BONUS: Rite Here Rite Now

A surprise to be sure but a welcome one.

I have no issue stating upfront this whole week would have sucked royally had this movie not come out and I went to go see it. Sooo...how do I explain Ghost? Well it's a swedish band that easily has the catchiest songs I've heard quite possibly in my life (aside from Black Sabbath) and almost all of them focus on Satan, but don't let that deter you if you are religious. The band doesn't take themselves seriously and have fun with it all tongue in cheek style, but they take the musical quality very seriously. It's also the only band I know of that has it's own lore, now I'm not talking pseudonyms like Quorthon or Starchild, or like easter eggs on the album cover, I mean they have a mythos that has been woven and expanded upon since 2010. Centering on the frontman and lead singer Papa Emeritus a Pope like figure with several iterations, and the bandmates themselves hidden in anonymity as Nameless Ghouls craft rocking and effortlessly ear worming songs. The movie focuses more on the music, with pepperings of plot (though it's still greatly substantial to us hardcore fans) taking place the last night of their tour in Los Angeles. This is perfect for me because I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to go to a ritual so this covers that! Plus the overall production taping the concert was excellent, I'll admit the editing was that highly kinetic fast but sharp style so it was hard to get a full wide shot of the stage and grasp the atmosphere, but I feel the filmmakers did just fine with the camera placement and direction, also props to the road crew who made it all happen on tour, and in my limited experience of watching recorded performances I can't complain. I truthfully did expect a good mix or even more emphasis on storyline but the bits we did get, showed off the humor that the band is well known for and even dare I say beautifully introspective. Easily the best part of the movie is Emeritus talking to his biological Papa (my favorite of them all just for the record) about very existential topics, who runs the show, what happens after you die, typical mysteries of life stuff but the response he gets back is nothing short of wise and it's a belief I've held for a long time and has only been reinforced since seeing this. It's very insightfully written and worded to where anyone can grasp it, to crudely summarize you can't worry about the past or fret over the future and what matter is right here right now. It's not in your face but that message pervades the whole film, to just live to the best of your ability. It certainly made my heart soar during those parts. And yeah I'll admit, a tear was shed during one of the songs so hey let's talk about them. The setlist for the concert was very very good, representing all 5 albums the group has released with a good portion of my favorites like Miasma, Respite On The Spitalfields, Call Me Little Sunshine, Kiss The Go-Goat, and If You Have Ghost which was the standout live performance for me hands down and got me emotional. But holy mackerel was it completely awesome to hear all those tracks with proper theater sound equipment. Feet were tapping, lyrics were lip synced, it was a good time even though the atmosphere of the screening room was more movie than concert but fun regardless. It was great to see so many people decked out in merch and having a real good time with the film. I mean it's about as niche as you can get when you break it down, but Ghost has a lot of fans worldwide and continues to grow today. Hell I've only been a fan since October of 2022 but it's top two bands for me! So I can't recommend it for everyone, I don't think I can even recommend it to a new fan just starting out to avoid confusion on the plot parts, I just wanted an excuse to gush about some great music and give another review to make up for last week. I know some fans would question the existence of a recorded concert packaged as a movie but considering I had to wait about 4 to 5 years to own The Phantom Of The Opera musical on DVD, that point is moot. I give it 4 stars, 9/10!

Metal Lords

Sugoi! Muy bien! Wunderbar, he exclaimed with great relish.

