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The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Slade in Flame review – Midlands glam rockers offer A Hard Day's Night meets Get Carter
Here is Slade's movie musical satire from 1975, a film with all the pungent historical presence of a pub ashtray, about an imaginary band called Flame which looked and sounded a lot like Slade, fronted by Stoker, played by Noddy Holder. It came out a year after the film's soundtrack album was released, and now gets a rerelease for its 50-year anniversary. Slade in Flame – which is to say, Flame, starring Slade – is regarded by fans and non-fans alike with enormous affection and regard, and it certainly has a weird, goofy energy: the audio mix sometimes surreally privileging ambient sounds such as doors closing and glasses chinking, with the dialogue way in the background. It's about an innocent working-class Midlands band getting taken up by creepy adman-type smoothie Robert Seymour, played by Tom Conti, who exploits their raw talent for cash and takes them on a rollercoaster ride of fame, the action regularly suspended while the band sing their various tracks. But then their former manager, dodgy cockney mobster Mr Harding (Johnny Shannon) reappears – a man who never gave a hoot about them in their early days and contributed nothing to their career – demanding his share of the action. So it bizarrely mixes the madcap comedy of A Hard Day's Night – or a late-period Carry On – with the brutal nastiness of a crime thriller like Get Carter. The effect is striking, in its way, but finally somehow depressing in a way that isn't entirely intentional, and depressing in a way that actually listening to Slade is not. It also shows the unexpected influence of a particular kind of Brit social realism with a generic loyalty to unhappiness. Flame is the amalgam of two sparring local bands, one fronted by tricky geezer Jack Daniels, played by Alan Lake, always conning his fellow band members out of their share of the fee, and the other a comedy combo called Roy Priest And the Undertakers, the lead singer being Holder's irrepressible Stoker. They have a monumental fight which lands them all in the cells, where a grim-faced custody sergeant is shown walking down the corridor, flushing each of their lavatories in turn with a chain that dangles outside. (It's this kind of brutal touch which makes the film a vivid guide to the tough 70s.) They join forces and Daniels is dispensed with. Flame then enjoy the fruits of the Faustian bargain that they don't remember making: packed crowds, screaming girls, lots of money. There's a thoroughly bizarre interview aboard a pirate radio ship in the Thames estuary which is interrupted by gunshots which Seymour may or may not have staged for publicity purposes. But there's a creeping sense that it's all going to come crashing down. The best bits are always the band performing, with Holder's compelling rock'n'roll growl. Slade in Flame is in UK and Irish cinemas from 2 May, and on Blu-ray and DVD from 19 May.
The Guardian
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘The Citizen Kane of rock movies': glam rockers Slade and their bid for cinema greatness
Daryl Easlea was eight years old when he got the 4A bus with his mate Graham down to the Odeon in Southend-on-Sea to see his favourite rock band make the leap from vinyl to celluloid. After 12 consecutive top 10 singles – including six No 1s – Slade had finally made their first movie, Slade in Flame. It has just turned 50. What young Easlea saw in 1975 was not the fun-packed adventures of a happy-go-lucky glam rock foursome, but a dour, downbeat film about being chewed up and spat out by the music industry. Easlea, who would grow up to be Slade's biographer, didn't care. 'You can't underestimate how it felt to hear the word 'piss' when you were eight,' he says, laughing. 'I know it sounds exceptionally shallow, but it felt edgy and dangerous. I didn't understand the half of it. Films don't usually start with two blokes having a chat in a loo – that very mundanity reached out to me. They were cheeky and sweary, and it wasn't like seeing A Hard Day's Night on the telly.' Slade in Flame – which is getting rereleased in UK cinemas in May – depicted a fictional band, Flame, who are formed from two squabbling clubland bands in 1967, and attract the attention of a London-based businessman (Tom Conti) who sees the opportunity to package and sell them, as he says, like cigarettes. As they become successful, their thuggish former agent tries to reclaim them. Realising their own lack of agency, the band choose instead to split. In the process of making it, though, band and film-makers created a Black Country version of Head, the film credited with destroying the Monkees' career, albeit one more redolent of pints of mild than tabs of acid. Just like Head, the film tanked. And just like the Monkees, Slade suffered. 