HARD CORE LOGO

The last thing that a film should do is to leave the viewer wondering, "So what?" In the course of watching Hard Core Logo, I remember repeatedly asking myself this question and being even more frustrated when the end came with no answer. This is not to say that this film made no attempt to create an interesting and compelling story; it did try, very hard in some places. But it failed. And it is this failure, more than anything else, that leaves a lasting impression in my mind.

The concept, while not completely original, might have allowed for a much more interesting film had it been executed differently. Shot in the mockumentary style of Rob Reiner's classic Spinal Tap, the movie follows Hard Core Logo, a popular 80s punk band, as it travels through Canada during its 1995 reunion tour. Of course, being a mockumentary, neither the present nor the past is real; the history we are given of the band, the news footage detailing the start of their reunion tour and the "documentary" made about the band on this tour are all fictitious.

When filming a faux-documentary, the director can choose to make the movie either a satire or a drama. Unfortunately, the makers of Hard Core Logo couldn't make up their minds, and the film suffers because of it. At some points, Hard Core Logo seems to be a spoof on the trials of a touring band's life. At other points, however, the jokes fall away, and the audience is left with only the trials. This results in an uneasiness throughout the entire film but not in the way the director might have intended. Because the audience is constantly second-guessing the seriousness of the movie, we can never fully immerse ourselves in the "reality" which the director and screenwriter have attempted to create.

This "reality" revolves around the interactions of the four band members, each of whom, of course, has a distinct personality. Joe Dick is the aggressive and abrasive lead singer of the band, a punk rocker who feels a deep hatred for the music industry and an affinity for spitting on his fellow band members during performances.

Billy Tallent is the lead guitar player who went on to lead a commercially successful rock group after Hard Core Logo broke up in 1990. Pipefitter is the mousy drummer content to let Dick and Tallent lead the band, and John Oxenberger is the introspective, recovering-schizophrenic bass player who feels like an outsider in the band's personal dynamics.

As a story, Hard Core Logo revolves mainly around the tensions experienced between the various band members. Dick is bitter at Tallent for "going commercial," while Tallent sees himself more as baby-sitter than a friend for Dick's immature antics. Pipefitter tries to boost his own ego by picking on Oxenberger, who slowly relapses into schizophrenia after he loses his antipsychotic medication and the inter-group hostilities overwhelm him. Unfortunately, none of these problems ever seems compelling enough for the audience to invest sympathy in any one character, resulting in a film that is observed more than it is experienced.

The directing style of Bruce McDonald only lends to this sense of audience alienation. A large portion of the film is shot in a documentary style, sending a message to the audience that this is "real." The directors of the "documentary" even become part of the film when they begin playing Dick and Tallent against each other. Things get confusing, however, when McDonald uses cinematic slow-motion sequences and other styles which betray the intended reality. This is best illustrated in the scene where the band members trip on LSD. The discontinuity between the previous, documentary style and this hallucinatory, Easy Rider-inspired sequence renders it ineffective and actively takes away from the rest of the film.

It is always a mistake to completely discount a film, and Hard Core Logo is no exception. The acting of most of the primary players is often effective and is sometimes very compelling. The plot itself works for roughly half the film, and we are privy to some meaningful character insights on occasion. Furthermore, when in its satiric mode, Hard Core Logo does for 90s punk what Spinal Tap did for late 70s/early 80s rock.

Ultimately, this film is very much like the band it professes to portray. While respected in its day, Hard Core Logo finds an ill reception from modern audiences as their tour slowly self-destructs. In the same way, it is not difficult to understand how the idea for this film might have seemed interesting and exciting at one point. Most of that has been lost in the process, however, and the audience is left wondering what the point was. Furthermore, we are left confused and alienated by a directing style that alternates between humor and drama. In many parts of the film, Hard Core Logo screams to be taken seriously. Unfortunately, the harder it yells, the hoarser its voice becomes.