay here. This is a mature film made by a mature artist. His writing and directing are flawless.

Chef successfully achieves everything it aims for. It’s funny, sweet, and poignant. You almost totally forget how incredible it is for Favreau to be bedding BOTH Scarlett Johansson and  Sofia Vergara. That’s saying something.

Given an R rating mostly for language and content. I can’t imagine this film offending anyone— a great start to the summer movie season for those with adult sensibilities.

Wrecking Crew – Edited

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Denny Tedesco, son of studio guitarist Tommy Tedesco, has made the best film ever about the Los Angeles studio scene in the 1960s and 1970s. The Wrecking Crew will be released in selected theaters and available for streaming on March 13. This release comes after many years of limited showings due to music royalty issues for the 100+ songs referenced in the film. A recent round of funding from Kickstarter has finally allowed Tedesco to release his movie through Magnolia Pictures.

The Wrecking Crew is a part valentine from a son to his father and part nostalgic look back at the LA recording studio music scene. Phil Spector, the Beach Boys, and many other LA-based artists/producers were cranking out a new type of hit song that, unbeknownst to the public, fueled the contributions of these unsung musicians (including Tedesco). These new, younger studio musicians who favored casual clothes to the suits of their predecessors were said to be “wrecking the business.” Hence the label, The Wrecking Crew.

This film works because the senior Tedesco was a real deal. He played on thousands of gigs. He was an amazingly versatile player who could read music and whose professionalism put him in the orbit of many significant artists, musicians, and recording sessions. Younger Tedesco does not need to overstate anything about his father’s accomplishments as they speak for themselves.

In addition to playing on such notable guitar-heavy tracks as “The Bonanza Theme” and “The Batman Theme,” Mr. Tedesco further endeared himself to thousands of young guitarists in the 1970s through his Studio Log column in Guitar Player magazine. Each month he would recount the gig, the music, and how much he earned, all with his great sense of humor that comes through vividly in the film.

But it was his connection with other studio musicians that provided the real narrative for the film. His peers, specifically drummer Hal Blaine and bassist Carol Kaye, obviously enjoyed working with him.

The Wrecking Crew is about the songs and the stories of the musicians who made them. The anecdotes about the bass line for “The Beat Goes On”  and “Good Vibrations” or the opening lick to Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” and the kick drum count-in to “A Taste of Honey” are fascinating. These are shared by the musicians themselves, often illustrating them with their instruments.

What also comes through is the camaraderie between these musicians. Some of the best parts of the film are the musicians sitting around a table reminiscing and yucking it up with each other after all these years. This natural and genuine affinity is impossible to stage.

The talking heads assembled in the film are impressive. Record company founders like Herb Alpert and Lou Adler bring some gravitas to the business side of things while providing a sense of how much luck and improvisation were involved in these early days. They had no idea this music would have the longevity it did, going on to become the soundtrack to a generation. For many of these musicians, it was simply another gig.

Because of the length of this project took in coming to release, some of the key players (including Tedesco in 1997) have passed on. So, have some talking heads like Dick Clark, who is here in full voice and health. The silver lining to the delayed release is that Denny Tedesco has added the original release (2008) with some more recollections from other musicians not included in the previous edit. With all the extras, this should be a terrific DVD.

This DVD is a must-have alongside Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002), Respect Yourself – The Stax Records Story (2007), and Muscle Shoals (2013), which also deal with studio musicians’ contributions to popular music. Of those three, this is my favorite.

Sadly, home studios, software, and loops have replaced the Wrecking Crew generation, where musicianship and songwriting were front and center. Now anyone with a computer can slap together a song. Heck, they can even do it on their phone.

The days of the Wrecking Crew were when LA, with unheralded thanks to these great songwriters and musicians, could compete for the toe to toe with the Beatles and Motown.

I’m sure Tommy Tedesco would be proud of what his son has accomplished in paying proper respect after all these years.