Female Film Critics 24/375
At age 59, legendary rocker Meat Loaf launched a worldwide tour to promote his new album, Bat Out Of Hell III, with new stagings of some of his most popular songs. This is the first time the iconic star had given a film crew access to his grueling artistic process. This great rock doc is one of the best.
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Brash. Confrontational. Provocative. Audacious. Empowered. All of these words describe both No Wave icon Lydia Lunch and Beth B’s engaging documentary about her, Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over. Offering an efficient but comprehensive chronicle of Lunch’s personal journey and professional achievements, the film is both a celebration of a trailblazing woman many fans have known and loved for decades and a solid primer for those who aren’t already Lydiaphiles.
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As documentaries go, it’s fairly safe and straightforward, until Beth B reveals the arc of Lunch’s story. Up until that point, “Why is Lydia Livid?” would have been a great name for it, but Beth B guides us through to the moment when we hear, from Lydia herself, the genesis of her rage. Her role as provocateur makes far more sense given that context, as does her drive to introduce others to their own inner demons. She knows firsthand monsters make other monsters.
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The film uses recently discovered archival footage of Tom Petty filmed between 1993 and 1995 during the making of his seminal album Wildflowers, which has since become a classic. Late last year, the other half of the songs recorded for what was originally intended to be a double album was released. In this movie, we witness recording sessions, Petty plays parts of many of those songs, discusses their inspiration, and indeed at various points is in the moment of creation. The film represents a point in Petty’s life where he is exploring new aspects of his musicianship and reinventing himself both personally and professionally.
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Australia-based filmmaker Liam Firmager chronicles Suzi Quatro’s life with a wealth of archival clips from her girl band beginnings to Happy Days and on camera commentaries by a roster of star rockers, but what makes Suzi Qso special is Quatro’s frequent presence in present-day on-camera interviews. Quatro on Quatro is always something special.
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Since graduating from NYU film school, Amy Goldstein has spent her career behind the camera directing everything from music videos to critically acclaimed shorts and award-winning features. Her most recent project is a documentary that tracks the roller coaster career of British rocker Kate Nash, who first shot to fame in the MySpace era and now co-stars on Netflix’s hit series GLOW.
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As musical biopics go, Amy Goldstein’s Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl is what would happen if American Idol’s backstories of its aspiring singing contestants had less heart-tugging sob content and more honesty about how becoming a chart-topping star is not quite what it is cracked up to be these days. That is especially true for females in the industry, no matter how fiercely feminist they are. Nash’s struggles to continue to be an artist are very real.
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Amy Goldstein’s film illustrates why both women and men underestimate, or neglect women who create independently in both film and music. We expect women to scream, artistically or sometimes even literally, in order to be noticed. We expect them to be lauded by the powers that be. Or, we expect them to self-destruct. But, Kate Nash is a performer and creator who finds a way to speak her truth, loudly and creatively, as a woman, and on her own terms.
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Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl is director Amy Goldstein’s engrossing, entertaining gut punch of a behind-the-music documentary. Singer/songwriter Nash is the creative young woman at the center who struggles mightily against misogyny and exploration at every turn. For those not familiar with the British Nash, she became a pop star with a huge fan base of mostly young women after her 2007 smash hit Foundations.
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