We got another banger ladies, gents, anon! The title alone caught my attention as I was perusing the Netflix and shock of all shocks I know, I absolutely loved this movie! For as basic a plot as two high school friends are in pursuit of a bass player for the upcoming Battle Of The Bands, you get a lot more out of it. Not only does it have a certain air of charm that makes it very entertaining to watch, but the writing in terms of character interaction and personalities is what absolutely sells it for me. Jaeden Martell as metal novice Kevin very much fits that normal nerdy kid before he gets fully swept up in the metal culture, even though each main character gets their emotional moments I consider him the heart of the film. Adrian Greensmith as hardcore metal enthusiast Hunter may be considered a to quote the movie massive dick, but when you really stop and look at that character he's not only the best one in my opinion but also the most complex. He's probably the most teenage teenager who ever teenagered, he's got a lot of emotional baggage and anger that he uses metal to relieve but he's still developing emotionally as kids do as they grow up and combine that with the passion and mentality of a metalhead and you get a flurry of emotions both good and bad, and he does have redeeming moments where he betters as a person. And last but certainly not least of our trio is Isis Hainsworth as Emily who also has anger issues of her own (and she's scottish so automatic win) and it's with her character that a quite adorable and incredibly sweet relationship blooms with Kevin, it might seem odd that we get this quaint little romance amidst all the buildup to this competition and indeed if you walked in at the right moment you would see it as a independent budget romance film. But she's integral to the plot and can quite frankly rock on, though I have to admit I thought she would upgrade from a cello to a full fledged bass guitar as the movie progressed but the cello actually works great! I've never heard much classical heavy metal but who woulda thunk that War Pigs sounds solid with a cello, and likewise at the end you hear an electric guitar play Aria da Capo and that sounded outstanding. And before moving on I just would like to shoutout Christopher M. Lopes as Robbie, that's our motherfucking king in this movie! The movie has a spectacular array of heavy metal tracks from Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, and of course Black Sabbath so you bet your ass I was having a good old time thrashing to it. In fact if anybody wants to get into that scene the list of songs Hunter gives Kevin to learn is actually a solid checklist for beginners who want to listen to heavy metal music. And yeah I gotta admit the original song they perform at the competition is pretty awesome as well, awesome enough to give me goosebumps at the guitar solo. Plus you can tell these kids absolutely did know how to play their respected instruments so props to them. Music is one thing but I really did effortlessly get invested in the story and loved the characters, perfectly personified in the fact that you know how in movies you wonder why the hell do these people never actually talk about their problems with each other or try to explain themselves if some misunderstanding occurs? Well they do that here! They have discussions, they are not afraid to hash things out if they disagree over something, they support one another in times of need. Yeah sure they're hormonal charged teens so they do lash out or get bothered over next to nothing at times, but that's realistic. I feel the writing is incredibly spot on, and the comedy in it some people might just say oh it's profanity infused dialogue but I was practically roaring with laughter throughout at many if not all the gags so big gold sticky star for you movie. I can't explain it, this movie just hit me in every right spot to the point where can I say a bad thing about it? Well I've thought, and pondered, and puzzled, and have come to the conclusion no. No I cannot. Is it for everybody? No I wouldn't say that. Is it an underrated gem for some? Yeah I think so. Incredibly biased that I am, I refuse to give it anything less than 4 stars, 10/10!! Oh yeah, we're back! Well....kinda! For all intents and purposes I got nothing until February buuut that doesn't mean I can't work on some neat things for the future. So rock on my wildhaired maniacs until we meet once more.

Pink Floyd The Wall

This was really good.




I was aware of the spectacular animated sequences used in this film, so I decided to throw it in this week. What I got beyond that though really grabbed my attention. So the film is more or less a visual representation of the eponymous concept album made by Pink Floyd, which was kind of a rough period for the band. You really can't discuss the film without discussing the album or more importantly the events that shaped the album. The band was having severe money troubles and their keyboardist Richard Wright was let go, compound that with a lot of emotional baggage the lead singer Roger Waters wanted to get off his chest from feeling incredibly isolated and not in a good mindset and steadily they formed one hell of an album. The film concerns the life events and deteriorating mentality of a character named Pink, and that's really all the plot that can be given. Because the movie utilizes so much music from the album and it is to personify emotions and events, there isn't really a story but a well constructed sequence of events. And I gotta say it flows pretty dang smoothly for the most part considering it is almost a visual guide I supppse you could say to The Wall. It didn't take all that long until we be jammin' to many great tunes, but even beyond that the film has great power in visuals and storytelling! It kinda takes on an anti-war piece for a good chunk of the film, dealing with Pink losing his father in the second World War and how he never had a true father figure in his life. I mean I could go through every section of the film and explain it but that really defies the purpose. It is an experience to watch this movie and I did find it emotionally stirring. Granted there is more allegory and SYMBOLISM than you can shake a stick at, but music is pretty much that anyway. The animation parts are absurdly well done, I mean I have never witnessed such flawless transitioning and morphing of objects and imagery in my entire life. When I told my mom I was gonna review this she asked if I had some LSD and magic mushrooms for the trip, and yeah it's trippy and the movie does require thought but it isn't nonstop psychedelia. Needless to say Gerald Scarfe and all the animators were geniuses able to pull all this off as well as they did. If they ever re-release this in theaters, get your ass in there! It's directed really well, there isn't much dialogue but it holds intrigue, the journey of Pink to break the wall and rise above is something I feel more people can connect with today than in 1982 which is funny because the album came out 3 years prior, and if nothing else you just get to hear Pink Floyd. That's not a bad experience. I know I'd love to dig through all their studio albums and after this I feel I can appreciate The Wall that little bit more, I know everyone raves about Dark Side Of The Moon, rightfully so it is a very great album, but there's more to explore. Hell, my favorite Pink Floyd song isn't even on any of the big famous albums, it's from The Division Bell their second to last album with Lost For Words. Absolutely beautiful and beyond real. But before I keep rattling on, I recommemd it, I very much enjoyed it. I give it 4 stars, 8/10! And oh sweet Jesus, is it that time...again?? I'm not doing it. You get one holiday movie and then I'm going off in my own world reviewing what I want. I'll see you in the frozen depths of hell you cheery, tree massacring, joyfully singing, lap riding, present giving, Saturnalia celebrating, happiness mongers! I really don't like them, no I don't.

