Report Card---"The Wrecking Crew!"

This one is a little different. 
It's not a new movie.
It was made in 2008.
I recently discovered it on Netflix.
And I'm so glad I did.
It is about the greatest musicians of their time.
Perhaps of all time.
Their heyday was from the 1950s through the 1970s.
They were Los Angeles based session musicians.
About fifteen of them.
They backed up everyone who was worth recording.
They never toured as a group.
But they certainly could have.
And they and all of their clients called them "The Wrecking Crew"
They were always in demand.
Always.
If Sinatra was recording and these guys (and a girl) weren't available, he'd wait until they were.
They invented the "sound" for the Beach Boys.
We're just scratching the surface.
Their influence on the entire recording industry has been overwhelming.
The only thing they weren't was individually famous.
The only one you might have ever heard of is Glen Campbell.
And this was all before he became famous as a singer.
They didn't seem to care about being famous.
They almost never traveled.
They cared about having normal lives.
And the money was pretty good too.

On to the scoring:

Is it interesting?

Constantly
A+.

Compelling even?

Constantly
A+.

Is it controversial?

They made unique life choices.  I guess you could say that was controversial.
A.

Is it a story worth telling?

It's an amazing story.
A+

Is it good storytelling?

Expert storytelling.
A+.

Is it well written?

Very.
A+.

Is it well cast?  Well played?

Considering it's a documentary, everybody is more than interesting.
A+.

Well shot?

Very.
A+

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

It was made by one of their children.  You could feel the love oozing through the screen.
A+.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately.
A+.

Is it too long? Too short?

I could have gone another hour.
A+.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

It's all true.  And it's uplifting and occasionally heartbreaking.
A+.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

I knew nothing about it going in, and was surprised by everything.
A+.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Enough so that I want to keep re-watching it.
A+.

Is it funny?

Have you ever known a group of musicians who weren't funny?
A+.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

Name your price.
A+

Is it impressive?

Utterly.
A+.

Overall grade: A+.

If you don't have Netflix, go out and get it.  You might like "House of Cards" too.

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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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