A “DOCU-DRAMA” TO MAKE YOU SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE

GET ON UP – available on DVD in stores now.  Full of surprises and brilliantly put together using multiple flashbacks, this story is an unashamably honest, sometimes shocking, but always gripping account of the life of the highly iconic singer, James Brown.  Who would have known without this powerful “docudrama” that James Brown was in prison more than once, and was partially reared in a hut in the woods and witnessed some appalling abuse which shaped him into the highly successful singer which he gradually became. His charisma and sometimes overpoweringly dominant personality is portrayed so well by Chadwick Boseman that you would be forgiven for thinking that you were, actually watching James Brown himself on screen.  Dan Aykroyd plays his manager with the well loved aplomb and confidence which is his trademark.  A concert after the assassination of Martin Luther King goes ahead only due to Brown’s insistence that the incident should not deter people from carrying on with their lives. Challenging scenes portray Brown’s altercations with his band and management, and the film opens with a “sock it to you” incident which has you on the edge of your seat from the first minute.  Some political issues to do with black Americans are carefully handled.  Wonderful scenes portray Brown performing in many venues. The acting by all the cast is of the highest critical standard. A must see.