Elvis

I think this is the first musician biopic I've seen that had some flair to it.

All sort of documentary/biographic/dramatized history of musicians lives have been done pretty cut and dry. Basic shots, conventional editing, I think the wildest I've seen is a brief framing device. Until Elvis. Baz Luhrman you absolute madman, this movie keeps your interest through directorial choices alone but of course the story is good. Roughly spanning Elvis Presley's life from a youth growing up in a black neighborhood all the way to his untimely death in 1977, hitting on his gyrating origins, the parental backlash, his brief history in the army, his movies, the comeback special, and his elongated career in Las Vegas just to name a bit. It's nearly clocking in at 3 hours but it sure don't feel like it, it zooms by at times which I can see hardcore Elvis aficionados and history buffs get a bit peeved at but to a man who didn't know a whole lot about Mr. Presley found the bits and scenes interesting and engrossing. Austin Butler, boy let me tell you he gets it and he don't stop till credits, the looks, the voice, the mannerisms, I buy it wholesale. Tom Hanks, unusual of him to play a despicable character but done well, and it's such a shame Elvis never really got the opportunity to play in lots of different countries and do what he actually wanted to do. Put into an early grave far before his time yet still leaving an undeniable impression. Is it sacrilege to say though my favorite song in the movie wasn't one of his songs? This version of Strange Things Happening Every Day rocked my socks off and it isn't a big heavy performance, it's more subdued but hit that sweet spot for me. Was not the biggest fan of the hip hop stuff, granted it only happened twice but I just wasn't there for it. It just felt way out of left field and unnecessary. The visual style makes it's presence known from the word go and does so much, I'm fairly certain even if the plot didn't get you involved you'd still appreciate the visual umph this movie has. From split screen style straight out of Brian De Palma's book, to full out comic book panels complete with speech bubbles, it knows how to add some neat touches. Turns out, I was somewhat familiar with the director's previous work, he directed the 90s Romeo And Juliet with Leo DiCaprio, he directed Moulin Rouge, so high energy and wild style is his bread and butter. I was however surprised at the audience, we got a lot of young people in there besides just me, I was expecting more people from my momma's age bracket who remembered Elvis when he was alive so that was a nice treat, and hey it got a good round of applause so they obviously liked it. It didn't teach me much I didn't know bits of already, but I'd be hardpressed to call it bad or even average. It's solid man, they do it and do it well paying respects to the king and making a investing and entertaining movie. 4 stars, 8.5/10! And I know a certain show ended this week but not to worry, the review will be up next week along with some other goodies from my favorite series.

Phantom Of The Paradise

Hwhat was even that?

