Jason KingDetroit Rock City ($16-)
September 13th 2009 08:36
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DEMANDS A VIEWING
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Detroit Rock City is a 1999 cult film about four teenagers in a Kiss cover band who try to see their idols in Detroit in 1978. It takes its title from the Kiss song of the same name. The movie bombed at the box office, grossing fewer than five million dollars domestically, and it disappeared from theaters somewhat a month and a half after its release. It has since become a cult classic for Kiss fans, rock music fans and metalheads in general. But this film is bloody brilliant and deserves respect from more than metalheads. I am not a fan of metal at all but the originality and humor of this script coupled with some amazing acting and camera work have had me laughing and crying every time I have seen this in the five years I have owned it on DVD.
I think the only thing that made this film fail was it's poor poster which made everyone think it was just a KISS film - but Iove the artwork. It is way more than that. It is Stand By Me - ROCK STYLE. I can't rave enough about this film. It is by far Edward Furlong's best performance prior to him losing it and only doing double D grade films, while sleeping with ladies only his mothers age. But in this he is brilliant, I also think Giuseppe Andrews is superb - he has a few smalltime acting roles but in reality is a film director claimed by many to be a brilliant auteur. Giuseppe Andrews plays Lex. You will also recognise the other two guys who make up Mystery - their Kiss coverband. Lin Shaye clearly steals the show from all the boys, playing a religious zealot who smokes cigarettes like she may die without them but the boys have an amazing journey and all the humor happens around them.
The year is 1978: the KISS Army is at the height of its powers. Enter card-carrying members Hawk (Edward Furlong), Trip (James DeBello), Lex (Giuseppe Andrews), and Jam (Sam Huntington), four Detroit teenagers who will do anything to go to the KISS show. As we follow them through one day, we see the insane lengths these shaggy-haired young chaps will go to in order to see their favorite rock-and-roll superheroes at a Detroit arena. The band themselves show up in full regalia as their 1978 selves.
The question this film asks is what would you do to see your favourite band? Really, how far would you have gone in your teenaged obsessive phase? These guys do it and start out the day as teenage groupies and finish the day as young men with an experience to last a lifetime. It is touching, heartfelt and bloody hysterical. It has been compared to Dazed and Confused but I think it stands alone just fine.
The film is no holds barred with humor and lengths they will go to and the success of the story is the script and character development that unfolds behind the "brains not required" to follow the story. Each of the characters are individuals with their own issues and each one of them has an experience to deal with their own issues. Watching Edward Furlong doing a strip show in the hope of winning $150- is nearly worth the hire price in itself. It is also possible this is where he fell for his first older lady in real life.
The film clearly states that the success and fun is in the journey and not in the destination. You also get to see KISS in full kit however they only perform in the last 5minutes. I would have liked one of the guys or a couple of them to have a Mike Meyers "We're Not Worthy" scene with the band but they are kept to performing only. It should also be noted that the soundtrack for this film is OUT of this world! Besides numerous KISS songs you get to hear Van Halen, ACDC, Bowie, ELO, Cheap Trick, The Carpenters, Hot Chocolate and many many more.
Out now on DVD and I recommend to everyone unless you do not see humor in seeing the boarding school priest getting messed up on shrooms
Worth $16-
I think the only thing that made this film fail was it's poor poster which made everyone think it was just a KISS film - but Iove the artwork. It is way more than that. It is Stand By Me - ROCK STYLE. I can't rave enough about this film. It is by far Edward Furlong's best performance prior to him losing it and only doing double D grade films, while sleeping with ladies only his mothers age. But in this he is brilliant, I also think Giuseppe Andrews is superb - he has a few smalltime acting roles but in reality is a film director claimed by many to be a brilliant auteur. Giuseppe Andrews plays Lex. You will also recognise the other two guys who make up Mystery - their Kiss coverband. Lin Shaye clearly steals the show from all the boys, playing a religious zealot who smokes cigarettes like she may die without them but the boys have an amazing journey and all the humor happens around them.
The year is 1978: the KISS Army is at the height of its powers. Enter card-carrying members Hawk (Edward Furlong), Trip (James DeBello), Lex (Giuseppe Andrews), and Jam (Sam Huntington), four Detroit teenagers who will do anything to go to the KISS show. As we follow them through one day, we see the insane lengths these shaggy-haired young chaps will go to in order to see their favorite rock-and-roll superheroes at a Detroit arena. The band themselves show up in full regalia as their 1978 selves.
The question this film asks is what would you do to see your favourite band? Really, how far would you have gone in your teenaged obsessive phase? These guys do it and start out the day as teenage groupies and finish the day as young men with an experience to last a lifetime. It is touching, heartfelt and bloody hysterical. It has been compared to Dazed and Confused but I think it stands alone just fine.
The film is no holds barred with humor and lengths they will go to and the success of the story is the script and character development that unfolds behind the "brains not required" to follow the story. Each of the characters are individuals with their own issues and each one of them has an experience to deal with their own issues. Watching Edward Furlong doing a strip show in the hope of winning $150- is nearly worth the hire price in itself. It is also possible this is where he fell for his first older lady in real life.
The film clearly states that the success and fun is in the journey and not in the destination. You also get to see KISS in full kit however they only perform in the last 5minutes. I would have liked one of the guys or a couple of them to have a Mike Meyers "We're Not Worthy" scene with the band but they are kept to performing only. It should also be noted that the soundtrack for this film is OUT of this world! Besides numerous KISS songs you get to hear Van Halen, ACDC, Bowie, ELO, Cheap Trick, The Carpenters, Hot Chocolate and many many more.
Out now on DVD and I recommend to everyone unless you do not see humor in seeing the boarding school priest getting messed up on shrooms
Worth $16-| 64 |
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Comment by Wilson Pon
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Comment by IandMe
How the hell did I miss this blog space? Damn, this is good, I just subscribed, thought I had all your blogs, but missed this one. I think I'll check to be sure of the others.
The movie sounds great, don't know how I missed it, but will be finding a copy to rent, buy, or find a way to view it. Thanks, there are so many cult movies that didn't make it in the theatres but are cult because they are really good.
Thanks, Janice
Comment by Jason King
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Yay Janice - this is the site I started with. I have been working on and off in the film industry for nearly 20yrs now. Welcome to Salty Popcorn
Just a warning to both of you - this is a fun film but it is filled with lots of swearing and political incorrectness
Thanks for commenting!!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Jason King
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This film is such a cult classic - a lot of my younger friends from work are all stoked for writing a review on it because they keep facebookng me and saying how awesome it is.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I loved Furlong in James Gray's Little Odessa and opposite Ed Norton in American History X...Animal factory was also a good howcase of his skills and John Waters Pecker always makes me laugh.
Comment by Jason King
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Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
John waters Pecker has a teabag scene that leaves me in stitches