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Post by ncbears on Jun 5, 2019 1:30:18 GMT
Most of the factchecking articles are acknowledging Rocketman is not meant or intended to be an accurate telling of Elton John's life. But, among the fact checking articles, my favorite line was one that said something like "and just to be nitpicky, the show at the Troubadour was on a Tuesday, not a Monday." Ah! Here's the article - it was in Rolling Stone: Rolling Stone Fact Check and the correct line is: "(We could also be insanely nitpicky and point out the show was on a Tuesday and not a Monday as the movie says.)" |
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Post by alexandraastrid79 on Jun 7, 2019 19:17:30 GMT
Really enjoyed it, not really a fan of elton though i grew up with all the musíc. Ricky madden is easy on the eye! Though his character was a bit of a pratt to say the least.
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Post by tmesis on Jun 8, 2019 18:08:39 GMT
This had to be really awful for me not to enjoy it but, as others have said, I thought it fantastic - imaginative, brilliantly using his songs to further the narrative, very touching at times and Taron was just sensational; a great acting talent but a really good voice in his own right. Elton John's music means a great deal to me. As a music student at Royal Holloway I used to play his music non-stop. I remember playing the double vinyl records of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road over and over in 1973, just when they were released, until one night the rather excitable warden of the hostel where I had my room threatened me with an axe handle!
From a personal point of view I'm glad the film concentrated on his early back catalogue, from around (1969 - 80.) In fact his absolute best stuff is all from 69 - 75 and that is what the film mainly used. The number of exceptional songs he wrote with Bernie in that period is really remarkable.
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Post by Rory on Jun 8, 2019 23:24:46 GMT
Absolutely loved it. Thought it was endlessly clever, really superbly imagined and a barnstorming turn from Taron Egerton as Elton. Highly recommended.
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Post by meister on Jun 10, 2019 6:43:14 GMT
So, saw Sir Elton at Hove yesterday evening. Great concert topped off by Taron Egerton coming on stage at the end to sing 'Your Song' as a duet. Fab night!!
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 10, 2019 9:19:12 GMT
Yes, I was there too! A FABULOUS concert! Certainly his last tour I think. He said he would not be in Hove again, and after his world tour wanted to spend more time with his boys.
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Post by Dave25 on Jun 20, 2019 22:15:23 GMT
This movie is sublime.
The fantasy element of sung thoughts is what makes it for me. The surrealistic scenes create very realistic emotions.
It is what this language on film should be about. A non-literal language.
Every scene is a work of art. Also very well acted, beautiful usage of underscores flowing into musical sequences and fantastic editing.
Very well done.
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Post by kathryn on Jun 21, 2019 8:45:20 GMT
It's such a shame that it's not making more money at the box office, and has really come out too early for awards contention.
Proper, ambitious, artistic work like this should be getting rewarded in some way. Otherwise we're going to end up with another hundred bog-standard wikipedia-based band biopics chasing the BoRhap almost-billion box office.
I keep seeing people saying that it'll make a great stage show, but I am not sure I agree that it'll adapt well - so much of its storytelling is done via inherently cinematic techniques like camera work and editing. And the cast's performances - Taron and Jame Bell especially - I am not sure you can replicate the chemistry of those on stage, they rely so much on the intimacy of film.
Thoughts?
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Post by justfran on Jun 21, 2019 18:32:00 GMT
I saw this a few weeks ago and keep meaning to post in this thread. Really enjoyed the film and actually thought the fantasy elements weren’t as “out there” as I was perhaps expecting, definitely worked well in the context of the story. Loved how well the songs told the story and gave some different interpretations of them. Taron Egerton was excellent, so was Jamie Bell, a much less showy role and I think he is one of the most interesting actors of his age (particularly enjoyed Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool recently too). Richard Madden was fine, I don’t really see the great fuss over him to be honest. I loved the photos at the end showing the real Elton John wearing the same costumes- how fabulous they were in the film! It didn’t actually seem that long a film and could have been longer. A few things seemed a bit skipped over, such as his marriage.