I'm almost at a loss for words, I can't honestly believe how long it took me to finally sit down and watch this movie. Obviously with my severe love of Phantom Of The Opera once many moons ago I heard of this movie, I've seen only a handful of reviews of it so I was walking into this movie pretty much knowing all the major plot beats. So you would think I would have a fair bit to say but I'm floundering here a wee bit. This is a bizzare movie, it's Phantom inspired of course and I could connect the dots from this movie to the source material and all the adaptations more than you can shake a stick at, but it really and truly is a beast all of it's own. Which is odd because I see clear and evident inspirations of Phantom, Faust, even Rocky Horror which didn't even come out until the next year in 1975. It's a smidge campy, a musical, a satire/commentary on the music industry, and a batshit very loose adaptation of Phantom. So the story takes more inspiration from the Claude Rains version as an aspiring composer Winslow Leach has his life's work of a cantata stolen by record mogul Swan to be used in opening his venue the Paradise, and later when he sets out to sabotage the record factory gets horribly disfigured, steals a costume from the Paradise, and terrorizes the venue....for like two scenes. This is where the Leroux Phantom stuff ends, and you're either gonna hate it or love it because of that. Swan basically manipulates Winslow to compose more music with the notion of it being performed by Winslow's love interest/pupil/inspiration Phoenix, and quite literally has Winslow sell his soul to Swan and his record company. I swear I'm not on acid as I write this but by the end of the movie it almost felt like I was. There's actually a fair bit to talk about but this may get disjointed and rambling, so fair warning ye who enter here. Brian DePalma directs, and this was before Carrie but he utilizes the same split screen multi-camera technique seen near the end of Carrie, and that is only the beginning of the camera work being wild in this movie. Films made in modern day wish they could have shots and cinematography like this movie, when the most artsy and experimental they get is a 360° revoultion shot. I'm serious man, like this is almost award winning camera work. There's always mirrors in the background, there's lots of handheld shots, there's flat out a POV Halloween sequence 4 years before Halloween! It's kind of amazing. I think the commentary on the music industry truthfully works better now than back then, and yeah this is a movie unashamedly 70s in every aspect which I'm all there for personally. Paul Williams is such an interesting choice for a villain, but my God does he look like he's having a terrific time playing this devilish oddball of a record producing king. William Finley though not taking up a lot of screentime doing phantomy things is regardless very memorable and does do a good job with the material. Jessica Harper, man that girl can sing good and while she's probably one of the weaker Christine variants she does admirable work the whole way through. Speaking of singing, this soundtrack. F*** me, I beyond any doubt love this soundtrack! It's somewhat in the funky 70s spectrum but when you hear William and Paul sing, and I think that's such a cool effect how when Winslow sings you hear both his and Swan's voice mixed together, it's very timeless sounding with often just piano music for the instrumentation. No joke I had tracks of the soundtrack on my phone before I even saw the movie, that's how good we're talking here. It's an odd fascinating movie to watch but it's influence and love is found in surprising places, Nicolas Cage said this was his favorite Brian DePalma movie and Daft Punk flat out said it was their favorite movie period and how it gave a lot of inspiration in their costumes and music. That's pretty damn cool. It's strange, I have a lot to commend and praise with the movie but I'm having a rough time settling on a rating. It is entertaining and just interesting to watch, the cast is really good, the music is great, the visuals and direction are so specific yet so out there, the story combines bits from many classic horror stories, and I think it probably single handedly is the biggest cult film of the Phantom fandom. I give it 2.5 stars, 7.5/10, I'm gonna lay down and have some wild ass fever dreams tonight.

The Decline Of Western Civilization: Part 2

Now we're talking.

It almost kind of breaks my heart the film and director could only do metal bands in the Los Angeles part of the world cause man, heavy metal is global and it really started reaching to so many countries and was an institution by the time this documentary was filmed between 1986 and 1988. Same style as before but with more of an emphasis on band interviews I found, but seeing so many bands I'm familiar with was a real treat. I feel the lens is more showcasing the attitude and perseverance of more up and coming bands, the film spends a lot of time talking to them, what made them get into rock and roll, their experiences and thoughts on the music, what might possibly happen if they don't make it big, and I found it super entertaining and even compelling. Once again, very candid and honest from all the bands regardless if they're talking to Ozzy or Lizzy Borden, albeit it's very lighthearted and it does make you laugh. I feel that's almost a requirement for rock stars is to have a good sense of humor, because the whole thing of being a rockstar is kind of this power fantasy and you can't let it get to your head man. I do somewhat wish they talked to fans of heavy metal music as they did in Part 1, that's a plethora of material to use for a documentary all by itself but at the same time you kind of get the best of both worlds when you see these super young bands voice their passion and love for metal and will die trying to make it to the top. It's damn near inspirational, to where I caught myself thinking a few times "I could be in a band, I could perform, we got this man! We got this by the ass!" it gets you fired up and thinking you could achieve anything. People think oh heavy metal, it's very loud and mean and satanic and blah blah blah, honest to God there are some mighty nice folks who dig heavy metal and the performers themselves are real personable and appreciative of the fans. I can hear these guys tell stories and share their thoughts and feelings on music all bloody day, it just does that good a job immersing you in this community. Yes, you are gonna be hearing a bunch of very young men pressing hard on the topic of sex, I will not blame them. They are hormone fueled, late teens to early 20s guys who want to rock on, in the 80s, I will cut them some slack. And that brings me to a giant point that I appreciate so much about this, is it shows both sides of the coin, you see guys say hell yeah to sex and you see women all game for a bit of hey hey, you see some rockstars talk about being alcoholics and doing drugs and you see some who want no part of drugs and just want to do music, it's such a simple thing to show multiple facets of the same topic but I like they included that. I wasn't a headbanger or a metal head until about 2 years ago, and I know I still got tons more to learn and explore from the different styles, and I'm very happy I started listening in the first place. Again, not really expecting this film to convert people or make them more devoted to heavy metal music, it's just another portal of time to observe and get some entertainment out of it. 4 stars, 9.5/10! And Part 3 is coming your way tomorrow.

