Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii MCMLXXII, in IMAX

Unfortunately, David Gilmour announced his retirement from public performance after the “Luck and Strange” tour. Of course there was no-way, no-how he would ever share the stage again with Roger Waters, who now appears in hate rallies instead of concerts. From now on, this film will be the closest many fans will get to experiencing a Pink Floyd concert, especially if they see it in IMAX. Recorded before the release of The Dark Side of the Moon, a more balanced, less Waters-centric band was captured for posterity in Adrian Maben’s Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii MCMLXXII, which is now playing in theaters.

Ironically, Pink Floyd never thought much of this film in any of its various cuts (this is the longest one yet, at 92 minutes). However, it sustained their fans for years, often screening at a time their live shows were relatively limited, especially internationally. While it lacked the extravagant lights and spectacle their live shows became famous for, the surreal setting of the ancient Pompei amphitheater perfectly suits the band’s aesthetic. Likewise, the band looks extremely Floydish strolling through Pompeii’s geothermal steam, as they explore the ancient site.

The Wall came ten years later, so this film is free of its grimness. In some ways, Nick Mason emerges as the star at Pompeii. His deeply resonant drums sound primal and even otherworldly. The opening and closing “Echoes Part 1” and “Part 2” have a vibe reminiscent of the Grateful Dead’s spacey extended jams.

Floyd sounds very Floyd on “Careful with that Axe, Eugene,” “A Saucerful of Secrets,” and “One of These Days,” but they still have an extra trippiness that seems inspired by the location. Maben augmented the later cuts with footage shot in the storied Abbey Road studio, where the band had recently finished their defining Dark Side album. However, for the benefit of the cameras, the band pretends to return for some last-minute touches.

Weirdly, some of Maben’s candid footage became the stuff of band lore, like Mason asking for apple pie “without the crust.” Perhaps the funniest soundbite is their denial Pink Floyd is a “drug” band. Okay fine, now tell that to every stoner ever. On a more serious note, when the band discusses their groundbreaking use of synthesizers, specifically the notion they consciously decide how to use the instruments as a tool rather than letting the technology control how they make music, it eerily parallels similar debates regarding AI today.

The Blue Angels, in IMAX

There is most assuredly a heated rivalry between Naval aviators and Air Force pilots, but when it comes to recognition and popularity, the Navy’s aerobatic flight squadron, the Blue Angels have the overwhelming advantage over their Air Force counterparts, the Thunderbirds. Those blue planes with the yellow trim are just so cool looking. Yet, their sporty paint jobs serve a practical purpose, because the yellow wing-tips should line-up when the Angels are flying in the classic diamond formation. Getting the squadron to that point takes a lot of work, as viewers see in Paul Crowder’s documentary, The Blue Angels, which opens this Friday on IMAX screens (before releasing on Prime Video the following Thursday).

There have been Blue Angels films before (including one written by Frank Herbert), but this was the first time civilian camera planes were allowed inside their flight performance “box.” The aerial camera team previously shot Top Gun: Maverick, so they had credibility. (Plus, Maverick co-star Glen Powell, who also appeared in Devotion, signed on as an executive producer.) The Blue Angels are even more selective than the Top Gun school at Miramar, but pilots only serve one three-year tour (although some have been brought back), so new team-members come into the squadron every year. As the documentary opens, Captain Brian Kesserling (“Boss”) and the rest of the Angels help train new right wingman Christopher Kapuschansky the formations and flight plans that make up the Blue Angels’ exhibition shows.

Crowder does a fantastic job explaining each pilots’ role in the formation. Kesserling (#1) and the second senior pilot, Major Frank Zastoupil (#4) fly in the front and back slots of the diamond, while #2 and #3 fly the wings. Meanwhile, #5 and #6 are considered “soloists,” but they also perform the spectacularly close passes, before joining with the diamond formation to form a delta.

You can get a decent layman’s understand of the Blue Angels’ routines, but the real attraction of the film are the gorgeous aerial shots. Aerial photography directors Lance Benson and Michael FitzMaurice did some amazing work. There is a reason why this film is on IMAX screens. Even when pilots are talking about their training, Crowder usually shows us cool shots of the jets in action. We also see some scenes of the pilots on the home front. These humanize the pilots, but they are not exactly revelatory.

Hurricane on the Bayou (but not in NY)

If an advocacy film does not play New York City, does it really make a statement? When Greg MacGillivray’s Hurricane on the Bayou, the IMAX film on Hurricane Katrina and the Louisiana wetlands was announced, it seemed odd that the film was not playing in the City proper. After all, eighty-percent of the writers interested in covering it (outside of Louisiana) could well be New York film and music journalists.

Since I happen to be in Denver, I was able to catch it. Hurricane is a mixed bag, but it deserves attention. The IMAX nature photography is quite impressive, and the gators steal the show. It starts with the weak conceit of following fourteen year-old fiddle prodigy Amanda Shaw as she assembles her school project on the shrinking wetlands. (Could the audience be treated as adults and not lectured to by a teenager?)

Hurricane was literally being filmed as Katrina hit, and when it did, all bets were off. We definitely see the storm’s fury and the human drama of the aftermath, which is moving. There is nothing like an IMAX screen to capture the enormity of the flooding.

Music plays a big role in the film. In addition to Shaw, we hear from New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, Zydeco musician Chubby Carrier, bluesman Tab Benoit, and gospel singer Marva Wright. We also hear some licensed Dr. John and a brief Ken Burns-style Louis Armstrong tribute.

Hurricane is best when it shows instead of tells. Benoit becomes the voice of the filmmakers, but he almost overstates his case. There are in fact some questions that could have been addressed. As Young and Bush wrote in the NY Times, Mississippi had the sort of barrier islands we hear advocated as a hurricane defense, yet Katrina hit there just as hard. Indeed, the floodgates also advocated in Hurricane are most likely the best defense.

That is not to say we should not work to restore Louisiana’s wetlands. They clearly play an important role in the state’s cultural and commercial identity. However, the state needs to carefully balance its priorities at this time. As Hurricane makes abundantly clear, another hurricane like Katrina will cause immense devastation. Still, if you are in Denver, or wherever, Hurricane is well worth seeing, particularly for the gators.