The Transcendents

Trippy film with a plot about tracking down a mysterious band. It follows the same structure of Eddie and the Cruisers in where you have the past (the formation of a band) colliding with the present (where the hell is this band now?). Unlike EATC, however, we never hear the band's music. (One single chord on a sitar at the end). I think this choice works really well as The Transcendents' (the band) music is not important to the story. (I'm also pretty sure that with all the well known musicians in the film, they could have had some great original music if they wanted to)

Which brings me to the acting. All the musician/actors are terrific. But the performance by Savanah Welch in the lead role is jaw droppingly good. Her character, Kim, doesn't start out as much (kinda bratty and annoying), but as the film builds momentum, the layers of her character are peeled away and you get this broken beauty that's hanging on to life by threads. LONG MONOLOGUE. (If you've seen Paris, Texas you'll understand.). The film probably has a debt to Paris, Texas as well with its weird leading man and desolate landscapes and long monologues.

Also, this isn't a movie about a cult. I don't know why the trailer looks like it's about a cult. Don't expect a story about a cult.

I rented this from the local library and don't know why it was in the "rock doc" section. It's not a documentary at all. There's not even any of the fictional band's music in it. I was actually looking for the new Go Go's documentary. I guess the fact that there wasn't the band's music in it was smart, because the score is lush with an old school western vibe. And since the plot is a revenge plot, I see why the choice of western was made.

Anyway, the movie is actually very good. It's creepy and surreal. Even the casting was surreal. Like outside of Valentine from the Go Go's, I feel like I saw every other actor in a different strange indie or something. Sure enough, after I looked them up, they were in other strange films that i'd seen. Good casting.

This movie is a touching story about broken people. It really doesn't fit inside any one genre. It's funny but tragic. Exploitative yet sensitive. Trashy and artful. Grainy and colorful. The characters are ghosts and full-blooded human beings.

A lot of it feels familiar. But I can't place where it's borrowing from. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, it's almost like if Roger Corman made Days of Heaven. Or somehow if Malick made a Corman script.

All that to say: I'm glad I rented it. (I think. I really don't know what I saw)

Watched the Go Go's at the Rock & Roll HOF ceremony the other day and started doing a deep dive on all the work they've done solo over the past few decades.

WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE TO FIND THIS GEM WITH KATHY VALENTINE!!!

In a movie about a rock & roll band on the the rise and fall and rise and fall, there's 1. No Rock&Roll music and 2. Characters played by rock musicians who bring a real authenticity to the world of indie rock music. This is especially apparent with Valentine who has been as mainstream as possible at times in her career and as indie as possible. She brings a real authenticity to the character of Jan (an owner of a dive bar that used to be big and is now lucky to get a few customers a night).

The whole cast is spectacular, but Kathy is a surprisingly good actor. I hope this film wasn't just a one off and that she continues to act along with all the great music she puts out between her many bands and collaborators.

Def check out this movie.

Watch this movie for the brilliantly performed monologue by the great Savannah Welch. It's the culmination of a character's descent in depravity. Like pealing away the layers of an onion. It's wonderfully written and the director really allows Welch to do her thing with an extremely long push in that stays at this insane close on her depraved face as she sets up a totally cathartic final act of the film.