Probably the official sign you've truly become a huge fan of a particular actor is when you find yourself following their band. Now a days what actor or actress doesn't have a band or a record out? Even Scarlett Johansson has released a CD, so this brief review is probably only for the die-hard Crowe fans who like myself not only enjoy the man and the movies, but the music as well.
Texas is a brief band documentary providing a little back history, some pictures and videos of a very young Russell Crowe performing. Also includes a behind the scenes look at the 30 Odd Foot of Grunts preparing for a the recording of their latest album at the time, Bastard Life or Clarity, and pieces of a live concert performance in Austin Texas. The DVD shows what a pretty large following the band (or at least Russell) has, as easily over a thousand people from all around the country lined up for hours to get tickets to see him perform outside of a local bar in Austin. It seems Russell's even made Wayne Newton status as he and the band had multiple bras and panties thrown up on stage!
Documentaries have never been my thing but I found this DVD enjoyable because I love the music and some of the history behind the band and the songs. I'm not going to attempt to convince any one that Russell Crowe is the greatest singer alive, if he was acting would probably be the side gig, but for the type of folk rock that Crowe and his band performs great vocal talent isn't extremely necessary, in my opinon his voice is perfectly suited for the music, and the music is nothing short of awesome. In a world where all the pop, rock, country, rap sounds exactly the same it's nice to find something outside the norm, and it's nice to find a band that's simply doing it for fun.
I'd suggest those of you not familiar with Russell's band check them out, if you're looking for something less mainstream. Russell may be the focal point of the band as singer and writer of most of the songs, but the band itself really makes it all worth while. Below are a couple of my favorite songs off Russell's most recent album My Hand My Heart. Overall I give a perfect score on the enjoyment factor of the music, and an average score on the DVD, the video quality is average, and aside from the musical performances and some of the history on the band it's not necessarily something I'd revisit often. Plus having to literally dig through the DVD for more extras and bonus features is more of a pain than an enjoyment. I would have preferred watching the entire two and a half hour concert on DVD, as it's the music that appeals to me more than anything else.
7/10
i love this 'film'! russell in all his 'rock god' glory and loving every minute of it. he's raw, he's raunchy, he's rude, and he's having a ball! i love tofog - maybe they're not the best band in the world, but they are certainly write catchy tunes, and russell loves to tease and play with his audience.
ReplyDeletei hope hope hope they will deliver on his not-quite-promise to perform live this summer in the u.s. so i can lose my tofog virginity, and i hope alan doyle will join them. apparently they have nearly an albums' worth of new music that hasn't been recorded yet, and i can't wait to hear it.
as to the dvd itself - somebody must have been seriously stoned when he authorized the whole 'drill deeper' concept, and it frustrates me endlessly. there are parts of the dvd that i can't figure out how to access; it's just annoying that they talk about all of this great behind the scenes stuff and pix, and i can't see them. arrrggghhh.
My favourite Australian Toni Collette, also has her own band :)
ReplyDeleteHaving been there for the 3 concerts that are the source of the 2000 footage, this dvd certainly ably conveys the frenzy of the time - just after Gladiator hit the screens. What you dont experience is the ungodly heat of Austin in August - ugh!
ReplyDeleteNot a bad debut for a budding film director - Mr. Black (Russell's nom de conceit). Hopefully someday we'll see a full-fledged effort from him.