Cool News
Robogeek, loather of the seventies, reviews DETROIT ROCK CITY
Hey Folks, Harry Here. I had ZERO confidence that Robogeek would so much as like this film. A little profile on Robogeek. First off, as robots go, he's quite conservative, meanwhile Robo does have some incredibly bizarre leanings to things such as Moon Pies and The Travel Channel. He dresses, when venturing into the world outside of his Robo-VacuChamber, with shirt tucked in, his wig has every hair in place... AND he often wears.... A TIE! That's right a TIE! I believe this robot even partakes in such strange and bizarre ritualistic activities such as shoeshines and cuticle care. He is not a KISS fan. In fact, it's tough to find a single pop song in the Eighties or Seventies that he is fond of. There are some... but not many that I've found. I took him along to the second screening as a placebo. And he was contaminated by the film. He's now a spurter of it's praises. I'm stunned. Oh well... I also thought he'd hate THE BIG LEBOWSKI and FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS... Every now and again, Robogeek confirms his cool status!
ROBOGEEK BRAVES "DETROIT ROCK CITY"
The 70s trouble me.
In fact, they downright disturb me. Profoundly. Always have, always will.
I can't entirely explain it. It's just the way ol' Robo's wired, I guess.
For instance, to me, RIck Linklater's inspired "Dazed and Confused" is a
horror film. A brilliant one, in fact, because it so masterfully transports
the audience to the last place I'd ever want to go -- an American high
school in the 1970s.
Ugh. I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it...
Anyway, as you might imagine, I had next to no interest in seeing
"Detroit Rock City." In fact, it struck me as one of those movies I should
Avoid At All Cost.
But then a funny thing happened. I started hearing all sorts of good
things about it, largely right here on AICN. And then, a few days ago, a few
people I generally trust -- Harry, Moriarty, and Tom Joad, among
others -- all told me how great it was, and how I needed to get over my
irrational 70s phobia and just go see it.
If it wasn't for the collective urging of such people, I never would've
gone to see this movie in a million years. But I went Tuesday night, with El
Cosmico in tow, just so I'd have someone I could rant to over how much I
despise Apple's new iBook. And, besides, Cosmico actually knows the names of
everyone in KISS. He harbors all sorts of disturbing knowledge, actually.
Now before I get into the movie, I have to pause for one of my tangential
rants. Recently a reader commented that he always made sure to read my
reviews just in case I might be pissed off, which this person seems to find
entertaining. Well, sir, you are in luck today!
See, this free sneak preview screening -- like far too many, these days
-- occurred at a Cinemark theater. The Tinseltown mega-multi-plex nightmare
on South I-35 here in Our Fair City of Austin, Texas.
Loyal readers know where this is going, and can probably skip down a
couple paragraphs. The rest of you, prepare for a concentrated dose of
Robo-wrath.
I despise Cinemark. With a passion. Never once in all of my
Robo-existence have I been satisfied by the quality of presentation at any
single screening I've attended at any Cinemark theater. Not once. More often
than not, this has to do with the sound, or lack thereof. For one thing, THX
seems to be against Cinemark's religion -- at least in the U.S. (they seem
to have no problem installing it in foreign markets). In my book, a movie
theater without THX is, well, impotent. And Cinemark needs Viagra bad.
What's worse is that Cinemark can't even competently use the sound they
_do_ have, especially this theater in particular. During the "Summer of Sam"
sneak, for instance, they actually had the sound turned completely _off_
during the first minute of the film, and then it kept clicking on and off
for several minutes afterwards. (How do you even _do_ that?) Earlier this
year, when I went to see "Payback," they didn't even turn the _stereo_ on,
much less their digital surround, and the entire movie ran in low-volume
center channel mono -- despite me complaining _three_ times. (I was finally
promised a full refund for me and my guests, but after the movie let out,
the entire theater staff had mysteriously vanished, and I'm still owed that
refund.) I could go on and on, but I've got better things to do. All I know
is that a whole lot of people need to be fired.
