20150515: Documentary Review--Thievery Corporation: Live at 9:30

Thievery Corporation: Live at 9:30

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. American live action feature length film, 2011, NR, 97 minutes, documentary, music.
2. IMDB: 8.8/10.0 from 12 audience ratings. Twelve ratings is not much of a sample.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 'No reviews yet...' and 100% wanted to see it from 1 audience ratings.  Yes, that is ONE audience rating.
4. I watched this on Crackle, complete with commercials.  The commercials, at least, were done by professionals.
5. Directed by: Jolyon Hoff.
6. Starring: Thievery Corporation.


2. Setup and Plot
1. The film consists of concert footage interwoven with documentary interviews.


2. The camerawork on the concert footage is truly poor.  The sound recording and playback is rather good, but the visuals are amateurish in comparison.


3. Perhaps most unfortunate about this uninspired effort is that the interviews (beautifully shot, but impoverished in content) seem to have less than nothing to do with the concert footage.


4. I have recently watched and reviewed Metallica: Through the Never, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, and Muscle Shoals.  Compared to those majestic accomplishments, this film is amateurishly directed, visually ugly, and musically listless.


3. Conclusions
1. For better 'world music' try Afro-Celt.
2. I would not recommend this to anyone.  The best parts were the commercials.
3. One line summary: If you enjoy lens flare and smoke, you'll love this.
4. Two stars of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 0/10 If you enjoy lens flare and smoke, you'll love this.  The film is beyond belief ugly.  The multiple overlay method fails badly; the background videos seem irrelevant.


2. Sound: 10/10 Just fine.  That is why I gave the film 2/5 instead of a (first ever) 0/5.


3. Acting: z/10 Supposedly not applicable here, but some numbers were clearly lip-synced, and done so quite poorly.


4. Screenplay: 2/10 Documentary clips: relentlessly boring, incomplete, and self-important.  Concert footage: musicians were competent, but poorly presented visually.  Fusion: complete failure.  With eyes closed, the film is a bit better.