Reviews

This show is the most impressive drama series I've seen since the glory days of "NYPD Blue." I was aghast when ABC pulled it from the schedule.

Yes, it follows the "Lost" method of parsing out plot details, but I felt that every episode revealed a satisfying amount of the mystery. I'm glad to see it back on the summer schedule so I can at least see a few more episodes.

It's a show to which you must pay attention to understand, so that probably has something to do with its low ratings (remember "Arrested Development?").

The casting is phenomenal. It's nice to see Tim Daly in a very convincing dramatic turn, and Chi McBride is one of the most underrated actors ever. He is a completely different, absolutely believable person, in every role. John Billingsley also did a great job free of prosthetics. The entire cast does a fantastic job as well.

This show was based on character, which is almost invariably the root of good drama. It wasn't based on titillation or slick editing or trendy ratings phenomena (OK, I'm sure "'Lost' in L.A.!" was part of the pitch, but at least it wasn't a reality or game show). It featured an ensemble of human characters with human nobility and human flaws.

It's extremely depressing that a quality show like this has been dumped in favor of ... well, I don't know what will replace it because I doubt I will watch it.

I look forward to a DVD release of all filmed episodes at least. It will go nicely with my "Boomtown" set.

This film is included as a bonus feature on the two-disc version of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." I was not very familiar with John Huston before seeing this film, but now I seek out his movies.

This is a comprehensive portrait that covers Huston's entire life, features anecdotes from himself, his family, and his friends, and gives insight into his personality.

Huston was very much a renaissance man: served in the Mexican cavalry; worked as a writer, director, and actor; served during World War II; was an accomplished painter; and even became master of the hounds for Irish fox hunts.

This film also provides good information about such Huston classics as "The Maltese Falcon," "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "Key Largo," "The African Queen," "The Misfits," and "The Man Who Would be King."

Huston was a larger-than-life personality who has left us a timeless body of work, and this is a fitting tribute to him.

What a wonderful, uplifting, and heartbreaking film. Kudos to Dick Rude for making this film. What no doubt started out as a tour documentary transformed into a wonderful eulogy for Joe Strummer.

I would have loved for this movie to be longer, but its brevity sustains its impact, like the best of the Clash's music. I didn't realize that Joe Strummer is the main reason I love the Clash until I got my first Mescaleros CD. The music is mature and wonderful, and very different from the Clash. When I got the first Mescaleros CD, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, but it sure was good to hear Joe's voice again.

Back to the movie, though. It provides great insight into Strummer's personality, optimistic and earnest to the end. It's so obvious that he really *cared* about everything and everyone. "Everyone has a story," he says, as a justification for why he would spend 3 hours after a concert signing autographs.

One of the heartbreaking moments shows Joe trying to get into a Pleasantville, NJ, radio station to promote an Atlantic City concert. He talks to security over a telephone, and it's apparent they have no clue who he is. First he identifies himself as Joe Strummer, and then resorts to, "I used to be in the Clash." He is later seen handwriting and handing out handbills on the Atlantic City Boardwalk to promote the concert. It's all done in good spirits, but it's hard to imagine that he would need to do that to get people to come to a show. Of course, as a former "busker" or street musician, it's nothing new for him. We see him giving some change to a street performer as well.

He talks about how his goal for the second Mescaleros album is to break even, as the first one made a loss. It's interesting that he feels indebted to Hellcat Records, and he shows how motivated he is to bolster sales.

But none of that is the point of the film (even though in one of the bonus features Dick Rude mentions how he had to edit out some of Joe's earnestness because "he looks pathetic"). What you get in this movie is a look at Joe Strummer's energy, creativity, musical talent, philosophy, wit, and personality. It's all fascinating and a very rare insight.

This film is a must for any Clash fan, as is the music of the Mescaleros. The movie was made during a tour supporting "Global A-Go-Go," which I think is Strummer's best post-Clash work.

The bonus features on the DVD, including a Q&A session with Dick Rude and many deleted scenes, are excellent. The bonus features also include full-length performances of five songs.

I hope Dick Rude will release a concert video companion, as the performances shown in the movie proper are all incomplete.

I only heard of this movie recently, bought it yesterday, and watched it this evening. Wow! I'm old enough to remember 1972, but I was very removed from the feel of this film at the time.

The musical performances are magnificent, and the attempt to capture the feel of the people in the audience is admirable, but I wonder if "Isaac the Bartender" from "The Love Boat" was actually a Watts resident or if he was an actor hired to evoke a mood (same deal for "Woodrow" from "Sanford and Son").

I suppose it's good that we would consider the Reverend Jesse Jackson enticing 100,000 black people to shout "I am somebody!" not so significant today, but in 1972 it was probably considered radical.

Rufus Thomas is an absolute gem. It's amazing to see how smoothly he works crowd control, completely eliminating the need for police intervention, by appealing directly to the masses. And of course it's always a treat to see the Staple Singers perform.

I recommend this movie first for the fabulous musical performances, and second for its capturing of the feel of the time and place. I give it an 8 instead of a 10 simply because I wish I could have seen ALL of the performances in their entirety.