American Hardcore - The History of Punk Rock 1980 - 1986
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Movie Reviews of American Hardcore - The History of Punk Rock 1980 - 1986
Movie Review: Fascinating, but Choppy and Over-Inclusive
Summary: 3 Stars
This documentary tackled an awful lot, and would have been better off as a longer series. Too bad the subject matter is too intense for Ken Burns- I could have watched another 10 hours of this stuff, especially if it was organized better than American Hardcore's presentation. Although the film gave a rough chronologic and geographic guide (repeated use of a US map showing band logos over their city of origin was helpful), the production was hurried, and the editing minimal; everything seemed aimed at cramming as much interview and performance footage as possible into 100 minutes.
A big problem with American Hardcore's over-inclusiveness is that no one was presented as seminal to the hardcore movement. Everyone was glommed together, and to the uninformed, no band made a bigger splash than any other. Were the musicians interviewed for this movie ALL that big, or were some merely more available than others? The Dead Kennedys weren't featured at all, and to my mind, Black Flag and Minor Threat were given equal footing with Flipper, Gang Green, The Cro-Mags, D.O.A., The Necros, and The Zero Boys.
As viewers are reminded throughout the documentary, hardcore music was a fantastic, organic, filthy, DIY, aggressive reaction against the Framptons and Fleetwood Macs of the world. However, it, too, was a scene, albeit a purer one with fewer materialistic aims. The music was formulaic and not all that listenable, with a few exceptions like Bad Brains, and the artists almost to a person took themselves too seriously (Keith Morris of Circle Jerks is particularly bad in the film's interviews). Hardcore was an anti-movement more than anything else, and few of the musician's ideals were borne of much more than a conspicuous wish to buck trends (hate your parents, hate Ron Reagan, keep your hair short and your clothes black... ho hum).
A great interview clip from Mike Dean of Corrosion of Conformity in the extras (all which are excellent, and there's a ton of them) hits the nail on the head: a lot of hardcore involved conforming to the ideals and behaviors of non-conformity.
Movie Review: Dr. Nostalgia, please pick up the white courtesy phone.
Summary: 3 Stars
American Hardcore (Paul Rachman, 2006)
Ever since I heard Steven Blush was adapting his book for the screen, I held my breath in the hopes that someone, somewhere, would get the brilliant idea to try and get the members of Husker Du together in a room somewhere, and then film the resulting chaos. Unfortunately, this did not occur (and the members of Bad Brains, Cro-Mags, and other bands with fabled acrimony involved with their break-ups are interviewed separately), but American Hardcore is still a pretty fun movie if you were there. And maybe even if you weren't, though some younger music fans are likely to take offense at the (dead accurate) assertions of some of the interviewees here that we haven't seen a real punk band since about the last Tuesday of never.
And, honestly, that's the problem. Not with the movie, or the book upon which it is based; they're great. Rachman (Four Dogs Playing Poker) combines present-day interviews with archive footage of performances and takes the Errol Morris approach (stay out of the picture and let the subjects ramble on as they please). It's a great trip down memory lane for those of us who were there. But those who weren't? Why will they care? Short answer: except for that rare kid (and I'd assume they get rarer with each passing year) who stumbles upon a Dead Kennedys or Black Flag tape for the first time and is transported the way we were... they won't.
Music, it seems to me, is the most difficult of documentary subjects to make a film about which anyone not involved with the genre is going to care. Be honest: if you're not a jazz fan, did you watch Ken Burns' epic? Did anyone who wasn't a metalhead or a TV preacher watch The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization, Part II? Of course not. I think American Hardcore will have a similarly vertical audience, though if you're a youngster who's always wondered what's missing from the current crop of "punk" bands, you'll find your answer here as well. Just be prepared, the people interviewed here are just as elitist and annoying about the subject as I am. *** ½
Movie Review: I was there!
