Even though I didn't hear much about this movie, it looked rather interesting so I decided to check it out anyway. And it ended up being a very nice surprise. First of all, the music is just awesome. I really love this kind of music, the good old Blues (way better than the disposable sh*t we get nowadays) and the movie displayed pretty well how it has influenced the other major music styles that c... read more
A very cool movie about the history of Chess records and the birth of Chicago blues, this raw and electric style, which takes roots in Delta, but uses watts to explode.
Description:Darnell Martin has written and directed this musical showbiz biopic that depicts the phenomenal rise of Chess records in Chicago during the 1950s and 1960s. She has crafted a movie that will be loved and savored by devotees of blues music.
Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), an ambitious Polish immigrant, starts out running a bar but decDarnell Martin has written and directed this musical showbiz biopic that depicts the phenomenal rise of Chess records in Chicago during the 1950s and 1960s. She has crafted a movie that will be loved and savored by devotees of blues music.
Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), an ambitious Polish immigrant, starts out running a bar but decides to take a stab at being a record producer in 1956. He is very lucky to land Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) as his first client. This poverty-stricken African-American is a highly skilled blues musician and singer/songwriter who breaks a path for others with his R&B success. Chess also oversees the career of Little Walter (Columbus Short), an energetic harmonica player who takes off as a singer as well. He's a self-destructive man who carries a gun and becomes an alcoholic.
The narrator of the unfolding drama is the songwriter Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) who reveals some of the unsavory details of Chess's business dealings with disc jockeys and later with his stable of performers. For a while, he treats his musicians like family and does his best to combat the racism they encounter when when they travel the country. Three of his other finds are Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker), a gritty singer and rival of Muddy Waters; Chuck Berry (Mos Def), an inimitable pop performer; and Etta James (Beyonce Knowles), an emotionally damaged cross-over singer who needs special attention. The music — performed by the actors themselves — comes across with real clout and effectiveness. Also featured are Gabrielle Union and Emmanuelle Chriqui as the long-suffering wives of Muddy Waters and Leonard Chess who spent most of their time and energy on their careers.... (more)(less)
“A very cool movie about the history of Chess records and the birth of Chicago blues, this raw and electric style, which takes roots in Delta, but uses watts to explode.” read more
PowerGirl added this to a list 5 months, 1 week ago
“Even though I didn't hear much about this movie, it looked rather interesting so I decided to check it out anyway. And it ended up being a very nice surprise. First of all, the music is just awesome. I really love this kind of music, the good old Blues (way better than the disposable sh*t we get nowadays) and the movie displayed pretty well how it has influenced the other major music styles that came afterwards, such as Rock'n Roll. There is an impressive cast and they all give some pretty good perfomances, even Beyoncé Knowles, even though she should try to play something else than a singer, for a change. The main issue with this flick is that they are too many characters, they keep bringing those awesome legends on the screen but there is barely enough time to develop their own story. S” read more
johanlefourbe added this to a list 1 year, 8 months ago
"In this tale of sex, violence, race, and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, "Cadillac Records" follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry."
jukeboxjive added this to a list 2 years, 4 months ago
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