Thursday, February 24, 2022

Maybe the devil made them do it


     Studio 666 -- a twisted horror film starring Dave Grohl and other members of Foo Fighters -- tries to be goofy, even as it gushes serious amounts of blood.
    Like gross-outs? 666 has 'em. Like horror with a jokey edge? The movie has that, as well, And, by the way, if you like the Foo Fighters,  there's also some music. 
   Studio 666 swings wildly, but lands few punches. It doesn't help that the Foo Fighters aren't likely to win any acting awards, and the attempts at humor are ... well ... just that, attempts.
   Now, I'll say this. If you happen to be a Foo Fighters fan and you  see Studio 666 in a packed auditorium of like-minded folks, you may have a good time. Grohl and his bandmates certainly do their best to push matters over-the-top.
   Studio 66  knows how ridiculous it can be and expects that we'll be in on the joke. Sometimes that can be fun; this time, not so much.
    Non-fans probably will find little to savor as they watch Grohl fall under demonic influences and exploit his fellow band members. The Fighters have checked into a rundown mansion -- the drum acoustics are supposed to be excellent -- to record a long-awaited album. 
   Awaited by whom? By their manager, Jeff Garlin trying to tap into some full-bodied nastiness. 
   Following form, the house has a checkered past that connects to previous catastrophes. Ominous warnings, of course, are ignored.
   Character development hardly matters with director B.J. McDonnell sketching in the broadest of strokes. Keyboardist Rami Jaffe, for example, has sex on his mind, particularly as it concerns the woman (Whitney Cummings) who lives next door and knows more than she lets on.
    Emma Ortega and Will Forte also make brief appearances.
    The movie follows a typical arc as band members drop by the wayside and Grohl struggles to find an ending for a song that has reached a preposterous 45-minutes in length. He claims it includes a new note, L sharp.
   Enough. In movie terms, Studio 666 strikes few new notes and doesn’t do much to make the old ones feel fresh, either.



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