Golden Days (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Chris Suchorsky

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Music

Tagline:

A film about rock-n-roll's best kept secret, The Damnwells.

Plot:

A struggling indie rock band signs a major record deal only to have their album and their career nearly destroyed by the people who signed them.

Plot Keywords:

Rock Band | Music Industry | Corporate America | Rock Music | Family Conflict

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jay Barclay	...	Himself
Cary Brothers	...	Himself
David Chernis	...	Himself
Matt DelVecchio	...	Himself
Matt Del Vecchio	...	Himself
Alex Dezen	...	Himself
Angela Dezen	...	Herself (as Angela Gollan)
Dave Frey	...	Himself
Juan Guerrero	...	Himself
Ted Hudson	...	Himself
Mason Jennings	...	Himself
Jason Kanakis	...	Himself
Jon Kaplan	...	Himself
Wes Kidd	...	Himself
Joe King	...	Himself
Dave Lamoureux	...	Himself
Paul Langton	...	Himself
Dan Layus	...	Himself
Marco Meneghin	...	Himself
Rhett Miller	...	Himself
Salim Nourallah	...	Himself
Jared Palomar	...	Himself
Josiah Rosen	...	Himself
Josh Rouse	...	Himself
Isaac Slade	...	Himself
Justin South	...	Himself
Jimmy Stoffer	...	Himself
Steven Terry	...	Himself
Dave Welsh	...	Himself
Ben Wysocki	...	Himself
Robin Zander	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (16 mm segments) | Color (MiniDV) | Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Last Weekend Productions

Well crafted and compelling

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This film took the Best Documentary award at last year's Phoenix Film Festival and was one vote away from winning one of the other major festival awards. There's good reason for this. It's a well crafted portrait that works, in large part, because of how good this band really is (think alternative pop with great hooks and strong vocals.) A feature length documentary needs a compelling subject, and fleshes out its subject in ways that both enlighten and entertain, and this film scores high on all counts while never becoming tedious. The movie follows the band from its humble New York beginnings to the point where it approaches critical mass; you're privy to record company meetings, concerts, and the history/background of the band and its members. The other element that really makes this film work is the band's lead singer. He's funny, intelligent and provocative, and it's his comments that provide some of the more insightful -- and often hilarious -- moments of the film. The director found a great story and wisely let it tell itself, creating a great documentary in the process. If you're a fan of the genre, don't miss this one.