Hollywood Vampires Revive Classic Rock

Written by Jon Williams

The Grammy Awards ceremony on Monday night produced some incredible musical moments. From Taylor Swift’s opening number to Kendrick Lamar’s fiery performance (literally), the taste of Broadway’s Hamilton, Little Big Town’s haunting rendition of their hit “Girl Crush,” and more, there was something for fans all across the spectrum to enjoy. And then there were the tributes—the Eagles taking the stage with Jackson Browne to perform “Take It Easy” in honor of Glenn Frey, and Lady Gaga’s medley of David Bowie hits.

One of the more unexpected moments came late in the show when Alice Cooper took the stage with a band of familiar faces. Introduced by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, they first played an original song, then faded it into a cover of “Ace of Spades” in tribute to Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister. They did so with a brand of straightforward rock sound that was absent from the rest of the show and, indeed, has seemingly gone missing from the music world’s consciousness as other forms of pop music have come to the forefront.

The band is called the Hollywood Vampires, and this wasn’t just a one-off performance. A tribute in themselves to Cooper’s famous drinking buddies of the ‘70s, they formed in 2015 with principal members Joe Perry and Johnny Depp joining the singer. Their debut album featured contributions from such luminaries as Grohl, Joe Walsh, Sir Paul McCartney, and the late Christopher Lee. And while not technically full members of the band, they’ve frequently been joined, as they were on Monday night, by Guns N’ Roses associates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum.

And of course, to score such an incredible list of collaborators, the supergroup’s actual members are pretty famous in their own right. Alice Cooper, of course, just finished up a supporting stint on Motley Crue’s final tour. He’s been at the forefront of the rock n’ roll business for decades. The same can be said of Joe Perry, lead guitarist for Aerosmith since 1970. The third member is something of a surprise, as Johnny Depp is known for his acting career, but it turns out he has some serious musical chops as well.

The Hollywood Vampires only have one album for now, but Cooper recently reported that he’s working on a follow-up, as well as perhaps a live album, as the band gets ready for its summer concert schedule. Make sure you have it on your shelves, as well as music from the band’s members, collaborators, and other similar acts to satisfy your rock-loving patrons as this style of music tries to regain its foothold in popular culture.

Depp, Burton Shine Together in Ed Wood

Written by Kirk Baird

Martin Landau insists his 1994 Oscar-winning performance as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood was a “love letter” to the actor forever linked to his role as Dracula.

By the early 1950s, Lugosi was an aging drug addict and persona non grata in Hollywood — at least to major film studios. But Wood, widely regarded as the worst director of all time, changed that, and adopted Lugosi into his menagerie of showbiz outcasts in his film club.

Theirs is the non-romantic love story, Landau says during the commentary on the recently released Blu-ray edition of Ed Wood, of two fast friends who inspired and boosted each other. Wood was a schlocky filmmaker whose career was aided significantly simply by name-dropping Lugosi to potential movie backers, while Lugosi, through Wood, had a second chance at a career.

Their story soars with Landau and Johnny Depp, as Wood, in the leads, and a witty script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski that celebrates their eccentricities. Wood’s transvestism is played not for cheap laughs, but for empathy, and his unintentionally awful films are brought to life in a gentle manner that glows with admiration.

Director Tim Burton, a longtime fan of Wood and his films, is clearly inspired by this story, perhaps because he had a vaguely similar director/fan relationship with Vincent Price, and even cast the aging actor in his final memorable role in Edward Scissorhands.

A quirky and unusual outcast finding his way in normal society is a constant theme in Burton’s oeuvre, but it’s never felt so relevant or personal — perhaps because Ed Wood is the only biopic he’s made.

Depp delivers a high-energy and quickly accessible performance that doesn’t look to audience pity, but rather lauds the filmmaker for his tireless ambition and stubborn perseverance against all odds and critics. It’s among Depp’s finest screen moments. Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker, and George “The Animal” Steele lead a terrific supporting cast.

Burton fought the studio to film Ed Wood in black and white; renowned makeup artist Rick Baker, who won an Oscar for his work on the movie, said it was the only way that Landau’s makeup as Lugosi looked natural. On Blu-ray, the black-and-white digitally restored film is simply gorgeous and worth the upgrade alone. Most of the film’s many features are holdovers from the 2005 DVD release, but the commentary by Burton, Alexander and Karaszewski, Landau, and others from the film remains one of the better and more entertaining behind-the-scenes audio tracks available.

Burton and Depp have worked together eight times in their career, and most likely will continue their partnership. With only a few stumbles in their collaborations, Burton and Depp bring out the best in each other. Wood and Lugosi would be proud.

Is There Any Stopping The Avengers?

Written by Kirk Baird

Is there any stopping The Avengers? Earth’s Mightiest Heroes joined forces onscreen and set box-office records, including the honor to be first film to debut with a $200-million-plus opening weekend. (Its $207.4 million haul bested previous record holder Harry Potter and theDeathly Hallows: Part 2 and its $169.2 million in 2011.).

This weekend marked its third-straight at the top of the box office, as it continues to fend off some big-budgeted competition including Dark Shadows and most recently Battleship.

The Avengers’ reign as moviegoers’ top pick will come to an end at some point, perhaps as soon as this weekend with the next challenger, Men in Back III. The sci-fi comedy reunites Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as Agent J and Agent K, respectively. The story features Agent J time traveling to the 1960s to prevent the assassination of a younger Agent K (played by Josh Brolin) and changing history.

And speaking of time travel … it’s been a decade since Men in Black Part II underwhelmed critics, audiences, and the box office, though it did ultimately earn Sony studios a profit. Part II opened in July 2002 with a $52 million haul. Not bad until you consider the first Men in Black opened with nearly the same amount, in 500 less theaters, and at 1997 ticket prices. For the record: The Avengers made $55 million in its third weekend, which makes it formidable competition this weekend as well.

If Men in Black III fails to take down the team of Marvel superheroes, next up to dethrone the king would be Snow White and the Huntsman, starring Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth (who plays Thor the God of Thunder in The Avengers), and Kristen Stewart. The trailers look promising for this dark and CGI-intense adaptation of the classic fairytale. It’s also the second Snow White big-screen reinvention this year, following on the heels of Mirror Mirror, a dark comedy starring Julia Roberts, Nathan Lane, Armie Hammer, and Lily Collins (daughter of singer-songwriter-drummer Phil Collins). Mirror Mirror opened March 30 and grossed only $18.13 million its first weekend, on its way to less than $70 million. With an estimated budget of $85 million, Mirror Mirror only made a profit through the foreign box-office and yielded nearly $98 million.

But any victory by either of these two summer film newcomers would be short lived, given the increasing build-up to the June 8 opening of Prometheus.  

What do you think?

Dark Shadows Hits Theaters

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp put their twisted stamp on the cult 1960s TV soap opera about the wealthy Collins family from Collinsport, Maine, plagued by strange happenings, including a centuries-old vampire relative named Barnabas Collins. (Depp, by the way, plays Barnabas.) To prepare for the update’s darkly comical take on the 1967-1971 series, check out the large collection of Dark Shadows on DVD, featuring more than 30 sets from each season as well as best-of compilations and even a blooper reel.

Written by Kirk Baird