The Inagural HomeMadeMonday

First, a transparent moment, documentaries are not a specialty of mine. Boring is a strong word, it's more that historically I just haven't cared. They're hard to find out about, and even harder to find unless you live in NY or LA. This mild adversity made for a welcome surprise once I got to scouring the trailerscape for our first official HomeMadeMonday: Not only was there a wealth of interesting stories/people/topics, but they didn't look homemade at all... they looked, great.

Pressure Cooker looked great, but so did Unmistaken Child, unfortunately both are already out. I'll go see them, but being in theaters was a good enough reason for a d.q. The Cove looks like Free Willy meets Behind Enemy Lines (in a good way), and it comes July 31 which means I can save it until next week for the maximum effect.

All this prelude, it's like a calm country day with a gray swirling wind on the horizon, or the murmur of a stadium filled with people as the lights go out...



It's a hard pick to justify if you're not a music fan, but needless if you are.

It Might Get Loud doesn't come out until August 14, and even though I'll spend the next month and a half salivating while I relisten to each of their catalogues in turn, there are other docs coming out sooner that could have been featured. Another piece of ammunition for the naysayers, is the fact that it looks like something IFC or the Sundance Channel would have on Tuesday night. I can't say there's an obvious story here, and lack of story is typically my problem with documentaries. They just cover something, news like, rather than create an engaging story to put their subject on display. The trailer for TMGL manages overcome both of these problems. First, by having such an interesting subject, and second, by having such a ridiculously interesting subject.

In the world of trailers, especially documentary trailers, creating an appetite is the prime objective and anyone who's picked up a guitar, or Guitar Hero, has imagined having their icons all sit around and talk shop. Jimmy, Jack, and the Edge are different enough so that each will bring his own crowd, and yet similar enough that if you like one you won't be turned off by the others. And as for lack of story, no story... no problem. Director, Davis Guggenheim, who brought us Truth in An Inconvenient fashion, uses a little slight of hand to make you think your getting Cindarella Man. He shows you each man on his home turf. They meet on a raised stage that looks like a boxing ring where the ropes are replaced by Marshall Stacks. Finally, Jack White lays it all on the table while he heads for the showdown "...whats gonna happen? Probably a fist fight." Well, probably not, but enough reverb to punch you in the face... check and triple check.