- Dallas sucks, more than I knew. They lost at home last night to lowly Tennessee. The Cowboys drop to 3-5. They have a short week as they limp into the Linc Sunday night to face a well-rested Eagles team, coming off a bye. Philly has a chance to bury their arch-rival and move closer to first place in NFC East.
Michael irvin, former Cowboy wide receiver, is a dope, proclaiming on ESPN before the game how Dallas would not only beat the Titans but ressurect their season and become elite again. Hard to believe the 'Boys haven't won anything since 1996. How can they still be "America's Team?"
Looking at the Cowboys' schedu;e, they should lose the next two games, both on the road, to Philadelphia and Atlanta. They would make them 3-7. Give them a Thanksgiving Day win over Washington. 4-7. Then Dallas hosts the Saints. Make that another loss. 4-8. Even at home the Cowboys should lose to the Eagles. 4-9, Even if Dallas wins it's last three games- at indianapolis, at home vs Tampa Bay, and at New York to face the hapless Giants, the Cowboys would finish at 7-9.
The Birds should worry more about the Redskins. not only does Washington have a better record than Dallas, they have an easier schedule. Other than the Eagles, who should becoming a winning team after this week, Washington only plays a Houston squad that has a winning record.
As long as the Eagles take care of business, win their home games and maybe steal a road game in New Orleans or Los Angeles, they will make the playoffs and repeat as division champs.
- The Flyers went 3-0-1 on their west coast swing, a trip that couldv'e buried them in the Eastern Conference standings and forced a coaching change.Instead the Orange and Black come home with a chance to gain ground.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY- NOVEMBER 6
Ford Tough
"I had pro offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, who were pretty hard up for linemen in those days. If I had gone into professional football, the name Jerry Ford might have been a household word today."
_ Gerald Ford
( University of Michigan football, 1932-1934)
"I had pro offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, who were pretty hard up for linemen in those days. If I had gone into professional football, the name Jerry Ford might have been a household word today."
_ Gerald Ford
( University of Michigan football, 1932-1934)
Monday, November 5, 2018
IN THE NEWS- TRUMP ROLLBACK OF DISABILITY RULES CAN MAKE DOCTOR'S VISITS PAINSTAKING
Recent article, one which I can relate to, by Kaiser Health News..
Going to the doctor's office can feel so routine. You sit in the waiting room, fill out the paperwork, get measured and hop onto the exam table.
But medical appointments for patients with disabilities require navigating a tricky obstacle course, full of impediments that leave them feeling awkward and could result in substandard care.
Despite laws that require ramps and wider doors for access, many health care providers don't have scales that can accommodate wheelchairs, or adjustable exam tables for patients who can't get up on one by themselves.
Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, said she went 20 years without properly being weighed. This can result in treatment plans, and even prescriptions, based on educated guesses rather than exact information, she said.
The Affordable Care Act was set to update standards for accessible medical treatment within the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA), which is enforced by the Justice Department. But the Trump administration stopped action on this change late last year as part of its sweeping effort to roll back regulations across the federal government.
"I was in shock when I heard that (Attorney General Jeff) Sessions' Justice Department had pulled back on their rule-making," said Iezzoni.
Denise Hok, 54, who live sin Colorado Springs, Colo., and uses a wheelchair, opts for home health care when possible and avoids doctors' offices where "it feels like it doesn't really matter if something is wrong." When offices don't have accessible equipment, she said, it "sends a message."
The ADA, a 1990 civil rights measure designed to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities, requires that public places be accessible, meaning new buildings and certain commercial establishments must provide ramps, doorways wide enough for a wheelchair, handrails and elevators.
The law applies only to fixed structures, though, and doesn't address "furnishings" unattached to buildings. At doctors' offices, that means scales, tables, X-ray machines and other diagnostic equipment aren't legally circumscribed.
