Neil Young Journeys (2011)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Jonathan Demme's third film with Neil Young is yet another winner. What we basically have is a look at the hometown of Young who then drives to Toronto where he's set to perform in the history Massey Hall that night. In between the songs from the concert, we flashback to Young telling a few stories and giving his thoughts on some subjects. NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS isn't quite as great as HEART OF GOLD but as someone who saw two shows from the Twisted Road tour, this documentary was a great reminder of what made the shows so special. I can understand if some are wanting more of a "greatest hits" concert or if they don't want any of the new material but I found some of the strongest work to come from the new stuff. 'Lela' was a touching song and we get a truly haunting version of 'Love and War.' We also get 'You Never Call,' 'PEaceful Valley Boulevard,' 'Hitchhike' and 'Walk With Me' from the recent stuff. Older classics include 'My My, Hey Hey,' 'Ohio,' 'After the Gold Rush' and 'I Believe in You,' which is certainly one of the highlights of the show. This really isn't a straight documentary or straight concert film but the majority of the show does go to the concert footage. There are some bizarre camera shots, which really get you right up in Young's face and I'm guessing Demme did this to show the passion and fire that he performs with. A couple songs appear to have a camera on the microphone so you really get up close. If you were a fan of the Twisted Road tour then I think you're going to enjoy this even though it's missing some songs that were played then (like Cortez the Killer and Cinnamon Girl). Still, Young and Demme are truly great together and make the film worth checking out.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Jonathan Demme's third film with Neil Young is yet another winner. What we basically have is a look at the hometown of Young who then drives to Toronto where he's set to perform in the history Massey Hall that night. In between the songs from the concert, we flashback to Young telling a few stories and giving his thoughts on some subjects. NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS isn't quite as great as HEART OF GOLD but as someone who saw two shows from the Twisted Road tour, this documentary was a great reminder of what made the shows so special. I can understand if some are wanting more of a "greatest hits" concert or if they don't want any of the new material but I found some of the strongest work to come from the new stuff. 'Lela' was a touching song and we get a truly haunting version of 'Love and War.' We also get 'You Never Call,' 'PEaceful Valley Boulevard,' 'Hitchhike' and 'Walk With Me' from the recent stuff. Older classics include 'My My, Hey Hey,' 'Ohio,' 'After the Gold Rush' and 'I Believe in You,' which is certainly one of the highlights of the show. This really isn't a straight documentary or straight concert film but the majority of the show does go to the concert footage. There are some bizarre camera shots, which really get you right up in Young's face and I'm guessing Demme did this to show the passion and fire that he performs with. A couple songs appear to have a camera on the microphone so you really get up close. If you were a fan of the Twisted Road tour then I think you're going to enjoy this even though it's missing some songs that were played then (like Cortez the Killer and Cinnamon Girl). Still, Young and Demme are truly great together and make the film worth checking out.