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Tom Joad rocks with DETROIT ROCK CITY
Hey folks, Harry here with Tom Joad ecstatic review of DETROIT ROCK CITY. Last Thursday I had a chance to go see THE SIXTH SENSE (which strangely I'm seeing again tonight) and having a pass for DETROIT ROCK CITY I gave it to Tom Joad because I had already decided to buy myself a plane ticket for L.A. to see the premiere of this film that includes a concert afterwards with KISS, CHEAP TRICK and EVERCLEAR. For me, it'll finally be my chance to see KISS in makeup. Something I've been dying to see since I first thought of going to rock concerts. I remember... hell, I'll save it for my review sometime Monday night, as for now... Here's Tom Joad's take on the film...
DETROIT ROCK CITY
Tonight, I have seen the most enjoyable film of my entire summer.
Yep, Tom Joad here, clockin’ in with a review of DETROIT ROCK CITY - THE
movie to immortalize KISS for all time.
The spirit of this film simply soars.
The soundtrack features covers of many KISS tunes which makes the
playing of actual KISS music within the film sound absolutely
incredible. If you were ever Gene Simmons for Halloween (like myself)
when Detroit Rock City is done onscreen, you will very likely shit
yourself. So take a change of drawers. Wish I had.
My mother (before my dad suavely persuaded her to the Dark Side) was a
nun. No shit. A real-life, ruler-rapped-knuckled nun. So you may not
be surprised by the fact that I grew up being told that KISS DID indeed
stand for Knights in Satan’s Service. My dear old mum will die
believing that acronym. Now that you’ve got a little background, you
can relate both to her level of rage and my level of dread, when she
discovered the Gene Simmons poster hanging on my wall that I had stolen
from a CIRCUS magazine that morning after Mass while she shopped around
Safeway.
Oh, the horror.
So it goes without saying that this flick was tailor-made for me. But
it’s not just a movie for KISS fans. Remember how fuckin’ great
Linklater’s DAZED and CONFUSED was? How he perfectly painted a picture
of 70’s high school? How it captured the spirit of youth and the desire
for individuality?
How it portrayed the actual FEEL of the seventies?
DETROIT ROCK CITY does it better. DETROIT ROCK CITY does it MUCH
better. The clothes, the music, the rock concert, the memorabilia, the
entire atmosphere – BETTER. This is THE
teenage-angst-I-wanna-be-a-band-so-I’ll-practice-in-my-basement coming
of age movie. At least in my opinion.
As much of the plot as you’re gonna get out of me is that four best
friends have been denied seeing KISS live for two straight years. This
is gonna be their year. The time is now. It kicks ass!
Jason London’s Randall “Pink” Floyd has four new boys in his stable:
Edward Furlong’s Hawk, Sam Huntington’s Jam, Bruce James DeBello’s Trip
& Giuseppe Andrews’ Lex – classic, classic, classic.
Remember KINGPIN? Remember how Roy Munson paid his rent? Remember
whose turkey he had to gobble? The landlady, the one with the pimp
varicose veins on her inner thighs. Lin Shaye kicks mucho ass on screen
here, nailing the part of Jam’s mother, the holy-roller of the film
which I identify with so well. You’ve got to love this woman.
Speaking of kicking ass, this movie indulges the rebel in us all. When
onscreen adversity strikes, we get to see brilliant displays of ‘what
goes around comes around’. And it is fantastic. When the “Beth” scene
unfolds, with the gorgeous Melanie Lynskey, you’ll see terrific
parallels max-tweaked.
Beverly Hills slum Natasha Lyonne is dead-on as Christine, and I’m
foaming at the mouth to see her in Matthew Bright’s CONFESSIONS OF A
TRICK BABY later this year!
None other than the always stunning Shannon Tweed plays opposite Furlong
in a scene that the adolescent boy in every man will long remember.
Director Adam Rifkin, who had formerly written and directed THE CHASE,
as well as writing SMALL SOLDIERS and MOUSEHUNT, has one helluva lot to
be smiling about. He’s added a lot of character to this flick, a lot of
style and a distinct visual flair that really worked for me.
