lyneday
03-14-2006, 06:40 AM
Moviehole at the SXSW Film Festival - Report 1 (http://www.moviehole.net/events/20060314_moviehole_at_the_sxsw_film_fes.html)
Posted by Clint Morris on March 14, 2006
“Awesome, I F--kin’ Shot That”
(Nothing like starting off a film festival with two F-word titled films, eh?)
The Beastie Boys were always one of those bands I admired for their creativity but rarely took the time to listen to beyond their hits (Brass Monkey, Fight for Your Right To Party, Hey Ladies). But in spite of 20 years of ground-breaking hip hop and rave performances, their film “Awesome, I F--kin’ Shot That” is intriguing for reasons other than their music. For a 2004 October performance in Madison Square Garden, the band gave 50 digital video cameras to 50 lucky fans and asked them to film the performance. The only condition was to keep the cameras rolling no matter what. The result is a unique look at the Beastie Boys phenomenon in the manner of a lovely, bass-heavy concert film. “Were they pumping the bass?” was the first thing Beastie Boy/Director Adam Yauch, aka MCA, aka director Nathanial Hornblower asked when I interviewed him along with the rest of the band for the Sundance screening in January. While Beastie fans will love the film, the average movie fans will find it mildly entertaining. Multiple views of a performance can easily wear thin but it does demonstrate the incredible versatility of the band, including their lounge act in the middle where they all expertly play their instruments as opposed to their creative, stage-roaming rap. And, if nothing else, pioneers such as The Beastie Boys deserve to have a film celebrating one of the most innovative forms in American music history.
Posted by Clint Morris on March 14, 2006
“Awesome, I F--kin’ Shot That”
(Nothing like starting off a film festival with two F-word titled films, eh?)
The Beastie Boys were always one of those bands I admired for their creativity but rarely took the time to listen to beyond their hits (Brass Monkey, Fight for Your Right To Party, Hey Ladies). But in spite of 20 years of ground-breaking hip hop and rave performances, their film “Awesome, I F--kin’ Shot That” is intriguing for reasons other than their music. For a 2004 October performance in Madison Square Garden, the band gave 50 digital video cameras to 50 lucky fans and asked them to film the performance. The only condition was to keep the cameras rolling no matter what. The result is a unique look at the Beastie Boys phenomenon in the manner of a lovely, bass-heavy concert film. “Were they pumping the bass?” was the first thing Beastie Boy/Director Adam Yauch, aka MCA, aka director Nathanial Hornblower asked when I interviewed him along with the rest of the band for the Sundance screening in January. While Beastie fans will love the film, the average movie fans will find it mildly entertaining. Multiple views of a performance can easily wear thin but it does demonstrate the incredible versatility of the band, including their lounge act in the middle where they all expertly play their instruments as opposed to their creative, stage-roaming rap. And, if nothing else, pioneers such as The Beastie Boys deserve to have a film celebrating one of the most innovative forms in American music history.