Over the summer Magnolia Pictures pictures released Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjärne Nilsso’s crazy Swedish film, Sound of Noise, on DVD. Having already seen the film I have reposted my review from earlier in the year with the addition of a review of the bonus features.
Sound of Noise is a music based crime comedy that has two main plots that dominate its 102 minute duration. The film is about these two renegade drummers, Sanna (Sanna Persson) and Magnus (Magnus Börjeson) who recruit four others to the group and use the city, and everything that comprises it, as their musical instruments. They believe that today’s music is crap and that it’s time to take their musical shenanigans up a notch and deliver their masterpiece on an epic scale without any concern for the possible consequences. On the flip side, there is a tone deaf anti-terrorism cop, named Amadeus (Bengt Nilsson) who was born into a legendary musical family and whose goal is to silence the music and relentlessly pursue these “musical anarchists.”
Where does one start with a film like Sound of Noise? I’ve never seen anything quite like it and though the trailer and the fact that it’s a Fantastic Fest Audience Award winner raised my curiosity, that had barely prepared me for the eccentric and chaotic musical ride that I was about to go on.
Much like the master composition that these drummers have laid out for themselves, Sound of Noise itself is a work of art and a composition as well. The film has five movements: the first is the introduction, setting the stage for what’s to come. The next three movements are the first three hilariously titled musical numbers that the drummers perform for us and the city. Lastly, the finale, or fourth movement of the drummers’ masterpiece, is a grand number showcasing the size, scope and imagination of not only the film’s performers but the writers as well. It’s an edgy, fast paced, and comedic flick that will blow your mind if you’re able to go into the feature with it wide open.
Just to give you an idea of how quirky, carefree and jubilant this film is I’ll throw out a few of my favorite moments and if any of them make you smile stupidly then you definitely have to watch it. First off, the name of their first movement is titled “Doctor Doctor Give Me Gas in My Ass” in which they drug a hospitalized celebrity and use his stomach as a rhythm drum along with all the machines in the operating room. Another part I loved was when the four recruited drummers meet for the first time and have a three hour drum battle for a ridiculous reason I’d rather not spoil. Each of these drummers also have pretty entertaining backstories, one of which is actually connected to the pissed off cop. Lastly, when the band goes into the bank dressed as robbers they yell something like “nobody move, we’re here for the gig” and everyone nervously sits down even though the musicians aren’t actually threatening them in any way.
My only reservation with the film is the slight romance that develops between the cop and Sanna, the leader of the drummers. It gets a little distracting and slows down the pace of the film but it isn’t painful enough to take away from your overall enjoyment. In fact, by the end of the film, the romance seems to pay off an
d does so in a way that doesn’t feel cliché, which made me very happy.
I’d like to be so bold and say that this picture could be nominated for best sound editing at next year’s Oscars and could possibly even hold itself up for score. It’s sheer uniqueness and unorthodox blend of noises makes it one of the more fascinating music based films of the year. It also has the added bonus of being a comedic crime caper as well.
If you ask me, Sound of Noise is a really ambitious film that couldn’t have been executed better. It teeters off slightly near the end but when the finale comes it makes sure to blow you away with just its ‘cool’ factor alone. The acting was great, the script and musical compositions were brilliant, and the way the two plot lines fuse is completely satisfying.
The disc:
Considering this is a DVD I can’t really comment too much on the picture quality but I thought the movie looked good. It isn’t something you need to see in high def but I’m sure it looks stunning in it. As for the special features, take a look at the list below along with my comments:
Music for one apartment and six drummers (9:56) – a short film that comes off like a deleted scene where the drummers go to town in someone’s apartment while they’re off walking their dog. They start off in the kitchen, moving to the bedroom, the bathroom and all around the apartment making music. Don’t worry, they clean up after themselves after making a mess with things like tooth paste, dog food and perfume. It has a humorous ending to it.
Music for one x-mas and six drummers (5:19) – Another musical number where the drummers pretend to go entertain elderly folks who are working on Christmas decorations and then assume their positions by making music with all of their materials as quietly as possible. It’s another pretty cool song in a movie full of neatly crafted instrumental songs. Like the one above, it has some pretty funny parts to it.
Drum battle: Preparing for the challenge (5:53) – Super Heavy Weight Drum Battle! Simonsson vs Verstergard – a funny drum battle that takes place in NYC. It starts off with a humorous monologue about the hostility that arose between the directors and the drummers over the art of drumming and to end this battle each side chose a champion to square off the drum battle of the century. Cut with photos from premieres and training montage footage. We never actually get to see the battle take place which is kind of a letdown.
Soundcard Stockholm (1:09) – Each of the six drummers picks a random spot to sit and play one percussion instrument, one drum or symbol or maraca. The six videos are shown together along with the sounds to hear the piece they play while not actually being near one another.
Water Analysis Part III (5:20) – “home video” footage of Sanna performing her water piece from college that is referenced early in the film.
Making “Doctor, Doctor”-An Audio Perspective (23:19) – Audio commentary about the Doctor Doctor give me gas in my ass scene with behind the scenes pictures and footage, clips from the film, and a timeline of making the actual song
Slideshow (4:55) – a slideshow of images from the production
Movie rating: A clever and unique film that music lovers will revel in (7.5/10)
Disc rating: 6/10
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