Summary: 3 Stars
In a theater watching this movie with my band and the pile of VHS tapes (lots of Target Videos) by the TV of the band house at the time was far more in depth and informative than this flick. This is pretty much The Bad Brains/Black Flag story with other bands squeezed in here and there. If you are already into hardcore music then nothing new is presented here. It was cool however seeing all those band logos stretched wide on a massive screen. The omission of the Dead Kennedys was glaring, but maybe they were too intelligent for what this film is trying to present hardcore as.
One thing thats bothersome is that the movie claims hardcore ended in the mid-80s when it never really ended. You can't tell me that when there are thousands of hardcore bands playing today with thousands of shows all over America in basements, VFW halls, warehouses, house parties, and even ole fashioned venues. And yes its still actual hardcore. This movie is without a doubt for those who thought punk started with The Ramones and ended with The Sex Pistols and know little more. If you are "in the %$#@" as a vet would say this is just another slap in the face as one of the few documents of hardcore very accessible to the public (no doubt its probably shown IFC or Sundance) that cofirms then denies its existence. Its almost infuriating.
Other than that you have interviews you've heard a thousand times or haven't, SST Records still criminally under-represented by its owner, HR too cracked out to make sense and lots of VHS footage any fan has already seen clumped together in an uneven mess. If you've no idea about the original wave of hardcore bands then I guess this is for you.
Movie Review: Great Topic, Not So Great Film
Summary: 3 Stars
I was a kid in 1980, living in Orange County, when I saw a fellow student in high school with a Circle Jerk's "Group Sex" t-shirt and dyed black hair. I continued to listen to a Led Zeppelin and Styx on my Sony Walkman and didn't give it a second thought. Then someone turned my on to Oingo Boingo, and my journey to punk began. It was actually Bad Religion and GBH back in 1982 that did for me. My love of punk would continue to this day.
With that said, I was thrilled to rent this DVD. Lots of great footage and lots of great memories. Plenty of footage of Black Flag, arguably the greatest hardcore band ever. But punk in 1982-1984 was more than the bands that are in the movie. Even if they couldn't get the Dead Kennedy's to be in the film, it is inexcusable why they weren't included. And you what about the fanzines? Flipside was huge. And what about the record stores that carried punk? What about Fear? And I loved Kraut.
I'm thinking of going to gigs at the Olympic Auditorium (a friend worked for Goldenvoice) and all the other punk bands that were a part of the movement. I guess many were English, and by definition, they couldn't be included in the film.
Maybe there were just so many bands that they couldn't all be included, but to me there is so much left out.
But with that said, I still enjoyed the movie. It was choppy and not coherent. It could have been five films by five different directors just thrown together.
Thanks for making the movie, but I think it could have been better.
Movie Review: Interesting, but overlooks too many influential acts of the era
Summary: 3 Stars
Hardcore music, true hardcore music that is, often gets confused with pointless screaming and thrashing with little to know message or method behind it. For those who are unfamiliar to the sub-genre that achieved it's maximum popularity during the 80's, American Hardcore is a documentary worth seeing. Covering many, but not all, of the influential bands that arose in the early to mid-80's, American Hardcore features old performance footage and interviews with Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn of the legendary Black Flag, Minor Threat mastermind Ian MacKaye, and members of other acts including the Bad Brains, Corrosion of Conformity (yes, they were considered hardcore at one time), and the Circle Jerks to boot. While American Hardcore is definitely worth seeing for hardcore music fans, there are some glaring omissions that will make hardcore enthusiasts scratch their heads. The highly influential Dead Kennedys and the Misfits are completely ignored, which isn't just a shame, it's a crime. Not to mention that there are brief discussions of the Suicidal Tendencies and Husker Du; but neither gets the detail they deserve. There are some nice extras included on the DVD though, which is a welcome surprise at least. All in all, American Hardcore does a serviceable and interesting job spotlighting an often dismissed brand of music, but it's hardly as comprehensive as one could hope.