Went and saw the Wilco film last night at Belcourt. I'm still not to sure what to think. It was average at best, and while the 16mm B&W looked gorgeous in parts, in others it looked like it was strapped to the back of Zippy the MonkeyCam. The sync was off in parts, and there just wasn't a lot of coverage during performances. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge Wilco fan. Like them, think they are a good american band (how's that for dodging a label?) but I really didn't know much more about them after sitting thru this film. Has anyone else seen it? What do you think? Was I just in a grouchy mood? One to many beers at Belcourt? Am I alone to think that I was much more excited to see this film than pleased after actually seeing it? If this was about Matchbox 20 would anyone be giving two rat's asses? It seems the buzz around this film is because of "cool" label that follows Wilco.

it's a shame that the film isn't something for non or new fans. i was under the impression that this was the case. however, since i'm quite the wilco fan, i will probably enjoy the hell out of it.

I don't think it had anything to do with fan or non fan. I'm quite the fan of music docs in general (hence this Features project) but I don't think there was enough there to even throw a bone to a fan. The music was great, and it was interesting to see them rehearsing, but there wasn't any little magic moments. Little glimpses into Jeff Tweedy's life. The closest they got was when him and his wife didn't have any money on them at Wendy's...

I agree with you Peace Frog. I am a huge Wilco fan but I found the documentary underwhelming. Live performances good, a lot of neat shots, but overall it conveyed very little intimacy with the band. I think Tony Margarita was in it more than Jeff Tweedy. I just thought it focused too much on historicizing the turbulent story of YHF which yes is important and interesting but it's the same angle taken by every other current review of Wilco and I was hoping for a little more focus on the band itself. But I've been a little jaded with Wilco lately anyway due to identical set lists and Tweedy in-between song commentary at the last three shows I've seen.
Neuboy went with me and maybe he'll have some biting criticism to offer considering Wilco is now far too palatable for his ears and he said the other day that "Being There" was a decent record but had too many forgettable moments.

(Edited by etcetera at 1:28 pm on Nov. 20, 2002)

Thank you guys for reminding me that I need to go see that immediately. How much longer is it running at the Belcourt?

wilco movie:
label stuff - heard so much of it 10 times before but it was still interesting

more music than i was expecting actually, great to hear different versions of yhf songs. also i came to the conclusion that some of the songs, "poor places" "reservations" sounded a lot better stripped down. but that's just my opinion.

jeff tweedy's older kid has remarkable rhythm.

i was never a big fan of the 2nd disc of being there, aside from "sunken treasure". but the first disc is un-fucking-stoppable.

Jay Bennett is Phillip Seymour Hoffman in disguise.

(Edited by 6969hOoBaInCuBuS420 at 3:38 pm on Nov. 20, 2002)

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart is possibly one of the most forgettable rock documentaries I've seen. It's boring, long, and comes off like a bad advertisement. The trailers are terrible too. Christ. Wilco is definitely accessible and I can't understand why any label would drop them based on an album like YHF. It's certainly not hard to listen to. It, like all the Wilco albums, has some songs that should have been left on the cutting room floor. But there are moments of staggering beauty as well. I just don't understand why throwing a little ambience into the mix results in a "career-ending album." This is besides the point. The movie is boring. Go see it if you like.

"Being There" is a great double album. Having said that, I like "Summer Teeth" much much much much more. It's just so much more original and fresh. Quite a bit of "Being There" is unoriginal and been-done-before; it's also a bit too "alt-country" for me in spots. It's still a tad better than "YHF", and a helluvalot better than "AM"...

"Being There" is definitely way too alt-country.

This is an absolutely hilarious observation. Yes! A side note; when I was in Chicago with the band, Rory and I went out to get food for everybody. We went to a burrito place and brought back, obviously, burritos for everyone. As we were sitting there eating at the Hideout, this freaking dog, scratch that, pit bull, kept coming over and begging for food. I love dogs, but pit bulls are a little nerve inducing. I was throwing him some chicken and petting him, all along wondering to myself, "who in Sam-Hell brings a dog to a bar, let alone a freaking pit bull, a friendly little chap, but a pit bull none the less." His owner sat at the end of the bar reading and every now and then would ask if he was bothering us. He had this very Phillip Seymour Hoffman way about him. Last night while I was watching the Wilco film, I heard Jay Bennet speak and instantly triggered that dog memory. If Jay has gotten a haircut since that film was shot, that was him at the end of the bar. The owner told us that Wilco would play there under assumed names quite a bit and that they would actually hang out there as well, Jay particualrly, because she was talking about how awkward it was for awhile around there. I don't know if it was actually him or not, but I thought it was pretty odd the way my mind tripped back to the guy with the dog. Anywho, that has no relevence to the movie at all except it's a funny notion that we were all chomping burritos oblivious to the fact that a former member of Wilco may or may not have been there with his dog.

So, how long is it running? I would rather see it and not like it than miss it completely.

I have never met a mean pitt bull in person. I know they exist, but the coolest dog I've ever seen was a pitt bull and the others i've been around were just a little excitable, but not vicious. I think they are trained to be mean.

It runs through the 27th.

i read somewhere, that somebody described this doc as "sam jones love letter to wilco" that's pretty right on if you ask me.
i hated all the journalists telling us how great the album is, as if we needed to be told.
and yeah a little more focus on the creativity and less on the buisness/melodrama would have been good

there was one very unconfortable scene in the movie just to watch. i feel for poor glenn hanging out in the background there when it actually happened

I know there are a lot of Wilco fans here, so I thought I'd pass this along. It seems that a band called Uncle Tupelo, which included Jeff Tweedy, Ken Coomer, Max Johnston, and John Stirratt, will be re-releasing three of their four albums. You can get more details from murmurs.com.

Thanks for the info, TF. I am indeed excited b/c all that I have are No Depression and Anondyne. It's about time they got around to this.

And on a side note, I love murmers.com...

(Edited by iwantelvis at 9:38 am on Jan. 27, 2003)

As all good R.E.M. fans should!