FILM REVIEW. PREY FOR ROCK AND ROLL

Prey For Rock and Roll is a film based on a play written by Cheri Lovedog about her experiences as a female musician in the Los Angeles alternative music scene.  The film was released in 2003 and even though it played at several film festivals, it never got a widespread release.  The star of the film, Gina Gershon, went on tour with a backing band and released a DVD of that tour.  The film itself came out on DVD in 2004.  The only extra it features is a director's commentary which I wasn't that keen on - I would rather have had interviews/commentary from the cast or Cheri herself.

Gina Gershon (from Showgirls and Bound) plays the central character, Jackie, who's based on Cheri Lovedog.   Drea De Matteo (from The Sopranos) plays the bassist, Tracy and Lori Petty (from Tankgirl and Point Break) as the guitarist, Faith and Shelly Cole as the drummer, Sally.   Perhaps the strangest piece of casting is Marc Blucas (who played Riley in Buffy) as Sally's brother, Animal, an ex-convict covered in tattoos.  Although Gina Gershon did the vocals for the songs, the band on the soundtrack album featured Samantha Maloney from Hole, Gina Volpe from The Lunachicks and Cheri Lovedog herself.  Linda Perry also contributed a song and Stephen Trask who'd done the music for Hedwig and the Angry Inch helped to arrange the music for this movie.  Gina was also an executive producer on the movie and involved in casting some of the minor roles.  So on paper at least, this sounded like a great movie but sadly, it got somewhat fucked up in the execution.

FROM L TO R:  SHELLY COLE, LORI PETTY, GINA GERSHON AND DREA DE MATTEO

The first time I saw this movie I lost interest about halfway through and I thought it sucked.  But the second time I saw it I actually got really into it and started appreciating its good points, which is not to say it's a great movie but I really don't think it's as bad as some people have said.  The film tells the story of Jackie and her band, Clam Dandy.  Jackie has just turned 40 and is wondering whether to turn her back on her dreams of being a rockstar after spending 20 years as a struggling musician.  The band are offered their big break in a couple of weeks time.  In that short space of time, the band have to deal with the aftermath of being an incest survivor, lesbianism, drug addiction, abusive boyfriends, rape, violent retribution and death.  That's a lot to get through in about 90 minutes.

I think that's the main problem with the movie and what really lets it down --- the storyline feels really melodramatic and to have to get through it all in a 90 minute movie makes it feel like it's just one thing after another and highlights some the implausibilities in the script (like how come Jackie had been in a band with Sally for years and didn't even know she had a brother let alone one who was in prison for murdering their stepfather?).  It's a shame because I think the script is mostly well-written with some great characterisation and some smart one-liners but a couple of the scenes do fall a bit flat because it feels like the writers are trying to force in as much drama and as many issues as possible.  The way the characters move on from discussing the most traumatic events possible to going about their everyday business seems hurried if not downright schizophrenic.  In order to deal with these kind of issues, I think they really needed a TV series to give them time to develop the characters and the aftermath of these events properly rather than trying to race through it all in 90 minutes.  I would like to have seen the original play by Cheri Lovedog to have seen if that worked any better.

GINA GERSON AS JACKIE

Having said that, the main performances are all really good.  I thought Gina Gershon was brilliant --- really quick-witted and tough with a vulnerable side and she still looks stunning.  I thought their onstage performances looked pretty genuine so I do think it's a shame Gina couldn't have toured with an all-girl band.  I really loved the songs in the movie --- most of them were written by Cheri Lovedog.  There's a couple of songs by Texas Terri who makes a cameo performance doing a live gig.  They're mostly storming glam-punk numbers.  At first I wasn't too keen on Marc Blucas as Animal as I thought he still had his essential nice guy quality but when I thought about it, it did sort of make sense.  His character was essentially a decent guy who murdered his stepfather to defend his sister so although he looks like this tough ex-convict, he's not a hardened criminal or scumbag.  I never liked him in Buffy but I ended up quite fancying him in this --- it must have been the mix of nice guy and tattooed hard boy.  The more I think about the performances in the movie the more I like them although Faith and Sally are under-developed given their pivotal roles in the story.

Despite it's drawbacks, there's an amazing energy to the film and an authentic attempt to recreate the feel of the alternative lifestyle.  There's quite a positive message to the film but because by the end you've been put through the wringer, it kind of degrades the ending and makes it feel like a trite Movie of the Week cliche which is a great shame because this movie had a lot of potential.  But I still enjoyed the movie (especially the music) despite its failings and I think it's worth trying to see although I'd say it's more one to rent/watch at the cinema rather than shell out for the DVD.

