Blaze

I rarely write movie reviews, but this poignant film of the life, and music, of Blaze Foley compelled me to sit down and do so while the memory of it is still fresh in my mind. The movie evoked memories of lost simpler times in Austin, when one could buy a cheap pitcher of beer in some rustic venue and stay out all night listening to music performed by folks who would go on to become legends. Two of those legends, Blaze Foley, powerfully portrayed by Ben Dickey, and Townes Van Zandt, brought brilliantly to life by Charlie Sexton, are deeply interwoven into the tale of Austin's music scene, so if you need a reminder of what drew you to Austin in the first place, or are just the least bit curious about Austin's music heritage and beginnings, this is the movie for you. The music alone is worth the price of admission.

One of the best movies I have seen in a long time. This is such a touching and tragic story with a brilliant cast and performance. If you know of Blaze Foley or his music, watch the movie and revisit what you do know about this amazing man. Sybil Rosen, and Ethan Hawke especially, thank you for sharing this story and film with the world.

I remember when Blaze Foley died. As an Austin resident, his murder and funeral were covered in the local newspaper. It was a bit of a big deal. He was only 39.

In this film, Blaze (born Michael David Fuller in Malvern, Arkansas) is portrayed by fellow Arkansan, musician-actor Ben Dickey, from Little Rock. Dickey represents Blaze and his music to perfection.

Charlie Sexton, older brother to Will, both local guitar legends, plays Blaze's late friend, Townes Van Zandt, and also serves as principal narrator of Blaze's life in the years of Blaze's professional life covered by the film.

Also herein, 'Blaze' and 'Townes' perform the worst duet of Townes's most famous song, "Pancho and Lefty," that I've ever heard as they're both drunk on stage in a bar.

On a bright side, director Ethan Hawke did a superb job of capturing the mood and atmosphere of Austin and Texas in those days as I remember them.

Blaze's ex/widow, Sybil Rosen, is portrayed in the movie by Alia Shawkat. There's a photo of them both together at an event for the movie in IMDb's photo collection for this entry.

The music is good in the film, but I just don't feel it. The non linear narrative confuses me a lot, and I don't quite understand the story. It doesn't quite help that I find it quite boring due to the slow pace.

Greetings again from the darkness. "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." "I don't want to be a star, I wants to be a legend." The first quote comes from THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE and the second is drawled by Blaze Foley as he snuggles with his muse and lover in the back of a pickup truck. We can imagine the first quote inspired many stories over the years by those who knew Blaze, and it might also have served as a driving force for writer/director Ethan Hawke as he crafted this graceful tribute to an underappreciated songwriter and his too short life.

Mr. Hawke is a 2-time Oscar nominee as an actor, and his best known previous turn as director was for CHELSEA WALLS (2001). He (a distant relative of Tennessee Williams) has also been twice Oscar nominated as a writer (BEFORE SUNSET, BEFORE MIDNIGHT), and his movies are often music related or influenced. His latest is a biopic of a mostly unrecognized country-folk artist, and Hawke collaborated with Sybil Rosen to adapt her memoir "Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley". It's Ms. Rosen who shared the bed of that pickup referenced in the first paragraph above.

Ben Dickey plays Blaze and Alia Shawkat plays Sybil. Not only does Dickey capture the spirit and sound of Foley's music, but the scenes with Blaze and Sybil as a couple are some of the most touching and realistic relationship sequences we've seen on screen. We understand their connection ... and their disconnection. It's proof that two people can be both 'made for each other' and 'wrong for each other'. Director Hawke utilizes different time periods, as well as a framing device in the form of a radio interview. None of this works in traditional biopic manner as the interview features the great troubadour and musical poet Townes Van Zandt (played exceptionally well by Charlie Sexton) recollecting the times (both good and bad) he spent with his friend Blaze. He's joined by another Foley friend and collaborator, Zee (Josh Hamilton) as the two color in the blanks to ensure the legendary status desired by Blaze. The DJ is voiced by Ethan Hawke, who is only seen from behind.

In addition to the radio interview and the relationship with Sybil, we also have multiple scenes of Blaze's final live show being recorded at the old Austin Outhouse. The nearly two hours of music and philosophizing were turned into a record release that remains (nearly 30 years later) a mesmerizing listen. These 3 very distinct pieces fit together to bring Blaze into focus as both a songwriter and troubled man - one who found himself in too many fights and, ultimately, on the wrong end of a gunshot in 1989.

Philosophy and homespun wisdom and catchphrases flow from Blaze during his songs and even when he's just hanging with his buddies or Sybil. The real Sybil Rosen plays her own mother in a scene where Blaze meets the parents, and there is a touching moment in the film where Blaze plays for his estranged dad (a wonderful, albeit brief performance from Kris Kristofferson), the founder of The Singing Fuller Family where Blaze got his musical start. It's these kind of touches that elevate the film into a must see whether you are familiar with Blaze Foley or not.

BLAZE FOLEY: DUCT TAPE MESSIAH is a 2011 documentary that would nicely compliment Mr. Hawke's film, although this version contains much more humor - including cameos by Steve Zahn, Richard Linklater and Sam Rockwell as Zephyr Records executives. With Louis Black (founder of SXSW and a former film class TA of yours truly) as an Executive Producer, and songs by Blaze Foley and Townes Van Zandt, this little gem is likely to awaken viewers to a bygone era of music that tends to be remembered only for Willie, Waylon, Jerry Jeff and Merle.