The result is that movie theaters and laundromats have to be accessible to all people, but important aspects of the medical industry do not, said Megan Morris, an assistant professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Colorado who has studied patients with disabilities and their access to health care.
The ACA directed a federal panel, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, to take steps to close this gap by issuing standards for determining what medical equipment could be deemed "accessible." Their report was finalized in January2017, just before President Barack Obama left office.
But the DOJ's decision in December not to update enforcement accordingly reinforces the disparities in how people are treated, said patients and disability rights advocates.
Paul Spotts, 58, who is paralyzed from the chest down, said his checkups are "a joke." His doctors check his eyes and ears but they don't put him on a scale or exam table because they can't. They don't know how tall he is and they rely on how much he thinks he weighs.
Patients with disabilities report feeling "icky"- as if doctors and nurses don't want to touch them to examine them, explained Colorado's Morris, based on her research, adding that there's a psychological toll to being treated as an "other' by the medical system.
Spotts, who also lives in Colorado Springs and has used a wheelchair for 30 years, finds it exasperating. He spends a lot of time during appointments explaining his medical care to doctors who don't understand how his bladder works, what his circulation problems are or how to treat his leg spasms.
The lack of equipment mirrors a lack of physician training and sensitivity to the issue, experts said. To get at this frustration, or even the perceptions that lead to it, "we need to think more broadly: How do we equip our health care providers?" Morris said. There is "implicit bias, and they don't realize they may or may not be treating patients with disabilities differently."
Dealing with exam tables and scales may be the first step.
"I think that all of us want to take the absolute best care of our patients, we want to account for patient needs," said Dr. Michael Munger, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
How physician practices adjust often relates to their specialty and primary patient population, not to mention the financial calculation. A small practice might balk at the $1,800-to-$5,800 price tag for an adjustable table.
Sometimes it's a matter of "local solutions" and workarounds, such as sending a patient to a hospital to be weighed if a small practice doesn't have an accessible scale, Munger said. That's easier said than done for a patient like Spotts, who would have to drive more than an hour to reach a hospital that could weigh him.
Space is also an issue., Munger said. Sometimes exam rooms simply aren't big enough to accommodate larger tables and chairs for family members and still have enough space to maneuver a mobile device. Spotts said the rooms generally aren't big enough, period.
Some medical systems are taking action.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has used the U.S. Access Board's standards to adopt similar accessibility guidelines. In Colorado, Centene, the largest Medicaid insurer nationwide, adopted similar guidelines.
States are using their Medicaid programs for similar, limited efforts.
California has worked with the disability community to create a survey for Medicaid providers, finding where gaps are and creating regulations requiring accessible equipment like exam tables and scales, going so far as to create a database of which providers have them. But with the Trump administration failing to move forward, what care people with disabilities receive may depend on where they live.
Said Hok: "Under certain conditions, (it seems as if) you don't matter as much as someone who's not 'broken.'"
Going to the doctor's office can feel so routine. You sit in the waiting room, fill out the paperwork, get measured and hop onto the exam table.
But medical appointments for patients with disabilities require navigating a tricky obstacle course, full of impediments that leave them feeling awkward and could result in substandard care.
Despite laws that require ramps and wider doors for access, many health care providers don't have scales that can accommodate wheelchairs, or adjustable exam tables for patients who can't get up on one by themselves.
Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, said she went 20 years without properly being weighed. This can result in treatment plans, and even prescriptions, based on educated guesses rather than exact information, she said.
The Affordable Care Act was set to update standards for accessible medical treatment within the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA), which is enforced by the Justice Department. But the Trump administration stopped action on this change late last year as part of its sweeping effort to roll back regulations across the federal government.
"I was in shock when I heard that (Attorney General Jeff) Sessions' Justice Department had pulled back on their rule-making," said Iezzoni.
Denise Hok, 54, who live sin Colorado Springs, Colo., and uses a wheelchair, opts for home health care when possible and avoids doctors' offices where "it feels like it doesn't really matter if something is wrong." When offices don't have accessible equipment, she said, it "sends a message."
