The Outcasts, 1985 - ★★★★

The Outcasts, 1985 - ★★★★
REVIEWED

"Horrible hairy, boozy, smelly, pervy bikers!... but they're nice people."

Pub Barman

Viewed as part of my Beware the Docs of March Marathon 1. Hilarious documentary, following an hard Heineken® drinkin', cheeky pot smokin' & speed abusin' Great Yarmouth based biker gang, who are sort of a low rent chapter of the English hells angels.

Taken from the British 'Forty Minutes' one off short documentaries, The Outcasts was so painfully funny you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a 'Spinal Tap' style soof mockumentary. The gang only consist of 30 odd members (best to keep it small, so we know everyone) but they do meetings with other gangs and get upwards of 150 showing up. They love their mams and seemingly make their club funds by running a burger van, during the film most the members get caught in a DHSS fraud swoop. Not the best doc I've ever seen, but one of the more funnier ones. Hell even the darker, more serious sides to the film made me laugh, like one of their members Wulf's funeral.

Originally taken from Letterboxd

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, 1976 - ★★★★

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, 1976 - ★★★★
REVIEWED

"I didn't quit school, I've never been to school."

A juvenile delinquent

Viewed as part of my *Beware the Docs of March Marathon 1.Legendary cult b&w documentary following the rise in rebellious youth bikers in 70's Tokyo, Japan. Its still fascinating close to 40 years later.

Not perfect (captured far too much home life and just sitting around for me), and one the cool movie hipsters have overrated (you know the types who daringly see Eraserhead and let you know about it), but 'Godspeed You! Black Emperor' aka 'Goddo supiido yuu! Burakku emparaa' still ranks as one of the most interesting film documents on a youth movement, thats ever been made. It packs enough energy and cool to fill 10 docs. Visually its extremely gritty very new wave cinema feeling, best segments are just watching the teens riding around, or being shy chatting with or about girls. My favorite segment was when one of the boys bought a new bike for the first time, a fun scene with bonkers j-music.

Theres some truly amazing b&w photography used as well, like the sight of a lone bike in-front of a lights flashing police car or the various goofy kids sporting penned on swastikas (I'm all for rebellion, so long as it washes off for my studies or office job tomorrow).

* I did make one rule with my doc theme month, not to list anything I'd seen previously, though I'd seen segments of this before (hard not to have done being a fan of the band GSYB, I was bound to be interested how they got their name). But I'd not previously seen it in its entireity, honest l; )

Originally taken from Letterboxd