GRATEFUL FOR THE DEAD: "THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED" DVD FILM REVIEW

GRATEFUL FOR THE DEAD:
"THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED" DVD FILM REVIEW
By Tom Ruff
August 29, 2011

One of the forgotten films of 2011 is a moving little picture by Jim Kohlberg and based on the Oliver Sacks essay "The Last Hippie." In "The Music Never Stopped" an estranged father and son, torn apart by Vietnam and a devestating tumor, attempt to reconnect through the music of the 60s nearly two decades later.

The film stars J.K. Simmons as Henry Sawyer, a father in 1986 whose son Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci) suddenly appears in a hospital nearly 20 after a Vietnam related fight caused him to run away. He and his wife Helen (Cara Seymour) are informed that Gabriel has been living on the streets, his brain devastated by a large and benign tumor, and with a form of amnesia that has left him with no long term memories from after the early 70s.

Henry comes across an academic study by Dianne Daley (Julia Ormond) who believes that music can help people with similar conditions communicate and build new memories, as the emotional reaction is tied to a different part of the brain. Gabriel's dad undertakes the task of learning all about the music of his son's youth, the very music that he blamed for his son's drug use and failures. As the film progresses, we learn about their family history through a series of flashbacks tied to Gabriel's response to the music of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Buffalo Springfield, and most importantly the Grateful Dead. It becomes Henry's biggest goal in life to right the wrong of his son's youth, and take him to his first Grateful Dead show in New York City. As Henry becomes more and more immersed in the music of the 60s, he finds himself not only rekindling his relationship with his son, but also understanding just what the music of that era meant to Gabriel. A sweet and heartfelt side plot involves Gabriel's emotional connection to a woman named Celia, who he is able to remember because of the similarities of her name to the song "Cecilia". All of the subtle nuances of the plot focus on one central theme - that music, unlike anything else out there - has the ability to make everything make sense.

While this film isn't perfect, it is beautifully shot, and is able to capture the essence of how music is able to connect with people on such an emotional level, and how it is so intertwined with the Vietnam generation. The scene in which Henry and Gabriel attend the Grateful Dead show kicks off one of the most moving and emotional uses of music as a plot device in recent memories, and while implausible, the fact that "Touch of Grey" enables him to build his first new memory in decades - of he and his father attending a show together - will make you smile. The acting is fantastic, the soundtrack is excellent, and the film will make you laugh and cry. For anyone who truly appreciates music, and truly has a deep connection with the bands that they love, this movie is for you.

Film Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Film Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
By Tom Ruff
August 12, 2011

In recent years it's become increasingly common for film studios to relaunch or "reimagine" classic franchises, with new plots, new characters, new origins, and new takes by writers, producers, and directors who have nothing to do with the original intent of the creators. Just ten years after an already attempted relaunch of the "Apes" franchise, in which Tim Burton failed to win over fans, critics, or audiences, many people were asking why this series needed a reboot. The original film which spawned four sequels, and two failed tv series, has gone down in history for one of the greatest film endings ever, a slew of catch phrases, and a commanding performance from one of Hollywood's biggest legends. The first reboot was a failed attempt at turning a 60s distopia series into a simplified action film, with flawed storytelling, unimpressive characters, and a lack of standout performances from its cast. Director Rupert Wyatt and writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver had a huge challenge in front of them in making this film, and they rose to the occasion.

This new film is neither a sequel or a prequel. It is a reimaging of the ideas explored in the "Apes" franchise, starting in a whole new place, but with the understanding of what made the original series captivating to multiple generations. The "Apes" films (and the original novel by Pierre Boulle), at their core, were never simply action films, or sci-fi films. They were morality tales on the ethical treatment of animals, and cautionary tales about the dangers of science run amok. They were also responses to the great fears of the day... that the cold war would lead to the nuclear annihilation of mankind. The great ending of the original film, and backstories in the sequels show us that man would ultimately destroy itself, and that our fears over the unknown could ultimately lead to those very fears coming true.

