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DVD REVIEW FOR
"DETROIT ROCK CITY"

(1999) (Edward Furlong, Sam Huntington) (R)

Length Screen Format(s) Languages Subtitles Sound Sides
95 minutes Letterbox (2.35:1)
16x9 - Widescreen
English English Dolby Digital 5.1 1

PLOT & PARENTAL REVIEW

VIDEO:
(A) Although the picture is rather sharp throughout, it seems to be just a notch away from being considered excellent. Whether that's because of much of the film takes place at night or in more dimly lit locales (thus lessening the visual impact) or due to some of the reds coming close to being over-saturated, the picture simply never attains that outstanding look found on other discs (but it nonetheless still looks quite good).
AUDIO:
(A) Filled with enough songs (of varying types) to fill several soundtracks, the disc's audio is that of CD Audio quality (meaning it sounds quite good), but beyond that doesn't offer much more than a few spatial effects here and there.
EXTRAS:
  • Scene selection/Jump to any scene.
  • Running audio commentary by director Adam Rifkin.
  • Running audio commentary by a large group of cast & crewmembers.
  • Running audio commentary by members of KISS.
  • Mock filmstrip detailing how to navigate through the menu (text or audio commands).
  • Play "Rock n Roll All Night" - shows the scene from the movie featuring that song (and includes an alternate angle showing the actors recording their audio for the scene).
  • Song Express: Shows how to play the song "Rock n Roll All Nite."
  • Detroit Rock City KISS concert - Shows the concert footage as seen in the film (or via alternate angles or a quad-split screen showing all 4 angles).
  • Deleted Scenes - 6 of them (including 1 with an alternate angle showing taped auditions and another detailing a "secret movie" the filmmakers were shooting).
  • Behind the Scenes: "Look Into the Sun" (7 minutes of behind the scenes clips) and "Miscellaneous Sh*t" (36 minutes of interviews and behind the scenes footage).
  • Music Video: The Donnas: "Strutter."
  • Music Video: Everclear: "The Boys are Back in Town."
  • Theatrical trailer.
  • Cast & Crew Filmographies - Onscreen text.
  • COMMENTS:
    For anyone who considers themselves a "fan," they should know that the descriptive noun is simply an abbreviation of "fanatic," which is defined as "a person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm." Among the varied assortment of fans out there in the world, few are as diligent or hardcore as those obsessed with certain rock groups or performers.

    That was especially true back in the days before cable and MTV (yes, back when people had to get up and change TV channels by hand) when one's only real chance of seeing a favorite band was a chance appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" or "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert." Of course, if you were lucky enough, you might have had the opportunity to see them in person during one of their rock concert tours.

    That's the underlying gist of "Detroit Rock City," a hyperactive, but lowbrow coming of age story about four Cleveland fans who travel to Detroit and will do anything to attend a KISS concert. Aimed squarely at the teen audience -- as well as older, die-hard fans of that group who are brave enough to admit their past or possibly still current passion -- this is yet another film where crudity, vulgarity and bad taste are used -- sometimes successfully -- to elicit laughs and entertain the audience -- when not otherwise filling the story's gaping holes.

    For those either too young, or for that matter, too old to know who/what KISS is, they're another one of those "dinosaur" bands from the 1970s who've yet to realize it's probably time to hang up their guitars. Best known for their hard rock anthems and elaborate stage makeup and costumes (that were shelved for a while but now seem to have returned), the quartet sold millions of albums during their heyday and battled the onslaught and influence of disco at the end of that decade.

    In fact, for those who grew up during that period or are simply fond of the great musical diversity of the era, the film's soundtrack is its strongest point and nearly makes the film worth sitting through by itself. Covering a wide range of music (beyond the KISS songs and the obligatory disco tunes), those sounds remind one of a time before rapid-fire, MTV-style editing and camera moves, when scenes and shots were usually a bit more static.

