End of the Century

This really well made documentary is finally out and it is great for all rock n roll / punk or just music fans. Not only it is very interesting about the Ramones and give them their "pioneers of punk" status, but it is also very funny. It features all the Ramones and also Clash frontman Joe Strummer in previously unseen interviews. Almost everything you'll here in this documentary comes from the mouth of the "actors" themselves. It shows and we can make our opinion on the band and its different members. For instance this scene where Johnny Ramones thanks god and G. Bush during the Hall of Fame ceremony is quite surprising.

This movie tells us the story of the Ramones, but in fact also the story of many other bands ...

I just returned from a screening of this film and what can I say other than WOW!!! As a life long fan of The Ramones I was very happy to see that this film was going to be playing as part of a annual documentary film festival not far from where I live... To see The Ramones in all their glory and up on the big screen no less was quite a thrill... I could ramble on about the content of the film but hell The Ramones tell their story so much better than I ever could so all I will say is that if you consider yourself a music fan than you quite simply MUST see this film... As a side note Michael Gramaglia, one of the directors of the film, was present along with his brother (who helped edit the film) at the screening and participated in a Q & A after the film and I am very happy to pass on that he mentioned that he had just inked a deal with Warner Bros. that should get a DVD of the film in the stores around next February or March which will include a bunch of extras including a lot more that Dee Dee had to say as well as Joe Strummer's interview in it's entirety... Also Michael hinted that he may be returning to similar subject matter soon for his next project... Yep you heard it here first... Warner Bros has approached Michael and his brother about possibly doing a doc about CBGB's... He said nothing is definite but let's all keep our fingers and toes crossed in hope that everything comes together for another classik film!!!

There are two groups of people that will go see this film, and I can recommend the film to both groups on different reasons, though one group will more than likely out-weight the other. For the punk-rock or hard rock fan, The Ramones mean a lot even before walking into the theater. In their arena they have, at last perhaps, elevated to the level of The Beatles for their style of music- they gave hope and aspirations for millions of kids all across the world who felt down in the dumps in their life, or maybe just wanted to learn how to play rock and roll without having to flip through a Led Zeppelin notebook. And unlike England's punk scene (and other facets of the NY punk scene of the 70's), as the film shows, they never restricted themselves to writing songs about politics and hardcore societal issues (though they did sometimes). A lot of their best songs were love songs (some of them ironic "I don't wanna walk around with you", some kinda sweet "I wanna be your boyfriend"), and wrote enough pop tunes for three bands. They were real, they were raw, and for the fan of the Ramones who may know a lot about them or may be more or less just a casual observer with one or two CD's, the revelations and tales about Joey, Johnny, Dee-Dee, Tommy, Marky, CJ, etc., it's life. Often very funny, as well as sad, weird, shocking, and enlightening in a way. Certainly as much of an enthralling document of rock and roll as well as the psychology.

Then for the other audience, the ones who know of the Ramones strictly from their songs being played on car commercials or in the ballpark ("Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I wanna Be Sedated" have become hits like those The Beatles and The Stones had for their time). For the non-fans, the kind that just 'walk in' from off the streets of Manhattan or LA or wherever you see it (if you're seeing it in it's theatrical run) and just want to see a compelling and involving documentary, the film still delivers the goods. The filmmakers Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia assemble their interview footage and concert footage in a fascinating, grunge style, with the digital look corresponding with the subject matter as being about the "under-ground" of the times. The music selections, much like clips of speeches in a political documentary, inform the fan or non-fan on what they were like musically, and feature some of their finest live and non-live tracks ("Judy is a Punk", "Teenage Lobotomy", "Loudmouth", "Mama's Boy", "California Sun"). Now, if you go into the theater and you already don't like the Ramones, it's hard to tell if you'll be turned on to them after two hours in the dark. But one thing is for sure, is that End of the Century bravely captures a rock and roll story without pulling punches, and like The Filth and the Fury, it gets its sprawling story across in a limited time. (strong) A

"End of the Century" is a great rocumentary that's lots of fun to watch. Speaking of watches, I never looked at mine once during the entire 110 minute runtime. I regret now that I missed the Ramones on their many stops in L.A., I had always thought of them as cartoonish and eternal, some day I'd go and see them play (but they broke up before I had that chance). At least I can see them in this great rock documentary! This movie has it all, from footage in their early days to the very end, where the band is weary of the road and each other and just don't care anymore. It's fascinating to watch their story, how they start out as innovators, and end up as fossilized cartoon characters who always looked and dressed exactly the same as they did on their first album.

The Ramones' influence on rock 'n' roll and punk rock cannot be underestimated. A case could be made that Johnny Ramone is the most influential living guitar player (he is alive at the time I write this, though I know he has been battling cancer). The interviews with Johnny Ramone are great, I got the impression that the band would have fallen apart years before it did if he hadn't been in it to make it work. The movie also shows many insightful interviews with other band members and various managers and hangers-on. The impression I got was that The Ramones were a unplanned phenomenon that invented punk as we know it, even though they never achieved commercial success in the US (at least on the level they thought they deserved). This is one of the few documentaries that I've seen on the big screen that was big-screen worthy, especially the concert footage. A stunning movie about one of the greatest bands ever (think about that!).

Joey!

Man, when I think about that frail, tall, slightly off-kilter character, and how painful his life was, it almost breaks my heart. The only reason it doesn't is because Joey fronted the coolest punk band of all time, and he did so with such amazing style and panache. Way to overcome your limitations! Joey was a victim of pretty bad OCD, and had every reason to believe he would spend his life a loser. Well, Jeff, (his real name,) you were a winner, even if cancer took you way too young.

I heard my first Ramones album in the late seventies. It was the newly released Rocket to Russia, and at the time I had been listening to stadium rock like Kiss and Rush and the junk on the radio with this kid named Steve Hiltner at Ridgemount Jr. High School. Luckily for us, Steve had an older brother who played guitar, and he influenced us to listen to this grinding guitar based insanity that was the Ramones. MAN! When I heard "Teenage Lobotomy" coming out over my stereo speakers, it probably changed me forever.

There was never a punk band as good as the Ramones, and this film does a great job of showing their tragic, and yet strangely inspiring story. These guys WERE SERIOUS! They really were. That's what made them so good. They wrote really great songs with really great hooks and melodies and lyrics, and yet they did it with three or four chords and snappy 4/4 drumming that varied little from song to song. The old "idiot savant" label could easily apply to their lack of musical sophistication coupled with such excellent natural artistry. Everyone needs to see this movie. Everyone needs to understand the true REAL nature of rock and roll, and how it's not about being a big rock star, and a guitar god, and that corporate BS that's been shoveled down our throats for the longest time.

Sure, I love to hear Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and the "big names" of big rock, but we must never forget the Stooges and the NY Dolls and Lou Reed, and those who HAD to play rock and roll, because their lives were just too bizarre not to.

Long live the Ramones!

I really really loved these guys. I can't believe three of them are dead.