Vinyl
Vinyl
| 01 August 2000 (USA)
Vinyl Trailers

Toronto filmmaker Alan Zweig analyzes the phenomenon of record collecting.

Reviews
SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.
Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
PKazee Pretty damned near brilliant. Director Zweig interviews, nay - psycho-analyzes, and CROSS-EXAMINES - record collectors in an effort to understand the roots of his own obsessiveness, loneliness and feelings of self-loathing. Among the collectors he's interviews are Harvey Pekar, Guy Madden and Bruce La Bruce, though nobody is identified in the film. Make no mistake, some of the collectors put under his microscope are quite sick, more hoarders than collectors, allowing their obsessions to paint their lives into a frighteningly cluttered corner. Though - as a collector myself - it could be rather painful to watch at times, and though the directors soul-searching occasionally wanders a bit too far, this is really a MUST SEE for any collector!
Chris Williams (chrisw-3) Like Harvey Pekar, but wish he was more of a whiny, uninteresting looser? The real Harvey Pekar is in this film for comparison, so you can see for yourself.The subjects being interviewed would have been far more interesting in the hands of an interviewer with some empathy, and who didn't have the same obsession. As it is, he lacks the necessary distance from the subject to provide a decent overview. There is definitely a documentary to be made about this subject, but for the most part this film could be used by someone else as a template for how not to make that documentary.Several points taken away for a breathtakingly cringe-worthy "girlfriend interview" and end titles that sacrifice readability for "style".
balloonfarm I really enjoyed Ivan Haffenden's portrayal of Zack X. McBuick MCMLIX--and found his performance as strong, nay, stronger, than that of James Coburn playing Britt in The Magnificent Seven (1960). Take the following line, for example: "Nobody throws my mint copy of Like Long Hair by Paul Revere & the Raiders at me and says it originally came out on Jerden. Nobody." The tension is palpable.The discussions of the relative merits of analog versus digital provided new insight into the rich and complex world of mindless polemic.Also worthy of note were the many antique cars and musical instruments that dotted this cinematic landscape. I was especially taken by the 1965 Studebaker Lark (the built-in vanity kit was an innovative feature!) and what appeared to be a Mellotron MkII of similar vintage.Overall, I give this picture high marks both for content and neat stuff.
timelord-3 Vinyl does deliver on its promise of delving deeply into the psyche of record collectors and their hobby/habit/obsession. What I didn't expect (and regretted slightly) was the filmmakers constant maudlin monologues on his state of mind. While funny, and occasionally actually making sense, and even sometimes referring to record collecting they got very distracting. I just wished he would shut up after a while so we could get back to the real stars.And what a motley collection of obsessives are gathered in this hour and a half. Ranging from the guy who wants to collect every song ever produced, to the gal who stands by in comatose shock as her baby jumps all over her vinyl collection, emitting satisfying crunching sounds as her posterior meets its target.Offering real insights into what could be described as an affliction, Vinyl covers a lot in its time and while proffing up many belly laughs perhaps gets a bit too serious about its subject matter. Satisfying nonetheless.