Watch Beware of Mr. Baker For Free

Powerful

best movie i've ever seen.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

"This Feature Doc is Technically speaking a Wonderful Film to watch." With 3D Animation and Stills, great Colorist Styling and a really great sound design. Its not a surprise that this Film has won several major awards so far. That's the good news. Now as far as being a true Biographical Film on the life so far of Ginger Baker, then we have to talk about a whole new ball game. There is mocking of the man here.. as in mockumentary so beware of that. Mr. Baker hosts his own narrative which is not always a good idea. But in this case, he himself qualifies his own life as a disastrous mess even without help from the Filmmaker. But the mess part needed to be broken down in a different way. This Doc in a awkward way makes fun of the man who's spiritual demons have controlled most of his life on and off the stage. I kept saying to myself, he is a man first then a drummer and the Filmmaker decided to turn that around on the audience. He said he would not talk about his x-wife so the Filmmaker did it anyway by interviewing her. He talked about things regarding other Musical Artist's in his life that he I'm speculating did not want in the Film.. the Filmmaker ignored him. So therefore, if you I suppose were afraid of Ginger Baker before, you are terrified of him now. Hence the title after the Filmmaker is clobbered in the nose by the cane of this once Rock icon. The shock value syndrome is high on the threshold of this being a real Documentary Film but becomes a terrible exploitation of a Drummer gone completely mad. I don't know which Ginger Baker, the madman, the drummer, the polo pony owner and everything else he tried really is and disappointment set in as the credits complete with outrageous outtakes role. 7stars mostly for the technical effort.

Ginger Baker, that fire-haired, heroin-addicted, mentally unstable drummer of Cream and Blind Faith fame, is given a much deserved documentary here at the hands of Rolling Stone journalist Jay Bulger. For all his notorious genius - the guy single-handedly invented the drum solo and heavy metal owes a significant debt - the man is repulsively anti-social and, well, mad. We learn this from the opening scene, as Baker yells at Bulger, who is off-camera, that he doesn't want his friends and colleagues interviewed for the film, while Bulger protests. Cue a pause, then Baker stabs at Bulger with his cane, leaving the film- maker with a bloodied nose.For the rest of the film, Baker is somewhat subdued, slumped in his reclining chair, never without a cigarette and his sunglasses, giving a reluctant commentary on his life and his career. It is Baker's discomfort at being an interviewee that slightly damages the film, as we never really get beneath those red locks and mad eyes of his to the soul (or lack of) beneath. So, Beware of Mr. Baker (the title comes from a warning sign outside Baker's South African ranch), becomes a mere birth- to-present biography of his career. It's still fascinating stuff, and Bulger has unearthed some excellent archive footage and photographs.His colleague and family provide the more personal information on Baker, such as his estranged son, who recollects that he was briefly happy with his father, even drumming alongside him on-stage, before Baker verbally attacked him and sent him on his way. Baker, in simple terms, is a horrible man, but (as the annoying sell-out Johnny Rotten tells us), he is the type of man that true genius often produces. His affection for polo and heroin are not explored enough, and the real focus here is the music. The footage shown is outstanding, ranging from his superstar- creating time with Cream through to some mind-bending footage of drumming 'battles' with his peers and heroes. Yet Baker himself still remains a mystery, and perhaps it should stay that way.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Growing up during the golden age of rock (63 to 74 and the death knell sounded by the introduction of Disco)debate often centered around the best bands and players. The Beatles, best group and Hendrix, best guitarist were slam dunks but argument swirled around the best drummer with Keith Moon, John Bonham and Ginger Baker all having their loyalists but one thing for certain that we all agreed on was that from the looks of him the reed thin scarecrow Baker would be the first to push off this mortal coil. Fast forward forty years and you have Baker still with us and playing while the others (plus half of the Beatles) have moved on to R&R heaven. How feisty he remains is much in evidence in this documentary about his life and career, Beware Mr. Baker.As pop rock continued to flourish in the late sixties the introduction of Hard Rock, Heavy Metal through its purveyors, Led Zeppelin, Cream and Hendrix amped things up with a sound never before heard and Baker's beat had a lot to do with it. Cream would be selling out stadiums to this day but alas Ginger was not the easiest of people to get along with and the group disbanded after only a few years followed by one of even shorter duration with Blind Faith followed by other collaborative efforts. In between the mercurial Baker would jet off to Africa in search of drumming partners, polo ponies and Bachanallian pleasures. In Beware Mr. Baker he's in his early 70s hold up in a South African compound and still displaying the volcanic temperament as the doc opens up with him breaking the filmmaker's nose. He's definitely in the twilight of life but is determined to go out as he lived, with a bang.Onery as the old coot is you still have to show an admiration grudging or otherwise for this whirlwind of passion and intensity, incredible musical talent and poor business sense who continues to push the envelope when most of us thought he'd be long gone by now. His fellow players (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce etc.) more or less feel this way. A good case is also made for claim as the greatest rock drummer.Given his reputation Baker may not have been the easiest guy in the world to be around or work with but you find yourself rooting for him at the end of this documentary. And why not, there is a lot to be thankful to him for, especially for a kid growing up in the era of Disraeli Gears.

