Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

If you're a Rolling Stones fan, you'll surely love "Shine a Light" even more than I did. It's pretty much a Stones concert show with interviews in the middle but it's as good as a concert movie can be. Let's face it, even an average performance by the Stones isn't boring. With all the genius that the director Scorsese brings, it was pretty good, not monumental, but really defines the Rolling Stones. Although "Shine a Light" was filmed decades after the band's peak, it proves that these epic rock 'n' roll bad guys, despite their age, still know how it's done. This was my only chance to afford front row tickets to a Stones concert and so watching this in the theater was pretty damn cool and downright fun.

If the astonishing longevity of The Rolling Stones has taught us anything, it's that rock'n'roll is no longer just a young man's game. In fact, after nearly a half a century of rocking out, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood - all now in their 60s - offer proof positive that youth is indeed just a state of mind.More than twenty years after his seminal rock film "The Last Waltz," director Martin Scorsese turns his cameras on the Stones, recording a concert they performed at the Beacon Theatre in 2006 (as part of their "A Bigger Bang Tour") to benefit The Clinton Foundation (Bill and Hillary are both present at the event and are seen mingling with the fellows in the opening moments of the film). I'd say that at least 70 percent of the film's running time is devoted to the concert itself, with the rest made up of backstage stuff (mainly early on) and footage from interviews the band members gave throughout their career when reporters were (ironically, as it turns out) always predicting the band's demise within a few years - snippets obviously designed to contrast the boys' younger selves with what they look like today. The most humorously prescient moment comes when Dick Cavett asks Jagger, in 1972, if he can envision himself still doing this when he's 60. (Jagger's answer, by the way, is yes).With camera-work that is fluid without calling undue attention to itself, "Shine a Light" is essentially a straight-forward concert film, featuring some of the group's most instantly recognizable standards ("Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Shattered," "Start Me Up," "As Tears Go By," "Brown Sugar," "Satisfaction," etc.) as well as songs that are less well known - a feast for die-hard fans of the band, to be sure, though probably less gratifying for those who aren't. For despite the presence of Scorsese in the director's chair, "Shine a Light" is not really all that remarkable as a piece of film-making, but the sight of a bunch of astoundingly agile sexagenarians strutting their stuff on stage as if they were still in their twenties does give hope and encouragement to the rest of us fighting against our own fast-approaching golden years. It's obvious that these boys - clearly the true survivors of the rock era - are one day going to be taken off the stage feet first, going out doing what they love best. And, if nothing else, the film gets these rock'n'roll legends on the record for future generations to enjoy.

Yes - I was stupid and missed seeing this on the big screen. But even at home on DVD you get the feeling that you're witnessing something very special. I saw the Stones live 2 years ago now, but we were quite a way back and my wife couldn't really see anything. This film is the next best thing to being in the front row of a Stones show - i'm sure of it! I'm a huge fan of 'The Last Waltz' and whilst I found the archival footage that's scattered through 'Shine a Light' to be not as essential to the films experience as the interviews in 'The Last Waltz', it still contributes to making 'Shine' an even more rewarding Stones film than it already is.What is there to say about the Stones that hasn't already been said? Yes they are old - dinosaurs, even. But if there's anyone that's stayed as close to the top of the performance game in the way that Jagger and co. have, than I've yet to see them. Jagger is the real deal - one of the last greats of rock n roll showmanship. Whether he's spitting some nasty harmonica on a Muddy Waters tune, or racing toward the front of the stage to deliver the first line of 'Tumbling Dice' he OWNS the room and the stage for the entire 2 hours that they play. Keith is looking old and yes, he's not as good on the guitar as he perhaps once was. But he too has a level of 'too cool for any ol' school' onstage presence that is completely untouchable. Sometimes, it manifests itself in the form of him dropping his hands down by his sides during a guitar solo and shooting the audience a charming, rougish smile. Mostly, he just stalks around the stage and looks f%*king cool.I think his voice is really good and the 2 numbers he does with the band were real highlights - esp. 'Connection'. I think my favourite bit in the whole film was during 'Champagne and Reefer' when Buddy Guy plays a solo and Keith starts circling him. Magic. Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts are the real engine-room of the Stones - there's no doubt that Ronnie is the better guitar player but he knows his place is back behind Mick and Keith, and Charlie still cracks the snare and crashes those cymbals with all the verve of a man half his age.The film looks great, and the set list is a grab-bag of real gems - I think that the cover of 'Just My Imagination' was almost my favourite song of the whole set. The cameos from Jack White and Christina are OK - Jack does a cool version of 'Loving Cup' and the song suits his high, keening vocals. Christina sure can sing up a storm but the vocal acrobatics do turn me off, sorry. Buddy Guy is without a doubt the best of the guest appearances. When he steps up to the mic to deliver his first line during 'Champagne and Reefer' BANG! - you'll be knocked over on your ass. And then some. It's the only time during the whole set when Jaggers dominance of the stage is legitimately challenged.All in all, highly recommended.

