WILCO - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart NEWS (1 Viewer)

One of my most anticipated releases is coming soon! I Am Trying to Break Your Heart will be coming to DVD before or shortly after Xmas. This is going to be an amazin DVD for Wilco fans. From the wilcofilm.com site:
The DVD will include a book with the entire story of the making of the film, including many, many photographs and other interesting items. There will be liner notes, written by a very famous music journalist (which we will keep secret for now), a commentary track that features Sam Jones and all four members of Wilco talking about what went on behind the scenes, and best of all, tons of extra footage that has never been seen. The extras include over 20 songs performed in their entirety, plus many interesting moments backstage, on stage, and in the recording studio. We are also including the theatrical trailer, and as short featurette about the making of the film. All in all, the extras will be almost as long as the film itself.
TWENTY live songs. Incredible. If you've seen Wilco live or are a fan, then you have to love this news.

Great news! Still one of the best films I've seen this year. Although I'm a big Wilco fan, I think music fans, even if they're not familiar with Wilco, will enjoy and take a lot away from the film.

Fantastic.

This is great news. I didn't get the chance to see this in the theater. I did see them live this summer and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

KrisM

Can't wait. Just saw them last Friday at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor (where they also recently had the movie playing).

I saw them last Tuesday in Philadelphia. GREAT show. IMO, the best band in America right now.

Beating the Wilco drum...Go see what the hype is about:
Oct-30 The Gibson Rooftop Memphis, TN
Nov-1 Classic Center Theatre Athens, GA
Nov-2 Tampa Theatre Tampa, FL
Nov-3 The Palace Theatre Gainesville, FL
Nov-4 Carefree Theatre W Palm Beach, FL
Nov-5 The Club at Firestone Orlando, FL
Nov-7 Tipitina's New Orleans, LA
Nov-9 The Pageant St. Louis, MO
Nov-10 U of Iowa Union Iowa City, IA
If you're in any of these areas, check em out. Last dates this year (supposedly).

Yeah! I missed this in the theater - I'll pick this one up sight unseen.

Scott

I drove up to Dayton last night to see it in the theater while I still could. While the film isn't as "raw" as I hoped it would be, it was entertaining. The extras on the DVD seal it, though.
I may be one of the few who think that the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot tracks sound infinitely better as the acoustic and/or "underproduced" versions that were featured in the film. If there are twenty of those on the DVD, I'm a happy man.
Remaining dates can be found at the www.wilcofilm.com link Patrick listed above. Don't believe the "now playing" status of the film in Cincinnati for a second, though.

I'm curious. How does the departure of Jay Bennett play out in the film? Is this all caught on film or does he leave the band before the film begins?
And I think the songs on YHF sound great in any form.

Very much caught on film. Not the actual meeting where he basically gets fired, but everything leading up to it. And they definitely chose some clips that foreshadow it happening.

Artistic differences?

Saw IATTBYH a couple of weeks ago down in Dallas, and then saw Wilco in concert a couple of hours later. Both were terrific, and it was a really cool "Wilco Day" for me.
Jay Bennett is portrayed as a "psycho hose beast" throughout the film, until his departure. Especially during one scene, where he and Tweedy are "discussing" the intro to "Heavy Metal Drummer". They argue, its resolved, Bennett brings it up again, they argue, its resolved, Bennett brings it up again. . . Everybody in the theatre I saw it in was laughing at what a dick Bennett was being.
Also funny is the scene, I believe after he was dismissed from the band, where he was saying that Wilco was "his" band, and Tweedy was jealous about it, and that's why he wasn't in the band anymore or some other such nonsense.
Signed,
Matt Birchall,
Jeff Tweedy Apologist

I don't know that Bennett is necessarily villified in the film. He makes a specific point about everyone in Wilco playing a specific role, and that they shouldn't step outside that role if they know what's good for them. Whether it was a conscious editing decision or not, I thought it was pretty telling how little you heard out of anyone besides Bennett and Tweedy.
They did spend a little bit of time on Bennett's new solo career, though, and " My Darlin' " is used to great effect in the film, which was a nice touch.
Tweedy seems reluctant to discuss it, although he seems reluctant to discuss a lot of things in the film. (Let's just say I'm no longer upset about never getting backstage passes.) I'm no Bennett apologist, but I rolled my eyes when Tweedy said something about the difficulties working with someone who needs more than you can give him. Can give him...are willing to give him...whatever. Tweedy just doesn't have much luck working with guys named Jay.

well, I have my copies of "Being There" and "AM" sitting next to me and they both say "All Songs Written by Jeff Tweedy" not Wilco or Jay Bennett. Although, I think the Mermaid Ave songs were credited to Wilco.

Lets face it, Jeff Tweedy is Wilco.

"All songs written by Jeff Tweedy" is most definitely not the case with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, however, and all of the band members readily admit that at the start of the film, as though they're trying to make the case that Jeff Tweedy is not Wilco. Over the course of the film, you never really get the sense that anyone besides Tweedy is as much a part of the band as Tweedy is, regardless of what the album credits say.
I have nothing against Tweedy. I'll readily admit that I enjoy the A.M. and Being There albums more than anything Wilco has done since, which is a testament to his songwriting.
Bennett may come across as an ass in the film, but I think all he really wants is credit where credit is due. In the case of YHF, credit does not belong to Tweedy alone.

from the wilcofilm website:

We planned originally to release a DVD and VHS of this film by Christmas 2002. We now have a tentative DVD release date of February 18th, 2003. In addition, we are currently working on bringing the film to foreign markets, both theatrically and in DVD format.

The DVD will include a book with the entire story of the making of the film, including many, many photographs and other interesting items. There will be liner notes, written by a very famous music journalist (which we will keep secret for now), a commentary track that features Sam Jones and all four members of Wilco talking about what went on behind the scenes, and best of all, tons of extra footage that has never been seen. The extras include over 20 songs performed in their entirety, plus many interesting moments backstage, on stage, and in the recording studio. We are also including the theatrical trailer, and as short featurette about the making of the film. All in all, the extras will be almost as long as the film itself.

Thanks for the update, Patrick. My candidate for "most wanted DVD of early 2003", eclipsing even Road to Perdition and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Vista Series. Even bought the poster. Sounds like its loaded with good stuff.

There will be liner notes, written by a very famous music journalist (which we will keep secret for now),

Uh, David Fricke?

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