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AWESOME:
I FUCKIN' SHOT THAT! |
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"You Gotta Fight
For Your Right To
Bootleg!" |
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Directed by Nathaniel
Hornblower - Written by
The Beastie Boys
Starring The Beastie
Boys, Mixmaster Mike &
Doug E. Fresh
Distributed by ThinkFilm -
2006 - 90mins - Rated R |
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Finally, Hornblower is taking back what's his... |
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"Awesome: I Fuckin'
Shot That!" is about as close as a rock band can get to creating a
true love song to their fans.
Filmed during an October 9, 2004 concert by the Beastie Boys at
Madison Square Garden in New York City, "Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot
That!" redefines, or better yet undefines, the live concert film by
putting the fans in charge of the video.
A mere 48 hours before the concert, the Beastie Boys came up with the
brilliant idea of handing out 50 Hi8 digital cameras to 50 fans. Their
instructions? They were simply instructed to record the concert
through their own eyes. They were told to take the cameras every place
they went throughout the night, and to keep recording!
The end result is often exhilarating, occasionally frustrating, at
times unwatchable but nearly always visually hypnotic in depicting the
energy, chaos and vibe that defines a classic show by the Beastie
Boys.
Directed (or more accurately coordinated) by Nathaniel Hornblower (aka
MCA, aka Adam Yauch), who also directs many of the band's videos,
"Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That!" is a film that will play most
favorably to diehard Beastie Boys fans, though it will likely be
appreciated by fans of unique cinematic experiments.
Faced with, quite literally, hundreds of hours of video from 50
cameras (Yes, it's true. Every single camera was returned!) Hornblower
poured over the the videos with three other editors and selected shots
from throughout the arena and, yes, in odd locations like the bathroom
(repeatedly) and other locations around the Garden.
In many ways, "Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That!" plays like an official
concert bootleg. While this is unique and novel, it's also a tad
frustrating at times with poor lighting, poor sound and a depiction of
the Beastie Boys experience that really doesn't always capture the
electricity of their typical show.
As a longtime Beastie Boys fan, I found myself enthralled with
"Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That!," but also willing to acknowledge that
it drags in places, is a tad repetitive over the course of 90 minutes
and features strobe lighting that can be a bit rough on the eyes at
times.
Yet, more often than not the film succeeds in capturing a side of the
live concert experience that we don't always see...through the eyes of
the actual fans. In a day and age when every pretty little pop singer
in the world lip syncs and stresses style over substance, the Beastie
Boys show up and throw caution to the wind and let their fans run the
show.
IN this case, MCA, Ad Rock and Mike D along with Mixmaster Mike and
special guest Doug E. Fresh blended together perfectly and gave 50
lucky fans to this sold-out show the opportunity to become a part of
the concert experience and go home saying "Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot
That!" |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
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