Beware of Mr. Baker is the most exhilarating, enthralling, disquieting and laugh out loud funny documentary I've seen in quite a while. This is especially surprising coming from first-time filmmaker, Rolling Stone writer and ex-boxer Jay Bulger. It profiles the many ups and downs of former Cream and Blind Faith drummer, Ginger Baker.Yes, it helps that Baker is the ultimate curmudgeon who cares squat about what people think of him. He speaks his mind, often in hilarious bursts of profanity. The drummer can barely speak without unleashing some brutal gem at once outrageous and more often than not funny as hell.But it's the filmmaking that also shines here, pairing with the drummer's tales in perfect synchronization. Baker's unique form of storytelling and opining comes across in short blasts much like one of his rim shots, captured skillfully by Bulger. This documentary is notable for its pacing, using animation and quick edits to give a smooth musicality to the film. Baker talks throughout the film about the rare gift of timing. Bulger's got it. That's quite an achievement for a first-time director - for any director.While the interviewees (a plethora of musicians and long-suffering family members, including Clapton, Bruce, Watts, Peart, Ulrich, ex-wives and resigned children) make no bones about Ginger Baker being a total prick, it's hard not to empathize at least in part with Baker's life. A cruel father to his only son (now a respected drummer), a negligent husband and mean bastard to almost everyone he ever encountered, there is not a lot to like about the man.Then again, it's hard to tell how much of Baker's bravado is show and how much is real. In a short but telling scene, he is surprised by the camera while he is silly dancing for his step-daughters much to their delight. No doubt Baker has his ugly side but it's scenes like this that give the doc its rough-hewn charm.What this biopic does best is present what is good about Ginger Baker - his prodigious drumming. Finely navigating the drummer's early life, his days leading up to Cream's breakout to his days in Africa (the live performances by Fela Kuti and band shown here are alone worth the price of admission), the film puts the spotlight squarely on the music.Baker cares little for people. His life was and still is his drum kit. I had forgotten how rounded his skills are for arranging, producing and playing. His drum battles with the primo jazz drummers of the day - Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Phil Seaman - are ear-poppingly wonderful.It helps enormously that Baker's madman looks and flaming orange hair are iconic. The skillful and oftentimes funny animation makes full use of this iconography, emphasizing the bigger-than-life halo that slums around Mr. Baker's head. Now 73-years-old and grey, that Baker has survived a career of unimaginable fame, riches, women, and mostly heroin, to live yet another day is phenomenal.While the man's bluntness, musicality and humour dominate the film, the real beauty is in Bulger's ability to shine a light on the one overriding aspect of Ginger Baker that makes him such a fascinating subject. That is, a peculiar talent for walking into adventures the rest of us would never attempt. Often coming out broke and worse for wear, the abominable Mr. Baker, as he has done all his life, takes a breath and moves on to the next inexplicable enterprise, lacking any sense of self-doubt and living a life seemingly without remorse, at least when it comes to others.