apocalypse_ciao Reviews

Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements (2011)

I liked this film about one of my favorite bands of all time but there were some things that irked me for sure.

[6/10 · 7 November 2011]

So walking in to see this, I was anxious and excited to see it, especially after reading some glowing reviews I saw posted here on the IMDb website. But in all honesty, I started to feel well, guarded, about half-way watching the film. Why I started to feel guarded is because I really feel like the Replacements' music was there for me in my aimless youth, particularly my adolescence. Listening to their music was like having a heart to heart conversation that I wish I had with an old friend, telling me everything was going to be okay. It was like they we're saying, it's okay that you're a weirdo because you know what, we are too. So this guarded feeling came from me wanting to be there for this band, just like they were for me. And more importantly, hoping that people wouldn't misunderstand the band or try to add them into their pantheon of underground bands just to be seen as cool. So those questions started to form in my head, "Where is this director coming from?" Or "Why was this person or that person chosen to represent an ordinary Replacements fan?" And feeling like, I don't think you really like this band. You're just some dumb hipster schmuck who doesn't really get this band but are pretending to so that you can get some screen time to promote whatever it is that you do.

Don't get me wrong, I really do like this film. Particularly the people interviewed who actually knew the band or lended a helping hand. However, my main problem with giving the film a full 10 stars came down to a couple of things. The first being that for every album the Mats put out, a screen would come up displaying the year that it came out in, how many records were sold, and then whatever band was popular at the time and how many records they sold. Obviously it was meant to be "cheeky". But what I didn't like was that some of the artists that the filmmaker was trying to deem as less musical than the Mats or more pop oriented and catering to the masses, I recall reading in interviews that the Replacements did in the 80's and 90's, they actually liked. For instance, they actually liked Prince and Bon Jovi. And where this graphic screen completely didn't work for me and lost it's coherency and merit was when the screen pops up for Don't Tell A Soul and then underneath it states that Guns N' Roses was the best selling rock album for 1989. Why it doesn't work for me is because Tommy Stinson plays bass for G N' R now. When that happened, I had an eye rolling moment.

But my main gripe would have to be how the filmmaker chose to represent a typical Replacements' fan. What sticks out in my head and unfortunately so, is this annoying bearded writer with horn rimmed looking glasses who for some reason got the most screen time out of all the fans interviewed. At first he seemed alright until he said something that made me question if indeed he really was a fan of The Replacements or 1980's alternative and college rock. This guy actually said that he used to go into a wheatfield when he was 14 and conjure up The Replacements, in his head, to the point they would actually be hanging out with him in a wheatfield. What a bunch of pretentious drivel. And what I really didn't like was his very last moment of screen time, when he makes this statement about how The Replacements existed on some higher plane than R.E.M., U2, and The Dead Milkmen. That's where I felt like saying or better yet asking this character if he was in front of me saying that, well then, what other bands were you listening to from the mid to late 80's? In fact, didn't Peter Buck play the solo in "I Will Dare"? Didn't R.E.M. and The Replacements tour together at some point? I'm sorry but if you didn't sport a mohawk and weren't an overly aggressive male ie a jock in the mid to late 80's, than those were the bands you listened to.

Furthermore, the Mats never wanted to exist on some higher plane of music that this person was alleging they existed on. They just wanted to be themselves, drunk, sober, or even dumb, but always poetically so. They were never this sappy pseudo-intellectual hipster band. And it kind of pisses me off how people like that are trying to act like they know everything there is to know about The Replacements and or have been a fan of them for years.

It got me thinking that this bearded fellow, and some of the other bearded fellows might have been chosen or got the most screen time as some sort of marketing ploy so that this film could be marketed to the glib, hipster, youth market, when shopping for a distributor.

I also couldn't believe how no one mentioned what a powerful song "Skyway" was or is on the segment on Pleased to Me or even that they liked it. Come on now! That's one of the best songs they ever recorded and I found it unbelievable that no one even mentioned it.

