Friday, June 19, 2009

Jimmy Page, Jack White & Coffin Joe


Our coverage of the LA film festival 2009 started with a bang as Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and the White Stripes's Jack White were attending the screening of It Might Get Loud (read the It Might Get Loud review), a documentary focusing on the art of guitar playing of emblematic figures such as Page, White and U2's The Edge (who was busy rehearsing in Spain for the opening of U2's tour). If you're a fan of the 3 guys, which I am, you certainly will enjoy having the opportunity to spend time with these 3 icons and see them jam together. However, watching It Might Get Loud as a critic is a different kind of experience, as this film proved to be highly disapointing. To capture the essence of these musians and the creative process in general, the filmmaker posed himself as a watcher, rather than as a true director, letting his camera roll freely to follow whatever the artists are doing. As a result, It Might Get Loud is devoid of any narrative threat, wandering aimlessly and failing to bring anything of substance to the table. Listening to what Mr White had to say, there would have been several interesting points to explore, if the filmmaker would have dared to challenge the musicians; but by containing himself in the role of a witness, he unfortunatly fails in his endeavor, delivering the work of a fan rather than a real documentary.

The third entry in the Brazilian horror Coffin Joe series, Embodiment of Evil (Embodiment of evil review) brought back the thrills of exploitation cinema, with its crazy mix of sadism and nudity. While I enjoyed it, I must admit some scenes were hard to watch -- horror geeks seemed to find them amusing -- and I wouldn't recommend that film, unless you have a strong stomach or a sadistic propensity.

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