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Sound City

April 9, 2014
Film Reviews
12 Comments

Frank Black, Lindsey Buckingham, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Rick Springfield, Corey Taylor, Lars Ulrich, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Barry Manilow,

Sound City: tells the story of the greatest music studio that ever existed – IRGDGHO (In Rock God Dave Grohl’s Honest Opinion). And what a story it is, plenty of ups and downs to make an interesting and entertaining documentary. Not unlike Side by Side’s knockout movie cast, some of the musicians that pop up in here are jaw-droppingly famous: Stevie Nix, Neil Young, Trent Reznor, Josh Homme, Rick Springfield… the list is endless. The film covers standard ground like the rise-and-fall of raw / live recording several times through, 80s over-production and the dominance of pro tools a decade later. The first 70 minutes is a great documentary, however the final 25 or so really let the film down as star after star is invited to jam with Dave and the Foo Fighters, creating (average) songs in a couple of hours “old school style” – in what’s essentially an advert for the soundtrack, and a rather unnecessary addition to the runtime. Even as a massive Foo Fighters fan, it’s just a bit too much back-slapping. Weirdly, the film gives drum sound it’s own section but doesn’t bother with bass, guitar, vocals… Dave you cheeky drum monkey!! Overall, this is a good rock-dock, but I preferred hanging out with the rock stars and hearing their stories over seeing their (surprisingly boring) “creative process” in the studio.

Score: 7/10

Sound City Frank Black, Lindsey Buckingham, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Rick Springfield, Corey Taylor, Lars Ulrich, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Barry ManilowSound City 03 Frank Black, Lindsey Buckingham, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Rick Springfield, Corey Taylor, Lars Ulrich, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Barry Manilow,Sound City 02 Frank Black, Lindsey Buckingham, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Rick Springfield, Corey Taylor, Lars Ulrich, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Barry Manilow,

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

June 21, 2012
Film Reviews
8 Comments

Anvil! The Story of Anvil: follows two friends who have been gigging together since 1978, and their continual struggle to re-emerge on the global rock scene. Don’t be fooled – or put off – by the heavy meal angle; the documentary is focused on their heart-warming dedication to the band, and mostly behind the scenes. Front man ‘Lips’ is an absolute legend of a personality; such a nice guy (running around the festivals meeting his heroes) – and sounds uncannily like Paul Giamatti. You end up feeling a bit sorry for his bandmate Rob who gets a raw deal and winds up as a punch bag / door mat. What Anvil! does best is capture the trials and tribs of a DIY tour – and band life in general – very well; the festivals, crummy venues, playing live, disappointing crowds, pay squabbles, transport chaos, emotions, recording… it’s all there, and it’s all raw – down to the drunk guy drinking beer through his nose. The only minor point from me is that some shots and scenes feel played just for documentary; although only the initial setup, there’s clearly no script. I didn’t realise how engaged I was until the very end, where I wept a few tears of joy… like a totally non-rock ‘n’ roll pussy. The Story of Anvil is the most upbeat of tragedies: you see these guys grinding away at shitty day jobs only to fund their gigs and albums; and in that way, this is one of the most universally inspirational stories you’ll ever see. Must-see documentary.

Score: 9/10