Ah, the perfect film to see after work on a Friday afternoon.
I love The Stones…and what can you say about Marty? The man is a genius. “Shine A Light” is a great looking, great sounding film. Fans and non-fans alike may choose to pick nits here and there; but I just sat back and enjoyed it. (That’s a lie; I was tapping my toes and bouncing around in my seat most of the time.)
Naturally, Mick gets the bulk of the screen time. He really is incredible up there. And, as one reviewer noted, he’s in close-up much of the time – you get a good chance to check out his dental work! Keef and Ronnie get their moments in the spotlight too. I just love to watch Keith play–he is so sloppy, but so in the moment. “I don’t think onstage, I feel.”, he says at one point in an interview. I was blown away by his treatment of “Yr”. "All Down The Line" and “Just My Imagination” were a couple of other highlights for me.
Come to think of it, I do have a couple of complaints. I certainly could have done without the whole “meet-the-Clintons” stuff in the beginning. Bill didn’t seem all that excited to meet them…just another photo-op for him. And those “fans” in the front rows? All I could think of was “they look like a Superbowl Halftime crowd!” It certainly didn’t look like a house full of Stones fanatics.
Overall, though, a definite thumbs-up. See it on a big screen