Movie: Quartet.

Bob-Dubery

OK... it's not exactly Spinal Tap. It's not even about a drunk country singer looking for one last shot at redemption.

But you get a marvellous ensemble performance (Maggie Smith, Pauline Collins, Michael Gambon and the excellent Tom Courtenay - Billy Connolly is good, but mostly because he's playing Billy Connolly) and an interesting discourse about why Opera and Rap are alike and why they are different which, really, goes to why music matters in the first place. Also some comment on how being old and retired doesn't mean that the musical fun has to stop.

The movie is set in a fictional retirement home for musicians. A nice touch is that many of the cast are retired musicians. Photos of them in their prime and summary CVs are included in the final credits. I can't remember them all, but there was the principal viola player for the BBC orchestra and a trumpeter from Frank Sinatra's band.

Wormwood

Cool, i saw this at the video store but fell afoul of a far, far worse movie instead; some newish oliver stone thing that appeared to be an extreme experiment in testing the viewers stamina on a lean plot/general content diet.
Will take it out next time.

AlanRatcliffe

Thanks! I'll look out for it. Dame Maggie is one of those actors who I will watch in anything anyway, but in a film with a musical theme, I'll be sure not to miss it.

Also worth watching: A Late Quartet - with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226240/