I was pleasantly surprised by this little anthology film. It's not half-bad. A little bit Twilight Zone, a little bit Urban Legends, a little bit...well, VH1. It takes a lot of legends and conventions about rock starts, the music business, and the effect of music on our lives and does some pretty cool things with it. But as is the case with most anthology films, not all are created equal. There's one story that's very good, a couple of cute ones, and one bad one. But even the bad one isn't THAT bad. The first story, "Disco Inferno" is that one. It's not so much bad as it is very predictable. A couple of stoners who don't have much going for them except that they're rabid rock fans get into an accident driving home from a concert, and find themselves at a mysterious club where disco lives all night long. I'm probably spoiling the ending, but it's pretty obvious that they've died and gone to hell...and for them, hell is disco. I can relate. The best thing about this tale is that it features Danny Masterson putting a spin on his "That 70's Show" character. The second tale, "My Generation" is weird and darkly funny. It's about two music-loving, philosophically-minded serial killers who meet up and square off in the Pacific Northwest. If you can get over Eric Roberts as the psychotic Deadhead, you're in for a rather humorous satirical statement on music of this generation and the one before, how they compare and, perhaps, how the statement of the music of the 60's was lost on both generations involved. The third, "Room Service," is pretty straightforward. The story of the constantly-escalating battle of wills between an excess-loving, hotel-room trashing rock star (Geez, they still do that?), and the ultra-efficient housekeeping matron who manages to clean up all his messes with superhuman skill. It's fun to watch because it's so contrived, so based on legend that the tale seems familiar (and check it out, the guy from Duran Duran! An actual excess-loving rock star playing himself!). Not great, but fun. The final tale, "More than a Feeling" is the darkest and the best. It's the story of a recording company exec with a conscience (and no, that's not the fantasy part), who has a talent for picking the next rising star. Unfortunately, every one of his charges rises fast and crashes and burns even faster. This leaves him with guilt beyond all measure, and leaves him ultra-protective of his latest - and last surviving - artist, a young and talented female vocalist played with big-eyed innocence by Marla Sokoloff. I was a little thrown by this one, it being so dark and having Judd Nelson playing a character that wasn't a total sleaze, but in the end I was impressed - especially by the ultra-chilling final scene. Not a mast
