Lifetime has a reputation for having produced some pretty terrible music biopics, among them Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B, Whitney, and Britney Ever After. Let it be known here and now: Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland breaks the trend with an engrossing depiction of the final three years in the life of its subject. Director Dianne Houston and screenwriter Elizabeth...
Book Review: Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Early Years 1926-1966 by Kenneth Womack
Kenneth Womack has plenty of credibility as a Beatles scholar. Having previously authored several books about the band (among them The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four and Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles), Womack has most recently tackled a subject surprisingly shortchanged over the years. While always covered as part of the Beatles’ overall story arc,...
Album Reviews: Barbez with Velina Brown – For Those Who Came After: Songs of Resistance from the Spanish Civil War – Plus Jerry Yester, Ryan Koenig, May Erlewine
Wars don’t produce a heck of a lot of good but one positive thing they have delivered is music. Conflicts ranging from the American Civil War to World War II have resulted in a ton of memorable songs; even the Vietnam disaster gave us Country Joe’s “I Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag.” And then there was the Spanish Civil War, which began in...
Music Blu-ray Review: Madonna – Rebel Heart Tour
From Eagle Vision comes a must for Madonna fans, Rebel Heart Tour—a live concert film documenting the controversial 2015-2016 tour seen by over a million attendees. The show features most of the songs found on Madonna’s most recent album, Rebel Heart, so don’t expect a ‘greatest hits’-style show. That said, don’t fret if you’re not familiar with her new work...
DVD Review: Designated Survivor – The Complete First Season
Disney-ABC Domestic Television’s political thriller series Designated Survivor got off to a slightly uneven start in its first season. The premise brims with potential: an act of terrorism destroys the U.S. Capitol Building during a State of the Union address, wiping out the President and the majority of his cabinet, leaving the “designated survivor” to be sworn in as Acting...
Blu-ray Review: The Lion King – The Signature Collection
Great news for Disney animation fans who missed the 2011 Blu-ray release of The Lion King, which has been long out of print. The Oscar-winning classic has emerged from the Disney vault and is currently available as part of the Signature Collection. The film is one of the studios final traditional, hand-drawn animation masterpieces and was in fact selected for...
Album Review: Jan & Dean – Filet of Soul Redux
Though never on a par with the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean had their moments. This wasn’t one of them. In fact, my first reaction when I heard Filet of Soul Redux echoed the famous opening line of Greil Marcus’s review of Bob Dylan’s Self-Portrait: “What is this shit?” Then I noticed that the CD label itself says, “Filet of...
The Who to Release Tommy: Live at the Royal Albert Hall – October 13, 2017
Eagle Rock Entertainment has a treat in store for fans of The Who with Tommy – Live At The Royal Albert Hall, arriving on multiple formats October 13, 2017. The concert, recorded in April 2017, will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, double-CD, and triple-LP. The concert is centered on a performance of their classic album Tommy in its entirety—a first...
Music DVD Review: Change Begins Within: A Benefit Concert for the David Lynch Foundation
Yes! Finally, the 2009 Change Begins Within: A Benefit Concert for the David Lynch Foundation arrives on DVD via Eagle Rock Entertainment on September 1, 2017. It’s not the complete show, which was a fundraiser intended to benefit (as the DVD’s title makes plain) the David Lynch Foundation. This 86-minute programs omits some key moments (you didn’t think Sheryl Crow...
Bentley’s Bandstand: August 2017
Lynn Castle, Rose Colored Corner. Talk about a marvel of modern determination: singer-songwriter Lynn Castle walked right up to the precipice of stardom in the ’60s and had to watch it remain just out of her reach. Still, the young Los Angeles lady never blinked. She continued to wish upon a star, talk to the cosmos and believe that life...