You can still buy the DVD and soundtrack CD via Amazon. 

The official website has been taken down but there are still a few interviews with the cast around on the internet.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 2005

FILM REVIEW. DOWN AND OUT WITH THE DOLLS.

This movie was released in 2003 (although I think it may have been finished in 2001) and although it played at a couple of film festivals and some of the larger American cities, it never really received widespread release.  The DVD came out in 2004 --- it only features a couple of extras like the original trailer and a music video of one of the songs from the movie.  The film's story was written by D. D. Cheriel who based it on her experiences of playing in all-girl rock bands like Adickdid and The Teen Angels.  The director Kurt Voss is best known for his work with Allison Anders.  The film was made on a tiny budget on location in Portland featuring many local musicians as extras.  None of the main actresses/actors had any acting experience although several of them were musicians in their own right.  There are also cameos from musicians like Lemmy (who plays an incomprehensible homeless man who lives in a closet) and Inger Lorre (who appears as a partygoer and does one of her songs).
 
 

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:  MELDOY MOORE, NICOLE BARRETT, ZOE POLEDOURIS AND KINNIE STARR.  (LAVENDER, KALI, FAUNA, REGGIE).

The story is a bit clichéd but the spirited performances and occasional smart lines make it surprisingly watchable (and it's a lot less melodramatic than Prey For Rock and Roll).  Fauna (played Zoe Poledouris who also wrote much of the music) is a bitchy lead singer who teams up with some other girls to launch her latest attempt at stardom.  They call their band The Paper Dolls but before long tensions appear between Fauna and the more sensitive songwriter/guitar player, Kali (played by Nicole Barrett).  These tensions worsen when Fauna takes a shine to Levi (played by Coyote Shivers, the one-time husband of Liv Tyler's mum, Bebe Buell) who Kali has had a crush on for years.   He's now the lead singer of The Suicide Bombers, a local band who are poised to sign to a major label.  There's also subplots involving the relationship dificulties of Lavender (played by Melody Moore) and the drummer, Reggie (played by Kinnie Starr).  Despite these difficulties, The Paper Dolls secure a recording contract with cult label, Pop Up Records (also home to The Suicide Bombers).  They decide to celebrate by having a house party which ends in tragedy.

Despite this storyline, the movie isn't as heavy-handed or harrowing as Prey For Rock and Roll.  It's only 90 minutes long so the pace never drags and it's quite well-written.  However, some of the acting is really bad and amateurish and the whole film has a definite low-budget feel, which is helped or hindered (depending on your viewpoint) by the fact that it's all been shot on video.  The music is great --- the music of The Paper Dolls themselves is catchy alternative rock.  It's not quite as hard-edged or abrasive as a lot of female bands associated with this scene like 7 Year Bitch or Bikini Kill.  The soundtrack also features songs from other female bands like Inger Lorre and Lo-Ball (the new band of Claudia Rossi, who used to be in Jack Off Jill).  However, it doesn't feature at least one of the key songs of the movie --- the embarrassingly twee love song that Kali writes for Levi.

Personally, I thought this was a cool little movie --- if you're into independent alternative music and films and you're prepared to overlook the odd bit of dodgy acting then you'll probably like this film.  It would be great if someone would do a double of this and Prey For Rock and Roll at one of the film festivals or Ladyfests.



There's also an interview with Kurt Voss, D. D. Cheriel and Zoe Poledouris on the Rockerchick site --- it's at www.rockerchick.com/march2003_zine.html

REVIEW. HANNAH FURY --- THROUGH THE GASH

Hannah Fury makes impossibly beautiful music.  She wrote and performed all the songs on this album (this is her 2nd full length album since her debut in 2000 although she has also released several EPs on her own record label, Mellow Traumatic).  She uses mainly keyboards and drum machine to create songs that seem fragile and ethereal but have a darker undertone.  She's compared to Julee Cruise and like her, I could see these songs as the soundtrack to some macabre David Lynch masterpiece.  On some of the songs like Girls That Glitter Love The Dark the music uses more of a trip hop influence to produce a definite sense of unease.  On other songs like Don't Look Back, she weaves a fragile confection that somehow manages to highlight her emotional lyrics even more.  Her way with words is beguiling and mysterious and her voice is enchanting and seductive.  She layers her vocals to create a rich texture to her songs whose multi-layered sound make it hard to believe just one person could create such accomplished songs.

