cdonnison

There is no denying that this is an extraordinary achievement in that 4 characters literally age before our eyes over a 12 year period. But I keep asking myself if I was swayed by that more than the quality of the film itself. The dialog and interactions are very genuine and believable, there are very compelling performances and there is one scene in particular where Patricia Arquette just broke my heart. When I told folks that I had seen it I had a really hard time describing it to them! It is a Linklater film so it is dialog heavy as opposed to action driven. I suppose the mark of a great film is that 3 days after seeing it, I am still thinking about it and want to see it again.

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.