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Danny Boyle's Yesterday.

Whenever some version of this exchange happens in a film or trailer...

Character A: ... it would take a miracle!

Character B: Miracles happen!

...there is nearly a 100% chance* I couldn’t care less.

*Barring a miracle

Apperson wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2019 5:15 pm Danny Boyle's Yesterday.

I'm at a rare loss for words. I don't really have a way to correlate my thoughts on something this bizarre.

I know Boyle is reviled here, but what a fun, actually original concept for a film!

Big Ben wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2019 5:28 pm

Apperson wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2019 5:15 pm Danny Boyle's Yesterday.

I'm at a rare loss for words. I don't really have a way to correlate my thoughts on something this bizarre.

My question would be: in a world that is already inundated with rock/pop music inspired by the Beatles, would the recording industry, media and a sizable fan base really think Beatles songs are so exemplary that they would top the charts without the charismatic appeal of the mop-tops themselves? We, the viewers, react to these songs because of the history we have with them, but is Himesh Patel's character singing previously-unknown songs really going to be more impactful in this alternate universe than Coldplay (to use an example given in the film)? I guess I'm spoiling the fun.

Like a lot of high concept movies, it probably won't withstand thinking too much about the central conceit, but I agree with mfunk, this is a really fun idea and the trailer makes it look enjoyable

Actually, the premise reminds me of Jesse Eisenberg's character from The Squid and the Whale passing off The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" as his own composition at the high school competition (and getting away with it)!

Which is so unbelievable that of course it actually happened with Baumbach doing it in real life as a kid

I thought it was Pink Floyd's "Hey You" (I haven't seen the movie since it came out, so I could be wrong).

Anyway, the "Yesterday" trailer is mildly diverting, but it looks like something that could have been a fun short or SNL sketch. However, two hours of this directed by Danny Boyle already seems excruciating.

domino harvey wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2019 5:47 pm Which is so unbelievable that of course it actually happened with Baumbach doing it in real life as a kid

"Fiery Angel" - you're not wrong. I confused the real-life event with the fictional one shown in the film. Baumbach is the one who performed "Behind Blue Eyes" whereas the character in his film performs Pink Floyd's "Hey You".

Given when the film is set, I refused to believe that a majority of high school students would not know the song from The Wall, but then "Behind Blue Eyes" would have been an even more popular choice!

Yeah, uh, ha, uh no. Pass.

They lost me at Danny Boyle, and really lost me at the guy who wrote Love Actually.

Roscoe wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2019 6:36 pm They lost me at Danny Boyle, and really lost me at the guy who wrote Love Actually.

good point

Well at least it seems as if Across The Universe is not going to be the most awkward Beatles film now! Though I am curious about what happens when he runs out of the (admittedly plentiful) world changing hits and just has Revolution 9 to perform on James Cordern's chatshow. I bet he will not get a kiss from his moved co-guest on the couch from that! (You know what will happen though: that track will underscore the main character feeling mentally under siege from all quarters, or the moment of the world conveniently forgetting about the Beatles)

(It does look like this will continue Boyle's trend of real world TV shows turning up to anchor his films, like real world product placement!)

Roger Ryan wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2019 5:39 pmMy question would be: in a world that is already inundated with rock/pop music inspired by the Beatles, would the recording industry, media and a sizable fan base really think Beatles songs are so exemplary that they would top the charts without the charismatic appeal of the mop-tops themselves? We, the viewers, react to these songs because of the history we have with them, but is Himesh Patel's character singing previously-unknown songs really going to be more impactful in this alternate universe than Coldplay (to use an example given in the film)? I guess I'm spoiling the fun.

I would bet that this would be a theme of the film, with a fun racism metaphor about colour blind re-casting regarding whether you can be a success without having to be a 'privileged' white Liverpudlian boy band. Though the really big issue will be how the class angle is tackled, which was one of the bigger aspects of the Beatles (tying in with the 'Angry Young Man' generation of working class uprising of the 60s in some ways) and class issues have always been something that Boyle has had trouble with, mostly because his films are often nakedly in love with aspiration and material achievement in their tone, and not really in a satirical or subversive way.

How are they going to handle all of the bands influenced by the Beatles? Does a whole swathe of popular culture just simply not exist in this alternate universe? Has everyone just jumped over the original songs themselves to doing the cover versions directly on TV talent shows? Does Liverpool Airport never get renamed to Liverpool John Lennon Airport? Who does Mark David Chapman shoot instead, in the first assassination of modern media? What happens to Yoko? I have to admit that I'm curious about the film just from that angle, but I have a feeling that all these more interesting questions will be the aspects that get glossed over entirely. But I suppose that at least we can be thankful that Coldplay apparently remains untouched and as white bread as ever whether the Beatles existed or not! (Though if they are briefly shown playing all of the the same songs with all of the same mannerisms but are, instead of Chris Martin and ilk, a bunch of South London black kids that would be amazing!)

