The Fearless Freaks (2005) (TV)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Bradley Beesley

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

A documentary on the evolution of the Oklahoma band The Flaming Lips. |

Plot Keywords:

Drug Abuse | Football | Balloon | Childhood | Robbery

Cast

Beck	...	Himself
Bradley Beesley	...	Narrator
Steve Burns	...	Himself
Dolly Coyne	...	Herself
Kenny Coyne	...	Himself
Marty Coyne	...	Himself
Tommy Coyne	...	Himself
Wayne Coyne	...	Himself
Jonathan Donahue	...	Himself
James Drozd	...	Himself
Steven Drozd	...	Himself
Vernon Drozd	...	Himself
Adam Goldberg	...	Himself
Nic Harcourt	...	Himself
Gibby Haynes	...	Himself
Michael Ivins	...	Himself
Juliette Lewis	...	Herself
Liz Phair	...	Herself
Cat Power	...	Herself
Christina Ricci	...	Herself
Kliph Scurlock	...	Himself
Paul Kent Sylvester	...	Himself - fan in giraffe costume
Jack White	...	Himself
Meg White	...	Herself

Runtime:

USA:100 min | USA:103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Australia:M

Quotes:

Wayne Coyne: This is really how you die; it's just one minute, you're just cooking up someone's order of french fries, and the next minute you're laying on the floor and they blow your brains out, and there's no music, there's no significance, it's just random - it could've been anybody.

Soundtrack:

Unconsciously Screamin'

A very real, very honest and heartfelt movie

I really liked this movie a lot. I first learned of The Flaming Lips a couple years ago, when a friend lent me their CD. So, I'm not a huge fan by any means, just someone who likes their music. Before watching the movie, I knew nothing about the band, its members, or their history. This movie changed all that. It's a documentary about the band members as well as the lives of people who are touched in some way by this band. It's a very real, very honest, and a very heartfelt movie. I walked away with much adoration and appreciation of Wayne Coyne not only as a musician and artist, but also as a human being. The guy seems like a genuinely nice person.

In some ways, the story is about a band that has changed and grown over time, just as any of us do in life. Their music reflects this. Seeing the long transformation of the band into what they have become today was fascinating. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, we see the band undergo its own metamorphosis. You can actually hear and see the maturity of the band in their song-writing, the mastery of their instruments, and most importantly, in their music.

The movie also provides us a glimpse into Steve Drozd's journey to face his demons. I saw this movie at its world premiere, and the director asked the audience what we thought about the film. Was it too long? No, and actually I wasn't even aware of the time passing, it was that good. What did we think about the "scene" with Steve? I'm glad the director included it.

This movie is a real picture of the band. In many ways, the director, Bradley Beesley, provided us a glimpse into many of the band member's personal lives. We see Wayne confronting the reality of his father's passing. We see Steve confronting the consequences of his drug addiction. As I said, it's a very real film. And it's genuine.

Brad, thank you. You did a great job.