Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I'm glad to run another review of this movie, because I hope it ends up sticking with you until you get a chance to see it for yourself. It's a great little movie, and this review is certainly enthusiastic. Check it out!
Greetings from SXSW!
Though Moriarty already praised it, as did Monki, I feel the need to speak about AJ Schnack's wonderful documentary GIGANTIC (A TALE OF TWO JOHNS).
I admit up front that I am biased. I've been a hard-core They Might Be Giants fan since I picked up a copy of Flood in a used CD shop as a teenager. The fact that this was even made is a dream come true, and Shnack pulled it off in a way that exceeded my expectations.
The film traces the history of Massachusetts childhood friends John Linnell and John Flansburgh from their forming of TMBG in the early '80s as an accordion/guitar duo with a drum machine in Brooklyn, NY to the release of their newest studio album "Mink Car" with their backup "Band of Dans" (Miller, Weinkauf and Hickey).
It's obvious the director is a huge fan, but manages to offer a fair portrayal of the Johns. Only a fan could do this, if you ask me, because what makes them so hard to grasp for so many people is exactly what makes the rest of us feel so connected to their music. They write songs from the point of view of a nightlight (Birdhouse In Your Soul), or about relatively obscure ex-Presidents (James K Polk) and painters (Meet James Ensor). They're funny without being a comedy act, and so is this documentary. TMBG's songs are often very bouncy and upbeat musically, though the lyrics, on their own, can be quite dark and sad. Schnack shows this by having actors (Harry Shearer, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Richter, and the best, Michael McKean) recite them as poetry outside the peppy melodies.
This all works very well, as TMBG are not Behind The Music material, but certainly worthy of having their story told in such a way. The Johns are not into the self-destructive lifestyle of rock music (which is also part of their appeal), but the stereotypes of addiction are spoofed in a segment on both John's beverage of choice: coffee.
What really struck me about the film was that as incredible as it was for TMBG's devotees, it's very accessible to viewers who are unfamiliar with, or merely casual fans if fans at all, of the Giants. It's damn funny, as Moriarty said, and based on other independant documentaries I've seen, it's surprisingly slick and well produced, and done in a style very complimentary to TMBG's music. And clean enough to squeak by with a PG-13 so the high schoolers just discovering the band can give ticket sales a boost. Given the chance by a distributor and a decent marketing campaign, this could definitely be a sleeper hit on the art house circuit. Either way, there's a rabid fan base waiting for a well-done DVD loaded with extras.
Don't let this one go, it deserves to be seen. Check it out.
Your close personal friend,
The 27th Ape
Remember... any of you out there who were at SWSW... you can write to let us know about any of the gems you stumbled over. That's the best part of these festivals; it starts the buzz for films that will never have the cash to compete with the marketing of something like SCOOBY-DOO or SPIDER-MAN.
Thanks, Ape. Nice work.
"Moriarty" out.