The Decline Of Western Civilization: Part 1

Very different material to work with on this show but sometimes you need to go out to the edge.

From the same in my consideration, brilliant woman who directed Wayne's World comes a documentary filmed between 1979 and 1980 delving into the Los Angeles punk rock scene, not so much as to get all philosophical and get to the meaning of the culture, community, and music but more just to showcase the community and music. It's a super loose documentary with no real beginning or end, intercutting footage of the bands performing, and brief off stage personal time asking them questions and the like, with a dash of interviewing the fans of punk music. It's super candid and doesn't shy away from any aspect, drugs and alcohol are talked about, it gets them cuss words and hateful shit in there, the moshing before it was called moshing and why people get into those scuffs, but it doesn't potray punk rockers or punk fans in a demonizing way. Hell some of them don't even fit the mental image of a punk, and some are very laid back, casual, nice to talk with, it shows them as people and not menaces to society. Now I will fully admit on record, I don't generally know much about punk rock despite my love and appreciation for all the subgenres of rock and roll. So I was more or less just an open minded witness to this sub community in all it's wild glory. But you better believe I was jamming to the music and really dug the hell out of some of the bands, primarily Black Flag and X both onstage and off stage, they just seemed like super nice folks who do not take themselves that seriously at all, and could play quite well. I'm not expecting anyone to fully understand the genre or even the people who enjoy it by watching this, but it's a very unique window into a time period over 50 years ago now to just see what it was like. It's almost very very difficult to critique documentaries, because what the hell are documentaries? To me, it's film footage on an event, a period of history, an individual, an environment. Whether it be nature documentaries by the BBC, or the CNN documentaries on the 60s through the 90s as they cover all aspects of that decade from entertainment to politics to fashion. So obviously this does indeed focus on punk rock, so now the question comes is it enjoyable and even a bit informative? I would say yeah, it does dig a tiny bit into why people enjoy punk rock, why they get into fights, what drives them, what are the bands like, it had my interest throughout. I will say the best parts of it was when the director was interviewing people outside of the bands, club owners, the fans themselves, because you get the best picture of that time and place in the world when you hear them discuss this type of music. It's not super flashy production wise either, the cameras have that unique grain and color saturation that only 70s cameras can give you, it moves very freely, there's not too much structure in the overall "story" of the thing. But I enjoyed it and I wouldn't mind broadening my brain into this genre though I think history showed punk went to the wayside fast once metal music kicked off good and hard. Which is what Part 2 will cover and we will discuss tomorrow. I give Part 1 a solid 3.5 stars, 8.5/10, and a firm recommendation.

Wayne's World 2

Oh thank God this was good!

