A pioneer rock and roll group called THE MONARCHS reunite for a performance two decades after disbanding, and recall the bygone days of the band's inception, their gradual success, and the various interpersonal struggles they were facing at the time.
There's a very distinct 1980s-looking recall of the 50s here, an aesthetic quality incidental to the time when it was made(think "kidney shaped"...malt shops...drive-ins...pony tails...all the trendiness of that decade which became a thing of high camp rhapsody during the 80s). There's more than just a glimmer of influence at hand, namely GREASE and EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS, and the music numbers are roundly somewhat blah(lots of that finger-snappy doo-wop style which is also exemplary of 80s/fifties nostalgia). Sporadic moments of quirky special effects and color-tinted black-and-white add a peculiar surrealism to the goings-on, and their inclusion suggests optimism for a cult film in-the-making. At that time, it had not yet been established that "cult films" are a purely incidental phenomenon which rarely occurs deliberately.
The main thing about this one that I find so odd is the digital filming. Usually, pictures of the camcorder variety are little more than backyard home movies which somehow find limited video distribution through dodgy companies...this, however, is surprisingly professionally appointed despite the presumably modest budget. Don't get me wrong, however...it's not very good, quite frankly, but it does have a sort of cute ambitious charm. It feels like a lot of heart went into this project, and I found it enjoyable for that reason(and if you love classic cars, this flick has some real beauties).
Nice try, guys. 4.5/10
There's a very distinct 1980s-looking recall of the 50s here, an aesthetic quality incidental to the time when it was made(think "kidney shaped"...malt shops...drive-ins...pony tails...all the trendiness of that decade which became a thing of high camp rhapsody during the 80s). There's more than just a glimmer of influence at hand, namely GREASE and EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS, and the music numbers are roundly somewhat blah(lots of that finger-snappy doo-wop style which is also exemplary of 80s/fifties nostalgia). Sporadic moments of quirky special effects and color-tinted black-and-white add a peculiar surrealism to the goings-on, and their inclusion suggests optimism for a cult film in-the-making. At that time, it had not yet been established that "cult films" are a purely incidental phenomenon which rarely occurs deliberately.
The main thing about this one that I find so odd is the digital filming. Usually, pictures of the camcorder variety are little more than backyard home movies which somehow find limited video distribution through dodgy companies...this, however, is surprisingly professionally appointed despite the presumably modest budget. Don't get me wrong, however...it's not very good, quite frankly, but it does have a sort of cute ambitious charm. It feels like a lot of heart went into this project, and I found it enjoyable for that reason(and if you love classic cars, this flick has some real beauties).
Nice try, guys. 4.5/10
