1 week Ago By Ben Elliott
The rockstar has become such an enduring cinematic trope that it is hard to believe Hollywood went more than 30 years without it. But ever since Alan Freed popularized the term “rock ’n’ roll” in the 1950s, movies have been obsessed with popular music and the messy people who make it.“Almost Famous,” 2000.
Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures.At first, rock music signaled teenage rebellion in films like “Blackboard Jungle,” but it didn’t take long for studios to recognize its commercial potential. Movies like “Jailhouse Rock” and “Help!” were built around real-life phenomena like Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
Over time, we lived with rock and pop long enough for these artists to become fodder for traditional biopics—the stories of rebellious young artists repackaged for award recognition in movies like “Ray,” “Walk the Line,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Elvis,” and “A Complete Unknown.”But somewhere between the hagiographies and the jukebox musicals, fictional band movies carved out a space to celebrate what we love about musicians without getting bogged down in facts. Some act as unofficial biopics—”The Rose,” “Velvet Goldmine”—while others romanticize an era, like “That Thing You Do” or “Almost Famous.
”“The Ballad of Wallis Island,” 2025. Photo courtesy of Focus Features.“The Ballad of Wallis Island,” opening at The Triplex this week, brings a melancholy twist to the subgenre by introducing us to the fictional McGwyer and Mortimer after they have already broken up.
Invited to a remote island by an eccentric billionaire superfan hoping to reunite the duo for a private concert, the movie crafts a dry, funny look at the artist-audience relationship by posing all the usual questions about the cost of making art, plus one more: What, if anything, do musicians owe the people who love them?When we find joy in someone else’s art, it is easy to forget the human behind it. We want more—more songs, more shows, more access—but we rarely stop to think about what it takes to give it. Band movies remind us that this kind of music is a limited resource.
It’s a mix of joy, heartbreak, ego, and time that takes a toll on its creators. Most of all, they remind us that if someone’s music becomes the soundtrack to our life, we need to remember they have one of their own.Now Playing“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me”The story of Laura Palmer comes to the big screen.
A prequel to his landmark television series, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” expands the mythology surrounding the sleepy Pacific Northwest town while taking you into the final days of Laura Palmer’s (Sheryl Lee) life. With a cast that includes Kyle MacLachlan, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Isaak, David Bowie, and David Lynch himself, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” outlived its polarizing debut and is now considered one of Lynch’s best.April 12, at 8 p.
m.“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” 1992. Photo courtesy of Janus Films.
“A Woman Under the Influence”John Cassavetes’ indie classic with Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk.A groundbreaking work of independent filmmaking, John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under the Influence” features electrifying performances from Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk as a woman grappling with mental illness and a husband desperately trying—but often failing—to support her. Filmed with Cassevetes’ trademark raw intensity, “A Woman Under the Influence” explores the intersection of mental health, gender roles, and the pressures of domestic life.
Part of “Down the Rabbit Hole: Paranoia, Delusion, and Recovery in Film,” sponsored by the Austen Riggs Center.April 13, at 4 p.m.
“A Woman Under the Influence,” 1974. Photo courtesy of Genre Film Archives.“Safe”Q&A with Austen Riggs’ Hannah Schmitt, Psy.
D.When a California housewife (Julianne Moore) begins to suffer from environmental illnesses, she looks for relief from a New Age guru who may not be everything he claims. A tragic social satire about the way wellness culture can prey on the vulnerable, “Safe” is a movie even more relevant today than when it premiered 30 years ago.
After the movie, join the Austen Riggs Center’s Hannah Schmitt, Psy.D., for discussion about the film and the ways the wellness industry can affect our mental health.
Part of “Down the Rabbit Hole: Paranoia, Delusion, and Recovery in Film,” sponsored by the Austen Riggs Center.April 17, at 7 p.m.
“Safe,” 1995. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.“The Friend”A tribute to man’s best friend with Naomi Watts and Bill Murray.
Writer and teacher Iris (Naomi Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Bill Murray) dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved Great Dane in “The Friend.” Despite the disruptions of suddenly sharing her life with a 150-pound beast, Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, coming to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life.“The Friend,” 2025.
Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street.“A Minecraft Movie”A hilarious take on the beloved video game.Director Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”) takes you inside one of the most popular video games of all time in “A Minecraft Movie,” coming to The Triplex on April 4! When four misfits find themselves pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld, a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination, they will have to master their building abilities while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected expert crafter, Steve (Jack Black).
“A Minecraft Movie,” 2025. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.“Eephus”As an imminent construction project looms over their beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England Sunday league teams face off for the last time over the course of a day.
Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future. A bittersweet baseball movie that perfectly captures the joy of America’s pastime (and western Massachusetts), “Eephus” comes to The Triplex just in time for the start of the baseball season.Part of our Limited Engagement series, “Eephus” comes to The Triplex for one week starting on April 18.
“Eephus,” 2025. Photo courtesy of Music Box Films.“Eating Our Way To Extinction”Our Environmental Documentary series returns on April 22 with “Eating Ourselves To Extinction,” a globe-trotting look at the way the commercial food chain is pushing the world toward ecological collapse.
Confronting and entertaining, this documentary allows audiences to question their everyday choices, industry leaders, and governments. Join us for a free screening and talkback where we will discuss sustainability practices in our own lives and sample sustainable food choices.April 22, at 7 p.
m.“Eating Our Way To Extinction,” 2021. Photo courtesy of the filmmakers.
“Water Is Love”Great Barrington Land Conservancy (GBLC) invites you to a free screening of “Water is Love: Ripples of Regeneration” on April 23! A documentary that follows a group of young people grappling with the climate crisis, highlighting the challenges of water scarcity and the innovative solutions being implemented to ensure water sustainability, the screening will be preceded by a community meeting where GBLC will share ways that you can help to support the health of our natural spaces and our waterways here in Great Barrington.April 23, at 7 p.m.
“Water Is Love,” 2024. Photo courtesy of the filmmakers.“Midsommar”The ultimate breakup movie of the Millennial Era, Ari Aster’s “Midsommar” plays as part of our series “Down the Rabbit Hole: Paranoia, Delusion, and Recovery on Film” on April 24.
A young couple on the rocks (Florence Pugh, Jack Raynor) travel with friends to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival, only to discover a sinister cult mentality lurking underneath the pastoral paradise. After the movie, join Austen Riggs Center’s Vivian Chan, M.D.
, for a discussion about the movie and the ways that cult mentalities can take hold.Part of “Down the Rabbit Hole: Paranoia, Delusion, and Recovery in Film,” sponsored by the Austen Riggs Center.April 24, at 7 p.
m.“Midsommar,” 2019. Photo courtesy of A24.
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