Suck

source: Suck

Joey Winner (Stefaniuk) leads his band with bassist Jennifer (Jessica Paré), guitarist Tyler, drummer Sam and their roadie Hugo. Their manager Jeff (Dave Foley) is incompetent. Instead of sleeping in the hearse with the guys, Jennifer stays with weird looking Queeny who turns her into a vampire. The band leaves Montreal for Toronto without her. Joey asks money from his girlfriend Susan who is jealous of Jennifer. Jennifer shows up in Toronto with a different look. Eddie Van Helsing (Malcolm McDowell) is tracking down Queenie and follows the band. The band suddenly begins to get noticed. Written and directed by Rob Stefaniuk, this has some interesting ideas. However the filmmaking is not sharp enough. It has great actors in this. I don't know how they got McDowell but I'm sure the music legends have something to do with it. I can see what this movie is trying to do. It seems obvious that this needs a music video director's touch to energize the pace. The humor isn't really that good either. The movie is just not sharp enough in any way.

I'll skip the review of the regular stuff and jump right to what makes this movie unique. First off, we get a parade of cameos from legendary alt-rockers We have Alice Cooper as the headmaster vampire (not far from his real life persona), Iggy Pop as a hopelessly old school studio engineer, Henry Rollins as a hilarious loud mouthed DJ, Alex Lifeson (guitarist extraordinaire for Rush) as a creepy border crossing guard, Carole Pope (80s punk icon) as a club bouncer, Moby as an arrogant rival band singer, and who knows, probably a few more I missed. "Suck" relies on these cameos to give the audience a little wink. So if you're unfamiliar with these people, you might miss out. It's never too late to look them up on youtube though. There are other little inside jokes too; for example, there are a number of visual homages to famous album covers (if nothing else, you'll recognize Abbey Road). Digging deeper, there are funny ironies such as Moby playing a character named "Beef" whose gimmick is to play with raw meat on stage. In real life, Moby is a strict vegan... and it's hilariously obvious that the "raw meat" is nothing more than some strips of rubber with red food dye. A lot of this stuff comes at you fast, and even the most hardcore fans will probably miss a few gags. So don't worry if you have to watch the movie multiple times. OK, all that aside, the story itself is pretty basic but with an interesting metaphorical spin to it. As other reviewers have pointed out, it's not a movie about vampires as much as it's about the vices of success... whether we're talking about drugs, glamour, or "selling out". How far will a struggling musician go to win fame? And at what cost? That's basically the only serious part of the film, and the rest is totally tongue-in-cheek. Don't expect realism. In its place expect absurdist humor (such as the fact that nobody gets caught for murdering people in the open, or live on national radio). Again, this may be a metaphor for the fact that many famous musicians never got caught for their extravagant drug habits even though they flaunted it in public. With that in mind, "Suck" becomes a biting satire of not just the fame-seeking rock stars, but also of the mindless fans who will condone and glorify anything. I saved one of the best performances for last. Malcom McDowell plays an ominous character with a * for flashlights. He brings his usual larger-than-life presence to the screen but with a nice comedic air. Check out the outtakes on the DVD and you'll see that he had a great time playing the part. Even if you have no idea who some of these famous cult musicians are, you'll still find the movie entertaining, funny & interesting from start to finish. Similar films include the Australian flick "Garage Days" by Alex Proyas, "Thunderstruck" (about a bunch of AC/DC obsessed fans), and on the more serious side, "Sympathy for Delicious" which tells a great rock'n'roll metaphor. But like I said up front, this film's power lies in its ability to connect with "cult audiences" using cameo appearances to create quirky characters. In that respect I'd compare it to "Coffee and Cigarettes" by Jim Jarmusch (featuring Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, The White Stripes, etc). If you recognize at least 50% of the people I've mentioned, then don't hesitate to see this flick.

