DVD Reviews

For being what could be argued as the early ’80s equivalent of today’s Coachella Festival, the Steve Wozniak-funded festival is sadly represented here in a highly abbreviated, poorly edited (and equally poorly filmed) and, therefore, ultimately incomplete history of this otherwise legendary event that took place over Memorial Day weekend in 1983. Part documentary, part concert film, filmmaker Glenn Aveni seems to not have realized the importance of what he had in his hands. Instead, early MTV VJ Mark Goodman frequently and annoyingly narrates over part of the performances of an early INXS, completely over Berlin, and despite this being the final Clash performance featuring Mick Jones, they oddly only get one song.  The metalheads fare better, with Judas Priest and Scorpions both scoring two, while Canadian rockers Triumph literally triumph with four tracks, even if—like me—you don’t really know them or their music.  –Dean O Hillis

What Makes Me Tic
Metamora Films
Street: 12.11.13

What an interesting little film this turned out to be. It doesn’t benefit from direction (as is the case with most proper documentaries) and the editing is simple and almost intentionally clumsy. This documentary does what it should and lets the subjects guide the show. This human-interest film gives you a brief glimpse into the lives of four Utah residents dealing with the challenges of Tourette’s Syndrome. The title of the movie is a bit of a play on words—given a “tic” is how these four describe some of the mannerisms associated with their circumstance (a tic could be anything from a twitch to a coughing fit). The film is billed as an educational film, but it does a poor job of shedding new light on the subject. Even the doctor in the film stumbles through his explanation, and you really get the idea that more research needs to be done on this subject, which brings me to my next point. This film is very uplifting, inspiring and hopeful due to the strength of the four people dealing with Tourette’s Syndrome. Natasha is simply adorable and a trooper about coming to terms with her place in society under this challenge. She organizes walks to create awareness and has a brilliant family behind her for support. A lot can be learned from a smile that strong. I’ve heard of Josh before at the Utah Humanities Council Book Festival this past fall. His book, The World’s Strongest Librarian, caught my eye back then—and seeing this follow-up was encouraging. When you hear Josh speak, he is so wonderfully vulnerable and open that you almost have to be a fan. He has taken to workouts as a way of establishing a level of control in his routine, because so much of his life cannot be controlled. Calvert is the third subject and the oldest of those represented. He has managed to be highly functional and active in the public eye despite his predicament. Even his family states that they hardly notice his tics because they’ve just gotten used to them. Finally, we have Peter. Peter has the worst case and gets the least amount of attention in the film. We see him bowling and biking, so I assume he’s made substantial progress. Overall, I hope this becomes the first of more in-depth films to follow. I believe this film is a wonderful introduction to Tourette’s syndrome, but it definitely leaves me wanting something more. –Benjamin Tilton