Let the Music Play (2012)

The Doobie Brothers have been always been one of my favorite bands. Like most people my age, my first exposure to them was on the radio back in the seventies. Recently I had been reading a lot of rock biographies and was very disappointed to learn that no one had taken it upon themselves to write the fascinating story of one of the most successful rock bands ever. I had to settle for a VHS copy of a documentary called Listen to the Music, which had been produced in 1989 after the group’s reformation with Tom Johnston. In actuality it’s a very good documentary with lengthy performances of their hit songs, something that most music documentaries inexplicably tend to slight, preferring narration over the music. That, in combination with the absolutely stunning concert from Wolf Trap would have to suffice. That is, until now.

The recently released Let the Music Play: The Story of the Doobie Brothers is a wonderful new documentary that is now the most complete history of the band until a book comes along. It has new interviews with surviving members Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, Tiran Porter, John McFee and Michael McDonald, as well as manager Bruce Cohn, producer Ted Templeman, and rock critic Joel Selvin. And while some of the music performances are truncated in the film, there is a nice bonus section of live performances of songs in their entirety. The new film takes the story beyond where the earlier film left off at the first reunion and new album after the Michael McDonald years, and brings the story of the band up to the present. It also has a fascinating section near the end that talks to family members of the band and what their experiences were like growing up with famous fathers and spouses and what a great atmosphere the band provided, unlike than some of the negative images of rock musicians from the seventies.

Of course, The Doobie Brothers were also heavily into charity, not only gathering at the Ronald McDonald House and the Stanford Children’s Hospital every Christmas, but the many shows and tours that they performed in their career, including the one for Vietnam veterans spearheaded by Keith Knudsen that brought the band back together with Tom Johnston and has continued to the present day. The Doobies are a class act, not only one of the most successful groups in rock history, but full of excellent musicians and an ethos that allows for change, progress, a return to roots and, most important of all, a genuine love for the music that has resulted in an appreciative and dedicated fan base. Let the Music Play: The Story of the Doobie Brothers is a testament to one of the greatest bands of all time and comes highly recommended to anyone who wants to know more about them.

The Bridge (2013)

Director: Alex Zakrzewski                            Writer: Elwood Reid
Music: Shawn Pierce                                  Cinematography: Attila Szalay
Starring: Diane Kruger, Demian Bichir, Ted Levine and Matthew Lillard

Fox’s new crime drama, The Bridge, started out with a very unique twist on the genre, but seems destined to devolve into a standard, hour-long, police soap opera. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, however. The show still retains a lot of the ideas and situations that made the early shows so interesting. What drew me in, primarily, was the presence of Diane Kruger who had been so effective in the National Treasure films with Nicolas Cage. In the series she plays something of a sociopathic homicide detective who has no social filters, no compassion for other, and no ability to form personal relationships. Yet, instead of becoming a serial killer herself, she became a cop. The other major star in the series is the brilliant Ted Levine, minus his cheesy moustache from Monk and sporting a cowboy hat instead. He is the captain of the homicide squad as well as a father figure and confessor for Kruger, guiding her and helping with her personal issues.

The series is based on a joint Danish/Swedish television series of the same name that first began a couple of years ago. This time, however, instead of the bridge connecting the two Scandinavian countries, it’s the bridge across the Rio Grande connecting El Paso, Texas with Juárez, Mexico. That’s the real genius of the show. Even though it is derivative of its source material, it’s as though it was made for the U.S., the “unguarded” border with Mexico being a problem area for U.S. policy for decades. Both the Mexican and Texas authorities are called in when a woman is found lying across the borderline that separates the two countries on the bridge. Since the victim is from the U.S. Kruger claims the case for herself. But when the body is discovered cut in half, and the bottom half is from a Mexican victim, Mexican homicide detective Demián Bichir who was on the bridge that night teams up with Kruger as a two-person task force working both sides of the border. Much of the dialog in Juárez and with the Mexican actors is in Spanish, which gives the show a lot of realism as well as widening the audience base.

Bichir is a real find. Working mostly in Mexican films and television series, he’s a natural, a great actor, and the perfect foil for Kruger. Little known Johnny Dowers is also part of the El Paso homicide squad. A bit of a dandy on the show, one hopes that he’ll settle into a more well-rounded character as the season progresses. And finally, a serious, straight role for Matthew Lillard as a newspaper reporter. One of the great aspects of the show is how, in their chase to catch the killer, the police keep uncovering homicides that may or may not be him. Initially they attributed every killing to the unknown murderer, but well into the first season in becomes clear that these aren’t just some random killings and, even more frightening, the principals involved may be linked to the killer in a number of unrealized ways. Plus there are interesting sub-plots, with red herring killers, illegal immigration, gunrunning and drug trafficking. The Bridge is a great new show, a police procedural with real substance and, hopefully, one that will be around for a while.