Movie Reviews

Premiering at the SXSW Film Festival in 2013, The Punk Singer is the doc that answers all the questions you’ve ever had about riot grrrl Kathleen Hanna. Directed by Sini Anderson, The Punk Singer does an excellent job at covering all aspects of Hanna’s personal and public life without glossing over details. Spanning her time as the influential, in-your-face feminist frontwoman of Bikini Kill and their breakup in 1996, her resurgence in performance-based art-punk trio Le Tigre, Hanna’s longtime marriage to Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz and her recent struggle with Lyme Disease, The Punk Singer is an all-inclusive look into this powerful woman’s societal contributions and personal struggle through emotional interviews with the singer herself and a variety of musicians and artists who know and respect her. It’s a must-see for every music fan or feminist, as it documents an important change in the male-dominated punk scene of the ’80s and ’90s, and will undoubtedly serve as inspiration for budding feminists. Check out our interview with Hanna on her latest project, The Julie Ruin, on slugmag.com. –Esther Meroño

This nicely produced documentary shows that Canadians are no different from Americans when it comes to starting out a music career. It is a greatly detailed story about a few different prospering underground metal-rap, punkish rock and indie artists’ lives. It is about how music has affected them, their passion to play their music and their need to create. The film is a journey from the squat houses lined with egg cartons, the struggle of just trying to get a gig at the local dive bar and the lifestyle on the road, to the highs of playing the top-notch venues. A major part of the music scene in Toronto was left completely untouched, though. An artist listed the different genres in the scene, but it was to my disappointment that neither he nor any others mentioned electronic music in Toronto. I also could not believe when an artist proclaimed they didn’t like the night club environment (where the bands play) or the things that happened there. Making music is often about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll—maybe they should join one of those Christian church bands. –Mistress Nancy