For this movie, we went to the CUBIX, a comparably new and rather large multiplex next to Berlin Alexanderplatz. It’s very comfortable, stylish and good-looking – the movie theater that gives you the impression that it could convert the last multiplex hater. And I am sure it gets a lot of hatred, because I can’t imagine another area in Berlin that is as leftist and alternative as where the Cubix stands.
We were also very lucky, we waited in line for spare tickets and actually got some, yay yay! I wonder if we will be this lucky in the future again…
It might get loud
USA 2008, Davids Guggenheim, 97′
It’s this year’s Berlinale music documentation, I guess. Pixelmatsch said that he watched the “Bananaz” film with similar impressions: It’s all about seeing and listening the music, compiled together in an interesting documentary.
“It might get loud” was no different. Basically, it’s Jimmy Page, this guitarist from U2 and Jack White getting together, talk about playing the electric guitar, and of course, actually playing together. They are the type of musicians that people tend to build legends around, and although you get the feeling of getting very close to them, taking part in tiny details of their lives, the film contributes to this legend-building by inserting the musicians witty jokes. (“It’s gonna be a fist fight.” Haha.)
Speaking of legends, I really thought that Jack and Meg White were actual siblings… So are they not? XD By the way, I think I am a little moe for Meg White, I wonder why?
I’m not a big fan of all this bullshitting about music. Surely they are good musicians, but all of them are those who made it big and whose popularity is more a chain reaction, it’s not like they are the best guitarists out there. Of course all of them were very creative and are serious about their music, but something tells me that making music is not the kind of pseudo-profound blah blah like that. Some details were interesting, some dialogue tidbits made me laugh, and I especially were interested in, erm, the “hardware” – what kind of sound effects they make, how they actually played the guitar. (For example, I loved how Led Zeppelin made a huge effort in recording their drums in this staircase, because the height made a great sound.) Considering how these situations were rather sparse, that was not really what the film was about for me.
It was interesting to see where they grew up, where they see their musical roots in (I died many deaths when I heard the blues song that Jack White considers his favorite), that they all looked horrible and silly when they were young and that they don’t really seem to know anything about music theory at all and have learnt everything by self-experience, and thus would say things that professional musicians who have learnt it would be surprised and shocked at because it’s so trivial. But this is not the reason why I enjoyed the movie.
Although I have never actively listened to Led Zeppelin, U2 or even the White Stripes, I absolutely loved the music they played in the movie. Although movie theaters are not designed to play music, the sound is still much better than speakers at home. I would even go as far to say that rock music only sounds good live and with appropriate equipment. Even though I was not as thrilled as I used to be when listening to rock music, something similar to this intense feeling did come back, and I loved it. Back in the day, I have found Led Zeppelin to be utterly boring and I cannot see how they are references all these punk rockers (whose music is totally simple and brute to me – the Ramones, eek), but in the multiplex, it sounded absolutely great. If anything is my type of music, this is it. If I were younger, this is the type of movie that might would have gotten me into playing the guitar.
Although I am not convinced when millionaires talk about ideology and music ethics, I understand one thing: As much as I seem to like to listen to it, pop is just not “me”. There was a time when I loathed all music except for the stuff I listened to, and while that has completely changed now, I still know what I do not like typically.
Finally, I can see how there were many fans in the audience and since Rock’n’Roll is the type of music that everybody at least pretends to love, I am sure that the movie will gain some good reviews. As for myself, I cannot see myself ever watching this again – unless it’s in a movie theater.
Ahh, Jimmy Page is awesome.
I’m all for Jack. He’s the blues!
The truth is I think that The White Stripes don’t sound like blues at all – perhaps the songs he played in the movie, but the usual songs on their albums? That sounds much more punk-influenced to me… XD
Oh by the way, I really loved the scene where you see Jimmy Page as loli performing some really, really silly song. And then he was interviewed and said “Hello, I’m James Page.” – “What do you want to do in the future?” – “Biological Research.” XXXXD