Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

benjs

Ten minutes in and can't wait to get home to work and finish this. Seems to be an incredibly intimate look at Kurt Cobain's upbringing so far.

LukinFan

HBO?

benjs

LukinFan said:

HBO?

WWW

buck502000

imma wait

savegringo

I found it a difficult watch and missing out a quite important chunk on the influence of Tobi Vail. I could also have done with less of Courtney Love's tits.

cydonia

Reluctant to purchase this film, I'm a big nirvana fan, but cynical of Courtney loves involvement , it's nothing personal but there seems to be endless requiem for Kurt, hopely the music can be his legacy from now. I've seen snippets and seems to be an invasion of his privacy, without him here to say if that's what he would have wanted. with the shadow over Kurts death it's an endless conspiracy theory on you tube and glad the film avoids this, but still it's a huge question mark.? Whatever I'll probably watch it sometime in the future, but would advise any new fans to purchase ' without the lights' box set, let the music do the talking........

Thoughts_Arrive

I got my cinema ticket for next Friday. Can't wait.

Spiritual_Chaos

Saw it this tuesday at a theatre in Sweden. It's a really great documentary with great art direction but it was also very heavy. Felt like shit aftwards.

bluegrace

Can't wait to watch it, hopefully it will run for a while at a cinema near me...

2-feign-reluctance

savegringo said:

I found it a difficult watch and missing out a quite important chunk on the influence of Tobi Vail. I could also have done with less of Courtney Love's tits.

I remember seeing Hole back in 99' and she flashed her breasts and vagina all over the place. Whoever was manning the camera that night made sure we could see them up on the big screen way back on the lawn of the amphitheater.

Zod

2-feign-reluctance said:

savegringo said:

I found it a difficult watch and missing out a quite important chunk on the influence of Tobi Vail. I could also have done with less of Courtney Love's tits.

I remember seeing Hole back in 99' and she flashed her breasts and vagina all over the place. Whoever was manning the camera that night made sure we could see them up on the big screen way back on the lawn of the amphitheater.

I think I saw Hole on the same tour (or at least the same year). One of the weirdest shows I've ever been too. Manson had the headlining spot (I don't believe in dual headliners, whoever is closing out the show is the headliner). It was a very grunge era looking crowd. I think most people came out to see Hole. They actually played a pretty good set. Manson came on and was definitely playing a non Manson crowd. He looked like he was trying too hard to be Marilyn Manson the whole gig. Like it took effort to do his schtick which many it feel kind of phony. Then Courtney Love comes up on stage, flashes everyone and jumps Manson.... lol....

To this day it's still one of the weirdest dual band combos I have ever seen.

Gardenparty

yes, she shared her clam with us back at 1995 Lollapalooza as well.

I'll check this film out but agree with some comments on here. Somebody gave me the book with all his personal stuff years ago as a gift. It's interesting to learn more about his thought process but it felt a little too invasive as well

ikiT

HBO on Monday

Spiritual_Chaos

cydonia said:

Reluctant to purchase this film, I'm a big nirvana fan, but cynical of Courtney loves involvement , it's nothing personal but there seems to be endless requiem for Kurt, hopely the music can be his legacy from now. I've seen snippets and seems to be an invasion of his privacy, without him here to say if that's what he would have wanted. with the shadow over Kurts death it's an endless conspiracy theory on you tube and glad the film avoids this, but still it's a huge question mark.? Whatever I'll probably watch it sometime in the future, but would advise any new fans to purchase ' without the lights' box set, let the music do the talking........

It's definitely feels somewhat voyeristic and "wrong" watching homevideo footage that Cobain hasn't approved to be shown. The same with his notes and art etc.

But the director said atleast that Love had no involvment other than being interviewed, she gave him free reign and did not want to see anything before it was done.

TFlyer

Just finished it....did anyone else find the absence of Dace Grohl a bit weird? The filmaker claims to have "interviewed him to late for the final cut". Over all it was an interesting documentary and I enjoyed it but I do agree that some of the things seemed to go a bit too in depth into his personal life.

HughFreakingDillon

TFlyer said:

Just finished it....did anyone else find the absence of Dace Grohl a bit weird? The filmaker claims to have "interviewed him to late for the final cut". Over all it was an interesting documentary and I enjoyed it but I do agree that some of the things seemed to go a bit too in depth into his personal life.

Brett morgan just asked on twitter if anyone had any questions. I asked "why no grohl interviews?". I hadnt heard him mention that previously.

HughFreakingDillon

And yeah, just realized no tobi vail. Interesting. Also no michael stipe. I thought they were close at the end?

