MC5 Documemntary Kickstarter Thing

[El Negro Magnifico!]

"MC5 - A True Testimonial" Jailbreak!!! by Orchide.Detroit — Kickstarter
Just found out about this via Exclaim. Let's see if it'll happen.

[40ozGraphics]

I don't get what the kickstarter project is for. The film is already made and is awesome. The person who put up the kickstarter project is not one of the film's 2 producers. They offer you stickers and pins for your donation but doesn't say how the donation will help get the film distributed.

[the hipoisie]

The money is to license the songs Funds Being Raised To Release 'MC5 - A True Testimonial' Documentary

[40ozGraphics]

Oh. Makes sense. It would also make sense to put that prominently on the kickstarter page. I wish them luck though. I was lucky enough to see it in a theater and was blown away. I was ready to buy the dvd before their distribution deal got tanked.

[bongalong]

hope this documentry gets released.

something for the meantime;

[40ozGraphics]

That first clip isn't from A True Testimonial. ATT, to it's credit, didn't rely to much on that tired TV documentary interview style.

[Ruthless Cow]

I have to say, not that I don't admire these guys for trying, I wasn't nuts about the movie when I saw it.

Great subject matter, of course - and I imagine it took an incredible effort to make it - but as a documentary it just felt very amateurish and unfocused. I mean - it IS a movie made by fans, not filmmakers and that's awesome, but it really showed.

[40ozGraphics]

I think the documentary had great energy and tracked the arch of the band's career very well. It was also a kick to see all of that previously unseen footage that they unearthed. I think the finished project reflected the small budget more than the inexperience of the producers.

[Ruthless Cow]

Well - I respectfully disagree, with one bit of disclosure: I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival in 2002 and everyone had to cram into a smaller cineplex theatre - because it needed to be projected digitally - it was a packed theatre in the early spring and the a/c was broken, so it was unbelievably uncomfortable.

I disagree about the film keeping up it's energy. I respect what they wanted to do - it's clear they didn't want a Biography Channel feeling doc using narration - but at times narration may have been warranted to keep the pacing going. I wish that more music had been used over some of Kramer's interviews which take a up a huge chunk of the movie - the one in the clip posted above is one of the best parts - but it wasn't all like that, from my memory anyway.

Also, they seemed to go out of their way to not mention The Stooges unless it was unavoidable. An audience member asked the filmmakers about that, and they said they didn't want to take their focus away from the MC5 - which I get - but in the context of telling the MC5 story I think The Stooges are pretty important. Some extra anecdotes, or interviews with Stooges members would have been great.

I think if I had seen it on DVD in the comfort of my own home I would have respected it more, just for the fact that it's a great archive of all that footage - but as a movie it honestly felt like any number of first time director docs I've seen.

[40ozGraphics]

I saw it at the Century theater in Chicago for the Chicago Underground Film Festival. I wonder if they tightened it up between Toronto Film Fest and CUFF. It was in a comfy modern theater with an enthusiastic sold out crowd. I believe Dennis Thompson and or Michael Davis were in attendance. The bootlegged dvd that I was given a couple years ago is the same cut that I saw at the CUFF.

I'll agree, some of those Wayne Kramer interviews grew tiresome and smacked of b.s. and the pace lags along with the career of the band about two thirds in. Still a pretty good rock doc though.