Across the Universe, Smashing Pumpkins, Tips

Rarely has a movie gotten more mixed reviews than “Across the Universe,’’ the new musical comedy/drama based around songs by the Beatles. But forget the reviews. Go see it. It’s an attempt to do something imaginative – and more often not succeeds if you have an open mind. Plus, it’s great to see Beatles songs reinterpreted by everyone from lead actress Evan Rachel Wood (a great job on “Blackbird’’) to music vets like Bono (“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’’) and Joe Cocker (“Come Together’’), who are predictably excellent as well.
Directed by Julie Taymor (this movie definitely has a female touch), it revisits the ‘60s through scenes of squashed innocence (the urban riots in Detroit, the war in Vietnam), through psychedelic montages (Bono playing a Ken Kesey-like role of leading his Merry Pranksters on a magic bus trip while singing “I Am the Walrus’’), and through a warmly felt love story between Wood and male lead Jim Sturgess.
She plays an American suburban girl, while Sturgess is an illegal immigrant (and former dock worker) from overseas. Their trials and tribulations form the backdrop of the story, but there are all kinds of ‘60s-related scenes from the student takeover of Columbia University to cultural experimentation with LSD. There are even singers whose roles evoke Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. It’s a hodge-podge – and critics have had a field day knocking its occasional clunky editing – but eventually you’re pulled along by its momentum and not only do you root for the youthful lovers, but you are swept up by the hope and idealism that was once the ‘60s.
Parts of it are campy, parts of it are serious, but collectively it’s a vividly creative look at a youth culture that was all about alternative lifestyles, not about making money and being the next Yuppie on the block. Plus, it’s darned entertaining. I came in with low expectations because of the cynical reviews, but walked away a believer.

SMASHING PUMPKINS:
The Pumpkins have been off the road for a while, but you wouldn’t know it from their recent Boston appearance. I caught the first of their three shows at the Orpheum and was very impressed. They don’t have the extreme punk energy of their early days -- only singer Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin remain from that period – but the expansion into more progressive rock has been a sincere, and applauded, addition.
The early hits still blistered, including “Bullets & Butterfly Wings.’’ Newer band members Jeff Schroeder (guitar) and Ginger Reyes (bass) fit right in and were able to match Corgan’s dynamics and also his increased proclivity to jam. There were plenty of trippy moments, fostered by an over-the-top lighting production (an interlocking of high-wattage, geometric triangles) that made it feel like a stadium show at the Orpheum. A barrage of strobe lights also notched up the hallucinatory mood.
Corgan’s voice can still grate at times – he’s never been confused with a balladeer – but his acoustic performances of “1979’’ and “Perfect’’ were a nice counterpoint to his caterwauling on the hard-rock numbers. And his guitar playing was much more advanced than before. He and fellow axman Schroeder traded some gritty solos, while Corgan even did some Hendrix-like soloing on “The Star Spangled Banner.’’ Corgan & Co. might not be at the epicenter of modern rock anymore, but they’re far from the oldies circuit. A powerful night overall. (They’re also at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Oct. 18.)

CRITIC’S TIPS:
Tori Amos – at the Orpheum on Thursday-Friday, Oct. 18-19. Tori can get sidetracked into almost too much mythology in her songs, but the beauty of those songs can’t be denied.
Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers – at the Paradise on Thursday-Friday, Oct. 18-19. For years I’ve felt that this band could be the next Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers if they got the right breaks.
Chad Perrone – at Harpers Ferry on Friday, Oct. 19. The former lead singer with Boston band Averi has daringly gone on his own. Only time will tell if he made the right decision, but give him credit for taking the risk.
Toots & the Maytals – at Row-a-Palooza on Saturday, Oct. 20. The reggae stars perform by the Weeks Memorial Footbridge on Memorial Drive by the Charles River near Harvard Square at 3:30 p.m. to spice the Head of the Charles Regatta.
Jason Spooner – at Toad on Saturday, Oct. 20. While up in Portland, Me. about a year ago, I stumbled upon Spooner playing in a bar and discovered why he’s a rising light of the Portland scene. Great melodies, great spirit.
The Wallflowers – at Somerville Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 21. Wallflowers frontman Jakob Dylan mounted a solo tour in the past year, but it’s good to see that he’s giving the Wallflowers another chance. They deserve it.
Sinead O’Connor – at the Orpheum on Monday, Oct. 22. Sinead has been up and down for so long that you never know where she’s at. But the bottom line is that the lady can sing.
The Hold Steady – at the Roxy on Monday, Oct. 22. When I caught the Dropkick Murphys at the ICONS Festival in Canton this summer, their sound engineer warmed up the evening by playing a CD by this band. Its hard-driving, garage-influenced sound held steady, and then some.