Search - Let's Rock Again! on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Movie Release: 2004 DVD Release: 06/27/2006 Format: DVD - Color Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 8 mins Studio: Image Entertainment Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Music, Concerts, Biography, Music History, Vocal Music

After the breakup of the wildly influential punk rock band the Clash in 1986, the band's guitarist and frontman, Joe Strummer, largely stayed out of the musical spotlight, and while he released a solo album in 1989 and contributed music to several film soundtracks, he kept out of the public eye for most of the 1990s. In 1999, Strummer returned to active duty with a new band, the Mescaleros, and a new album, Rock Art and the X-Ray Style. The album was not well received either critically or commercially, and when Strummer started work on the follow-up, Global a Go-Go, in 2001, he was determined to make himself heard this time out (and to see that the album sold well enough to break even). Filmmaker and longtime friend Dick Rude tagged along as Strummer and his band completed the album and stormed Japan and the United States on tour, and the documentary Let's Rock Again! is an insider's portrait of Strummer and Company as they dig into the hard work of reestablishing the name of one of rock's great rebels after a decade away from the music scene. Let's Rock Again! includes footage of Strummer meeting the press in interviews, showing up unannounced at a radio station in hopes of plugging his show, passing out handmade flyers on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, and chatting with a handful of teenage punk fans as he discusses the past, present, and future of his music. Also included are concert performances in which Strummer and the Mescaleros play hits from his days with the Clash as well as new material from Global a Go-Go. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Dick Rude's documentary on former Clash frontman Joe Strummer as he tries to put his career back on track after a long layoff gets a well-executed presentation on this DVD release. Let's Rock Again! has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (the picture was shot on digital video equipment), and the material looks fine; though the image occasionally betrays the film's low budget, the look fits the film's fly-on-the-wall, captured-on-the-run quality, while the concert footage is colorful and thoughtfully composed. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo, and sounds crisp, especially during the concert sequences, facing the challenges of Strummer's craggy voice with flying colors. The film is in English, with no subtitles or multiple language features included. As a bonus, the DVD includes five songs by Strummer and his band the Mescaleros in complete form (they appear in edited versions in the feature), as well as a slide show of Clash memorabilia, a question-and-answer session with director Rude from a film festival presentation, the movie's original trailer, and a collection of outtakes and additional interview fragments. Loyal fans of punk icon Strummer will doubtless enjoy Let's Rock Again!, and the DVD edition only amplifies the man's charm, good humor, and regular-guy horse sense; it's a fitting tribute and well worth a look. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide