Best movie ever!

Admirable film.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

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

"AD/BC: A Rock Opera" is obviously a play on words with the famous band AC/DC. This is a half-hour musical short film from over 10 years ago as this was released around the holidays of 2004. The writer and director was Richard Ayoade and he also appears as an actor in here. Same goes for Matt Berry, who co-wrote the book this is based on and is the lead actor in here. I have to say he really was the only positive aspect from this little movie. Sometimes his voice sounded nice, but unfortunately his good singing alone was not enough o make up for all the uninteresting aspects of it. Just not entertaining enough, even for a 30-minute movie and the singing did not blow me away exactly either. Mediocre British short movie, nothing one really has to see for whatever reason.

I watched this Rock Opera tonight and laughed the nervous, embarrassed laughter that I think the creators intended. AD/BC is clearly a play on Jesus Crist Superstar, and mimics that original film's clearly hippy 70s feel for maximum crunch power. If you've ever seen Garth Merenghi's Dark Place or IT Crowd (also with Ayoade and Berry), or The Mighty Boosh (with Adrian Barratt, Noel Fielding, and Matt Berry), you will probably like this musical. All of these guys have a certain leaning toward absurdist comedy with an intentional nostalgic, low-budget production quality, and this is probably one of the best representational examples.

It was only the other day I had nothing to do so I decided to find a video and that is when I came across a 'Mock Rock Opera' which, I had recorded a year ago during Christmas on BBC Four. The Rock Opera was called 'AD/BC: A Rock Opera.' Being a huge fan of rock operas especially the father of all 'Jesus Christ Superstar', Matt Berry's spoof was a delight to watch again. The whole concept is clever because it contains elements of the traditional shows from the 70s like Superstar. I thought the whole film was cleverly laid out and had a real 'cult' sense to it. Of course some parts were direct 'take offs' from songs like 'Gethsemane' from Superstar but this just added to it's comedy texture. I was ready to believe that all the singers were dubbed by professional singers as they showed some interesting and entertaining vocal ranges yet this was not the case. Also the score was another interesting aspect of the film. There were some real 'groovey' sounds there that sort of made you sit back and think to yourself "man the 70s was so cool...Why was I not alive then!" Although the nature of this work is almost 'taking the michael!' I feel that it could be a professional stage show. Even though it would only attract a small group of a particular type of audience I would love to see this performed live and perhaps even extended with more songs.My only bad feeling towards this show was that it felt it was missing that big song which would make it a big success. It needed that 'Let Me Entertain You' song to get the audience or viewers I should say, going wild and dancing in their seats. In conclusion I would strongly recommend for any other rock opera or musical theatre fans to watch this just because it is so funny and still a great piece of music theatre.

This extraordinary work, first shown on BBC 3 in 2004, is a dramatised narrative of a play originally hosted in the 1970s concerning the birth of Christ, from the oft-neglected viewpoint of the Inn Keeper who is struggling to make a living in the harsh economic climate prevalent at the time.Through the medium of rock opera we witness the Inn Keeper's struggle, , "running an inn is just mumbo and jive" he tells himself, his struggle is not only economic in nature as there is rival motel owner who has designs on his wife. The motel owner is a devious man consumed with jealousy, he also wants the inn keeper's inn, or as he sees it his "slice of the pie". The inn keeper's wife can not resist the wealth and charismatic good-looks of the motel owner and leaves the inn keeper.This struggle takes place against a parallel sub-plot concerning the birth of the Nazarene, Jesus. His father, Joseph Christ, opines the miraculous nature of his wife's impregnation in his opening salvo with the verse: "Christ I swear I never touched her". His confusion is obvious for all to see, however he still manages to escort his wife (who we never see presumably due to issues surrounding iconoclasm) to the inn where he meets the inn keeper who has just lost his wife.Although Joe's wife is heavily pregnant and he is burdened with his own troubles he still has the emotional breadth to offer sympathy to the inn keeper and his unthankful task "It's a tuf-fuc-u-pay-shun in the nation". There is then a brief montage sequence detailing the role of bed-and-breakfast owners throughout time. I felt this lent a connection with the present day, it's all-too-easy to think of this story as having happened in another era but this simple technique marries the past with the present.In the final act the ensemble gather to witness the birth of Jesus, an event so profound that it triggers a spontaneous epiphany in the protagonists. The motel owner tells the inn keeper's wife to return to the inn keeper; the inn keeper sees himself for what he is, or was, a hard-drinking and emotionally distant man and the inn keeper's wife rediscovers her love for the inn keeper.The cast and chorus, who I must say were magnificent throughout the production, end on a very uplifting note singing the praises of "making love".I am quite serious when I say this is one of the greatest things I have ever seen on the BBC. Although the wardrobe and sound quality sometimes make it feel dated the amazing cast raise the production above the obviously limited budget and present us with a unique angle on the greatest story ever told. The songs are also good.In closing I would ask that a DVD release be made available, I am fed up and tired of telling people to see this when there is no actual means of doing so.10/10