Butchering Beatles songs in service of fulfilling the meaningless anti-art daydreams of any mediocre musician. No thanks.

Seeing this trailer bombard all the Beatles groups I'm a part of on FB as a bunch of the fans get all excited by this for some reason (as is the intent - market a film to the reliably biggest fan base and most universally loved group of all time, make some big bucks). Not only does it look absolutely ridiculous but it also *completely* misses the point about what made the Beatles amazing.

As others have already noted, in this supposed "future", Coldplay still exists? And music in general that is so broadly influenced by the Beatles - those songs thus would not have the same impact. A better idea would have been to not only write some *new* music theorizing what pop/rock might've been without the Beatles (based on continuation of the pop that was happening before them) and maybe even re-imagine a world culturally, artistically, socially, politically, etc whereby the Beatles never existed. Now that would've been interesting.

Some guy with an acoustic guitar performing bland versions of Beatles songs becomes a worldwide phenom depsite and endless supply of Beatles inspired / legacy influenced music still existing and nothing else has changed in the world? No. The Beatles were The Beatles because of their four personalities, their charm & humour, the fact that Lennon and McCartney were a perfect compliment to one another's writing, the fact that musical attributes of each member complimented their material so well, that, perhaps most importantly, they took huge steps with each new record project and developed ideas that were unheard of (and in such an incredibly short amount of time). Some guy just singing a boring version of Yesterday can replicate that? The concept requires an audience to suspend their disbelief, not diminish or aggravate it.

It is a common fantasy many musicians have I'm sure - when I was a teenager I often thought about "writing such and such song" - as someone already accurately pointed out in that scene of the Pink Floyd song in The Squid & The Whale. But some kind / any kind of deeper application of the concept might have actually been a great idea. This reminds me why I don't give a damn about Danny Boyle's films, at all.

colinr0380 wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 6:17 amHow are they going to handle all of the bands influenced by the Beatles? Does a whole swathe of popular culture just simply not exist in this alternate universe?

I'm sceptical about all those documentaries that say "without X there would have been no Y". If the Beatles hadn't existed then popular music would have been influenced by all the other bands that were around at the same time. Things would have ended up different but not that different.

The film will end up interesting if it inadvertently posits that The Beatles' legacy would be tainted or destroyed if their career had taken place in the #MeToo era.

Could you elaborate on that?

There are a great deal more things being produced today that are far worse than anything that The Beatles ever put out as a band.

Persona wrote: Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:39 pm The film will end up interesting if it inadvertently posits that The Beatles' legacy would be tainted or destroyed if their career had taken place in the #MeToo era.

This was my first thought, honestly. They're one of those bands in the air enough that I'd never really bothered to listen to them, especially the early albums, until I got a good deal on the mono box set a few years ago, and working my way through that set, I was surprised how often the lyrics made me think, "Wow—this dude's a creep."

There are lesser instances, but the pinnacle is probably:
"Well, I'd rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or you won't know where I am
...
Let this be a sermon
I mean everything I've said
Baby, I'm determined
And I'd rather see you dead"

senseabove wrote: Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:07 pm

Persona wrote: Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:39 pm The film will end up interesting if it inadvertently posits that The Beatles' legacy would be tainted or destroyed if their career had taken place in the #MeToo era.

This was my first thought, honestly. They're one of those bands in the air enough that I'd never really bothered to listen to them, especially the early albums, until I got a good deal on the mono box set a few years ago, and working my way through that set, I was surprised how often the lyrics made me think, "Wow—this dude's a creep."

There are lesser instances, but the pinnacle is probably:
"Well, I'd rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or you won't know where I am
...
Let this be a sermon
I mean everything I've said
Baby, I'm determined
And I'd rather see you dead"

John Lennon, ladies and gentlemen.

In fairness, the operative phrase in that (“rather see you dead...”) is lifted directly from “Baby Let’s Play House” by the admission of Lennon, who was embarrassed by the song and considered it filler. I actually like it and find it effectively menacing; I don’t consider it any worse than something like “Under My Thumb”. Not commenting on Lennon’s actual personality though.

The hypocrisy of identifying a verse and lyric from over 50 years ago as "offensive" while these same people have stacks of rap albums their shelves - an entire genre was built in large part on proudly extremely violent misogyny - is beyond preposterous. Critiquing the past for not being the present is always a sure sign of a schmuck.

AWA wrote: Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:09 pm The hypocrisy of identifying a verse and lyric from over 50 years ago as "offensive" while these same people have stacks of rap albums their shelves - an entire genre was built in large part on proudly extremely violent misogyny - is beyond preposterous. Critiquing the past for not being the present is always a sure sign of a schmuck.

Said like someone who has never listened to rap music. Like rock there is a large variety of rap so that while, yes, you have stuff like ODB you also have Public Enemy making complex political songs or even people like Tupac directly addressing topics like misogyny in a complex and mature way. Your comment is very silly.