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Hype! (1996)

Hype! (1996)
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Doug Pray's entertaining and opinionated documentary on the Seattle music scene takes the (admittedly unusual) position that the Grunge Explosion of the mid-1990s was the worst thing to happen to rock music in the Pacific Northwest. Hype! depicts Seattle as a town where a fertile musical community with a distinctive sound and style grew largely because it was ignored by the rest of the world. Once the unexpected success of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden made Seattle the rock capital of the world, drugs took hold, opportunists scrambled for the spotlight, and cheap flannel shirts became "grunge fashion." The movie features revealing (and often hilarious) interviews with members of such groups as Mudhoney, the Mono Men, the Fastbacks, Seven Year Bitch, Tad, Girl Trouble, Gas Huffer, Dead Moon, and the Supersuckers, as well as performance footage of all these bands and informed perspectives from a number of behind-the-scenes figures. It also features a technically shaky but historically priceless clip of Nirvana's first public performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Eddie Vedder
Director(s):
Doug Pray
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
NR
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Hype!

Doug Pray's entertaining and opinionated documentary on the Seattle music scene takes the (admittedly unusual) position that the Grunge Explosion of the mid-1990s was the worst thing to happen to rock music in the Pacific Northwest. Hype! depicts Seattle as a town where a fertile musical community with a distinctive sound and style grew largely because it was ignored by the rest of the world. Once the unexpected success of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden made Seattle the rock capital of the world, drugs took hold, opportunists scrambled for the spotlight, and cheap flannel shirts became "grunge fashion." The movie features revealing (and often hilarious) interviews with members of such groups as Mudhoney, the Mono Men, the Fastbacks, Seven Year Bitch, Tad, Girl Trouble, Gas Huffer, Dead Moon, and the Supersuckers, as well as performance footage of all these bands and informed perspectives from a number of behind-the-scenes figures. It also features a technically shaky but historically priceless clip of Nirvana's first public performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
84 mins

Complete Cast of Hype!


Director(s):
Doug Pray
Producer(s):
Steve Helvey
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
NR(Questionable for Children)
Categories:
Special InterestDocumentary
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Member Reviews
 
Glenn F.

This film feels a bit chaotic , thrown together but its still fascinating as a look at the meteoric rise of grunge and revival of rock in the 90s. The filmmakers interview a lot of unknown players who lived through the sudden transformation of Seattle from a economic and pop culture backwater to a hip trend setter as Microsoft and other tech firms fueled its rise as one leading center in the New Economy and and a burgeoning rock/pop scene developed and then exploded when bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam became big sellers. Suddenly major media firms and record companies descended on Seattle looking for hot trends and the next big band. Peppered throughout the film are cynical comments by longtime residents who despised the commercialization and exploitation of the Seattle scene.

Yes   |   No

 
J M.

Loved the music, hated this movie. Yes there are a few interviews with the likes of Eddie Vedder and Kim Thiel, but for the most part this movie is comprised of a string of whiney monologues by bands and musicians who didn't "make it" and industry hangers-on griping about how success has ruined their "local scene". wah wah wah....

Yes   |   No

 
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