The ADA, a 1990 civil rights measure designed to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities, requires that public places be accessible, meaning new buildings and certain commercial establishments must provide ramps, doorways wide enough for a wheelchair, handrails and elevators.
The law applies only to fixed structures, though, and doesn't address "furnishings" unattached to buildings. At doctors' offices, that means scales, tables, X-ray machines and other diagnostic equipment aren't legally circumscribed.
The result is that movie theaters and laundromats have to be accessible to all people, but important aspects of the medical industry do not, said Megan Morris, an assistant professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Colorado who has studied patients with disabilities and their access to health care.
The ACA directed a federal panel, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, to take steps to close this gap by issuing standards for determining what medical equipment could be deemed "accessible." Their report was finalized in January2017, just before President Barack Obama left office.
But the DOJ's decision in December not to update enforcement accordingly reinforces the disparities in how people are treated, said patients and disability rights advocates.
Paul Spotts, 58, who is paralyzed from the chest down, said his checkups are "a joke." His doctors check his eyes and ears but they don't put him on a scale or exam table because they can't. They don't know how tall he is and they rely on how much he thinks he weighs.
Patients with disabilities report feeling "icky"- as if doctors and nurses don't want to touch them to examine them, explained Colorado's Morris, based on her research, adding that there's a psychological toll to being treated as an "other' by the medical system.
Spotts, who also lives in Colorado Springs and has used a wheelchair for 30 years, finds it exasperating. He spends a lot of time during appointments explaining his medical care to doctors who don't understand how his bladder works, what his circulation problems are or how to treat his leg spasms.
The lack of equipment mirrors a lack of physician training and sensitivity to the issue, experts said. To get at this frustration, or even the perceptions that lead to it, "we need to think more broadly: How do we equip our health care providers?" Morris said. There is "implicit bias, and they don't realize they may or may not be treating patients with disabilities differently."
Dealing with exam tables and scales may be the first step.
"I think that all of us want to take the absolute best care of our patients, we want to account for patient needs," said Dr. Michael Munger, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
How physician practices adjust often relates to their specialty and primary patient population, not to mention the financial calculation. A small practice might balk at the $1,800-to-$5,800 price tag for an adjustable table.
Sometimes it's a matter of "local solutions" and workarounds, such as sending a patient to a hospital to be weighed if a small practice doesn't have an accessible scale, Munger said. That's easier said than done for a patient like Spotts, who would have to drive more than an hour to reach a hospital that could weigh him.
Space is also an issue., Munger said. Sometimes exam rooms simply aren't big enough to accommodate larger tables and chairs for family members and still have enough space to maneuver a mobile device. Spotts said the rooms generally aren't big enough, period.
Some medical systems are taking action.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has used the U.S. Access Board's standards to adopt similar accessibility guidelines. In Colorado, Centene, the largest Medicaid insurer nationwide, adopted similar guidelines.
States are using their Medicaid programs for similar, limited efforts.
California has worked with the disability community to create a survey for Medicaid providers, finding where gaps are and creating regulations requiring accessible equipment like exam tables and scales, going so far as to create a database of which providers have them. But with the Trump administration failing to move forward, what care people with disabilities receive may depend on where they live.
Said Hok: "Under certain conditions, (it seems as if) you don't matter as much as someone who's not 'broken.'"
NFL WRAP-UP- WEEK 9
Dallas hosts Tennessee tonight. The Cowboys need to win to move to 4-4, tying the Eagles and setting up a big game Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field. Tennessee is 3-5 and needs a win desperately. Otherwise, here the week in review, with a look ahead...
49ers over Raiders-
Jon Gruden has a mess in Oakland. He is stockpiling No. 1 draft picks. But will they bear fruit before the Raiders move to Vegas? The Niners are playing for next season already.
