Thunder Soul Explained

Thunder Soul
Director:Mark Landsman
Producer:Mark Landsman
Jessica Wu
Keith Calder
Starring:Conrad Johnson
Narrator:Jamie Foxx
Editing:Claire Didier
Music:David Torn (uncredited)
Studio:Snoot Entertainment
Distributor:Roadside Attractions[1]
Miramax Lionsgate[2]
Runtime:88 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
Gross:$143,986[3]

Thunder Soul is a 2010 American documentary film produced and directed by Mark Landsman. The film features narration by Jamie Foxx and stars Conrad Johnson.[1] The film premiered at South by Southwest in 2010.[4] [5]

Synopsis

A former Kashmere High School graduate return home after 35 years to play a tribute concert for his beloved band leader, who, during the 1970s, turned the struggling jazz band, Kashmere Stage Band, into a world-class funk powerhouse.

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% approval rating based on 29 reviews, with an average ranking of 7.9/10.[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of a 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[7]

Joe Leydon of Variety wrote "Thunder Soul offers a heaping helping of uplift".[8]

Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle wrote "[The film] tells the story of the Kashmere Stage Band, and before the film is through, this high school band you've never heard of will have earned a top spot on your personal hit parade".[9]

According to Sheri Linden of the Los Angeles Times, "Though [the film] sometimes overplays the sentimentality, [it] gets not just the music but also the sense of possibility for this post-civil-rights generation".[10]

Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club criticized the filmmakers for not being "interested in peering beneath the dazzling surface". According to him, despite portraying Johnson as a "benign dictator", "[the film] represents a feast for the senses, a soulful celebration of the black musical renaissance of the late '60s and '70s".[11]

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called Thunder Soul "[a] genuinely moving and powerful doc[umentary] about one of the great funk bands ever, that just happened to be a high school band".[12]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Review: Thunder Soul. Cataldo. Jesse. Slant Magazine. September 19, 2011.
  2. Web site: Thunder Soul. Oldies.com. August 9, 2021.
  3. Web site: Thunder Soul (2011). The Numbers. August 9, 2021.
  4. Web site: One High School Band and the Changes It Wrought. The New York Times. Christoher. Kelly. October 8, 2011. August 9, 2021.
  5. News: Off the Record. The Austin Chronicle. Austin. Powell. March 12, 2010. August 9, 2021.
  6. Web site: Thunder Soul. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. August 9, 2021.
  7. Web site: Thunder Soul (2011). Metacritic. CBS Interactive. August 9, 2021.
  8. Thunder Soul. Leydon. Joe. Joe Leydon. Variety. March 30, 2010.
  9. News: Thunder Soul. The Austin Chronicle. September 30, 2011. August 9, 2021.
  10. News: Movie review: 'Thunder Soul'. Linden. Sheri. Los Angeles Times. October 7, 2011. August 9, 2021.
  11. Web site: Thunder Soul. Rabin. Nathan. Nathan Rabin. The A.V. Club. The Onion. September 29, 2011. August 9, 2021.
  12. Web site: Thunder Soul: Film Review. Honeycutt. Kirk. The Hollywood Reporter. September 6, 2011. August 9, 2021.