A rhapsody, bohemian. After taking over the Freddie Mercury and Queen biography 'Bohemian Rhapsody' starring the Oscar dust overbiting Rami Malek, director Dexter Fletcher got 'Kingsman' Taron Egerton to put on a starry pair of spangled sunglasses like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the dark fate beginnings of 'Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines', to take his majesty's piano throne and play the man he met playing himself in 'The Golden Circle' sequel Elton John. And after 'Eddie The Eagle' this 'Rocketman' was the perfect persona in this extended music and movie farewell tour that he even provided an amazing audiobook autobiography narration for 'Me', the memoir of Sir Elton last month. There may not have been a greater working duo in music like this since John played Bernie Taupin's "it's a little bit" funny on his livng room piano in Pinner. But this feeling inside is for everyone. It's your song, my song, his song, her song, our song.
If you thought when it came to the English literature of music that it didn't come much bigger than Freddie or Elton than you must have been struck by the same thing that hit Himesh Patel off his bicycle he loved like Queen 'Yesterday' and made the rest of the world forget about the fab four. John, Paul, George and Ringo. Matthew, Mark, Like and John musical biblical names. THE BEATLES people!! Because in a crazy and classic concept comedy 'Slumdog Millionaire' director Danny Boyle and 'Notting Hill' writer Richard Curtis crossed Abbey Road together to make a movie about more than just music, just like The Beatles were bigger than Jesus themselves. Taking The Beatles biggest hits and playing them off as his own Patel was like a rolling stone as he became a rock star for this generation back in the U.S.S.R. and refusing to let Ed Sheeran rename his biggest hit 'Hey Dude'! But for all the barefoot cheek cameos teased that you thought there might be in the movie it was one that 'Trainspotting' legend Robert Carlyle played as a true icon that didn't sell us short, but offered so much more when you realize what it actually quite meant. No Paul like at Glastonbury. No Ringo starring. But a man playing a man that if he never made it would have at the very least made it to this day. Now wouldn't that be something? Isn't that something beautiful down this long and winding road? Imagine!
Born in the U.S.A. or born in the U.K. (Greetings from Luton County to be exact), this years movies showed they were more than just music or these isles as both Patel and 'Blinded By The Light' star Viveik Kalra showed that rock stars and your musical and movie heroes look exactly how this world looks these days. And THAT'S a beautiful thing. A message we all need to heed amongst this Brexit bull####. There were incendiary, indelible moments in this movie that showed us how bad it really was...and sadly still is. And although Bruce Springsteen (who has just directed his own moving movie for his amazing album 'Western Stars' in another year for The Boss) is as apple pie as the blue jeans that rip above the scuffed collars of his workman boots, his 'Blinded By The Light' music inspired this true story of a young runaway American dream writer who too was born to run. Making this number the big three of the Summer and year in both musicals and movies as a whole, all named after incredible songs. Add that songsheet to 'Game Of Thrones' star Emilia Clarke and 'Crazy, Rich Asian' Henry Golding starring in a Paul Feig and Emma Thompson classic comedy, 'Last Christmas', scored by the Wham of a George Michael soundtrack (making up for the fact that we as a nation didn't make his signature festive classic Christmas number one in fitting tribute a year after his sad December 25th passing last Christmas. Hey if we could do it with Rage), and Jesus to a child this really has been a big hit, best of British year. You have no idea how much we've needed the music and these movies, in a United Kingdom about to find itself an island alone if we're not careful. And in a dire year were to begin the calender just after last Christmas, record company to record store, national treasure HMV had doors of their shops close for good nationwide-despite the save-how refreshingly cathartic in a brief respite it is in times of commiseration to see great British music and movie traditions celebrated for what they're really worth? Play it again Sam. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
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