Hard Core Logo Reviews

It's big, loud and dirty, and like Hero, it's one of those foreign films Quentin Tarantino liked enough to distribute himself. Hard Core Logo tells the story in "mockumentary" fashion, but it's by no means a comedy like its forebear This is Spinal Tap. Bruce McDonald's film is a true piece of Canadiana in one sense, as anyone who's driven from Vancouver to Winnipeg can attest (let alone back, as the band does), and in another sense, it's an experience that is globally understood: the punk rock world is what it is because there are so many people like Joe Dick involved. As Billy Talent points out in one of the film's best moments, though, you can only stay angry so long. The film is captivating right up to its very last second, with an ending that will shock you. Can't really say anymore, just add it to your list, it's essential viewing (with a great punk soundtrack).

I'm supposed to like this film aren't I? Everyone loves Hard Core Logo as Canada's great Spinal Tap. There's only one problem. Spinal Tap is far superior and my readers know how much I have a thing against band films.

Decent Canadian indie flick with a big cult following.

The advertising for Hard Core Logo bills it as ?edgier and darker than Spinal Tap,? and while I wouldn?t call this overly edgy it was wise of the film to own up to its obvious debt to Rob Reiner?s This is Spinal Tap. Comparison?s to that film are inevitable given that both projects are mockumentaries about dysfunctional rock bands and Spinal Tap is blatantly referenced in at least two different places in the film, this goes a long way in allowing the film to get that comparison out of the way and move on. Unlike the ill-fated band in Spinal Tap, the hardcore punk band at the center of this film isn?t particularly unsuccessful, their music is pretty decent by punk standards and they were reportedly pretty popular in their day. The difference is that these guys aren?t lovable losers like Spinal Tap is, they?re a bunch of jerks who pretty much have their inevitable failure coming to them, that?s the film?s fatal flaw; these people become really tiresome as the film goes on.

I didn?t find the movie to be very funny at all, I?m not sure it was even trying to be. This wasn?t a problem at first but it began to be pretty clear that this material didn?t really have the weight or interest to really hold its own as any sort of drama, and once my interest in the characters went downhill the movie didn?t really have a lot to fall back on.

Visually, I thought this was pretty decent. The filmmakers never go out of their way to over-emphasize the faux-documentary look. They don?t gratuitously shake the camera and they don?t use crappy film stock, consequently it looks a lot more like a real doc than many similar projects. The acting is also pretty good, this is certainly how I?d expect a dysfunctional punk band to look and sound.

My review sound?s a little more negative than my real outlook, really the movie works pretty well for at least half of its 90 minute running time and I like the last couple scenes a lot as well (great last shot). There are some amusing scenes in here, but I think the whole thing might have been better suited for a short subject than a feature.

Not as big a fan of this one as most people seem to be. In fact, I didn't really care at all about what I was watching and if it wasn't for the shock ending it wouldn't be very memorable at all.

A hilarious mockumentary about a punk band reuniting while dealing with their own personal issues with themselves and eachother

At turns startlingly funny and disturbing, with a sudden ending that had me both shocked and unsurprised. On my favorites list because it's still on my mind.

A movie that Canadians are supposed to generally accept as some kind of wonderful just never really connected with me.

this one hell of a movie and its the best mock documentary films I've seen and as Canadian films go its the best I've seen and i'm looking forward to number 2 when it comes out

Exceptionally well make mocumentary you'd believe was real from the natural performances, appropriate songs and accurate portrayal of the music scene. If it wasn't for films like Anvil, Almost Famous & Spinal Tap it would stand head and shoulders over many music documentaries. Where it fails is in it being almost too real and when the subjects look and feel real but aren't it makes the relationships seem hollow and slightly cliche.

