Thunder Soul
{{Other uses|Kashmere Stage Band}}
{{Infobox film
|name = Thunder Soul
|image = Thunder_soul.jpg
|caption = Poster
|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{{cite magazine|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/thunder-soul/|last=Cataldo|first=Jesse|title=Review: Thunder Soul|magazine=Slant Magazine|date=September 19, 2011}}
Miramax Lionsgate{{cite web|url=https://www.oldies.com/product-view/32462O.html|title=Thunder Soul|website=Oldies.com|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}
|released = {{Film date|2010|3|13|SXSW|2011|9|23}}
|runtime = 88 minutes
|country = United States
|language = English
|gross = $143,986{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thunder-Soul#tab=summary|title=Thunder Soul (2011)|website=The Numbers|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}
}}
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. The film premiered at South by Southwest in 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/us/thunder-soul-documentary-features-the-kashmere-stage-band.html|title=One High School Band and the Changes It Wrought|work=The New York Times|first=Christopher|last=Kelly|date=October 8, 2011|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2010-03-12/977789/|title=Off the Record|work=The Austin Chronicle|first=Austin|last=Powell|date=March 12, 2010|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thunder_soul|title=Thunder Soul|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Flixster|accessdate=August 9, 2021}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of a 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/thunder-soul|title=Thunder Soul (2011)|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}
Joe Leydon of Variety wrote "Thunder Soul offers a heaping helping of uplift".{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/thunder-soul-1117942502/|last=Leydon|first=Joe|authorlink=Joe Leydon|title=Thunder Soul|magazine=Variety|date=March 30, 2010}}
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".{{cite news|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/2011-09-30/thunder-soul/|title=Thunder Soul|work=The Austin Chronicle|date=September 30, 2011|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}
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".{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-oct-07-la-et-thunder-soul-20111007-story.html|last=Linden|first=Sheri|title=Movie review: 'Thunder Soul'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 7, 2011|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}
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".{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/thunder-soul-1798169768|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|authorlink=Nathan Rabin|title=Thunder Soul|website=The A.V. Club|publisher=The Onion|date=September 29, 2011|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}
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".{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/thunder-soul-film-review-231634/|title=Thunder Soul: Film Review|last=Honeycutt|first=Kirk|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=September 6, 2011|accessdate=August 9, 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|1611180}}
- [https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/kashmere-stage-band Kashmere Stage Band]
Category:American documentary films
Category:Documentaries about music
Category:Documentary films about musical groups
Category:2010 documentary films
Category:Roadside Attractions films
Category:2010s English-language films
Category:English-language documentary films
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