American Hardcore

 

American Hardcore (2006) 100 mins.

directed by Paul Rachman

featuring Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Black Flag, Cro-Mags

The history of Hardcore Punk Rock from 1980 to 1986.

Q Says:

 i am not a fan of punk music.  i kinda put this movie off ‘cos i knew i was just not gonna enjoy it that much.  why do i have it you ask??  it was a freebie from work (b&n) and i actually do like to watch music documentaries even if i don’t enjoy the music or the particular band the doc is about.  i guess it’s just the frustrated wanna-be rock star/musician in me.

being a fan of music in general i appreciate most forms of it.  there are some i just don’t get: gangsta rap, new country, hip-hop dance, lady gaga, and hardcore punk.

i appreciate the movement to a point.  they were unhappy and bored and needed to express that and they chose to do it musically instead of with violence towards the establishment.  they just got violent towards each other.  but that doesn’t mean i have to like it.  the music really is not that great.  you can’t understand what the frick they’re singing about, and they can’t play worth a damn.  it’s just angry and loud.  but it’s punk and that’s what punk is supposed to be- loud and obnoxious.

there are a few bands that came out of the movement that weren’t bad.  bad brains was pretty cool before they went rasta, black flag was decent and got better with rollins (that’s right…the guy from “johnny mnemonic”)…i can tolerate those guys.  what i can’t tolerate are some of the whiny white guys in the movement.  “o we’re unhappy with the establishment…the government sucks, we’re gonna make this music ‘cos we can’t really do anything else and we’re gonna play these gigs in peoples houses and not charge anything but not get any money ‘cos we wanna be punk and if you get a record deal you’re selling out but now we live in the suburbs and have houses with swing sets in the backyard…blah blah blah…”

just play the frickin’ music and leave the whiny crap at home.

sorry, i kinda ranted there…feel free to tell me that i’m an idiot for not liking the punk movement…i’ll accept it.

the movie itself was shot weird, the camera was never stationary.  i don’t know if it was on purpose or what, but just let it sit there for a minute, get the shot…leave it alone.

there was some good footage of the bands playing gigs.  you don’t get to see that very often and it followed the movement pretty well from beginning to end.

i’ll probably never watch this again.  as a matter of fact…it’ll probably come down off the shelf to make room for a real movie.

L Says:

   Basically, what I took from this movie was that Hardcore Punk came about as a response to these kids, who weren't even old enough to vote, about Ronald Reagan being elected president in 1980.  Maybe they just didn't agree with Reagonomics.  I get that it was sort of a remedy to the music of the 70's, mainly disco.  As one guy was saying, bands like the Beatles, and The Who had been around for seemingly forever.  And, yeah, they're great bands with great songs, but we're sick of listening to you.  Hardcore Punk may have been a precursor to Scream-o.  A bunch of 15 and 16 year olds, "singing" about "the man" and how it's not their fault they are white.  Really?  The music is fast and loud.  The same three chords pounded out.  And the singing, if you could call it that, unintelligible and sometimes with a touch of a British accent.  Really??

   Back to the movie.  I really wish that this could have been more...professionally done.  With a narrator possibly.  Sure, they interviewed the guys who lived it.  Most of whom are now living in the suburbs, with kids, and 9 to 5 jobs.  I appreciate that it included lots of performance footage.  Footage "normal" people have never seen.  I think it really helps drive the point that these were just kids, playing whenever and wherever they could because they believed in the music, the energy and emotion.  

  The film felt very choppy.  One minute we are talking about the recording process, then on to Punk Rock in Canada, then back to recording.  There was not a very clear flow.  I found some of the camera work to be distracting.  Suddenly and unsteadily zooming in and then out and shifting to one side as if to include more of the background in the shot.  Just focus on who is talking and leave it at that.  I don't want to see the floor lamp just to the right nor do I care about that picture on the wall.

  Overall, mostly interesting subject.  In the hands of someone more organized and perhaps a bit more money, this could be done really, really well.  Or, maybe they were just being punk about the actual filming and don't give a fuck if you like it or not.