Tuesday, October 07, 2003
The School of Rock rocks like nothing that rocks hard has ever rocked hard before.
Seriously, this movie rocks. I never thought I'd long for Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Waking Life) to sell out and direct a big Hollywood movie - but that's exactly what he's done, except that a) it's no sellout, b) it's not your typical big Hollywood movie, c) it was written by Mike White (Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl), and d) it stars Jack Black. It also made $19.6 million in its opening weekend. Hello, Hollywood! And about fucking time, too.
Even though Black's costars (apart from the ever-perfect Joan Cusack and White himself) are a bunch of 10-year-olds, it's never truly cloying. The kids actual play their own instruments and do their own singing. Black, of course, does as well - as well as he ever does (if you know Black, if you know Tenacious D, you know exactly what I mean). His character is in some ways a variation on that he played in High Fidelity - and as much as I'd like to claim I'm the John Cusack character in that masterpiece, I'm not. I'm Jack Black's. So I identify, if only a little (shut up, you). Two of the film's "music supervisors" are Jim O'Rourke and Liam Lynch, and the original score was written by Craig Wedren, ex-Shudder To Think. This flick has got a fine-ass rock pedigree, and wears it well. Go see it. For those about to rock, I salute you.
Seriously, this movie rocks. I never thought I'd long for Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Waking Life) to sell out and direct a big Hollywood movie - but that's exactly what he's done, except that a) it's no sellout, b) it's not your typical big Hollywood movie, c) it was written by Mike White (Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl), and d) it stars Jack Black. It also made $19.6 million in its opening weekend. Hello, Hollywood! And about fucking time, too.
Even though Black's costars (apart from the ever-perfect Joan Cusack and White himself) are a bunch of 10-year-olds, it's never truly cloying. The kids actual play their own instruments and do their own singing. Black, of course, does as well - as well as he ever does (if you know Black, if you know Tenacious D, you know exactly what I mean). His character is in some ways a variation on that he played in High Fidelity - and as much as I'd like to claim I'm the John Cusack character in that masterpiece, I'm not. I'm Jack Black's. So I identify, if only a little (shut up, you). Two of the film's "music supervisors" are Jim O'Rourke and Liam Lynch, and the original score was written by Craig Wedren, ex-Shudder To Think. This flick has got a fine-ass rock pedigree, and wears it well. Go see it. For those about to rock, I salute you.
# posted by Thomas : 6:32 PM
