v/a "Boston Beatdown Volume II" DVD
[Crosscheck]
I never saw the first volume of this series, but I'd be curious to see it now, not only to see how they differ, but to check out what insane footage might have been included, because there's some whacked out shit on this thing! The basic premise here is an overview of the Boston scene, but I don't think anyone, including those who put this together, would contest the fact that the picture created here is pretty limited in scope to the harder and more violent side of the Boston hardcore circle, focusing on the FSU crew (Friends Stand United), its members, and some closely knit bands that are generally associated with 'em. Opening with a "Fight Club"-esque rant against corporate interests seeping into Boston, things quickly roll into random footage of fights and interview styled segments with FSU members. There's a ton of fight footage, though - band members getting rocked in the face, groups of people throwing down in the streets, kids getting bounced in the pit, Moby getting attacked on the sidewalk out of nowhere, etc. My only complaint is that most of this shit happens so damn fast you can't really get an idea of what's going on. It's amazing how calm some people can be as they're pounding someone, though. In the midst of all this is a little bit of live footage from Ramallah, Blood for Blood, and Death Before Dishonor, among a few others; with the most interesting interviews coming from Buddha from Blood for Blood, Chabo (FSU), and Joey C from Righteous Jams (who has a more positive take on a lot of the topics). The bonus interview footage includes longer talks with a few FSU people, including Chabo, whose demeanor is definitely not to be fucked with. Colin of Arabia is another interesting contributor, speaking in one of the most forthright manners about his personal opinions on violent situations, and having some fairly just moments that make his honesty appreciable. But, of course, the most insane moments come from Elgin James, the "underground surgeon" of the bunch, who's shown sewing up his own chin, and closing up a massive bloody gash under some dude's arm... all of this on a living room couch... with no anesthesia. Painful... and totally insane. Wrapping up the bonus portion are live songs from Boston icons like Ten Yard Fight, In My Eyes, and the mighty Wrecking Crew, and a few deleted scenes from the interview footage that consist mainly of fuckups and humorous bits. Not bad overall. I think it could stand to be slightly longer (running just over an hour or so in total), and of course slightly more of a balanced look might have been interesting, but the people behind this are looking at it from what they've experienced. At times it seems like some of the content is being exaggeratedly glorified, but these are people who are no strangers to violence, so that's not surprising. So this definitely isn't for anyone who's opposed to seeing people take a hit. I'm no proponent of violence per se, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a kick out of observing such situations from the outside, you know? (7/10)
Running time - 70:00 (approximately), Tracks: N/A
[Notable tracks: N/A]
Crosscheck Records - http://www.crosscheckrecords.com

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