Anyway, this screening was plagued by a familiar lack of basic competence
on behalf of the Cinemark theater staff. The sound was simply Not Right, and
way too quiet. For the first few minutes of the film in particular, it was
virtually silent -- only a whisper. And this is a movie that demands big,
full, kickass digital surround in all its majestic glory. But, like every
movie I see at a Cinemark theater, it would've sounded better on even the
most basic home theater stereo system. Bastards.
This is the one thing I gotta give George Lucas credit for -- he cares
about the quality of presentation (especially sound), and has the cojones to
do something about it. If only he cared half as much about... but I digress!
;-)
Okay, hold on. Let me go eat a Moon Pie and listen to the appropriate
track from the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" soundtrack. Just a sec.
...
Ah, there we go. Much better. I needed that.
All right. Where was I? Oh, yeah! "Detroit Rock City" really took me by
surprise, and is a disarmingly engaging and thoroughly entertaining movie.
In other words, Harry is _not_ on crack, nor was he deluded by his
experience at the movie's premiere.
In a weird sort of way, "Detroit Rock City" is kinda like "Dazed and
Confused" meets "Lord of the Rings" by way of Robert Rodriguez. I know that
doesn't make any sense to you, but it's the best way I can describe it. And
I mean that in a Good Way.
See, this is one of those films -- like that gleefully brilliant comedy
(_not_ horror film) "Lake Placid" -- that no matter how hard I try to
convince people how wonderful it is, they'll just stare at me in troubled
disbelief. And, you know, I can't really blame them. I had a hard time
believing "Lake Placid" and "Detroit Rock City" are as good as they are
until I saw them for myself.
There are a ton of movies out in the marketplace right now, and there are
certainly others that deserve your attention more than this (most especially
"Iron Giant" and "The Sixth Sense"), but this is an unexpected gem that I
urge you to seek out if you get the chance. It's a nice lean movie that
clocks in at 95 minutes -- though I was itching for an extra minute or two
at the end that would offer a clever "where are they now" vignette (which I
think the movie is just begging for).
I haven't seen "American Pie," nor do I intend to. There's a whole horde
of teen-flicks that I am just far too removed from their target demographic
to indulge. But "Detroit Rock City" is not really one of those. It's, dare I
say it, targeted at those of us who have unwittingly emerged into the VH1
demographic (ack!), but who experienced the 70s. And it is, like "LOTR," a
period adventure fantasy -- albeit a far less ambitious or resonant one. Not
a great movie, but a really good one.
One of the things I love so much about this film is the utter simplicity
and elegance of its plot -- it's about a group of four high school friends
who want one thing and one thing only: to get into the KISS concert in
Detroit. I'm a sucker for such a brilliantly focused, centered premise. In
fact, this movie pushed a lot of the same buttons that "The Big Lebowski"
did -- a movie that had a similarly singular plot: The Dude on a quest to
get his carpet back. ("It tied the room together, man.") In fact, now that I
think about it, "Detroit Rock City" and "The Big Lebowski" would make a
great double feature. I could imagine one of the characters (I won't tell
you which one) in "DRC" growing up to become The Dude, or at least very
Dude-esque.
The cast, across the board, is dead-on solid ensemble that turns in some
very nice work. Edward Furlong, Sam Huntington, James DeBello and Guisseppe
Andrews really gel as the core foursome -- loser high school students by
day, basement KISS cover band by night. Natasha Lyonne, Lin Shaye, Shannon
Tweed, Nick Scotti, Miles Dougal, Robert N. Smith, and David Quane all do
wonderful supporting work, as well. But the biggest treat of all, for yours
truly at least, was Melanie Lynskey.
Long-time readers no doubt recall my minor fixation (some would say
psychotic obsession) with Peter Jackson's staggeringly brilliant "Heavenly
Creatures," which has most visibly extended to actress Kate Winslet, whose
career has gone gangbusters since. However, I've been itching to see more of
the _other_ brilliant actress from that film, but haven't seen here nor
there of her since. "Detroit Rock City" ends that Melanie drought, and it
was a delight to see her. She's absolutely blossomed, and gives an
incredibly endearing, sincere, and sweet performance.
