Jeffrey Wright has some nice screen time as Muddy Waters. Thank goodness Bo Diddley stayed relevant and did a Nike commercial with multi-sport athlete Bo Jackson, or else the rhythm and blues giant might have been lost to a generation prone to short memories. In time, Chess begins assembling his pieces: Howlin' Wolf, played with almost cartoonish ferocity by Eamonn Walker; Dixon, who here comes off as nothing more than a sideman; Chuck Berry, rendered as a savvy country boy who liked to show gals his ding-a-ling in the backseat of his car; and James, who already had a career before Chess signed the tormented torch singer in 1960, not that you'd know it here. Plugged In has become a significant compass for our family. The Rolling Stones even recorded a song named after the address. Although I had not seen the movie myself, I was able to make an educated argument against it based on the concerns you outlined. The great Chess roster included , Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry and Little Walter.
Founded in 1950 by Leonard Chess Adrien Brody , Chess Records quickly gained a reputation as home to some of the most talented and influential blues artists ever to step into a recording studio. We overwhelmingly voted to watch a G-rated movie instead! Muddy was probably paid only a share of the money he earned, but the more ferocious Howlin' Wolf , seemingly less sophisticated, held onto his money, made his own deals and incredibly even paid health benefits for the members of his band. A far better place to start would be Nadine Cohodas' 2001 book, Spinning Blues Into Gold, about the Chess Brothersâyes, both of them. This includes albums by Muddy Waters, Little Walter, powerful blues singer Howlin' Wolf, country rocker Chuck Berry, and the sassy crooner Etta James. Too black, even for late night.
. Michigan, and its earlier South Side locations since the early 1950s. In the film, they are guarded but civil, and fierce competitors. Certainly he had good taste and an aggressive business instinct, and he didn't sit in an office in Loop but was behind the bar at the Macomba Lounge on Saturday nights in the late 1940s, when some of his more alarming customers must have figured, hey, a white man that crazy, maybe it's not a good idea to mess with him. Leonard Chess makes all of his artist part of his family and takes care of them. Meanwhile, the film barely touches upon Chess' questionable business dealings that left these pioneers all but broke, save for the brand-new Cadillacs Chess would buy his artists upon their topping of the pops.
But so egregious are the deficiencies and distortions hereâin this universe, The Rolling Stones came to the United States and The Beach Boys ripped off Chuck Berry long before anyone had ever heard of Elvis Presleyâthat it's almost impossible to discern whether there's anything decent about the moviemaking itself. This film only played out for a couple of weeks before it ended up as a 2nd string, budget line feature does that tell you something? There is a poignant scene where Leonard arranges the first meeting between Etta James and her white father who was -- are you ready for this -- Minnesota Fats. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. It is part of the legend that Muddy was nice, Howlin' was scary, and they disliked each other. Sometimes I'm amazed at actors. For all its copious flaws, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story perfectly nailed the trajectory of every single rockudrama that has tarnished a legend's legendâthe big bang turned sad whimper.
Advertisement Did Chess love the music? Cast: , , , , , , , Director: Genres: , Production Co: LightWave Entertainment, Sony Music Film, Parkwood Pictures Distributors: Sony Pictures Keywords: , , , , ,. No wonder Martin doesn't let the audience hear more than snatches of tunesâsave for Knowles' three extended numbers, clearly intended to sell the soundtrack. Like most of her tone-deaf predecessors, Martin feels the need to make the truth more entertaining and ends up desecrating the history books. Could any of the regulars at 2120 S. Keep up the good work! Inevitably, business and personal lines blur as the sometimes-turbulent lives of the musicians play out. Starring Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyonc Knowles and Cedric the Entertainer. They first made Chicago the home of the blues, and then rhythm and blues, which, as Muddy said, had a baby, and they named it rock 'n' roll.
No one reviews movies like you do. The plot was not entirely correct but the music paid up for it. It ends with her rejecting him and him crying, a powerful scene. This is not an easy job for him, because they spend a small fortune on booze, drugs, and the high life. The acting was top notch from actors such as Jeffrey Wright,Beyonce,Columbus Short and Mos Def. After listening to a record of himself for the first time, he moves to Chicago and plays acoustic guitar in the street until he meets Geneva, a beautiful young woman who buys him an amplifier. It is her favorite movie and she wanted to show it in class.
He may not be likable at every turn, but he is always interesting to watch on screen. Eamonn Walker, at 6-foot-1, is three inches shy of the towering Howlin', but he evokes presence and intimidation. He meets Jimmy Rogers and Little Walter, and together they form a competitive trio, fighting sometimes literally for jobs around Chicago. The story is too fragmented to decipherâa sloppily arranged sequence of sketches that's like a who's who without the why. This movie is based on the true story of how a small music recording studio, Chess Records, located on the south side of Chicago, began recording blues music with Muddy Waters Jeffrey Wright and Little Walter Columbus Short in 1947, and eventually gave birth to rock and roll in 1955 with Chuck Berry Mos Def.
Advertisement The casting throughout is successful. But nothing has an impact or leaves a mark, least of all the songs, watered down by actors doing miniature impersonations of giants. Rock wanted to do a bit on The Sylvers, a sort of poor man's Jackson 5, but was turned down by the producer because the disco group were a niche act. First, a key spoiler: Cadillac Records is not the story of Chess Records, the blues label started in Chicago in 1950 by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess that featured among its stable of artists Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Etta James, plus many others who birthed rock 'n' roll. Eventually, the two men meetâduring a never-happened brawl at the Macomba, instigated by hell-raising harp player Little Walter Columbus Short âand form a partnership, then a friendship. Berry has already served as the subject for one of the better rockumentaries: Taylor Hackford's 1987 Chuck Berry Hail! Out of all the actors,Beyonce showed the most emotion and This is definitely the best musical biopic of the year and I was satisfied. When Chuck Berry goes to jail, Leonard is able to find another talented performer, Etta James, to take his place.
Featuring Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Gabrielle Union as Geneva Wade, Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, and Eamonn Walker as Howlin' Wolf. Inevitably, business and personal lines blur as the sometimes-turbulent lives of the musicians play out. Thanks for all of your research and persistence in helping us navigate through stormy waters. As a result, the film has a muted quality, even though the former sharecropper, made it. Chuck Berry Mos Def is Leonard Chess' Joy Division. Chess, a junkyard owner, dreams of opening a nightclub, which he does: the Macomba Lounge.