In terms of a stage musical I’d be interested to see this done. If the right money was spent on it (especially for costumes!), good cast and a mid-size theatre then I could see it working.
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Post by Rozzi Rainbow on Jun 30, 2019 17:16:44 GMT
I finally saw this a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I don't know a great deal about Elton John and his life story, but of his songs I know, I really like them all, so wanted to see this. I thought the staging was great, and Taron was excellent - if you'd told me Elton was playing himself at the start, I'd have believed it. I loved how it was told in flashback, and thought the younger Eltons were also good. There were a lot of songs I didn't know, but I loved the drama of it, and found it very moving at the end. Really glad I went.
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Post by theatre241 on Jun 30, 2019 18:00:22 GMT
It's such a shame that it's not making more money at the box office, and has really come out too early for awards contention. Proper, ambitious, artistic work like this should be getting rewarded in some way. Otherwise we're going to end up with another hundred bog-standard wikipedia-based band biopics chasing the BoRhap almost-billion box office. I keep seeing people saying that it'll make a great stage show, but I am not sure I agree that it'll adapt well - so much of its storytelling is done via inherently cinematic techniques like camera work and editing. And the cast's performances - Taron and Jame Bell especially - I am not sure you can replicate the chemistry of those on stage, they rely so much on the intimacy of film. Thoughts? Yes I get what you mean with the cinematic techniques and effects but that is an element that screamed out stage musical because you can easily create surreal moments on stage and of course it wouldn't be exactly like the film but it would be a great brash stylised piece onstage |
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Post by kathryn on Jul 1, 2019 14:30:21 GMT
So, I'm interested if anyone has thoughts on this - I've seen several criticisms of this film from people around and about t'internet describing it as 'self-pitying' or being too focused on Elton John.
I find this take a bit puzzling, personally - it's a film about Elton John's struggle with addiction, and subsequent journey to sobriety, so what else would it be focused on? How can you make a film about someone's struggle with addiction and almost-self-destruction without exploring the problems that led to it?
But lots of people seem to want a film about Elton John to be focused on something else other than his personal life - on the making of albums, perhaps, or on his appeal as an artist.
The latter idea strikes me as really being a film about the audience rather than the artist, and I'm not quite sure how you make that as a feature film rather than as a documentary.
The former is what Love & Mercy did quite successfully - I'm not at all convinced the story of any of Elton John's albums is as compelling as Pet Sounds, though.
Ideas, anyone? How do you make a movie about an artist that isn't a Mamma Mia/Yesterday style fiction with songs pegged-in or a biopic about their actual life?
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Post by talkingheads on Jul 1, 2019 17:16:39 GMT
So, I'm interested if anyone has thoughts on this - I've seen several criticisms of this film from people around and about t'internet describing it as 'self-pitying' or being too focused on Elton John. [br I mean.... what else is a film called Rocketman going to focus on? It's the Elton biopic! Who did people think it was about? Did people see the title and think they would be getting the Neil Armstrong story? |
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Post by kathryn on Jul 1, 2019 17:42:54 GMT
I know, right?! I actually think it does a pretty good job than being about more than *just* Elton, thematically - I’ve seen a lot of people who are in recovery or just therapy themselves saying how much it resonated with them.
But it’s a pretty persistent complaint with musician biopics, that they don’t really reveal enough about the musician’s appeal/talent/creativity, and I’m a little bit puzzled as to how you’d actually do that. Most musicians who I’ve heard talk about their songwriting don’t seem to know how they do it themselves - the music just sort of comes, or doesn’t come.
Elton himself just sits down with the lyrics and plays - he doesn’t spend more than an hour on anything, if he hasn’t got it by then it’s not happening. How do you dramatise that? Other than how they did it in the film with Your Song, which made it about the relationship between Elton and Bernie.
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Post by xanady on Jul 5, 2019 17:53:40 GMT
Re-watched this earlier this week...it’s damn good entertainment and there isn’t a dull moment in the two hours run time.A fabulous movie!
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jul 8, 2019 23:42:45 GMT
Finally watched it this evening.
