movie review
The best music movies throughout history.
Strict Adherence to Screenplay Mechanics Stifles Aretha's Life Story in 'Respect'
It's strange to say this when we are talking about a movie about a real life individual but, since I know some people are sensitive to this, SPOILERS for the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect will be part of this article. In this exercise we are going to break down the entirety of the new Aretha Franklin biopic Respect using screenwriting guru Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet. The late Mr. Snyder was a screenwriter by trade and a teacher of screenwriting as well. His book Save the Cat is a terrific resource for screenwriters who are learning the craft for the first time.
By Sean Patrick5 years ago in Beat
Review of 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart'
For as long as I can remember, the Beatles have been my all-time favorite group, with the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys vying for second place. The Bee Gees were in my top ten, for sure. But several things in the past few weeks have brought them into vying for second place too, in my heart and mind.
By Paul Levinson5 years ago in Beat
Review of In the Heights
My wife and I saw In the Heights, the Jon Chu movie on HBO Max, based on Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical play. We really loved it. It's a righteous joy of a movie, symbolizing everything that's good about America. That would be that when left to our own devices, we are a land of dreams that can come true.
By Paul Levinson5 years ago in Beat
Documentary Review: 'Woodstock 99 Peace, Love, and Rage'
Reliving the terrible memory I have of Woodstock 99 in the new HBO/Bill Simmons documentary, Woodstock Love, Peace, and Rage, made my skin crawl. It’s a memory I had apparently repressed all of these years. I wasn’t at Woodstock 99 but I recall laughing at the hubristic spectacle as it devolved beyond the simplistic metaphor of Lord of the Flies and into a genuine modern tragedy. I took dark comic pleasure, schadenfreude, while enjoying the spectacular failure of Woodstock 99 and remembering that now upsets me.
By Sean Patrick5 years ago in Beat





