Big Time | |
---|---|
Directed by | Chris Blum |
Written by | Kathleen Brennan Tom Waits |
Produced by | Chris Blackwell (executive producer) Catherine Peacock (associate producer) Luc Roeg (producer) |
Starring | Tom Waits |
Cinematography | Daniel Hainey |
Edited by | Glen Scantlebury |
Distributed by | Island Visual Arts (1988) (USA) (theatrical) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes (V) 87 minutes (NYT/MFB) |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $148,426 (USA) |
Big Time is a 1988 American musical film directed by Chris Blum.
A concert film centering on singer Tom Waits featuring songs from the albums Swordfishtrombones , Rain Dogs and Franks Wild Years . [1]
Filming took place in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. [2]
There were no known existing 35mm prints of this concert film until an archival one appeared in the late 2010s. [3] [4]
Jon Pareles wrote a negative review in The New York Times , saying even fans of Waits would find it "frustrating and off-putting" and that it "turns Mr. Waits's performance into a freak show." [5] Richard Harrington wrote a negative review in The Washington Post , describing the film as "More an indulgence than a concert" and the songs as "often intriguing" but "only rarely [...] listenable". [6] Jeffrey M. Anderson, in a mixed review for Combustible Celluloid, described the film as "a treat" for fans of Tom Waits and "one hell of a show." [7] Time Out magazine called it a "magnificent movie" and "A concert film unlike any other". [8] TV Guide gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, calling it "more performance than music" and a "work that demands to be taken on its own terms." [9]
Big Time was issued on LaserDisc, VHS in Japan, UK and Yugoslavia, but was only issued on VHS in North America. [10] No official DVD [11] or Blu-ray edition has yet been released, though the film was made available for streaming on the Amazon Prime platform on September 1, 2020. [12]
Thomas Alan Waits is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the folk scene during the 1970s, but his music since the 1980s has reflected the influence of such diverse genres as rock, Delta blues, opera, vaudeville, cabaret, funk, hip hop and experimental techniques verging on industrial music. Per The Wall Street Journal, Waits “has composed a body of work that’s at least comparable to any songwriter’s in pop today. A keen, sensitive and sympathetic chronicler of the adrift and downtrodden, Mr. Waits creates three-dimensional characters who, even in their confusion and despair, are capable of insight and startling points of view. Their stories are accompanied by music that’s unlike any other in pop history.”
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