DiG!
Movie (★★1/2)
DVD (★★★)
R,107 minutes
Anton Newcombe is not a household name, but to hear him tell it, he may be the most gifted musician of our time. Actually Newcombe's talents are undeniable. As the creative force behind the Brian Jonestown Massacre, he's a pioneer of the San Francisco rock revival that spawned such acts as the Dandy Warhols and the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. However, his band's lack of success is due not to a lack of talent, but a lack of control. Newcombe's volatility and destructive nature is constantly derailing himself and his band.
$DIGi$ is the sprawling yet intimate documentary of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols over the course of seven years. Beginning in 1995, when both bands were still underground and underdeveloped, the film chronicles the friendship that arose between the Dandys and Newcombe. At the time Newcombe was a local legend, and the BJM were churning out album after album. He was regarded by all around as this incredible creative force, but the drugs and the egos and the jealousy ate away at Newcombe's chances of making it big.
While the Dandy Warhols were off
working to build a career, Newcombe continually sabotaged his chances for success. Newcombe seems to be completely devoid of business acumen, and his inability to function sanely is maddening to those around him. After seven years, the Dandys became an international success, and Newcombe is still performing at small venues and fighting with the audience. Newcombe's antics are maddening. He has so much talent, but it all goes to waste.
The film does a masterful job of revealing the strange relationship that exists between the two bands. They're collaborators and competitors at the same time. Paring down seven years of footage into 100 minutes must be daunting as well. However, for the avid fan, there are over two hours of bonus footage on the DVD, along with rnusic videos and live performances. There is no telling what the Brian Jonesetm Massacre could have been, but Newcombe's inability to function in the real world seems to have damned them to anonymity. But perhaps restraint and concession are too much to ask of a man who states, "I never apologize because I never make mistakes."
Will Lamborn
Cinderella Man
(★★★)
PG-13, 144 minutes
Opening in theatres on June 3, Cinderella Man is the next pairing of director Ron Howard and star Russell Crowe since 2003's phenomenally successful and Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind. The movies also share the same producer and writer.
Again based on true events, the film tackles the story of boxer Jimmy Braddock, world heavy-weight champion who overcame tremendous odds to keep himself and his family together and alive, rising out the Great Depression in the 1930s as hero to the common man. Although relatively unknown now, the boxer seems to have made a huge impact at the time, and the film adapts the story realistically, depicting a time when it was difficult to feed your children and remain honest.
The film owes a lot to Russell Crowe, who portrays a genuinely nice guy who gets kicked down wherever he turns but still remains true to his family and friends. The chemistry between him and his two co-stars — the brilliant Paul Giamatti and Renée Zellweger — works well, and the characters bloom into real people through the course of the film. The surrounding cast also shines, creating a presence that complements the leads. The film is given a timeless quality by the costumes, sets and
the way it is filmed.
The final third makes up for the rest of film, which often tends to be longwinded, yet doesn't have the feel of an epic. Where it works is that it remains subtle and as realistic as a Hollywood film can be. The fight scenes are brilliantly put together, especially the final fight, which had me inching closer and closer to the edge of my seat. The film does what it needs to do, without being flashy and big.
—Michael Boyd
No doubt this film will draw comparisons to this year's amazing Million Dollar Baby, and maybe as many Oscar nominations. But I wouldn't say this is better, because it is not as brave and doesn't go to the emotional lengths of that film. But it is well-constructed and does what cinema should do: seamlessly tell a story that should be told with prize performances, beautiful cinematography and able directing, deservedly pushing this film into the ranks of one of the great sports films.