Customer Reviews

Greendale

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

 

 

Overall, the movie is a mess with grainy film quality, bad acting, no dialogue, out of focus images, washed out images, cheesy visual effects, lip synching that doesn't always line up and sometimes appears silly, and no real revelations provided to the underlying story. BUT, and that is a big but, it all works together to present a quirky little movie that is watchable. The sound is tremendous though and makes up for some of the negatives. Despite all the shortcomings, you do get drawn into this little town of Greendale and the strange characters that live there.

The added features are nice - a great live stage version of "Be The Rain" really kicks and shows the power of the live show and how well Neil has combined the live show with the movie or vice versa. The Making of Greendale (about 25 minutes) segment is good and surprisingly clear and in focus as opposed to the movie. It does show that Neil and his team have some skills in making movies. Lyrics, Family Tree, and character bios are also included.

It took a few listenings a while back, but Greendale the CD has worn its way into my top 3 favorite albums by Neil Young. I bought Greendale the DVD more as a curiosity knowing, at worst, I don't mind having video to go with the music.

Greendale starts as a disarmingly-simple introduction to the Green family and ends with 2 powerful, wake-up-call anthems. The actors, who sync the lyrics, make it all interesting and watchable. The journey takes on a surreal quality in fairly short time. Statements about corruption in the White House, corporate greed and our responsibility to the environment are even stronger in the film than they are on the cd. It amazes me that time hasn't worn the edge off Neil Young to speak his mind. This is a day and age when we're supposed to be afraid.

I had a great time watching this dvd. I can't compare it to anything I've seen. Ideally a person might know the music before watching the film; and also just appreciate film as an art. The 5.1 sound is great.

Young and Crazy Horse are basically characters from Pynchon (LOT 49, VINELAND) come to life, often with results that seem equally absurd, poignant, heartfelt, goofey, amateurish, honest. And all of that is on display in this film, particularly Young's anti-Spielberg aesthetics, which is cause enough for celebration. That mix of burn-out eco-hippie-polemics has served Young and the Horse well. One need only look at footage of some of their arguments in Year of the Horse, Live in Berlin, to realize just how comical they are when they are seriously pissed at each other.
This film, however, has a point, and is embraced by what is one of Young's best collections of songs in a very long while. Characteristically, it is as unprofessionally "acted" and shot as you can get, and therein lies its charm. The "actors" are basically road and musician colleagues assembled by Young to mouth the words of his songs, intercut with montage pieces reflecting the spirit or message of a song. It is the same approach he used with his classic JOURNEY THROUGH THE PAST film from the seventies (Hey, Neil, where's the DVD of that or even the soundtrack?).
I'm likely the only one who has ever seen JOURNEY 11 times, and I don't suspect that I'll attempt that with this film, but amid his goofiness as a filmmaker, Neil has quite a lot to say about the state of mind of the US, at least as seen through the prism of this one family. In doing so, he addresses greed, karma, the environment, and the nature of one's nationality set against this backdrop of violence that is all American Eagle, and none of the compassion of Liberty. Although others may state the theme more eloquently, Young gets across in so unaffected a manner that the silliness of the movie is its own metaphor for how we clutter what is essential with the temporal and effete.
Back in JOURNEY, Young had David Crosby articulate an observation that is as chillingly accurate today as it was at the end of the Nixon era. I do not doubt that 30 years on, someone will come across this odd film and laugh at first, and then think about what the comedian just said.
Young is a lot like the hero in VINELAND. Re-read Pynchon, listen to Neil: they paint an accurate picture of life under gravity's rainbow.

Neil Young is an incredibley enigmatic atrist. I can watch this DVD over and over because although the movie is really good, the music is absolutley astounding. I would say for those who have never heard of neil to have an open mind while viewing and you'll encounter a zone of reality that may have never occured to you before. The CD by the same title comes with an accompaning DVD wich neil does a solo accoustic set.

How cool is Neil Young? He writes an album, creating a piece about a fictional California coast town, then produces, shoots and directs a film of it. Essentially a lo-fi series of videos for the album, the film is edited out of chronological order, aptly telling the story of Greendale, CA, USA. Very creative and interesting, if not slowish at times. But it remains under two hours and hell, its Neil Young music with visuals. Praise!
If you love Young, you'll like this, if not it may be a stretch. But his willingness to communicate his feelings for small town life, the turmoil of mistakes and unlawfullness, the tribute to family, marriage and love, and the commitment to fighting the good fight are all here.

This movie is a good movie with a lot of familiar faces including Ben Keith. The video goes good with the music but what makes the DVD worth the money is the live version of "Be The Rain". Ther is nothing better than a live version of a Neil song on video. Plus his daughter dances rather well in it! If you haven't seen this video it s worth the asking price.

Very Good Music,and Video.I've Been on Live Concert of Greendale at Rosemont Theatre.
Jacek

Neil in story and song for the first time since Rust Never Sleeps. And on a Telecaster, too.

Google the album site and enjoy the map of the town where the devil takes breaks from ruining lives to hassle the high school cheerleaders. And the whole situation decays, but not without warning...

I was prompted to buy this DVD when a soldier serving in Iraq requested it. There are projects like "Books for Soldiers" and "[...]" through which people can send books, DVDs and music to U.S. soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. Before I mailed off the DVD, I watched it myself, and was captivated by it. I found the technique of going from a sketch to actual actors to be fascinating, along with other elements of this production. I'm totally sympathetic to Young's political perspective, and was moved by his song "Be the Rain."
In one scene, there is footage of a busted pipeline squirting oil. It is one of many moments in this film that will give U.S. soldiers (and anyone else) food for thought.

Incidentally, Young's "Cinammon Girl" was recently the bumper music on Air America Radio during an interview with Naomi Klein, who wrote a book that Young is probably reading - The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. It's a book that I'll be sending to U.S. troops overseas.

. . .this isn't the concert, which is what he SHOULD have released. I appreciate Neil's quirky artistic ventures, wherein this project clearly sits. I went to see the Greendale show in Kansas City at Starlight Amphitheater in Swope Park, one of the few sold out shows there in 2004. It was an amazing artistic spectacle. I have most Neil Young available on CD, and much available on CD. I also have several live DVD concerts. I love his songwriting, I love his performance, from solo work, to his drug-addled performance on The Last Waltz to his fabulous show at Red Rocks with "friends." I've seen him 5 times, each time excellent. I also loved his biography, "Shakey." This concert ranks as my favorite Neil Young performance, a close second to the "Worlds 3rd Greatest Garage Band Tour" and the tour captured on the "Arc/Weld" CDs.

Finally, I even enjoyed this video production of "Greendale." I think the story is great, it's impossible to pigeonhole Neil's politics/beliefs into any "mold" that exists in 2004. But, I felt like this video production lacked the emotional wallup that the live performance of the show produced. The guy behind me at the Greendale show kept "explaining" to his friends that Neil would play some "good" songs later: he clearly missed the point of this tour. But i LOVED it. And I would LOVE to get a copy of the live performance (encores included, of course!). The video/movie/whatever you call it is good. But not as good as the concert.

Carl Kincaid