Bears over Bills-
How bad is Buffalo? Chicago is a surprising 5-3, tied atop of NFC North with Minnesota. The Bears go home to face Detriot and Minnesota the next two weeks. The Bills hit the road to face the Jets.
Chiefs over Browns-
Had to figure that Cleveland would lay an egg this week against a powerful Kansas City team, especially after the browns fired their head coach ( which was long over-due). KC plays hapless Arizona at Arrowhead Stadium this week before heading to Mexico City to meet the Rams. Cleveland stays home to face the suddenly- hot Falcons.
Dolphins over Jets-
Played in a Miami quagmire, the Dolphins got the victory as Jet rookie quarterback Sam Darnold continues to struggle. Miami heads north to play in cold Green Bay next week.
Vikings over Lions-
Detroit is a phony, along with their new head coach. Minnesota is tough to beat at home, and their convincingwin ties them for 1st place in NFC North. Mnnesota has a bye this weekend as they prepare for a huge game at Chicago next week, while the Lions play in Soldier Field this week.
Falcons over Redskins-
Washington had a chance to make a statement and go two games up in NFC East. Instead they lose a home game to Atlanta. The Falcons have now won three in a row and try to hang in there in NFC South with New Orleans and Carolina. Atlanta plays in Cleveland this week while the Skins go to Tampa.
Panthers over Buccaneers-
Carolina continues to roll, outlasting an inconsistent Tampa Bay team. The Panthers have a short week on the road- never a good thing- when they meet the Steelers in Pittsburgh this Thursday night. Tampa Bay plays host to Washington.
Steelers over Ravens-
Pittsburgh got their revenge against arch-rival Baltimore in a key AFC North game. Pittsburgh plays on Thursday night vs hot Carolina at home. Baltimore tries to keep its head above water next week at home vs Cincinnati. They have a bye this weekend.
Texans over Broncos-
No stopping Houston, which has a firm grip on the lead in AFC South while Denver struggles at home. Houston has a bye this week before traveling to Washington next week. Denver also takes their bye.
Chargers over Seahawks-
LA proves they are for real with a big win in tough Seattle. The Seahawks had a chance to gain ground on the losing Rams but failed to do so. The chargers go to Oakland this week while Seattle go to Los Angeles to face an angry Rams club.
Patriots over Packers-
Tom Brady outduels Aaron Rodgers. New England is now 7-2 and hopes to gain home field advantage once more. Green Bay hosts Miami this weekend.
49ers over Raiders-
Jon Gruden has a mess in Oakland. He is stockpiling No. 1 draft picks. But will they bear fruit before the Raiders move to Vegas? The Niners are playing for next season already.
Bears over Bills-
How bad is Buffalo? Chicago is a surprising 5-3, tied atop of NFC North with Minnesota. The Bears go home to face Detriot and Minnesota the next two weeks. The Bills hit the road to face the Jets.
Chiefs over Browns-
Had to figure that Cleveland would lay an egg this week against a powerful Kansas City team, especially after the browns fired their head coach ( which was long over-due). KC plays hapless Arizona at Arrowhead Stadium this week before heading to Mexico City to meet the Rams. Cleveland stays home to face the suddenly- hot Falcons.
Dolphins over Jets-
Played in a Miami quagmire, the Dolphins got the victory as Jet rookie quarterback Sam Darnold continues to struggle. Miami heads north to play in cold Green Bay next week.
Vikings over Lions-
Detroit is a phony, along with their new head coach. Minnesota is tough to beat at home, and their convincingwin ties them for 1st place in NFC North. Mnnesota has a bye this weekend as they prepare for a huge game at Chicago next week, while the Lions play in Soldier Field this week.
Falcons over Redskins-
Washington had a chance to make a statement and go two games up in NFC East. Instead they lose a home game to Atlanta. The Falcons have now won three in a row and try to hang in there in NFC South with New Orleans and Carolina. Atlanta plays in Cleveland this week while the Skins go to Tampa.