She is living proof that less is more, that gothic doesn't have to mean screaming over thumping beats, it can be the simple but tragic sound of a heart breaking.  Some of her earlier songs were based on Wicked (itself based on The Wizard of Oz) and she often uses baroque and carnival imagery in her work (she has an online boutique called Antoinette's Revenge where she sells handmade jewellery among other things) but she is one of those artists who can do this without ever making her songs feel like novelty items.  She makes you believe totally and utterly in the strange world she has created.  Delicately beautiful songs with a deliciously darker undertone like the melodies from a haunted music box, Hannah Fury is an extraordinary artist.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN MAY 2008.

QUOTES FROM THE MOVIE TIMES SQUARE

NO SENSE MAKES SENSE

Johnny La Guardia --- We have a story --- "Dear Mr. La Guardia, Do you think it's OK if I pretend I'm a zombie?  My mother died a long time ago but my father is rich and famous and perfect but I can't be like him.  He expects me to be happy but I'm clumsy and ugly.  I don't want anyone looking at me.  I can't do anything.  I can't do sports.  I can't dance.  I can't make friends.  I wrote to you before but only in my journal."  The letter is signed A Real Zombie.  You have something very special inside you, young lady.  The seed that contains your unique self.  Maybe you're all alone, that's a pretty scary place to be.  I know about it.  You may have to jump off into the darkness.  How desperate they feel, those moments before you jump.  But sometimes you just got to do it.  You gotta pull yourself up by your bootstraps and you gotta jump.

POEM FOR NICKY MORATTA.

Tiny fossil bones

Translucent skin

Million year old eyes

Dinosaur, you don't belong here

They'll kill your for tiny tusks

But your ribs are my ladder, Nicky

I'm so amazed, I'm so amazed.

(Pamela's poem about Nicky).

Johnny La Guardia --- Time to shut off the TV set, David.  Come see Times Square in the flesh, not from the windows of your limo.   It's hot down here --- It's Rio at carnival time.  It's ripe, baby --- get in touch with that place inside of you that craves slime more than plastic, David.  And vitality more than manners, David.  And life more than television.

Nicky --- Hey, you really sick or what?

Pamela --- Well, I don't know really.  See, the doctors, they won't tell me what's wrong with me.

Nicky --- They ain't never gonna tell you what's wrong with you.   I get my revenge.  I'm not gonna tell them what's wrong with them either.

Pamela --- The evening lies spread out against the sky.  Like a patient etherised upon a table.  I have measured out my life in coffee spoons.

Nicky --- It still sounds like bullshit to me.

Pamela --- Nicky, what about songs?  What about the roses in the hospital?  What about take a piss, you asshole?  That's poetry.

Nicky --- It doesn't rhyme.

Pamela --- Well, it doesn't have to.  It doesn't have to fit in a book.  Nicky, everything you do or you say is poetry.  At least I think so.

Dear Daddy, I am not kidnapped.  I am me-napped.  I am soul-napped.  I am Nicky-napped.  I am happy-napped.  Doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs --- we are looking after ourselves and having our own Renaissance.  We don't need anti-depressants, we need your understanding.  (Pamela's letter to her father that's read out on the radio).

Yes father dear, you want to make Times Square as cold as your icy eyes

Why do you want to punish people who aren't like you?

You know at home, I've heard you use these following words

Spic, nigger, faggot and psycho

Well, I just want you to know your daughter is one.

Spic, nigger, faggot, bum

Your daughter is one.

(Song by The Sleez Sisters that they perform on radio).

Pamela --- You only care about yourself, you faker.

Johnny La Guardia --- I feel like I give myself away everyday for a living.

Pamela --- You give other people away for a living.

Nicky --- They tell me I'm crazy but the truth is, I just know bullshit when I see it.

Nicky --- Please, I just got one more thing to say, one more thing.  I knew a girl named Pammy.  She taught me a lot of things about life.  She was real smart.  She knew a lot of things.  But she knew one thing long before I ever knew it.  That she was the best friend I ever had.

STILLS FROM THE DVD OF TIMES SQUARE.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN DECEMBER 2004.

http://www.robinjohnson.net/timessquare.html Robin Johnson fan site with an excellent page devoted to this movie.

FILM REVIEW. TIMES SQUARE

YOUR DAUGHTER IS ONE