Rock Star: Sin Limite

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought that it would be stupid and boring (and yes, at times, it was both), but there were enough quirks in it to make it really different and interesting.

First of all, I found it immensely amusing that Chris' parents were totally into his rock 'n' roll lifestyle and it was his brother who was the wet blanket instead. Also, I liked how Jennifer Aniston, as his girlfriend, handled the situation. Instead of being totally immature and jealous and breaking up with him in a screaming match with accusations flying everywhere, she calmly tells him that this is his time and his dream and although she is sad that she doesn't have a bigger part in it, she is content to go do something she wants to.

Also, I watched this movie on DVD and I would totally recommend this way to view it. If you listen to the director commentary, he tells you that there are artists from Slaughter, Dokken, Third Eye Blind, and Verve Pipe among others that play the musicians (including Jason Bonham). Therefore, these guys really contributed a lot of input as to whether the movie was realistic. As for the guy who commented that there was no connection to Judas Priest, the director said that the studded vest, hat, and collar seen at the Steel Dragon house was a direct reference to Judas Priest. Also, that the lead singer of Steel Dragon turned out to be gay.

So, if you like rock movies I would totally recommend this one!!

Where have all the rock stars gone? The bubble gum pop bands with their virginal image and the hip hopping wannabe baddies bore me. Where's the flash and excess of groups like Led Zeppelin, or the old Motley Crue? These were the hard rocking, and even harder partying bands who brought the sex and drugs to rock n' roll. Whether trashing hotel rooms, engaging in debauchery that would make Caligula blush, or caught up in a deluge of chemicals and booze, there were no half measures. Women wanted them and men wanted to be them. Sometimes, life is good.

Life as a photocopier repairperson is less than riveting. For Chris Cole the only way to cope with the daily tedium of toner and paper jams is in his alternate guise as the lead singer in a "Steel Dragon" tribute band. Chris acts, dresses and sounds like his idol, hoping beyond all reason that one day he will join his idols. Lucky for him, rock and roll is a fickle business.

As anyone who follows heavy metal (or reads previews) knows, "Rock Star" is loosely based on the true story of salesman-turned-heavy-metal-frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens, who was tapped to fill in as lead singer for Judas Priest when Rob Halford left the band. However, the similarities end there - when Judas Priest pressed for increased creative control over the project, the producers opted to distance themselves from the band and change the story and the exploits of "Steel Dragon" are a composite of several apocryphal rock legends.

With strong performances in such films as "Three Kings" and "The Perfect Storm" Mark Wahlberg has proven that he is more than a living underwear mannequin. Wahlberg brings the same combination of innocence and wide-eyed wonderment to Chris that he displayed in "Boogie Nights" (without displaying much else). These qualities keep Chris' transformation from nobody to rock god from becoming a ridiculous parody. Keeping him grounded is Jennifer Aniston as his girlfriend/manager, the one person who realizes his talents and for once Aniston breaks free of Rachel, and delivers a decent performance. The supporting cast, drawn from real rockers and solid character actors, gel well onscreen. Overall, the story is well paced, light-hearted, the soundtrack is great (I felt my head moving back and forth more than once) and you actually buy the group as a real band. Definitely worth the price of admission, and remember not to leave before the outtakes are finished.

Nothing really unpredictable in this movie, but a solid flick in all respects. Everything from acting to cinematography was solid. Not a perfectly linear plot line, but there wasn't anything you couldn't see coming. Perhaps a tad melodramatic at points, but again, a fairly decent movie none the less. Definitely worth checking out. If in doubt of what film to rent over the weekend, give this a go. Though you may not feel like running out and buying it, I found it to be quite worth while.

I've been looking forward to the release of this movie since I first heard the concept two years ago, and I was not disappointed. I won't bother summarizing the story since everyone else has, but I will say that it was just plain entertaining throughout. The performances were great, as was the music, and the main characters were likeable.

My only complaints are: (1) the story was definitely lacking; the movie wrapped up very abruptly- in fact the writing became pretty lax in the second half, as though the writers weren't sure what to do with the plot. Since the plot wasn't nearly as important as the music and the action, this didn't really affect the entertainment value of the film, so this is not as major a complaint as it would seem.

(2) This is really nitpicky, but the music that the characters in the movie were listening to was sometimes dated after 1985, when the movie was set. INXS' Devil Inside was from 1987 and AC/DC's Are You Ready was from 1990, among other mistakes. This bothers me a bit, since they obviously went to lengths to make a good period piece, they could have checked the copyright date on these songs to make sure they were 1985 or earlier. Again, not a big deal.

Oh, I thought of something else that was strange. The Steel Dragon band members were supposed to be English, but for some reason Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson and Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde played band members, and they each had a couple of speaking lines in AMERICAN accents. That was kind of lazy also, but it was still cool to see actual musicians playing musicians, so I will forgive that as well.

I could probably nitpick all day, but I don't want to give the impression that this wasn't a super entertaining movie. I will probably buy the DVD when it comes out, and I will certainly buy the soundtrack CD simply for the six Steel Dragon songs (some of which were sung by the singer from the band Steelheart, if you remember them!). The highlight of the film was possibly a great outtake where Mark Wahlberg is lipsynching to a rock song on stage and suddenly someone plays "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The surprised look of Mark's face is priceless. Classic rock and roll flick! Score: 8/10 due to extreme entertainment

I must admit I wasn't expecting much on this movie. I was surprised I truly enjoyed it as much as I did. The script wasn't oscar material, but it wasn't horrible either. The acting was great by Mark Wahlberg. Jennifer Aniston had a great supporting role, and looked lovely as ever. What made this movie for me was the music. If you do not like 80's glam metal or hair bands, then you probably wont like this movie. Its all about being a rockstar. Some cliche's were present, but didn't bring down the movie at all. I would recommend it to anyone who likes rock and roll and remember to Stand up and Shout!!! 8 of 10 for great acting and awesome music.

Jason