The Stones, Viggo and Moses

Over the weekend I saw the new Rolling Stones concert film Shine a Light at the IMAX theather in Manhattan. I highly recommend this film for any big fan of their music. Directed by my main man Martin Scorsese who is no stranger to concert films. In 1978 he filmed The Band’s final concert in the film The Last Waltz (Which is considered by many critics to be the best concert film of all time). Shine a Light is very similar as it inter-cuts historical footage and interviews with the Rolling Stones’ performance at The Beacon Theather in Manhattan last year. Guest performances by Jack White, Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera added to this fantastic performance.

One of the most interesting parts of the film were the interviews with Keith Richards and his tongue in cheek comments about how he has lasted this long! As well as the Rolling Stones 45 year together with no signs of slowing down. Richards also performs an amazing version of their 1969 classic You Got the Silver. Mick Jagger has always been known as their front man but Richards still has a great rock voice. However the biggest draw back of this film for me was seeing Richards cracked face extremely close up on the 75 foot IMAX screen. Eek!! Richards is the ultimate survivor after the insane life he has lived. In fact, I bet that after all of man kind is extinct and the cockroaches die off eons later, Keith Richards will still be around strumming his trademark guitar riffs and puffing on his cig. Long live Keith and the Rolling Stones.

Secondly, I watched the film Eastern Promises staring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts. Great flick. I never liked Mortensen before this film. However, he did receive an Oscar nomination last year and deservedly so. He plays a conflicted Russian mobster in London. His deadpan performance was amazing which included an intense and bloody fight scene while naked in a Russian bath house! (He'll make all the ladies swoon with his funky tattoos all over his body). Complex story but very compelling. It is one of the best new films I’ve seen in a while.

Lastly, I’d just like to pay homage to Charlton Heston who died on Saturday. Say what you will about his politics but he was a commanding screen presence. Touch of Evil is one of my favorite Film Noirs. Even though the running Hollywood joke is that he was miscast as a Mexican in the film, he still showed a dominating and very memorable performance. And from my Catholic grammar school days, he will always be embedded into my memory as the face of Moses in all those bible passages. There were very few stars like Charlton Heston.







- The Mountain Cat.