I think Taron Egerton deserves nominations all over the place - it is such a commanding performance. Entertaining, nuanced, committed, intelligent.
I would have liked a bit more depth to the script. Certain relationships weren't as developed as I would have liked - particularly with Bernie (which felt sketchy throughout) and Richard Madden's character
But overall it was a good piece of work.
I can see it transitioning to the stage, indeed it felt like a stage musical a lot of the time. The therapy framing device would translate easily and the presentation is inevitably theatrical because that is a strong part of Elton.
But Egerton is a star. And not just because he is very easy on the eye!
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Post by kathryn on Jul 9, 2019 15:50:52 GMT
Bernie's really interesting. He's got his own little storyline chugging away in the background (literally in the background in one of the scenes) that Elton just isn't noticing because he is too wrapped up in his own life.
It's a clever little perspective trick that you notice when you re-watch it. We're seeing everything from Elton's perspective - there's stuff happening around him that he just isn't paying attention to.
You could probably make a companion piece entirely from John Reid's perspective that would look quite different. I know people have been joking about making the 'John Reid cinematic universe' because he shows up in Bohemian Rhapsody too, but I do genuinely think you could make an interesting film from that perspective. Particularly if you were willing to show the reality of what rock stars got up to - it must have been absolutely terrifying to have an entire multi-million dollar industry depending on the work of people who seemed determined to self-destruct.
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 9, 2019 16:00:36 GMT
it must have been absolutely terrifying to have an entire multi-million dollar industry depending on the work of people who seemed determined to self-destruct. What we need is a tonyloco anecdote...or 10! (Hope you read this at some point, Tony.) 🙂 |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jul 9, 2019 16:15:48 GMT
I get the perspective thing - I just felt a bit short-changed by some of the decisions. I would have happily had an extra 10 minutes of film just to round things out a little more.
An extended cut would be welcome!!
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Post by kathryn on Jul 9, 2019 17:46:40 GMT
Yes, I think it needs an extra 10 minutes too. Though I'd probably add it to the end for a bit of extra upswing post-therapy - the ending feels abrupt to me. I wanted an Elton-David Furnish meet-cute, hopeless romantic that I am.
Fingers crossed for lots of deleted scenes on the DVD. Dexter Fletcher has already said there's an extended Honky Cat sequence - they cut a whole dance routine out of it, bits of which were shown in the early trailer, so lots of people have been asking for it.
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Post by xanady on Jul 9, 2019 17:57:30 GMT
Agree that it had a very theatrical feel to it.Loved the fantasy elements.Egerton nailed the character perfectly.Beautifully photographed and what a fabulous supporting cast.
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Post by justfran on Jul 16, 2019 14:36:53 GMT
My local cinema are advertising a sing a long screening for a week on Friday.
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Post by kathryn on Jul 16, 2019 22:45:59 GMT
After weeks of wondering whether singing along is *really* appropriate (sing-a-long-a-suicide-attempt?!) I’ve succumbed and booked a ticket to the Prince Charles Cinema singalong showing on the Saturday. It’ll be interesting to see what sort of crowd turns out and how they react, at least.
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Post by Nicholas on Oct 11, 2019 9:39:13 GMT
Now this is on DVD, it gives us an excuse to drag this thread up again, which for me is great, because… Well, Sunshine on Leith is still the greatest film ever made, but Rocketman is the second greatest. I just adored this film. It’s such a beautiful adaptation of Elton’s Life and music, mostly because it’s amazingly also a story any smalltown kid can relate to. Dexter Fletcher is a veritable genius – he always sees and portrays both the best and fullest of his characters, and in doing so has already made two of the best English musicals ever.
The kernel of its genius is that but it finds something truly universal in this story, something relatable to anyone, and incredibly empathetic to those in need of its help. Strip everything away – Elton’s life or Elton’s legend – and it’s a deeply personal, intimate film about wanting to be loved, by our family, by our loves, by our ‘brothers’ – it’s an optimistic film with artistic depth, true integrity, and empathy for anyone in such a situation. Whilst lazier rock-docs* climax with the biggest gig of a career, Rocketman walks out of Madison Square Gardens, and peaks with a hug. That hug, that scene, could be you or me.
