The Beatles: Get Back

The Beatles: Get Back

Rated PG-13

7 hours 48 minutes

Starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I decided to watch this one.  The idea is that The Beatles will have their writing and recording sessions filmed in 1969 and used in the 1970 film “Let It Be,” along with deciding whether (and where) to do a live concert for the first time in three years.  The catch is they have to write and learn 14 new songs, and they only have three weeks to complete the project.  Clocking in at almost eight hours, that’s a LOT of Beatles!  It’s broken into three parts, so that was easier than watching it all at once.  There was no commentary or anything like that during the film – it was mostly just cameras set up all around the studio recording everything as it happened.  That being said, I loved every second of this!  There were good and bad times, with things like George leaving the band, Yoko in the studio, Paul playing drums, Ringo on guitar and keyboards, and just seeing how it all came together.  It felt like you were right in the room with them, seeing how they interacted with one another, watching classic songs come to life right before your eyes, and getting to see the culmination of all their work in the classic “rooftop” concert in its entirety – the last time they ever performed together as a band!  

Library Link: The Beatles: Get Back (DVD)

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Rated PG-13

2 hours 4 minutes

Starring: Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace

This movie is a fun new addition to the Ghostbusters franchise!  It was nostalgic.  It was a tribute to Harold Ramis.  It really was fun!  It was all kinds of things!  My favorite was how much it tied into the original Ghostbusters movie and all the references that took me right back to the first one.  The story involves the granddaughter of original ghostbuster Egon Spengler, who is kind of an outcast/science girl with a lot of qualities of her grandfather, finding a connection to him through becoming a ghostbuster herself!  It’s a new story, but with a lot of the same characters and just enough of the original props, gadgets, and ideas from the early years that it should please new and old fans alike.  I don’t know if it quite had the “magic” of the first one, but was still nice just to get away from life for a while and have an enjoyable movie for a little escape!

Library Link: Ghostbusters: Afterlife (DVD)

 

King Richard

Rated R

2 hours 24 minutes

Starring: Will Smith, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton

I didn’t know if I would like this or not – and almost didn’t even watch it.  Tennis isn’t something I follow very close, but like most people, had heard of Venus and Serena Williams.  I like Will Smith and decided to give it a chance.  I’m glad I did!  The story focused more on the girls’ father, Richard Williams (played by Smith), and how he was able to take his girls from the ghettos of Compton, California to become world-renowned tennis champions.  His methods are unconventional.  He doesn’t listen to the experts and doesn’t have his daughters follow the standard path, but it worked out for them as they are the premier stars of tennis.  I’m not sure how accurate the story is, but most scenes did match with what I’ve heard – and Venus and Serena served as producers for the film.  It was an entertaining movie that kept my attention and was well worth my time!

Library Link: King Richard (DVD)