Hard Core Logo

Starring:Art Bergmann, Jeremy Bishop (II), Bernie Coulson, Hugh Dillon, Dan Fazzio, Claudia Ferri, Benita Ha, Michael Kopsa, Corrine Koslo, Megan Leitch, Terry David Mulligan, Danny Nowak, Nicole Parker, John Pyper-Ferguson, Joey Ramone, Callum Keith Rennie, Julian Richings, Jochen A. Schliessler, Tony Tucker (II)
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Hard Core Logo is often compared to This Is Spinal Tap--and for marketing purposes, that makes sense: both are pretend documentaries about rock bands (a self-important heavy metal crew in Spinal Tap, a self-destructing punk mob in Hard Core Logo). But though Hard Core Logo can be cuttingly funny, it's not really a comedy; it's a piercing examination of friendship and betrayal, success and self-hatred, and everything that fueled punk rock. Lead singer Joe Dick (Hugh Dillon) uses false pretenses to convince guitarist Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie) to reform Hard Core Logo for a reunion tour across Canada, followed by a film crew (featuring director Bruce McDonald, whose other films include Roadkill and Highway 61, as himself). Tallent agrees, but only because he expects to be joining a much more successful rock group very shortly and sees this as a favor to Dick. As they travel from town to town, their relationship unravels, as does the psyche of bass player John Oxenberger (John Pyper-Ferguson). The performances are astonishingly genuine; even the oafish drummer Pipefitter (Bernie Coulson) becomes three-dimensional. By the end, you'll believe in them so much as people that the band's disintegration is truly wrenching. A remarkable film, both comic and sad. --Bret Fetzer

Description

A hilarious rockumentary in the laugh-packed tradition of THIS IS SPINAL TAP -- critics everywhere are howling the praises of HARD CORE LOGO! The punk rock band Hard Core Logo is back -- reunited and hitting the road on a last-gasp tour across the western part of the nation. As magnetic lead singer Joe Dick holds the whole tour together through sheer force of will, all the tensions and pitfalls of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle come bursting hilariously to the surface! Featuring a memorable appearance by punk rock legend Joey Ramone of The Ramones -- settle in and enjoy this offbeat comedy as it really cranks up the laughs!

Customer Reviews:

As many different shades of "brilliant" as there are........2006-10-17

Hard Core Logo (Bruce MacDonald, 1996)

When I finished watching Hard Core Logo, with its insanely brilliant final shot, I realized I'd seen a pretty good movie-- a little slow to get going, and definitely marketed wrong (comparing Hard Core Logo to This Is Spinal Tap is like comparing Shoah to Life Is Beautiful). Two days later, when I was still thinking about all the subtleties of the movie, it occurred to me that I'd seen what may be the most brilliant mockumentary ever created, a movie so true to the roots of the things it fictionalizes that it may well be truer, in a sense, than many of the "memoirs" we've seen in the recent past.

Hard Core Logo is the story of the [punk band of the same name], who reunite for a five-date tour after five years of separation-- vocalist Joe Dick (Hugh and the Headstones singer Hugh Dillon, recently of Assault on Precinct 13), guitarist Billy Tallent (Blade: Trinity's Callum Keith Rennie), bassist John Oxenberger (Pin...'s John Pyper-Ferguson), and drummer Pipefitter (Bernie Coulson, who despite a long and prolific career will probably best be remembered for a single guest spot on an episode of The X-Files) quickly find not only that the rigors of the road still suck, but that not everyone is just in it for the love of the game...

I wish I could enumerate all the things that make this such a wonderful movie. The problem is, I'm sure I haven't found them all yet. Just while sitting here typing this it occurred to me how dead-on the dichotomy between the filmmakers' attitude towards the band and the general public's attitude towards the band is; MacDonald comes at the project, initially, through a kind of hero-worship (and again, my mind just made the parallels between the MacDonald-Dick relationship and the Dick-Bucky Haight relationship as the film progresses. Amazing stuff.), while the general public, most of whom hadn't heard of the band before, certainly couldn't give a damn about the reunion tour. Been there, done that. MacDonald nails it.

The comparisons to Spinal Tap are unwarranted mainly because where Spinal Tap is a comedy, Hard Core Logo is a tragedy. There's never a point in Spinal Tap where you don't know that there's going to be some sort of "oh, you're HUGE in Germany!" deus ex machina. MacDonald never even gives us the option in Hard Core Logo; it's obvious that no matter how things end up, people are going to get hurt. The self-destructive Hard Core Logo are hell-bent on imploding, and MacDonald (whom, I should mention, is playing himself; yes, this film has "meta" writ large all over it, which is part of the fun) is just as intent on capturing the whole thing. What starts off seeing as though it may be a mean-spirited black comedy quickly turns to uncomfortable chuckling, and by halfway through you're wondering why you ever thought there was anything funny about it.

