Day 70 - Keep on Keepin' on (Documentary)

" A documentary that follows jazz legend Clark Terry over four years to document the mentorship between Terry and 23-year-old blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin as the young man prepares to compete in an elite, international competition."

The documentary is great not because of the direction but because of the emotion present in the film. I greatly enjoyed it, the emotion was real and it was something that not a lot of people can capture on camera. I enjoyed some of the direction but I thought it could have been better. I understand that it must have been hard because you are dealing with something who might not be able to film all day. The documentary is split in its time, it tells you the history of Clark Terry, Justin Kaufin then the history of their time together. It is truly remarkable experience to have seen this documentary it inspired me and made me smile. At the end I think I could relate to Clark Terry's emotion, he wanted to stay longer so he could help more people like Justin, Miles Davis, and Quincy Jones. I suggest this documentary to anyone that likes jazz or wants to see some real emotion in a documentary.

4/5

 

little info

 

Clark Terry mentored Miles Davis and Quincy Jones (Quincy was his first student)

Justin was signed by Quincy Jones

Clark Terry was the first black band member at CBS

 



Day 63 continued - The History of Future Folk (American)

"The possibly exaggerated origin story of the real life alien bluegrass band, Future Folk, that has been playing for NYC audiences for the better part of a decade."

A decent film but its not all that funny. Its a little dry to me but it was still a nice movie to watch. I enjoyed the music even if it was a little silly. Its longer than it should have been plus the script could have been a bit better. But if you are bored with nothing to do then this is the movie for you.

2.6/5

Day 43 - Muscle Shoals (British)

"A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", and "When a Man Loves a Woman"."

 

A decent documentary that could have been filmed a lot better as it doesn't capture the whole magic of the place called Muscle Shoals and the people within the documentary. It was great to hear from some musical legends who have worked with Rick Hall and how his studio changed music. Rick Hall was a very interesting man, his take on music was quite spectacular. I only wish there was more and that they had a better director to shoot this documentary.

 

 

3/5

Day 41 - Beijing Punk (American)

 

"A  film crew follows underground punks through Communist China in the year of the Olympics."

 

An insight into the world of punk in China and the problems they face. It was a great documentary, its barely over an hour but it was worth it even though you wish it was a bit longer. It was interesting to learn what punk means to a different variety of Chinese musicians. Anyone interested in punk music will like this documentary.

 

 

3/5

Day 31 continued - Vinyl (British)

"Aging rock group use a young fresh faced punk band to front new recordings to fool the music industry."

A very interesting take of a problem almost all rockers will face..age. The film could have been more serious and it might have been better. The comedy aspect takes away from the true problems that these guys face but it does make the journey easier. Its still a good film and very interesting to watch.  Phil Daniels does an excellent job as an aging rocker who just wants to keep doing what he loves but cant do to his age.

2.8/5