Stoned (2005)

Brian Jones ROCKS!

I quite frankly wasn't around when all this stuff happened, and got most of my information on swinging 60's England from Austin Powers and Absolutely Fabulous!
I DID know that I liked the Stones early work WAY better than the stuff from the '70's on up and now I know why!
BRIAN JONES!
It was clearly his influence which caused the early Stones to Roll!
I thought the leading man was adorable and brought a vulnerability and sweetness to the role.
I can clearly see why Anita Pallenburg was later cast as the devil on Ab Fab!
This movie has caused me to buy half a dozen books on the subject and taught me about a man and an era I knew very little about.
BRIAN JONES LIVES! August 30, 2008

Definitely Worthwhile for Any Stones Fan

I just watched this movie last night, and I was captivated by the story and the excellent performances. Yes, it is unfortunate that there is not Stones' music in the film. That would have enhanced the energy. But, still, the intensity of the times is well portrayed here, and I'm going to buy this disc for my "Sixties Music" library of films.

I was 9 years old when Brian Jones died. We were on a family trip to Los Angeles, and I remember his drowning was HUGE news and universally perceived as a monumental tragedy. Even at 9 I loved the Rolling Stones and I was concerned about the impact Jones' death would have on future of the band. He may have been ejected from the group, but everyone had hoped and presumed they would reunite. Lots of people today seem to minimize Brian's influence on the band, but I think he was seminal in numerous respects. His distinctive imprint always has been and always will be on the band.

Today, I have a 9 year-old daughter. I can not think of any single musician or band that has the same degree of significance or influence as did the 1969 Rolling Stones (except perhaps The Beatles or the 2008 Rolling Stones). Madonna or Sting, or any rapper, could die tomorrow and there would be only a very narrow slice of public reaction. But the Rolling Stones occupy a very profound place in musical and world history. The swath of admiration is vast, and their legacy is now going on five decades. The Stones have earned REAL respect, they aren't a cabaret act or a pop show. They are extremely talented musicians who have created the soundtrack for many of our lives. Even today's teens dig the Rolling Stones. Theirs is an astonishing story.

This movie is clearly worthwhile as it gives us a sense of a vital aspect of that history. The band really has been a trinity, Jagger-Richards-Jones as the nucleus and the soul, and with Wood, Wyman, and Watts and all the rest as valuable collaborators and contributors over the decades. This movie tells us a lot about that missing third of the trinity. I thought all the performances were wonderful, and the imagery and general ambience of the movie is pretty much as I've always envisioned it. July 12, 2008

Not As Bad As They Said

Aside from missing a scene of Brian recording with the Stones and say, suddenly applying sitar or marimba to a track to display his multi-instrumental genius, "Stoned" pretty much sums up the turbulent times and short life of founding Rolling Stone Brian Jones.
Leo Gregory lacks Brian's beauty but captures the louche decadence that Jones indulged in in his relationships, which in turn sent him into his personal spiral. Monet Mazur has a suitably smashing body (Sweet Jesus Those Nipples!) as Anita Pallenberg, the source of Brian's heartbreak, and the journey from playing slide on Little Red Rooster to the bottom of the pool at A.A. Milnes house is there for all to see. July 3, 2008

I feel Stoned

Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, and the downward spiral all three can inspire.

Brian Jones was the ultimate rock tragedy, dying young, rich and ruined by his own success and the loss of his lover. But the late Rolling Stones founder deserved a better biopic than "Stoned," which focuses on every part of Jones' life that is NOT interesting or insightful.

The movie opens with two flashbacks -- Jones being confronted about a girl he got pregnant, and an early Stones show. Then it flips ahead several years to when builder Frank Thorogood (Paddy Considine) is being hired by soon-to-be-ex Rolling Stone Brian Jones (Gregory), to do work on his new mansion and the grounds surrounding it. Soon he's fascinated by the mercurial Jones.

Jones himself is lost in memories of his glory days of drugs, sex, jetsetting and exotic music -- and especially his former lover Anita Pallenberg (Monet Mazur), who dumped him for his bandmate Keith (Ben Whishaw). He draws Thorogood into a dangerous game of hedonistic fun, until the degraded builder strikes back at him -- with tragic results.

In theory, Jones was the ideal subject for a biopic -- he lived a short, colourful life full of drugs, art and sex. Perfect subjects for a wild movie. Too bad this movie is actually about Frank Thorogood.

Unfortunately director Stephen Woolley doesn't seem to realize that nobody really cares about Thorogood, or why he murdered Jones. What people want is Jones -- tortured artist, forlorn child-man, girlfriend-beating sadist. Woolley provides brief glimpses ("You're fun to wind up") into Jones' psyche, but there's a lot more of Thorogood getting stoned, whining, and jumping on sleeping women.

How did Jones start the Stones? How did fame and drugs change him? How did he deteriorate until his bandmates had to kick him out? Nope, don't expect answers. Instead we get about a hundred lingering shots of the swimming pool on Brian's estate -- thank you for that subtle foreshadowing, Mr. Woolley. We had almost forgotten that Jones drowned in the pool.

In the end, "Stoned" is remarkable more for what it leaves out than for what it contains. Anita, those illegitimate kids, and Jones' musical skills are all sort of pushed to the side so we can see the big bad rock star mess with a country lad. And Woolley NEVER focuses on his relationship with the Stones. It's a shame, because the flashbacks to the Moroccan vacation are the most intense and colourful of the whole movie.

Leo Gregory does a fairly good job with Jones' personality (too bad they look totally unalike). But star is Mazur as the dangerous, charismatic Anita; it's a shame the affair is basically dismissed as a longtime S&M romp. Whishaw and Luke de Woolfson deserve a special shout-out for their portrayals of Richards and Mick Jagger. Neither one has a lot of onscreen time, but they are utterly convincing.

"Stoned" is full of moments that show what the movie could have been, and never was. Instead of a study of a brilliant, manipulative musician, we have a study of how he messed with his gardener. A limp, schizophrenic mess. February 10, 2008

Stoned movie - A+

This movie is a must have for any Brian Jones fan. It is european, and I had to watch it a couple of times to understand every word, but it is amazing! Leo Gregory IS Brian! October 17, 2007

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