Miles Ahead

I watched Miles Ahead and the acting was superb by Cheadle. However there were key things about Miles that were left out. There was no mention of his marriage to Cicely Tyson. There was no inference to Miles Tutu project which was one of the avante garde "Miles Ahead" projects. I was disturbed that Cheadle had to add a fictional character to get this movie out front and to the public with funding. Miles was a very complex man, and he let his music talk for his journey through life. The overplay on drugs and violence all feeds into a negative stereotype that is seen played out in the media propaganda tool. Almost everyone was aware of Miles drug problem. I was really disappointed and expected more. Cheadle captured the "chemical side" of Miles but never that true duality and desire to create while also disconnecting from the world to create a masterpiece influenced by the actions of the world. The young lady that played his wife Frances Taylor was mesmerizing and helped to make this movie palatable. Miles was Miles, but this was not Miles who regrouped and did great music after a five year hiatus up until his death. I have always loved Don Cheadle's work. I have listened to Miles since a child, and remember how much I loved Sketches of Spain. Also You're Under Arrest. Too much was left out of this complex man's life. Cheadle did a good job of depicting the conflict that is raging within creative geniuses such as Miles Davis. He could have gone a little deeper. Miles was not your typical "jazz" musician. A lot was missed. It would have been a lot better if it would have been from 1980 until 1991 when he died. He created a lot of great music and had many transitions that should have been included. This would have made Miles Ahead a step ahead of this production. I give it three stars due to the fact that I have been a musician all my life and an avid listener of the innovative styles of Miles Davis and have seen all of the contextual contours of the changes in his music as he went through various life changes. I applaud Cheadle for this effort. I look forward to a production that gives a much more thorough examination of Miles Davis. I applaud Cheadle. I know what he was up against to try to make this movie. Maybe Cheadle can reboot and do a much more comprehensive cinematic examination of Miles Davis. This movie only captured the year that Miles came back and the series of flashbacks. Emayatzy Corinealdi was stunning. I liked her energy. Her resemblance to Lela Rochon is uncanny. I see her going to many great places in the near future. Miles Ahead fell a little flat for me. Good effort.

Don Cheadle Directs Himself as Miles Davis, Nice Job on what If I remember correctly is his directorial debut. The film ping-pongs back and forth from the early 80's, right before Miles comes back from a 5 year or so hiatus to the 50's/60's era when he was married to dancer Frances Taylor. The film has a madcap side to it with Ewan Mcgregor in a fun turn as a Rolling Stone reporter out to interview Miles and almost doubling as Miles' sidekick in a romp through the city (New York?) in the early 80's. I don't want to give much away but I recommend the film, it is pretty amusing and jazz + biopic fans will find much to enjoy!

Greetings again from the darkness. What would rate as the bigger challenge: defining jazz or describing the life of Miles Davis? In true "passion project" mode, Don Cheadle not only portrays the iconic trumpeter, but also directs, co-writes and co-produces. Cheadle's tribute to The Prince of Darkness is as open to interpretation as the hundreds of songs from Davis' recordings over thirty plus years. Having stated in numerous interviews that he had no interest in the usual "cradle-to-grave" biopic, Cheadle's odd blend of fact, fiction and hallucination are meant to capture the essence of Miles Davis, rather than the life and times of the man. Guns, drugs, music, girls, and art are all present throughout this trippy trip of a movie that plays like an impressionistic painting, and not a portrait. The bulk of the film is spent on Miles Davis during his self-imposed six year drug-fueled hiatus in the 1970's when he secluded himself in Howard Hughes fashion. There is an odd and ill-fitting plot involving the "secret" master tapes that Davis has recorded while waiting for his manager (Michael Stuhlbarg as Harper Hamilton) to pay him the money he is owed. Mixed in is a "Rolling Stone" writer named Dave Brill (Ewan McGregor) desperately trying to get an interview with Miles and listen to the tapes. This mad caper-ish core benefits greatly from the quick cuts to the past … especially those featuring Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi) as Miles' beautiful, talented and supportive wife. Of course, we shouldn't expect linear story-telling from a man whose life was anything but linear. After all, we are focused on the man who claimed his music was not "jazz", but rather "Social Music" … and that "it takes a long time to play like yourself". The car chases and gunfights might seem out of place, but do capture the essence of a man fueled by drugs and a possible (temporary) loss of his creative genius. Perhaps, as the movie suggests, Miles was remorseful for how he treated Frances. Or maybe it was simply the pressure of being Miles Davis …. The coolest of Cool Jazz. Mr. Cheadle does a nice job in portraying Davis, and is spot on in the trademark raspy whisper which Miles was known for (the after-effects of a larynx operation in the 1950's). Ms. Corinealdi (to appear in the new "Roots" project later this year) is outstanding as Frances Taylor, and is the one character we latch on to in hopes of maintaining our bearings throughout. Taking its title from a 1957 Miles Davis album, the movie offers a glimpse into the mind of a musical genius who didn't always fit into "proper" society, and would be the perfect pairing for a head-scratching trumpeter double-bill with the recent "Born to be Blue", a look at Chet Baker.

source: Miles Ahead