Hey folks, Harry here with Tom Joad ecstatic review of DETROIT ROCK CITY. Last Thursday I had a chance to go see THE SIXTH SENSE (which strangely I'm seeing again tonight) and having a pass for DETROIT ROCK CITY I gave it to Tom Joad because I had already decided to buy myself a plane ticket for L.A. to see the premiere of this film that includes a concert afterwards with KISS, CHEAP TRICK and EVERCLEAR. For me, it'll finally be my chance to see KISS in makeup. Something I've been dying to see since I first thought of going to rock concerts. I remember... hell, I'll save it for my review sometime Monday night, as for now... Here's Tom Joad's take on the film...
DETROIT ROCK CITY
Tonight, I have seen the most enjoyable film of my entire summer. Yep, Tom Joad here, clockin’ in with a review of DETROIT ROCK CITY - THE movie to immortalize KISS for all time.
The spirit of this film simply soars.
The soundtrack features covers of many KISS tunes which makes the playing of actual KISS music within the film sound absolutely incredible. If you were ever Gene Simmons for Halloween (like myself) when Detroit Rock City is done onscreen, you will very likely shit yourself. So take a change of drawers. Wish I had.
My mother (before my dad suavely persuaded her to the Dark Side) was a nun. No shit. A real-life, ruler-rapped-knuckled nun. So you may not be surprised by the fact that I grew up being told that KISS DID indeed stand for Knights in Satan’s Service. My dear old mum will die believing that acronym. Now that you’ve got a little background, you can relate both to her level of rage and my level of dread, when she discovered the Gene Simmons poster hanging on my wall that I had stolen from a CIRCUS magazine that morning after Mass while she shopped around Safeway.
Oh, the horror.
So it goes without saying that this flick was tailor-made for me. But it’s not just a movie for KISS fans. Remember how fuckin’ great Linklater’s DAZED and CONFUSED was? How he perfectly painted a picture of 70’s high school? How it captured the spirit of youth and the desire for individuality? How it portrayed the actual FEEL of the seventies?
DETROIT ROCK CITY does it better. DETROIT ROCK CITY does it MUCH better. The clothes, the music, the rock concert, the memorabilia, the entire atmosphere – BETTER. This is THE teenage-angst-I-wanna-be-a-band-so-I’ll-practice-in-my-basement coming of age movie. At least in my opinion.
As much of the plot as you’re gonna get out of me is that four best friends have been denied seeing KISS live for two straight years. This is gonna be their year. The time is now. It kicks ass!
Jason London’s Randall “Pink” Floyd has four new boys in his stable: Edward Furlong’s Hawk, Sam Huntington’s Jam, Bruce James DeBello’s Trip & Giuseppe Andrews’ Lex – classic, classic, classic.
Remember KINGPIN? Remember how Roy Munson paid his rent? Remember whose turkey he had to gobble? The landlady, the one with the pimp varicose veins on her inner thighs. Lin Shaye kicks mucho ass on screen here, nailing the part of Jam’s mother, the holy-roller of the film which I identify with so well. You’ve got to love this woman.
Speaking of kicking ass, this movie indulges the rebel in us all. When onscreen adversity strikes, we get to see brilliant displays of ‘what goes around comes around’. And it is fantastic. When the “Beth” scene unfolds, with the gorgeous Melanie Lynskey, you’ll see terrific parallels max-tweaked.
Beverly Hills slum Natasha Lyonne is dead-on as Christine, and I’m foaming at the mouth to see her in Matthew Bright’s CONFESSIONS OF A TRICK BABY later this year!
None other than the always stunning Shannon Tweed plays opposite Furlong in a scene that the adolescent boy in every man will long remember.
Director Adam Rifkin, who had formerly written and directed THE CHASE, as well as writing SMALL SOLDIERS and MOUSEHUNT, has one helluva lot to be smiling about. He’s added a lot of character to this flick, a lot of style and a distinct visual flair that really worked for me.
Gene Simmons has got to be proud of this effort. And he’s got every right to be. He’s got one mean motorscooter of a movie on his hands and should be beaming. This flick completely captures the glory of KISS in the peak of their seventies glory, the costumes, the onstage theatrics, the flashing bulb KISS banner, and of course the pyrotechnics of champions. Don’t miss this one on the big screen. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Harry gave me this pass knowing how much I would appreciate it. And I can’t thank him enough. Ernie and I went and absolutely laughed our asses off. Harry missed OUT, but then, he’s on a plane to the real deal Holyfield in a matter of days, and he’s going to get to meet Ron Jeremy… the lucky bastard.
Tom Joad
