Shine a Light

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

The Skinny: A lifelong Rolling Stones fan gets a chance to capture Mick, Keith, Charlie, and Ron (as well as guest stars Jack White, Christina Aguilera, and Buddy Guy) as they rock New York's Beacon Theatre for a 2006 show. Of course, that fan boy also just happens to be legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, so the result is part documentary, part concert film.

The Good: Marty mixes backstage, concert, and archival footage to present a personal mini-history of the Stones without treading over well-worn material. The "how long can they keep this up?" theme is ever present, but Scorsese finds choice clips that drive the point home with humor. Plus, this ain't no Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! home movie. Shine a Light was shot by a battalion of Oscar-winning cinematographers, including John Toll (The Last Samurai), Andrew Lesnie (The Lord of the Rings), and Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood). See the IMAX version for the full impact.

The Bad: ...However, close-ups of Keith Richards should never, ever be seen in IMAX. But Keef does have the best line of the movie: After meeting Bill Clinton, Richards leans in to Charlie Watts and sputters, "Hi, Clinton. I'm bushed."

Other Reasons to See It in IMAX: You can clearly see Bruce Willis in the audience (yellow baseball cap, front and center), and even more clearly see Keef checking out Christina Aguilera's ass during her duet with Jagger.

Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? If you are a fan of the Rolling Stones, you need to see this in the theater, in IMAX if possible. (If you hate the Stones, of course, this will be an unbearable two hours.) It feels so much like a concert, you expect to leave the theater half deaf, smelling of smoke, and out about $300.

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