This film explores many of those same ideas, but updated for modern times. In the post cold-war world, "Rise" explores the conflicts between the desire for scientists to save lives, and the motivation of big pharma to rush results for profit. James Franco plays Will Rodman, a scientist doing Alzheimer research on chimpanzees in a race to find a cure. His company is motivated solely by profit, and he is motivated by the desire to save his father who is rapidly deteriorating from the disease. After a chimp named Bright Eyes shows side effects of a stark increase in intelligence, but also lashes out and runs wild at a shareholders meeting, all the apes are ordered to be put down and his treatment declared a failure. When one of his colleagues refuses to put down the infant offspring of Bright Eyes, Will takes him and raises him as a son, only to discover that he has inherited the treatment from his mother. This chimp, appropriately named Caesar by Will's father (played by John Lithgow), grows up to be the smartest ape who ever lived, with intelligence rivaling humans, and the ability to learn anything put in front of him. As Will's girlfriend (Freida Pinto) would point out though, chimps also should be feared, as they are inherently wild, and can be very dangerous. After Caesar attacks a neighbor in defense of Will's father, the courts force him to be relocated to an ape preserve, where he finds himself caged, mistreated, and surrounded by other apes who see him as being different. Caesar is not human, but he is not quite ape either. As the film progresses, the mistreatment of the apes leads Caesar to bring his "people" together, and lead a revolt, in which he ultimately steals the treatment that made him intelligent, and gives the other apes the intelligence that he had acquired. The apes run amok as they attempt to flee the city and setup a new civilization in the redwood forests where Casear had played as a child. By the end of the film he has learned to speak, and tells Will that he is home in his new environment.

As a major subplot of the film, the treatment that Will had engineered had the side effect of creating what may be a super virus that threatens to wipe out humanity. No doubt the writers used this mechanism to setup future sequels. In the original franchise, it was nuclear weapons that wiped out human civilization, but in the 21st century, biology dominates science, and this change is topical and appropriate. For fans of the franchise, there are also several references to the original series, including a scene in which trappers chase apes through the jungle (a reversal of the scene in the first film), and references to the Icarus shuttle en route to Mars being lost (Col. Taylor's ship? that will wind up in the future where apes rule). In an homage to the fourth film, Caesar's first word ever uttered by an ape is "No".

Perhaps what made the film most fascinating was watching Andy Serkis' motion capture portrayal of Casear, who with almost no dialogue becomes one of the most captivating characters of 2011. For a film in which so much of the plot is carried through visual effects, sign language, and facial expressions, it is phenomenal at how moving the story is. The motion capture technology of the apes is as much of a leap forward in technology as the original ape makeup was in 1968. The film captures all of the philosophical debate, metaphor, and symbolism that made the originals so interesting, but also replaces much of the 60s/70s "cheese" with darker story telling and more action. If there is one critique, it would be that the story development of the first hour could have been dragged out a little longer, and the action events of the second hour could have been a little shorter. I can't wait to see what they do with the next film, and whether they stay in this general time period chronicling the battle for the planet, or skip right to the future where apes are in control. Either way, I trust this team to be the right group of people to get it right, and I can't help but think that Roddy McDowall would have agreed. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is in theaters now.

Falling Skies: Season One Finale Recap

Falling Skies: Season One Finale Recap
by Tom Ruff
August 10, 2011

On Sunday, the highly anticipated first season of TNT's sci-fi alien drama came to a close, with a two-hour episode that no doubt took some direction from some of it's genre predecessors.

In this two-hour finale, Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) dealt with fears over Captain Weaver's (Wil Patton) ability to lead a massive coordinated attack on the alien structure located in Boston. As the coordinated attack was being planned, the aliens prepared to attack the 2nd Mass's position at the high school, and Rick and Ben tried to cope with figuring out what was happening to them, who they were, and where they belonged.

