The early 1980’s seemed like the time and place to release rock and roll animated cartoon films like Heavy Metal. There was always one film that I have been meaning to see for quite some time and so I decided to watch Rock & Rule for today’s film. For Angel (Heavy Metal‘s Susan Roman) all she wants to do is be able to have the chance to sing, but her boyfriend Omar (The Pink Panther‘s Gregory Salata) is a little jealous and wants the spotlight. Meanwhile, a legendary singer named Mok (Heavy Metal‘s Don Francks) has retired from performing, but he has gotten himself into the dark arts of life. Mok needs to find the perfect voice in order to conjure out the dark beings from the dark dimension. So, he decides to kidnap Angel and force her to sing in Nuke York to conjure the evil. The film also stars Samantha Langevin (Anne Of Green Gables) as Mok’s Computer, Dan Hennessey (The Care Bears Family) as Dizzy, Greg Duffell (Inspector Gadget) as Stretch/Zip, Chris Wiggins (Friday The 13TH: The Series) as Toad, Brent Titcomb (C.O.P.S.) as Sleazy, Martin Lavut (Heavy Metal) as Mylar, Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone) as Aunt Edith, Iggy Pop as Monster From Another Dimension, Deborah Harry (Videodrome) as Angel’s Singing Voice, and the film was directed by Clive A. Smith (Babar).
Rock & Rule is one of those films that seemed to try and build off the success of Heavy Metal, but doesn’t fully succeed. The best thing about this film is quite frankly the soundtrack which features songs from Cheap Trick, Deborah Harry, and even Lou Reed. The film kind of moves a little fast through the story for my liking, but what can you do when the film is only one hour and seventeen minutes long. The animation is real old school and if you’ve seen Heavy Metal, it’s almost the same style except there is something wrong with the inhabitants of post-apocalyptic Earth. The sequences with Mok were pretty cool because he made it like he was performing magic all the time which can be trippy even in that time. The thing about this film is that the story was cool, but it jumps quick into the conclusion without any real turning point. I mean is Mok throwing away Zip’s doll the turning point that sets up the conclusion? Or is it the fact that Omar’s friends tell him to open his eyes that sets it up? That was really my only problem with the film, but that is only one factor. The music is great and the voice acting was great. Check it out on Youtube or just about anywhere on the Internet I can imagine. I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.
I had heard about this film for a long time and I have been waiting since 2013 to watch this film. So, when I saw that Netflix had the title available< I jumped on the opportunity to watch the film CBGB. The film explores the origins of the legendary New York club and how one man named Hilly Kristal (Alan Rickman) had the vision to pioneer a musical revolution with his club called CBGB. You’ll see all of the triumphs and the struggles that came with owning the club or just working with Hilly period. We’ll also see the birth of bands like Blondie, The Ramones, The Dead Boys, The Talking Heads, and so many more as they share a part with the club’s story. The film also stars Malin Akerman (The Watchmen) as Debbie Harry, Justin Bartha (The Hangover) as Stiv Bator, Richard de Klerk (Repeators) as Taxi, Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) as Terry Ork, Kyle Gallner (American Sniper) as Lou Reed, Ashley Greene (Staten Island Summer) as Lisa Kristal, Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) as Iggy Pop, Ryan Hurst (Sons Of Anarchy) as Mad Mountain, Joel David Moore (Dodgeball) as Joey Ramone, Mickey Sumner (The End Of The Tour) as Patti Smith, Bradley Whitford (Billy Madison) as Nicky Gant, Rupert Grint (Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets) as Cheetah Chrome, and the film was directed by Randall Miller.
The story of CBGB is quite fascinating because it was a club that was functioning on almost no money. They were spending more than they were making according to the film. It is a legendary club however that I wish I had the opportunity of entering, but I never did. So many legendary bands payed n the stage and the film of course focuses on the pioneers of Punk Rock music and I love the band that closes out the film. Alan Rickman to me is a brilliant actor as I enjoy quite a lot of his films. He does a good job playing a guy with literally the worst business sense as the film makes it clear that he had failed many times before CBGB. The acting was phenomenal and I think anyone wanting to learn the history of Punk Rock should watch this and stick around for the credits which has some goodies in it too. Now as far as what is true about the film and what is not I do not know right now other than I don’t think Conway Twitty ever played there. One thing according to one article is that there are posters and stickers on the wall of the club before any bands actually have played there which can be counted as a goof. To see more of what they got right vs wrong, check out this article 
365moviesin365dayschallenge 