Betty Blowtorch (And Her Amazing True Life Adventures) (2003)

Director:

Anthony Scarpa

Writer:

Anthony Scarpa (written by)

Genre:

Drama | Documentary | Music

Tagline:

"Meet the girls your parents warned you about dating... or turning into." Alternative Press

Plot:

For two years a filmmaker follows the all girl rock band Betty Blowtorch documenting the bands ferocious sound and dangerously low-tech pyrotechnic show, unaware of the turmoil and tragedy that he will ultimately capture.

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bianca Butthole	...	Herself
Blare N' Bitch	...	Herself
Sharon Needles	...	Herself
Judy Molish	...	Herself
Duff McKagan	...	Himself
Vanilla Ice	...	Himself
Dez Cadena	...	Himself
Jennifer Finch	...	Herself
Kelly Spencer	...	Herself
Kevin Baldes	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Johnny Angel	...	Himself
Thom Bone	...	Himself
Flames Evil	...	Himself
Dave Gara	...	Himself
Lina Lecaro	...	Herself

Runtime:

USA:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Food for Twelve LLC

Soundtrack:

Last Call

I was moved and inspired!

I am a huge fan of the Los Angeles music scene so I was aware of Betty Blowtorch, but I never really knew the story behind the band. The filmmakers did a great job of gathering archive materials, interviews and rare live performances from which they compiled a pretty compelling and dramatic rock and roll movie. The film covers the band from start to tragic finish. Some of the early footage covering the band's seemingly accidental label signing (they got signed to EMI early on when they were called Butt Trumpet) is priceless as the main players from that era pulls no punches when it comes to recalling their own versions of who was responsible for the eventual break up of Butt Trumpet. It was cool to see that the girls carried on and formed Betty Blowtorch, with Bianca stepping up to take lead vocals. I often thought of the band as a novelty act with the tattoos and fireworks, but the film captures some pretty intense performances that should make some people take a second listen. There is a good mix of humor and drama, plus some surprise footage with Vanilla Ice that gave me new respect for him. Some moments in the film explored some heavy issues regarding Bianca's past, but seeing her on the screen looking happy and beautiful - knowing she made it through some stuff that most don't survive, was inspiring. However, in the end, we are shown just how fragile we really are.