In the first part, Mason staged a mutiny after learning that Weaver had been abusing pills and may not be fit to lead their insurgency. After being locked in the boiler room, he escaped, and used his reasoning skills to convince Weaver that they had to work together, and that this attack, which would likely result in casualties, needed to be a group decision. Also in the first part, Mason learned that the skidders were also harnassed, like his son Ben, and may not have always been as they appeared. As he feared that Ben might be transforming before his eyes, the boy also continued to sense changes within him, but unlike Rick, he knew how important it was to remain human. Ex con pope continued to assemble his explosive devices and machine piercing bullets, while Mason's youngest son defied his father by helping.

In the second hour, Weaver led an army of volunteers off to Boston to attempt to rendezvous with other militias and blow up the structure. At the same time, Mason prepared the civilians to move out and hide in a new location, as they learned a skidder attack was inevitable. Ben learned that his connection to the aliens could be used to his advantage as he helped to track down a radio frequency that could disrupt all alien communication. This would later force the aliens to retreat from the high school and regroup. After Rick attempts to sabotage this effort, he runs away and tells one of the harnass kids all of the 2nd Mass's plans in hopes that the aliens would accept him back, but they leave him behind, and Mason convinces him that his place is with the humans. After driving the aliens away from the school, Mason drives out to Boston to meet up Weaver's forces, only to learn that they have been defeated and the strike on the tower has failed, and the other militas never made it. In a final Hail Mary attempt, he fires an RPG at an alien ship, which crashes into the tower, causing a massive explosion. It doesn't destroy the tower, but clearly does some damage. The episode ends with Mason and Weaver being stopped by an alien ship, and his oldest son's now harnessed girlfriend, who tells him that the aliens never expected resistance to this level and want to negotiate. They tell Mason they will take Ben back if he doesn't go with them, and he joins her and one of the aliens in walking onto their ship.

The finale, and in many ways the season, felt in many ways like it had followed the LOST formula. An incredibly serialized plotline, a very short time span, a focus on characters and emotions, and just a sprinkling of mythology filled with more questions then answers over the course of the first season. The finale itself resembled so many early season finales of LOST, with half the group preparing an offensive, and the other half of the group preparing to run and hide, and at the same time defend themselves. In fact, there were so many similarities to the general episode structure, that at numerous points throughout the episode I half expected Tom to quote the famous "Live together, die alone" line.

Overall, I loved this first season. It doesn't have the intelligent dialogue or big budget action that some people might have preferred, but it does have a focus on characters, and a slow peeling off the outer layers of a back story and mythology that draws me to shows like this. I also love the way the writers have replaced flashbacks with history lessons of past wars, specifically the American Revolution, as a metaphor that carries the narrative along. Setting the show in New England, the birth place of our nation, really works for the show. While I don't expect to see any Emmy nods, I definitely look forward to learning more about the "who" and the "why" next season, and can't wait to see what happens when Mason goes inside that ship.

Falling Skies will return on TNT next summer.

Concert Review: Phish @ the Hollywood Bowl

Concert Review: Phish @ the Hollywood Bowl
August 8, 2011
By Tom Ruff

It will be hard for many to understand it when I say that I've considered Phish to be one of my favorite bands since around 2000, and yet for over a decade, seeing them live has managed to elude me time after time.

This might be an absurd concept to some, especially those who knows my love of going to shows (In full disclosure I have seen DMB 41 times, and various offshoots of the modern Dead about 15 times), but there are very good reasons for how I ended up at this point. First of all, by the time I was ready to go to my first show the band went on the hiatus. When they came back I had moved to LA, a city where they played less frequently, and found myself missing every show I had an opportunity to see. When the band announced the permanent breakup in 2004, I worked through virtually every show in the tour and thought I had missed out forever. For years I had to live off my vast collection of live releases, official bootlegs, DVDs, and audience recordings, and the occasional visit from various Trey solo bands (the 70 Volt Parade, the Undectet, and finally Classic Tab) When the band finally came back in March of 2009, I knew I would finally get my chance at some point, and yet the band chose to avoid LA like the plague for the next 2 1/2 years. They did play Festival 8 at the Coachella site, a 3 night stand that I did have tickets to, but once again working forced me to have to miss the event. It's true that there were east coast shows I probably could have traveled to, but being freelance makes it impossible to plan sometimes, and so it took until last night, one night at the Hollywood Bowl, well over a decade after I first started listening to the band to finally make it to a show.

