| |
Hard Core Logo
|
|
| Year: |
1996
|
|
Director: |
Bruce McDonald
|
| Stars: |
Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith Rennie, John Pyper-Ferguson, Bernie Coulson, Julian Richings, Benita Ha, Claudia Ferri, Joey Ramone, Corrine Koslo, Bruce McDonald, Danny Nowak, Jochen A. Schliessler, Jeremy Bishop, Tony Tucker, Art Bergmann, Megan Leitch
|
| Genre: |
Drama, Music |
| Rating: |
  6 (from 1 vote) |
| Review: |
Hard Core Logo were one of the original Canadian punk bands, and if they never hit the big time they did have a devoted following. They split up and the members went their separate ways, yet they never really left each other behind, and it could be that the two charismatic frontmen, singer Joe Dick (Hugh Dillon) and lead guitarist Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie), never got over the break-up of their performing relationship. Billy has moved on, and is doing promising work with a band called Jenifur that look to have a chance of major success, but Joe has floundered: until it's time to get the band back together...
What could possibly go wrong? That is what you will find out should you take the opportunity to see Hard Core Logo, one of the films in the body of work of prolific Canadian director Bruce McDonald. He had started to make a name for himself internationally with two of his earlier projects, Roadkill and Highway 61, which exhibited a quirky sense of humour and an engaging take on life, but with Hard Core Logo a different tack was evident. In spite of being sold as the Canadian answer to This is Spinal Tap, it was far grimmer film, and you could be forgiven for sitting through it without a single laugh escaping from you.
In fact, all those Spinal Tap references in the reviews and publicity did the film a disservice, as this was actually only superficially the same kind of entertainment. There might have been a few moments to laugh at, but that did not appear to be the main thrust of the movie as for the most part this was more likely to leave you feeling sober and even depressed, especially considering the manner in which it ended. Sure, it dealt with a band whose best days were behind it going on the road to rekindle past glories, but this was the serious side of that kind of claustrophobic existence being placed under a very unforgiving microscope, and more often than not you would be wincing at how it played out.
The reason the band reunite is that there's a benefit gig being arranged in tribute to former punk Bucky Haight (Julian Richings), who according to himself has had both his legs blown off below the knee by a stalker. Therefore the Rock Against Guns protest concert is staged, all very sincere, and Hard Core Logo agree to be on the stage, although the abrasive Joe seems far happier about this than the more reticent Billy (and yes, the band Billy Tallent got their name from this film). One thing leads to another and before long the group has agreed to play a farewell tour across North America, the old lineup intact, and judging by the welcome they got at the benefit it should go very well.
Of course it doesn't! There are nights when there's nobody in the audience at all, and they have to admit that most people aside from the, er, hardcore fans have forgotten all about them. This calls into question the reason they're doing this tour at all, and conclude that it's all for Joe, the actually rather fragile frontman whose advancing years are catching up with him and leaving him looking sad and pathetic as he still tries to sustain his bad boy attitude. Not to mention the friendship that meant most to him in his life, the one with Billy, even as Billy is pulling away, which only makes Joe all the more disturbed. The way this all ends seems inevitable in retrospect, as there is a violent tone to the film even when the characters are simply hanging out, and the faux-documentary style (McDonald plays himself as the chronicler of the band) adds impact, but it isn't half a doleful way to spend ninety minutes. Music by Schaun Tozer.
|
| Reviewer: |
Graeme Clark
|
| |
|
|