As you might imagine, I am not and never have been a KISS fan. (I mean,
_think_ about it.) I would never make a KISS concert the object of a quest,
rivalling the One Ring. But after seeing this movie, I felt the change; not
only did I want to go to a KISS concert, I wanted to go to one BAD.
And I think that pretty much sums it up right there.
KISS ROCKS!!!
[NOTE TO PARENTS: This movie is rated R for language, brief nudity, and
drug use.]
-
robogeek@aint-it-cool-news.comP>
P.S.: If any punkass in Talk Back posts with a stupid subject like "I'm
first" or "FEAR ATTRACTS THE FEARLESS," please letter-bomb the hell out of
them with spam!
-
+ Expand All
-
Your'e dead on about the Cinemark problems. Ever since the Front Row Joe debacle, I can't stand to set foot in the places.
-
After reading at first the hype and then the reviews on this site,(yours was my favourite Robo) I need to see this movie!!!! But I almost guarantee that it won't get a widespread release in Ireland. No we'll get mainstream shit like Runaway Bride or Wild Wild West!!! Jesus, at times I don't know how I can carry on.....
-
You're right phil, it probably won't hit ireland in any big way. It looks like we'd have to go and find it in some of the small art house cinemas or the IFSC on a special weekend or something.
Irish cinema owners need to have a bit more planning over what they show sometimes.
Of course this is a country that banned "Showgirls" and let in "striptease", and banned "Dawn until dusk" and let in "interview with a vampire" -
Why wasn't "This is Spinal Tap" included on yr survey?? ... or did I miss it...
-
For those of you who havn't seen Heavenly Creatures (excellent film, BTW), then you may know Ms. Lynskey from her role as the nicer of the two step-sisters (dark haired one) in Ever After, though she was barely recognizable there (not being crazy and all...). Big future for this one... this, I fortell!
-
Will be DETROIT ROCK CITY bombing at the box office. Good riddance to bad garbage. Who thinks up these stupid, STUPID movies, and who thinks that the average moviegoer gives a RAT'S ASS about them? Robo, glad you liked DRC don't worry about the bad sound, because it will be out of the Cinemark (and every other theater in America) in about 2 weeks. Au Revoir.
-
Edward Furlong has gone from a cool child actor (Terminator 2) to a very, very annoying teen actor. Every scene with him grates on the nerves, even my Jedi patience was exhausted near the end of this shitstorm. I should have gone to see Mystery Men again. Ah, well, may the force be with you.
-
If you haven't seen Heavenly Creatures, you have to! Mel Lynskey and Kate Winslet fucking rock!!! Kate is filming a movie now about the Marquis de Sade. How Cool!!!
-
I have seen the following movies this summer. Numbers after the the title are the rating out of 10 I gave the movie.
-The Matrix - 9
-The Mummy - 7.25
-The Phantom Menace - 9
-Tarzan - 7.75
-Notting Hill - 7
-Wild, Wild West - 6.5 (Come on people, it wasn't that bad. At least as good as Men in Black).
-Analyze This - 6
-The Haunting - 3 (Truly terrible).
-She's All That - 7.75 (surprisingly good).
-Never Been Kissed - 5.5 (Hokey).
-Muppets - 6
-Virus - 7.25 (I liked it, almost no one else did. Big metal robots tearing through steel doors and stuff).
-Mystery Men - 8 (Great!)
-Wing Commander - 3.5
-Drop Dead Gorgeous - 6.25
-Office Space - 8.5 (One of the most underrated and hilarious comedies of the 90's).
-Dick - 7.5
-Detroit Rock City - 6
Anyone agree / disagree? Post here or email me. -
Fuck all you haters. Go make a better movie that makes me laugh harder. KISS has always struck me as 4 wacky jewish guys who have more than a mild penchant for pyrotechnics and mysogyny, but after seeing this film I will see them in concert, no matter what. This movie kicked ass the first time and was even better the second time. Unfortunately, New Line had better make a far more aggressive outdoor, tv and newspaper buy because this gem is gonna tank. I doubt if their total awareness (see NR-fuckingasshole-G's bogus nonscientific tracking) is above 60%. Not good on the day before opening. See this movie and laugh. DOWN WITH NRG!!!!
