Must See Movie...

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I've seen the movie two times within 3 weeks with two friends of mine who didn't know much about The Stooges but they were like "well OK, whatever". After the movie they had bright eyes and were totally excited and happy that I invited them. That says it all. I enjoyed it the second time even more.I'll start with a few of the negatives: I really missed some details about Iggy's time with Bowie in Berlin. I think it was a really productive and important part of Iggy's life and had an influence not only on him but on the band. On the other hand there were some scenes which I would have left out: for example the part with John Wayne or some stories about the trailer. They didn't add anything to the story. The music wasn't really in focus here so someone who doesn't know them, won't love their music after this nor will know anything about the process of making music, except a few details.Now the positive side: I love the fact that this is a documentary about The Stooges and not about Iggy Pop. He is a unique, eccentric figure, but he doesn't steal the show. Every member of the band share their stories and I was really happy to see and hear the Ashtons before they passed away. Jarmusch focuses on the history of the era, the history of The Stooges and the personal stories behind the stage and on stage. I adore him for not asking 200 critics and some distanced relatives to talk about them. He asks only people who were either in the band or in a close relationship with the band.I love The Stooges and I knew some things about them besides their music but Gimme Danger had some new information to share, it does a great job in organizing 40 years in 2 Hours, which is not a walk in the park, it was genuinely funny and sometimes also touching. The parts in the second half where the band comes together were like that. It was moving to see 50-60 year olds, some of them in a bad condition to be happy as a child because the band is together again. It was heartwarming watching Ashton play the drums for the last time. These guys didn't care much about the big money, they just wanted to play music. It doesn't matter that their lost their way, they always find a path somehow to play again. Overall Gimme Danger has some weaknesses but I would watch it over and over again, because it does justice in portraying The Stooges. It is also unique, because most of them are not with us and it would have been a huge missed opportunity to not interview them for the last time.

Jarmush's passion to making films is insatiable and unmistakable. Gimme Danger opens with Iggy Pop sitting in a chair , interview style in a trailer home. Almost immediately you get sucked in the story , and you just watch what unfolds. Basically Iggy narrates the story , while various related archive footage is shown on screen. The greatness of this music documentary is that it isn't stiff. Jarmush is playful in his selection of footage, and many scenes are pure comedy. There's oldie movies from the 30's and 40's shown , there's hilarious animation , and of course archive footage from the Stooges and other musicians related to the story. I found Gimme Danger very entertaining and a successful music documentary , since you do learn about the band through this , you get a sense of their style as individuals and how they worked. I have to mention that Iggy Pop's speaking is very down to earth, very humble and true and to be honest I didn't expect such an abusive person to still have his mind on his shoulders. I was wrong though and that was also a pleasant surprise. It won't disappoint either fans or non fans who just feel like watching this.

Early in the film, Iggy mentions how Soupy Sales taught him to keep his writing concise and to-the-point (the kid-show host instructed that letters sent by viewers be twenty-five words or less). The lesson is not lost on Jim Jarmusch, who promises a documentary about the career of the Stooges and delivers exactly that. We get a recap of how they came together, followed by a solid recounting of their brief moment in the spotlight. When they fall apart in '73, the story stops abruptly, then jumps ahead to the group's revival in 2003 (with just a couple of words about what the Ashetons and James Williamson did in the interim). Iggy's solo career is almost completely unmentioned; fitting, as this is a Stooges doc, not an Iggy bio. Though he does get the lion's share of screen time, his recollections here are centered on the band, not himself.Likewise, the interviews are limited to participants: the band members (minus original bassist David Alexander, who died in '75); manager Danny Fields; the Asheton brothers' sister Kathy; occasional sax sideman Steve Mackay; and late-period bassist Mike Watt. Ron Asheton passed in 2009 and appears via archival interviews. Blessedly, there are no rock critics, musicians or movie stars to expound in an overly fawning, sycophantic fashion about the group's importance to them, rock music, or the development of western civilization in general. The recent Beatles tour documentary "Eight Days a Week" was very nearly sunk by the inclusion of Whoopi Goldberg telling us how her mother bought her a ticket to the Shea Stadium show. Her memories and opinions are no more important (or even germane) than those of the other 60,000 people who were there that night. She's a celeb talking head who added nothing but her ego to the proceedings. Here, the laser focus is on telling a story through those who were part of the story, to the exclusion of third-party opinions (and you know what opinions are like - everybody has one...)An immense amount of audio and visual material is packed into the hour-and-three-quarter running time, as attested to by acknowledgments in the end credits. That it never seems overstuffed, hyperactive or rushed is a tribute to Jarmusch's sense of pacing.I went in with limited expectations of a run-of-the-mill rock bio, at best (the choice of film was made by my wife, who's a major Iggy fan). I came out more than impressed by a well-constructed, tightly focused exercise in documentary filmmaking that would have been outstanding no matter the subject.

I just saw this at Melbourne International Film Festival in my home town, and It completely lived up to my expectations. I am a big Stooges fan and first heard of this documentary collaboration between Iggy Pop and Director Jim Jarmusch a few years back and could not wait to see it. As a fan of the band and some of the Director's work, they are the perfect marriage to tell this tale. The documentary, told by most of the band themselves but primarily Iggy, covers the bands early inception and up to the 2003 reunion. Iggy is a fascinating interview subject, as are all The Stooges that offer insight,wit and humour in recreating the journey they shared. There is a definite brotherhood between these guys, that was at times as destructive as it was touching. The tributes paid to the fallen Stooges are moving in its unique way, and the documentary as a whole really captures the lasting impact this band has had on music and their influence they have left in their wake. Any fan of this incredible band, that were a statement that pre-dated punk and shocked so many at the time, will love this film. If you aren't a fan, then it also serves as a very entertaining document on a band that are unmistakable in their impact,the fascinating characters and is a chronicle of a turbulent time in music and the world that The Stooges so brilliantly encapsulated in their sound.