Twenty Feet From Stardom - July 13th

The North County Film Club will open the Summer /Fall season with the Academy Award winning film, Twenty Feet from Stardom.  This film will be shown Sunday,  July 13th at 3:00 pm.

The film is about the lives of backup singers living their lives just beyond the spotlight. Their voices brought harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until this film.

You'll follow the stories of Darlene Love, Merry Clayton and Lisa Fischer, three African American singers who sang backup for many leading bands through the rock era. You'll hear interviews with veterans of the period and see concert footage. It's interesting to see these talented singers trying to make a living in the rock era but burdened with low profiles and career frustrations.

John Anderson's questions to assist in after-the-film discussion:

1.  To what extent are the films' subjects struggles to achieve fame attributable to their own ambivalence or inequities in the music industry?

2.  How has the black church influenced American popular music, and how has the style of musical performance in the gospel tradition conflict with the celebrity driven nature of the secular recording industry?

3.  In what ways does the struggle between sacred and secular values force its subjects to reconcile different modes of feminism in their professional lives? 

Critics Corner
Gail Brown has been at it again - going to lots of movies and favoring us with her reviews. Here's two more to add to our list:

The Fault in Our Stars

*leads perfectly cast
*story sweet, a bit slow
*The three of us gave it between an 7.5 - 9, the teenagers in front of us who read the book gave it a 9



Edge of Tomorrow

*Disclaimer:  Sci Fi is my least favorite kind of movie but wanted to see what the critics were raving about.
*A cross between Groundhog Day and War of the Worlds (on steroids).
*Creative, layered script but…last half hour started losing interest…
*There should be an award for actors that have to work and show various tough emotions (let alone fighting with aliens) on a blue screen.
*Emily Blunt was great…I would have never cast her for this role…but she pulled it off very well
*A true Tom Cruise type of movie..he still has the chops for action at this age (51)..if you love Tom and Sci Fi movies this movie is for you.

Book Nook
Book recommendation by me (Nancy Javier)
Here's one of my favorite books about film. It's not new at all, but it's definitely worth a read.

 

 

It's about the making of Heaven's Gate - one of the least viewed and most talked about movies in history. You'll love reading about all of the egos that went into the making of this film - from the nit picky director, Michael Cimino, to the executives at United Artist that just didn't know what to do with him. This ultimately led to the sinking of the studio and the end of Cimino's career. His excesses are very fun, but frustrating to read about. If you get a chance to pick up a used copy, and you're someone who loves to read about the behind scenes (like me), you'll love this book.

Hope to see you Sunday at the Digiplex for 20 Feet From Stardom.