    That's certainly not to be found in this film. Shot in a hyperkinetic, but haphazard style by director Adam Rifkin ("The Chase," "The Dark Backward" and who also penned "Mouse Hunt" and "Small Soldiers") and cinematographer John R. Leonetti ("The Mask," "Mortal Kombat"), this film is the antithesis of subtle filmmaking. At times, it's also quite reminiscent of the wild camera antics found in some of the films from acclaimed director Sam Raimi ("Darkman").

    Why such rapid camera movement is accompanied by swooshing sounds isn't exactly clear -- although it reminds one of the sounds heard in those old martial arts films where kicks and punches had similar aural accompaniment -- but they and the combination of other frenzied filmmaking elements clearly keep the film viscerally stimulating and certainly far from boring (although some may think of all of that as irritating instead).

    That's a good thing (not the irritating point, but that it's energetic) since the script -- courtesy of screenwriter Carl V. Dupre (making his feature film debut) -- doesn't offer much in the way of clever complications for the foursome, let alone any sophisticated comedy or much in the way of real characterizations or subsequent related development.

    Essentially a cross between a road movie and the old "After Hours" plot (where continual complications comically plague a character at night), the film's setup offers plenty of potential for the filmmakers to make a smart and/or clever look at growing up in the 70s. While the opening credits and the included "historical" visual references make one think that's what to follow, unfortunately little of that ever appears.

    From the moment a character's mother deliberately puts an old Carpenters album on the turntable -- in a scene where the payoff takes too long since we immediately know what the "punch line" will be -- and then goes crazy trying to stop the "infernal music" instead of simply lifting the tone arm from the LP, it's quite obvious that we're not going to be treated to any sophisticated humor.

    Instead, there's the voluminous projectile vomiting scene, the collapsing bathroom stall sequence and plenty of easy, but certainly not novel pot shots at organized religion. While a few of those scenes are funny, the degree of which, however, will vary depending on one's age and level of maturity -- the lower of either and the funnier the material will become -- such sophomoric humor is simply starting to grow tiresome due to the overabundance of it in today's movies. The motto "been there, seen that" has never been so true as with this picture.

    Nonetheless, and perhaps due to the sheer hyperactive filmmaking approach actually wearing down my defenses, I surprisingly found myself somewhat slightly becoming less critical of the proceedings in the third act. While nothing new or clever occurred during this time, the film managed to pull off a bit of the old "dumb and dumber" charm that made it easier to sit through.

    Some of that can obviously be attributed to the lowest common denominator performances by the young quartet of lead actors. While Edward Furlong ("American History X," "Terminator 2 - Judgment Day"), Giuseppe Andrews ("The Other Sister," "Never Been Kissed") and James De Bello ("American Pie") deliver about what's expected of them from a film like this, it was Sam Huntington ("Jungle2Jungle") who steals the show. For whatever reason, he does a decent job capturing the goofy essence of the not-so-bright 70s blond teen who's still trying to figure and sort out his life.

    Supporting performances are varied, with Natasha Lyonne ("The Slums of Beverly Hills," "Everyone Says I Love You") being pretty much wasted in a small role as a disco babe, former Playboy centerfold turned actress Shannon Tweed ("Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death") appearing as the "older woman" and Lin Shaye (the older tanned woman in "There's Something About Mary"), giving an inspired, if not original take on a maternal and religious zealot. Not to be forgotten, the longstanding members of KISS also show up for some concluding concert footage, but seem to have lost that magical allure they once held when they were a bit fresher.

    Had the film offered a more fun road trip plot filled with better and obviously more hilarious complications, the picture definitely would have been far more enjoyable. Beyond a great soundtrack, however, and some lowbrow humor that's occasionally funny, as well as a few 70s references that may stir up some memories, this rock 'n' roll picture show isn't that memorable itself. While KISS fans might get a kick heading down this specific memory lane, there's not much here to appease the average moviegoer.

    As far as the disc itself, both the audio and video components are quite good, but the area in which the disc excels is in its abundant supplemental material. Granted, little of it's aimed at anyone above/beyond the target audience of male teens and twenty-somethings, but what's there is plentiful and imaginatively presented, including the rare use of the format's multiple angle abilities.

    Buy Detroit Rock City on DVD Today!

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