DVD Corner

Monogamy and Who Took The Bomp? Le Tigre On Tour DVD Reviews

Everything about “Monogamy” feels forced.

“Who Took The Bomp? Le Tigre On Tour” is mainly for fans of the electronic punk rock band.

Monogamy

The logline: An engaged wedding photographer’s (Theo) side job of being hired to unknowingly take photos of strangers becomes to corrupt his relationship with his fiancé Nat.

An examination of a crumbling relationship mixed with a “Peeping Tom”/”Rear Window”/”Sex, Lies, And Videotape”/”American Beauty” esque angle may sound intriguing on paper, but unfortunately the script is too unconvincing for the film to work. Despite a solid performance by the charming Rashida Jones, “Monogamy” is plagued with odd, out of place musical choices, slow pacing, extraneous shots, and an underdeveloped main character (Theo). While it’s clear that Theo’s character becomes wrapped up in his work subject (simply known as Subgirl), it’s entirely vague as to how that obsession begins to affect his relationship with Nat. We get that he’s a selfish perv, but the changes in his character feels more like a forced plot device than anything else. We (the audience) never truly get into the character’s head which is the film’s greatest missed opportunity.

Video/Audio:

The film is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen and it looks impressive. In fact, the cinematography is one of the best aspects of this film.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is also fine. It does what it needs to do.

Extras:
* The DVD casing contains an essay and a book excerpt.
* Screenplay by Ddana Adam Shaprio and Evan M. Wiener.
* 3 deleted scenes and 3 outtakes.
* “You Don’t Know (Nat’s Song)” by Rashida Jones With Bummer And Lazarus music video.

Who Took The Bomp? Le Tigre On Tour

JD Samson, Kathleen Hanna, and Johanna Fateman (who make up the electronic punk rock riot grrl band “Le Tigre”) are the subjects of this documentary film that gives viewers (and fans of the band) a behind-the-scenes look at what life is like on the road for this all-girl band during the 2004-2005 tour. Whether they’re sightseeing, goofing around, partying, or doing press interviews, viewers will undoubtedly feel as if they’re on the tour bus with the band.

In regards to the film’s structure, the film also manages to shed some light on the band member’s history as well as the messages the band want to convey through their music (namely themes of politics, feminism, and queer culture). Performances from their various shows are spliced in throughout the film as well.

You don’t have to like Le Tigre to enjoy the film, but it helps. While this genre of music isn’t my cup of tea, I did find myself respecting and admiring what the group has to express artistically through watching ‘Bomp.’ Really though, the important thing is that the band speaks to people which is all a band can hope to accomplish if you think about it.

Note: The box art is phenomenal. I wish more studios would adopt what Oscilloscope does for their DVD releases.

Video/Audio:

As with any documentary, the 1.33:1 fullscreen picture quality varies in quality as the film contains archival footage as well as newly shot footage for the documentary.

The Dolby Digital Stereo track is decent, but this disc could have used a better track. This is a concert film after all.

Extras:
* Trailers for “Wendy And Lucy,” “Howl,” “The Exploding Girl,” “Beautiful Losers,” and “Scott Walker 30 Century Man.”
* A puppet named Rattina interviews Le Tigre about Ladyfest.
* 7 additional performances.
* 2 outtakes titled “Johanna- Bunny’s Honey” and “JD Reads A Letter From A Fan.”
* A 22 minute live show from 2002 in Vienna, Austria. It should be noted that the video and sound quality is iffy.
* A 29 minute video commentary with Le Tigre. The band talks about various scenes from the film such as the radio interview, memories from the tour, etc.

July 7, 2011 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Le Tigre, Monogamy DVD Review, Rashida Jones, Who Took The Bomp? Le Tigre On Tour DVD Review