Yesterday

Yesterday, created by writer Richard Curtis and director Danny Boyle, spends nearly two hours proving to the audience that The Beatles were the greatest musical artists of all time. 

Not John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, or Ringo Starr, despite their individual artistry and ability. But The Beatles together, as a band. 

There was something special about those four musicians coming together at exactly that time in history to produced that body of work. A body of work that changed music forever, and profoundly influenced art and culture. 

Sure, we know a lot of Beatles trivia. We know the band started out in Liverpool, England, nearly 60 years ago. We can sing all the words to Hey Jude and Let It Be, and hum most of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. We know they are the best selling band in history, and hold the record for most Number 1 hits. 

We know intellectually that The Beatles were great. But seven decades later, I think we take the band for granted. We've heard their best songs so often that, perhaps, we don't appreciate them as we should.

And that's the beauty of Yesterday. Curtis and Boyle place the best of The Beatles in our modern world, and we watch as people hear and appreciate them for the first time. Curtis and Boyle allow the audience to compare and contrast songs by The Beatles to those of modern pop icons, and, . . .  it's clear there is no comparison.  

As Ed Sheeran - the real musician in a supporting role -- discovers, there are songs by The Beatles and then there are songs by everyone else. 

Yesterday is a powerful tribute to The Beatles contained within a well-acted romantic comedy. Himesh Patel is good at emoting the many internal conflicts he feels throughout, and Lily James is terrific as his first manager who wants to be more. And while Kate McKinnon seems a bit over the top as the record industry executive, I suspect those in that profession are more like her portrayal than they'd like to admit.

But the strength of Yesterday is the reminder that real art, such as the legacy left by The Beatles, is by far something greater than the iTunes-driven pop industry of today. 

Sixty years from now no one will be singing Justin Bieber's Boyfriend. But without a doubt people will still be singing Yesterday. 

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese

                              pre·ten·tious

                                                                   /prəˈten(t)SHəs/

                                                                          adjective

adjective: pretentious

1. attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.
   "a pretentious literary device"

   synonyms:

   affected, ostentatious, chi-chi, showy, flashy, tinselly, conspicuous, flaunty, tasteless, kitschy; More

Dark Phoenix

My summary of the entire 114 minutes of Dark Phoenix. 

Rocketman

OK, let's first get the obvious comparison out of the way: Rocketman is a far better movie than Bohemian Rhapsody, and Taron Egerton a better Elton John than Rami Malek was a Freddie Mercury. 

There, I said it, and it's true. Deal with it. 

Rocketman tells John's story through music and metaphor. And if, like me, you've been a decades-long fan of Sir Elton Hercules John, then take note: you'll still learn something new about him after watching this biopic. 

Egerton is a force in this flick. The total package. He sings beautifully, and connects with the audience in a deeply personal way. Viewers can clearly tell that sweet, shy Reg is morphing into obnoxious, dickhead Elton, but we never look away or lose faith. That's due primarily to Egerton's ability to portray John as deeply flawed and fragile, yet lovable. 

We know he's an ass, but we also know why. And we understand. 

Jamie Bell almost steals the show as Bernie Taupin. Rocketman is as much the story of Taupin's deep brotherly love for Elton as it is about Elton's struggle to understand and accept himself. Watching their platonic relationship grow is wonderful. One scene in particular, where we witness the genius involved in writing "Your Song," may be my favorite movie scene from the last several years. 

The scene is that damn good. 

Rocketman, like the music of Elton John, won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I suspect the bandwagon will be really crowded come Academy Award time.