I must say that after hearing about this film I was excited but also was kind of weary about renting this direct to DVD movie. But as I sat down and watched this film, it took me a couple of minutes to get the vibe of it. But after about 5 minutes I was totally engrossed in this movie. I really liked the quirky sense of humour the undertones of other great movies mixed in with this film, a kind of hats off tribute to films like Dracula and so forth. I really liked the role of Malcolm McDowell, he played a clichéd role but that was the point for me anyway, other people that reviewed this said it was too clichéd. Well of course it was, it's a vampire film, what the heck is a vampire film without the character's that are trying to kill them. A movie without that you might as well call it Vampire's roam free and just drink blood and have no plot. So go away you nay nay sayers, I like to see anyone of you guys direct a film. I would imagine it's pretty hard and complicated. Well I also must say that I really loved the stop motion in this film I haven't seen that for a while and it worked very well and fit like a glove. The role that Alice Cooper played was pretty cool, he did a wonderful performance of his role of the dark overlord. The role of Moby in this film made me chuckle being he has a very comical sort of look to him, and his role of some hardcore heavy metal singer poring blood on his head made me laugh. Iggy Pop was also very good in this film he played a believable kinda washed up musician but I felt like he was popular at one time. But I also felt that he maybe was just fed up with the whole music industry. But he was very good and glad to see him in this movie. As for the main crew they were convincing and I loved Jessica Pare, She was a little weak in the beginning but still held her own and as she progressed into a vampire she became stronger and totally believable. Hugo was pretty good as he played the clichéd role of Dracula's renfield,Jessica's little gimp, Igor whatever you want to call him. It was quite comical him having to clean up all the bodies in the movie this worked for me very well. All in all, this was a very catchy,quirky, comical horror movie, that added all the elements of great classic movies. I never thought they could advance a vampire genre any further, but some writer or director out there always astonishes me with their cool and inventive ideas. I will definitely add this to my collection. And will watch it years to come. Good job and hat's off to all the talented people that worked hard to put this film together. 8 out of ten for me.

The movie is basically about a rock and roll band ready to do anything for fame and success. Thats what the Plot summary read, and the first thing that popped into my mind was Tenacious D. The band is cute, and totally a local act in Montreal, until the bassie gets turned to a vampire. Which leads the band on a highway to hell, with murders to cover up, and gigs to perform. Most of the musical references made are hilarious and also serve as a modern day salute to the previous generation. Alice Cooper and Iggy PoP out do themselves in the movie, in fact Alice's cameo in Wayne's World also was brilliant. Suck delivers and The Winners are an easily likable band, the movie is fast and to call it a musical also wouldn't be wrong. The song 'This is your Brain on Drugs' is surprisingly hilarious, and its physchedelic and trippy. All the characters share a good on screen chemistry and Eddie Van Helsing is just plain Hilarious. On the whole, for all punk rock lovers out there, Henry Rollins as Rockin' Rogers is a must watch/listen too.

...and, pretty much, "It does," despite its probable best of intentions. Writer/director/co-star, Rob "Phil the Alien" Stefaniuk, has simply bitten off far more than he or his co-star, Jessica "Wicker Park" Paré , are able to chew, let alone digest. Despite the presence of rock'n'roll notables like Alice Cooper (and daughter, Calico), Iggy Pop, Carole (Rough Trade) Pope, Henry Rollins, Moby, Alex Lifeson, and comedian, Dave "The Kids in the Hall" Foley, along with yet another paycheck-grabbing appearance by Malcolm "Cat People" McDowell, this purported rock'n'roll horror comedy is virtually bereft of horror, sadly emasculated vis-a-vis rock'n'roll (most of the music is lame in the extreme), and at best mediocre in terms of comedy. Mr. Stefaniuk is a likable enough whitebread lead, and Ms. Paré shows promise; in fact, I don't particularly fault the acting at all. It's the script & storytelling that fall flat on their face. The album cover homages are mildly amusing, the lampooning of Coppola's "Dracula" is briefly quaint, but the piece in its entirety lacks focus and tension. It feels like loosely linked skits and bits, utterly unsatisfying. Back to the drawing board, Mr. S. Putting a bunch of "names" into your cast does not a movie make. I've actually rated this a point lower than it likely deserves, mostly because it seemingly promised so much and failed to deliver. I'll make special mention of the horrendous casting of the ostensible "bad guy," whose coiffure totally destroys any sense of menace or majesty he is otherwise meant to convey. Late-night boredom viewing only, and preferably as cheaply as possible.

For those not into the Twilight genre of pretend vampire movies, this is an interesting film from Canada. The band sucks, and so does someone else. The second sucking will cure the first. Rock legends Alice Cooper, Moby, and Iggy Pop contribute to the fun, which also includes cartoon scenes interspersed throughout. And, what would be a vampire movie without Van Helsing. Malcolm McDowell fills that role splendidly. More yucks than gore. So, it is really a very soft R, almost a PG-13. Put drugs in a film and it overrides everything else.

