Blaze

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source: Blaze

This movie is the pure essence of the legend who was Blaze Foley. If you don't get that and aren't a fan of the early days of anti Nashville singer songwriter stuff like Townes and John Prine; I don't know what to tell you. This film is fantastic and inspiring.

I mean it's a little slow, you can pause this and have dinner, come back and finish it up, but I don't think it's a bad thing. You don't rush through a beautiful poem and then toss it aside! And this is a beautiful film. The songs are very well crafted and Ben Dickey and Alia Shawkat give compelling performances. Hawke is an adept film maker, his use of imagery was interesting and I felt he captured the laconic atmosphere of singer songwriter movement in the south during the seventies and eighties. I bet Hawke could make a decent western, no problem. If you have the time to invest and a interest in music this movie will reward you.

The music is good in the film, but I just don't feel it. The non linear narrative confuses me a lot, and I don't quite understand the story. It doesn't quite help that I find it quite boring due to the slow pace.

Introduced to Blaze's music 35 years ago, before I knew who Blaze was. Until those I was listening to began to mention his name, I didn't have a clue it was his music they were playing. Townes was another; I never knew those two hung out together either.Ever since iTunes , now I have all his stuff. Thanks to the algorithms, Netflix knows what I like

Absolute magic. The lead in this film is MAGICAL. The movie put me into tears and it will you too if you connect to these songs. The life of Blaze is similar to alot of us out there yet most of us don't have the spark of life that he lit the lyrics of his music with. Absolute magic in his words. Somehow Ben Dickey brings that to life in a way I've never seen an actor portray another artist, not even Phoenix doing Cash. Absolutely will blow you away if you know Blaze at all. The movie is perfect if you like this sort of story.

I often wonder why artists of brilliance, be they in music, writing, painters, etc, seem to have such tortured, troubled short lives. In music we have seen many from, Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Janis Joplin, and hundreds of others. It is if they really do make some pack with some force for the great fleeting moment of brilliance or as Blaze Foley's estranged wife says at the end of the movie, "Well you became a legend." We can include Blaze Foley in this group too. A small number of recordings, but a treasure trove of songs that have been praised by other singer/songwriters, many of whom are in or destined to be in the Hall of Fame. Ethan Hawke has made poignant, beautiful movie of this country legend that many of have never heard of, but have heard his songs. Hawke's movie moves slowly, taking in details of the era and of Blaze Foley's life. Bringing us into Foley's world as he falls in love and falls slowly into madness fuled by alcohol, drugs, his past and his disjointed view of the dishonesty of the world around him. Hawke wisely lets Foley's songs guide the story and his lyrics act as the chorus to the script. Charley Sexton is terrific as the troubled Townes Van Zant, who acts as a guide that directs us to the small and large moments of Blaze Folye's Life. Hawke has taken his time, gathered a group of fine, focused actors and used the geography of Foley's world to craft one of the best music movies to come along in a long, long time. He obviously has a deep emotional tie to the subject matter and it shows but he does not shy away from the darkness that always hovered over his subject like a thunderstorm ready to burst. Highly recommended!