Eight Days a Week

Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years.
FLIX/TUBE!

Yes this has been simultaneously been released to selected theaters (the crazy art house types) and on HULU. I saw it on HULU. 

Director Ron Howard, as most of you would imagine, would get a free pass from me because he was Opie in the Andy Griffith Show which most of you know is one of my passions. But it just isn’t so. Half of Ron’s film gratify, and the other half leave me flat.

But here he weaves together the no brainer, footage from the early touring years of the The Beatles. He just has to weave it's can’t miss footage into a compelling story. Not a tough assignment because these lads are compelling. In fact so compelling that he has a tough time putting on the brakes. Howard takes us into Sgt. Peppers and the roof top concert, which have nothing to do with the touring years.

During A Hard Day's Night, one associate producer mentioned they may need a title song for the film.  The next day they presented the song "A Hard Day's Night" (even though the producer thought it would take 6 months, but they looked up and said, "don't ever do that again."

This is a great film because Ron gets to ride on the coattails of those who are greater. But he should have realized his original premise and been true to it.

The Beatles will forever be the ultimate band, no matter how some solos might have been weak, or whatever. These guys were inspired. They never again achieved as individuals what they achieved as a collective. They spit out masterpiece after masterpiece as if it were child's play.

So I have to now grade the film, not the band.

Grade: A.

Florence Foster Jenkins

FLIX!


Florence Foster Jenkins was a real person. I'd heard about her years ago. And I'd heard her recording then. This movie is the real story of a real person. And it has the heart of a real person.

Meryl Streep plays Madam Florence, and Hugh Grant plays her husband, St. Clair, and who since she supports him, he gets everything from her, including rent on his own apartment that he lives in with his mistress, supports her in every way except intimately and financially.

The problem is that even though Madam Florence fancies herself a singer she couldn't carry a tune in a dump truck. She sings her heart out, and we come to admire that, but she is sharp and flat more than she ever accidentally hits the note.

Enter the pianist to accompany her. Cosme McMoon is played by Simon Helberg. He is outstanding. He portrays this character in the most interesting way, determined not to resemble his character Howard on The Big Bang Theory ever. He did wonderfully. And he was an anchor to a most interesting story line.

Cosme is a serious pianist and composer and when he hears Madam Florence sing is appalled. But after encouragement, (and the money's good) he goes along. One thing leads to another and eventually Madam Florence Foster Jenkins ends up deciding to make a record. Of course it's laughable. But she has influence and she gets it played on the radio. And as a gag, service men (it's WWII) are calling in claiming to love the record. So Florence decided to rent Carnegie Hall and invite a thousand service men. High Society pretended to go along, but these guys.....

One of the things I truly admired was the story line that involved the relationship of St. Clair with Madam Florence. On some deep level he did truly love her. In her death bed scene, he expresses from his heart how much he loves her.

What a story. What a cast telling this story. If this film isn't on the roster for Best Picture, something is seriously wrong in Tinseltown.

Ironically, the label she made the record on, has to sheepishly admit, that her recording is their biggest seller ever.

This film is about heart and love way before it's about that lady that didn't know she couldn't sing.

Grade: A