Shine A Light

Shine A Light (2008)

86% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 118 reviews)

Runtime: 122 minutes

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Starring: The Rolling Stones, Buddy Guy, Christina Aguilera

From: Paramount Vantage

It’s an odd way that I decided to chat about this particular film, a concert flick released early last year and shown in IMAX also. Before I get to that, though…

Here is a factoid you may not know (and I didn’t know until just a few hours ago): Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner, of The Hurt Locker film, made his film debut as one of the leads in… National Lampoon’s Senior Trip. Yes, the 1995 film that I’ve seen a few times before (including once a few years ago) and I had no idea that he played that role. It’s not as bad as you may think; I’m sure it’s better than the awful-looking direct to DVD titles that they put out all the time.

I’ll be seeing some flicks in the next few days so I’ll be able to add some more to this page. My plans have been screwed up as of late due to some serious things out of my control (I should be fine… I hope) but at least I can zone out by watching some motion pictures.

This one I haven’t seen since I saw it on an IMAX screen last spring, but I remember it well. The reason why I’m bringing it up is… Ke$ha. I’ve always noticed that she had the perfect face for radio, to put it bluntly. Not that I’m shallow or anything… that awful song Tik Tok (maybe the worst new song I hear in 2010) namechecks Mick Jagger as someone whose looks she and her pals are turned on by. I have no idea either. No offense, but even back during the 60’s, his looks… not that I swing that way, but just no. To be perfectly honest, she looks more masculine than he does and if I had to smooch either her or Mick, the lead singer of The Rolling Stones will be able to tell what flavor breathmint I was using beforehand! And, I’m admitting this as I remember how Mick looked in picture-perfect clarity; “Skeletor” was a phrase I remember using at the time.

So, I thought that this movie is worth mentioning. It’s from a famous director who loves having Stones songs in his films and it was filmed at an intimate theatre in New York back in 2006 and features Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera guest-starring in one song each. Jack White also appears in another song. Now, if you’re a fan of the band and enjoy hearing their songs on the radio (if you don’t own a few albums from them, even if it’s best-ofs only) then this is worth seeing. This is something not really for the blog but there are many quality Stones tunes that you don’t hear on the radio but I think they’re pretty great and are worth acquiring, no matter how. This movie has some favorites that you hear on the radio all the time, but also others that are not as familiar; they're still great, though.

So, if you like this band, it's a must-see as you should enjoy it. They still are great live in the current day, as I can attest to.

I'll be back Sunday night with a new review or two.