Hammerle on… “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Free Solo”

“Bohemian Rhapsody”

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a brilliant, spectacularly entertaining film that unfortunately left me shaking my head as I left the theater with an old friend. While he and I both loved this movie, neither could understand how so many critics around our country wrongly dismissed it. I urge you to go see this slam bang presentation as soon as possible.

Let me also correct critics who felt “Rhapsody” failed to concentrate on Freddie Mercury’s personal life and the role played by his bandmates in formulating their music. There wasn’t a meaningful aspect of Mercury’s life that was not included in the film.

There also wasn’t a weak moment in “Rhapsody” from beginning to end. You quickly learn that Mercury’s name was Farrokh Bulsara, a young man born in Zanzibar. Working at an airport unloading planes in 1970, he stumbled across a small band led by Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon whose lead singer had just quit. Immediately showing his talent, Queen was born and Bulsara soon changed his name.

Rami Malek gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Mercury. Funny and confident, he immediately knows how to demonstrate his power performing in front of an audience. Malek captures all of Mercury’s sexually provocative antics onstage that made Queen an immediate sensation.

Mercury’s bandmates, who included Joseph Mazzello as Deacon, Gwilym Lee as May and Ben Hardy in a memorable performance as the drummer Taylor, combined to repeatedly demonstrate how their band pushed the limit of what the music industry considered acceptable at the time. There are a number of great scenes, none more hysterically rewarding than when the band taunts their record producer, played by in a likeably arrogant fashion by Mike Meyers, who refused to release the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” because it lasted over six minutes.

As with so many rock and roll bands, Queen ended up dissolving when Mercury succumbed to the financial lure of going alone. None of them benefited after that moment, particularly Mercury. His long-standing relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) had gradually dissolved as he came to grips with his sexuality. In addition, while his mother Jer Bulsara (Meneka Das) continued to remain close to him, his father Bomi (Ace Bhatti) couldn’t forgive him for rejecting the family name.

The fact that Mercury was gay was not dodged in any fashion in this film, and you watch him regrettably seep into a lifestyle where booze, sex and drugs were destroying him. AIDs eventually followed, killing this talented man at the age of 45 in 1991.

Let me close with a reference to one of the greatest scenes ever to appear in film. Queen was able to reunite to participate in the Live Aid concert in London in 1985. The radiance of all four bandmates will bring joy to your heart, and wait until you see them perform for 20 minutes before a massive audience in Wembley Stadium. The songs and performance exceed the greatness shown by Lady Gaga in “A Star is Born,” and it is not an exaggeration to say that you are likely to be overwhelmed.

Stick around for the closing credits. Though the film lasts two hours and 14 minutes, it seems more like an hour and a half. During the closing credits, you will see the actual Freddie Mercury and Queen performing years earlier, and this is simply icing on the cinematic cake.

“Free Solo”

“Free Solo” is a stunning film that ranks with “R.B.G.” and “Won’t You be My Neighbor?” as the best documentaries of 2018. It also should receive Oscar consideration for its stunning cinematography.

Directors Jimmy Chin and his wife, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, previously graced us with the documentary “Meru” (2015), a chronicle of the first ascent of the “Shark’s Fin” route on Meru Peak in the India Himalayas. That film was a breathtaking account of climbers as they ascended sheer ice to sit 21,000 feet above the Ganges River in northern India.

Here, our directors create a cinematic masterpiece as they follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to climb El Capitan without ropes or other assistance. The Yosemite Valley is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and you occasionally are overwhelmed as you watch Honnold prepare to climb a rugged piece of granite to a summit 3,000 feet above the valley.

The film also allows you to learn what motivates rock climbers to risk their lives by climbing ridiculously difficult mountains around the world. In the process, you learn that several well-known climbers have fallen to their deaths over the last 15 years, and Honnold acknowledges that living to a ripe old age is not on his personal radar screen.

In addition, Honnold has lived most of his adult life in a trailer as he travels the country. He makes his own food and supports himself through various teaching activities. It has proven tough for him to develop any type of social life for obvious reasons, but here you see him finally hook up in a meaningful relationship with a young woman who is willing to embrace her boyfriend’s constant risk of dying young.

Honnold is filmed as he plots a climbing strategy with the help of ropes, occasionally falling when he reaches areas of unimaginable difficulty. You are left thinking the same thing as various crew members: “If this poor guy would have fallen to his death without ropes during his practice sessions, then how on Earth is he ever going to make it in his solo attempt?”

Even Honnold backs away for a few months as he begins to clearly question whether his goal can be achieved. Regardless, he soon decides it is now or never, and he begins his ascent with cameramen dangling from ropes to film the climb at multiple levels. In the process, you watch Honnold cross over crevices in the granite 2,000 feet in the air as even a cameraman on the ground has to turn away in horror.

It was during these moments that you end up with sweaty palms. These moments create some of the most powerful scenes ever to appear in any film.

Honnold conquered El Capitan in a little less than four hours. As you see him standing on the summit talking to his girlfriend on a cellphone, you feel like he is talking to you when he says to her, “Please don’t cry or you will make me do the same thing.”•

• Robert Hammerle practices criminal law in Indianapolis. When he is not in the courtroom or the office, Bob can likely be found at one of his favorite movie theaters watching and preparing to review the latest films. To read more of his reviews, visit www.bigmouthbobs.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.