Quiet Riot: Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back

I was delighted to see the Quiet Riot documentary included in the program for the NXNE film festival here in Toronto! This film is a definite must for fans of the genre as well as non fans alike. It is a cheeky look back at the heyday where legendary excesses launched and killed the careers of many a great band. But it is so much more than that. It is a testament to friendship and loyalty, perseverance and passion, being true to yourself and following your path. It is filled with humour, affectionate teasing and a lot of love. Never did I feel bashed over the head with messages or emotionally manipulated but rather was presented information that I was allowed to process for myself. I was impressed by the candour, openness and vulnerability of many of those interviewed (most notably Frankie Banali himself) and also by the skill of Regina Russell in capturing it. I laughed, I cried, I was singing along in my seat.

I just finished watching this fantastic rockumentary and I'm so glad that I DVR'd it when it saw it come up on the guide the other night! The highs and lows this story takes you on make for an incredible tale of a legendary band. Part real life Spinal Tap, part real life Rock Star! This is a new title in the classic line up of great rockumentaries that gives insight into that crazy world that is 80's Heavy Metal. If you are a fan of Quiet Riot or any of the bands or songs from the decade of metal then you are sure to enjoy this movie. Thanks for the reminder of how much fun the music of the 80's was and still is. Great job by all involved on both sides of the camera lens. Rock on \m/

I was a QR fan when they first came out. After they lost their initial appeal, I thought they were just a group that got lucky with two albums. I never realized they opened doors for heavy rock bands in the early 80's for getting record deals and playing in larger halls. According to the film, almost every 80's band who's first record came out after 1984 can thank QR for getting record labels to recognize hard rock as an art form! I also liked the personal stories of band members friendships, and times they stopped talking. I like the story of how Frank Banali kept the band going thru numerous personnel changes, and his grief with the death of his mother, his wife and Kevin. I like how he's a dedicated father and nutrition guru.

The only thing I would have done differently is added the ballad from Metal Health about Randy Rhodes to the film. That song would have been appropriate for the film!

I see a lot of these rock and roll quasi documentaries and was particularly impressed with this one. Besides being a bear to edit I imagine, it also stayed clear of the very formulaic Behind the Music format. After subsequent viewings I was really impressed with a few things in particular. First was the apparent honesty. I felt the director addressing Banali's decision to move forward after an obviously grief stricken and bold proclamation of not performing under the QR banner to be interesting. He put his blood sweat and tears into the legacy and made the reformation decision. Director tackled what was viewed as hypocritical by detractors head on. The inclusion of the online criticism and Banali's eventual FU to the cynics was handled well and was very interesting. Secondly, I appreciated how savvy the director handled the traditional "hero/villain" scenario that plagues a lot of these docs. Everyone got their criticism, took their criticism and it was handled with tongue firmly planted in cheek without sacrificing the seriousness of said situations. Specifically Mark and the opportunity and eventual missed opportunity. Finally, I really appreciated the Jeopardy and Dancing With the Stars references showing the cultural impact the band has. Reaching my character limit but BRAVO! See this film now.

In the early 1980s, Quiet Riot had hit it big time. In March 1983, their American debut album Metal Health was released. By November, the album had made its way up the Billboard charts at #1, becoming the first metal album to do so. Drummer Frankie Banali now tells the story of the LA hard rockers, as well as his own story in this new documentary. The movie- Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back- is a heartfelt story about a rock band and the friendship at the center of it.

While this movie documents the resurrection of Quiet Riot, we are also told of the band's history. The first half hour of the movie is devoted to giving history of Quiet Riot from the beginning till the 1980s. At certain parts in the movie, it will cut back to the 1980s. For the most part, the information given in the history segments is good. Even being a Quiet Riot fan, some of the information was new to me as were some of the archival videos used. While this isn't a complete history of Quiet Riot, it's still amazing how much director Regina Russell was able to fit in the movie's runtime of 104 minutes.

For interviewees, we get to hear from a nice group of people. This includes former members such as Rudy Sarzo as well as other figures in the world of hard rock including Dee Snider, Glenn Hughes and That Metal Show host Eddie Trunk. We also get to hear from Rhoads' brother and sister, as well as singer Kevin DuBrow's mother and even his brother Dr. Terry DuBrow (a plastic surgeon who has starred in several E! Network reality shows). Quiet Riot members Chuck Wright and Alex Grossi even get some camera time, sharing memories of DuBrow and discussing the status of the new band. Watching the resurrection of Quiet Riot is quite entertaining. We get to see the band audition different singers in one scene before finally deciding on singer Mark Huff. The movie documents almost each and every show the band plays with Huff, which lead to some hilarious and even emotionally intense scenes.

Overall, Well Now You're Here is a great documentary. The movie is also strengthened by the hard rocking tunes Quiet Riot delivered over the years. In the last few years, there have been a series of great rock documentaries: Anvil with Anvil: The Story of Anvil, Rodriguez with Searching for Sugar Man and Death with A Band Called Death just to name a few. Quiet Riot can now join that group with this movie. I highly recommend seeing this movie, whether you're a fan of Quiet Riot or not.

This movie was also partially funded by Quiet Riot fans through Kickstarter in 2010. I was one of the many who donated some money so I could see this movie. After seeing this, I'm proud to say I had a small part in helping this movie become a reality.