I went into this show with my usual pessimism about all things Hollywood Bowl, expecting a casual fan friendly set filled with songs like Sample In a Jar, but equally excited just to be seeing the band in person. The first set opened with rocker Down With Disease and continued through 13 songs that explored the band's more rock side. Less jamming, but all intense, well-executed, and exciting. Personal highlights were Possum, Tube, Back On the Train and a killer Split Open and Melt. I was also very excited and surprised to see the Frank Zappa cover Peaches En Regalia, and the Talking Heads cover Cities. It was also fun to see Page McConnell take the mic and walk around the stage, carrying the room in true Sinatra lounge singer fashion, during Lawn Boy.

Set two was a little more experimental and more jam heavy, opening with a rendition of Carini and continuing on through a non-stop segment that included an epic Crosseyed and Painless, Twist, Mike's Song, and a Weekapaug Groove section that saw Trey take over seemlessly for John Fishman on Drums, who then proceeded to move to a smaller drumset that had been set up at the foot of the stage, where he then stole the show with his rendition of Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. This cover segued seamlessly back to Weekapaug before the band closed the set with the crowd pleasing Character Zero and Bob Dylan rocker Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn).

The encore consisted of a personal new favorite, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, and the crowd pleasing Julius. The show clocked out at just under three hours of music time, and far exceeded expectations for the often lackluster Hollywood Bowl. As I've already said, I have a vast collection of live shows, and while this wasn't one of the best shows I've ever heard, it was excellent. What it lacked in extended "type II jamming" it made up for with rocking intensity and fun. I also was unprepared for just how blown away I would be by the lighting show, and truth be told, I don't think I've ever looked less at a projection screen at a show where I was that far back. If I have only one complaint, from the back of the venue I felt that all of the vocals, but Trey in particular, were way too low, but I am going to chalk that up to the overrated Bowl acoustics. This was countered by Mike Gordon's bass, which was so well mixed, I found myself paying a lot more attention to his playing then usual. I don't know how other people would rate this show, and I didn't want to bring myself down by looking, but for a Hollywood show, and for my first show, I couldn't have possibly left happier. Phish will be playing at the Outside Lands Festival this weekend, and I only wish I could go.

SET 1:
Down With Disease, Cavern, Possum, Cities, Peaches En Regalia, Kill Devil Falls, Lawn Boy, Tube, Back On the Train, Wilson, Axilla I, Split Open and Melt, Backwards Down the Number Line

SET 2:
Carini > Crosseyed and Painless > Twist > Piper > Mike's Song > Joy > Weekapaug Groove > 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover > (Hold Your Head Up) > (Weekapaug Groove), Character Zero

ENCORE:
Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Julius

Final Comments On the Debt Ceiling Debate

Final Comments on the Debt Ceiling Debate
by Tom Ruff
August 2, 2011

I want to make it very clear that if I had been my own member of the House or Senate, I would have absolutely voted for the debt ceiling compromise. I also want to make it very clear that I think it's a bad deal. It makes cuts to vital programs, and doesn't do anything to increase revenues. That being said, I don't envision any scenario in which the president would have gotten any thing better.

There are plenty of reasons to be annoyed at Obama's handling of these negotiations. There are also plenty of reasons to praise his efforts to build a bipartisan consensus. The fact of the matter is, there was no way the Democratic Party was going to get anywhere, and we had a great deal more to lose then the Tea Party. The far left, specifically people like Keith Olbermann, can be as angry as they want to but it doesn't change the reality that the Tea Party really did hold all the cards in this debate. Their very idealogy seems to imply they didn't care if we defaulted, and they were willing to "throw the baby out with the bath water" to get what they wanted.

