lostabos's Reviews

War Room (2015)

8/10

16 September 2017

Its a shame that this film has been negatively criticized the way it has been. This just demonstrates that some wish to close off their ears and not wish to hear the message behind the film. Its not the acting that should matter but the message itself. Its sad that in a world where there is so much hurting, some people do not wish to turn to prayer. It is perhaps the one thing that we need more than anything else.

This movie should not solely target Christians but more especially it should reach non-Christians. I think that was the main purpose behind making this film. Its terribly sad that the world nowadays no longer wants to turn their eyes to the maker. They just want to turn to things that will not help them spiritually. I know who I am in the eyes of my maker and I will not waste an opportunity criticizing this film. Of course, there may have been one or two things that were not perfect about it but should not mean that we should ignore the underlying message behind it. What the world needs now more than ever is to repent and turn their eyes towards Jesus. I pray that film should not simply be a tool for criticism but it should reach those that are lost and continuing to hurt out there. I wish to reiterate that its not acting that counts but the message itself.

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Promises and Lies: The Story of UB40 (2016 TV Movie)

7/10

A rather sad and cautionary tale of a band that had it all

5 August 2017

Warning: Spoilers

There is no doubt that UB40 has and will continue to remain one of the best selling bands of all time. Having grown up listening to them for practically my whole life has made me to question how a group that has sold over 7 million albums plus tour around the world making a name for themselves end up becoming bankrupt? To me and perhaps to anyone else, it certainly does not make sense. This was certainly a band that had it all, fame, a world reputation of making a name for themselves including having some of the best-selling singles and albums of all time.

They have in effect put reggae music on the world map. Without albums such as Labour of Love perhaps the world would not have been exposed to the musical talents of unknown Jamaican reggae greats such as The Heptones, The Melodians, Lord Creator (Kingston Town - yes this was a song originally composed by Kentrick Patrick aka Lord Creator) and so on. People whose music they may not get the chance to encounter. I'm privileged enough to have listened to the original versions of these songs covered by UB40 and I must say, they really should have been credited for it. Without UB40, the music of Lord Creator would have been made obsolete in my view.

Its best that this documentary did come out because it gave us another side of a band that the world may never have known about. As one of the interviewees said, the world were made to view UB40 as happy-go- lucky guys when the reality is that this was not so. There were certainly cracks that existed which needed to be exposed. To add it all is the current rift that exists between the Campbell Brothers. Its a shame that bad blood has to exist among them and I surely hope that they do sort out their differences before it is too late. It does not necessarily have to mean coming together as a band but the fact that they are brothers should say something because life unfortunately is too short for such rifts to continue. Although the documentary may have not adequately explained how the band ended up becoming bankrupt in the first place but it certainly did expose the cracks of a band whose music the world has known for over 30 or so years. The UB40 story is not your typically story of bands breaking up over ego problems.I believe that there is more than what meets the eye. It certainly does not make sense for a band that has sold a million albums world over to end up becoming bankrupt in the end. I believe that one documentary will certainly not to address this one question.

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Still Bill (2009)

8/10

Bill Withers taught me to be true to myself

20 June 2017

My first introduction to the music of Bill Withers was the song "Lean On Me". I would not exactly say that it was my all time favorite song but the song in itself struck a chord with me. I had no idea who the mastermind behind the song until certain years later. I only first came to know of the name Bill Withers as a result of having become a hardcore soul fan since 2002. It was only through my soul music journey that I decided to buy his 1981 Greatest Hits CD over 10 years ago.I am proud to say that I still have the CD to this very day. It was then that I could perhaps say that I was formally introduced to the singer that sang and wrote songs such as "Ain't No Sunshine", "Lovely Day" and so forth.

Although the documentary may have come out eight years ago, I did not think much about it until recently. I am not certain as to what drove me to watch the documentary yesterday evening but it allowed me to gain a glimpse of who this man really was and how did not give into the system. I would not wish to say that Bill Withers is a pop star in the true sense of the word but he did not put fame above his principles. That is why I believe God has blessed this man with so many years. May God continue to bless him as his nearing 80. There are not many of his caliber that can actually stand up for what they believe in. I wish that the current crop of musicians can learn from this wonderful man.

If there is perhaps one thing that "Still Bill" has taught me is to be true to myself. I do not have to owe anyone any apology to the principles for which I stand. Of course, this is not to say that Mr. Withers was a perfect man in any sense of the term. He also did make mistakes along the way but this should not detract from the fact that the morale behind this 78-minute film is we need to know who we are, where we come from and what we stand for. Mr. Withers exemplified these virtues mentioned here. I specifically recommend it to anyone who may have not heard the name Bill Withers before. It gives you a perspective of the man behind the songs that we often sing in our showers, kitchens, cars, churches or even when we walk alone in the street. It is never a documentary you would simply want to watch once and forget about it. I am actually going to watch it again after this review. There is a lot we can learn from the one of the last living soul legends of the 20th century.

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A United Kingdom (2016)

8/10

One of the more decent films of 2016 and 2017 combined

15 June 2017

6.8 does not do justice to a film that tells a story of how love can overcome boundaries. In this case, this is one of the rare African stories that we tend to get to hear about. For a long time, stories to do with Africa have been about disease, poverty and undernourishment. Asante's take on this film does indeed tell the viewer that there is more to Africa than what meets the eye.

I believe that this film should set a precedent for more African stories to be told . This film tells you that there is a lot more than just about Mandela. There is need to learn about other Africans namely Jomo Kenyatta, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, John Chilembwe and many others. These are perhaps some of the few names that I can think of. I commend Asante for taking a bold stand in producing a film of a figure(s) that most people out there may have not heard.

For those of you that may want to get a different side to Africa, I would recommend that you begin by watching "A United Kingdom". In my view, it is one of the more decent films of 2016/17 combined.

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