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Bernie Coulson, John Pyper-Ferguson, Julian Richings, Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith Rennie

Bruce McDonald directed this mock-documentary (and appears onscreen as himself) which looks at a veteran punk rock band taking one final stab at the big time. Singer Joe Dick (Hugh Dillon), guitarist ... read more read more...Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie), bassist John Oxenberger (John Pyper-Fergson), and drummer Pipefitter (Bernie Coulson) were the members of Hard Core Logo, a Vancouver-based rock band that was one of Canada's biggest and most influential punk outfits for the better part of a decade. Formed in 1978, Hard Core Logo broke up in 1991 after releasing seven albums and playing over a thousand shows; Joe went on to play the occasional solo gig, Billy moved to L.A. and has been sitting in with platinum-selling alternative pop band Jennifur while their guitarist tries to kick drugs, John has been putting his life back together after a severe nervous breakdown, and Pipefitter hasn't been doing much of anything. Word begins to circulate that Bucky Haight (Julian Richings), one of the seminal figures of Canadian punk and Joe's mentor, lost a leg (or maybe both) following a mysterious incident in which intruders shot him after breaking into his prairie farmhouse. Joe organizes a benefit for Bucky, with Hard Core Logo reuniting for the occasion; the show is a huge success, and Joe persuades Billy to join him, John, and Pipefitter for a five-date reunion tour to cash in on the benefit's notoriety. Billy, killing time while he waits to find out if his spot in Jennifur will become permanent, is more than a bit preoccupied, and his desire for professionalism doesn't mesh especially well with Joe's take-it-as-it-comes attitude -- especially after it becomes evident that Joe's purposes for reuniting the band weren't as benevolent as they seemed. Actual Canadian punk legends D.O.A. make a cameo appearance as one of Hard Core Logo's opening acts, and American punk godfather Joey Ramone appears briefly in a news report about the Bucky Haight benefit show. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

85% liked it

6,627 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

12 critics

R, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Bruce McDonald

Release Date: November 13, 1998

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DVD Release Date: June 12, 2001

Stats: 365 reviews

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Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie Hugh Dillon Hugh Dillon with Hugh Dillon in "Hard Core Logo" Hard Core Logo with Hugh Dillon in "Hard Core Logo" Hugh Dillon & Callum Keith Rennie Hard Core Logo Hugh Dillon & Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie
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Flixster Reviews (365)

  • danperry17
    March 4, 2009
    danperry17
    It's big, loud and dirty, and like Hero, it's one of those foreign films Quentin Tarantino liked enough to distribute himself. Hard Core Logo tells the story in "mockumentary" fashion, but it's by no means a comedy like its forebear This is Spinal Tap. Bruce McDonald's film is a ... read moretrue piece of Canadiana in one sense, as anyone who's driven from Vancouver to Winnipeg can attest (let alone back, as the band does), and in another sense, it's an experience that is globally understood: the punk rock world is what it is because there are so many people like Joe Dick involved. As Billy Talent points out in one of the film's best moments, though, you can only stay angry so long. The film is captivating right up to its very last second, with an ending that will shock you. Can't really say anymore, just add it to your list, it's essential viewing (with a great punk soundtrack).
  • Dracula787
    June 14, 2009
    Dracula787
    The advertising for Hard Core Logo bills it as ?edgier and darker than Spinal Tap,? and while I wouldn?t call this overly edgy it was wise of the film to own up to its obvious debt to Rob Reiner?s This is Spinal Tap. Comparison?s to that film are inevitable given that both proje... read morects are mockumentaries about dysfunctional rock bands and Spinal Tap is blatantly referenced in at least two different places in the film, this goes a long way in allowing the film to get that comparison out of the way and move on. Unlike the ill-fated band in Spinal Tap, the hardcore punk band at the center of this film isn?t particularly unsuccessful, their music is pretty decent by punk standards and they were reportedly pretty popular in their day. The difference is that these guys aren?t lovable losers like Spinal Tap is, they?re a bunch of jerks who pretty much have their inevitable failure coming to them, that?s the film?s fatal flaw; these people become really tiresome as the film goes on.

    I didn?t find the movie to be very funny at all, I?m not sure it was even trying to be. This wasn?t a problem at first but it began to be pretty clear that this material didn?t really have the weight or interest to really hold its own as any sort of drama, and once my interest in the characters went downhill the movie didn?t really have a lot to fall back on.

    Visually, I thought this was pretty decent. The filmmakers never go out of their way to over-emphasize the faux-documentary look. They don?t gratuitously shake the camera and they don?t use crappy film stock, consequently it looks a lot more like a real doc than many similar projects. The acting is also pretty good, this is certainly how I?d expect a dysfunctional punk band to look and sound.

    My review sound?s a little more negative than my real outlook, really the movie works pretty well for at least half of its 90 minute running time and I like the last couple scenes a lot as well (great last shot). There are some amusing scenes in here, but I think the whole thing might have been better suited for a short subject than a feature.
  • cacutshaw
    February 13, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Not as big a fan of this one as most people seem to be. In fact, I didn't really care at all about what I was watching and if it wasn't for the shock ending it wouldn't be very memorable at all.
  • antiwarhippie
    April 26, 2007
    antiwarhippie
    A hilarious mockumentary about a punk band reuniting while dealing with their own personal issues with themselves and eachother
  • scaperbot
    February 3, 2007
    scaperbot
    At turns startlingly funny and disturbing, with a sudden ending that had me both shocked and unsurprised. On my favorites list because it's still on my mind.

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Critic Reviews

Brian Mckay
March 19, 2003
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com

Like the best "mockumentaries", this often feels like the real thing - unlike the obvious parody that was SPINAL TAP. Full Review

Christopher Null
June 17, 2001
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

Quentin, what are you smoking? Full Review

Maitland McDonagh
April 20, 2001
Maitland McDonagh, Film Journal International

Anyone who goes in expecting unbridled dopey fun will be disappointed. Full Review

April 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

Click to read the article Full Review

Peter Stack
April 20, 2001
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

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Susan Stark
April 20, 2001
Susan Stark, Detroit News

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Michael Zilberman
April 20, 2001
Michael Zilberman, Village Voice

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Stephen Holden
April 20, 2001
Stephen Holden, New York Times

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January 1, 1800
Entertainment Weekly

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December 6, 2005
Film Threat

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Hard Core Logo Trivia

  • In what 1996 movie did chameleon Canadian actor Callum Keith Rennie play a guitarist with the name Billy Tallent?  Answer »
  • in the bruce mcdonald rock n roll mockumentry "hard core logo" who played the singer and is also in real life a singer of his own band?  Answer »
  • In the film "Hard Core Logo" what were Joe Dick's last words?  Answer »
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