Digital Divide: February 2011

Get Your Motorhead Running

Sometimes, you will see a documentary on this performer or that performer and just scratch your head in wonder. “Why,” you might muse, “is time and effort being wasted on this person. He/she has achieved nothing, but for some reason someone thinks we should know everything about them.” Unfortunately, this happens way too often.

Then there’s Lemmy (Red General). As in Kilmister. As in Motorhead‘s Lemmy. If ever there was someone who exemplifies the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and could command our interest for a couple of hours of soul searching, it’s him.

After dabbling with several bands during the ’60s British invasion, Kilmister signed on as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix. Once that gig was up, he joined the early-’70s space-rock outfit Hawkwind. Eventually, he was ushered out the door because of drug use. Not simply because he was using, mind you, but because he wasn’t using the same ones as the rest of the band. See, Kilmister ‘s drug of choice was amphetamines, while the rest of the band would indulge in acid. Apparently, speed and hallucinagins don’t make for being on the same page. Who knew?

The next step was to form Motorhead, and the legend begins.

The brilliance of Motorhead is that it transcends genres. It wasn’t just another meathead metal band, it created something new – thrash. It’s because of this that it survived, and even thrived when punk came along and obliterated almost everything metal and prog-rock act in its path. The sheer speed, volume, and don’t-give-a-shit-attitude that was Motorhead’s M.O. made it not only acceptable to punk nation, but revered.

So you can see how Kilmister ‘s tale is ripe for the telling. Unfortunately, directors Wes Orshoski and Greg Olliver aren’t the guys to tell it. Despite trailing Kilmister for three years, all they can come up with is standard documentary fare: Lemmy on stage, Lemmy backstage, Lemmy talking about Lemmy. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been seen in countless features just like it, and that’s truly sad. Mind you, if all you care about is simply two hours of watching Lemmy be Lemmy, this will be fine. But you come out of the experience knowing exactly what you knew about him before.

The special features are numerous, but nothing really stands out. It’s mainly more rehearsal footage, and more interviews that didn’t make it into the main feature.

Red
Summit Entertainment

What a drag it is getting old. Father Time is never going to be your friend, no matter how hard you try to butter him up or offer sacrifices to him to get on his good side. There is always going to be someone coming up behind you to take your job after you’ve decided to call it quits or worse, get forced out altogether. And that’s just in your menial, work-a-day life. Imagine how much it would suck if your job happened to be working for the CIA.

Well you don’t have to imagine, because Red does it for you.

As retired spook Frank Moses, Red finds Bruce Willis passing retirement by waiting for his pension check and conducting a sight-unseen relationship with the pension worker on the other end of the phone, played by Mary-Louise Parker.

Of course, being ex-CIA has its drawbacks, as Frank finds out when he is targeted in a failed assassination attempt. In the aftermath, he enlists some old allies (Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren) to help him break into CIA headquarters and find out just what the heck is going on.

While Red is billed as an ensemble piece, it’s actually Willis’ film. Freeman’s role is limited to a few scenes at the beginning and midway point of the film, and Mirren doesn’t even show up until the last third. Still, the talent on hand makes up for the film’s shortcomings, including a middle section that drags to a point it almost grinds the film to a halt.

Although the extras aren’t that numerous, the audio commentary by retired CIA field officer Robert Baer is a nice change from the standard actor/director gabfest.

— Timothy Hiatt

Category: Columns, Digital Divide, Monthly