Customer Reviews

Coachella

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this the day it came out and watched it right away becuase it included many of my favorite bands. My only problem is the fact they shortened the songs to fit them all. The Mars Volta can play for a long time, but they totally edited their performance. Same with The Flaming Lips; they cut Yoshimi in half in order to show Wayne in his buble (which was neat). But I still enjoyed the DVD becuase it gives me a chance to check out other the bands.

... Heck, I'd settle for John Popper and the return of HORDEfest.

Sweet Jesus, there are not enough words in the English language to describe how painful this DVD is. Apparently produced by hyperactive 22 year olds drinking caseloads of Red Bull, this DVD pretty much encapsulates what is wrong with the empty TV of MTV. Pandering to the ADD crowd, the camera never lingers for more than 2.4 seconds on any one scene. What the hell, were they paying their camera guys by the minute? Performances are interspersed with spoken interviews and the camera occassionally focuses on a concertgoer who is singing along with the band onstage ('cause, man, you know... everyone was having so much fun!).

If you've ever been to a concert and felt embarrassed for having something in common with your fellow concertgoers, then you should definitely not watch this DVD. Callous youth have never seemed so vapid. It would be excusable if these kids were stoned or drunk or under SOME chemical influence while making so many stupid comments but I'm sorry to say that they appeared quite straightedge.

As other reviewers have noted, this is the crux of the issue. The DVD attempts to give the crowd their fifteen minutes of fame rather than focus on the music performances. (People, it's about you! You're all stars! You have the power to make a difference and you're young and beautiful and edgy and fun! Now go buy a $40 t-shirt and a $10 bottle of Smart Water!)

Note to the girl dancing onstage during the Belle and Sebastian performance: you should really sue the producers for raping you of your dignity.

Yeah it's got the mood there fella but really lacks the fullness I was looking for. A great video would have at least had 3 songs per performance. Morrissey's song was cut and that was dissapointing. I got the film to see that and it was like 2 min 25 seconds long. OK.

This video is really just a preview of what could have been and isn't. Rent. Don't buy.

Pre-empting the imminent release of a film surrounding the awesome UK festival Glastonbury, California's music event most closely aligned with its English counterpart is here given similar documentary treatment. A lack of linear progression or narration means that the footage contains none of the flair that appearances from acts such as The Pixies, Radiohead and Morrissey should create. Songs are rarely featured in their entirety, unrelated genres are unsympathetically banked up against each other and the whole project becomes an aimless souvenir tribute that segregates against viewers who haven't experienced this festival held on polo fields in a man-made oasis. The Flaming Lips, Fischerspooner and The Arcade Fire try to lighten proceedings, but this is a scrambled opportunity.
The DVD extras include additional photographs, a colour booklet and interviews with bands such as Ben Harper, The Dresden Dolls and The Libertines, none of whom actually feature on the documentary itself. What a bloody waster.

I bought this with much anticipation over what I had heard was a good music movie. This couldn't be more wrong. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when the first hi-speed images of stages being built came on the screen. That's pretty much the mentality of this film, it's unbelievably cliched use of tired music movie tricks. It may have well as been an Allman brothers movie or Garth Brooks, for that matter. The use of Woodstock-style split screen effects (which seem to be abandoned early on) are ridiculous. There are a few decent performances, most notably Bjork and Radiohead, but for my money, I'll buy one of their DVDs. Perhaps that's the only way I can avoid having to listen to burnt out morons like Perry Farrell wax philosophical about how music festivals can save the world. There's no need for footage of people in tents; it's not interesting. More footage of bands playing music is what we want. And that is the fundamental problem with this movie-not enough performances. So many good bands, what a waste.

I'm a little surprised by the negative reviews. This DVD features footage from 6 previous Coachellas, with each Coachella hosting a staggering number of artists.

It would be impossible to condense that much music into a 2 hour show, not to mention the other things that go along with the experience: enduring the daytime heat, driving out from the city to the barren desert, keeping track of your friends with all that goes on around you, and so on. These are commonplace experiences for festival goers and it's smart to make mention of it.

It's much easier to approach this DVD as a simple snapshot into what any Coachella can be like and the diverse music acts that are presented, often contrasting with each other, goes to show the variety of music you can expect to see at the festival. You don't have to enjoy all of it but its presented as an experience anyway so you can dip your feet in and see if it's your kind of thing before moving on.

The performances were great and didn't always cover a band's most popular song. You get a bit of Radiohead, Bjork, Oasis, the Chemical Brothers (who didn't get as much love as the Crystal Method, for some reason), Saul Williams, Zero 7, the Arcade Fire, Fischerspooner, The Flaming Lips, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, the White Stripes, Squarepusher, Spearhead, Belle and Sebastian, Kool Keith, the Pixies, the Mars Volta, Cut Chemist, Polyphonic Spree and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others. That's a pretty diverse group of talent that perfectly represents the influences you would see at any Coachella at any time.

The festival isn't built on seeing the same big acts year in and year out. The festival is made special by the bands you have yet to discover with your closest friends. If you've never been to Coachella, this is the best way of experiencing the festival without even being there. This DVD isn't all about the music, they pay special attention to the people who go because they are the people who make the festival what it is. Don't believe me? How did Woodstock 1999 turn out?

This Coachella DVD is a fine purchase that I've seen many times over and am now recommending to you.

While other reviewers have zeroed in on this movie's lack of complete performances or its penchant for "split screens" and "cliched" techiniques, I find "Coachella" a truly interesting capsule of the various moods and bands that hit the stages and fields of this SoCal staple. The film features stunning photography, and tries to portray the many experimental and conventional aspects of the festival. Yes, we see some of the "hippier" trappings like the bike inventions and the "modern" art, but we also see a spirit of kindness and joy of life that is missing from most modern celebrations. I certainly didn't expect complete performances, but most are long enough to get the feeling and vibe of the moment. This also kept the film moving at a faster pace, and acknowledges that while some like Björk or Radiohead, others might not like them enough to stand a complete performance by some of these artists; for these, a little will go a long way. "Coachella" doesn't claim to be a "concert film", and thank God it isn't. I hope another set is released with complete performances, because I would love to see them, but in the context of a concert DVD.

Sure this dvd only has parts of songs someimes, and not a lot, but the dvd is more about coachella as a whole, not just the bands. The performances are top notch, and the filming is great. Audio is very good too. You cant please everyone with a dvd like this, but I think its a great variety.

Got to attend the movie premiere in LA a couple months back. I was truly blown away by the great performances. I love this film because it does not focus on one specific music style. Bjork's performance is incredible!

I saw this movie when it came to one of my local theaters. It really captures the feeling of a music festival of this scale. I have never been to Coachella myself, but seeing this movie made me want to go across the country to be apart of it. Buy it, watch it, love it.