Music Movies: Highs & Lows, and more tips

MUSIC MOVIES: HIGHS & LOWS

Over the holidays, I stepped out to see the two new ballyhooed music films, “I’m Not There’’ (an entertainingly warped biopic on Bob Dylan) and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,’’ about which the less said, the better.
The Dylan pic was an eye-opening march through multiple actors (and actress Cate Blanchett) playing Dylan at different points of his life. I loved it, especially Blanchett’s steely portrayal of Dylan’s bohemian days and Richard Gere’s sage portrayal of the older-and-wiser (and yes, grizzled) Dylan. The movie is imaginative, fanciful, often revelatory but sometimes full of baloney – a fitting juxtaposition to Dylan’s wildly mixed-bag songs.
The two-disc soundtrack is worth picking up – some great songs there by Calexico, Wilco and others – but many don’t end up in the movie. But a lot of great tunes by Dylan himself do end up in it, so any Dylan lover will dig it. Some of the history in the movie gets a little sketchy, but overall, this ambitious project delivers far more than I expected. Don’t go thinking you’re going to see “Citizen Kane.’’ Just go with an open mind and enjoy.
As for “Dewey Cox,’’ it’s an out-and-out mess. Billed as a rock satire, it might be fine for people with a tangential interest to the music, but to anyone who takes the genre seriously, it’s an offensive mishmash. It is cartoony throughout. It starts by making fun of Johnny Cash, then ends up poking fun at everyone from the Beatles to the Maharishi. There are laughs here and there, but mostly this is a grade B movie that ultimately denigrates rock ‘n’ roll and makes it look completely foolish. Give me “Spinal Tap’’ anytime. That’s a real satire.

CRITIC’S TIPS
Big Brothers & the Holding Company – at Harpers Ferry on Thursday, Jan. 3. Janis Joplin’s band is still soldiering on. I’m not sure who is singing Janis’ parts these days, but the last time I saw them a few years ago, they succeeded quite admirably.

Watts – at the Abbey Lounge on Friday, Jan. 4. Any garage-rock band that names itself Watts – after Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts – has an immediate leg up on the competition, right? They deliver the goods.

Hot Stove, Cool Music – at the Paradise Rock Club on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 5-6. Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons return with their annual benefit gigs for Theo’s Foundation to Be Named Later (catchy phrase, that). The Saturday event includes WBOS faves deSol and Eli “Paperboy’’ Reed & the True Loves. And Sunday is a whopping night with Lori McKenna, Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys, Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Kay Hanley, Bill Janovitz, Paul Barrere of Little Feat, and the list goes on.

50th Anniversary Hootenanny – at the Brattle Theatre on Sunday, Jan. 6. It will be 50 years to the day this Sunday that Club 47, which later became Club Passim, opened. To mark the occasion, some star-studded folk alumni from Tom Rush and Jim Kweskin, to Al Kooper, Bill Keith and Geoff Muldaur, perform a celebratory hoot at the Brattle, starting at 4 p.m.

Hendrix, movie capsules, tips

With Red Sox mania on the rise, many people might put cultural events on the back burner for a while, but why not mix a little of both? Being a movie buff, I’m certainly not going to forget about that side of life, even if Jonathan Papelbon pitches another scoreless ninth inning.
Here’s a suggestion if you read this blog in time: “Jimi Hendrix Live at Monterey,’’ which enjoys its New England premier at Arlington’s Regent Theatre on Friday, Oct. 12. It features Hendrix’s entire set at Montery, complete with a new 5.1 soundtrack mix by Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer. Showtimes are 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30. It’s preceded by Martin Scorsese’s short film, “Hendrix and the Blues.’’ An irresistible take for any Hendrix fan.
I’ve been catching a bunch of movies lately and here are a few capsule reviews:
“The Heartbreak Kid.’’ Ah, skip this one. It’s a wasted role by Ben Stiller, who usually has much better taste than to be caught up in silly vulgarity like this. It’s a supposed comedy about a guy who gets married and honeymoons at Cabo in Mexico, but ditches his wife for another hotel guest, amid a series of dumb high-jinks. Some funny bits here and there, but not enough of them.
“The Darjeeling Limited.’’ A great film, destined to be a cult classic. A Wes Anderson film, it is seriously hilarious. It’s about three brothers who cross India on a train called the Darjeeling Limited, as they try to find their mother, who has entered a monastery. It’s a biting satire about the difficulty of being brothers (Owen Wilson tries to lord it over the other two) and the culture shock in India is by turns exhilarating and sobering.
“The Game Plan.’’ OK, my son wanted to see this. It stars Dwayne “the Rock’’ Johnson as a football-quarterback god who suddenly discovers he has an 8-year-old daughter and she comes to live with him. She manages to tame him and his gruff-talking teammates, though the humor isn’t exactly breathtaking. It’s your basic dumbed-down comedy, but it was shot locally and there’s great footage of Boston and Cambridge.
“Mr. Woodcock.’’ Catch this when it comes to video if you have to. It stars Billy Bob Thornton as a gym teacher who terrorizes his kids – and then starts dating one of the kids’ moms. The jokes are obvious, the script often makes you cringe, and it just might be better to stay home and watch the Red Sox in this case.

CRITIC’S TIPS:

* Smashing Pumpkins – at the Orpheum on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 13, 15 and 16. Singer Billy Corgan leads a new group of Pumpkins into battle. He released a solo album that bombed badly a couple of years ago, so it’s wise that he’s back with his mother ship.

* Loudon Wainwright III and Leon Redbone – at the Somerville Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 13. A quirkier night of folk music can not be imagined. If you haven’t yet seen these titans of eccentricity, here’s your chance.

* Robbie Krieger – at the Berklee Performance Center on Monday, Oct. 15. Doors guitarist Krieger will play a set with the Berklee College of Music Doors tribute band, Morrison Crossing, and discuss the Doors’ new triple CD, “Live in Boston.’’ Classic rock never dies.

* Rodrigo y Gabriela – at the Orpheum on Wednesday, Oct. 17. Our favorite new instrumental duo, which even adapts some heavy metal tunes, is rising quickly and is already at the Orpheum level.

* Erin McKeown – at Club Passim on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 17-18. An engaging singer-songwriter who never runs out of ideas.





.