Matt Winters suggested I post my comments to his blog about the U23D movie as a blog...probably since they were so extensive and thought-provoking. :) As Matt knows but you may not, I am no causal U2 fan--I love this rock band like no other. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on the U23D movie, which I saw at the Minnesota Zoo Imax Theater this past Monday...
- In my opinion, the movie would not have been the same without the 3D. It made you feel like you were one of the screaming fans, not just a spectator in the theater. And I loved the way they often had 2 layers of footage that were juxtaposed, one in the background and one in the foreground. And neither me nor my date, got motion sickness, and I'm prone--even the trailer for Cloverfield turned my stomach with its handheld camera work.
- I totally agree with you that Rattle & Hum is a fantastic rock band movie documentary, capturing a snapshot of a band at a specific time. It's both sweet and fiery and a happy trip to my youth. That being said, it's not quite fair to compare that movie to this one. The purpose is totally different. U23D is mean to give you a multi-media experience of the band in a big arena, inspiring you with its impressive sound and energy. It does this, and I enjoyed it entirely.
- The Edge certainly sported a ridiculous number of fancy guitars--I counted 7.
- Poor Larry Mullen! For over 2 decades, he was the Dick Clark of the band--now his age has certainly caught up with him. But as you said, Matt, the haircut was the real problem. Maybe he needs a hat like The Edge, or perhaps he should just go back to his old crew cut look--that would probably shave off a few years.
- What I liked about the song selection is that the songs seemed to fit together to have a pretty cohesive political message of love and peace (admittedly that much of their material has), and so although, Bono didn't make any grand speeches like in the "Sunday Bloody Sunday" of Rattle & Hum, I felt it had the same message, only expressed in a manner more accessible to some. I was just having a conversation with a co-worker the other day about U2, and he said he loved the band until Bono got "all preachy." I'm betting this movie would appeal to the music fan who only wants to hear music and hear it played well. Don't get me wrong, I like Bono's rants, but I don't think they're necessary to appreciate this fun, politically charged band.
- One of the things that struck me about hearing the older songs, is that these songs are not only still great (and relevant) songs, but the band actually plays them better than they used to. As we all know, this is not true with every band--Rolling Stones, anyone?
- I loved the bit where Bono takes over the drum that Larry Mullen was playing out on the protruding runway and beats the hell out of it before "Sunday Bloody Sunday." I'm thinking I need something like that in my office so when I'm stressed or frustrated by something I hear on the news, I can just bang away. Good therapy, methinks.
- My biggest complaint was that almost all the songs were so rousing that it seemed to me to have several false endings...okay, this is going to be the big closer...no, this one is...wait, here we go. And then, when the credits, came there was one more. But as you said, Matt, that ending was great and worth the wait.
All I know is I enjoyed almost every moment of this movie, and I left feeling inspired and ready to revisit my entire U2 collection.
Friday, February 1, 2008
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I thought y'all might be interested in what Bono said jokingly at the Sundance Film Festival, where the U23D movie was shown:
"Irish people are essentially Latin people who don't know how to dance."
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