First “If All Goes Wrong” reviews appear; screenings tonight
November 6th, 2008 by jjbtags: if all goes wrong, billy corgan, criticism
Adam Graham of the Detroit News politely writes up the new Smashing Pumpkins documentary:
Seen mostly moping around hotel rooms in a long nightgown you’d expect your grandmother to wear to bed, Corgan spends much of the film writing and performing new songs, most of them unmemorable. But he’s trying, and the concerts are not hit parades or quick cash-ins, but rather creative experiments designed around exploring the dynamic between band and audience and the expectations of both.
Mostly, it’s Corgan’s interactions with die-hard fans that show the gap between what he’s expected to be and what he truly is: a man — albeit a famous one whom many people idolize — trying to find his way.
Martha’s Vineyard Times writer Ben Williams is more enthused:
It is the weight of [Corgan’s] character that drives the documentary forward. He seems to answer the movie’s title with a loud, “Keep going,” repeatedly regaining momentum as everything from tired audiences to disillusionment with San Francisco challenge what his band is or should be.
Despite the film’s tendency to provide only parts of songs, the music is presented wonderfully. One of the heights of the movie is the strobe-strewn guitar solo of “Gossamer,” which has impressive energy coming through the Capawock [Theatre]’s sound system.