Gene Simmons has got to be proud of this effort. And he’s got every
right to be. He’s got one mean motorscooter of a movie on his hands and
should be beaming. This flick completely captures the glory of KISS in
the peak of their seventies glory, the costumes, the onstage theatrics,
the flashing bulb KISS banner, and of course the pyrotechnics of
champions. Don’t miss this one on the big screen. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Harry gave me this pass knowing how much I would appreciate it. And I
can’t thank him enough. Ernie and I went and absolutely laughed our
asses off. Harry missed OUT, but then, he’s on a plane to the real deal
Holyfield in a matter of days, and he’s going to get to meet Ron Jeremy…
the lucky bastard.
Tom Joad
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KISS, Cheap Trick, Star Wars figures, MAD magazine - that was MY 70's. Being born in late 1970, I was as the perfect age for all that stuff. Honestly, I haven't really been excited about his movie until the stream of good word-of-mouth started hitting. I may just have to drop $8.50 on it. A side note: I was _SO_INTO_KISS from 1975 to 1978. Gene Simmons was my idol. Not 'cause he banged hundreds of babes, but because he was the shit. You know how you hear the bullshit line that so-and-so entertainer is a bad influence on our kids? Well... I guess that ol' Gene ACTUALLY WAS a bad influence on me. While jamming out to Kiss records in my friend's basement with guitars made out of plywood with nails for tuning pegs, I decided that I would try to vomit blood just like my idol. I literally whacked myself in the nose until it started to bleed, snuffed up the clot, and drooled it out my mouth. Somehow, my buddies were impressed. YAH! Man, what a tool.
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I may be first but if I'm not, oh well...I love the poster for Detroit Rock City...It reminds me of the American Graffiti poster with the caricatures of the main players..It's awesome. I can't wait.
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I may be first but if I'm not, oh well...I love the poster for Detroit Rock City...It reminds me of the American Graffiti poster with the caricatures of the main players..It's awesome. I can't wait.
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so what ever happened to that discussion about getting some cuts so that it could be rated PG-13? Did they make it? please someone tell me is rated R!
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There you go. You need no more. We have an R rating gentlemen.
-Q -
Sorry, hit the return button by accident. I cannot wait for this movie. Back in 1977 I was in 3rd grade and an official member of the KISS Army. I remember hearing about the acronym but we never cared one way or the other, the music rocked. I still remember that the very first 45 I ever owned and it was a birthday present from my mom (very different from Tom Joad's mom) was Calling Dr. Love. To this day it is still my favorite KISS song. Obviously I was a little young to see them in concert while they were still in makeup, but when they began touring again 3 years ago in makeup I jumped at the chance to see them. Honestly, I expected to see 4 old guys trying to squeeze their overweight bodies into those costumes and I certainly expected the music to be mediocre but it was a chance to see KISS in makeup in concert. I was shocked to see them more energetic than bands half their age and the music rocked as great as it ever did. I have seen hundreds of concerts and this stands as the greatest concert I have ever seen. It's not even really a contest. Having seen them, I can appreciate what these 4 guys are willing to go through. Its worth it.
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I saw KISS last November on the Psycho Circus tour, and that was absolutley the best Rock and Roll show I have EVER experienced ( and I've seen alot). I really didn't go to concerts when they were still painted before, and thought I would be denied forever the thrill of seeing a REAL KISS show, but man they did not let me down, they played a LONG time and they played it ALL!! Hotter than Hell baby!!!!!!
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Saw a sneak preview last night and it really got the crowd going!! The music was loud, the humour was straight out of the toilet...and the shit was hitting the fan!!
Anyways, this one was a lot of fun...some of the plot twists were actualy unexpected - and even the ones I figured out were done better than I could have done.
I really liked this movie, but I still think Kiss kinda sucks. -
If you are comparing this movie to DAC, then it better be one hell of a movie. You just raised my expectations a tenth of a notch. It would be more, but I don't put much stock in other peoples movie opinions, but they are fun to talk about. Check ya later! Out.
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I wasn't really looking forward to this movie, but if it really evokes the time as well as Tom Joad says it does, then I might just give it a looksee. I first became a KISS fan when I was in the third grade, mainly because there was this really cute girl in my class who liked them, so it was an excuse to get to know her a little better. Nothing ever came of it (besides, this was the time before having sex at 7 years old became the norm) but my love for KISS remained. I liked Gene, but my favorite was Ace. This was the time of Star Wars, so anybody dressed up like a space man was a hit with me. I never have gone to any of their concerts, but hopefully the next time they're in my area, I'll be able to catch their show. Anyhow, sorry to go on like this. I was just getting a little nostalgic. And what's even more frightening is that I'm only 28 years old!