Mawky1103

I'm happy there was really no Dave Grohl. I'm happy there was more kris novoselic. Was very sad, but very good. I think the world of music would be totally different if he was still alive.

HughFreakingDillon

Mawky1103 said:

I'm happy there was really no Dave Grohl. I'm happy there was more kris novoselic. Was very sad, but very good. I think the world of music would be totally different if he was still alive.

Why happy no grohl? In the interviews i have seen when he is asked sbout kurt, he is incredibly open. I was thinking there would be some dale crover, some Tad, etc.

Mawky1103

because we've heard it all before. I like Dave, but he's been asked at nausiam about Kurt.

HughFreakingDillon

Just eatched some interviews with the director...days he regrets not being able to schedule time to interview grohl....same interview...comments how he has been making this film for 8 years....yeah, something fishy about that.....

JimmyV

I was stunned by how far he had deteriorated. I just typed "at the end" to close that sentence but had to delete it. It wasn't just at the end. The entire time Courtney was on the scene he looked to be using heavy. Maybe the amount of his drug use was known in some circles but I didn't know.

Was struck by the six months he took off after Nevermind. All the money...where did it go? They were living in what looked like a shitty, dirty little apartment. Filming each other high as kites, sores on every arm. It was tough to watch.

Beyond the drugs, there was the music. I enjoyed the lullaby and other takes on Nirvana songs used as a score. I know this is sacrilege and not a widely held opinion, but I don't think their music has held up very well. So much of it just sounds dated today. Watching last night really hammered that home. The Unplugged album was this one-off show that has become their definitive recording. The rest of the catalogue has just aged very poorly. I do think, without the suicide, Cobain would be a fringe character today. Closer to Billy Corgan than rock god.

TFlyer

HughFreakingDillon said:

Just eatched some interviews with the director...days he regrets not being able to schedule time to interview grohl....same interview...comments how he has been making this film for 8 years....yeah, something fishy about that.....

Keep hearing different stories, will be interesting when the dvd comes out to see if there actually was an interview with Grohl because from what I read....He said that Grohl was busy when he was originally asked and by the time he interviewed him he had the edit of the film that he wanted for the screenings and film festivals etc. the stories aren't matching up so there seems to be something there.

JimmyV said:

I was stunned by how far he had deteriorated. I just typed "at the end" to close that sentence but had to delete it. It wasn't just at the end. The entire time Courtney was on the scene he looked to be using heavy. Maybe the amount of his drug use was known in some circles but I didn't know.

Was struck by the six months he took off after Nevermind. All the money...where did it go? They were living in what looked like a shitty, dirty little apartment. Filming each other high as kites, sores on every arm. It was tough to watch.

I agree completely with this part of what you said. There were times watching it when I was on the vergs of tears. We all new things were bad with him but this showed us that they were worse than we ever thought. Other documentaries in the past had made it seem like there was a breaking point late in his career where with the documents/notebooks/tapes/etc this let us see that it was always "THAT" bad. One of the things that hit me hard was his suicide attempt as a young adult and all the other new things brought to light from his early years. Again it was just showing you that he was always on the edge. So saddening.

HughFreakingDillon

that train track scene was crazy. I cried a few times during the film, especially at the end. I could have done without Courtney's boobs.

I disagree that their music has not held up well. Had he not killed himself, I'm sure he wouldn't be a rock god (no one is for that long), but I think all 3 of their albums are as killer today as they were when they were released.

primussucks

Courtney definitely killed kurt! She encouraged his heroin use and he had a HUGE fear of abandonment from his upbringing so when she started cheating (or he thought she was cheating on him) that was the end! That's what I got out of the film.

HughFreakingDillon

JimmyV said:

I was stunned by how far he had deteriorated. I just typed "at the end" to close that sentence but had to delete it. It wasn't just at the end. The entire time Courtney was on the scene he looked to be using heavy. Maybe the amount of his drug use was known in some circles but I didn't know.

Was struck by the six months he took off after Nevermind. All the money...where did it go? They were living in what looked like a shitty, dirty little apartment. Filming each other high as kites, sores on every arm. It was tough to watch.

Beyond the drugs, there was the music. I enjoyed the lullaby and other takes on Nirvana songs used as a score. I know this is sacrilege and not a widely held opinion, but I don't think their music has held up very well. So much of it just sounds dated today. Watching last night really hammered that home. The Unplugged album was this one-off show that has become their definitive recording. The rest of the catalogue has just aged very poorly. I do think, without the suicide, Cobain would be a fringe character today. Closer to Billy Corgan than rock god.

back in those days, the money you made depended on the record deal you had. Nevermind was their first album with Geffen, so the deal probably wouldn't have been that lucrative (no one thought they'd blow up the way they did), and the artist generally gets paid last after everyone else involved in making the record.

and junkies live in filth, no matter how much money you have.

