Apogee_

First of all, kudos to the director for making a documentary about Bruce Haack. I doubt anyone else would have due to Haack's obscurity. However, that also puts a lot of obligation on the shoulders of the director, since his work will probably be one of the sole reference works about Haack in the future. Unfortunately I think there's problems in that aspect, but more on that later.

The documentary starts off well by introducing Haack with some basic background information. There's some good insights into Haack's personality as a musician, with some interesting anecdotes and facts. I was under the impression that Haack eventually ended up dropping out of Julliard, so I thought it was odd that there was no mention of this. Furthermore, there was no mention of the fact that he had a degree psychology, which I think is important to his approach to music. From the relatively good start, the movies goes into a somewhat confusing segment which features a group of people who had known Haack when they were kids. I never really came to understand their relationship to Haack, and I think the director used their commentaries to little effect. This is also a problem in the various interviews with modern day DJs and electronic musicians. Few of them seemed to be particularly inspired or influenced by him, and merely seemed to be interested in his music because of his status as an obscure pioneer of the genre. As such, they added very little to the documentary. I'm not putting down the artists for their comments, but merely the way their commentary had been integrated into the documentary as such.

There is little information about Haack's methods of composition as an electronic musician. His use of vocoders, which I personally think is one of Haack's principle distinctions as a pioneer, is not mentioned once. I was also disappointed that no real attempts were made to draw any parallels between Haack's lyrics and his life. Especially since I have always found his lyrical themes and concepts (religion, powerlove, computerization of mankind etc) to be particularly unique. Generally, there should have been made a better distinction between his work as a composer of children's music and his more serious outputs. There are huge differences. Ideally, the director should have gone through and properly described (sort of like how he did with "Haackula," but more thoroughly) some of Haack's most important albums.

So, all in all, this documentary is not that bad, but it definitely has its share of problems. Frankly, the angle of trying to make Haack into the "Godfather of Techno" does not really work. It's a shame, because this is probably the only time someone will do a serious attempt of shedding some light on the otherwise enigmatic and obscure Bruce Haack.

What is this show about? To put it simply: the adventures of the two brothers named Pete and Pete. To be more specific: everything.

"The Adventures of Pete and Pete" was amazing. It revovls around the life and ongoings of the two redhaired brothers Pete and Pete. The show's overall theme was about routines, rules, observations and just the small things in everyday life, and the brothers (especially the youngest Pete; since the older Pete was the narrator) quest to understand - or break out of - these things. Like the time when younger Pete and his friends decide to stay up 12 nights in a row, because they feel it is unfair that adults are allowed to stay up longer than kids.

The two brothers are portrayed by Michael C. Maronna (older Pete) and Danny Tamberelli (younger Pete) and they both add depth and personality to their characters. Other main characters such as Pete and Pete's parents and the closest of the two brother's friends are also played skillfully, but especially Toby Huss does a remarkable job as Artie (The World's Strongest Man), and he manages to portray this absolutely absurd character in a way so that you can relate to him. It's also a fun idea to use Adam West, Iggy Pop, Michael Stipe, Kate Pierson and other various famous (or retro-famous) personalities, in small roles. Kudos also goes for the selection of music used in the series. From the catchy title song ("Hey Sandy), to the more mellow background songs (like "She Is Staggering" and "Everywhere"). The music blends in perfectly, and the show wouldn't be quite the same without it. Most of it (including the songs mentioned) was done by a band called Polaris, but others like Semi-Gloss, Drop Nineteens and Steve Merritt also contributed songs.

The show can generally be called surreal, or just plain weird, as the other kids in my class used to call it when it aired here in Denmark. Granted, it is weird, but that was just one of its many qualities. What many - apparently - failed to realize was that all the weird things had a metaphorical meaning and served an overall purpose or point. Even when the point was, that there was no point.

This is in my opinion one of the greatest kids/young adult shows ever made. It shares the #1 spot with Eerie Indiana, which just like this show, had something unique to offer. The mood, the aura...the feeling(s) I got when I watched this show. I will never forget them. And on an autumn day, with the crisp, semi-frosted air, the crystal blue sky and the lush colours and nuances of the fallen leaves; I often find myself thinking back to that show.

I urge you to check this show out if you happen to stumble upon it one day, even if you have "grown up". And for all of those who like myself watched it as a kid...watch it again! You'll be amazed, trust me.