Anyways, I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade by writing this review and I really do recommend this documentary to people, maybe not so much for longtime fans but for new ones. Longtime fans don't need to be reminded of the power of their music and history. However, I would like to see a more definitive documentary on them in the future, with the surviving members of the Replacements doing most of the talking similar to The Beatles anthology.

Because if anyone deserves some long overdue recognition for their contribution to music, The Replacements sure do.

Youth in Revolt (2009)

I liked the film a lot but here's the thing, shrooms are not light drugs...

[7/10 · 10 January 2010]

I just saw this film on Friday, the 8th of January, and it delivered in so many ways. My only criticism of the film is it's reliance on drug taking, particularly the 'shroom scenes. Just because, not everyone in society has done 'shrooms so they probably wouldn't be able to relate to anything the characters go through when they take them. And while the movie portrays Michael Cera's character's experience as light-hearted and whimsical, shroom experiences, at least speaking for myself, are far from being light-hearted and whimsical. They're heavy drugs as far as I'm concerned and the film almost makes you think otherwise and I might come off as preachy when I say this but it's highly irresponsible to portray taking mushrooms as such, given the influence that movies can have on young people who unfortunately may become super curious of taking them if they haven't already done so. All I can say is, don't take too much if you are going to go that route and avoid hanging out with lame asses if you are, please don't drive when you're on them, and I think you should be okay.

So why did I give the movie a 7? I like the film's "take me or leave me" attitude. What I mean by that is, it doesn't over exert itself to be liked. I mean sure it does make references to I guess what "hip" teenagers and adults seem to like i.e. records versus cd's, Serge Gainsbourg, vintage threads, 3D papercraft/cut-out animation, and stop motion puppetry, but it doesn't beg to be liked which I found quite refreshing.

And most importantly why I enjoyed this movie was because at it's heart, it's a touching love story, which is completely believable, sincere, and totally relatable as well. Females do in fact subject men to various "tests" for them to prove their feelings for them and we as men do in fact oblige, even if the consequences of such actions prove to be disastrous.

And the underlying message I got was to follow your heart, which so many of us as we get older seem to forget.

Plus with choice performances from veteran actors such as Jean Smart, Steve Buscemi, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, M. Emmett Walsh, and Mary Kay Place and kooky character roles filled by Zach Galifianakis and Justin Long, what's not to like about this film?

loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies (2006)

If you didn't know about the pixies, this isn't your chance to find out more and that's a good thing

[10/10 · 12 December 2009]

If you didn't know about the pixies, this isn't your chance to find out more and that's a good thing. Why? Well if you didn't discover their greatness on your own, which is the only way you could do it back in the day really, this film will not convince you of that, only being a fan of their music will.

This review is not directed at anyone in particular's review on this film but, you're COMPLETELY missing the point if you watch this film with your arms folded, in order to be proved that this was and still is a great band in Alternative music's history. You want to know more about them? Well, that's what the internet is for and you can research any information you want.

A completely necessary viewing by any Pixies fan. Lots of live footage. Candid remarks and statements by the band and in particular the band member's own views on it's later meltdown. And I love the end when they show some home movies of the band in slow motion, it looks like when they were on tour for Doolittle in 1989. The DVD contains footage not seen on TV like Kim Deal and Frank Black visiting Sigur Ros in their studio in Iceland.

A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake (2002)

an eloquent and soft spoken portrait and insight into the man and his music

[9/10 · 11 March 2009]

I first heard the music of Nick Drake at a tenant's apartment my mom was renting out to in 1995. His name was Matt, he was a musician just like me, and he owned the Fruit Tree lp set. We were in his kitchen and right before he played Five Leaves Left he said, "This is Nick Drake, I think you'll like him" and he was absolutely right. As "Time Has told me" was playing, on that cold damp grey morning, I immediately took to liking the music a lot and empathizing with this somber voice, plucking an acoustic guitar, and just knew it was great immediately.

