Customer Reviews

Rock the Bells

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At the end of a day, after the mayhem of the absolute craziness that goes into putting on this Wu-Tang Clan show -- this is a film about human integrity and unbridled passion. I barely knew anything about Wu-Tang before I went to see this movie, and it didn't matter because the heart and soul of all the characters in this doc explode from the screen and I was hooked for every single second. The concert promoter even has his mother help him at the ticket counter! I was smiling the whole time watching this. Guys, girls, Wu-Tang fans, non-Wu-tang fans -- everyone should see this film to learn the power of getting anything done if you set your mind to it! Directors Denis Hennelly and Casey Suchan found an incredible human story amid the lunacy of a WuTang concert, and I admire them for that. This is one of my favorite docs I have seen! Enjoy!

I saw this documentary for the first time at the Midwest Film Festival in Chicago and I loved it! It gripped me from the beginning and took me for a ride the entire show. I've never been caught up so emotionally with a documentary in my life! I think I held my breath until the very end. I had to buy it when it became available. I highly recommend it even if you're not a hip-hop fan (which I'm not really)

I love the Wu and came the the screening at Tribeca. I got what I wanted from Wu, but moreover, I was exposed to the rough and tumble life of the promoter of ODB's last ever concert. Boy, that guy had a LONG night.

I cant recommend RTB enough. If you love hip hop, you'll learn about what goes into putting the show on (it's frightening at times). If you're new to hip hop, it will give you a glimpse of the lives of some of the most influential early greats in the genre, as well as interviews with a newer generation of rappers.

There are some tense moments, some hillarious moments (courtesy of RZA, of course!), but in the end, it's a great watch.

I hope they release the soundtrack!

Last year when I was in New York visiting a friend, she asked me to go with her to a Tribeca Film Festival screening of "Rock the Bells." I was anything but thrilled to see the movie as I knew nothing about Wu-Tang, but I grudgingly went. Well, I was blown away by this film. Can a band filled with so many combative and hot-headed members put aside their egos and unite for their rabid fan base? "Rock the Bells" follows concert promoter Chang who tries to put on one perfect concert for rabid rap fans. "Rock the Bells" pulses simultaneously with suspense, humor, and drama. As the film goes on, the main obstacle to the concert's success is ODB, the band's superstar, who proves to be the main question mark standing in the way of their reuniting. Surging with life, "Rock the Bells" is a treat for any movie or music fan in search of a well-made movie.

i wasnt expecting this joint to be as ill as it was. this is a must have for any hip-hop head, period. although it has plenty of performance footage, i like the fact that it was done more from the promoter's point of view (cuz i'm a hip-hop promoter!). you get to see all the behind the scenes drama and all the work it takes to make a show of that size happen. cop this asap. my review does not do it justice.

This is a great film. I was lucky enough to catch it at the Midwest Independent Film Festival in Chicago on a Tuesday night. There were parts so touching that a tear came to the eye. I wondered if it was the crowd in the theater that was contributing to the emotional impact...but even now, several months later, watching the DVD in my living room...it has the same effect.

I'm not sure what else to say; the film speaks for itself. If you appreciate hard work, you will probably enjoy this film. Also, I would not suggest watching it late at night because you may get too excited to fall asleep.

Warner Bros. Home Video has released the documentary film "Rock The Bells" on DVD. The film is a must see for fans of the legendary hip-hop group The Wu-Tang Clan. The Wu-Tang Clan is known to be one of the most followed hip-hop groups in the short history of the music form and they have a very dedicated fan base. The group members are as well known for their solo work and side projects as they are as a group. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, GZA, the late Old Dirty Bastard and the various other members of The Wu-Tang Clan have been making an impact on hip-hop for over a decade.

"Rock The Bells" is a documentary film directed by Chang Weisberg which chronicles his dream of reuniting all 9 members of the Wu-Tang Clan for a performance. Using guerilla tactics he sets out to reunite the group. It's a well known fact its not easy getting all of the members of the Wu-Tang Clan together for a performance and the director gives the fans a front seat ticket to what it takes just to pull off reuniting the Wu-Tang Clan from broken equipment, over zealous fans, it's a must see music documentary.

The film includes guest appearances by the members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, Dilated Peoples, and other hip-hop artists. "Rock The Bells" also features several featurettes. Featurettes included in the DVD are "Dirty's Last Days," "R.I.P. O.D.B.," "Who Is Wu-Tang," and a alternate opening. Outspoken and loud Wu-Tang member Old Dirty Bastard passed away suddenly in 2005. The DVD includes an interview with Old Dirty's mother and former bodyguard. The two-sided discs includes musical performances, artist profiles, and much more.

Great to see what actually happened behind the scenes, could have been an amazing DVD if they only showed more live footage of the event.. but good to have in the collection for any hip hop/WU fan.

