DVD Review HTF REVIEW: "DrumLine" (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[TonyD]

blockbuster has the widscreen version, i'm watching it right now.

i'm a percussion junkie and this movie has it by the kettle.

but the lead is such a jack@$$ that it's hard for me to root for him even alittle.

 

[Yumbo]

this a cool movie.
great percussion, good score.

CD...eww.

sound is a bit low.
video is good.

and yes, it's single sided!!!

 

[Frank Kanyak]

Ron, after watching the movie last night I must agree with you. The wife and kids were also clapping, snapping, to the beat. When the movie was over the wife leaned over and said it was a definate "keeper".

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Frank,

I tell yuh....

I plan to sell some copies of this film for Fox.

It's THAT good and I hope people put enough faith
in my review to rent this (and probably) buy it
afterwards.

 

[Darko]

Ron, I picked this up today, based on you review. I downloaded the trailer off the net this morning, and showed the kids before they went to school. They can't wait to see it. As soon as they're done their homework, we're going to watch it.
I'll let you know what we thought, after the film is done

 

[Darko]

Well, we just finished watching it, and Ron you were right, excellent film. My boys really enjoyed it. I can see this one getting numerous replays.

 

[todbnla]

RON,
Your review was about as ON TARGET as our boy's missiles in IRAQ!
I was not expecting anything from this movie and was BLOWN away by it! (pun intended!)

Really a great film, makes you wonder why their are'nt more of this type? (music as the theme, besides RAP!)

I rented it from Bloc and just might fork over the $9.99 to keep it, it was that good, IMHO.

Thanks!


PS-I was bummed about the trailer too!
But the Denzel flick looks good too!

 

[Dave Falasco]

Hmm, looks like I'm the voice of dissent here, but I watched the movie last night and while I enjoyed the heck out of the band sequences, the repugnant performance of Nick Cannon really turned me off. Yes, I am aware that the script calls for him to be cocky in the beginning to further set up the "redemption" at the end, but all throughout the movie I found his character to be so unlikable that I was rooting for him to fail. I thought it was just the way the part was played, but then I watched the BET promotional piece hosted by Mr. Cannon and he is just as smug, annoying, and off-putting in that. With a different lead actor I think this could have been a good movie (very much in the "Bring it On" sense).

Having said that, I, too was a Band Nerd in high school and I genuinely enjoyed the music and percussion sequences. And the comments about the sound and picture were dead on--it certainly is a beauty to watch and the percussion is stunning. However, Cannon was so hateful that I am making up a new category for this movie: Band Porn. That is, a movie that you fast-forward through just to watch the band segments.

 

[TonyD]

i agree dave. i said almost the same thing in the post a couple back.

but the lead is such a jack@$$ that it's hard for me to root for him even alittle.

 

[Dave Falasco]

Sorry, Tony, I missed that. In that case, "I agree with Tony". :b

 

[Martice]

You must admit that you felt good when Cannon's character turned down the chance to play for the enemy school and left the sleezy band director high and dry when they asked him to give up the goods on A&T's upcoming performance.

Sometimes the more bad a character is in a movie the sweeter it is when he turns out to be a good guy after all.

By the end of the movie I would have Cannon's character on my team anyday.

 

[LaMarcus]

You must admit that you felt good when Cannon's character turned down the chance to play for the enemy school and left the sleezy band director high and dry when they asked him to give up the goods on A&T's upcoming performance.

Wow thanks for spoiling that for me, I was gonna watch this this weekend.

 

[Martice]

I apolojize for the screw up LaMarcus. What a straight display of a Brain Fart.

I'll be more careful next time.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

...and for the award given for "Most Dishonest Marketing of a Motion Picture", I nominate Fox Studios for their handling of Drumline.

When my wife and I initially saw the commercials for this movie, we both turned to teach other and said "Great. Just what we need. Another lightweight college sex comedy. Oh, except this time the characters happen to be in a marching band. Big deal." I therefore avoided Drumline during its theatrical run, and I wouldn't have considered even renting the DVD if I hadn't read Ron's review.

Today at lunch, I watched the first hour, and I was grinning ear to ear nearly the entire time. This film is simply a joy in every sense of the word. It does have its flaws, but the incredible energy on display is exhilirating to watch. If I were the director, I would be more than slightly annoyed at how Fox misrepresented this film. Yes, I know that the movie made money, so who can argue with that, right? Well, I'll argue with it, especially when it means that I nearly didn't watch Drumline because of how it was marketed. Now, thanks to Ron, I'll probably end up buying the DVD.

Link Removed

 

[Jeff_S]

I guess I'm in the minority here. After renting it from Netflix on Tuesday, I'm going to give it a marginal :star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: (it would have been :star: :star: if not for the music). The plot is so predictable, it's kind of eerie (replace the planes with drums in "Top Gun" and you get "Drumline"). I also have a generally low opinion of Orlando Jones (whenever I see him, I think of Jar Jar) but I thought he was surprisingly good as the uptight band conductor.

The music (particularly the impressive drumlines) really saves this film from mediocrity. You may love it, you may not. I think it's definitely worth watching once to find out.

For comparison, some other movies I rented recently from Netflix:

:star: Scooby Doo
:star: :star: xXx, Femme Fatale
:star: :star: :star: Pleasantville, American Psycho
:star: :star: :star: :star: Donnie Darko, Magnolia
:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: none

 

[LaMarcus]

No problem Martice, that was the kinda spoiler that you sorta figure will happen. Only thing that made it a spoiler is that fact that I didn't know that situation was going to occur in the movie. But when it did, you kinda figured that would be the choice he would have made (at least you would hope so).

 

[LaMarcus]

By the way I watched it tonight and it was great. But I must admit that I do have to agree (a lil bit) with Jeff on this one, the marching sequences really did save this film, it's worth buying for those alone. And Ron said it right when he said you'll be tapping your feet jamming along with this one.:b

 

[Nathan*W]

I rented this two nights ago, and have to agree with Dave and Tony. Nick Cannon's performance marginalized what I would have considered a great movie. Cannon's character didn't grow or learn or expand his horizons one bit, yet the audience was expected to be "wowed" by his talents and charmed by his lines to the dancer/upperclassman. (who in reality, would (A) already have a boyfriend, and (B) never give him the time of day)

I thought it would've been a better plot device to have the section leader be a much better drummer than Cannon, but swallows his pride to help the freshman hone his raw talent. We would have then seen a humbler Nick Cannon, which the film sorely needed. As it is, Dave summed it up best:

However, Cannon was so hateful that I am making up a new category for this movie: Band Porn. That is, a movie that you fast-forward through just to watch the band segments.

 

[Randy A Salas]

I also have a generally low opinion of Orlando Jones (whenever I see him, I think of Jar Jar

Why? Ahmed Best "played" Jar Jar, not Orlando Jones.

 

[Jason_B_H]

I have to agree with everyone else who said the main character was too unlikeable. I was rooting for him to be kicked out of the band the whole time. I think they got a little too carried away with his cockyness. The band scenes saved this movie. Especially the final drumline scene. I actually saved my wife the agony of watching too much of the main character by skipping to all the good band scenes when she got home. That should have been one of the features of the DVD. Just select to only watch the scenes with the band. Pink Floyd's "The Wall" has a feature like that. You can play the movie but only play the parts that have songs.