At this time of year - smack dab in the middle of summer - the art and commerce of the film world are usually in a strange and intense state. The blockbusters already have been foisted upon the viewing public, many still running their course.
But there's always a 500-pound gorilla film that mangles its way onto the screen in the middle of the money season.
This year, the cinematic simian is the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." It opened July 15 and by Sunday eve had grossed close to $159 million.
There's absolutely no reason for anyone to ever review a Harry Potter film. People who want to see the movies will always go and love the experience. The rest of us won't. Maybe it's a sacrilege, but I will freely admit that I have yet to see one minute of any Harry Potter film and will endeavor to maintain that position for as long as I continue to watch movies. I don't need to see them - they are, by nature, self-evident.
That said, there are still several films playing with well-deserved shelf lives, most notably the animated, computer-generated imagery treasure "Up!"
It's an absolutely perfect film and will no doubt win the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Should it be nominated for Best Picture, it would not raise an eyebrow here. It's a great movie in every sense. It works for the kids as much as it does for adults. The love story is as affecting as anything in the pantheon of cinema. It's as touching as "Casablanca" and as charming as "When Harry Met Sally." I've talked to many adults who have seen "Up!" and we all seem to be willing to admit that we shed a few tears throughout. Midway through the year, it remains my favorite film of 2009.
Many titles have been released to the DVD market, and the best of the lot are things that missed theaters in Springfield or were released directly to the home-viewing market.
For music fans, there's a gem of a live show now available. "Jeff Beck performing this week ... live at Ronnie Scott's" is a jaw-dropping document of the best electric guitar player on the planet. Having started with The Yardbirds (who also employed ground-shaking guitarists Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton), Beck later formed The Jeff Beck Group and brought singer Rod Stewart to the attention of the masses. In the mid-1970s, Beck shifted direction and has since put out instrumental albums that mix rock, blues and jazz. This "Ronnie Scott's" performance presents the guitarist at his pinnacle. A bonus is Beck's recently recruited bass player, Tal Wilkenfeld. She's a 24-year-old Australian girl who was in a band opening for Beck on a tour down under. He wisely hired her, and the two stand toe-to-toe onstage, challenging each other to dig in and get down. Wilkenfeld is absolutely fearless and Beck responds to her energy, playing better than he's ever played, and he's always played great.
This DVD is one to buy. It's something you'll want to revisit. The guest stars who come onboard late in the set provide welcome vocal performances, and one is Beck's equal on guitar. It's a great performance all around.
"Public Enemies" is still playing at local theaters and is the best "gangster" film in recent memory. Johnny Depp does his usual perfect job of inhabiting his character du jour. John Dillinger was one of the final old school folk heroes of the 20th century. After the advent of the 24/7 news cycle and instant communication, people like Dillinger lost much of their mystique. But director Michael Mann does a great job of revisiting the post-Depression era when heroes and anti-heroes still captured the imagination of the public at large. "Public Enemies" is a great film that is beautiful looking and tells its story with a feeling of authenticity.
The latest Woody Allen movie, "Whatever Works," is a throwback to the director's classics of the late 1970s, close in tone to "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan."
It ran for a couple of weeks at The Moxie and will be released on DVD sometime in the fall. It's a not-to-be-missed film for Allen fans. Whether you like his brand of humor or not, Allen is among the greatest (and without question the most prolific) directors working. He manages a film per year and does so in a rather low-key style. He makes movies because that's what he does.
If you're on vacation and in the ultimate couch-potato mood, you might want to check out any of the plethora of TV series collections available on DVD. I don't watch a lot of TV and have missed some of the most watch-worthy, state-of-the-art shows of the last decade. Lately, though, I've been catching up with "Arrested Development" and "Weeds." Both are big fun and worth the time, if you have the time.
So take a trip to the local video outlet and mine some treasures. There are several to be had.[[In-content Ad]]
Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.
