Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All
Matt Riggle, Deedle LaCour:
Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All (USA, 2013)
90 min. - English
K-12
Descendents and its members' project All are bands that have reached cult status and greatly influenced the development of American punk. Nearly every pop punk or skate punk band lists Descendents as their influence, for instance, the band inspired Dave Grohl to take up drumming. Even if you don't know Silly Girl or their other hits, most people recognise Descendents' logo: a caricature of lead-singer Milo.
There is a reason why Descendents has never been commercially as successful as its successors Green Day, NOFX or Offspring. Their two-minute long songs are far too crude for satellite channels and the band member's interests lay elsewhere. Fishing, coffee, bad jokes, hanging out and playing punk in the garage are more important to the members of Descendents than success. They have their basic values worked out, which is also evident from drummer Bill Stevenson's definition of them: “coffee'd-out blend of rock-surf-pop-punk musicâ€. The line-up of the band has varied, yet their groove is still as authentic as it used to be, despite various developments and setbacks.
Filmage is comprised of interviews of former and current band members, and also of stories told by fans such as Dave Grohl, Mike Watt and Brett Gurewitz. The documentary is illustrated with humorous animations that emphasize the band's unique sense of humour. Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All is not only a story of two bands but also a journey back to the roots of pop punk and skate punk.
Sat 16th Nov at 2:00pm Kerubi