'Chas Chandler, our manager, wanted us to follow in the footsteps of the Beatles,' recalls Don Powell, Slade's drummer. 'And he said, 'How about making a movie?' We said, 'We don't want to do A Hard Day's Night. We want to show the gritty side of the business.' But it went against us.' He says audiences got confused that 'we weren't Slade in the film, we were all playing different characters.' To get the film made, Chandler went to Goodtimes Enterprises, headed by David – later Lord – Puttnam, which had made notably darker rock-adjacent movies such as Performance, starring Mick Jagger, and the David Essex vehicles Stardust and That'll Be the Day. Two twentysomethings – Richard Loncraine and Andrew Birkin – were brought in to direct and write, and the pair of them were promptly packed off on tour in the US with Slade to get a feel for their subjects. Neither were fans – Birkin had never even heard of Slade, let alone listened to them – and the experience was odd. 'They never really managed to crack America, and were playing to a lot of half-empty arenas,' Loncraine says. 'I remember an awful lot of dreadful tour buses.' Birkin adds that in between listening to recordings of Hancock's Half Hour with singer Noddy Holder – both were Tony Hancock zealots – 'it became apparent that you had to base the characters in the movie around their own characters.' 'Andrew spoke to us individually for many, many hours, getting stories,' Powell says. And many of the stories passed around the circuit were re-enacted in the film: Noddy Holder getting trapped in a coffin on stage really did happen to Screaming Lord Sutch. In another set piece, the band visit a pirate radio station operating from a Maunsell Fort in the Thames Estuary. 'We didn't get any permission or anything,' Loncraine says. 'We just turned up with 50 people on a boat to find these rusting ladders. We had to get Dave Hill up there and he was terrified of heights. His wig blew off.' Also true to life, Powell says, was the way the film reflected how bands playing the same gigs would interact with each other off stage. 'We always used to meet at the Caravan outside New Street station in Birmingham,' he says of the band's days on the club circuit. 'It sold hotdogs and cookies and coffees. Robert Plant would be there, John Bonham, Jeff Lynne, Justin Hayward – all with our cups of tea talking about where we'd just played.' At least one character bears a close resemblance to a real life counterpart: the agent Ron Harding even has a name notably similar to Don Arden, one of the most feared music business impresarios of the 60s and 70s. But part of the film's grimness came not from the band, but from Birkin. 'At the time I had a very bleak view of life,' he says. Birkin had been hired by Puttnam to adapt the memoir of Albert Speer, Adolf Hitler's architect and later armaments minister during the Third Reich, for a feature film. Speer had been released from Spandau prison in 1966, and Birkin spent 44 hours interviewing him, challenging the Nazi about his past. 'I was also involved with making a film about internment in Northern Ireland. A lot of that rubbed off on me.' It was exemplified by a scene in which Powell and his former boss go down to the local canal to discuss the meaningless of life: 'It ain't the same any more,' Powell says, asked if his dreams have come true. 'Make a few records. That bit's OK. Rest of the time it's a bunch of bloody gangsters in dinner jackets.' Holder was the most natural on screen, Jim Lea feels barely present, and Dave Hill is, well, Dave Hill. But Powell's performance is remarkable because in July 1973, a severe road accident left him with acute short-term memory loss. 'Don Powell was a sweet man,' Loncraine says. 'Is a sweet man. In the mornings I would have to tell him what we were doing, but even who he was as well, because he couldn't remember much about himself some mornings, or what he was doing.' 'Richard was so helpful to me,' Powell says. 'He told me, 'We only do one or two scenes a day.' You just need to learn your lines for that scene.' He said I didn't have to learn the script, and we just took everything day by day.' The film was preceded by the album of the same name, released in time for Christmas 1974. The previous two albums had topped the charts; this stalled at No 6. The first single Far Far Away reached No 2, though. Still, it was a departure for Slade – there were no glam rock bangers with misspelled titles, and in Far Far Away and the second single How Does It Feel, there was a melancholy and depth that was a million miles from Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me. When the film was released, it was largely dismissed (though rather surprisingly, Michael Billington – who reviewed cinema for the Illustrated London News, as well as theatre for this paper – quite enjoyed it). Easlea aside, it didn't really connect with the band's young fans, rather inviting the question: did no one ever stop to think they should have made a film for 12-year-olds? 