Pulp: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets

This easy-going film about the British band that seemed happy to keep things domestic is part concert footage, part "where are they now" and a little bit of "surely this is set-up" magic, centered around Pulp's final Sheffield concert in December 2012.

Most people will want to know if it would be good watch, even if they only sort-of like Pulp's music. Well I think it is. Pulp still sound very good in 2014 and it is refreshing to hear a band express sentiments that they actually live by. They are in many ways the antithesis of the fame-game which is hinted at which the various references to everyday working-class life, although the frequent references to "regular people" and the slightly self-conscious adoration of common people could be a little grating for some.

An off-the-cuff interview with some local siblings was a personal highlight, as were the sections with Jarvis alone, although I was left wanting more Jarvis one-to-one time as he comes across as a really interesting guy.

Like the band it's unpretentious and fun, with an underlying profound message. You'll probably enjoy this if you like Pulp and you'll probably adore it if you're a fan.

In 1997, when I moved to London, as an American, beyond a song on the 'Trainspotting' soundtrack, I had never heard of the band 'PULP' (who released their first album in 1983). That gap in my musical knowledge was swiftly corrected by the locals and I was soon swaying and gushing with empathy to anthems like 'Mis-Shapes' and 'Common People'. The year after my arrival, the band released the controversial 'This is Hardcore' album (which I adored) and largely fell from the limelight. In the UK, at least, Jarvis Cocker and his bandmates have not been easily forgotten and the band, which hasn't toured or played together since shortly after the turn of the century, decided to organize a final concert as a bookend to their career.

Kiwi filmmaker Florian Habicht ('Love Story') has created a 'concert film' as unique as the band itself. Instead of providing a sleek chronology of the bands history, full performances of their fan favorites, and back-stage antics, he's focused his attention on the 'common' residence of PULP's native city, Sheffield, and made pensioners the center of his study. This may be a film for the fans but, for the sake of pop music history, the greats that didn't quite make it stateside (largely because they weren't macho enough), and because there isn't yet a trailer for this documentary, I encourage you to seek out this ban for your own educational enjoyment.

FILM REVIEW: 'Pulp: A Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets' Working alongside Pulp's lead singer, Jarvis Cocker, one-of-a-kind Kiwi treasure, Florian Habicht delivers a beautifully edited movie that's part documentary, part live concert recording, and all about the 'Common People' of Pulp's biggest hit. For me, it's the most enjoyable concert movie since Jonathan Demme's 'Stop Making Sense.'

A loving travelogue through Sheffield on the day of Pulp's last reunion gig, with a focus on ordinary people that renders them extraordinary. From a local girls soccer team sponsored by the band, and adoring Pulp fans of all ages, to the impossibly gangly, tea-sipping, flat-tyre-changing Jarvis himself, this is a funny, delightful and heart-warming tribute to a band, a city and the common folk wandering its streets.

This is a film about the people of Sheffield and one Pulp concert, rather than the band's career. I thought it was hilarious, and extremely well made, and not at all what I was expecting. The ordinary people of Sheffield (I will avoid saying 'common') are varied and entertaining, and the concert footage is superb. There are many highlights, but I will outline a few of my favourite moments: Steve Mackey's explanation of why playing to people from Sheffield is so nerve-wracking, the performance of 'Help the Aged', the knife maker, Candida's honesty and everything Nick Banks says. Pulp have always presented pop music in an unusual and entertaining way, and this documentary is fitting of that legacy.

As a native of Sheffield who lives overseas and an occasional Pulp admirer who met Jarvis Cocker while out drinking in Sheffield in 1985(at least I remember)! of course I enjoyed this film. It's warm and rare portrayal of Sheffield and it's people provided me with many 'that was my life' moments and much nostalgia. But this isn't about me. The film aligns the band with ordinary working class, unassuming, self-deprecating people, the majority of Sheffield's population I believe, the state-housed or working/lower-middle classes. Jarvis himself is from a different stratum of society but that needn't matter. The film portrays those people sympathetically and allows their light to shine in a way that normally wouldn't be revealed. The music is good - it's Pulp. If you are interested in music documentaries, it's worth a look.