| Old-school pop-punkers such as The Mr. T Experience, The Smugglers and The Queers join several generations of their musical acolytes in this fun set of sassy, goofy, low-budget videos. Also of note are three videos by the still-indie version of The Donnas (same "ooh-baby, we're so bad, we're so hot, yeah right-you wish!" come-on schtick, but a less slick image and more endearing amatuerism), scruffy popsters The Hi-Fives, and newer powerhouse bands such as the Pattern, The Oranges Band, and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists. Lookout! fans should enjoy this collection a lot -- my personal faves are the MTX "Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba" video and "Punk Rock Girls" by the Queers, both directed by Berkeley filmmaker Jennifer Kaufman, each shot on real film (not video) and in black & white... The Queers video, which features a montage of fan portraits taken at a Queers show in '96, interspersed with shots of the band playing live, has a classy, arty feel to it, and gives us a great glimpse not only at the band, but of their fans (...us!!) as well. The MTX video is a perfect, hilarious encapsulation of the Mr. T's nebbish image... the band setting up to play in a suburban house, and the video ending before they even start. All of the clips on this DVD reflect the buoyant sauciness of the Lookout! scene. Some videos are super-low budget, low-concept, and others are more ambitious and visually arresting... But they're all a welcome contrast to the slick, corporate videos that are beamed into our brains via MTV, etc. These clips are more low-key and more personal -- just you, the band, and a few minutes of fun. |
Turn-On Tune-In Lookout dvd movie.