Review of Adventures of Power (2008) by Alexander K — 25 Jan 2011

I don't get a lot of the reviews on this. Though it immediately reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite from the preview, so what? Upon watching the movie, it goes a lot further and is more than a "rip-off" or a "90-minute joke." What is wrong with these people?

I love drums and air drum all the time myself. So naturally I wanted to see this. First, I'll mention the soundtrack. It starts with Kyrie and is a great intro song. There is some Rush, Loverboy, and the use of Phil Collins is fucking phenomenal. I don't understand how any of this gets lumped into Napoleon Dynamite or other recent comedies. There mere fact that someone recognized the comic potential in these songs is brilliant.

There are also great lines: I'm not pussy-footing. I'm double bass drumming. And Neil Peart! It's too dangerous!! And the deaf girl saying, "I feel you" with some depth play on the camera shot. Good stuff. Again, why it all has to come back to something else is beyond me. I've seen the other movies and they are all distinct in their own ways. Jesus, compare every drama and you can find 80 things in common.

The cast is pretty good. Ari Gold writes, directs, and stars as Power, the main air-drummer. Shoshannah Stern is great as the deaf love interest. The best, by far really, is Adrian Grenier. I already liked him because of his paparrazi documentary, but he gets even more points from this. I must say, a good looking dude who is not afraid to do something stupid. He's great as a cowboy who can actually play the drums but prefers to air drum.

The final 20 minutes or whenever the contest begins is epic. If you can't enjoy those routines, I guess I just feel sorry for you. I would definitely pay to see a high quality show along those lines.

I was pretty giddy after watching the movie, but I must say, the negative reviews really piss me off. Not because I disagree with them, but because they are indicative of a very stupid public and, as per usual, a very loud group of stupid people. Calling this movie a ripoff is calling every movie a ripoff. Balls Out: Gary the tennis coach is another favorite of mine with a weird premise, weird characters, and low budget feel. I suppose that is a ripoff of Napoleon Dynamite, too. Hey, look at me. I just superficially compared one movie to another movie I've seen. Goddamn I'm a genius.