Stop Making Sense
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Movie Reviews of Stop Making Sense
Movie Review: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Concert Experience
Summary: 5 Stars
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I find the manic camera movements and rapid-fire edits exhibited in the overwhelming majority of music videos and concert movies not only to be headache-inducing but detrimental to the underlying performance. Instead of focusing on the quality of the music being played and the musician's presentation, the viewer inevitably becomes distracted by the show-offy angles and technical gimmicks. What this approach ultimately reveals is the director's lack of confidence both in the performance's ability to stand on its own and in the viewer's ability to focus for more than a few seconds at a time. It's as if the makers envision their product being viewed predominantly by an audience of attention-deficient fidgeters who are hopped up on Jolt Cola. A stunning exception to this trend is Stop Making Sense--the majestic concert movie featuring the Talking Heads (circa 1983) and directed by Jonathan Demme ("Silence of the Lambs," "Philadelphia"). Demme has the good sense (not to mention, humility) to realize that the music and stage presence of the Talking Heads--and especially the band's leader, David Byrne--are more than capable of carrying the film. Instead of injecting himself clumsily into the proceedings, Demme unobtrusively and effectively captures the amazing music, the spare but striking imagery, and the unrestrained energy of a Talking Heads show. And, oh, what a show it is!
The concert begins with David Byrne performing a hypnotic, stripped-down version of "Psycho Killer," featuring only Byrne's acoustic guitar and pre-recorded beats played on a boombox. From the moment we first see Byrne on stage--his head bobbing with each beat and looking equal parts stylish, nerdy, and eerie--his mesmerizing stage presence is immediately apparent and becomes the focal point of the film. Following this stunning opener, Byrne is joined by an additional band member for each subsequent song until the line-up is fully fleshed out. This simple yet innovative device builds the excitement slowly so that by the time the full band belts out "Burning Down the House" and "Life During Wartime," the viewer is about ready to jump out his skin and dance around the living room (or whatever room the DVD is playing in).
Each of the songs in the concert is excellently arranged and expertly played, outshining by far their studio versions (which is saying something). And the joy and energy with which the songs are played become contagious. (I dare you to try and sit still through the entire film.) Subtle lighting and scenery changes ensure that each song has its own distinctive look and feel. Some of the Talking Heads' lesser-known songs stand out as some of movie's best: "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel," "Found a Job," "Making Flippy Floppy," and "This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)" are each remarkable. Other stand-outs include "Once in a Lifetime," "Slippery People," "Swamp," and "Take Me to the River."
Through it all, Demme's steady camerawork documents the unbounded excitement of the concert without intruding upon it with excessive quick-cuts, annoying audience reaction shots, and backstage interviews. Demme's greatest gift to the audience is that we don't even realize he's there.
Stop Making Sense is the best concert film ever made and gives Hard Day's Night a run for its money as best rock-n-roll movie of all-time. This is one raucous musical celebration you won't want to miss.
Movie Review: Brilliant Performances
Summary: 5 Stars
After getting this DVD, I watched at least part of it almost every day for the next two months. No lie.
While it is true that the cinementography is outstanding, what also keeps me coming back are the outstanding performances. I almost wish that each band member had a camera dedicated to them, cause they're all spectacular. Even the director, Jonathan Demme, laments the difficulty of balancing the members' screen time in the commentary. They all look like they are having a blast, and at times it seems more like a big party on a stage than a concert. Here's a capsule review of each:
David Byrne: The eccentric leader. He appears slightly spaced out and in his own little world at times, but then he'll flash a glance at one of his mates and you'll realize that he knows exactly what he's doing. There's a wonderful part during the bonus song "Big Business" where he walks over to each band member and stands transfixed while they play a "mini solo" for him -- he even bobs his head along with Bernie Worrell's keyboard riffs. In addition, his clinical descriptions of how he conceived the show in the commentary are fascinating.
Tina Weymouth: The sly bass player. Tina doesn't have a whole lot of screen time to herself except when she sings "Genius of Love." However, if you look for her in the background, you'll see some good stuff. The "blimp suit" that she wears in the first half of the show rocks! Tina's also quite an entertaining talker and contributes some funny moments to the commentary track. She gleefully recounts a prank the crew pulled on David, and also has a great quote about making music: "Whether your arms are sore or your fingers are bleeding, it doesn't matter. The end result is all that counts."
