Ray Charles on my mind

Advantages: Superb performance by Jamie Foxx
Disadvantages: Long and dull at times

..., however famous they are, is that more often than not, there are long boring bits that don't translate well onto the screen. However, having recently thoroughly enjoyed Will Smith's interpretation of Muhammad Ali, and hearing that Jamie Foxx gave the performance of a lifetime as Ray Charles, I decided it was worth a go. I am not particularly familiar with Ray Charles' music, although I realised during the course of the film that I knew more about it than I had realised and I think that most people will have a similar experience. It certainly isn't necessary to be familiar with the music or the man, although it would enhance the viewing experience. Jamie Foxx is truly superb as Ray Charles. As the legend only died in 2004, I have seen him on television and was always captivated by his habit of swinging from side to side while talking. Foxx...

sunmeilan 21.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Ray (DVD)

Ray DVD - It's a shame about Ray

Advantages: Well acted, great music
Disadvantages: Too long

..."If you want to do something to make your mama proud, promise me. Promise me you won't let nobody turn you into no cripple, you won't become no charity case, and you'll stand on your own two feet." Confession: Before watching "Ray", my total knowledge of the life of Ray Charles amounted to sub-"back off a fag packet" levels. He was a blind, American performer who apparently had Georgia on his mind. As a lover of a wide variety of music, this was a situation I set about resolving by renting "Ray", a biopic directed by Taylor Hackford and released in 2005. And do I know much about him after the movie? Well, to be honest, given the length of the film, I feel like I've lived my life with him. It is, it must be said, a painfully long film. That said, it does give you a real insight into his life, his career, his pain and suffering...

stevek181 24.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Ray (DVD)

Ray is on my mind

Advantages: Brilliant music
Disadvantages: None

...Charles jamming together. This is basically the moulding of Jamie Foxx into Ray Charles and you get to see how he learns to imitate the voice and movements. Plus quite amazingly, they used prosthetics on Jamie's eyes to make them closed and blind. Due to this he had to keep them on for about 14 hours a day and basically lived the role. You also get an interview with Ray Charles Jr and Quincy Jones. There is a trailer for the Soundtrack to the film, which features many of Ray Charles's best known hits. Then there is a feature called "Ray Remembered", this is a tribute to Ray Charles from many famous singers. Sadly, Ray Charles passed away in June 2004 aged 73. The next feature "A look inside Ray" is basically the making of the film, with loads of interviews and scenes from the movie. Interesting point is that this film took 15 years to...

christianfilmcritic 26.01.2006 (28.01.2006) · Read review
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Review of Ray (DVD)

Madonna's Ray of Change

Advantages: Couple of good tracks
Disadvantages: Too much of a change. Not easy to listen to.

...Madonna Ciccone has been nicknamed the 'Queen of Pop', and is wll known for groundbreaking music releasing themes of music and religion onto the stage with controversy attached. Following the release of her 1994 album 'Bedtime Stories', Madonna took a break from recording music and concentrated on the film production of the musical 'Evita', in which she takes the lead. Following the birth of her first child Lourdes, Madonna wrote the bulk of the tracks on 'Ray of Light', her 1998 album. Its release heralded another 'new' Madonna. As a solo performer, she is constantly reinventing herself for fear of repeating herself within her music. This is evident in this album with the 'modern' sounds created by the majority of the tracks. There are 13 tracks in all, including the hit tracks 'Ray of Light', 'Frozen' and 'Nothing Really Matters...

pmcds 13.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Ray Of Light - Madonna

JUST RAY

Advantages: A little knowledge about musical history.
Disadvantages: Overacted to some extent.

...I have mixed feelings about this film, because although I have known and loved the music of Ray Charles for most of my life, I was unsure as to how he could accurately be portrayed by an actor. This film is about the story of a man who has left a mark in the music industry that is hard to follow, with his wonderfully original voice and style, though until watching the movie, I had no idea about the sadness that haunted Ray for most of his life. It is strange how childhood events can shape a human being's future, and the events that shaped the life of Ray Charles are sad ones, though from the film, it seemed that many were exaggerated by the mis-use of drugs. This strange character made his way into a feirce career competing against sighted people, whilst having become blind in his youth. In an effort to make her son independent...

thingywhatsit 30.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of Ray DVD

Ray of Light

Advantages: Pedestrian direction, plodding pacing
Disadvantages: Strong performances

