Not Fade Away

Not only is "Not Fade Away" the name of a Buddy Holly song, it's now the debut film from David Chase, creator of television's "The Sopranos." So how does it fare? This love letter to rock-and-roll would've been more successful as a cable movie...it lacks the feel of an actual film.

Starring a cast of virtual unknowns, "Not Fade Away" is another in a long line of musical films where a band struggles to find success. Unlike the recent sunny Blu-ray release "That Thing You Do," this film depicts the gritty realities of the music business in the 1960's, featuring everything from rampant drug use to sexual shenanigans with groupies.

Up and comer John Magaro plays Douglas, a young college dropout who will stop at nothing to succeed in the music business. After seeing the Rolling Stones' debut performance on TV, Douglas sets out to form a band, much to the chagrin of his father ("The Sopranos" own James Gandolfini).

First time director Chase is a novice with his presentation of "Not Fade Away" and it shows. Certain scenes linger on and on, and don't segue well into others. With a soundtrack supervised by Steven Van Zandt, the music in the film is the highlight of an otherwise forgetful entry in the music film genre.

Special features include two making-of featurettes. "The Basement Tapes" is split into three segments: "The Boys in the Band," "Living in the Sixties," and "Hard Art." A look at the casting of the actors is shown in "Building the Band" and deleted scenes are offered as well.

"Not Fade Away"
Blu-ray
www.paramount.com