Chris Frantz: The good-natured "teddy bear" behind the drum kit. You can see him lip-synching along with many of the songs, and he'll belt out the occasional "alllright" into his mike. It's funny to watch his hair become increasingly drenched in sweat as the show goes on, while the perpetual grin on his face remains. Favorite commentary quote: "We thought we knew how to rock, and then these people [referring to the guest musicians] came along and...well, just look at them."
Jerry Harrison: The most stoic member of the band, Jerry contributes some nice rhythm guitar licks and is very articulate during the commentary. He briefly comes out of his shell during a "mini-solo" in the song Big Business, and it is quite amusing.
Bernie Worrell: Ex-Parliament keyboard wizard who doesn't get quite enough airtime to fully appreciate, but he's outstanding nonetheless. He's an adept visual performer, and I enjoyed his call-and-response section with David in the song "Making Flippy Floppy."
Steve Scales: The happy-go-lucky percussion player who's always trying to fire up the crowd. He has a great moment on "Take Me to the River" where he grabs the mic and starts trying to get everyone going.
Alex Weir: The EXTREMELY enthusiastic guitarist who's constantly bouncing around the stage. He almost collides with David during "Once in a Lifetime" while David's doing his "man possessed" dance.
Lynn Mabry/Edna Holt: The two sultry backup singers. They play off each other well, and have a great moment in "Slippery People" whey they mirror David's guitar strumming.
Movie Review: Making Sense of Talking Heads
Summary: 5 Stars
In what must be one of the great full-length feature films of a live concert experience, Stop Making Sense is a marvelous melding of art direction, choreography, costumes, stage lighting, filmmaking prowess...oh, and yes, the wonderfully rhythmic sounds of Talking Heads. All come together in a non-stop festival of sight and sound.
Watching frontman David Byrne on stage can wear one out! When he's not simultaneously inciting every joint in his angular body to the infectious rhythms, he's running three laps around the circumference of the giant stage, or playing whoopsy-daisy with an oversized floor lamp, or writhing trancelike in "the big suit" while repeatedly bopping his head as if by a healing televangelist. The movements, the music, the placement of the extended group of about nine musicians and singers, the colorful backdrops, even the camera positions -- all are a miraculous amalgam of planning and conscious conceit...and it all works!
Drawing the viewer into the film is a steadicam close-up following Byrne's tennis shoes as he walks out onto a bare stage with only a guitar and portable tape player to perform the opening number "Psycho Killer", which concludes with him doing a full-stage spastic twitch while strumming. Then lovely blonde bassist Tina Weymouth (who looks for all the world like a hipper Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary) joins Byrne onstage for the next number "Heaven", which includes an unseen female vocal singing harmony offstage while the stage crew rolls out large risers, atop one of which sits the drum kit. Drummer Chris Frantz then bounds atop and across the risers into position for the next number, soon followed by the full contingent of other musicians. It's quite the staging!
In all, there are fifteen energetic renditions of Talking Heads tunes (plus three bonus tracks of lesser visual quality), none of which were actual "hits" per se but a product of that creative burst in the late-'70s/early-'80s that came to be known as New Wave. Fans will not be disappointed! The group sans Byrne, known as The Tom-Tom Club, also perform a number.
While the seamlessness of the entire production, as I was to discover later from the added commentary, is due largely to blending shots and audio from three separate shows, it's probably a credit to director Jonathan Demme and the post-production crew that the editing, overdubbing, and processing are very transparent. There are no interruptions, nor bombastic post-production visual effects. It makes for a great viewing and listening experience! There's also a choice of Dolby digital 5.1 audio schemes: one that puts you in the front row and the other at the mixing board, as well as plain stereo.
Special features include optional running commentary by the four original group members and director Demme, bios, discography, and a fascinating storyboard-to-film comparison with original notes by Byrne. There's also a brief but odd "self-interview" by Byrne that's not to be missed!
It's difficult to recommend Stop Making Sense to non-fans, but perhaps those unfamiliar with Talking Heads will enjoy a virgin voyage with this non-stop ninety minutes of a truly singular performing sensibility. I'm sure most fans already know what I'm "talking" about. If not, what are you waiting for?
Movie Review: You may find yourself...playing this DVD a lot!
