WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE
I missed out on day 7 to attend a regular movie screening (REPO MEN) and get some much needed rest. Friday I was ready to get back into the game and attend more SXSW movie screenings. I have been a big fan of The Doors since my senior year of high school. Oliver Stone’s film bio-pic opened in theaters this year (1991) and this definitely sparked my interest in the band, their charismatic and troubled leader Jim Morrison, and the incredible music they created. Even after watching the film, reading a couple of books about Morrison and the band, acquiring most of their music catalogue, and watching a few documentaries done for video and Vh-1, I was still very excited about attending this documentary about one of my favorite rock groups.
Narrated by Johnny Depp, WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE is probably the best produced documentary about Jim Morrison and The Doors that I have ever seen. It is very comprehensive in scope and contains all of the best clips that I had previously seen as well as some new footage I had never seen. Writer/director Tom DiCillo does an incredible job telling the story of this amazing and enigmatic rock group. Johnny Depp provides some excellent voice-over work as the narrator of this story. For this fan of The Doors and for other die-hard fans, the film doesn’t offer us much new that we haven’t already seen or read but it is still an enjoyable piece to watch. For people who know little about Jim Morrison and The Doors and are interested, it is a must see. It was also an absolute joy to have Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger in attendance and on stage afterward for the Q & A.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FOUR)
LEMMY
Considering that the music fest portion of SXSW was now in full swing, it was most appropriate that I view some music documentaries. After watching the film about The Doors, I grabbed some dinner and then returned to the Paramount theater for the next film which is a documentary film about the leader of metal band Motorhead. LEMMY gives audiences a glimpse of the man often dubbed “the godfather of metal”. The film starts in the present time and shows what his personal life and career is like. During various moments of the movie, the film takes a moment to go back in time and tells the audience about Lemmy’s early days as a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix experience and the first bands in which he performed before forming the band Motorhead. It is in this band that Lemmy became a legend and influence for future metal bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer.
Directed by Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski, Lemmy is not the most complete story of a legend, leaving out his background as a child and mainly focusing on his rock career. Still, the film gives audiences some real insight on who the man behind the legend really is. Lemmy Kilmister is very no-nonsense in his approach to music as well as life. He is a simple man who doesn’t live in a fancy mansion but prefers his small L.A. apartment near his favorite hangouts. Peers and friends such as Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Slash, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, and wrestler Triple H make appearances and discuss what a genuine person Lemmy is and the impact he has had on their lives and careers. The godfather himself was present for the screening and was just as genuine in person as he is portrayed in this great documentary.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FOUR)
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