'I don't remember anyone saying that. Never a single conversation about it,' Loncraine says. Powell agrees, adding: 'We said we didn't want to do a run-around, jump-around film. But it really did go against us.' 'There was some concern,' Birkin suggests. 'But Chas Chandler had faith in us and he certainly liked the idea that this would be a different kind of movie.' Fifty years on, though, both movie and album are regarded as high points in Slade's career: Mark Kermode even described the film as 'the Citizen Kane of rock movies'. Both Loncraine and Birkin think that's rather overstating things, but they are pleased with its reassessment. Easlea ended up writing Whatever Happened to Slade?, the definitive biography of the band. He now thinks Slade in Flame is a landmark – 'I genuinely think this will be the thing that people will look at for posterity's sake with the group' – and argues that it rings true because the music industry remains just as ruthless: 'You could put it in today's setting and it would be almost exactly as it was then.' And, Easlea notes, it maybe wasn't quite the career killer that has been suggested: perhaps more detrimental to their career at home was the fact they spent most of 1974, 75 and 76 touring America and ignoring their domestic audience. 'I'm still proud of it,' says Powell. 'I'm still glad we did what we did.' Slade in Flame is in cinemas from 2 May and released on BFI Blu-ray and DVD on 19 May
Buzz Feed
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Fans Think They've Worked Out Aimee Lou Wood's Next Major Role After "The White Lotus"
The main cast for Sam Mendes' four intertwining films about The Beatles has finally been unveiled – and people think they've already worked out another huge British star who could be putting in an appearance. After months of speculation, it was confirmed that Harris Dickinson and Paul Mescal will be playing John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the new biopics, all of which are due to hit cinemas in April 2028. Barry Keoghan will be playing the game-changing pop group's drummer Ringo Starr, while Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn is completing the new Fab Four as George Harrison. And it's Joseph who would be most affected by the casting that fans think they've already pieced together. Earlier this week, a post on X – that has now racked up a quarter of a million views – pointed out that The White Lotus favourite Aimee Lou Wood had recently reposted pictures of George Harrison and his first wife Pattie Boyd on her Instagram story. This prompted speculation that she will be playing the model in at least one of the new films. Aimee Lou Wood possibly hinting at her role as Pattie Boyd in the upcoming Beatles biopics next year ⋆˙⟡ Do we think we could see Aimee as Pattie?? (from gandpharrison on tiktok) — starruih (@starruih) March 31, 2025 Page Six also noted that Aimee had recently begun following Joseph Quinn on Instagram, while also liking pictures of George and Pattie on the site. And when Pattie posted on X about the project – questioning who would play her in the film centring around George – many fans were quick to suggest Aimee as a strong contender: I wonder who will be cast to play me? That's assuming that I get to feature in any of the movies.. — Pattie Boyd (@thepattieboyd) April 1, 2025 aimee lou wood will be playing you (manifesting) and yes you WILL be getting a feature — gab ^_~ ✿ (@strwbhrryfields) April 1, 2025 You'll definitely be in it, you're an important part of Beatles history. I truly think Aimee Lou Wood could play you, she's a wonderful actress! x — Pattie Boyd Daily (@groovyboyd) April 1, 2025 Aimée Lou of course — cinematictalk (@cinematictalk) April 1, 2025 i'm hoping for aimee lou wood! — muddy dirty puppy (@muddydirtypuppy) April 1, 2025 hopefully aimee lou wood — vri (@sharontqte) April 1, 2025 I VOTE AIMEE LOU WOOD!!!! — bambi (@enelinvierno) April 1, 2025 Aimee Lou Wood would be perfect! — Paul McCartney Brasil (@mccartneybrazil) April 2, 2025 George and Pattie met on the set of the Beatles movie A Hard Day's Night in 1964, and were married two years later. She is thought to be the inspiration for several beloved Beatles songs, including the ballad, "Something." After 10 years of marriage, the couple parted ways and eventually divorced in 1977. Pattie later married Eric Clapton in 1979, while George wed Olivia Harrison in 1978, to whom he was married until his death in 2001.
