Rock and roll

The Good Life with Eli F.J. Tajanlangit

Those of us who came of age in the 80s should find the heart-pounding, eardrum-splitting sound of rock music our version of the retro, and we have something to celebrate that age with these days.

Playing in cinemas now is “Rock of Ages,” the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical that recalls the glory days of rock and roll. It may well be a salute to the music and times of two decades back – you know, the age of long hair, hard metal, uniquely-cut ma-ongs, leather straps and studs, and spit-in-your-face, eyeball-to-eyeball rebelliousness.

It’s all there in this movie, cleverly translated from the stage version by Adam Shankman with a powerhouse cast that includes Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russel Brand and Catherine Zeta Jones, in offbeat roles that challenge their acting skills.

Cruise is Stacee Jaxx, reigning roll and roll king; Alec Baldwin is the aging rockstar, Russel Brand his partner, while Catherine Zeta Jones is the Mayor’s wife, who leads the fight to clean the city of rock and roll filth. [The characters of the mayor and his wife replace the architects in the play]

But the story actually pivots on Hough and Boneta, who fall in love while waiting on tables at a rock joint and pursuing their Hollywood dreams.

The movie, I read, was a disappointing third placer in the box-office during its first run last weekend, failing to dent on the overall receipts of the Madagascar movie. Maybe, just maybe, word of mouth is going to propel it to better commercial performance in the coming weeks.

Because, indeed, it is one engaging movie, even for the musically hopeless like myself. Zeta Jones turns in a memorable performance as the uptight conservative with a dark secret; her dance number is one of the movie’s interesting draws.

There are also very familiar songs here. Off-hand, I could recall “I Wanna Know What Love Is” and “We Built This City” that come with nicely-choreographed dance numbers.

The jury is out on Tom Cruise’s intriguing transformation into a wasting rock star who is stoned all the time, but you have to give him A for daring to do this role. I thought he is too good-looking and clean-cut for the role, and his supple body – most rock stars are thin and gaunt, aren’t they – does not help him pull off the role.

Baldwin and Brand carry their roles with aplomb and they have shining scenes and moments here. Newcomer Boneta and relative newbie Hough beautifully carry their roles; aside from having star looks, they also sound pretty good.

The script is intelligent, and this is one film that fully explains the musical substance of rock and roll – anger, angst, pathos, rebellion and all. It is not, as we were taught in our younger days, simply senseless noise and metal scratching; it is music, alright, language of the soul, but it more than stirs because it hits the eardrums first before touching the heart.

Watch out for that 5-minute interview Stacee Jaxx gives a magazine writer. Spaced out and stoned, Stacee spews out the lines that best capture the humanity of rockstars. It’s too bad I wasn’t able to catch the exact words, but you bet, I’m going to watch this movie again and try to get those lines down on paper.

I am no rocker, but after this movie, I will know now how to listen to rock and roll music. Just pray I don’t actually rock and actually roll.*

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