It's All Gone Pete Tong

This film played the second night at Gen Art's 10th Annual Film Festival. I was expectedly waiting for the "big name" films Standing Still and Southern Belles but one of the Gen Art staff recommended I watch Pete Tong. Knowing a little bit about dance music (Moby, Paul Oakenfold, Fatboy Slim) and having watched just a couple of flicks (Go, Groove, 24 Hour Party People), my expectations were low. The theater was packed. Within the first 10 minutes, I was hooked. The opening sequence has Paul Kay (Playing the famous DJ Frankie Wilde) descending from the ceiling of a Ibiza club on a guide wire and then falling into a pool! The music THUMPS THUMPS THUMPS and the theater had the volume jacked so that you could feel the bass and vibrations. The plot is fairly predictable but the main actor does an amazing job. The film is well shot with beautiful colors, but lots of close-ups. Don't sit too close to the screen on this one. The furry Coke Badger gives us a humorous glimpse at the personification of addition. All in all, a fun show with a (Happily) cheesy ending. The film ended up winning both the Best Picture and Audience Awards.

This amazing movie just won the grand prize at this weekend's US Comedy Arts Festival and it totally deserved it! I normally would have written this movie off without ever seeing it because I figured I'd hate it since I'm not into the DJ thing, but the audience in attendance, myself included, at the two screenings were floored! I even went back the second night to see it again and Ben Stiller had volunteered to introduce because he loved it so much and wanted to give it some extra attention. I think they said it's coming to theaters around April but I'm not sure. Anyway, you MUST go see it. Paul Kaye (he won best actor for the film, too) was supposed to be there but I never did see him. Too bad... This film wouldn't have been the same without his spot-on portrayal of DJ Frankie Wilde and I'd like to have seen his acceptance speech.

The movie is very good, very well shot and the director deserves praise for his work. Kaye gives a memorable performance. The story is good, with a strong melodramatic theme, as the film is not so much about Djs than about handicapped hearing impaired people. It is sad and sweet at moments with very moving moments. Some touches of black humor, very British, a bit of swearing and two macho crass jokes don't spoil the overall feeling of despair and total compassion you feel for the human beings portrayed. The music is good not so much the dance music but the score. The picture is superb knowing it was shot on digital. It's a low budget movie which looks like a 10 million dollar film. And a meaningful film. Not to be missed. A true achievement.

This film screened at the Cleveland Film Festival on Friday, March 18. It was paired up with a very funny short called "Winner Takes All". Everyone busted a serious gut about this short. I can't say anything about it else it'll spoil it for you, but look it up.

It's All Gone Pete Tong is a story about Frankie Wilde, a DJ who hit the decks of Ibiza. For anyone who's a club/trance fan, you'll recognize a lot of familiar faces in the film: Pete Tong (of course), Carl Cox (one of my favorites), Sarah Main, Paul Van Dyk (my #1), Tiesto (he looks a lot different on screen) talking about the life of Frankie Wilde.

One of the people next to me commented that this started out like Requiem for a Dream. While its not that severe, this does have heavy drug and alcohol use. This was too much for some people in the audience and they left.

But the storyline is amazing. Give this film the time and you'll see how the director and the actors create a very simple but uplifting story about redemption and change and romance.

The soundtrack, covering everything from dance to the Beach Boys (with an appropriate track at the end) is simply to die for. The film rep said this may not have a soundtrack in the US. I hope not.

If drugs and alcohol use are not for you, I'd skip this film. But if your looking for dry British humor with a ready heartily story along with terrific music, see this film and enjoy, just have some patience, its worth it.

Okay, a couple of things. First, I'm a big Paul Kaye fan, so I'm biased, and it all started with Dennis Pennis. For those of you who don't know Dennis, he's the original Ali G and IMHO much funnier. Search for "jeff meets dennis pennis" and you'll get a taste of Paul/Dennis and his ambush of Jeff Goldblum, who, I have to admit, rolls with the punches.

As a Paul Kaye fan, I was disappointed with Blackball. This movie (Pete Tong) was the first big Paul Kaye movie I really was looking forward to, until I read that the director was the same person who directed (and wrote) Fubar, which I cringed through and had to leave the room. (I would have turned it off, but the others were having a blast. Why? I don't know).

So, hearing that Paul was paired up with a director whose work I wasn't entirely enthralled with wasn't confidence building. I heard it won a couple of awards (Best Actor! Go Paul!) at the Aspen Film Festival in February and my confidence increased.

A sneak screening changed my initial impressions completely. The first half hour is really tough and I had to fight my urge to give up on the film even though Paul does an amazing job. See, I told you I was biased, but I'm not the only one. Ask those Aspen people. However, the last two thirds of the movie completely changes from a dark comedy into a light-hearted and empowering film. The music and the colors are fabulous and shows Paul's (as deejay frank wild) breadth. The film is really a "simple" redemption film, of a man who finds out what's important in his life and proves it for himself.

There's a love interest as well, and this works as a date movie. All the reviews and descriptions as a "dance" movie (I don't even know what that's supposed to mean) isn't entirely correct. While there is dance and rave in the film, it's really a backdrop for this simple story of a complex man who has to make some tough choices in life (and deal with a disability that is his worst nightmare).

Paul did an extraordinary job and I have to admit that the director really surprised me with this film, as it was nothing like his previous work. It's a difficult ride, but one worth taking. There's no "big surprise" ala 6th Sense nor is the beginning entirely too painful, but it's not all fun and games, either. Watch it and enjoy it and it'll be worth it. All least do it for Paul!