USA Today
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Four Beatles movies out in 2028: See who's playing John, Paul, George and Ringo
Four Beatles movies out in 2028: See who's playing John, Paul, George and Ringo Show Caption Hide Caption Ringo Starr reveals his thoughts on The Beatles' 'Now and Then' Ringo Starr chats with USA TODAY's Melissa Ruggieri about his "brothers" in The Beatles and the band's final song "Now and Then." LAS VEGAS – A new Fab Four has arrived. Monday night at CinemaCon, the annual convention for theater owners and studios, Sony Pictures finally spilled details about its ambitious four-movie "The Beatles" event. And because it involves what director Sam Mendes considers "the most significant band of all time," he brought out his entire supergroup of actors, Avengers style, starring in these intersecting music biopics: Paul Mescal is playing Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn inherits the guitar of George Harrison, Barry Keoghan will be drumming as Ringo Starr, and Harris Dickinson has been cast as John Lennon. "The Beatles changed my understanding of music. Pretty much, they made up my first memories," Mendes said. He revealed that all four films – which will be in production over the course of a year – will come out in April 2028, calling it "the first binge-able theatrical experience." Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox The filmmaker added that the quadrilogy will be told from the perspectives of "four different human beings," characters and events will cross over between the movies, and "seeing all four films in proximity tells the story in a unique way." The Beatles biopics were first announced in February of last year, with McCartney, Starr and the families of the late John Lennon and George Harrison all signing off on the project through the band's Apple Corps. Ltd. (Sony Music Publishing, by the way, controls the rights to the majority of Beatles songs.) The Beatles and movies go way back, appearing in five movies themselves between 1964 and 1970, including "A Hard Day's Night" and the animated "Yellow Submarine." There have been a few attempts at the biopic treatment, from the 1994 indie drama "Backbeat" – which centered on Lennon's relationship with Stuart Sutcliffe before the Beatles were superstars – to 2009's "Nowhere Boy" with Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a teenage Lennon. And then there are the many documentaries over the years, including Peter Jackson's "The Beatles: Get Back" in 2021 and "Beatles '64" last year. Mendes allowed that, while a lot of the Beatles story has been told, "I can assure you there is still plenty left to explore. "The music will be astonishing and I promise you it'll be worth the trip."
USA Today
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
When does 'Grey's Anatomy' return in 2025? Season 21 midseason premiere date, time
When does 'Grey's Anatomy' return in 2025? Season 21 midseason premiere date, time "Grey's Anatomy" fans can breathe again knowing the show premieres this week. The long-running medical drama will air its midseason premiere on Thursday, picking up after its gut-wrenching Season 21 cliffhanger in the fall. In true "Grey's" fashion, the episode ended with Jo Wilson (Camila Ludington) getting shot following an armed store robbery while going into labor. The midseason premiere will pick up in the aftermath of shooting at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, where Jo's romantic partner Atticus Lincoln (Chris Carmack) is working, unaware of what happened. The episode will also follow Ben Warren (Jason Winston George) facing roadblocks "with his new emergency preparedness plan," romantic tensions for Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), as well as a surgical plan dispute between doctors Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and Dr. Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill). Here's what to know about the "Grey's Anatomy" Season 21 midseason premiere this week. When does the next episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' come out? "Grey's Anatomy" returns for the Season 21 midseason premiere on Thursday, March 6, at 10 p.m. in all U.S. time zones on ABC. How to watch 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 21 New episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" Season 21 will air on ABC. Fans can also stream the episode on Hulu on Friday morning. The first 20 seasons of the series are available to stream on both Netflix and Hulu. Netflix typically adds new seasons of "Grey's Anatomy" after a season wraps up, and the same is expected for Season 21. How many episodes of 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 21 will there be? Season 21 of "Grey's Anatomy" will have 18 episodes, an increase from only 10 episodes in Season 20. Last season was shortened by the actors' and writers' strikes of 2023. The medical drama typically premieres new seasons in the fall and concludes in the spring. Is Meredith Grey back on 'Grey's Anatomy'? Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompey) will appear in at least seven of Season 21's 18 episodes, Deadline reported, citing anonymous sources. In August 2022, Pompeo announced she would have a limited appearance on Season 19 and has continued to be in a small portion of seasons since. However, she continues to serve as an executive producer and offer her staple voiceover narrations in each episode. What year did 'Grey's Anatomy' start? "Grey's Anatomy" debuted its first episode, titled "A Hard Day's Night," on ABC on March 27, 2005. The series pilot chronicled the first day of five surgical interns at Seattle Grace Hospital, and the series has since followed the personal and professional lives of staff at the center now named Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