*You know what I’m talking about. I finally saw it. It’s a bunch of toothless hagiography with miming in between. Rami Malek’s good but the script gives him nothing to do. Watching his last twenty minutes of carefully recreated lip-syncing, all I could think is: Bohemian Rhapsody is just drag for straight people.
The way Lee Hall and Dexter Fletcher – controversially – makes this musical a musical is remarkable. As a biopic it’s a thorough and insightful way to tell Elton’s story, but in every musical choice they also tell Reg Dwight’s story, making each song as relevant to disposed small-town kids as to fans of big pop numbers pays dividends, in a story that musically fizzes, and emotionally wrings us out. By making “Crocodile Rock” literally fly, the film recreates the experience of hearing the song for the first time, floating in awe, joyous and exuberant and NEW. The framing of “Your Song”, conversely, is almost painterly; that biopic staple “genius makes his work of genius” scene is hard to do, but by having established Elton’s ease of writing, and then framing it with Bernie so present, the genius shared, little laughs here and there, it hammers home the beauty and musical brilliance of that partnership – the champagne pop finale is a musical touch in and of itself. Finally, “I’m Still Standing” using/recreating archive footage might look simple, but use of reality in this fantasy was every bit as incisive as the archival footage end of Mad Men – placing our hero’s expression in a real world. Everything Dexter Fletcher did was exquisite.
Best cast of the year? Billy Elliott’s a great film, but who’d have thought Jamie Bell would be the versatile great he is today? One of my favourite moments was before the Albert Hall concert, with his resigned acceptance of Elton’s apology – it’s a perfect encapsulation of that sort of love. His final line of “You’re my brother” beautifully reiterates one of the film’s familial morals, unexpectedly calls back to “Border Song, and perfectly ties up that friendship. It’s the attention to detail in those smallest moments that makes this so lovely.
Richard Madden is hot. I’m sure he’s a great actor but I was distracted.
At one of Stephen Graham’s lines I laughed so much the cinema started laughing at me.
At its heart, Taron Edgerton gives an extraordinarily layered performance. Young Elton has a shyness (“shy”, incidentally, being a euphemism Alan Bennett’s family used a lot to describe him as a young gay man, something I think Lee Hall brilliantly runs with), and even when Taron Edgerton’s tarted up in Queen Elizabeth garb or stripped completely naked, that shyness runs through him like a stick of Blackpool Rock. It’s an unshowy performance that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but really shines in Elton’s excesses. Come award season he’ll be remembered or else. Hopefully Dexter Fletcher will be too.
Incidentally, whilst Eddie the Eagle isn’t a great film, and certainly no Sunshine on Leith or Rocketman, I think it’s Dexter Fletcher’s mission statement. His characters may not always win, but boy will Dexter Fletcher let them try, and boy is Dexter Fletcher on their side. I think he’s a great cinemamaker, but I think he’s probably a great friend too, and that shines through most profoundly watching Davy and Ally readjust to Glasgow, or watching Elton just want someone to hug him.
I saw it three times in cinemas, which is a record for me. I still walk down the street and think of the “Honky Cat” scene and just burst out grinning, or the penultimate scene and have to hold back crying in public. The reason I’ve kept coming back to it – and will now it’s on home entertainment – is because it’s a film that acknowledges the difficulty of overcoming our pasts, but highlights the importance of new family, friends, ‘brothers’. Making such an insightful and universal film from such a mainstream source – and serving both masters perfectly – makes this such a glorious piece of work.
Only one caveat – who hires Sharon D Clarke for a musical, and doesn’t have her sing? Still, if you loved it, now go watch Sunshine on Leith.
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Post by freckles on Oct 11, 2019 9:52:46 GMT
Great write up, Nicholas. I found many scenes in this so joyous and can't wait to watch it again on DVD. As you say, it's beautifully nuanced throughout and i just love the musical-ness of it all.
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