Now, I didn't rush out to get the Nick Drake records since they were so rare to find, this was pre Amazon.com and e-bay folks. But then a couple of years later Rykodisc re-issued the Fruit Tree lp's on cd. I immediately bought it and devoured the music and listened to it endlessly and intensely. His life and music, have never left me since.

I often found a kinship and solace in what he was expressing and began to feel less alone with how I felt at times. Especially in my late teens and early twenties, when I found myself always on the outside of society's pressures of conformity, and the desire to express so much to people that I had conflict with in my life, or to women that enticed me, and not being able to find the right words to say.

On the surface, Nick Drake's music seems to be the perfect accompaniment to college life, cafe sitting, and or people watching at first listen. But if you dig a little deeper, his music begins to embody that tongue-tied, outcast feeling, yet, in his words and music, there was always this acceptance of it, for better or worse, and the glimmer of hope that something better was just beyond the horizon. You start to hear in his words and music his wants, fears, struggles, and desires and you begin to identify with this extremely vulnerable yet strikingly poetic man. And the lyrics, chord structure, and playing, are just superb and top-notch, mixing folk, blues, jazz, and classical so effortlessly.

It's a shame no one filmed Drake on his short and ultimately unsuccessful college tour as his producer Joe Boyd described. But in a way, that just adds to the mystique surrounding his life and music. I love the part where the producers behind Bryter Layter deconstruct "At the Chime of a City Clock" and one of them starts to bob their head to the jazzy groove of the song. The tape of Molly Drake, Nick's mother, played by his sister Gabrielle, provides a much needed insight into Nick's inspiration musically as well.

As a Nick Drake fan, it would've been great to hear more from Joe Boyd about what the recording of the song "Which Will" was like or at least to have used it in the film which I think was his best song. But all of his songs are great. It would've also been nice to hear from Richard Thompson from Fairport Convention who played lead guitar on Nick's first two records and hear his viewpoint on the myth surrounding Drake's life and music and what it was like to work with him in the studio.

It's so sad when his mother speaks about how he felt he had failed to reach the people he wanted to speak to with his music and that he couldn't write any more songs. It's just so completely the opposite to me because he succeeded tremendously in connecting his own trials and tribulations with other people's struggles and why people who discover his music pass the message of his life and music to others, because it means that much.

This review is more than just a review of a film of a folk singer. It's an homage to Nick Drake because his music has helped me and probably many others, young and old, with their own internal demons. If you haven't listened to Nick Drake, please do so and watch this documentary. If you're already a fan you won't be disappointed.

Redbelt (2008)

this movie just doesn't deliver

[1/10 · 12 May 2008]

I just saw this yesterday and wished I read through these comments because I would've stayed at home.

The beginning of the movie showed a lot of promise. Ambiguous characters, unraveling, with Mamet at the director's chair.

But that unraveling is what didn't translate at all to me. I could not for the life of me figure out why his friend commits suicide. The reason the film gives is because of a watch that was stolen or pawned, what the hell? And as far as the "climax" of the film, why did the fight to the death exist? To get money for his friend's widowed wife? Out of vengeance for his girlfriend's betrayal? To get back at the Brazilian "mafia" for setting up the fight and stealing his proverb?

If it was for the last reason stated, then great, but it just seemed way too ambiguous and exhausting to look deeper, at that point, I just wanted the movie to end. But if that's the case, it all seemed to contradict the main character's "integrity" which he seemed so intent on defending at all costs. And also, he shouldn't have gotten the Redbelt if that were the case.

Wassup Rockers (2005)

It could've been a lot better

[5/10 · 6 March 2008]

First off, I'm not the hugest Larry Clark fan. I think Kids was his Citizen Kane and no other film of Clark's has matched up to it.

Why Kids? Because it didn't flinch and it hit issues pertinent to young people head on.