-
If an underrated-yet-not-great movie about a seventies rock band falls in between four or five other movies during a busy summer month, does it still make box-office sound?
-
Robogeek, thx A) for giving us a non-70s-loving voice on DRC; I'm personally all too glad I can recall more of the 80s in detail than that decade, and because of DRC's ads trying to recall my love of the 70s, I had decided to not see this film. Sounds like the film might be okay now anyway... and thx B) for highlighting Heavenly Creatures. I think it was due to your mentioning that I went out and just bought a copy. The acting is phenom. and I too wanted to see more of Melanie Lynskey's work. If anyone hasn't seen HC, go rent it and obseve how you can't take your eyes off of Lynskey and Winslet's characters.
p.s. that p.s. was priceless.
cheers, 3jane. -
... at www.virtualproducer.com
-
I have to disagree with your opinions on Wild Wild West and Virus, I am in the majority when it comes to thinking those films are pieces of shit. I agree with your low scores for The Haunting and Wing Commander although I would've went as low as 1 or 2 for both of them. I also agree with your Office Space rating. That was one funny as hell movie, it shouldn't have disappeared so fast.
-
You know what I hate? Stupid trailers where they cut away right before someone says a "naughty" word. (i.e. "Those jeans are so tight I can see your *EDIT*") Ha ha ha ha ha! She almost said "penis!" Ha ha ha ha ha! What a funny word! Ha ha ha ha ha! The 70s are stupid as hell, and every movie revolves around the main characters getting high. Stupid-ass premise. And KISS blow. They know 4 chords.
-
Warrior, if you don't have anything intelligent to say, SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! who gives a shit what the "average movie goer" wants. The average movie goer is and inbred NASCAR fan like yourself, the living dead who will be the first to burn in stupid man's hell! The average movie goer really loved "Wild Wild West." Does that prove anything? No! The average movie goer hates good movies, with plots and acting and (god forbid) dialouge! "I can't bear sitting through anything where somebody doesn't pull a gun or whip out their schlong every ten seconds, it makes my brain hurt."
FUCK YOU AND YOUR PARENTS FOR CONCEIVING YOU!!!
Ahh...another feeble mind mocked.
Samauri7 -
Hugh Grant is a cheap excuse for an actor. Rhys Ifans on the other hand, he carries Notting Hill. More main parts for diverse actors such as Mr Ifans.
-
I'm not one to be totally dismayed by reviews but my local reviewer (Knoxville, TN) just hated this film with a passion 1.5 stars out of five and also destroyed Mystery Men, so I get a wee bit confused when reviews get mixed for a movie which I want to go see but then again I don't want to waste the green to go see it if the trailers are more entertaining. Basically, I'd like to just totally declare war on my town's movie reviewer, same chick gave The English Patient a thumbs down and basically lives with 6 cats and has no social life at all (details given in a radio interview). So, if any tennessee boys are reading,or any movie lovers who despise reviewers who wouldn't know a good movie if it them (a la USA TODAY, TIME, and NEWSWEEK) please let your voice be heard, if you have to pay cash for the printed word it might as well be worth while to have a good movie be well praised rather than trashed. Which is one reason why SISKEL & EBERT (in my opinion only and I may be wrong) is beginning to be torture due to EBERT and (insert reviewer here) provide nothing but battle of the generation gap in their reviews. At least this sight provides some knowledgable reviews (at times) that fit the generation (20's to early 40's) the baby boomers just upset me a tad, seems the older one gets the more conservative they become.
-
I did. It happened when I pointed my browser to http://www.showbizdata.com/contacts/dailybox.cfm Friday night and checked the numbers. R.I.P. Detroit Rock City.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 439 total posts 165 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 144 total posts 142 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 153 total posts 138 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 55 total posts 47 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 196 total posts 45 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 36 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 127 total posts 36 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 35 total posts 35 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 513 total posts 29 posts
- The Sensorties Revisit The Friday Docback (And Still Smell)!! DOCTOR WHO Story #7 Again, The Coming Of Season/Series 7, And More!! -- 117 total posts 26 posts