Hard Core Logo

This is easily all around one of the best Canadian films ever

made. Yes it is a mockumentary, yes it is follows around a rock band

(rockumentary) but for every other reason this really should not be

compared to Spinal Tap. It really isn't a comedy, although it has some great moments in it.

It's also not about a band "struggling with fame" which is what

EVERY OTHER rock movie is about (Almost Famous, That Thing

You Do, Spinal Tap, The Doors, you name it). Just four guys

holding on to a dream that should have faded years ago, all the

while trying not to kill each other. I always knew Hugh Dillon was really the lead singer for the

Headstones, so I realized it wasn't really a documentary but

thought Hard Core Logo the band might still have existed and this

was a tribute. Not the case, but that takes nothing away from the

movie. They say not to watch this movie if you're in a band because it'll

make you never want to play. At the same time, I think anyone who

has been in a band will appreciate it that much more picturing how

their little arguments would be amplified to 10 years later. It's an

overall great gut check to picture just ow much you love playing

music, especially if noone wants to listen.

I have enjoyed Bruce McDonald's previous road movies 'Roadkill' and 'Highway 61', both of which I recommend. 'Hard Core Logo' is another winner. I do feel that it has been incorrectly marketed as a punk Spinal Tap, which may disappoint first time viewers expecting something different. The movie shares a similar vague concept of a "rockumentary", but that's about it. 'This Is Spinal Tap' as much as I love it, was a bunch of comic scenes strung together and not much else. 'Hard Core Logo', while it has plenty of laughs, has much more ambition, and is ultimately a much more serious movie. The unexpected ending, which I won't spoil, takes it to a much different level.

So leave your preconceptions at the door, sit back and experience this superbly acted rock'n'roll morality tale(?) One of the best music related movies in YEARS!

Really interesting film for anyone familiar with the hardcore music scene that deals with the problems and moral dilemmas of a reunited band. The problem is the movie is mismarketed as a comedy. Humor in the movie is quite present though dark and dry (though still very funny). This movie is actually quite a bit better than spinal tap. It's not mocking a bad band of a genre, but exploring the problems of the scene by looking at what's viewed to be a good one. The only similarity between this film and spinal tap is the narrative framework, which is that of a documentary, though in this film, that device becomes less obtrusive, and in all honesty could have been removed. Also, this movie has much more of a human heart than a film like spinal tap or fear of a black hat (another movie that got lumped into the "mockumentary" genre). The big problem I think is that this movie is represented as a comedy, and it's as dramatic as it is humorous. Terrific ending too. Recommended to those who enjoy dark comedies and punk rock.

This is a dramatic comedy, and more than any other type of dramatic comedies, it''s dark and very real. Though there are quite a few jokes, many inside jokes, it melts into the tension of the four guys like a fast gliding bird would melt into a brick wall in a cartoon. Worthy to be a classic. Hugh Dillon is a great actor and has perfect chemistry with Callum Keith Rennie.

Well... I really like this movie! I'm not going to go into the whole "Yay Canada" bit... because, well... we know we make good movies, no need to constantly pat ourselves on the back. Hey, just look at "American Beer"... love that too! Anyway, on to business... this was a great movie... Hugh Dillon is a great actor, as well as an accomplished musician (Headstones rock!!!), and does a great job. He really knows the role... being the lead singer for a band himself... he brought something unique to the role... something a conventional "actor" couldn't have, which I liked.

I must comment on the ending... it completely blew me away... I sat there while the credits began to role wondering what had just happened. That is what makes this movie so great... very few movies can do that for me. Congratulations go to Kevin MacDonald, he did a fine job!!

**** out of *****