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Reviews
Slave to the Grind (2018)
Worth Watching For Non Fans
Having been unfamiliar with what Grindcore was exactly I went in to this as a blank slate, if you will. I assumed it was something akin to punk rock or metal. I was pleasantly surprised to find out you don't need to know, or even like, grindcore to enjoy this well made documentary. Following a sort of time line formula to begin with you find yourself getting wrapped up in the stories being told. If you like music documentaries, or well made documentaries in general then this is definitely worth watching. Unlike the music it describes the film makers, wisely, chose not to assault the viewer with too many quick cuts and in your face "style". It's well made, and you can tell the director loves his subject matter, but it doesn't becoming cloying or overbearing. It gives the viewer the good, the bad and the ugly and let's you decide for yourself whether this music is worthwhile or a waste of time just like a good documentary should. Very well done and highly recommended.
The Death of Indie Rock (2008)
Well tread, but well made....
Having heard an interview with, I believe, the editor of this movie on a local Kingston radio station, I decided to make "Death of Indie Rock" one to check out. I must say, I'm glad I did. This is the debut of Robert Fitl, which probably won't mean much to any of you right now, but based on this tight little 75 minutes, I'm sure it will one day. With an obvious love for 70's movies and low budget film-making, he takes the viewer through the up's and down's of being in a band and trying to be something, without selling out. I know, I know, it feels like "Been there-done that" and to be honest some of it is. Moments of in band drama, and the inevitable girl troubles, are a little on the hackneyed side. But it's not what the story is that should make you find this movie--it's how the story is told. Shot after shot, Mr. Fitl enthusiastically let's us know, that he knows, that we know, that this is nothing new. So, he does what any good director would do, drench it in style. From music-videoesque performance footage to subdued landscapes, Fitl has shown a clear grasp of what makes a movie, above all else, continually watchable--good direction. Even through weaker moments in the script the camera work keeps you there, so when something like an acid freak out broadsides you, you're left in his wake wondering what just happened. Let's talk about the acid scene for a second. Aside from being my favorite scene, it also illustrates what seems like a borrow and make it yours approach, (which is probably a healthy idea, since, let's face it: it's all been done). What starts as an obvious play on "Easy Rider" ends up being darkly funny and more manic than the scene which inspired it! And that, for me, is what makes the movie--the feeling that you're watching someone who loves movies making a movie and watching someone who's, hopefully, just getting started.