FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK, WE SALUTE YOU

By Greg Walton
Review Film Critic

While most headbangers outgrow their penchant for mascara and tight leather pants sometime around their third marriage

and second mortgage, TV forever reminds us (in greatest hits form) that "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and we're all "Livin' On

A Prayer."   Not only are those 80's hair band infomercialsubiquitous, they're catchy as hell. You begin to

understand the power of  advertising when you can sing the

2-second chorus of Whitesnake, White Lion, and Slaughter - in

order!

 

So perhaps the time is right for a film like "Rock Star" to capitalize on America's (hopefully) brief renewed love affair

with power ballads and teased hair.  Set smack in the mid-

80's, Chris Coles (Mark Wahlberg) is the lead singer of Blood

Pollution, a tribute band rocking out to the tunes of heavy

metal gurus, Steel Dragon.  But Chris takes it all too

seriously, and despite his stage presence and cool curly

hair, the rest of the band gives him the boot.

Click the pic for the official site!!

Rockstar Image

 


What happens next is loosely based on the true story of Judas Priest, whose
lead singer (the now un-closeted Rob Halford) was replaced by an unknown
salesman plucked from obscurity.  Reality takes a left turn in the movie
though, as Chris passes the audition and becomes an instant superstar -
whereas most substitute singers are as despised as Ticketmaster (Sammy
Hagar and that guy from AC/DC are the exceptions). Now as a member of Steel
Dragon, Chris is on the outs with his girlfriend (played with annoying
"Friend"-liness by Jennifer Aniston) just as he's being lured by the
temptations of the rock star lifestyle - namely sex, drugs, and, uh...sex.

Mark Wahlberg isn't exactly an acting powerhouse, but his characters are
always built around a genuine enthusiasm for the material - whether it's
fishing, porn, or guitars.  And he's the perfect choice for "Rock Star's"
slightly satirical (but still nostalgic) take on the metal music world -
strutting about the stage with all the projected emotion of a Shakespearean
actor.  The film and his performance walk a woozy line between self-mockery
and all out adulation for the music.  And, damn, if itain't catchy!

 It's not hard to guess every other note, but there a enough high points
along the way - like Chris' silent moments of suspense in the sound booth
while the band members debate his fate, and his clumsy stage debut down a
flight of stairs - which make John Stockwell's script seem more polished
than it probably is.  And, really, it's the closest anyone under 30 is
going to get to one of those pyrotechnic penis-envy extravaganzas that once
ruled the rock world.  And probably as close as they'd want to get.



GRADE: B

 

 

 

 

 



BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL

Jeepers Creepers Image



There's class horror and then there's trash horror. "Jeepers Creepers" is
more like a compost heap of old "X-Files" episodes. But as with any junk
heap there are a few valuable scenes if you're willing to pick through a
pile of inept dialogue, phony make-up and some embarrassing (even by
B-movie standards) horror film logic.

Driving the back roads home from college, two siblings cross paths with a
psycho-demon-from-hell who drives unsuspecting folks off the road and
cocoons them in his underground House of Pain.

Director Victor Salva  ("Powder") is quite obviously torn between making an
old-fashioned monster movie and resurrecting the painful memories of
super-slasher films of the 80's - where celebrity psychos like Jason,
Freddy, and Pinhead anchored film franchises with stabs of humor and
diminishing returns in scares.

The flashes of wit, both intentional and unintentional, leave lots of room
for laughter at the film's expense...and if you can't mock a movie like
this you've taken away one of life's great pleasures.
But "Jeepers Creepers" undercuts all the suspense of a ridiculously
plotted, but undeniably frightening, first half-hour by unveiling the
Creeper in all his rubbery glory - turning an eerie faceless foe into a
leftover Halloween costume someone dug out of the racks at K-mart.

I prefer my monsters slimy, scary, and slightly more mysterious, thank you.


Grade: C-




 

The Top 3 Winners for last issue's Rerun Film Contest
Question were Dan Gaertner, Darin Scott, and Anthony
Garcia. The correct answer was: Alice. Be sure to catch
'Ghost in the Shell' on Sept. 14-15 and 'Silence of the
Lambs' on Sept. 21-22 at Fashion Square Cinemas.
All shows begin at 11 pm and tickets are only $3.00.

 

 

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