It's been another week since I finished watching it and framed that opening paragraph in my head, and the movie is still growing in my estimation. The more I think about it, the more I realize Hard Core Logo is an incredible achievement on every level. A stunning film. **** ½

Hardcore Logo.......2006-05-24

This movie ranks up there with the other punk rock movies: Romper Stomper, American History X, and SLC Punk. GET IT!!! It was obviously shot on a low budget and a few years back (1996), but that's the way the hardcore scene looked - low budget. Over-production would have killed this movie. It gave a good look at life in small town life and angry youth in North America as it would have looked in the 1980's before this sort of thing was commercialized and exploited by MTV, etc. It also shows some beautiful winter scenery of the more remote regions in western Canada. Enjoy!!!!

Has little to do with .......2006-02-20

Has little to do with hardcore or punk music but is still a good film, i recommend it.

A real thrill seeker!!.......2006-01-16

I was not disapointed at all with the purchase of this film. It had so much suspense to it and the way it ended was the most unexpecting. It was well done and the actors in it were very realistic as for a independant film.

Your Favorite Band Sucks........2005-11-08

Hard Core Logo never made it off the ground. It was a simple idea badly executed and finalized by a rushed statement about the music industry. Director Bruce McDonald has crafted, well ... crafted is too decent of a word, he has actually jumbled together a mess of a film that attempts to give us that raw, cutting edge, emotion that demonstrates that corporations don't own the music we listen to. Actually, I am not sure that was the point at all with this feature, in fact, I am not sure I quite understood what anyone, from the actors to the director himself, was trying to accomplish with this devastating mockumentary. From the high-school theater acting to the rushed ending, you feel lost and used throughout the course of this entire film. You want to witness both the high points and struggles for this band, but it is extremely hard when you care nothing about the band from the beginning. We have seen the punk band film recreated in Hollywood over and over, and this takes no new punches. Sure, the "spitting" is gross, but does that really define a character? I wanted unique characters that brought with them a passion and a history, not just clichéd moments that could be witnessed outside of every coffeehouse in America.

To begin, the story. Where was it? What was the central focus of this film? It was nothing more than a rehashed version of The Blues Brothers, but instead of Jake insinuating that religion forced the band back together, we have Joe Dick demonstrating that corruption and popularity keep the world floating in a circle. The sad part is that there is no direction. Director Bruce McDonald tries hard to show the raw power of this band, but instead just creates cheap realism bounded by a confusing structure. McDonald, as both the director and "voice of God", intervenes too often in this film giving us this fake sense of truth. Unlike the Christopher Guest films, we are reminded often that a camera crew is following this band. While McDonald may be attempting to make the point that punk rockers hate the publicity and media hype, it seems as if the members of "Hard Core Logo" want nothing more than to be ever-present on the camera. It is a genuine slap in the face for true revelers of the punk rock genre. I feel as if McDonald embarrassed both this genre and those punk rockers. Either he didn't do his homework, he didn't care about the topic, or he just was trying to recreate the excitement of This is Spinal Tap, but he failed. This film from the beginning scene never worked due in a major part to the lacking story and structure, but also because of the poor choice of actors to helm this project.

If this was to be a comedy, as boasted on the cover of the DVD, than one could safely assume that there was going to be actual bits of humor laced between the storyline. I am here to confirm that there was nothing funny about this film at all. I don't believe I uttered one miniscule chuckle through the entire journey. It just wasn't funny. I do not doubt that audiences were rolling around with laughter during the "huge" cliché drug sequence, but to me it just seemed so forced and recycled that by that point in the film my mind was controlled by apathy. I didn't care. The actors were completely devoid of their characters. When I watch a film I expect to see an actor bring something new to the table with their character, or better yet, at least bring their character to the table, but in Hard Core Logo, nobody did. I kept seeing actors playing the part of the punk rock band members. I witnessed no back-story dedicated to understanding these members of the band prior to this failed reunion tour. I witnessed nothing that placed my heart with this band as they traveled through Canada searching to rebuild their status. Thanks to the poor direction of Bruce McDonald (and the complete lack of meaty characters), nothing felt honest, real, or even emotional about these guys.

Finally, another issue with this film is that it feels dated. I realize that with documentaries or even mocumentaries there is an understanding that perhaps years from now you will look back and laugh at how much the world has changed. Sadly, with this film, it began in a Goodwill Store, and never quite found its historical value. There are better films out there that depict the punk rock era than Hard Core Logo. I was hoping to remember some of my youthful tunes and the power of disrespecting a corporate nation, but with this film I just felt cheap. I felt dishonest about the true nature of a very innovated music movement.

Overall, I thought this was a horrible film. Those that have quoted the ending as being fantastical, I would wonder how they were able to fully develop themselves into these characters. The director was poor, the production was generic, and the full disrespect to the genre of punk rock was hitting me so hard in the face I nearly wanted to get angry at this film. I guess I did have some emotion with this film, but not what McDonald wanted to convey. I do not suggest this film, but instead think that you should go out and find your old NOFX albums or Rancid album and truly enjoy what this genre of music has to offer.

Grade: * out of *****

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