Bomb City

I don't know if this is a good way to start a movie review, but after seeing this movie all I could think to do was message an old punk buddy of mine and warn him that the next time I saw him 'I was going to hug him and never let go.'

I have so much praise for this movie I don't even know where to begin (I would have expressed this praise to the filmmakers during their Tallgrass Film Festival Q&A, but when I was given the mic to comment, I just couldn't make ...words.) Y'see, it's a ton of bricks this movie... Not just in sad ways either, mind you, but across the board. The authenticity is overwhelming: The accuracy of the hangouts, the music blaring, the art that was happening, the bond between outcasts-if you've been there then you know the good times that are had with people who have nothing but would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. But sadly, a part of that authenticity....the world is usually at war with us outcasts, and this movie shows that reality. Hard. Like all those bricks I mentioned earlier.

I'll quit waxing poetic and get to some movie stuff over here- The 3rd act of this film includes a scene that is still managing to shake my punk self and the film snob he grew up to be- to avoid violating the 'spoiler' criteria of this page, I will refer to this scene as the 'Truck Ride'. It may be the most haunting and true depiction of that journey I've ever seen committed to film. It's a perfectly filmed moment and- I pray I'm not out of line by saying-inspiring. Absolutely, we know the tragedy and bedlam that is looming when you take such a ride (and in no way am I trying to make light of the things that follow) but the filmmakers show that along with the fear and bloodcurdling uncertainty of that ride, there is a nobility. A quiet moment shared between the warriors who have no choice but to be on the way to somewhere they shouldn't be going. I'm not kidding, it's that powerful.

Oh yeah, movie review... (This movie made me get lost in thought again dammit!) Wonderful job done by all-Acting, Production, Cinematography, Direction. Sound. Everything is Outstanding. I will be owning this movie soon, and I WILL be owning it on DVD-it belongs on the bookshelf next to my copies of 'Another State of Mind', 'Decline of Western Civilization pt 1' and appropriately enough, 'The Outsiders'.

In the meantime I'll be raising a glass to fallen punks and fellow outcasts while I play my favorite Subhumans record-This one's for you Brian, I hope punk valhalla is treating you well my Brother.

Don't get me wrong, the story here is not quite as good overall as The Outsiders. Nor is it nearly as convincing in who is to blame. But of course The Outsiders is fiction, and this is based on real life. Who's to blame, and how much blame is actually deserved in reality, is so much harder to pinpoint than in most works of fiction.

While I think this film is reasonably good, and well worth a watch; I really don't think the film is nearly as effective as it thinks that it is. It also seems to show a little bias of it's own in fact. Watch it yourself and see what you think. The guy who ends up sentenced was actually given 10 years probation, a long time, and then when caught drinking which violated his probation, he wasn't treated so lightly. He actually ended up serving nearly 4 years in prison.

While sometimes I don't mind some of the points that Marilyn Manson has brought up from time to time about American culture, I really felt he didn't help this film much, if at all; As his narration at the beginning is somewhat interesting & thought provoking, but when he finishes what he has to say at the end, it really amounts to little more than stupidity. Manson also states that not one day was spent in jail by the young man portrayed here, but in fact, as I already stated due to his probation violation in connection to this event, he did eventually end up serving many, many days. But Manson rarely seems interested in truth, but rather his interests lie mostly in shocking people. To me, I understand an artists desire to stir things up, to try and provoke change. Manson however is not one to attack things in a fully authentic fashion, hence the lack of his effect on cultural change on any large scale.

Overall I think the film is a good cautionary tale. Even though it seems to think it is more than that. 7/10.

You care about the people he cared about. You see Amarillo through Brian's eyes for better or worse. This may have happened or is happening right now in your town. It's a new tale on an old story instead of the greasers and the socias it's the preps and the punks.

Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, a true love letter to the life of Brian Deneke. I've been aware of the story since 1999. As a young punk at the time, it hit close to home. I grew up in suburbia Ontario (Canada) but witnessed many similar realities. This film had my wife and I both in tears. Very heavy, realistic and an over all eye opener. A+ honored to have it in my collection. A true indie gem. Watch the film.

I'm not gonna tell you what's happening in the film, you can read a summary if you like. but it's best you check it yourself, because this film is great in portraying the punk lifestyle and the problems that come with that, especially in Amarillo, Texas. Myself, I was a punk with age 16, and then become a Skinhead (not a fascist/bonehead, but true to the 60s Skinhead movement) and really like to see a film like "Bomb City" because there are not so many films that portray Punks and Skins properly. Right now I can only think of This Is England (2006), but that one focus more on Skinheads.

Anyway, great film, watch it, Now! 8/10