I didn't want it to be just as good as the first, I didn't want it to be better, I just wanted it to be good. Turns out it's just as good as the first, though I would say I prefer the first movie more. But it's close, very very close by a gnat's wing. After the surprising hit of the first movie Paramount wasted no time getting this sequel out by next year, yet it doesn't feel rushed. The production is still good arguably better, the writing and performances are still really damn good, and the story still feels like Wayne's World. So we pick up a year after the first movie and things are going well for everybody, Wayne and Garth are still running their show, Cassandra's career is going strong, and even Garth gets a lady friend. I will however concede they do the smarmy music manager is trying to steal Cassandra plot point again, apparently they wanted Rob Lowe to come back but he declined and so of course, they get Christopher Walken for the role. I'm not complaining. At all. But it's certainly a new role I've seen him in. In fact, I was stunned completely rigid at the star power in this movie. True the first movie had good ol' Al Bundy, Rob Lowe, they even got Alice Cooper which was pretty rad, but in this movie...good God I lose track. Christopher Walken, James Hong, Charlton Heston, Aerosmith, Heather Locklear, Kim Basinger, Harry Shearer, Drew Barrymore, it's absurd how many guest star cameos they got in this movie. And each part is memorable and performed well, which is never an easy thing to do in writing. The film still has it's unique style of humor which still works to great effect, but this time you can tell they had a higher budget so they could do more stuff. They did homages to Thelma & Louise, Jurassic Park, the big plot point of hosting a Woodstock style concert (complete with the bad acid reference), they even go out of their way to do almost a complete recreation of The Graduate's ending. Which believe me, I was flipping out over cause I just wasn't expecting it at all. There's so much I want to talk about but obviously can't go through the movie point by point, so speed round time! James Hong is the man and gives an incredibly fun performance with a cute tribute to absurdly choreographed martial arts films. Christopher Walken gets to tear up a dance floor and my God is it glorious, I can forgive the repeated plot beat just for that. Friggin' Jim Morrison is in the movie, not played by Val Kilmer but a fairly good potrayal nonetheless, which that in and of itself was a treat cause The Doors are easly my favorite band ever. Maybe I should review Val Kilmer's The Doors movie, it sounds interesting enough. I really had a great time with this! I wanted a good movie and I got a pretty awesome movie, it's entertainment fluff yes but when has that truly been a bad thing? If you have a good time with it, and accept it for what the movie truly is, then you got something good on your hands. 4 stars once again, 8/10, I would fully recommend buying these movies and personally can't wait to add them to my already obnoxiously large collection.

Alright, this better work. Next week, Bill & Ted. For the love of the moon and stars above I hope the movie actually gets released on time.

School Of Rock

You know, for a movie over 15 years old (and you just let that sink in for a minute) it honestly hasn't lost any of it's charm or enjoyment for me.

I can't remember exactly when I first saw School Of Rock, I know I definitely rented it at one point so I must have been fairly young maybe 10 or so, but it has a lasting impression on me. More on that later but first, story time! So our story begins with our man Jack Black as a guitar player named Dewey that gets kicked out of his old band, and in need of a steady gig impersonates his roomate who's a substitute teacher and gets into a prep school. After learning about his student's musical talents he forms a rock band and grows a great relationship with the kids as they perfect their craft for a battle of the bands event. First off, there is no way in hell that this movie could have worked without Jack Black, I mean he has that energy and appeal plus he can totally act and even play. He's the best part of the movie, but his co-stars aren't outshined. These are cool kids, pretty much perfect acting from all with extra love and admiration going to Summer, Zack, and Tomika. Granted some kids are more in the background but they get their moments and with an ensemble cast this big it was unavoidable. Bottom line, the kids are awesome! But what's the point of talking about the movie if you don't bring up the soundtrack? I mean geez this film practically groomed me for my music taste! This film introduced me to a lot of artists that I've come to enjoy and appreciate like The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC, bands I didn't know much about when I was younger but now am big fans of them all. If you straight up asked me what my favorite band is, it's either Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, or The Doors, it really did influence me that much. The music selection no matter how brief is really, really good with even the original songs being great. Lord knows I'd take a music class like that where I could be introduced to lots of different groups and appreciate their styles and songs. It really puts you in a good if not great mood by the end, it's easy to get invested in the story, to enjoy these characters and their interactions together. Jack Black is so good in this movie, he can talk to these kids about their problems and issues and be completely genuine while still having fun and being crazy. It's a damn good movie man, what can I say? I do hate the whole liar revealed nonsense, cause you know they're just gonna go rock out anyway, those scenes no matter the movie are padding. Plain and simple. But beyond that is there anything I even slightly dislike? Nope, I love how the opening shot is kind of a long take, I love all the actors, the story is original and fun, the music is all kinds of awesome, not much at all to hate here! 4 stars! See it again if you grew up with it, introduce it to your kids if they dig that kind of music, have fun with it, rock out, you just go have a ball. Okay I have to tell this story cause I have such good memories of this movie, waaaay back during the summer of 2007 I was on break at my grandparent's house, and Cartoon Network pretty much had a marathon of this movie for about 3 days and all I did was watch the movie, play some Guitar Hero (both 1 and 2), and had a great summer. I pretty much had my own version of Woodstock and it was pretty far out, granted it wasn't as massive or as wild as Woodstock but I loved every minute of it so I'm always in higher spirits when the School Of Rock starts rolling credits. And what's summer without some great tunes?