Entertainment Reviews

Denise K. James reviews new films and music

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes   4 Stars

Max, Starring Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most enduring and most iconic actors in Hollywood history, so even though she was “before my time,” as they say, I felt compelled to watch Max’s new documentary, The Lost Tapes. I’m not always into documentaries, but personal ones tend to grab me, and I suppose the reference to this information being “lost” (and apparently found, thus this film existing) grabbed me as well.

Liz Taylor grew up in a setting that foreshadowed her fate. The child of privileged parents in Beverly Hills and attractive even during puberty, it’s no wonder that such advantages led to her becoming a star. But right when I started rolling my eyes, watching her childhood foray into a young adulthood of scrutiny, I realized something: Yes, we all know that Americans are partial to a “rags to riches” tale. It’s part of what lives in our consciousness as a culture–that anyone can turn the right corner and become rich and famous. But The Lost Tapes moves the other way, as perhaps a few other celebrity documentaries do—it’s a “riches to rags” story, or at least emotional rags. (Which I suspect that we, as a culture, also love.)

Like most young and beautiful teens, Liz was thrown into womanhood too early. She talks about the “horrendous mistakes” that occurred as a result of growing up too quickly and says she was “in love with the idea of love,” which led her to marrying Conrad Hilton Jr., a real peach of a guy whose marriage to Liz couldn’t stop him from a pattern of addiction and abuse. (He died at age 43). Not a great start for young Liz, and the hits kept coming; she was married eight times.

No one else stars in the film except for Liz herself and the found tape, so the screen is a feast of photos and clips from her life and her on-screen moments. Personally, I found this to become a bit dull in storytelling, though I was captivated by her beauty. It soon felt more like I was listening to a podcast. The audio was the entire point.

Still for anyone who idolizes Elizabeth Taylor, The Lost Tapes is a must-see (and hear). Glimpses into her life are offered through her own perspective, offering a more vulnerable, authentic look at her story.

Father John Misty

Greatish Hits: I Followed My Dreams and My Dreams Said to Crawl

Sub Pop

Fans old and new of Father John Misty, please don’t waste any time listening to this compilation of his best from five albums, including an all-new track appropriately titled “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All.” A former member of Fleet Foxes, Joshua Tillman, AKA Father John Misty, is known for blending Americana with winks of disco, gospel and other genres. The result is a perfect album for your autumn harvest of tunes.

Smashing Pumpkins

Aghori Mhori Mei

Martha’s Music

I believe that Siamese Dream is one of the greatest albums ever made. So obviously, I looked forward to what the Pumpkins could do in 2024. Their newest, billed as a “rock ‘n’ roll guitar record,” honestly brought back the very thrill my teen self felt while headbanging in her ‘90s bedroom. I downloaded “War Dreams of Itself” and “Edin” and was basically playing the air all through dinner. Rock on.