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| Movie Review |
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Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
- In theaters July 14th, 2006
- Rated PG-13 for some sex-related material
- Run Time : 105 Min
- 4.5 out of 5
Review by Jennifer Pflughaupt
As I walked into theater 4 where the Angelika was
showing "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man", I was quite
surprised that the there was a substantial crowd
awaiting the film. Personally, I had never heard the
name Leonard Cohen until I was asked to screen this
documentary and before I entered the theater, I
figured that this was going to be like any other
screening: a fairly empty theater and me sitting alone
wondering what I was about to watch. It was
unusual that I got there early and I had 30 minutes
to wait until the lights dimmed. I sat in between a
young man about my age and a group of older
women, probably in their mid to late 60's. I looked
around the theater and realized that I was sitting in a
very diverse crowd of all ages and races. I was still
wondering what was so special about this man,
Leonard Cohen?
Just then I was caught off guard when the older lady
to my right me asked what I was doing there
especially because "[I was] so young". I explained
that I was a writer for the Mungles and that I really
was clueless about the man of the film. She handed
me a book by Cohen called "Selected Poems 1956-
1968" and told me to read a particular poem. As I
read it, I transported to a different world and I was
beginning to understand that this documentary was
probably going to be very special, and it was. Cohen
was not only a poet, but a songwriter as well.
The documentary was truly a celebration of all his
works, but especially his songwriting. In 2005, a
special concert event was held in his honor with
numerous artists covering his music. The film splices
between the stage performances, the interviews of
the artists and interviews with Cohen. Once I saw
Cohen and heard him speak, I hung onto every word.
I hungered for him every time he appeared on the
screen. And that is the only complaint I have of the
documentary. There lacked a balance between stage
performances and interviews.
Nevertheless, the music was fabulous and unlike
anything else I have ever heard. (He reminded me of
a very sane Daniel Johnston.) I was introduced to
musicians such as Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, and the
ever-so wonderful Rufus Wainwright. They did
justice to the music and honored Cohen completely.
At the end, there is a special collaboration between
U2 and Cohen that is unforgettable. That is the first
and only time you will actually see and hear Cohen
perform throughout the film. At that point, I
recognized his rich and unique voice and I knew I had
heard it before. His voice and music can be heard in
scores of different films such as "The Life of David
Gale", "Secretary", "Wonder Boys", and "Bird on a
Wire", which stars one of the producers of the film,
Mel Gibson. "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" is a
beautifully made documentary and a film I suggest all
poets, musicians and artists to experience. I give it
4 and ½ out of 5.
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Jennifer is a freelance film critic with an overloaded
life. She has a rock star husband, a 2 year old
daughter, a military career in the U.S. Air Force
Reserves, and she is also a full time student at UNT
working towards getting her degree in kicking butt and
taking names. Some of her favorite films are "Heart
of the Game", "The Lords of Dogtown", "American
History X", "The Boondock Saints", "Miss
Congeniality", "The United States of Leland" , "Return
to Me" and "Thank You for Smoking". You can check
out her personal information, plus read her writings
and
reviews on Myspace .
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