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Even if it looks like This Is Spinal Tap for the hardcore punk-rock set, director Bruce McDonald's 1996 mockumentary Hard Core Logo has a flavor all it's own. Like Spinal Tap, Hard Core Logo poses as a documentary, inspired in this case by the reunion of a legendary Canadian punk band of the same name. Billed as "Vancouver's favorite Bad Boys of punk," Hard Core Logo reunite after five years to play a benefit, then hit the road for a five-city Canadian tour. The band's dilapidated tour bus and sparsely attended gigs are only part of the fun here, though. Hard Core Logo observes its punk rockers with a subtle eye. The result is less a derisive satire than an incisive character study. Ultimately, the film hinges on the depth and charm of the relationships in this dysfunctional family, particularly between bandleader Joe Dick (Hugh Dillon) and lead guitarist Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie), as they work out feelings of rivalry, affection, and lost youth. The actors make this fly, living and breathing their roles with utter conviction. Some solid music and a knockout-punch climax add to the mix as well, making Hard Core Logo a powerful and genuine portrait of rock-'n'-roll revelry, rebellion, and angst. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

Bruce McDonald directed this mock-documentary (and appears onscreen as himself) which looks at a veteran punk rock band taking one final stab at the big time. Singer Joe Dick (Hugh Dillon), guitarist Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie), bassist John Oxenberger (John Pyper-Fergson), and drummer Pipefitter (Bernie Coulson) were the members of Hard Core Logo, a Vancouver-based rock band that was one of Canada's biggest and most influential punk outfits for the better part of a decade. Formed in 1978, Hard Core Logo broke up in 1991 after releasing seven albums and playing over a thousand shows; Joe went on to play the occasional solo gig, Billy moved to L.A. and has been sitting in with platinum-selling alternative pop band Jennifur while their guitarist tries to kick drugs, John has been putting his life back together after a severe nervous breakdown, and Pipefitter hasn't been doing much of anything. Word begins to circulate that Bucky Haight (Julian Richings), one of the seminal figures of Canadian punk and Joe's mentor, lost a leg (or maybe both) following a mysterious incident in which intruders shot him after breaking into his prairie farmhouse. Joe organizes a benefit for Bucky, with Hard Core Logo reuniting for the occasion; the show is a huge success, and Joe persuades Billy to join him, John, and Pipefitter for a five-date reunion tour to cash in on the benefit's notoriety. Billy, killing time while he waits to find out if his spot in Jennifur will become permanent, is more than a bit preoccupied, and his desire for professionalism doesn't mesh especially well with Joe's take-it-as-it-comes attitude -- especially after it becomes evident that Joe's purposes for reuniting the band weren't as benevolent as they seemed. Actual Canadian punk legends D.O.A. make a cameo appearance as one of Hard Core Logo's opening acts, and American punk godfather Joey Ramone appears briefly in a news report about the Bucky Haight benefit show. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 717951005526
• Source: MIRAMAX
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:32:00
• Sales Rank: 40,115

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