Tag: nostalgia

PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS – Review

With MICHAEL dominating the box office last weekend, are you in the mood for another musical movie? Not another “biopic”, instead, how about a rollicking documentary? Here’s just the (theatre) ticket. I’ll admit that my music knowledge is lacking, as the only “girls bands” in my limited “sphere” are the Go-Go’s and the Bangles (well, I just recalled Banarama). It turns out that when the Punk Rock craze made its way “across the pond” from Britain in the early 1980’s, a quartet (often a quintet) of talented young women from the Big Apple decided to “heed the call”. They mixed driving “metal” beats with lots of high energy and showmanship (or should it be “show-woman-ship”) and lots of humor, beginning with their act’s name. It’s all explained in PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS.

The doc begins its story just a few years ago, as several of the original members are contemplating a reunion tour (the ole’ “We’re getting the band back together” bit). We’re quickly whisked away, back in time to NYC in the mid 1980s, a grimier and more dangerous era of that burg. That starting trio met in the school of performing arts from the FAME movie and TV show. They created songs inspired by favorite Tv shows like “The Brady Bunch” and hastily learned how to play their instruments (sort of the other way around for most bands). Their first gigs were chaotic (chants of “Show us your t#%&s” from the rowdy dudes), but they got their “mojo rising” and put together a wardrobe that defined their style: frizzed hair, spiked leather, and tutus. The last reflected a sense of humor, paired with “blacked-out” teeth and bold hair colors. Soon they’re touring the country with the Beastie Boys, the Ramones, and even the Go-Go’s. New members are brought in as some mainstays depart (many different drummers) as the road takes its toll with personality clashes and dramatic “affairs of the heart”. Things fizzled out at the start of a new century, when the ladies drifted apart to pursue new interests (the lead singer, Theo Kogan, was a Calvin Klein fashion model, while Gina Volpe went back into painting and design). Somehow their rabid fan base grew, and ignited a call for a return to live performances. The film profiles each band member and documents their qualms and excitement over going back “out there”.

Director/writer Ilya Chaiken has crafted a most informative and entertaining original story of this very influential band that more pop culture mavens (yours truly included) need to know about. The doc has a breezy, informal style that deftly meshes “talking head”-type interviews; besides the ladies, there’s the Go-Go’s Gina Schock, Miss Guy, and Debbie (Blondie) Harry! To recreate the time periods, Chaiken utilizes archival news footage (you can almost smell those NYC “mean streets), film footage from TIMES SQUARE, along with grainy Super 8mm (yeah) from the band’s collection (along with camcorder shots, sigh). The talented Ms. Volpe contributes some groovy underground comics-style animation over some photos (oh, and her art is fantastic). But the movie’s strength comes from the personal reflections of the members. Theo is perhaps the most articulate, Volpe is a bit more spirited, while Silver may be the most emotional as she frets over their stage return. Equally engaging is the unfiltered Becky West, a drummer from 89-94. We see her on a Howard Stern TV dating show sketch, and more importantly, we witness her “laying down the law” to some overly-aggressive “bros” at a venue. A most endearing “call back” is watching them encounter a huge subway photo from their “heyday”, now used as an ad. It seems that the ‘stage blood” rigged to make it seem as if their “monthly time” was “in sync” was airbrushed out. You bet they were edgy, though they have a sweet nostalgia for the hour spent in a camper crisscrossing the US and Mexico (the custom agents helped them out). As with many retrospectives of the time, “substances” play a big factor in the turmoil, along with romances (in the group and outsiders), which leads to their hiatus. It all paves the way for a delightful celebratory finale, though I would have loved some subtitles for the growly guttural lyric (I’m showing my age). Still, fans and “newbies” (guilty) will find much to enjoy in the rambunctious revelry of PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS.


3 out of 4

PRETTY UGLY: THE STORY OF THE LUNATICS is in select theatres, including St. Louis’ Hi-Pointe Theater for one night only at 8:30 pm on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

THE BEACH BOYS (2024) – Review

Kicking off the start of Summer with the big Memorial Day weekend, a new documentary poses the question: What’s the “go-to” music for this season? Well, for the past 63 years, it’s been these pop icons out of Hawthorne, California, of course. Their signature songs invoke memories of ocean waves hitting the sand as eager athletes run through the foam with their trusty boards. Interestingly only one member of the original band surfed, though when watching a blonde adonis catching a “tasty wave”, you automatically, in your head, recall the sweet infectious harmonies of THE BEACH BOYS.

After opening with glorious footage of an electric 1975 outdoor concert (naturally in the bright Summer sun), the doc springs back 15 or so years to the modest suburban home on 119th Street when the eldest Wilson brother Brian became fascinated by the careful vocal craftsmanship of the Four Freshmen along with other musical acts. That included rock and roll and the emerging sound of the surfing-inspired instramentals. He brought in his younger brothers, Carl and Dennis, and later enlisted Mike Love and schoolmates Al Jardine and David Marks to record songs on Brian’s new reel-to-reel recorder as the “”Pembertones. Father Murry Wilson took their song “Surfin'” to the Candix label, and the disc was released sporting a new moniker for the guys, the Beach Boys. They soon went from regional radio staples to the top of the Billboard charts when they signed with Capitol Records, scoring with odes to fun at the seashore like “Surfin Safari” and “Surfin’ U.S.A.”. The film charts their meteoric rise while chronicling the many changes to the performing roster of musicians. When David returned, Brian tired of performing live which ushered in performers like record producer Bruce Johnston, guitar legend Gelen Campbell, and eventually Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar. The film also touches on the conflicts, from the abrasive tirades of Murry to the wild antics of Dennis and his brush with the Manson family. Yet somehow the music’s legacy grew in stature which culminates in a remarkable reunion with the survivors on the location of one of their most famous album covers.

This film marks another excellent feature documentary from two veteran directors of the “music doc” genre, Frank Marshall (JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY and THE BEE GEES: HOW DO YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART) and Thom Zimny (several Bruce Springsteen profiles along with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash). They’ve assembled quite an exhaustive compilation of performance pieces from the past including TV shows ( a sketch with mop top wig-wearing Jack Benny and Bob Hope) and live concert shows (love the young ladies leaping on stage to tackle Mike Love), not to mention terrific archival interviews with the Wilsons and some collaborators (Campbell and members of the famed “Wrecking Crew”). We also get close-ups of Brian’s notepads of lyrics and a few audio clips made during recording sessions when a tipsy aggressive Murry rightly earned the ire of his sons. A few of the scandals are glossed over (the indulgences of Dennis and that scary association with Charlie I mentioned earlier), Brian’s shadowy reclusive years (the docudrama LOVE & MERCY tackles that in full), and the legal skirmishes between Brian and Mike. Oh, and there are some interesting new interviews done with folks like producer Don Was and artists Janelle Monae and Lindsey Buckingham along with the band. Even Brian’s first wife Marion is there with some great personal memories. And though they were initially rivals, Paul McCartney expresses his admiration for the group, And that all stems from that sound, those harmonies, and the giddy fun of those songs celebrating the carefree teenage days. Yes, celebration is the operative word, even as Brian shares the fate of Barry Gibb (in Marshall’s HBO doc) as the last brother, we see the power of music to heal as the now geriatric “Boys” gather on the sand for that warm gathering before the final fade-out. It’s truly an “Endless Summer” in this engaging and compelling portrait of “America’s band”, THE BEACH BOYS.

3.5 Out of 4

THE BEACH BOYS is now streaming on Disney+