Greendale
Greendale
| 27 February 2004 (USA)
Greendale Trailers

Neil Young's "musical novel", telling the story of a family, the murder of a cop and the evolution of a young girl named Sun Green. This is not a concert film. Young himself shot actors on locations on his native Northern California home turf to create his Greendale, a rural town that is a microcosm of a world in crisis. There is lots of music featured by Young and Crazy Horse. Special bonus features include "Making of" with brand new interviews with Neil and the cast; also 3 live performances of "Greendale" songs, more.

Reviews
RipRap

At first, I had no farkin idea WTH I was watching, but the music sounded familiar. The channel Guide on Comcast is freakin USELESS ever since TV Guideless took it over, since 9 out of 10 descriptions are WRONG, so I just watched for awhile and I was hooked. The way that the film just ambles along until you expect something crazy to happen is great. It has a home-made licker feel to it, you know, Corn-licker. I loved the way it made me feel. Not many flicks make you feel anything anymore. Not so with Greendale. This is an addictive film, and I think Neil made it that way. I just hope it hooks the rest of this lost nation of Apathetic Zombies that call themselves........'Merkins....

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DigIt

Just to answer to those who presume Mr. Shaky of self indulgence and amateurish egocentricity! Being what his name brings, you cannot expect a Kubrick movie! Are you in the latest technology to produce the highest quality in sound or images? Forget this 'movie': it's the revenge of the rascals! For those worried about giving him more money, so he will eventually produce MORE of this, stay still! Some praise this movie as a brilliant opera from a genius, who's fighting for the rights of Mother Earth to survive the naughty and idiotic children: humanity. Anyway, maybe because I watched it on my birthday (it was a present I made to myself), I enjoyed it as an intimate 'over the shoulder' look at a private family diary: and after all it's just this! A family story with a turn: we are ALL family, on this Mother/Father planet...Please note: I cannot give it a vote; maybe there should be a 'Not Valuable' sort of option to place on this kind of works.

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danda2k

I taped this off the Sundance channel because it got 2 1/2 stars, but hadn't the remotest idea of what it was. Smart move on my part. From the first grainy minutes of images of what I knew must be a small Northerb California town I'd been to at some time, accompanied by a mesmerizing sound track I told myself was Neil Young himself, I relaxed into a very mellow mood and stayed there for almost an hour and a half. The cast of unknowns, from a great old Grandpa figure to a great Devil character, were perfect and most did a good job of pretending to sing the lyrics which went all through the picture, as continual narration taking the place of dialog. This is as unusual and entertaining a film experience as I could have asked for. My willingness to explore the unknown was richly rewarded. Thank you, Neil Young.

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besani

Watching Greendale brought to mind two other film experiences: Fellini movies and Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon". What does Greendale have in common with them? The viewing attitude that made me appreciate them. In younger days I had trouble understanding Fellini plots, until making a conscious decision to leave intellect out of it and just "experience" what I was watching. From that point on I became a huge Fellini fan. With Barry Lyndon, a friend had reported that the plot was tedious and boring. But another friend's comment motivated me to see it - he said that it was like viewing an endless stream of painting masterpieces. I saw Barry Lyndon with that attitude - and to this day it ranks as one of my favorite movies due to the visual (and audio) experience. (And I've completely forgotten the plot and the acting.)I'm not comparing Neil Young to Fellini or Kubrick. And I have no argument with critics of Greendale's cinematic or acting qualities, other than to feel that they've missed the point. If you need to enjoy professional acting, don't pick a movie where the characters are amateurs and friends. If you're a fan of cinematic technique, don't compare Greendale to textbook rules. If you must have a traditional plot and story line, look elsewhere. And if you're not prepared to treat it as an "experience", you may be disappointed.As for me, I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience that has stayed with me for much longer than most other movies. Thank you, Neil.(Postscript - I'm not qualified to buy into the debate as to whether being a Neil Young fan is a prerequisite to enjoying Greendale. He's been one of my favorite musicians for decades.)

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