Scarecrow-88
Amazingly detailed documentary on the making of Rob Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS following the day to day operations from start to finish. Epic in length, you learn a hell of a lot about what it takes to make a movie in a short amount of time(..in this movie's case, 30 days). Probably one of the best documentaries on film-making I've seen(..because it shows you every facet of creating an ambitious project, from the technical side to casting and acting, even to selecting the right areas to shoot), I actually prefer this to the movie itself which is kind of amusing to me. You get an idea of just how difficult it can be bringing a film to life, especially with an alloted period available. Zombie's critics are certainly open about what they dislike regarding his style, but watching the documentary I was impressed with his command and attitude, how in charge he was, his clear vision for the movie he wanted to make, and how everyone involved had complete faith and respect for what he was setting out to do. Perhaps the final product didn't overwhelm me as it did others, but I certainly feel he still has promise as a filmmaker if he can get away from remaking others' works, and continue to evolve. Eventually, he'll direct a quality screenplay without such repellent characters, perhaps written by someone with an adept feeling for dialogue that doesn't turn the stomach. All I can say is that the documentary itself gives you a clear insight into the difficulties(..and the energy of all the individuals involved) of completing a project, facing a tight schedule, and getting the most out of all the actors(..who all seem to be having a lot of fun). Some may find that 30 DAYS IN HELL is a bit too long in the tooth, but I absorbed the whole process Zombie and his team went through in order to bring us such a challenging, provocative multi-genre work. I particularly liked how the actors themselves speak candidly about the scenes that disturbed them(..like the attack on the Banjo family by Otis and Baby Firefly), and how open they are about their roles(..they are indeed affectionate towards Zombie, and it's perfectly clear how much they admire, love and respect him as a person and director). You certainly come to realize just how much of a collaberate effort this was and to see a movie slowly formed from clay, as the potters involved molded and shaped what was to come, it's quite exhilarating for a buff such as myself.
