A Few DVD Docs Rock The Rutles & The Ramones But Neither Is Definitive

A couple of new rockumentaries (one is actually a mockumentary) are out now on DVD. Here's brief reviews of both:

THE RUTLES 2 : CAN'T BUY ME LUNCH
(Dir. Eric Idle, 2004)

"Did you ever get the feeling that the truth is less revealing than an outright lie?" - Ron Nasty (Neil Innes) 

This is an utterly unnecessary, painfully unfunny, and even a bit embarrassing sequel to the classic '77 NBC-TV special parody of the Beatles (ALL YOU NEED IS CASH).

Apparently former Python and also the formerly funny Eric Idle felt he was justified re-hashing the enterprise by airing un-used footage from the original, and adding new A-list celebrity interviews (Steve Martin, Conan O'Brien, David Bowie, Salman Rushdie, even Jewell for crying out loud!) but except for the occasional witty line - "I loved A HARD DAY'S RUT, that has influenced all of my work. That and some of the stuff the Turtles did" (Garry Shandling) this is a cringe inducing fest of bad ad-libs and smug posing. 

THE RUTLES 2 confirms that Eric Idle is officially THE GREEDIEST PYTHON.

For those of you keeping score:

John Cleese: THE SNOTTIEST PYTHON
Michael Palin: THE WORLD WEARIEST PYTHON
Terry Jones: THE MOST MEDIEVAL PYTHON
Terry Gilliam: THE MOST OVER BUDGET PYTHON
Graham Chapman: THE MOST DEAD PYTHON

END OF THE CENTURY - THE STORY OF THE RAMONES
(Dir. Jim Fields & Michael Gramaglia, 2003)

"To the short list of great rock docs - DON'T LOOK BACK, LET IT BE, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION, etc. - must now be added END OF THE CENTURY" - Kurt Loder (MTV News) 

Sorry Kurt, it's good but not that good. Ultimately a sad tale of New Yawk leather and denim clad mock hoodlums saving rock 'n roll from its excesses in the '70s. Three of 'em are dead now. The tale is extremely biased and rough but this is at least better than last year's hodgepodge RAW. 

Too bad full performance clips aren't presented as extras and a more rawking structure wasn't applied to this material like the Who doc THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT comparison Loder lofts. Such a could've been. I guess the definitive Ramones doc is still to come, but in the meantime there's a lot of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, Tommy, Marky and the other various band members who took on the Ramone surname to satisfy hardcore fans. Especially at its lengthy 110 minute running time.

More later...

Out Now In Theaters: GUNNER PALACE & ROBOTS

Sorry for the lame lack of posts lately. Dammit, I’ve missed babblin’ ‘bout the Oscars, the MILLION DOLLAR BABY debate, and the release of the PASSION UNCUT!

No matter, we're back and ready to go so here's a few brief movie reviews:

GUNNER PALACE (Dirs. Petra Epperlein & Michael Tucker)

A.O. Scott of the New York Times says "not a movie anyone should miss.” Well, I think a lot of people would do just fine missing this flick. Don't get me wrong this is fascinating stuff at first approach. U.S. soldiers take over a bombed out pleasure palace formerly owned by Uday Hussein in Iraq, and they party while carrying on their service from those headquarters.

Filmed on video in 2003, this is a rough and poorly constructed documentary. The hushed tones of the director’s voice-over, and the loose thread narrative does little to engage the viewer. A shame really, because in all the rubble that litters the streets of Baghdad and in all of the footage taken of the 2/3 Field Artillery lies a much better film than this.

ROBOTS (Dirs. Chris Wedge & Carlos Sardanha)

A slick but disjointed PIXAR competitor from Twentieth Century Fox's Blue Sky Studios, the crew that brought you ICE AGE. Some laughs in this noisy animated effort, but they are few and far between with Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel’s trademark sentimentality sabotaging the mechanics at nearly every step.

The death-to-death plot mechanics concern Ewan McGregor as Rodney the Robot, an idealistic inventor who tries to stop the evil corporate doings of Phineas T. Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), who heads Bigweld Industries in Robot City.

