a-ha: The Movie

I have always thought the descriptive word for one particular style of music was utterly stupid. When music journalists or DJ's etc came up with the names, 'SOUL', 'Rock & Roll', 'ROCK', Heavy Metal' and 'Thrash' music etc they all make absolute sense. From early classical music to our now times of all styles of music they are all popular but, there is one music term used to describe a brand of music that does not and has not EVER existed. That descriptive word is 'POP' music. I mention that here because you find out in this documentary that it was not what A-ha started out to be and that they have hated the fact that they became a teen fave band. I largely credit that problem to them, and their naivety, with allowing too many people to have absolute control in their musical direction. The music industry (and I know this as a fact but I'm not mentioning name's etc.) is a very corrupt, greedy, life-force draining business that, if you let it, will use you up, severely overwork you, get as much out of you in profits as it can and, then ditch you and spit you out if you become worn out! A-ha have experienced (just slightly, luckily for them) some of the industry pitfalls but the rest of the failings they have created for themselves is purely of their own making; and they won't - for some unknown reason - try to solve their individual stubborn attitudinal ego problems.

The most important comment in this entire documentary is expressed by a group members wife in the following line's, "They need to first see a psychiatrist/psychiatrists individually and then as a group". You will know exactly why when/if you watch this! For now they are just lucky they were not born in Japan or South Korea because, J-Pop and K-Pop is directly aimed at and for teens and it is seriously ten times worse in their individual countries music industries; utterly disgraceful in fact!

I was, and still am to this day, an immediate lover of A-Ha's music and style from the absolute beginning and, I enjoy listening to their music just as much today. They have inspired some of the biggest names in music of the last 35 years but for their petty niggling and bickering amongst themselves etc, they have denied themselves a truly deserved 'Superstars' mantle of gifted for their unique musical style recognition!

Watch it as it is a fascinating insight you never get to see (record companies hire people to hide all of this type of thing so that the money keeps pouring in).

A lot of people would/will not like what I will finish with here but, they should disband and go their own ways. The Ah in A-Ha has gone.

PS. I saw a documentary concerning the exact same problems about METALLICA. They chose going down the getting help path when things got bad/worse between them and, the psychiatrist path helped them BIG time!

This is a good documentary about my favourite band growing up on the 80's. I still contend that Scoundrel Days is one of three perfect albums ever made. The other two being Joshua Kadison's Painted Desert Serenade and U2's Joshua Tree.

It was sad though to see the ongoing strife and resentment between the band members. At times the constant bickering seemed childish, but like a family does, they seem to get together again. Therefore, great and sad feelings were experienced watching it. I suppose life never really presents the fairy tales we were told as kids.

Morten Harket, Pål Waaktaar, and Magne Furuholmen are still performing. The Norwegian trio has been a-ha on and off for four decades. Their song was everywhere for a good second. More importantly, there was that music video. For a few months, they were one of the biggest bands in the world. After their catchy follow-up song, I really didn't follow them too closely. They would show up here and there. Their new songs never caught my ear. Nevertheless, it's great to relive the 80's.

I always thought that they were just a Norwegian boy band which couldn't break the language barrier despite speaking functional English. Like most people, there is deeper waters here. One thing I didn't know is the friction within the band and some of their dissatisfactions. I understand their need for artistic fulfillment. The fact that they are still making new music is a testament to that. This documentary allows for a bit of nostalgic remembrance but also reveals something more about the band.

The Norwegian pop sensation A-ha has had a long and eventful career. This documentary is based on the music, but also how the members have experienced being part of this pop group. What I really appreciated about the documentary is that it devotes a lot of space to just the music. The film deals with the group's releases in chronological order, and allows members to tell about the background for different styles and choices. For those of us who grew up with A-ha, this provides new insight and it is exciting to hear Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Pål Waaktaar talk about songwriting, production and not least the collaboration between them. This documentary also reveals strong disagreements between the group's members, and the disagreements they have had that at times have made it difficult to keep the group together. I find this documentary both insightful and entertaining. It also has many new recordings of the group over the years. Key people also contribute. This makes the documentary appear solid and worth seeing.

A-ha: The Movie could have easily devolved into a tabloid-esque expose on the strife and egos of a band that has been in the limelight for more than 35 years. It never goes there. Yes, there is some strife, some disagreements, some resentment, but it's never the focus of the movie. Instead, it becomes a sympathetic psychological treatise on the effects of chronic fame on three individuals, a view unsullied by the usual tropes of debauchery and substance abuse. The result isn't a sudden implosion but a steadily dripping tap, slowly eroding the creative drive. The effects interfere with the physical health, the need to retain creative control, and the ability to find sanctuary in a sea of noise - a world full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Some of the stories are well-known, the stuff of legend among fans; some are less so, culminating in an extremely vulnerable moment shared (and for that, I thank him), painful to watch and obviously excruciating to experience. The movie ends not as a coda, but with an ellipsis, leaving open what may come, never attempting to speculate beyond asking each member the time-worn question: "Will there be another new album?"

• Sincerely, an a-ha fan in the U. S. since 1985.