In 2004,Chang Weisberg and his multifaceted concert promotion company, 'Guerilla Union', initiated the Rock The Bells hip-hop festival in San Bernardino, California. This documentary takes the viewer alongside Chang and his crew on a hasty schedule of booking artists, managing finances for the event, meeting with city officials, run-ins with unforeseen obstacles and everything in between. Along with the main feature being about the production of the festival itself, the sub-plot deals with booking the entire Wu-Tang Clan as a whole, with no one member missing(there's 9 of them, 10 if you count Cappadonna). The group had not done a show together for a few years, each member as a solo act or duos within have only performed prior to this event. The tone of the film make's it appear as if Chang is trying to catch a group of bees(no pun intended) with a baseball cap; dealings with agents and a subtle denial from some of the members about it being pulled off build up the anxiety on Chang's behalf. If that's not enough, crew member Ol' Dirty Bastard takes up plenty of screen time with none of the crew members taking accountability of him(even his manager) and knowing if he is sober enough to perform. Although the Wu headline the event, the bill is still heavy with prolific hip-hop acts including Redman, Dilated Peoples, Sage Francis, Supernatural, Chali 2na & DJ Nu-Mark of Jurassic 5 and Eyedea & Abilities. Despite the fact that none of the artist's sets are shown in their entirety(mostly snippets), they really contribute to the dialogue of the film, i.e interviews and candid portrayals behind the scenes. As expected with any debut, their were expected technical difficulties such as malfunctioning equipment, late arrivals, incompetent security, fights, unruly crowds, oversold capacity, just to name a few. In the end, every artist and MC does their part to contribute to the success of the day and every member of the Wu-Tang Clan arrives for the headline performance (even if ODB had to sit on stage for most of the set). Great documentary exploring the set up of a now, influential milestone in Hip-Hop history, definite rent/purchase for followers of hip-hop and concert movies alike.

Rock The Bells tidbits-

**Although the film ends at the start of the Wu-Tang Clan's performance, you can see it in it's entirety on the 'Disciples of the 36 Chambers' DVD.

**Rock the Bells would become an annual, day long event keeping with the tradition of high profile headlining acts such as EPMD, Public Enemy, The Pharcyde, Cypress Hill and A Tribe Called Quest, with a more alternative supporting bill.

**The festival would eventually branch out from the West Coast to a national club tour then worldwide soon after.

**In 2006, the Wu-Tang Clan would again perform as a whole(except ODB who passed away some months after the '04 RTB Fest) then again in 2007 with a reunited Rage Against the Machine.

In a culture that demands that we the people always demand more (more money, more career advancement, more stuff) it amazes me that we do not have more stories like this. Chang Weisberg, concert promoter, decides that he is going to drop a show for the ages by reuniting the Wu Tang Clan. . .all in the name of happiness (and of course money, money, money). Well lucky for us nothing goes as planned and what we end up with on our hands is one of the largest concert meltdowns ever committed to film. The result is this captivating documentary, equal with recent masterpieces such as "Shut Up and Sing" and "Grizzly Man", where we struggle along with Weisberg and his crew through one hellacious night.

Many times we turn to cinema to watch as other (better looking) people overcome adversity so that we may feel that we too can conquer our problems. But instead of watching good movies, like this one, people go and watch crap like "Pursuit of Happyness" where they get the unadulterated joy of watching the biggest movie star in the world chase his silly boxes all over San Francisco. But here you will remain glued to your seat as real problems pile up, one on top of another, climbing higher and higher until finally you just shake your head and thank your lucky stars that "Wu Tang Forever" wasn't your bright idea. The fatal blow lands early as Weisberg sells 11,000 tickets to a venue that safely hold about 5,000. Sure, selling that many tickets probably sounded like a hot idea at the time, but that was before they were staring out at a parking lot filled with a line to get in that spiraled on for all eternity. Then there is the sticky issue of what is happening inside the hall. Well on stage, for instance, there is a parade of performers. First there is the funky fresh Dr. Dre wannabe, then the freestyle rapper who brings his fat spawn up on stage to entertain the crowd, and then some guy who gets up there and taunts the already explosive audience by calling them hypocrites and sell outs. Wu Tang Clan is nowhere to be found. They are backstage; all acting like divas, except for ODB who is who knows where and claiming that he ain't showin'. Meanwhile Method Man is on the hunt for "herbs" and that parking lot full of fans literally storm the gates, overpowering the least expensive security until ever. Rubbernecking has never been so much fun.

Much praise must be heaped upon directors Denis Henry Hennelly and Casey Suchan, as they show tremendous skill for pacing and tone. The footage they have is great, but they flesh it out with just the right amount of talking heads. It may be my evil half talking but this is so much better than last years vanity piece/guilt trip "Dave Chappelle's Block Party". That film was soft and fuzzy and really only existed to sell tickets to people deprived of their Dave Chappelle fix. There is a lot of jive talking homeboy lingo here so the tragically unhip are encouraged to stay away. But everybody else should see this wholly entertaining, cringe inducing rollercoaster ride. I, the tragically unambitious, took it as a reminder to appreciate my place in the world. One day you're out trying to improve your lot in and life and the next you're out buying drugs for a washed up rap star. ****