Review of American Hardcore (2006) by Alex R — 11 Nov 2007
One minute we're being told how the hardcore scene was a great vehicle for political change and tolerance, the next we're hearing some of the scene's main acts calling kids faggots. One minute we're being told how awful it is that the scene eventually degraded into meaningless violence, next we're hearing Henry Rollins getting misty eyed recounting his glory days of punching kids in the face at shows.
Worse than any of this bullshit sentimentality and outright hypocrisy, though, is the fact that this movie ignores not just the Dead Kennedys, but any larger context in terms of the punk movement. Apparently, all punk began around 81 and ended around 86.
The first punks are roundly generalized as "nihilistic druggies" and the movements hardcore spawned, particularly grindcore, are not mentioned, possibly to continue the facade that this music is the heaviest most extreme music ever made.
Unenlightening, obnoxious, and amazingly exclusionary.
This review of American Hardcore (2006) was written by Alex R on 11 Nov 2007.
American Hardcore has generally received positive reviews.
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