New trailer for upcoming Scorsese film on the Rolling Stones

Barrett has once again alerted me to a very hot tip (and reminded me that this is a blog I should check out more often). He sent me an e-mail this morning directing me to the new trailer for Martin Scorsese’s upcoming rock documentary on the Rolling Stones, Shine A Light (the title is taken from a song from the Stones album Exile on Main St.).

[You can also see a more high-def version of the trailer at the film's official website.]

The film was originally supposed to come out in September, but now has apparently been pushed to April. It documents a Stones show from ‘06 at New York City’s Beacon Theater, where the Allman Brothers have also recorded a number of well-renowned gigs. Having seen the Stones last year with Marsha in Wichita, I can attest that they’re still very entertaining live, despite their advanced age (I believe Mick, Keef, Charlie and Ron are all now in their 60s), and the film trailer seems to back that up. The film also features behind-the-scenes footage of events leading up to the performance, as well as some archival clips of the band.

One slight concern — and I’m sure I’m not the only one to voice it — is the guest appearance of pop vixen Christina Auguilera, joining Mick on the song “Live With Me”. That being said, the girl has a got a dynamite voice, and she’s done some respectable work the past couple years, including a good rendition of the Leon Russel number “A Song for You” on one of Herbie Hancock’s recent albums. And to make up for any bubble gum confusion, Shine a Light also includes guest appearances from Buddy Guy — one of the last living blues legends — and Jack White of the White Stripes.

Scorsese, the filmmaker responsible for such classics as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and The Departed, also has a lot of credibility when it comes to rock docs. He made The Last Waltz, released in 1978, which chronicled the final concert of The Band, and which is often regarded as the best film ever in the genre. And in 2005, he released No Direction Home, a stellar look at Bob Dylan’s career in the ’60s. After viewing the trailer for this new film, it looks like he’s crafted another gem.

[And in case you were wondering about my opinion, dear reader: Yes, the Stones are the best rock n' roll band in the history of the world. And yes, I'm very excited about this film. I'm praying to all things holy and decent that it receives a showing on the big screen here in OKC. They still haven't brought the new Dylan film here yet, and it's not even a documentary!]

[One more addendum: As if all this weren't enough, you can also watch the new trailer for The Dark Knight, the next installment in Christopher Nolan's Batman series. Due out next summer. Looks incredible.]

Talkin’ ’bout “The Dark Knight”, “I’m Not There”

Somehow, yesterday (I don’t remember how it got started), I found myself searching for all things related to The Dark Knight, the next installation of filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s take on the Batman series, due out next summer. For those of you who don’t think Nolan’s first effort, 2005’s Batman Begins, is by far the greatest Batman film yet, well, you’re just wrong. In fact, as a guy who doesn’t usually go nuts over superhero movies (but who is a Batman fan), I can honestly say that it’s one of my favorite movies period.

Anyway, I’m particularly interested in what will be the outcome of actor Heath Ledger’s portrayal of über-villain the Joker in Knight. Clearly, the guy doesn’t like to be typecast, seeing as how he’s portrayed everything from a heartthrob, to a skate bum mentor, to a drug addict. And there was that western he did, and his turn as Casanova immediately following in a thinly veiled attempt to let people know that he still likes girls. But forgetting all that, if you’ve seen the still frame of him as the Joker, or read some of the comments he’s made about the role, you’d agree that we have reason to expect good things.

I’m also eager to see his performance in the new Bob Dylan pseudo-biopic I’m Not There, in which he portrays an avatar of Dylan’s late-1960s, early ’70s period, during which Dylan was in extreme demand, yet became somewhat isolated from both the rest of the world and his earlier role as a voice of the ’60s. In the film, Ledger plays one of at least six different versions of the Dylan mystique. [Batman himself, or at least the actor Christian Bale who portrays him in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, also plays one of the Dylans in I'm Not There. Crazy.]

To sum up, here’s a good New York Times article on Ledger as an actor.