Brian Trenchard-Smith's STUNT ROCK, which I wrote about in the early days of HQ 10, has finally shown up on domestic DVD (courtesy of Code Red), and to celebrate this I figure it's time to run the film's now-famous trailer all over again, since it was a major force in getting the film rediscovered. Alamo Drafthouse founder/my boss Tim League likes to tell the story of buying this trailer in his early days of print and trailer collecting and programming it at many of the early Alamo Drafthouse screenings. It became a staple of Harry Knowles' annual Butt-Numb-a-Thon, where the film itself was finally screened in December of 2005 to an unsuspecting (and rather unimpressed) audience.
I'd never seen the trailer (or heard of the movie) until I saw it on a now out-of-print trailer compilation DVD called TRAILER TRASH, and pretty much like everyone else I was literally gobsmacked by what I saw. It's impossible to tell what the film is about (I thought it was a straight documentary), but that's the charm of the trailer, as it's just this bizarre barrage of images and sounds that make absolutely no sense but are also unquestionably appealing. What's this band? What do the stunts have to do with them? Is this just a bunch of crazy stunts set to rock music? What's going on? As stupid as it is, this trailer really does pull you in and make you want to see just what the hell STUNT ROCK is really all about, like great trailers do. The fact that STUNT ROCK itself doesn't exactly live up to this magical trailer is beyond the point. They sold this fucker and they sold it well; years later, those who see this trailer still want to see the movie and that makes this one great trailer.
Now if I can only get the soundtrack...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
The story of the re-discovery of the Stunt Rock trailer.
I actually brought the original STUNT ROCK trailer from moviegoods.com when I realised they had 35mm and bought nearly all of em.
I'm pretty sure we screened it first at one of the epic downtown Strange Trailerthons and then redid it at BNAT where it really took off.
The members of Sorcery got hold of me after that first screening.
I know you like to get these stories straight being the stickler you are.
Ant
ps - My fave trailer of all time next to the THE EXORCIST strobe trailer is for GET MEAN.. that trailer is ka ka krazy fun!
YES...SORCERY and the film STUNTROCK. I've known about this film and band for sometime now. I was at the screening in Beverly Hills at the "New Beverly Cinema"
which is now owned by Quentin Tarrantino, who believe it or not is not only a fan of this film and it's director,Brian T. Smith but a Sorcery fan as well. In fact he put some of Sorcery's music in his film "Grindhouse". This band,Sorcery from L.A. CA. has many Hollywood insiders as friends.
There is information on them all over the web.You can find them by searching "Sorcery Band" and "Sorcery TV appearences".
They did movies and TV specials and Dick Clarks shows as well.
They also can be seen at myspace,youtube and the IMDB sites.
http://www.sorceryrockband.com
What the $%^$% do you mean the movie doesn't live up to the trailer? This film puts all other stunt and/or rock flicks to shame, including "The Stuntman," a tedious piece of psuedo-phiosophy that does injustice to stuntmen everywhere.
Post a Comment