...Ray Charles was true pioneer of twentieth century music. Born in poverty, he overcame personal tragedy, physical disability, racial and musical prejudice to become a music icon. He was the first musician to successfully combine rhythm and blues and gospel, the first to own his own masters and the first to cross over from R and B to the popular music charts. But he was also a flawed human being whose temptations included drugs and women. Director Taylor Hackford (with the emphasis on ?hack?) is best known for directing big name stars in mediocre films. His output includes ?Proof of Life? with Russell Crowe and Al Pacino in ?Devil?s Advocate?. In fact he?s probably more famous for being Helen Mirren?s other half. It seems strange then that he is in the running for several Oscars for this uninspired take on the life of a legend. There...

afy9mab 31.01.2005 · Read review
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Review of Ray DVD

Ray - an astonishing biopic

Advantages: Wonderful performances, great soundtrack, great insight into Ray's life
Disadvantages: Some unanswered questions (probably deliberate though)

...years. Sadly he passed away in 2004. I wonder what he'd have made of this film? Somehow, from the character presented in Ray, I think he would have rather enjoyed it - though he would have been ashamed of some of the mistakes he made. (If any of us saw a film about ourselves, wouldn't we too?!?) Like "A Beautiful Mind", Ray is a powerful and inspirational story that no thinking person who watches will be unaffected by. Added to this, of course, it has a brilliant soundtrack full of Ray's best songs. The plot is well paced and holds your interest through the two and a half hours of the movie. Oh, and if you're the sort who cries at movies? don't forget your tissues? There were one or two questions that still lingered in my mind that the film didn't answer, but it would probably have been a 5-hour film if everyone's questions had been...

CaptainDisaster 31.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of Ray DVD

Ray Of Light

Advantages: See op
Disadvantages: None

...Ray Of Light was released in 1998 and on the album are 6 tracks that reached the charts which are as follows: Substitute For Love, Ray Of Light, Nothing Really Matters, Frozen, The Power Of Good-Bye and Little Star. There are three tracks which I’m not to keen on which are Candy Perfume Girl and Shanti/Ashtangt and Mer Girl. The tracks Swim and Skin I found to be ok but I prefer the tracks Sky Fits Heaven and To Have And Not To Hold. Of course I love Nothing Really Matters, Ray Of Light, The Power Of Good-Bye and Frozen. Now I’ll move on to what each track means and what I thought of each track here goes hope you enjoy reading. Track1: Substitute For Love The song itself is about realising the mistake you have made by choosing fame over love. It’s also about changing your mind and wanting that...

Toady 24.08.2001 (01.04.2002) · Read review
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Review of Ray Of Light - Madonna

Transformers tranform on to blu - ray

Advantages: Good film with excellent special effects
Disadvantages: none

...good and evil, but with cutting edge special effects and action scenes galore this is a great film to watch. The blu-ray version i watched was a 2 disc set with the second disc full of extras. There was a section on the history of transformers, and interviews with executive producers Steven Spielberg and Brian Goldner, writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, and director Michael Bay. There were also features on the animation used and the way they worked out where to do scenes. You also get a look at the military equipment seen and used in the film. This additional information is something you do not want to skip over, because it gives you a much deeper understanding of how much planning and work went into the final production. If you are into cutting edge special effects and head banging action then beg, borrow, rent, or if that fails buy...

falcon1959 13.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Transformers (Blu-Ray)

Ray - An Uplifitng Story

Advantages: Sticks fairly closely to the real life story
Disadvantages: Drags a little in parts

...What an inspirational film. Ray Charles overcame the obstacles of being poor, black and blind to become an internationally appreciated musician. In addition he saw his younger brother die from drowning in front of him (he wasn't born blind, he became blind at the age of about eight). This movie doesn't gloss over the less savoury aspects of Ray's life - he was a womaniser and a heroin addict for a long time. However he was also the first black musician to refuse to play to segregated audiences during the 1960s when the struggle for equality between the races in America was at its height. Due to his refusal to play to segregated audiences, he was banned from the state of Georgia for life. This ban was finally lifted in 1985 when he was given the freedom of the city and the state of Georgia adopted 'Georgia' by Ray Charles as...

space_chick2004 14.09.2008 (13.10.2008) · Read review
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Review of Ray (DVD)