WATCHED THEM AGAIN. “I'm Not There.” / “1941.” / “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

“I'm Not There” (2007, Pluto TV) musical drama, directed by Todd Haynes. Inspired by the life and music of Bob Dylan, with six actors depicting different facets of Dylan's public personas: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw. Kickass! But that'd be it.



       Unorthodox editing, intriguing visuals, and an array of talents–all geared at overreading Bob Dylan. It is fine but more than two hours of Dylan “analysis,” with too much emphasis on the Cate Blanchett bit, can be tiring. 

       I'd rather listen to Bob's songs for hours on a week's time to know him, you know. 🎥💻📽

“1941” (1979, Roku) war comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The story involves a panic in the Los Angeles area after the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. 



       The stars: Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Stack, Nancy Allen, and Mickey Rourke. No need to elaborate on Mr Spielberg and Mr Zemeckis. They are two of the greatest craftspersons in Hollywood or in filmmaking per se. 

       But watching “1941” again, after all these years, bored me. I don't think I enjoyed it either then. Silly, topsy-turvy, not funny at all. The visual effects or action sequences are fine and admittedly remarkable, given that this project was crafted in the 1970s. 

       But overall, it's a messy mischief. Too many cartoonish characters in slapstick gags that aren't funny and wild sequences that don't make sense. That's all. 🎥💻📽


“Jesus Christ Superstar” (1973, Amazon Prime) musical Biblical drama film directed by Norman Jewison, based on the 1970 concept album written by Tim Rice and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.



       Each year since the first time that I saw this musical when I was in high school in the 1970s, I watch it. And I never get tired. The main allure to me, is the rock music and the hip accessibility of the lyrics. This is a “reachable” Jesus, not the God mysticism.

       My favorite song is “Gethsemane,” or Jesus questioning God The Father. The intense performance (and singing) of Ted Neeley as Jesus Christ and Carl Anderson as Judas classic rock opera moments. 🎥👍📽

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