nassauhedron This movie totally rocks. I was in Vancouver in the early 80s at the time that Hard Core Logo would have been breaking out it they had been a real band -- spent lots of time at the Smilin' Buddha watching Pointed Sticks and DOA and whoever-the-hell was on stage.Re this movie, watch it and enjoy it, but DO NOT MISS the book "Hard Core Logo" if you can help it. It is a sort of "mnaking of" book by screenwriter Noel Baker, whom I knew both as a child when we were at school when we were, oh twelve or so, and then met briefly in Vancouver during the punk heyday. The book is his narration of being on set as the movie filmed and is hilarious, insightful, and very well written. Even if Hard Core Logo had never existed, or if you have not seen it, "Hard Core Roadshow" would be worth reading. The book is hard to find now, but *damn* it is worth it. It lives up to the spirit of the movie and the 80s Vancouver punk scene, but it is also touching and very funny. Bravo Noel if you're out there dude. I wish you all the best.

walkinginmysleep2129 Hard Core Logo is a mockumentary about an aging rock band struggling through a tour. Having said that, it is nothing at all like This Is Spinal Tap. It is a million times better. Plus, it's Canadian. What's not to like? The film features excellent music that stands on its own very well. Any fan of punk music would enjoy it, certainly on that level. Headstone's front man Hugh Dillon gravelly vocals lend themselves perfectly to the music, leaving one to wonder why Dillon didn't make his way in the punk genre, as he seems perfectly suited to it. Or maybe that's just great acting.The four main characters, members of the has-been rock band Hard Core Logo, are each fantastic to watch, and could not be more different from each other. The mean-spirited and self-destructive lead singer Joe Dick is played to perfection by Dillon. After being aggressively pursued for the part by director Bruce McDonald, Dillon finally agreed to play the part after McDonald promised him creative input. Drawing upon his own experiences touring, Dillon creates a fascinating and sympathetic anti-hero. Joe Dick is not a good guy, as we realize in the course of the film. He is, however, totally committed to his dream and admirably gives his all in an attempt to realize it. Callum Keith Rennie brings a lot of subtlety to his role of Billy Talent, the above-it-all lead guitarist who humors his old friend while courting fame elsewhere. While the mentally unbalanced John Oxenburger and the flat-out stupid Pipefitter are both well-played, they stay in the background, giving excellent support to the unfolding dynamic between the two main characters.While Hard Core Logo is shot in documentary style, McDonald frequently strays from this for dramatic effect, for example, the acid trip scene. This combined with limited input or reference to the documentary crew makes for what is more of a straight-up drama than a mockumentary. The genre just provides some opportunity for interesting editing, such as the four-way split screen scene that would be difficult to fit into a conventional style film. Another example is a scene in which the band has a roadside argument in the early morning. All of the actors are seen in silhouette, preventing us from seeing their faces during an important and emotional scene. Such a stylistic choice would be hard to fit into a conventional film, but can be excused in the context of a documentary.Although this film, and all other rock-and-roll mockumentaries, will always beg comparison to the high standard, This is Spinal Tap, there really is no comparing them. Where Spinal Tap is slapstick and goofy, Hard Core Logo is smartly funny and primarily dramatic. Where Spinal Tap is over-the-top, Hard Core is small and real. Most importantly, where Spinal Tap is boring and unfunny, Hard Core is a fantastically well-written and acted look at strained friendships and dreams that will never come true.

hypernode1 I love "Hard Core Logo", a fine black comedy. Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith Rennie, John Pyper-Ferguson, Bernie Coulson, and Julian Richings as Bucky Haight all did a great job portraying an aging band that never lived up to it's own ambitions. Frankly, I am so tired of "This is Spinal Tap", a film I liked the first two times I saw it. It wore thin on me all too quickly. I still love HCL, and that has to be because it is based on Michael Turner's book. Turner's own experiences in the Hard Rock Miners informed his writing and that legitimacy was kept in tact in the film. Also, from a Canadian point of view, I liked it because it was a straight up story and a straight up film. Far too often it seems that Canadian filmmakers feel that they have to go out of their way to make odd/disturbing films that just come across as pretentious and 'faux-Euro', or make films designed to pander to the lowest common denominator of the Hollywood market. MacDonald made his own film for himself and I for one am grateful.

James McNally I've seen most of director Bruce McDonald's films. He's pretty well-known in Canada, and almost all of his films are "road movies" in one sense or another. In this film, he follows Hard Core Logo, a Vancouver punk band reunited for one last tour across western Canada. Though there are lots of laughs, This Is Definitely Not Spinal Tap. Even though his characters look like typical rocker louts, there is so much going on under the surface that it breaks your heart. A funny but heartfelt exploration of perpetual adolescence, male bonding, ambition and desperation, Hard Core Logo is even more enjoyable for anyone who's ever been (or wanted to be) in a band. (As a bonus, the film stars Canada's own version of Brad Pitt, the excellent and very cool Callum Keith Rennie). (8/10)