Super Duper Alice Cooper

Review: I really enjoyed this documentary because it is a in-depth look at the life of a rock star who went from a nobody in Detroit to a somebody in California. The look at the pitfalls of fame such as extreme addiction and how is life outside the spotlight. The directing and screenplay are both incredible. The combination from living pictures to concert footage really make this metal documentary very different than any other. All in all I would give this five out of a possible five stars.

Although it featured some great film footage of the early band, the story of Alice Cooper as told here is a miserable whitewash and a complete insult to fans of the band. Glen Buxton gets little mention and no credit; Michael Bruce doesn't even get mentioned. Not even once. How can you tell the story of this band and leave them out of it? Answer: you tell the story as if Alice Cooper (the individual) was the only person who really mattered and the rest of the band just happened to be there in the beginning. (I don't understand how Dennis Dunaway could have participated so much in this without feeling like a complete traitor to the rest of the band.) Basically this smells like somebody's manager trying to sweep history under a rug while polishing his client's reputation for all of the fans who arrived after "Welcome to My Nightmare." As the documentary rolled on and it became ever more clear what a nice, quiet hatchet-job this was, Alice's la-di-da narration really started to grate on me. (I know: that isn't exactly thoughtful or deeply analytical criticism, but I found myself increasingly outraged by this travesty.) A highly disingenuous presentation.

Super Duper Alice Cooper (2014)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This here is a highly entertaining documentary taking a look at the Alice Cooper character. Of course, he started out as Vincent Damon Furnier but soon he found himself in a rock and roll band and before long his alter ego became Alice Cooper. Through interviews with him, his wife, his mom, his band, co-writers and his manager we see the rise of the character and the eventual fall.

SUPER DUPER ALICE COOPER is something that fans of the singer are going to love for a number of reasons. The biggest is the fact that there's all sorts of great concert material and a lot of it that I hadn't seen before and this is coming from someone who collected bootlegs at one time. The early concert footage of the Alice Cooper Band was fabulous and really made this something special.

Another great thing is the fact that so many important people are interviewed (including Elton John talking about a concert he saw of Cooper at the Hollywood Bowl) and they help narrate this story. We get a great overview of the early Alice Cooper stuff including the pre- fame days as well as his time with Frank Zappa.

The film's one weakness is the fact that it clocks in at just under 90-minutes and the "Welcome to My Nightmare" era doesn't get talked about until the 57th minute. That tells you that the later portion of the Alice Cooper story is pretty much gone through very quickly and it ends with his comeback special during 1986. Obviously there's a lot of material left out and there's no great discussion of his various albums.

With that said, this documentary really does work as a "document" of the Alice Cooper character. Not really the man but the character and it's interesting to see clips from the 1920 version of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE shown as a way to show us how Vincent was overtaken by the Alice Cooper character.

Well - Well - Well!.... Surprise! Surprise!

Not being at all a fan of Alice Cooper (the band) or Alice Cooper (the manufactured stage persona) - I certainly was all set to dislike this "Jekyll & Hyde" rockumentary, big-time. I really was. And, with that, most likely give this show a measly 2-star rating, at best.

But - Hey! - As it turned out - Due to this production having a really talented writing/directing team behind it (who were a trio of Canadian dudes) - I found "Super Duper Alice Cooper" to be genuinely entertaining, for the most part.

Yep. This rockumentary was a very slick and polished presentation that moved along smoothly as an impressive and colourful collage of retro film clips.

Born Vincent Furnier (1948) - This fast-paced, 85-minute rockumentary told the tale of young Vincent's ambitious rise to rock'n'roll fame as he struggled to be different from all the rest - Eventually morphing into a trashy, theatrical stage personality who promoted sex, death & violence.

Ah-yes! But there certainly was a price to be paid for Vincent/Alice's meteoric rise to super-stardom..... Be sure to watch this DVD to find out what price Alice paid for fame & fortune.

If you wanna know the truth - I have never, ever liked (by one iota) the music nor the grimy, grungy, goofy character of Alice Cooper (that absurd stage persona thought up by Vincent Furnier). Never.

To me - Vincent's "Alice" was such an inane and easily dislikable alter-ego, that I'm convinced this bottom-of-the-barrel character could have only been the brain-child of a total buffoon (which, I guess, sums up Furnier).

Despite this celebrity-documentary being very well produced and actually featuring some really first-rate graphics - I, personally, do not think Alice Cooper was, in any way, "Super Duper" (as the title suggests). Nope. I think he was a sniveling dweeb, of the highest order.

And, with that, I sure wish he'd get his hideous "Maybelline Eyes" right out of my face, once and for all.