Panthers over Buccaneers-
Carolina continues to roll, outlasting an inconsistent Tampa Bay team. The Panthers have a short week on the road- never a good thing- when they meet the Steelers in Pittsburgh this Thursday night. Tampa Bay plays host to Washington.
Steelers over Ravens-
Pittsburgh got their revenge against arch-rival Baltimore in a key AFC North game. Pittsburgh plays on Thursday night vs hot Carolina at home. Baltimore tries to keep its head above water next week at home vs Cincinnati. They have a bye this weekend.
Texans over Broncos-
No stopping Houston, which has a firm grip on the lead in AFC South while Denver struggles at home. Houston has a bye this week before traveling to Washington next week. Denver also takes their bye.
Chargers over Seahawks-
LA proves they are for real with a big win in tough Seattle. The Seahawks had a chance to gain ground on the losing Rams but failed to do so. The chargers go to Oakland this week while Seattle go to Los Angeles to face an angry Rams club.
Patriots over Packers-
Tom Brady outduels Aaron Rodgers. New England is now 7-2 and hopes to gain home field advantage once more. Green Bay hosts Miami this weekend.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY- NOVEMBER 5
Traditions Down Under
Tomorrow, the Melbourne Cup, Australia's major annual thoroughbred horse race, will be held at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia.
Nearly every person in Australia stops to watch or listen to this event; it is internationally billed as "The race that sto[s a nation" and is the highlight of the Melbourne cup Carnival. It has been held by the Victoria Racing Club on the first Tuesday each November since 1861.
Tomorrow, the Melbourne Cup, Australia's major annual thoroughbred horse race, will be held at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia.
Nearly every person in Australia stops to watch or listen to this event; it is internationally billed as "The race that sto[s a nation" and is the highlight of the Melbourne cup Carnival. It has been held by the Victoria Racing Club on the first Tuesday each November since 1861.
PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- EAGLES, SIXERS, BASEBALL NEWS
- It's Dallas week! The Cowboys play at home tonight against Tennessee.With a win they will invade the Linc next Sunday night at 4-4, same as the Birds. It will be a zoo. It's the Cowboys, in a key NFC East prime-time game. Philly has a week off. It's the Philadelphia debut of WR Golden Tate.
Watching the Redskins choke at home against the mediocre Falcons, the Eagles should win their division if they take care of business in the division. That gets the birds into the playoffs and a home playoff game. No bye, plus two road games would follow. But the Eagles have the experience and know how to win big games.
Granted, road games against New Orleans and Los Angeles look daunting, but in the playoffs, maybe the Eagles only play either the Saints or Rams, not both. They missed played New Orleans lst year, got the Vikings instead, and the rest was history.
Going 6-2 in the second half of the season would give Philly a 10-6 record, good enough to win NFC East. I had the birds winning over 10 1/2 games this season, so my wager would be lost. But getting back into the post-season, where anything can happen, is worth it.
Looking back, how did the Eagles ever lose to Tennessee and Tampa bay? Plus they blew a 17-point lead in the 4th quarter at home to Carolina. Win two of those games and they now stand at 6-2 instead of 4-4 and we are talking seeding in the playoffs.
I went 2-1 against the spread yesterday in the NFL, to my record for the year stands at 13-6, not bad.
- The Sixers lost an embarrassing game Sunday night in Brooklyn, committing 27 turnovers. They are now 6-5 in the early season, undefeated at home but winless on the road. one has to wonder how much longer head coach Brett Brown will stay on. Sixers ownership isn't very in-tune with basketball operations, so, Brown, the puppet he is, may last the rest of the season, but is brown the answer long-term?
- Even though free agency is now open, little has happened in the first few days. Clayton Kershaw stayed with the Dodgers, signing a three-year extension. The Cubs picked up the option on Cole Hamels. otherwise, things are quiet.
Once the ice is broken, and a standard is set with either Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, the other free agents will fall in line.
