Little High Little Low

Little High Little Low

Date to run week of 11.02 – 11.08

 
Bohemian Rhapsody — Opens 11.02.18
 
The Grinch — Opens 11.09.18
The Front Runner — Opens 11.07.18
The Girl in the Spider’s Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story — Opens 11.09.18
Overlord — Opens 11.09.18
 
Little High, Little Low
By Paul Hall
 
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? In theaters now is the new music biopic Bohemian Rhapsody that tells the tale of the rock band Queen.

Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) is just a guy from Zanzibar and a baggage handler at London’s Heathrow airport until he impresses upon a local band who just lost their lead singer that he is the perfect replacement. After some trepidation at first, Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) hear Mercury sing and make him a member of their group. They also need a new bassist since their former lead singer played bass, so they enlist John Deacon (Joe Mazzello), and together, the new band starts playing gigs. Little do they know what craziness is in their future.

With his flamboyant style and ability to galvanize a crowd, Mercury becomes the face of this new band that soon takes on the name Queen. Together, the four bandmates fight and succeed in climbing the ranks to become one of the biggest bands in the world.

The music of Queen was new, different and never able to be put in a box. When people thought they knew what Queen was, the band morphed into something uniquely special and released songs that were as varied as their members. They had to fight to get their classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” released, as people thought no radio station would play the six-minute-plus track. That battle leads to the funniest scene in the film as record executive Ray Foster (Mike Myers) exclaims to the band that kids aren’t going to sit in their car rocking to this tune. This line is perfectly delivered by Myers, who is barely recognizable as Foster but whom audience members will recognize as the kid who sat in his car rocking to “Bohemian Rhapsody” in Wayne’s World.
But those perfect lines are limited in the film. I found myself tapping along to the rhythms, singing the lyrics and reminiscing about the Queen anthems of my youth, but also felt like the film was missing so much. While I smiled and rocked with the band, the treatment of the story played as excuses to sing the music. Although Malek nailed many mannerisms, the editing of the lip-synced tracks (Queen’s actual music is used throughout) distracted from the enjoyment as a whole.

This is a movie about a rock band in the ’70s and ’80s and with a PG-13 rating, so much of the story seems sanitized and lacks authenticity in the way it is told. The film does do a good job of showing how the band was more than just Mercury and how May, Taylor and Deacon are some really good musicians in their own right. But although the film tries to focus on the band members as a family, that angle gets totally lost in the film.

I wanted to love this film, and I DID love aspects of the film. But the problem is there were bigger aspects that I didn’t like, and that is disappointing. The band deserved better on so many levels. I would buy the soundtrack in a heartbeat and will probably give another look when the Blu-ray rolls out, but for now, Bohemian Rhapsody the movie goes a little high, a lot low. The song still rocks though!
 
Paul’s Grade: C+
 
Bohemian Rhapsody
Rated PG-13
Stars: Rami Malek, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy
Director: Bryan Singer
 
Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide, the ultimate TV resource packed with celebrity news and commentary on what’s new and what’s good to watch. Get TV Guide at 88% off the cover price: call 800-866-1400 or visit tvguidemagazine.com. ©TV Guide 2018.
 
NEW THIS WEEK
 
The Grinch
Rated PG
Voices of: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Angela Lansbury
Directors: Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier
He’s a mean one, Mr. Grinch. Watch as the Grinch plots to steal Christmas from the inhabitants of Whoville in the classic story told with animated fun.
 
The Front Runner
Rated R
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons
Director: Jason Reitman
Watch the rise and fall of Sen. Gary Hart in his presidential campaign. He has a lot of big ideas for the country and seems destined for greatness until a scandalous affair derails his efforts.
 
The Girl in the Spider’s Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story
Rated R
Stars: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Lakeith Stanfield
Director: Fede Alvarez
Vigilante hacker Lisbeth Salander is caught in a web of spies, cyber criminals, corrupt government officials and much more when a job goes wrong. Based on the international bestseller.
 
Overlord
Rated R
Stars: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier
Director: Julius Avery
When American paratroopers are shot down behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day, they stumble upon a sinister Nazi experiment involving an undead army.