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Magical Mystery Tour

October 17, 2012

 Magical Mystery Tour

By the time The Beatles made Magical Mystery Tour (1967) they had complete creative control over their art. When it came to make their next film, they took Richard Lester’s advice and decided to do it themselves. He had, of course, directed them in... 

Yellow Submarine

June 5, 2012

 Yellow Submarine

Based on the song of the same name, Yellow Submarine (1968) was not a film that the Beatles were keen on making. They were unhappy with how Help! (1965) had turned out as well as their self-produced television special Magical Mystery Tour (1967). However,... 

Topsy-Turvy: Criterion Collection

March 31, 2011

 Topsy-Turvy: Criterion Collection

You have to hand it to Mike Leigh, a filmmaker who has the confidence to make a $20 million period musical with limited commercial appeal. In 1999, he released Topsy-Turvy, a musical drama chronicling W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s creation of The... 

America Lost and Found: The BBS Story

December 20, 2010

 America Lost and Found: The BBS Story

To say Head (1968) is a cinematic oddity is an understatement. Intent at topping The Beatles at their own game, The Monkees appeared in a film that Bob Rafelson directed and co-wrote with none other than Jack Nicholson and that was even more experimental... 

Cher: The Film Collection

November 22, 2010

 Cher: The Film Collection

Here’s a film that I bet William Friedkin would like to forget. At a time when popular musical acts like The Beatles and The Monkees were starring in movie musicals, Sonny and Cher decided to cash in on the trend too with Good Times (1967). Bored between... 

Stevie Wonder – Biography Channel

July 30, 2010

 Stevie Wonder – Biography Channel

Stevie Wonder – or Steveland Hardaway Judkins to his mother – needs no introduction. Were he on a Top Trumps card, his stats would look something like this: Top ten US hits: 30 No.1 US Hits: 10, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame: Inducted,... 

The Red Shoes: Criterion Collection

July 15, 2010

 The Red Shoes: Criterion Collection

The Red Shoes (1948) is steeped in the rich tradition of backstage musicals but instead of making a comedy – the norm for many musicals – filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger opted for a drama. The project actually began in 1934 when producer... 

Can’t Stop the Music

June 28, 2010

 Can’t Stop the Music

For those not in the know, The Village People are a concept disco collective, formed in America. The brains of the outfit, Jacques Morali, was responsible for penning the tunes and formed the band after placing an ad in a music magazine which read ‘must... 

Velvet Redux: Live MCMXCIII

March 7, 2010

 Velvet Redux: Live MCMXCIII

The original line-up of the seminal band, The Velvet Underground broke up in 1970 because of the mercurial relationship between Lou Reed and John Cale. The individual band members branched off into their own sometimes successful, sometimes not solo careers.... 

Michael Jackson’s This Is It

February 19, 2010

 Michael Jackson’s This Is It

It’s something of an understatement to say that I’m a big Michael Jackson fan. I don’t just have all of his albums, I have most of the singles – and many of them on 12” vinyl promo. I have an original full set of early 80s Michael Jackson dolls,... 

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