There's the makings of a good film here if you can get past the Spinal Tap parallels. It's a shame the actors obviously weren't playing their instruments though, which together with some clumsy product placement dragged it down to a 2.5/5 for me.

a good addition to the mockumentary category

94%

"I have only one word for this...blaspheme."-John Oxenberger (John Pyper-Ferguson)

If you've been on the road or grew up in this period, you're most likely gonna like it. Feels more like a documentry, then a mock. The acid trip was wicked and full of symbolism.

"And in the end, it's love."-John Oxenberger

The greatest rock 'N roll movie of all time.

The sweet smell of Rock N' Roll.

Just finally watched this movie. It was a long time coming, but well worth it. If anything, I'm just kinda disappointed in myself for not taking the time to watch this hardcore, Canadian badass film. One of the few Canadian movies that really stand up the world of cinema.

This movie follows Canadian punk band Hard Core Logo during a reunion tour through Western Canada. Filmed as a documentary, with director Bruce MacDonald playing himself, this movie is both deep and chilling. The members of the band are portrayed with their own unique traits and side stories, all of which force the viewer to take sides and favourites within the band. Their documented journey is both hilarious and gut wrenching in its vulgarness. You'll either really care about these guys, or not at all.

While it's the characters that really make this movie work, the imagery and settings presented give it a truly underground and Canadian feel. The shots of highways whizzing by beneath them with the road lines warping and turning as they drive, look amazing on film. This is just one example of some of the amazing images that will stick with me forever after watching this film.... That's not even including one the most shocking and stomach turning endings I've ever seen on film.

A proudly Canadian film... probably gonna end up being #2 behind Bon Cop, Bad Cop for favourite Canadian movies for me.

Good character study that is both funny and bitter sweet with a few darker twists that set it apart from a mere mocumentary. Callum Keith Rennie and Hugh Dillon turn in especially good performances.
It interesting to see how young they look here compare to their roles on more recent shows like Californication, Battlestar Galactica, Flashpoint and Durham County where they are more weathered. If you are fans of those shows or these actors you may be interested in a glimpse at their earlier careers with this.

lord of war

a decent movie about a arms dealer and how he started and the stuggles with his family worth a watch
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deuce bigalow european gigolo

please save yourself the three dollars and go buy some spray paint and huff away cause it would be about the same affect this movie would have on your brain without the high - zero a thousand times and back again and tops my list of worst movie of all time
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hardcore logo


this is the punk rock this is sprinal tap i dont really see it this is more drama based and (this is ) is an comedy,this movie isnt funny and the drama isnt worth a watch

If this movie had been worse, it might have been so bad that it was funny. If this movie had been [i]better[/i], it might have been an enjoyable watching experience starring New Ray from [i]Due South[/i]. As it was, it was just bad. Disappointing and bad.

New Ray is a member of a band called "Hard Core Logo." They are doing, I believe, a reunion tour that ends up being their final handful of shows--when your reunion tour involves a stop in Saskatoon, it's probably not a sign that your band is destined for greatness. With a better screenwriter, the characters might have been interesting; they are given quirks, though I cannot say which quirk belonged to which character. One of the guys is tortured by the thought that he's not interesting enough to be a poser; as I say, a lot could be done with that, but nothing is.

I wanted very much to enjoy this film and couldn't. I found myself losing track of the story, and there's not much story to lose track of. There's some complicated subplot involving a rocker who was allegedly shot and had to have his legs amputated; this turns out not to be true, but I never worked out why he said it was.

The filming isn't bad, in a mockumentary kind of way. No one will mistake it for the work of Christopher Guest, even leaving aside the fact that it isn't funny, but again, it's not bad. Some of the stylistic choices are actually quite good, though not good enough to improve the overall badness of the film very much.

I don't want to give the impression that this is the worst movie I've ever seen. I, after all, have seen [i]The Medallion[/i], which is a much flashier kind of bad. Ditto [i]Van Helsing[/i]. But I was hoping for the kind of witty quirkiness that Paul Gross is usually doing, or failing that something dumb enough to laugh at. I didn't get either. The best that can be said about [i]Hard Core Logo[/i] is that I didn't have to pay money for it; I got it out of the library.