To me, the Phillies need a big bat and a lefty starting pitcher. They can fill in the rest- catcher, bullpen help, third baseman, with trades down the road.
- There were pictures in the paper of Carson Wentz and Mike Trout hunting together this week in North Dakota. Hopefully Wentz is quietly campaigning for Trout to jump ship and ask the Angels to deal him to the Phillies even before he becomes a free agent in 2021.
Watching the Redskins choke at home against the mediocre Falcons, the Eagles should win their division if they take care of business in the division. That gets the birds into the playoffs and a home playoff game. No bye, plus two road games would follow. But the Eagles have the experience and know how to win big games.
Granted, road games against New Orleans and Los Angeles look daunting, but in the playoffs, maybe the Eagles only play either the Saints or Rams, not both. They missed played New Orleans lst year, got the Vikings instead, and the rest was history.
Going 6-2 in the second half of the season would give Philly a 10-6 record, good enough to win NFC East. I had the birds winning over 10 1/2 games this season, so my wager would be lost. But getting back into the post-season, where anything can happen, is worth it.
Looking back, how did the Eagles ever lose to Tennessee and Tampa bay? Plus they blew a 17-point lead in the 4th quarter at home to Carolina. Win two of those games and they now stand at 6-2 instead of 4-4 and we are talking seeding in the playoffs.
I went 2-1 against the spread yesterday in the NFL, to my record for the year stands at 13-6, not bad.
- The Sixers lost an embarrassing game Sunday night in Brooklyn, committing 27 turnovers. They are now 6-5 in the early season, undefeated at home but winless on the road. one has to wonder how much longer head coach Brett Brown will stay on. Sixers ownership isn't very in-tune with basketball operations, so, Brown, the puppet he is, may last the rest of the season, but is brown the answer long-term?
- Even though free agency is now open, little has happened in the first few days. Clayton Kershaw stayed with the Dodgers, signing a three-year extension. The Cubs picked up the option on Cole Hamels. otherwise, things are quiet.
Once the ice is broken, and a standard is set with either Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, the other free agents will fall in line.
To me, the Phillies need a big bat and a lefty starting pitcher. They can fill in the rest- catcher, bullpen help, third baseman, with trades down the road.
- There were pictures in the paper of Carson Wentz and Mike Trout hunting together this week in North Dakota. Hopefully Wentz is quietly campaigning for Trout to jump ship and ask the Angels to deal him to the Phillies even before he becomes a free agent in 2021.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
IN MY LIFE- MOVIE REVIEW- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
** 1/2 ( out of four stars)
I saw the new biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, last night at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville. The movie centers on the rise of the rock band Queen, especially focusing on its lead singer, the one and only Freddie Mercury, perhaps the greatest front man ever in music history.
I like Queen's music for the lost part. I never saw them in concert during the 70s or 80s, but I do vividly remember their historic set at Live Aid in 1985. Rightfully so, the film begins and ends with this performance at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Rami Malek's performance as Mercury should earn him an Oscar nomination. He is the film. He may not be a dead-on for Mercury, but he embodies Freddie in all ways.
The movie has gotten mixed reviews so far, mostly because it doesn't totally cover Freddie's homosexual life as much as it could have. For me, it is enough. It lets us know that Freddie was bisexual yet doesn't outwardly should gay sex acts. Frankly, I felt uncomfortable enough, watching a guy kiss another guy on the mouth. I was there for the music and the story.
Yet pro-gay reviewers and groups lament the film for not going deeper. I think it has just the right balance. Again, the movie should be about Queen's music, not only about mercury's sexuality.
The movie has a slant toward the band's innocence, making Mercury- and those around him- the blame for the band's troubles and their break-up in the early 80s. I wanted to hear Freddie's side of his own story.
I liked the portrayal of his "love of my life' Mary Austin ( nicely acted by Lucy Boynton). I found it interesting how the iconic songs were born. I know, the film seems rushed and too-pat with cliches- band forms by chance, sudden rise to stardom, drugs and sex problems, band breaks up, band reunites for special performance, sad ending.