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KISS was cool, I am yet another who grew up with their sound. My main concern is, and I hesitate to mention this...KISS in Phantom Park ( I think it was called ) Well, I'll see, and hopefully be re-energized *grin* The movie does sound like a lot of fun tho.
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If you thought Dazed and Confused was a great movie, then clearly Detroit Rock City will suck the big one. And boy will you be drooling over Confessions of a Trickbaby, an awful, vile, ugly, senseless mess. Natasha Lyonne isn't exactly the sexiest and most beautiful young woman around, but Trickbaby makes her look even worse, far worse. This movie is the polar opposite of Freeway. It reeks. Easy to see why Reese Witherspoon passed on this pile of doodoo. But for geeks (particularly the original definition) it will no doubt be considered high art. I asked my niece, a child of the seventies, why there were no good movies about the seventies. Her answer was that the seventies sucked. Unlike the fifties and sixties, there was absolutely nothing going on worth making a movie about. No movie has yet challenged that analysis.
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Aug 05, 1999 8:35:20 PM CDT
Why, exactly, do you think Harry is lucky cuz he's meeting Ron J
by nihilon
Do you have something you want to tell us Tom???
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...at 'Detroit Rock City." Overlooked merchandising: A tongue extender endorsed by Gene Simmons. Paul Stanley was on a news program that aired here (in Canada) last week. This is one smart guy! The interviewer was surprised; she was expecting some dumb rock star, and got exactly the opposite. Way to go, Paul!
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Aug 05, 1999 11:30:09 PM CDT
Dazed and Confused, Poster for DRC, and Ron Jeremy...hehehe :o)~
by beautifulchaos77
Okay, first of all, Cds, I think you could possibly be the only person on the face of this earth who didn't like Dazed and Confused...I mean, that's okay, you're entitled to your own opinion. But, the question of the hour is, why DIDN'T you like it? Can you back up your reason? Just curious =) Second, I have to agree with whoever (I'm sorry, I can't remember who talked about this) said the poster was the most awesome poster...I have one, actually. I work at a theatre, so I was lucky enough to snag one of those bad babies!!! Among other great one sheets. I'm so psyched about this flick...I've been waiting FOREVER and a day to see it...my question is, when the hell is Edward Furlong going to hit puberty??!! I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the guy, but, he's my age (a week younger than me, to be exact...hehehe...okay, I had this huge obsession with him when I was 14 when T2 came out...give me a break, guys!) and he still talks the same way he did in T2!!! Oh, and I keep telling everyone that it IS Shannon Tweed in the trailer and NO ONE believes me!!! So, a big, fat, HA! on my behalf =) And, last, but, no least...I've met Ron Jeremy...he's the grossest man alive, so I just had to meet him so I could tell everyone I met him...LOL...I got an autograph pic of him...it was quite a funny situation...he pulled my breasts out of my shirt (I had sort of a low cut V neck on)and licked one of them and on the autograph pic, he wrote, "To (my name) a foxy chick with great tits, Love Ron." Hahahahaha!!!! He was so halarious...and, he really is the most disgusting man alive...LOL...Smiles to all!!!
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Yup, not only are they back making movies (groan).
They're making inroads into professional wrestling !
Simmons is set to appear on the Monday Nitro Program in late August, where he'll be "challenged" by a wrestler !
This'll lead up tp a wrestler wearing Simmons's demon make-up making his debut.
Don't worry..........it won't be anybody good, just Crush having yet another doomed to failure make-over !
And they wonder why the WWF are winning the monday ratings war !!! -
Alright either Harry or Tom, so how is it exactly that Harry got so lucky to have an arranged meet with the Big J? Did he call him and say "I'm one of your hugest fans...I will be in L.A. next week so how's about I come by your place for an autograph, or is he merely going to a porn convention as well as the KISS concert, and annticipates being able to slip close enough...
Also a question to the girl above: Did Ron Jeremy just reach in and pull them out or did he ask first? It seems if he went around doing that to every female that talks to him, he would have been sued or imprisoned for assault or harrassment. But maybe he can because he is Ron Jeremy? I would like to know.
So, I am looking for an answer from both parties soon...
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No, Ron Jeremy didn't ask if he could do it...he just did it. I guess he figured that if I was there to meet him, I wouldn't mind...I really didn't care...I mean, he's disgusting...I'd never do him. But, it makes a good conversation piece...LOL.
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