I think just about everybody knows the storyline by now of Idlewild which is set in and around a Prohibition-era speakeasy. To check out more, see the official website: idlewildmovie . :)
According to the charts, Idlewild the film had the highest per-screen average in the movie top 10.
How is the Idlewild album doing so far? EW Magazine is reporting that the CD's first week of sales were 196,000 units compared with "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' which did 510,000 units its first week but overall me personally? Aside from the numbers, I am just loving the concept as a whole. Outkast has creative concepts for days it seems.
Here are some of my thoughts on the movie.
Musically and artistically speaking:
A theme of "the 30's meets Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop meets the 30's" comes to mind and it all works. I think that is one of the things I was thinking, "Yes, in an alternate reality, I could see this or I could see that." I am describing how they mixed the 30s style music with Outkast's Music. It just worked to me and worked very well on that level. I enjoyed it all.
That type of theme is actually something I have thought about many times when you look at the history of music and the history of dance. I often wonder about and always find myself taking a look at its progressions, its common themes, etc. in music and dance and this movie brings that all out in a really good way.
It's almost like asking the question, "What if you were to take 30's Jazz, Rhythm & Blues and mixed it as creatively as you can with modern Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop Outkast style in sound and dance? What would happen? Would they complement each other? Would it still move people? Would they still be grooving to it?" They really knocked it out the park in how they successfully did this.
Spoiler Alert: There were a couple of tracks they used from their last album, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" and I can see why they went ahead and used them in some respects. The only one I thought was a little out there to use in this was "She's Always In My Lap" which they changed to "She's Always In My Lab" for the sake of the storyline and how things play out etc.
Musically speaking, there have actually been some mix CD's that have come out over the last 10 to 15 yrs that have experimented and still experiment with that concept. 1920's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's music mixed with some of today's sounds. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but Outkast is one of the groups that seems to know exactly what they're doing when they do this and continue to do it very well with their own flavor mixed in of course!
When you take a look at music, dance, you name it, and specifically when you can look at African-Americans from our ancestors times and different African Dancing, even African Dancing today, to Gospel, to Blues, to Jazz, to Tap, to Theater, to Broadway, to The Lindyhop, to the Foxtrot, to the Boogie-Woogie, to The Bump, to The Robot, to Breakdancing and Popping and Locking, to the Two Step, to The Electric Slide and on and on over the decades and all that we brought to it - If you look closely enough you will see there is a common thread like a patchwork quilt there that connects all of us to it all and some common rhythms and movements there too.
This movie was like going back in a time machine and asking the question, "What if?" Hey, some people say Louis Armstrong was Hip-Hop too. His scatting, his rhythms, etc. And you know what the Hip-Hoppers say about James Brown! How many times has JB been sampled?! (In James Brown voice) "Good God!" Because it all works and works well. It's the basis. How can you have one without learning and having the other?
Storyline, acting, script:
Constructive criticism? My only thing I think that could have been better? The storyline could have been a little stronger in certain spots and Andre 3000 and Big Boi are not professional actors which they and we all know already but the movie still worked to me overall and so did they in their roles. It just works.
So, for what the story or some acting by the two lead characters may have lacked, the other performances by the more experienced actors, the musical numbers, the music, etc. makes up for. For Outkast's first venture into silver screen film I give them an A+. Andre 3000 and Big Boi held their own and they did a good job.
I can't even get on them too hard for that because overall I just enjoyed the movie so much and give them big props for bringing to fruition a story they always wanted to do.
The Direction was incredible, so was the cinematography, the dance numbers, the way it was edited too, the way they mixed it all together. Just off the hook. The cast they had on board for this was good too.
Outkast has to be the most creative group out here in Hip-Hop as far as their ideas and how they bring it to their albums, videos and now film. The way they mixed in the music into the film I thought was overall well done.
This movie has another great quality about it that they were successful in accomplishing; it stays with you. It gets in your system. Even though they took some artistic liberties compared to the real Idlewild, iaacc.com, they really did great with taking you to that time. I felt like I just got a sneak preview or a visit of a wild ride. A place I want to see and hear again. Hours after the movie I found myself wanting to see it again.
Full album review to come soon!
Once again, for the full Idlewild storyline and more check out the official website here: idlewildmovie.
Idlewild Trailer:
Check out the latest video entitled Morris Brown:
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