Speaking of which, the Live Aid 20-minute set is fairly faithful to the original, but the movie does leave out "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Will Rock You" from the setlist( these two songs are featured earlier). If anything, seeing this rousing ending made mewant to google the original Live Aid performance.
The movie also doesn't mention that, after Live Aid, Queen reformed and toured briefly, even making new music, before Mercury go no longer continue. It doesn't show his death in 1991. There were hints of Mercury's sexuality all along, even though it wasn't officially announced until the day before he died.
Mary stayed with Freddie until he died, taking care of him. Mercury left his entire estate to her in the end. Mary is the only person to know where Mercury's ashes are buried.
The soundtrack to the movie should be great. Queen's greatest hits and overall music catalogue will now be unearthed by a new generation. I wouldn't be surprised to see Queen back on the charts soon because of the movie.
All in all, I liked the film, remembering that it is a movie, having lived through the real thing. What's the point? The movie reminds us what a special person, and performer Freddie Mercury was, and what a unique band Queen was.
Seeing what remains of Queen now, namely guitarist Brian May and new lead singer, former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert, it wouldn't be the same watching them in concert now without Freddie.
I saw the new biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, last night at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville. The movie centers on the rise of the rock band Queen, especially focusing on its lead singer, the one and only Freddie Mercury, perhaps the greatest front man ever in music history.
I like Queen's music for the lost part. I never saw them in concert during the 70s or 80s, but I do vividly remember their historic set at Live Aid in 1985. Rightfully so, the film begins and ends with this performance at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Rami Malek's performance as Mercury should earn him an Oscar nomination. He is the film. He may not be a dead-on for Mercury, but he embodies Freddie in all ways.
The movie has gotten mixed reviews so far, mostly because it doesn't totally cover Freddie's homosexual life as much as it could have. For me, it is enough. It lets us know that Freddie was bisexual yet doesn't outwardly should gay sex acts. Frankly, I felt uncomfortable enough, watching a guy kiss another guy on the mouth. I was there for the music and the story.
Yet pro-gay reviewers and groups lament the film for not going deeper. I think it has just the right balance. Again, the movie should be about Queen's music, not only about mercury's sexuality.
The movie has a slant toward the band's innocence, making Mercury- and those around him- the blame for the band's troubles and their break-up in the early 80s. I wanted to hear Freddie's side of his own story.
I liked the portrayal of his "love of my life' Mary Austin ( nicely acted by Lucy Boynton). I found it interesting how the iconic songs were born. I know, the film seems rushed and too-pat with cliches- band forms by chance, sudden rise to stardom, drugs and sex problems, band breaks up, band reunites for special performance, sad ending.
Speaking of which, the Live Aid 20-minute set is fairly faithful to the original, but the movie does leave out "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Will Rock You" from the setlist( these two songs are featured earlier). If anything, seeing this rousing ending made mewant to google the original Live Aid performance.
The movie also doesn't mention that, after Live Aid, Queen reformed and toured briefly, even making new music, before Mercury go no longer continue. It doesn't show his death in 1991. There were hints of Mercury's sexuality all along, even though it wasn't officially announced until the day before he died.
Mary stayed with Freddie until he died, taking care of him. Mercury left his entire estate to her in the end. Mary is the only person to know where Mercury's ashes are buried.
The soundtrack to the movie should be great. Queen's greatest hits and overall music catalogue will now be unearthed by a new generation. I wouldn't be surprised to see Queen back on the charts soon because of the movie.
All in all, I liked the film, remembering that it is a movie, having lived through the real thing. What's the point? The movie reminds us what a special person, and performer Freddie Mercury was, and what a unique band Queen was.
Seeing what remains of Queen now, namely guitarist Brian May and new lead singer, former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert, it wouldn't be the same watching them in concert now without Freddie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)