Pearl Jam, from what I read, didn't start seeing any money from Ten until after VS was released.

the frances haircutting scene was difficult.

TFlyer

^ There were things I took away from certain scenes....like the hair cutting one and I felt that Courtney projected negative energy into Kurt. She has always rubbed me the wrong way and I have never been a fan, but that aside....seeing some of the ways she teased Kurt annoyed me. Earlier on in the film they focused on how he was so easily set off by being picked on etc and then to see the person he loved doing it (which most people would shrug off but who knows if he did) just didn't sit right with me.

Also the way she talks now in interviews saying that she was always a junkie but never planned to use again until she met Kurt. That makes it sound as if she is blaiming him for the things she has done and that also rubbed me the wrong way.

I do agree though with their music being still as solid now as it ever was. Just wanted to make that clear. I do think the craze would've calmed a bit but they would always remain pioneers and legends.

2-feign-reluctance

I don't plan on watching. His decent towards suicide is well documented in Heavier Than Heaven and after reading that I needed to know nothing more. Reading some of the comments here about what the movie shows, I just don't think I could bare it. Especially seeing him with Frances as a little one. Ugh, just too much to handle.

HughFreakingDillon

2-feign-reluctance said:

I don't plan on watching. His decent towards suicide is well documented in Heavier Than Heaven and after reading that I needed to know nothing more. Reading some of the comments here about what the movie shows, I just don't think I could bare it. Especially seeing him with Frances as a little one. Ugh, just too much to handle.

for me, what stuck out the most, was the footage of him as a child. he was so happy. it was so sad to see that and then realize what that happy little boy turned into. maybe it resonates with me more as a dad, I don't know, hoping my kids don't endure what he did.

the animation footage was amazing. there were scenes of him animated, playing along to actual recorded tapes. it was surreal.

I know what you mean, chris. I'm about as sensitive and tear-jerked as any guy I know. but this movie actually HELPED my image of him. he seemed like a great dad, even though he was a junkie. he LOVED his little girl. the movie humanized him in a way that no book has ever been able to do. HTH was a sad story. Montage has a sad ending, but the movie itself was not.

I found myself physically angry during the interviews with his dad and step-mom.

HughFreakingDillon

TFlyer said:

^ There were things I took away from certain scenes....like the hair cutting one and I felt that Courtney projected negative energy into Kurt. She has always rubbed me the wrong way and I have never been a fan, but that aside....seeing some of the ways she teased Kurt annoyed me. Earlier on in the film they focused on how he was so easily set off by being picked on etc and then to see the person he loved doing it (which most people would shrug off but who knows if he did) just didn't sit right with me.

Also the way she talks now in interviews saying that she was always a junkie but never planned to use again until she met Kurt. That makes it sound as if she is blaiming him for the things she has done and that also rubbed me the wrong way.

I do agree though with their music being still as solid now as it ever was. Just wanted to make that clear. I do think the craze would've calmed a bit but they would always remain pioneers and legends.

I've never liked Courtney either, or the media potrayal of her, or the potrayal she made for herself, but I honestly didn't notice her teasing him. what part? I noticed them playfully teasing each other here or there, but I didn't notice her doing anything maliciously.

2-feign-reluctance

HughFreakingDillon said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

I don't plan on watching. His decent towards suicide is well documented in Heavier Than Heaven and after reading that I needed to know nothing more. Reading some of the comments here about what the movie shows, I just don't think I could bare it. Especially seeing him with Frances as a little one. Ugh, just too much to handle.

for me, what stuck out the most, was the footage of him as a child. he was so happy. it was so sad to see that and then realize what that happy little boy turned into. maybe it resonates with me more as a dad, I don't know, hoping my kids don't endure what he did.

the animation footage was amazing. there were scenes of him animated, playing along to actual recorded tapes. it was surreal.

I know what you mean, chris. I'm about as sensitive and tear-jerked as any guy I know. but this movie actually HELPED my image of him. he seemed like a great dad, even though he was a junkie. he LOVED his little girl. the movie humanized him in a way that no book has ever been able to do. HTH was a sad story. Montage has a sad ending, but the movie itself was not.

I found myself physically angry during the interviews with his dad and step-mom.

Yeah, I think I'm afraid to see/access that part of him. The bits that would make his suicide all that much harder to digest, still 20+ years later.