CRIMSON FEST - WEEK ONE
Back in October, I created my own challenge. I tried to watch as many vampire movies as possible. I got to twenty-six. Doing that gave me another idea. See, over the years I’ve built up a sub-collection in my Blu Rays and DVDS of concert films, music documentaries, music biopics, music video compilations, and movies starring musicians. I want to try and see how many I can go through in a month, so I’m throwing my own personal month-long music festival that I’m calling CRIMSON FEST. I’ve amassed a decently big collection and quite a few that I have still yet to watch. A lot of them I’ve actually gotten used from places like Zia Records, Bookmen’s, and Brass Armadillo! I really recommend searching through thrift shops and used DVD/book stores if you plan on collecting. You can always really find cool ones for less than $10.
Back to the challenge, I plan on logging everything I’ve watched this month on here, with a new post every week. Also, it has to be stuff I’ve either never seen, or stuff that needs a rewatch. There are music films that I love, but I will not focus on many of them. Here are some of my personal favorites that I’ve watched recently or ones that I’ve watched multiple times: A Hard Day's Night, Moonage Daydream, AMY, The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd’s PULSE, Straight Outta Compton, and Love And Mercy. Now with that, let the festival begin!!
Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same - Kicking this party off, we have what is said to be one of the most classic concert films. This is actually one I’ve owned on blu ray for a long while, and do I think it lives up to the hype? Yeah, it’s pretty fucking killer. The live stuff at least is. All four members get their time to shine during the Madison Square Garden shows that this movie spotlights. Robert Plant is constantly goin’ off vocally, John Bonham has an insane drum solo in “Moby Dick,” Jimmy Page transforms “Dazed And Confused” completely into a new beast(this version is almost thirty minutes!), but my favorite is John Paul Jones atmospheric keyboard taking over my favorite Zeppelin song, “No Quarter.”
I will say, while the sound is amazing the entire runtime, the visuals are hit or miss. The fantasy music videos that play over the songs don’t always work with the music, in my opinion. Like, I don’t really get the opening scene, with a crazy shootout that happens. Though, the fact that they don’t always make sense(like in “No Quarter” which is probably the weakest visually) still adds to the psychedelic nature of an event like that and doesn't really ruin anything. The best one is in their performance of the song “The Song Remains The Same,” where they have a film of Jimmy Page going on an epic quest, where he even gets to battle with a sword. All the other visuals of the live show are great, with the weird mirror editing effects and color inversions they use. And to close it off, they light a gong on fire, as they blast off on “Whole Lotta Love.” This is a really explosive way to start the month off.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Polygondwanaland Visual Album - Back in 2017, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard dropped five albums in one year. Among those is their prog rock epic, “Polygondwanaland.” Not only is it a great album(it’s my favorite Gizz album), the coolest thing about it is that the band put it in the public domain. “Make tapes, make CDs, make records…We do not own this record. You do. Go forth, share, enjoy” was the message King Gizz put out there. The group has already been very tight with their bootlegging community, and they pushed that community to run wild. There have been hundreds of different ways this album has been released, including a DVD.
Presented by Molten House Media, there’s “The Unofficial Official Video Album” released on DVD, Blu Ray, and even VHS. On this DVD, there’s a music video for every song, with each one being made by a different artist. A large chunk of them are done through analogue techniques that look more abstract, with glitchy effects and psychedelic colors. Some like “The Castle in the Air”(Durry Dog) use claymation. “Tetrachromacy”(Fez Moreno) and “Searching…”(TACHYONS) uses videos of canyons, geysers, clouds, and fire but warps into some hypnotizing images. Hypnotizing is probably the best way to describe the experience as a whole. While it’s sold out on Molten House Media’s bandcamp, I highly recommend searching out a copy if you're a KGLW fan.
Classic Albums: Peter Gabriel “So” - Next up, I watched Classic Album’s hour long documentary on the making of Peter Gabriel’s classic album, “So.” I honestly don’t have much to say on this one, which is okay. It’s a pretty straight forward documentary on how “So” got made. They have quite a few interviews with Gabriel himself, as well as his co-producer, sound engineer, and all the musicians that worked with him. They also go pretty in depth on the albums singles like “Sledgehammer,” “In Your Eyes,” and the duet with Kate Bush, “Don’t Give Up.” My favorite part of it is actually in the extra 30 minutes of bonus features. In there, they talk a lot more about the album’s tour and the making of the music video for “Sledgehammer.” For someone that still needs to dig deeper into Peter Gabriel’s discography, I think this DVD is a good start to learning more about how he makes music. I highly recommend it.