Here in lies the difference between the governing style of Democrats, and the governing style of the Far Right. The far right is willing to let everything fall apart, rather then actually solve any problems, and Democrats know that the country is far too important to take such a dangerous stand. We had to compromise, we had to let them have their way, and we had to get the debt ceiling raised. The harsh reality is that the GOP will always have the public relations advantage with the American people. When your entire position is "I don't want to take your money, they do." you will always win. When your position is "we need your money to make other people's lives better, but don't worry it will also make your life better" right or wrong you lose people at "we need more money". What people who support the far right don't seem to understand is that the government isn't a business, it doesn't exist for profit, and doesn't exist to live by a bottom line. The whole purpose of government is to provide necessary services for its citizens. The other area on which we differ is on the definition of "necessary services". To those of us on the left, this includes quality education, healthcare, fire and police services, roads and infrastructure, jobs, air and food standards, military protection, unemployment insurance, etc. Those on the right will argue that much of what I just listed is a "want" not a "need" and therefore shouldn't be covered with taxpayer dollars.

The truth is Democrats do as a party do have a lot more to lose because we do know the value and importance of government. This makes it tremendously hard for us to govern. The bigger truth is that until the majority of Americans start to see the value of teamwork, cooperation, and a purpose that is greater than ones self, Obama can promise all the change he wants, but he's never going to be able to deliver, and neither is anyone else. I don't know what it will take for some people to understand that shared sacrifice is essential to recovery... quite possibly a much deeper bottoming out... or quite possibly nothing could ever change the mentality in this country. It may be that the president is thinking to the repeal of the Bush tax cuts as being the second half of this process. It may also be that he decided once again that he couldn't win, he could only lose or tie, and took the best outcome he was dealt.

I'll close in saying this... I don't know for sure what will happen in next November's elections. I don't know if Obama will be reelected or not... and contrary to some opinions nobody else does either, it's still more than a year away. What I do know is this... I will proudly continue to support a president who is willing to keep trying to fight the good fight, but also knows the importance of living to fight another day. The President could have followed through with his threats and bluffs, but that wouldn't have benefited anyone. We as a nation should take a lesson from the president, and focus on our areas of agreement. We should continue to try and support people who want to make the world a better place, even when we it seems like they can't succeed, because unlike games, there are no winners, and we all can lose.

George Harrison and the Concert For Bangladesh

George Harrison and the Concert For Bangladesh
By Tom Ruff
August 1, 2011

If you've been on any number of entertainment news sites, or even itunes in the last few days, you might have seen advertisements for the 40th Anniversary of The Concert for Bangladesh. Held on August 1, 1971, this charity event was organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, and also included Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, and Billy Preston. The event was actually two concerts held at Madison Square Garden on the same day, and became a concert film and live album. It was held to raise money following a cyclone, and to help refugees affected by the Bangladesh Liberation War.

In honor of the 40th anniversary, the film is being streamed live and for free today, and is a must see for any fans of Harrison, classic rock, or landmark events. Watching the video, you get to see him at the top of his game, just after the breakup of The Beatles. It also comes on the heels of All Things Must Pass, an album critically acclaimed and arguably the best post-Beatle album by a former member.

The film is beautifully shot, the performance is flawless, and the lineup is an amazing combination of some of the best musicians of the era. That it was thrown together so quickly makes it all the more impressive. Notable absences are John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who were asked to participate but chose not to attend.

The film includes compiled highlights from both shows, including fantastic renditions of the Beatles classics While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Something, a cover of the Stones classic Jumpin' Jack Flash sang by Leon Russell, Harrison's My Sweet Lord, and the Bob Dylan classics A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, and Blowin' In the Wind. The film also includes an opening set with Ravi Shankar led Indian sitar music.

Harrison's career declined in the subsequent decades, but this concert footage shows him at the top of his game, and reminds you of how significant his contributions to the Beatles truly were. The show blends so much of what made him unique, placing a heavy emphasis on his spirituality, and the influence of Indian music. This event also showcases how positive an impact artists can have when they come together through music to benefit those in need. It also shows a metaphorical snapshot of an era in which the legends of rock were writing the history books with every performance. The Concert For Bangladesh is now available on iTunes, and can be streamed today at GeorgeHarrison.com.