Who payed the critics

Absolutely brilliant

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Directors Chris Hegedes and D.A. Pennebaker's documentary, while not clarifying more about the musicians, evoke a bygone era and the glorious music these artists we see in the film gave us.We owe a great debt of gratitude to the talented performers showcased in the film. They gave the American public, and the world at large, some of the best songs of the 20th century. Their stories are presented for their fans to cherish. We remember how great these artists were. These performers take us back to many hours of pure entertainment they gave to their adoring fans and how generous they were with their enormous talent.We see in the movie giants of the popular music such as William Bell, Jerry Butler, The Chi-Lites, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Ann Peebles, Wilson Pickett, Mary Wilson, Carla Thomas. among others.Their stories and recollections are captured in the documentary. This is a film to cherish by all popular music lovers.

ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE (2003) *** Featuring: William Bell,Jerry Butler, The Chi-Lites, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Ann Peebles, Wilson Pickett, Sir Mack Rice, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Mary Wilson. Entertaining documentary by vets Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker focusing on the pioneering r&b, soul & pop singers and musicians of Stax records among others thru interviews interspersed with the still on-fire performers in action on stage and in concert. Note: the film is dedicated to Rufus Thomas who passed away shortly prior to the film's release.

It was sort of interesting, and at times entertaining, to hear the stories of these very successful singers.Interestingly enough, not being too familiar with this kind of music, and not having heard much of it before, I wasn't actually all that impressed with their voices...too rough for my taste. But their musicianship was evident, and it was educational to find out more about this style of music.However, the film itself didn't really hold my attention or draw me in. It was sort of like watching home videos of people I don't know, in not-particularly-interesting contexts. Furthermore, they never really developed on the theme suggested by the title. By comparison, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" is a similar film with more coherence.The worst part, by far, however, was the filming itself. Much of it was shot with hand-held cameras and no attempt at steadiness. The result shook and made the audience queasy. Luckily, they were too busy closing their eyes to listen to the music to notice.

Seeing all these familiar faces and hearing all of those familiar tunes was a trip back to an exciting time in American music. The most difficult part of watching this movie was to control the urge to sing along and to keep my fingers from snapping and my hands from applauding. Several others in the audience couldn't fight those urges!