Saw Cadillac Records tonight. I love the blues, my grandfather played blues guitar, blues is what made me start my record collection. When I heard this movie was gonna be based on Chess Records, I was excited! I'm always skeptical of historic re-enactments cuz writers always hand pick events that they find "filmic." It's been a long time since I've seen a popular movie that was in a huge stadium (maybe it was the last Lord of the Rings) but it was fun, even the idiot behind me made it fun.
Jeffrey Wright did a good job as Muddy Waters, whom is a dear fav of mine. It was nice to see behind the music and see what kind of people they were, but at the end of the day, all I care about is the track I listen to on my record player. Adrien Brody did okay, he had a generic "i'm upset" acting tantrum (i hate those) but it was good. Beyonce, whom everyone was looking out for, did okay. Not to be a hater, but the easiest role for "us" to play is a sassy black woman, cuz that's what we are. She did favor Etta and her renditions of Etta's best songs were just that, renditions. In a biopic, I'd like her to act and sound like Etta, not Beyonce. But the songs were a dream.
I'm glad they make these films, school the children on our history. I searched for these things, but I'm glad they've pushed it into mainstream. People need to know where they come from. Most musicians that make our music that we listen to already know this music. Hopefully someone will go out and you tube their music.
Muddy Waters, "Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had" (ain't it the truth?)