Film Review: Cadillac Records(2008)Grade 8/10
Not having TV for the last 5 or 6 years is a beautiful thing. It allows me to be more productive, like.....stay on the internet all day. Really though, I hate TV with a passion. Nine times out of ten there is never anything on and even when you do surf through those zillions of digital cable channels the thing you end up watching really isn't THAT good. Its usually just a result of saying to yourself 'well its the best thing I could find'.
Well, recently I've been staying with family in the midwest, Chicago to be exact and they have every channel you could possibly (n)ever ask for. Its strange falling asleep to trivial television bullshit TV again.
While I was attempting to stare at the back of my eyelids I surfed over to a channel showing Cadillac Records (2008) with Adrien Brody and Beyonce. My Father had told me how good it was and we usually have pretty similar taste in films (minus the horror and torture porn films). Naturally I was interested in seeing it.
Another reason he was flappin' his gums about the film was because he felt some close ties to the subject matter. The film is about the start of Chess Records and the dynasty of great soul, rock, and blues Mr.Chess managed to create with all the artists. It primarily focuses around Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Walter and Etta James. It is also the story of Willie Dixon's relationship to the Chess legend as a songwriter. This is mainly why my Dad wanted to see it as he had toured with Dixon and even Little Walter through the US in the late 60's as a bass player for they're band.
I've always had an appreciation for Blues and Jazz but never really knew the hard, grueling and dirty history that went behind it bringing rock and roll into fruition.
Well this film really answers all those questions. If your even remotely interested in how rock and roll came started. My Father said it was an extremely accurate depiction of how it all happened with everything from whores, hard drugs, racism, song stealing, but most of all passion.
All performances were excellent including Beyonce who passes as not only a great singer emulating Etta James, but a great actress as well. Wow, what a great film. I loved every second of it. The end is a little over dramatic as most biographical music documentary-esque films are, but I'll let it slide because everything before it is so convincing and awesome. It was a pleasant surprise to see Mos Def in the film as Chuck Berry. But damn, the film really makes you realize how deliberately obvious white musicians including Beach Boys, Led Zepplin, and Rolling Stones ripped Waters and other artists at Chess off. Adrien Brody is good as always, but really made me think twice about his recent unusual choice to do sci-fi films. Stick with these films Brody, oh and more WW2 pieces please, like the Pianist(2002). That film kicked ass.
One thing is for sure, I'm definitely gonna have to download me some Chess records soon.
-Emperor Vampirion
Well, recently I've been staying with family in the midwest, Chicago to be exact and they have every channel you could possibly (n)ever ask for. Its strange falling asleep to trivial television bullshit TV again.
While I was attempting to stare at the back of my eyelids I surfed over to a channel showing Cadillac Records (2008) with Adrien Brody and Beyonce. My Father had told me how good it was and we usually have pretty similar taste in films (minus the horror and torture porn films). Naturally I was interested in seeing it.
Another reason he was flappin' his gums about the film was because he felt some close ties to the subject matter. The film is about the start of Chess Records and the dynasty of great soul, rock, and blues Mr.Chess managed to create with all the artists. It primarily focuses around Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Walter and Etta James. It is also the story of Willie Dixon's relationship to the Chess legend as a songwriter. This is mainly why my Dad wanted to see it as he had toured with Dixon and even Little Walter through the US in the late 60's as a bass player for they're band.
I've always had an appreciation for Blues and Jazz but never really knew the hard, grueling and dirty history that went behind it bringing rock and roll into fruition.
Well this film really answers all those questions. If your even remotely interested in how rock and roll came started. My Father said it was an extremely accurate depiction of how it all happened with everything from whores, hard drugs, racism, song stealing, but most of all passion.
All performances were excellent including Beyonce who passes as not only a great singer emulating Etta James, but a great actress as well. Wow, what a great film. I loved every second of it. The end is a little over dramatic as most biographical music documentary-esque films are, but I'll let it slide because everything before it is so convincing and awesome. It was a pleasant surprise to see Mos Def in the film as Chuck Berry. But damn, the film really makes you realize how deliberately obvious white musicians including Beach Boys, Led Zepplin, and Rolling Stones ripped Waters and other artists at Chess off. Adrien Brody is good as always, but really made me think twice about his recent unusual choice to do sci-fi films. Stick with these films Brody, oh and more WW2 pieces please, like the Pianist(2002). That film kicked ass.
One thing is for sure, I'm definitely gonna have to download me some Chess records soon.
-Emperor Vampirion
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