The voices of McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Mel Brooks, Paul Giamatti, and bit-part roles by Jay Leno and Al Rooker are warm and welcome presences (well, except for Leno) help make the time pass by, but the fart jokes, lame pop-culture references and weak one-liners makes me want to see THE INCREDIBLES again to appreciate how this sort of enterprise is much better done. 

More later...

HAROLD AND MAUDE: Soundtrack Breakdown

Yet again, I take another movie notable for its soundtrack, in this case Hal Ashby's 1971 classic HAROLD AND MAUDE, and give you a musical play by play: 

This particular film, an all-time favorite of mine, is especially notable because it features just one artist (Cat Stevens) much like Mike Nichols’ THE GRADUATE had Simon and Garfunkel guiding the way through its narrative. For some reason, HAROLD AND MAUDE's excellent soundtrack wasn't released in America, but there was a 1972 Japanese release on A & M Records.

The film begins with Harold Chasen (Bud Cort) preparing to hang himself in the elegant din of his mother’s mansion.

With his face hidden from view, Harold puts on a record on an old-style phonograph. It is "Don't Be Shy" by Cat Stevens. As this a song not on any Cat Stevens record - written for the film no less - Harold is very privileged.

Next up, "On The Road To Find Out" accompanies and introduces Harold's funeral fetish - we see him purchase a new hearse and attend a stranger's service at a large cemetery where he first takes note of Maude (Ruth Gordon) who's eating an apple.

Following that, "I Wish, I Wish" takes us from the film's first funeral scene to Harold screeching his hearse into the driveway of his family's mansion to the disapproving looks from his mother (Vivian Pickles) and her guests.

"Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1" (performer unknown according to IMDB) plays as another Haorld suicide attempt - drowning face down in a pool as his mother nonchalantly swims laps.

Stevens' stirring "Miles From Nowhere" sets another funeral scene - this one rain drenched. 

As that tune fades, the congregation exits the cemetery with Maude and her bright yellow umbrella leading the way while "Tea For The Tillerman" plays. 

Another spiritual Stevens song - "I Think I See The Light" lifts us away from Harold's successful sabotage of his mother's dating set-up to Maude's artistic nude modeling.

 As Harold and Maude (Ruth Gordon) get acquainted "Where Do The Children Play" - another passionate Cat tune sets the tone.

Instrumental snatches from it play over the next few scenes. 

Back at her place - after an emotional moment concerning Maude’s mysterious past our protagonists engage in a sing-a-long of “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” on Maude’s player piano which amusingly plays after she gets up to dance. Like "Don't Be Shy" this song was written for the movie and is definitely its unofficial theme song. A piano version sans vocal decorates the next scene as Harold’s mother presents him with a new Jaguar.

Johann Strauss’s "On The Beautiful Blue Danube” (again, performer unknown) accompanies a sweet night time close dance by Harold and Maude again at her place. “If You Want To Sing Out…” again serenades our movie couple in a montage involving Harold’s Jaquar, which is now souped-up Hearse-style, tooling down roads through the countryside, our charming couple dancing and frolicking in the sun, then nicely concluding with a tender moment in a junk-yard at dusk. 

The energetic jamming finish of "I Think I See The Light" which faded out earlier now emerges again to illustrate Harold's now consumated relationship with Maude.

In morning light coming through the window of Maude's abode Harold, in a love-daze blows bubbles while she sleeps. Another instrumental of "If You Want To Sing Out..." now played on a banjo punctuates Harolds confident walk away from his Mother's bedroom after telling her that he intends to marry Maude. 

"Trouble" powerfully fills out the final sequence which cuts back and forth from Harold in Jaquar/Herse recklessly driving the winding roads of previous scenes and the ambulance drive and Maude's admittance to the hospital on the night of her death - unbearably untimely in Harold's eyes.

A reprise of “If You Want To Sing Out...” takes us through the end credits right after a now newly inspired Harold plucks a few chords on his Banjo - a gift from Maude - right after discarding the Herse/Jaquar - a gift from his mother - in a particularly dramatic fashion.

More later...