Depeche Mode 101 - 101 is a good look at how huge Depeche Mode was in the late 80s, even before a colossal album like “Violator.” On the 101st show of their “Music For The Masses” tour, DM packed the Rose Bowl Stadium for a live set that tears through songs from their first six records. Almost everything in this set is pure energy, with Dave Gahan dancing and running for almost the entire running time, occasionally dipping into slow jams like “Someone.” This concert film shows the massive scale that they were on. Songs like “Stripped,” “Master And Servant,” and “Behind The Wheel” have this edgy and grand sound that are perfect for live shows.
I wish the documentary that was included on the DVD was more interesting. Yeah, the 101 DVD comes with two discs. One with the full concert, and the other with a documentary about a competition that was held where the winners would travel on a bus to the show. The live stuff is of course great, where they show those parts from fans' POVs. Also, while the moments are short, I really like the sections of the band doing promotional stuff for the show, and their actual behind the scenes, like doing sound tests. My main problem is that the fans they follow on the bus aren’t really that interesting, and they spend a lot of time with them. The doc definitely could’ve been cut a little better and less bloated, but it’s still a pretty solid time capsule of that era. I recommend the DVD, but mainly for that live show disc.
Sid And Nancy - Straight from the Criterion Collection, I watched my first biopic of the month. Directed by Alex Cox, and starring Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb as the title characters, this movie is very interesting to watch after the last 25 years of music biopics. It almost feels like an anti-biopic with how honest it is. It’s a downward spiral that doesn’t try to sanitize the center romance, the self-destruction, the punk scene, or even the Sex Pistol’s legacy. The combo of Alex Cox and director of photography, Roger Deakins, give this movie a voyeuristic and intimate feeling. It absolutely fits the dirtiness of the punk scene of that time. While not completely, it reminds me a little of something like “Uncut Gems.”
Oldman and Webb absolutely sell the title couple. They play two people that define punk in its rowdy and rebellious fun highs, but also devastating lows. And I mean DEVISTATING. The final third is really hard to watch, but you see both leads disappear more and more into their performances. Going back to the “anti-biopic” thing I said earlier, there are several points where the main two can turn back. Other movies would lie and have them do that. This movie mostly doesn’t do that. If there’s anything I’d critique, the ending is a little cheesy. There are a few sections of this movie that are a little more surreal, so that cushions that choice. But, it ends the movie in a more upbeat tone than I’d expect. Still, I’d highly recommend it. Especially the Criterion release with all of its detailed interviews.
Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii(Original and Director’s Cut) - Back to concert films, we’re traveling to the ruins of Pompeii, where the phrase of the day is “less is more.” So, I own the Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii DVD from the early 2000s, which is a pretty controversial release. First thing, it has the original cut. While it’s in a smaller aspect ratio, the footage and sound of Pink Floyd performing in an empty stadium is still striking. The scenes of the band playing are intercut with images of statues, paintings, and buildings throughout Pompeii. It adds to the scale and atmosphere of those early era Floyd sounds, with “Echoes” being split into two parts and being the main set piece. While I don’t own it, the 2025 4K release is a full remaster of this version, which I say is probably the version to go with.
What makes this DVD controversial is that the main course is actually a director’s cut that adds thirty minutes to the runtime. One of the better additions is that they added archived footage of the band working on Dark Side Of The Moon. They also added interviews in between the songs. While I think they’re a little unnecessary in this context, they don’t really detract that much. Well, what makes it controversial? They take out almost all the atmospheric imagery, and replace it with footage of CGI interpretations of space and the destruction of Pompeii. The original cut works because the on location footage mixed with some trippy editing fits the slow burn nature of “Echoes,” Saucerful Of Secrets,” and “Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun.” Seeing dated CG and scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey takes away more than it gives. Luckily, if you’re looking for this release out of curiosity, it doesn’t go for much. You can also find the full thing on YouTube.
UHF - Capping off the first week, I watched 1989’s “UHF,” starring Weird Al Yankovic. You’re here for Weird Al and how far he pushes parody, so your enjoyment is going to depend on how you gel with his humor. So, yeah the plot doesn’t really matter for this one. It’s wall-to-wall a live action cartoon. While some bits are dated, the movie mostly works for me. The best parts for me are anytime Weird Al is on screen, where it almost feels like a live action version of Ren And Stimpy. I also really like the in-universe commercials, which feel inline with modern internet shitposts.
I think where it falls flat a little is quite a few of the side characters are just not that funny to me. Especially when they’re on screen without Weird Al. The movie works when the jokes are sharp and quick like with the absurd commercials, or just when Weird Al is playing off other characters. His comedy translates well to movies, and the movie parodies are fun. The fact that it’s on the shorter end and doesn’t drag keeps me from being harder on it. The easiest release to get now is Shout! Factory’s 25th anniversary release.
Well, that was week one!! I got a little bit of everything in there, I hope to keep this momentum of watching something everyday. Also, down below is a playlist to go along with what I’ve watched. I’m going to be posting the next ones every monday, so I hope you have a good time with me at Crimson Fest!! Thanks for reading!!