Candy-colored(particular emphasis on blood red)cinematography and a bang up cast highlight this vampire satire on the travails of an ailing Canadian rock band, struggling still after ten years on the road, rejuvenated when one among them is turned into a bloodsucker after a gig one night. Joey's base guitarist(and ex-girlfriend), Jennifer(Jessica Paré), decides to accompany a "queen vampire" to a party which is essentially a gathering of the undead, decadently attired as if from the Victorian period. When Jennifer returns a vamp, the band's stage show actually attracts a fervent following, word of mouth about them spreading across the internet like a firestorm. Well, soon members of the band(Paul Anthony and Mike Lobel)coerce Jennifer into turning them into vampires as well hurling Joey(Rob Stefaniuk, the writer, director, and star who also wrote most of the music!)into a crisis as numerous victims start turning up while on their road tour to New York City for the "big show", supposedly to contain "movers and shakers" who might can finally give them some much needed success. Alice Cooper(as a vampire bartender who attempts to convince Joey that vampirism is the way to go), Iggy Pop(as a tired former rocker, whose studio Joey uses to record Jennifer's new song she has written, warning of the dangers to come for this band), Henry Rollins(as an insulting, loud-mouthed, self-absorbed DJ who speaks of himself in the Third person and belittles bands who enter his radio station paying the price for his rudeness)and Dave Foley(KIDS IN THE HALL; as the band's manager who dumps them, a leech who returns, of course, once they gain a reputation)all have supporting parts which will draw interest to SUCK from horror fans. Moby, of all people, portrays the lead singer of "the biggest road band in Buffalo", the "Confederates of Steak", whose devoted fans pelt their stage at shows with bloody meat(!), an egotistical and foul type of wannabe rock god who doesn't ingratiate himself to the Winners(the name of Joey's band)with much class. His fate is more than a bit ironic considering the persona of his band. Malcolm McDowell, as Eddie Van Helsing(Hell yeah!), is good fun as a vampire hunter(afraid of the dark!)with an eye patch following the Winners so he can question the whereabouts of the one who turned Jennifer, Dimitri Coats(known simply as Queeny), responsible for supposedly killing his gal back in the 70s. Some funny dialogue derives from munching on body parts(and a groupie!)and blood sucking, not to mention the unfortunate trials of life on the road with a band who have become weary after a long time of disappointment. Some interesting art direction and stop motion animation; a superb neck slashing and the use of a guitar to impale a vampire(!)are included. To tell you the truth, SUCK is mostly a series of music videos, shot in slow motion and bright colors, intercut with dialogue scenes. My favorite scene, which doesn't involve Cooper or Pop, is the hallucinatory music number where Joey falls under the spell of "magic pills". The names in the cast aren't just throwaway cameos which is nice, and they actually contribute even more on the interview documentary of the film on it's DVD. Paré is striking even in pale skin and strange eye contacts, often shot in slo-mo up close to capture her allure and Gothic beauty. Coats, albeit in a smaller part, is quite a creepy presence when he does appear on screen.

What a great ride! Suck is one of those movies that will put you in a good mood. Jessica Pare is mesmerizing as a vampire, you will find yourself unable to break eye contact with her in some of her scenes. The makeup is done in the vein of the original Dawn of the Dead, giving the vampires a graphic novel look and feel. The humor is akin to Shaun of the Dead and rarely misses. I found myself laughing all the way through the movie, something I can't often say with many of today's comedies. The cameos by the old school rockers were awesome and contributed immensely to the production. The music-videos-in-a-movie format works well and almost makes you feel like you're back in the day when MTV was actually MUSIC television. There is one song performed by Jessica Pare that is quite touching, in my humble opinion. The director's conservative use of ever so slightly slowed movement is hypnotic. I know my comments may not seem like they were written for a film like 'Suck', but that's why I feel it's so eclectic, and it so works.

I was looking forward to watching this film as i have enjoyed watching other vampire spoof films. However the film had an exceptionally slow start and didn't really speed up even towards the end. The film was billed as a comedy and watching only found 3 or 4 lines in the entire film remotely funny. The best thing about the film is the cast. Some of the music stars really helped me continue watching, as i wanted to see who else would be in the film. The best thing about this film is that it really lives up to its title this film really "Sucks". It was 91mins of my life i will never get back. This however is just my opinion, and know of people who have actually enjoyed it. So i would say watch it. But don't buy it rent it as once will be enough.