Official Synopsis:
To capture themselves in concert at Madison Square Garden in October 2004, for the final show of their sold-out Challah At Your Boy Tour, Adam Yauch (MCA), Michael Diamond (Mike D), and Adam Horovitz (Adrock) distributed a mix of fifty DV and Hi-8 cameras to their fans, who shot the movie. Ingeniously editing the amateur footage into a mind-blowing, multi-colored, psychedelic DIY extravaganza, director Yauch (using the pseudonym Nathanial Hörnblowér) has created an electrifying, even poetic work that's far more than a mere chronicle of artists at the top of their game." - Flaunt Magazine
Our Take:
When I think of concert films, my usual thought is BORING. Unless I actually went to a particular show, having footage of a concert generally holds no significance for me. Usually you get about six different shots and that’s about it. The Beastie Boys, as always on the front line of creativity, decided to let the fans take the filming process into their own hands and help produce their latest concert DVD. So, instead of the same six shots over and over again, now you’ve got over 50 cameras from all vantage points in the venue; with hundreds of hours of footage to edit, the producers had a field day putting this together.
Regardless of whether you love or hate the Beastie Boys, this is definitely one of if not THE best concert video I’ve ever seen. A warning, though: be prepared for lots of unsteady handheld shots and lots of quick cuts. If you’re queasy or prone to seizures, you may want to skip this one.
The Beasties, never doing anything halfway, load up the disc with plenty of special features.
* Commentary - Featuring none other than The Beastie Boys (Who were you expecting, Kevin Smith?). They discuss the concert and their decision to try out the DIY approach to the filming of the show all while having a lot of fun and swearing a lot.
* A Day in the Life of Nathanial Hornblower (25 minutes) - Nathanial Hornblower (aka the Beasties’ Adam Yauch) has directed many of the Beastie Boys’ videos including “So What’cha Want,” “Intergalactic,” and “Ch-Check It Out.” Follow him in a day of his life as he rises early and goes skiing across the streets of New York. Sadly, this gag’s bubble bursts after about five minutes.
* Never Stop Rapping Yet (9 minutes) - Take a peek at Beastie fans worldwide as they wait to get inside to see their show! This is the best of all the featurettes
* Show Intros (6 minutes) - Clips from tiny shorts made during the Australian leg of their tour. One of the highlights is a high-speed golf cart chase between one of the Beasties and a member of Slipknot.
* Enter Jerome Crook’s Angry World (5 minutes) – Meet the Beasties’ tour manager, who has some anger management issues. This one grew old fast.
* Big-Time Hollywood Trailer (2 minutes) - Awesome… I Shot That was actually shown in theatres for a bit, so any movie needs a trailer! Featuring “the voice” and a little music, could this be the next action packed thriller, or is it something else?
There are also two other features; first is an alternate angle option where you can watch up to 50 different angles. However, they’re in a large grid and it’s all at once, so the shots are pretty small. The other is a “Hidden Detour,” where if handheld graphic indicators pop up on the screen, such as a low battery indicator, then press enter and see what happens!
Beastie Boys fans will eat this up for breakfast, and even casual fans might enjoy this one. It’s got a fair amount of their well-known hits, and a few other surprises, too.
Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
DVD: A-
- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer
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