12710 replies to this topic

[Crystal Eagle]

Scary Movie 3.

[Driver Nate]

Saw this documentary about the Replacements by filmmaker Gorman Bechard during a screening at the Nightlight in Chapel Hill last night. I'm thankful that a friend tipped me off to it because I don't think I would have been aware of it otherwise. I've been aware of the film for a number of years but up until recently the Chapel Hill showing wasn't even listed on the Color Me Obsessed website. Once my friend let me know about it, I joined the Color Me Obsessed page on FB so I could keep up with any updates that might occur. The Nightlight is a small bar in Chapel Hill so it's not like I saw it a theatre. It was shown on DVD and projected on to a sheet they had hanging from the ceiling. Seating was some couches, folding chairs and stools they had on hand. Since captions were used fairly frequently in the film, where you were seated was of the upmost importance. Let's just say there was a lot of craning of necks involved any time captions were used. The only other downside was a loud drunk seated in the back of the room who constantly commented on the movie. Efforts by the Nightlight staff to hush him fell on deaf ears.

As for the movie itself, there is no footage, music or interviews with the band members themselves. The story of the Replacements is told solely through a series of interviews with peers, critics, celebrities, writers, former employees and fans. Oh, and some very well timed segments featuring recordings from an answering machine (which, if you've visited the Color Me Obsessed website, acts as a sort of motif there as well). In a Q & A conducted by Berchard after the screening he explained that his unique approach was born out of the original filmmaker backing out of the production of the documentary. Bechard, originally one of the interviewees, was now behind the camera rather than in front of it. At this point they'd already captured an interview with fiction writer Robert Voedisch in which he describes the essence of the Replacements in such an articulate manner that Berchard thought that adding music wasn't necessary. During the Q & A, Berchard also added that even if any of the members of the Replacements had offered to be interviewed, he would have turned them down because he was so taken with the direction the movie had taken. Even though I admittedly missed the lack of music and live footage, Berchard's unorthodox approach worked. If any of you have read All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History by author Jim Walsh, it also includes no input whatsoever from the band. Think of Color Me Obsessed as the movie version of the Replacements' "Bastards of Young" video and I think you'll begin to get some idea of what the movie is like. Except this isn't an effort by the filmmaker to shoot himself in the foot or to send a "fuck you" to the record company and MTV. It works in spite of the lack of participation of the Replacements themselves. One of the more moving moments comes from a fan (Elaine Pan), who is on the verge of tears as she relates how the band had such a dramatic impact on her life. Her passion, as well as that of the other people interviewed just oozes from the screen. There's also a very strong sense of frustration expressed by some because, as one of the commentators puts it in describing a concert experience,  it was "kinda brilliant, kinda dumb, kinda the Replacements" (which also serves as the movie's tagline).

Be sure to check the website to see if Color Me Obsessed is screening in your town. If it's not, Berchard recommends starting up a grassroots effort in your area by contacting a local theatre (preferably one that shows art house/indie films) to see if they're interested in hosting a screening. If so, you can then contact Berchard through the website to see about setting up a showing. If you're unable to do so, he said it should be out on DVD in early April. First, as a one disc version and later, a deluxe two disc edition with lots of bonus footage (the original running time was three hours) included an extended interview with Grant Hart of Hüsker Dü. Also be on the lookout for his documentary about Archers of Loaf. Berchard said it was mainly a concert film (culled from two shows the Archers did at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC earlier this year) but that it does include some brief interview segments. He expressed an interest in doing a career retrospective type of documentary on them but that is something that's apparently still in the offing.

[Kimo]

I didn't like it. At all.

[Driver Nate]

Kimo, on 14 January 2012 - 01:40 PM, said:

I didn't like it. At all.

I actually enjoyed it but was afraid of not liking it. I'm glad I gave it a chance.

[High_Speed_Train]

This is an entertaining movie, has very hilarious moments, although the ending could have been much better. The two characters in the background are the funniest, they actually prevented the movie from sliding into a boring territory. The English title is "With your permission".

[Reverend Bill Funderburk]

I applaud George Lucas for his effort and determination in getting this film made. It was entertaining, but it could've been so much more. I wanted to walk away feeling like I actually knew the real men on whom the movie was based. Or at least more about them. The characters, to me, just weren't developed well enough. I don't think it was a bad movie, but it could've been better.

[Reverend Bill Funderburk]

[Reverend Bill Funderburk]

[Driver Nate]

I first heard about this movie years ago but never got around to watching it until recently when a friend tipped me off that it was playing on Hulu (which it still is). It was filmed in 1996 and came out in 1997 and is set in and around Raleigh, NC. As rock n' roll movies go, most seem to get more wrong than they do right. Bandwagon is a very notable exception to that. It's definitely low budget but it still gets it's point across. As a resident of Raleigh and a local music fan, I've always wanted to see this. Jac Cain (sound man at the Pour House) makes a cameo as a doorman at the Brewery (which was torn down last year). Back when this movie was filmed, Jac was the sound man there. Also of note is Doug MacMillian of the Connells in a starring role as a zen-like tour manager. You don't have to be a fan of Triangle area music scene to enjoy this movie but if you are, it's fun to try to spot the various locales. Otherwise, as rock n' roll movies go, the filmmakers did a pretty damn good job of capturing the trials and tribulations of a struggling, new band that's hoping to get signed to a label. There's also this review from The New York Times in case you're interested in learning more about the film.

[Driver Nate]

I'm not much of a sports fan (when it comes to traditional sports) anyway but I've never been opposed to watching a sports oriented movie. Thing is, they tend to fall into the same cliched plot developments. I thought this one was headed in that direct at first, albeit with a much needed twist but before I knew it, I became emotionally invested in the movie and couldn't stop watching. The statistical angle plus the lack of a "rah-rah" ending made Moneyball stand apart from most every other sports movie I've seen so I feel like all the hype behind it is definitely warranted.

[Driver Nate]

I usually go for the arty type films but this one really didn't do too much for me. I'm not sure if it was the violence or the overall lack of emotion by Gosling (which I realize was part of his character) or a combination of the two but something about the film left me feeling very empty at the end.

[Reverend Bill Funderburk]

[Driver Nate]

[Reverend Bill Funderburk]

[Pilgrimager]

I watched a film for the first time in about 4 yrs. the other night. Pale rider. Quite good  but the story was flimsy

[Driver Nate]

Having not ever read any of Hunter S. Thompson's work outside of his contributions to Rolling Stone, I was completely unfamiliar with this but doing a little legwork on the film prior to watching it certainly helped. It's not nearly as hallucinatory as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas but it was just as captivating, at least to me. I've read where some thought the ending was anti-climatic. That's true to a degree but it's not as though it leaves the viewer hanging as some films do. I thought it came to a pretty logical ending. It's just that the movie takes you on such an exhilarating up to that point that you are expecting more of a crash-bang type finish. Overall, I enjoyed it and am looking forward to more films where Depp portrays Hunter. Maybe it'll even inspired to actually read some of his books one day.

[Driver Nate]

[Driver Nate]

[Driver Nate]

[Driver Nate]