I think what would've made Wassup Rockers a great movie is if it dealt with issues Latino youth, in this case who happen to skate and play music, are facing head on, with that same "unflinching" boldness that Kids had. Instead, Clark replaces that integrity with sensationalism and camp for purposeless "entertainment" value.

Not only that, it's hard for me to believe that the close-knit group of friends in the film A) left one friend while he was being beat up by a cop and B) left one friend dead and went home and literally told no one about it? That left me with the emptiest feeling.

Thumbsucker (2005)

Losers don't always turn out to be heroes

[8/10 · 28 August 2006]

I just rented this movie. To be honest, I was more curious about how Mike Mills used Elliott Smith's songs in it rather than the movie itself. He was originally supposed to score the film before his untimely demise.

Kelli Garner struck me as giving an awesome performance as well as Lou Pucci. But, you can tell that it's a movie that glosses over adolescent woes and miseries. It's difficult for anyone to recall their awkward teenage years and probably even more difficult to be honest about it in film.

Something about Thumbsucker struck me as not real to life like the Zen-like Orthodontist character. Keanu Reeves is the most robotic actor of my generation yet lands many a role somehow. He is charming though but I tended to cringe as much as laugh at his character's "forced" foibles. Even Lou Pucci's character "Justin" seemed to carry this 90's loser chic sans flannel shirts. It seemed like his character was a fusion of Kurt Cobain and Jordan Catalano.

In the scene where he succeeds to persuade Vince Vaughn's character to buy him beer for him and his 4 classmates, who are all cute girls, they end up taking their clothes off. Do they kiss or fool around? No they rub their feet on carpet and touch each other trying to give each other electric shocks. That's what you do when you're 7 or 8, not when your 17.

And Benjamin Bratt's character seemed unnecessary. His character seemed to represent a "Just say no to drugs" sloganeering campaign, no other dimension for this fine actor to showcase. Some moving performances to note are Pucci's character storming out of class while Vince Vaughn's character tries to make him stay and finish a speech, with Smith's "Let's Get Lost" playing in the background.

Pucci confronting Garner's character about why they aren't in a relationship and her saying it was a teenage experiment so she could learn about sex. I also like the scene where the younger brother played by Chase Offerle tells Pucci that he hates how he gets all the attention in the family.

But my favorite scene would have to be Vincent D'Onofrio's reaction to his son going off to NYU. "I was just starting to get used to you" he says, while slumped over in his chair at work, is just so moving and shows the power of good acting.

I found Tilda Swinton's character enviable because moms are never that understanding or calm in real life.

However I want to leave you with these scenarios that the film answers yes to: If you were caught sucking your thumb and a pretty girl was staring at you, would she really say hi back to you? Does writing untruths about oneself to make up for below average grades allow you admissions to prestigious colleges? Are high school teachers receptive to students who talk back at them? Can you kick prescription drugs out of your system without withdrawal symptoms?

If you watch this movie, you won't be totally disappointed. Who knows, the book might be better. It's filled with very strong and heart-felt performances. But still I find it glossed over in relation to adolescents who experience heartache, alienation, chemical dependencies, or identity crises and for the most part don't make it out okay in time for a successful transition to adulthood.

Punk: Attitude (2005)

It's good but it's a quite uneven documentary

[7/10 · 25 August 2006]

I have nothing really bad to say about the first hour of it. It's actually helpful if you want to know the history of "early" punk ie The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, The MC5, and The Count Five. I loved The Damned footage of them playing New Rose. The Clash and The Sex Pistols seem to get all the attention though when the UK punk scene is discussed. No mention of Wire or Joy Division.

But I have to agree with another person who observed how they left out a crucial chunk of hugely influential post-punk 80's American groups: The Minutemen, Husker Du, The Replacements, and The Pixies and set the stage for pretty much every band afterwards. No mention of Devo either.