I know that some other users had already write in the beginning of their comments for Scorsese's Shine a Light what I'm about to write and that is: Martin Scorsese is definitely one of my favourites directors of all time and The Rolling Stones is one of my favourites bands of all time. And now this film, second that I watch from the selection of the "Muestra", is one of my personal favourites of 2008.You know that clip of Bob Dylan when a journalist asks him this: "how many people who labour in the same musical vineyard in which you foil, how many are protest singers? That is people who use their music and use the songs to protest the social state in which we live today, the matter of war, the matter of crime or whatever it might be". Then Dylan asks "how many?" and that journalist says "yes, are there many who" and Dylan says "I think there are about 136" "it's either 136 or 142", it was truly great, definitely if you haven't watch that clip you really should, certainly it appears in Scorsese's No Direction Home (after another terrific and funny interview) and also Cate Blanchett says that in I'm Not There (best film of 2007 by the way). Certainly I remembered that clip of Bob Dylan with those clips that Scorsese featured, I really laughed in some of them and enjoyed all of them. Some clips shows "normal" answers by the Stones that now are really great and each one of those made the whole audience laugh! For example there you have a young Mick Jagger, when they had about two years in the business, saying that he hopes to last one year more in the business! And there you have Charlie Watts, the normal, the one who looks like a stranger, the only Rolling Stone with white hair! And he is so great, his clips are fun and once the show begins we watch his expressions after a couple of songs! Truly great.Scorsese filmed two nights at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, October 29 and November 1 2006, and apparently he had a unique experience but not just because of the performances. Is a really funny introduction, Marty wanted the set list, he wanted to know everything, it can begin with a guitar part played by Keith Richards (or Captain Keith!) then Marty wanted to knew that but there you have Mick Jagger laughing, Marty will get the set list for sure but when? Well, seconds before we can hear the opening track, the fantastic Jumpin' Jack Flash. A person who was with me said to me after Shine a Light ended, "I don't know most of the songs but I really enjoyed the entire show", in my opinion Shine a Light does have a great set list, honestly I didn't knew what songs were part of this film and certainly I enjoyed each second of the show like her. You watch the Stones enjoying themselves, of course is impressive the energy at that age, of course each soul at that small theatre were in touch with the legends, they don't think on the stage they just feel. The guest musicians were Jack White, Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera. The first two were part of two gems of a performance, was pure enjoyment and you can see the face of Jack White (he was sharing stage with the Stones playing Loving Cup!) and with Buddy Guy we have a memorable performance and he ended with two guitars! Aguilera was also terrific and Jagger really enjoyed the performance of Live with Me. Certainly Shine a Light is unique, you can see the expressions of Charlie Watts (as I wrote) and you can see how the audience enjoys like if you were on the stage. By the end we enjoy a powerful encore with Brown Sugar (one of my all time favourites) and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction to finally finish with a great and creative scene. Then 120 minutes were not enough to me, for sure I wanted more but still I just loved Shine a Light aka Some Country for Old Men (filmjack terrific title you clever bastard!) and here's the set list: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Shattered, She Was Hot, All Down the Line, Loving Cup, As Tears Go By ("lovely isn't it"), Some Girls, Just My Imagination, Far Away Eyes, Champagne & Reefer, Tumbling Dice, You Got the Silver, Connection, Sympathy for the Devil, Live with Me, Start Me Up, Brown Sugar and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.