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Movies / On DVD / Heavy Metal In Baghdad
Heavy Metal In Baghdad

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Heavy Metal In Baghdad (2008)

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:18

Rotten:4

Average Rating:6.4/10

Consensus: Despite being a Gonzo-esque rockumentary following the fortunes of Iraq’s one and only heavy metal band, Acrassicauda, Heavy Metal is actually a moving and impassioned account of the middle-east crisis.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 84 mins

Genre: War, Documentary, Music (General), Theatrical Release, Rock, Pop/Rock, Metal (Music)

Theatrical Release:Nov 30, 1999 Limited

Synopsis: Tales of survival in war-torn Iraq get a fascinating twist with this documentary. Starting in 2003, HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD follows Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda as they attempt to keep both... Tales of survival in war-torn Iraq get a fascinating twist with this documentary. Starting in 2003, HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD follows Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda as they attempt to keep both their musical careers and themselves alive. Spike Jonze serves as an executive producer. [More]

Starring: Acrassicauda

Starring: Acrassicauda

Director: Eddy Moretti, Suroosh Alvi

Director: Eddy Moretti, Suroosh Alvi
Producer: Eddy Moretti, Suroosh Alvi, Monica Hampton
Studio: Arts Alliance

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 10, 2008

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Heavy Metal In Baghdad

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Gives us a rough idea of how bloody awful it is to be living in Baghdad.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/26/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It feels like a spoof, yet this documentary, which follows the fortunes of a monumentally rubbish Iraqi band called Acrassicauda, is for real.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
09/12/08
Charlotte O'Sullivan
Charlotte O'Sullivan
This is London

And so this low-budget film says more about Gulf War II than all of Hollywood’s efforts put together.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
09/12/08
Sun Online

Watching the disintegration of Baghdad alongside the band members’ aspirations makes this an enlightening and impassioned account of the Middle Eastern crisis.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
09/12/08
Rob Daniel
Rob Daniel
Sky Movies

Heavy Metal in Baghdad is one of those sneaky documentaries that starts out a light-hearted look at a semi-serious subject, and then suddenly turns into something far more moving and profound.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies UK | comment Comment
09/12/08
Chris Tilly
Chris Tilly
IGN Movies UK

Though they struggle to build a fan base, and end up seeking refuge in Syria, their dreams persist, still blazing fiercely at the close of this chastening and inspiring film.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
09/12/08
Sukhdev Sandhu
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph

This ill-starred four-piece are the heroes of a flawed, fascinating documentary, shot on digital video by two excitable gonzo-esque journalists from Vice magazine.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
09/12/08
Xan Brooks
Xan Brooks
Guardian [UK]

You mourn the wasted opportunities to explore a culture in which the ultimate rebellion is to copy America’s corporate rock.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
09/12/08
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]

Sprawling and unfocussed but still a fascinating window onto an unreported world.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/12/08
Jon Fortgang
Jon Fortgang
Channel 4 Film

The guerrilla-movie-making ethic of the directors is reflected in the band members, who sport goatees and speak excellent, hipster/metalhead-inflected American English.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
09/12/08
Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Time Out

The film’s at its strongest when Moretti and Alvi make it to Baghdad, but it suffers from a focusing too much on the music and not enough on the band's circumstances.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/12/08
Empire Magazine

Excellent documentary about the struggle of a heavy metal band to survive in Iraq.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
06/05/08
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

frustrating but nearly impossible to forget

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
05/23/08
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

The low-budget movie's technical qualities aren't always the best, but considering the conditions under which the filmmakers worked, it's amazing that Heavy Metal in Baghdad was made at all.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
05/23/08
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The dangers these musicians experience every single day are bound to impact any audience. This is what it really looks like to bang your head against the wall.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
05/23/08
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

More than just another Iraq-doc, Heavy Metal is a surprisingly up-close look at the toll of the war on young people, and how they still have dreams and still want to jam, party and get down.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/23/08
Mark Olsen
Mark Olsen
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An intrepid, unlikely and altogether splendid feat of D.I.Y. reportage.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/23/08
Nathan Lee
Nathan Lee
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie reclaims metal's appeal to the powerless as well as its threat--when you can get shot for wearing a Slipknot T-shirt (talk about "Death, be not proud")... raising those devil horns isn't an empty act of aggression.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
05/21/08
Jim Ridley
Jim Ridley
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Concentrating on the story of Acrassicauda, Iraq's sole metal band, filmmakers Moretti and Alvi reveal the heart-wrenching circumstances for the people caught between the occupiers and the militias.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
05/09/08
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY

Pic's chief drawback is onscreen narrator Suroosh Alvi (co-helming with Eddy Moretti), whose fratboy glee at their 'crazy mission' segues to such probing questions as, 'What's the vibe now?'

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/09/08
Eddie Cockrell
Eddie Cockrell
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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