The film also makes the West Coast punk scene seem like it died in 1982 or something. Nothing against Black Flag, Germs, X, Circle Jerks, or Dead Kennedys but it gets old mentioning these groups, it really does. It would've been nice to see Fishbone mentioned and how punk splintered into a ska phase throughout the 80's and beyond, particularly on the West Coast.

And Henry Rollins does his usual "ambiguous" put down of the West Coast punk scene: "How can you have sun, fun, hot chicks, and punk rock?" Well Mr. Rollins, was Black Flag an East Coast punk band? Big fat no, they're from the West Coast, which is a band he joined by the way.

I also observed there was also no coverage or even mention of the Riot Girl scene in Olympia, WA and D.C. of the early 90's ie Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney. They paved the way for bands like Le Tigre, The Gossip, and The Capricorns who are really responsible for the disco-punk explosion that groups are now reaping the rewards from like VHS or Beta, The Rapture, and Bloc Party.

The majority of the Riot Girl bands have outspoken leftist politics and are lesbian and to me that's more relevant than some old geezers reminiscing about a bye gone era and sticking their middle fingers at the camera and saying f*** you.

And then to end it with footage of Limp Bizkit, Green Day, and Sum 41 is an insult to fans because those bands don't represent how punk evolved but how punk got commodified. Overall, I got the feeling that the filmmaker's opinion on just who is punk, and what is punk is rather one-dimensional and subject to his own "punk" aesthetics.

After Hours (I) (1985)

After Hours is a weird, spooky, and entertaining movie.

[10/10 · 19 August 2006]

I actually remember seeing the poster for After Hours displayed at The Vista when it played there back in 1985. It kind of freaked me out to see Griffin Dunnes's head being twisted like the crank of a pocket watch, yikes! I didn't see it though, I wish I did, but I was more into GoBots back then and saw movies with my parents and they weren't into those types of films I guess.

Besides the Z Channel, the cable channels during the early to mid 1980's in L. A., never really catered to the off beat, underground, or art-house flicks. Independent cinema was still a largely underground thing until the 90's. So it was a year later on cable that I first viewed Scorcese's highly underrated yet, wonderfully black comedy "After Hours", in 1986. It seemed really out of place in what I normally saw on cable.

While watching the movie my emotional reaction went from either laughter to this gray area of tension that something worse was just around the corner for Griffin Dunne's character. It broke a lot of taboos for me. It was the first movie I saw where someone who used drugs, smoked a joint, wasn't a hippie, rather a yuppie. The first time I saw references to punk rock culture, first time I heard Peggy Lee's "Is that all there is?", and the first time I saw a movie so unpredictably charming and creepy, but that wasn't in a blood and guts horror genre, but was more like an urban nightmare for a working class hero.

I remember hoping that Griffin Dunne's character would make it home in one piece. Those scenes filmed in Marcy's, Rosanna Arquette's character, loft so stuck with me, the weird rape story where Arquette is rather stoic when talking about it in detail, the dimly lit studio, Linda Fiorentino sporting a mullet looking hairdo, the book Paul opens up of burn victims, and him busting down the door after discovering she od'd on sleeping pills and falling flat on his back are memorable. Teri Garr's character was at first so seemingly angelic and takes a turn for the worst, so bitingly ruthless and vengeful all because of Paul's refusal at her sexual advances. Cheech and Chong make a cameo as well.

I also want to note that Howard Shore does an amazing job on the score. The music accompanies Dunne's treacherous pilgrimage home through dark SoHo streets beautifully and accentuates the eeriness of his mishaps.

Whether intentional or not, "After Hours" and Terry Gilliam's "Brazil", were probably only a couple of the few movies that broke through the veneer of 80's Reaganism and excess, not excluding Jim Jarmusch's "Stranger than Paradise". I was fortunate to see a showing of "After Hours" this past year at the New Beverly Cinema and was just blown away by it.

So, that in a nutshell, is why I like this film and can watch it again and again and it gets my nervous system all jumpy...but in a good way : )