Greendale

Neil Young's companion film to his concept album of the same name is rendered in a grainy color 8mm silent film -- accompanied by the music of the album. The hook is that while the cast acts out the events of the songs, they lip sync to Young's vocals. The effect is at once strange, startling and somewhat boring. The production values are quite low, but the fidelity in image and setting is interestingly contrasted within the editorial content of the film. The story involves a family that is riven by violence and the gathering forces of media and government that exploit it. Young uses this situation and the bucolic town of "Greendale" to make an argument about the evolution of American life, the march of conservative politics and most particularly, the plight of the environment. After an hour of watching what mostly feels like Young's home movies, bumbling and blurry, he violently cuts to the razor sharp video images of the media descending upon the town. It's easy to dismiss this film as cheaply made and lazily conceived. But the film closes with the image of a newly-politicized young couple driving to Alaska to "save the Caribou" -- with the Devil hitching a ride. Young may be suggesting that in the end the terrible forces that rain down on "Greendale" ascended from there as well.

Just to answer to those who presume Mr. Shaky of self indulgence and amateurish egocentricity! Being what his name brings, you cannot expect a Kubrick movie! Are you in the latest technology to produce the highest quality in sound or images? Forget this 'movie': it's the revenge of the rascals! For those worried about giving him more money, so he will eventually produce MORE of this, stay still! Some praise this movie as a brilliant opera from a genius, who's fighting for the rights of Mother Earth to survive the naughty and idiotic children: humanity. Anyway, maybe because I watched it on my birthday (it was a present I made to myself), I enjoyed it as an intimate 'over the shoulder' look at a private family diary: and after all it's just this! A family story with a turn: we are ALL family, on this Mother/Father planet...

Please note: I cannot give it a vote; maybe there should be a 'Not Valuable' sort of option to place on this kind of works.

Let me preface this commentary by saying that i don't care about lighting, sound, technique or acting skills. I just go by what moves me.

This film moved me. It's message (which in my opinion is the most important part of a film) was beautiful. You might have to watch it twice to catch all the nuances. But worth it

Perhaps, or most likely a lot, of people will not like this movie, but who cares about people that care about the wayans brothers. Certainly not me. Another thing you should keep in mind when watching this movie is that all the actors are friends of Neil Young, they are not professional actors and shouldn't be judged as such. Just keep looking for the message. It's also funny and more importantly, makes you think a little. And heaven forbid that we do that in this country.

It's a strange movie, but I would heartily recommend it to people who either like or love Neil Young and are interested in experimental cinema. The story is thin (but there is one), yes, but it's definitely a mind-affecting experience.

The thing I took away from it most (apart from the obvious ecological message, but that's always been a theme of Young's) was the stylistic choice to film most of the scenes in extra-grainy Super 8, but to insert these highly-produced segments from (fictional) TV news stations and the like. It's a simple message, but a good one: Young's trying to tell us that the world we see on TV, even the allegedly real world of news, isn't real, and that we trust it at our peril. The real world is shaky, and blurry, and hard to make out sometimes. Anything that looks slick, and easy to understand, is probably fake.

I'd seen the concert version of Greendale (rock opera?) in Phoenix, AZ, and was impressed. The film was shot all in Super 8 which I think fits perfect with Neil Young's style over the decades. It's rocky, rainy day feeling goes hand in hand with Neil's music. The original way in which the characters mouth the lines that Neil sings (the albumn Greendale plays through the whole film) made me think that the film would be boring in the beginning. But the images on the screne, along with the music, complete the story nicely. Young focuses on the Green family and their stuggles in the town of Greendale. Basically, their a family of hippies dealing with the media, law enforcement, and environmental destruction. Young expresses his opinions though song and the characters act them out. I recommend this film to anyone, especially if you're a fan of Shakey...