Mubi Monday: End Of The Century (2003)

AKA End Of The Century: The Story Of The Ramones.

I don't often select documentaries to review here because it can be hard to discuss them at length without simply regurgitating a lot of the information contained within them. But this is one I have loved since I first saw it, over a decade ago, and it's worth highlighting.

As you would expect, it is the story of The Ramones, the punk band made up of Joey Ramone (real name = Jeff Hymnan), Johnny Ramone (real name = John Cummings), Tommy Ramone (real name =  Thomas Erdelyi), and Dee Dee Ramone (real name = Douglas Colvin). These are the names that you see on the t-shirts. You know, those t-shirts that pop up in photos accompanied by people stating that if you're going to wear it then you should be able to name at least five songs by the band. I tend to agree with that statement, although it's fair to say that The Ramones, arguably more than any other band, effectively nailed the balance of punk rock attitude and raucous guitar swagger that felt more like a lifestyle choice than a musical one. But if you watch this documentary and find yourself not recognising many of the tunes then you really need to dive into their discography, because you're missing out on some cracking tunes.

It quickly becomes clear how things worked within the band, with interviews and archival footage blended together to paint an accurate portrait of people who almost stumbled into a position that saw them idolised by many others in the music scene. Predictably enough, those influenced by the band often managed to smooth off the rough edges and find mainstream success, which is just another reason to love the unlikely heroes (?!? yes . . . heroes).

Like all of the best documentaries, this gives you great insight into the subject matter, while also encouraging viewers to delve deeper. I can't imagine anyone watching this and not immediately wanting to then get their hands on some albums from the band. Directors Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia know that there are two main things people love The Ramones for, the music and the attitude, and this presentation keeps both of those things present and correct for most of the runtime, and even interspersed throughout the end credits.

Fans may not learn anything new here, it was always quite common knowledge that Joey was the singer and figurehead of the band, while Johnny tried to exert more control and Dee Dee was, well, busy being Dee Dee. But it's still an absolute joy to see the band working, see them squabbling, catch snippets of live performances, and hear them talked about with reverence by the likes of Joe Strummer and Blondie.

I won't be leaving it so long until the next revisit of this. It's one of my favourite music documentaries, and always reminds me to get more Ramones tunes stuffed into my ears.

9/10

You can buy a shiny disc here.
Americans can buy it here.

How To Talk To Girls At Parties (2017)

It's the 1970s and three young lads (Enn, played by Alex Sharp, Vic, played by Abraham Lewis, and John, played by Ethan Lawrence) want nothing more than to revel in anything that retains the essence of pure punk and be allowed to revel in the company of girls that they fancy. Lost on their way to an after party, they end up in a building that houses a number of aliens. But they don't realise that the inhabitants are aliens. Enn meets the lovely Zan (Elle Fanning), who then runs away with him to see more of the outside world, and to experience some punk.

Based on a short story by Neil Gaiman, this is a blend of genres that will be familiar to anyone who has had the pleasure of reading his work. Gaiman loves to throw together different ingredients to create his own new recipes, and I am sure that the source material of this is very enjoyable. It's unfortunate that the film doesn't get things right when translating the material to the screen.

Director John Cameron Mitchell, who also worked on the script with Philippa Goslett, doesn't seem to know what to do with the story. Unable to decide on whether to focus on some comedy, the sci-fi elements, or the romance, or even the desperate need of the youngsters who found a voice in the sound of punk, he fails to find the right approach to anything, and is unable to compensate for it with required style and energy. To make a film that is so based around punk rock without a sense of energy is just, well, it would seem to be a difficult thing to do. Yet Mitchell manages it.

The script works when providing shorthand notes on the alien life cycles, but falters in so many other scenes, either by not making the dialogue sharp enough or just giving characters lines to say that feel tonally jarring compared to other moments in the film. Not that it's entirely unsuccessful. There ARE some genuinely good moments (most of the scenes featuring Nicole Kidman are great, and the very end of the film is surprisingly effective) but they make the lesser scenes all the more disappointing.

The youngsters all do decent work, even if Fanning feels less convincing when she's called upon to try her hand at singing like an actual punk, but it's the older cast members who help to save this from being unwatchable. Kidman, sporting a decent British accent too, is absolutely wonderful as an older punk who has sacrificed a hell of a lot in the hope of being present during great moments in punk history, Joanna Scanlan is good as the mother of Enn, and Ruth Wilson is great fun as a dangerous alien who seems to enjoy all of the life cycle her species goes through.

Some people may get more out of this than I did, of course, but it was hugely disappointing for me. Not being sure of the tone and focus is one thing, not making the best use of Fanning is another, but to not even have a good enough soundtrack to detract from those failings . . . well, that should have been avoided at all costs, considering the wild, strong spirit at the heart of the whole thing.

4/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.