Dig!

Theatrical Release Date: 2004 10 01 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 660200310424

Studio: Palm Pictures

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Adult Humor, Profanity, Drug Content]

Summary: Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols provides the narration for Ondi Timoner's DIG!, which documents the divergent paths of two rock bands with similar influences. While the Warhols, self-described as the "most well-adjusted band in America," sold a lot of records in Europe before achieving commercial success in the U.S., the Brian Jonestown Massacre, led by the mercurial Anton Newcombe, self-destructed in an orgy of drug abuse and internal squabbling. Timoner followed the groups' fortunes for about seven years. In the late '90s, the groups met, and Taylor forged a friendship with Newcombe, whom he greatly admired. The bands often played together, and while BJM were being courted for a seemingly surefire major label deal, the Warhols signed with Capitol. As Timoner documents, the record deal and its attendant perks marked the beginning of a rift between the bands, as BJM members seemed to resent the Warhols' success, while the Warhols seemed all too willing to rely on their association with their out-of-control counterparts in BJM to gain a certain punk credibility. Timoner focuses more heavily on the antics of Newcombe and his band, capturing a spectacular meltdown at an industry showcase, a poorly planned tour that finds the band playing a ten-hour show for an audience of around ten people, and an embarrassing drug bust on the road. Eventually, the division between the former friends reaches the point where BJM puts out a record attacking the Warhols, and Newcombe, struggling with a life-threatening drug problem, begins stalking them at their shows, either in a misguided attempt to gain publicity or with sincere ill will. DIG! won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, and was selected for the 2004 edition of New Directors/New Films. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Category: Music [nf]

Awards: Grand Jury Prize – Sundance Film Festival

Features: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and 2.0 Dolby Stereo
3 audio commentaries: members of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Dandy Warhols, the filmmakers
Link-outs: an interactive technology allowing viewers to watch the film with extended and deleted scenes
Over 2 hours of never-before-seen footage and deleted scenes
3 Dandy Warhols music videos: "TV Theme Song," "Last High" (uncut version) and "Bohemian Like You" (uncut version)
3 Brian Jonestown Massacre live performances: "Anemone," "Oh Lord," and "Jesus"
Courtney Taylor and Anton Newcombe jam session
"Where Are They Now?" band member updates
A behind-the-scenes look at the commentary track recording sessions
Footage from Courtney Taylor's MTV2 Subterranean appearance
Dig! at Sundance; awards and interviews

Dig!

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 04/12/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 107 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- Feature Film
1. Destroy the System
2. Join Us
3. Ambition and Productivity
4. In Portland Now
5. A Love/Hate Relationship
6. Heroin Makes Him Evil
7. Across America
8. Detroit
9. New York City
10. Busted
11. Shotgun Shells
12. Signed to TVT
13. Tokyo
14. Death Was Everywhere
15. So Lucky
16. Hiding in Darkness
17. I Am the Record Company
18. Credits

Josh Ralske

The bearing of temperament, as opposed to talent, on potential success in the music business is entertainingly explored in DIG!, Ondi Timoner's exhaustive document of the diverse fortunes of two bands, the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Culled from a mind-boggling amount of footage, which Timoner gathered over seven years while following the bands almost from their formations, DIG! isn't as concerned with differences in the groups' musical styles (few songs are heard for more than a few bars at a time) as it is with personalities and interpersonal conflict. In this regard, it echoes the purportedly superficial concerns of the fickle industry it depicts, and it's not entirely clear whether this is Timoner's intent. Still, what she does choose to show contains undeniably engaging drama. There is a brief period during which the band leaders, Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols and Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, are on good, mutually admiring terms, and each appear to have a bright future. While the Warhols quickly get signed to a major label, the dementedly demanding Newcombe implodes at an industry showcase over the perceived musical inadequacies of his bandmates. This leads to a startling total meltdown on-stage, as band members quit in mid-set, and the hostilities get physical. Timoner captures more than a few such moments in this engrossing saga, and through such painful (though frequently darkly funny) detail, the film is successful in documenting how Newcombe's personal obsessions and failings derail his surefire musical career. But in presenting the self-proclaimed "most well-adjusted band in America," as a counterexample, complete with Taylor's self-promotional narration, Timoner makes Newcombe seem more responsible for his own failure in the industry than he may actually be. In the end, the music should matter more than it apparently does. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Anton Newcombe  Actor 
Ondi Timoner  Director 
Ondi Timoner  Producer 
The Brian Jonestown Massacre  Composer (Music Score) 
The Dandy Warhols  Composer (Music Score) 
The Dandy Warhols  Actor 
The Brian Jonestown Massacre  Actor 
Courtney Taylor  Actor 

Country: USA