Neil Young’s Film Lounge

Published on: March 23rd, 2004

RAISE YOUR VOICE

1/10

USA 2004 : Sam McNAMARA : 106 mins

named and shamed : the culprits

Brookwell, David (producer)
Brookwell McNamara Entertainment (production company)
Canavan, Jeff W (editor)
Chickflicks (production company) [we kid you not]
Corbett, John (‘Mr Torvald’)
Dennings, Kat (‘Sloane’)
Dix, A.J. (producer)
Duff, Hilary (‘Terri Fletcher’)
Emmerich, Toby (executive producer)
Filmengine (production company)
Garrity, Joseph T (production designer)
James, Oliver (‘Jay Corgan’)
January, Jeffrey (assistant director)
Jensen, Brad (co-producer)
Jensen, Joey Paul (casting director)
Kaplan, Avram Butch (executive producer)
Lambert, Christina (co-producer)
Leonetti, John R (cinematographer)
Lewis, Johnny (Engelbert ‘Kiwi’ Wilson)
Kaufman, Mark (executive producer)
Machine Head (score)
McNamara, Sean (director)
Moore, Matt (executive producer)
Myers, Gary (art director)
New Line Cinema (production company)
Rhulen, Anthony (producer)
Risher, Sara (producer)
Rogers, Aggie Guerard (costume designer)
Rotter, Mitch (story and ‘Stanley Wilson’)
Rubay, Geoffrey G (sound designer)
Schreiber, Sam (scriptwriter)
Shively, William (executive producer)
Thomas, Matthew (co-producer)
White, Ed (sound)

In message xx – Mike James <Mike.James@x.co.uk>
writes
>Hi,
>  
>I hope you’re fully recovered from the Nuneaton experience.
>  
>Can you fire me off a quick reaction to RAISE YOUR VOICE?
>  
>Cheers,
>  
>Mike
>Marketing manager, Impetus Pictures

Mike
Well, what can I say. A future camp classic / midnight movie. I envisage patrons dressing up as their avourite characters and shouting out the lines in advance. Actions will include swigging from bottles during Jed’s amazing “drunk” scene.

On an objective, “critical” basis it’s a 1 out of 10 job. But it was emphatically one of the most enjoyable films I’ve seen all year – inadvertently of course. A tough marketing challenge, perhaps… The target audience will take care of itself. But you could -really- cash in by putting some of the harsher quotes on the poster and staging “adults only” evening screenings.

Yours in sport,

Neil

Raise Your Voice? Ha! Hold Your Nose more like.

My notes, raw and uncut, scrawled in slackjawed stupefaction:

  • Music by… Machine Head?!
  • cast: David Keith, Rebecca de Mornay
  • Duff V Lohan!
  • Flagstaff, AZ
  • Her showcase
  • Nu-metal gig?!!
  • Most heavily-signalled crash in movie history?
  • American Beauty soundtrack
  • Camp value… unintentional comic value
  • Barrage of ripe corn
  • Machine Head: surging instrumental score
  • “The password is Monkeys”
  • Beethoven quote?!
  • All so straight and square
  • “Testing your limits, experimenting … your own individual voice”
  • Hits nowt but flat notes
  • Bland… film in minor key: B FLAT
  • Camp… post School of Rock
  • “B FLAT” on the tuning-fork!
  • Relentlessly monotone
  • rating : 3 or 2
  • cynical underestimate of what teen girls want
  • score ripped off Thomas Newman
  • “My music became like a religion.” / “So, music is like your ‘higher power’?” / “I’m gonna make music for ‘em. I can’t think of a better way to spend my life.”
  • Sassy black pal.
  • Makes Camp and Mean Girls look like If… and Zero de Conduite
  • Dodgy religious subtext
  • For most undemanding audiences – none laugh louder or longer than Lohan
  • One of funniest pics
  • cf Crossroads
  • rating : 3?
  • Cliche-ridden, hand-me-down direction, script, music, editing, cinematography
  • rating : 3 or 2
  • Lipsynch
  • Whiteface clown!!!
  • Rating : 3
  • Priceless howlers
  • Mitch Rotter (wrote the story) as “Stanley Wilson” – stunning cameo
  • Future camp midnight classic
  • DRUNKEN BOYFRIEND!!! “Why do you drink?” “Because I’m worthless”
  • Unintentional hilarity
  • “Believe in yourself”
  • Hold Your Nose
  • Iconografia religioso – Three Days’ Grace
  • Rating : 2 / 10
  • Rating : 1 / 10
  • Prize Turkey

26th October, 2004
[seen 8th October : Odeon, Nuneaton : press show - CinemaDays event]

a more orthodox review will be posted closer to the film’s UK release-date, honest

For more films rated 1/10 and 2/10 check out our Diorama of Dishonour

by Neil Young

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