Movie Reviews

Born to Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie

From the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival:

Directed by: Lech Kowalski
An interesting look and punk, drugs and Rock 'n' Roll. All I could think was a true life Spinal Tap in the making.

There is potential in this flick, as long as a great editor can get all the pieces of footage together to create a flow of intense footage. This movie needs a lot of work, but it the right hands, there could be a documentary here for fans of punk to show the life of a musician on his way up and coming down.
(Sheila, Sept. 1999)

 If you are a huge Johnny Thunders fan then you may not mind the way this documentary drags on. But this film also wasn't completed when it aired at Midnight Madness so the finished product may flow much better.

There is a lot of good footage and interview clips detailing the life of Johnny Thunders. A star with the New York Dolls at 18, Johnny was the epitome of live hard, play hard, die young. Interviews with others from that era (most notably with Dee Dee Ramone) gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the 70's punk lifestyle. But much of the footage didn't seem to add much dimension to Johnny's story.

I think more time in the editing room is all this film needs.
(Trixie, Sept. 1999)

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