Customer Reviews

So Wrong They're Right

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

 

 

"So Wrong They're Right" is a 92-minute documentary encapsulating a 10,000-mile journey around the U.S. in search of a group of 8-track fanatics, or "trackers." The film follows the travels of Russ Forster and fellow 8-track enthusiast Dan Sutherland in search of other 8-track minds. The result is over 20 interviews which delve into reminiscences, rants, political diatribes, fantasies, fix-it tips, sales pitches and everything else defining the skeptical yet inquisitive mind of the '90s 8-track enthusiast. It's not a film about nostalgia, as some might suggest; it serves as a statement of outrage from a population of consumers who are tired of being told what to consume.

I could not believe that there was a film about the poor mistreated 8 track! I still have over 300 of them and have many quad 8 tracks! Thsi film showed me that I was really not that strange! Fun interviews and weird people make this a fun documentary to view!

I have seen "So Wrong, They're Right." It gave me a warm feeling inside. After seeing the movie, I felt like the trackers were my brothers and sisters. I share a bond with them now. I know how they feel. I use to hate 8-tracks. but over time I started collecting them. I could find them for a dime or a quarter, and I still can. Like trackers in this movie, I don't have to worry about the war over peer to peer. I don't have to be screwed over the price of a CD. I can find all kinds of classic rock or whatever for pocket change. Like trackers in this movie, they march to to the beat of different drummer, they are free. They don't care what any one thinks of them, because they are trackers and they are able to experience the joys of listening to their favorite tunes on 8.

"So wrong they are right" is a film about A-tracks from the fanatic's point of view, including folk singer Michael Hurley. You get to meet some radical characters that tell you everything and more about their passion throughout the nation. You might end up asking if they have any A-tracks left at your thrift store.

This feature-length film covers the little-known but growing cult of people who collect 8-track tapes! Both funny and informative, it's not a film about '70s nostalgia as some might suggest, but serves as a statement of outrage from a population of consumers who are tired of being told what to consume. So Wrong They're Right is a 92-minute documentary encapsulating a 10,000 mile journey around the U.S. in search of 8-track tape and player fanatics. The result is over 20 separate segments which delve into reminiscences, rants, political diatribes, fantasies, fix-it tips, sales pitches, and everything else defining the skeptical yet inquisitive mind of the `90s 8-track enthusiast.

This documentary charts the road trip of its two filmmakers as they vist a number of collectors and connoiseurs of the defunct 8-track cartridge audio format. There are several problems with the film. None of the 8-track collectors interviewed ever really convey to the audience why they are so obsessively passionate about the 8-track format. Back in the '70s when I was a budding audiophile and regularly read audio magazines, I learned that the 8-track was considered the worst of the formats then available for audio quality. None of the collectors here adduce any information to the contrary and a number of them talk about other drawbacks to the format. So why do they love them? We never really find out.

It would have been intersting to see an overview of the history of the 8-track, with some information on its engineering, especially with some interviews with some surviving company execs or audio critics of the time, but that's not here. What we're left with is a bunch of episodes with some mildly eccentric characters, none of them too interesting, some completely uninteresting.

The film itself is cheaply made, with sound that is sometimes out of sync with the images. Somehow I find that appropriate to the subject matter. It's almost as if someone had found an old 8-track cartridge in a thrift store, played it and discovered it contained this film.

"So Wrong They're Right" should not be compared to "Cinemania." The latter film not only follows some interesting characters and explores their subculture, it provides insights into why people--all people--love film. "SWTR" introduces us to some characters, but they're not too interesting. It does show us their subculture, but it certainly doesn't explore it. And while the idea that people may reject modernity by championing outdated technology is interesting, it is not explored at all. We are left with a film that is ugly to look at, contains no insights, and is rather boring. If you're a rabid 8-track fan, you may enjoy this ride; otherwise, avoid.