NewBeats

Iron Maiden
Flight 666: The Film
UME
By David Chiu

Those who may have heard of the veteran British metal band Iron Maiden, but yet are not entirely familiar with their music or history, will get a good introduction through this documentary film. Flight 666, directed by Sam Dunn and Scot McFaydn, takes the viewers to the band’s relentless jaunt through five continents their 2008 tour. What makes this tour interesting is that the band traveled in its own jumbo plane, dubbed “Ed Force One,” piloted by their singer Bruce Dickinson!

While Iron Maiden may not be the most popular of bands outside of heavy metal circles, they have a tremendous international fan base. The film captures that by documenting the rabid fans who were excited to see their heroes on stage (There is even a South American priest who has over 160 Iron Maiden-related tattoos all over his body).

Interspersed with the footage of the traveling and backstage stuff are excerpts of concert performances in which the band performs tracks such as “Can I Play With Madness,” “The Number of the Beast” and “Run to the Hills.” The music sounds like progressive rock with a heavy metal edge—yet accessible too. The musicianship, especially the triple guitar attack and Dickinson’s over-the-top vocals and stage antics, is pretty impressive, even as the band is over 30 years old. (In addition to the movie, the DVD set also contains a second disc of the entire performances from the tour.)

Interestingly, Flight 666 also provides a glimpse into a day in the life of a heavy metal band. While one would expect that a band with a name like Iron Maiden would be all about partying and debauchery, the members of the band lead relatively normal lives: on their off time, they play tennis, golf and soccer, as well as do some sightseeing. In short, the guys seem down to earth, even charming and genuine—especially Dickinson–without the rock star attitude.

So if you were initially resistant to the world of Iron Maiden, watching this film will pleasantly surprise you. No wonder the band has a strong following from all over the world.

Once
Written and directed by John Carney
Starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Fox Searchlight
Review by David Chiu

Described as a modern-day musical, “Once,” directed by John Carney, emerges as a rare gem of a love story.It’s not surprising that this modest film has generated numerous positive reviews among critics and audiences when it was first came out last spring—the raves are likely to increase with this recent DVD release.

“Once” follows a very conventional story of ‘boy meets girl.’ The male lead, known only as the Guy (played by Glen Hansard, the singer of the Irish rock band The Frames), is a busker and vacuum cleaner repairman in Dublin. Living and working with his dad, the Guy yearns to make it in the music business. More importantly, he wants to repair his relationship with his girlfriend who is now resides in London.

One night while busking, he meets the Girl (played by newcomer Marketa Irglova), a young Czech who stops to listen. The Girl makes a living as a street vendor and a housecleaner; separated from her husband, she also raises her young child. Both the Guy and Girl share a passion for playing music, and as they collaborate together, their friendship grows. Through the Girl’s encouragement, the Guy finally takes the steps to pursue his musical and personal dreams.

Though not in the tradition of the movie musical a la MGM and “Grease,” “Once” presents its songs in a more simple and natural way while still driving the story. The brilliant music composed by Hansard and Irglova, which previously appeared on their album “The Swell Season” prior to the film’s release, convey the characters’ tender feelings. In the opening scene, the Guy passionately strums his acoustic guitar and sings his heart out towards his absent girlfriend; later in the movie, the Girl plays a sad ballad on the piano while thinking about her husband; she becomes so overwhelmed that she stops and cries.

As Marketa Irglova aptly points out in the behind-the-scenes DVD featurette, there is a documentary feel to the film with no clever editing and camera tricks. The homespun quality of the picture can be also attributed to the chemistry between the two leads, according to Carney in the featurette. Neither Hansard nor Irglova had any serious acting experience, although the former was in the 1991 movie “The Commitments.” He plays the Guy as being pensive and easy-going while Irglova is fetching and charming as the Girl.

In addition to the behind-the-scenes making of “Once,” the DVD also features commentaries by Hansard and Irglova about the songs in the film, and a webisode clip based on the amusing yet sad song “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixit Guy.”

Check out video clips from “Once” courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Bob Dylan
The Other Side of the Mirror: Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965
Columbia/SMV/Legacy
By David Chiu

The evolution of Bob Dylan from folkie to icon can be traced to his historic performances at the Newport Folk Festival between 1963 and 1965. Directed by Murray Lerner in timeless black-and-white, The Other Side of the Mirror begins with a skinny short-haired youthful Dylan who was still relatively new. He didn’t have the charisma of a stage performer yet but he still delivered some poignant performances such as the Medgar Evers tribute, “Only a Pawn in Their Game” and an amazing duet with Joan Baez on “With God on Our Side.” When he returned to Newport in 1964, Dylan this time around showed more confidence and assuredness—this segment features him performing “It Ain’t Me Babe” and “Chimes of Freedom” as well as Johnny Cash performing “Don’t Look Back” and Baez humorously imitating Dylan on “Maggie Hamilton.” The penultimate moment of course when a leather-clad, curly-haired Dylan performed with an electric band: the reaction is decidedly mixed between cheers and boos. Dylan soldiered on through with “Maggie’s Farm” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” featuring some great guitar by the late Mike Bloomfield. Towards the end of that memorable performance before a divided audience, Dylan played acoustic on “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.” The 1965 set was a turning point in Dylan’s career –for that reason, this DVD a must for Dylan fans.