Summary: 5 Stars
Filmed at the apex of their tour for Speaking In Tongues at Hollywood's Pantages Theater, the combined efforts of David Byrne's storyboarded presentation (from literally empty stage to full ensemble plus offbeat choreography - dancing with lamps and running marathons around the stage, not to mention the now iconic 'big suit'), and director Jonathan Demme and cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth's superb camera and lighting work create a concert film experience like no other. Not only are there no 'MTV'-style quick-cut edits ('Once In A Lifetime' is done in virtually one long uncut take), and cuts to other members of the band at what would normally seem to be inopportune times give the viewer a sense of playful intimacy rarely seen in concert videos made ever since.
My own exprience in TH albums prior to the film and soundtrack album came only with 'Remain In Light' and 'Speaking In Tongues' when they were first released, but the film made me a fan of everything they did musically before and after, and it is a sad reality that there has never been another band like them since they called it quits.
The film only covers about half of their stage show from that tour, but there are so many highlights, simply beginning with David Byrne's awkward dance to the opening 'Psycho Killer' (reworked with only David, an acoustic guitar and Roland drum machine) performed on a virtually empty stage, as one-by-one we are introduced to all the players in this little drama.
When most filmmakers find the band boring, there are usually hundreds of jump cuts to the audience or behind the scenes taking the audience out of the experience ('The Last Waltz' and 'The Song Remains The Same' come easily to mind). Fortunately, the focus is entirely on the band - the audience in the theater is treated like the audience in the concert, and the only time the camera breaks away to the crowd is at the absolute end of the show, and we see that the original audience has been loving every minute of it, dancing in their seats or grooving in the aisles - this is just a fun concert film that you can't but help move to, and don't be embarassed if you start dancing, too.
Oh, there's some bonus stuff on there too, (like David Byrne's self-interview and two - three if you consider the second is a medley - excised songs from the original extended VHS release taken from an old 1" videotape master) but you'll get more mileage out of the restored concert footage, which looks rich and sounds stunning thanks to 3 separate mixes - PCM stereo, theatrical 5.1 and 'studio' 5.1 versions (the theatrical mix is really the best).
To borrow from David Byrne, overdubbed in post-production for the intermission break, "Does anybody have any questions?"
Movie Review: You may never look at a concert the same again !
Summary: 5 Stars
That's right folks, this performance is that good. Once you see all that a concert performance CAN be, in the hands of David Byrne, you will never be able to look at concerts the same again. Talking Heads frontman Byrne leads his band in a performance that blurs the lines between musical cinema and live concert. To begin, Byrne sought out a film director- Johnathan Demme in his pre-Silence of the Lambs days to record the event over three nights in 1984 in LA's Pantages Theater. Byrne had drawn up elaborate plans for a concert with a consatntly changing stage which incorporated various backgrounds, projections, and lighting schemes (you can view his original plans on the Special features menu).
The concert begins with the sound of a cheering audience and legs walking. David Byrne emerges with acoustic guitar and sets down a boombox playing an R&B beat. He then proceeds with an acoustic solo version of "Psycho Killer" alone on stage against a blank background. Bassist Tina Weymouth joins him for the next track, "Heaven", and her husband and drummer Chris Frantz comes out for the third track, "Thank You For Sending Me An Angel". The final member of the band, Jerry Harrison, joins in on rhythm guitar for the fourth song, "Found A Job". On the fifth track, "Slippery People", the backup singers and guest percussionist Steve Scales join in. Keyboardist Bernie Worrell and guitarist Alex Weir come in later on, and complete the backing band. Harrison moves between guitar and secondary keyboard throughout the concert, and Weymouth alternates between bass and bass synth. On "Naive Melody" this creates a triple-keyboard attack that is awesome. Byrne is the centerpiece of the show, spasming and gyrating like a man possessed, even jogging around the entire stage at one point. The rest of the band feeds off his energy and the entire performance is just insanely energentic and powerful. After the classic "Once In A Lifetime", Byrne leaves the stage for the performance of "Genius of Love" by the Tom Tom Club, the side project of Frantz and Weymouth. He emerges afterwards, donning his trademark Big Suit for "Girlfriend Is Better".
Plain and simple, this is the vision of a visionary (not to overlook the great performances by the rest of the band), and its hard to fault such a daring and brilliant work, though some of the song choices are questionable. Be sure to stick around afterward for Byrne's self-interview ("It's like 60 minutes on acid!") I can't say whether or not this is a good introduction to Talking Heads, but if you want one I recommend the newly-released greatest hits compilation "Sand In The Vaseline".