Paul McCartney
The McCartney Years
Rhino
By David Chiu

This 3-DVD set is the most comprehensive retrospective on McCartney’s career, spanning his time in Wings through 2005’s Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. On the first two DVDs there is a video for every single Macca has released in the last 35 + years : “Band on the Run,” “My Love,” “With a Little Luck,” “Ebony and Ivory,” “No More Lonely Nights,” and “Fine Line,” and more. Most of the videos were very innovative and extravagant especially on “Coming Up” and “Pipes of Peace.” The third DVD is a sampling of Macca’s live solo performances: a 1976 show at the height of Wings’ popularity; excerpts from the classic 1991 Unplugged concert (which, by the way, deserves to be shown in its entirety on a DVD); and his recent appearance at Glastonbury. Extras include interviews, commentaries for several videos and McCartney’s appearances at Live Aid and the Super Bowl.

Watch clips of McCartney’s “Coming Up” and “This One,” both on The McCartney Years:

Queen
Queen Rock Montreal (DVD)
Eagle Vision
By David Chiu

On this latest DVD, Queen’s 1981 performance at the Forum in Montreal finally gets the upgrade it deserves. It was originally released as a concert film, entitled We Will Rock You, in the mid 1980s but the band didn’t own the movie rights. Now under the supervision of surviving members Brian May and Roger Taylor, the movie has been properly restored to much better visual and sound quality, and has a new name. It captures Queen at the height of their popularity in North America, coming off of the success of The Game album. Most of the songs performed in Montreal are now considered classics: “Killer Queen,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Tie Your Mother Down,” Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” The highlights include a fast version of “We Will Rock You,” a medley of “Now I’m Here/Dragon Attack,” Roger Taylor’s tympani solo, and one of the earliest, if perhaps the first, live rendition of Under Pressure. It’s always poignant to see the late great singer Freddie Mercury strut his stuff, tight white shorts and all. Now that this concert film has gotten the official proper release, it’s about time the band start releasing performances from the ‘70s. (Another version of this DVD contains the band’s memorable 1985 performance at Live Aid).

Marianne Faithful
Dreaming My Dreams
Eagle Vision
By David Chiu

Anyone familiar with singer Marianne Faithfull’s fascinating story would have guessed she’d be another rock and roll casualty. This documentary on DVD traces the twists and turns in Faithfull’s professional and personal life as the pretty faced 17-year-old ingénue who had a big hit with “As Tears Go By”; the paramour of Mick Jagger in the late ‘60s; and a down-and-out drug addict throughout the ‘70s. Yet she still remained in the public eye and continued to make music, most notably on 1979’s Broken English album. From there she transformed herself into a raspy-sounding lounge diva who sang dark songs. Faithfull is engaging as she is blunt-spoken in the documentary, which also features interviews with Keith Richards, ex-husband John Dunbar and biographer David Dalton. Dreaming My Dreams is essentially a survivor’s tale and makes a case for Faithfull’s place in the history of rock and roll.

A video from one of 2007′s best movies, “Once,” starring singer/songwriters Glen Hansard (of The Frames) and Marketa Irglova, courtesy of Fox Searchlight:

Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out
Produced, written and directed by Stewart Copeland
Hip-O/A&M
Review by David Chiu

This is not so much a conventional documentary about the Police but a collection of super 8 movies of the band’s concert and road adventures captured by drummer Stewart Copeland.It’s a somewhat fascinating glimpse into the band’s history from punk wannabes to world conquerors through live shows all over the world, hotel rooms, recording studios and press conferences. Through Copeland’s lens, not only do we see the Police transform from a band that traveled in vans to performing at the major Us Festival, but we also see the lighthearted moments of a relatively serious band—the playful fist-fights between vocalist/bassist Sting and guitarist Andy Summers or the three of them acting goofy on the beach. You become so fascinated with how the footage was assembled that you can overlook the sometimes disorienting camera shots or the grainy quality of the scenes. The audio commentary by Copeland and Summers is quite enlightening as it is humorous, and the bonus features includes additional film footage and concert performances.