Stunt Rock (1978)

Just so...so bad

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

I picked this up at the video store because of Tarantino's recommendation ("If you don't like (this), go f&^% yourself!") on the box... seemed like a ringing endorsement.... I was expecting something a bit more like "Death Proof"... not much actual violence in this one tho, or plot, of character, or dialogue. Look at the poster. It's all there. Stunts, and rock. It goes back and forth. A week or so in the life of an LA band that does a crappy magic show, at a level that you'd maybe see in one of the lesser casinos off the Strip, and an Aussie stuntman new in town finding his feet... They work, they meet girls, they party. End of story.The band obviously needed all that stuff because they are frankly second-tier, and playing a style that was already dated in 1978. It has to be said that the stunt bits in the film are genuinely spinetingling - that Aussie fellow really is something, and the film seems largely motivated by love and respect for the "art". I hung it there to see what crazy thing he'd do next. Just wish he could have found a better vehicle.

I rate this a 10 because... This movie does exactly what it sets out to do. As I read some reviews, mostly from people with no movie or TV experience but lots of self-promoting opinions take shots at this film let me try to set them straight. If they can handle it! 1) The Plot is simple: Stuntman Grant Page goes to Hollywood Cal. to work on TV series "Undercover Girl" where he garners the interest of his co-star "Monique Van De Ven" and, a the reporter,played by "Margret Gerard" who is writing a story about people who get TO caught up in the work. In this case stuntman like Grant Page. When Grant arrives in Hollywood, he hooks up with his cousin, played by Curtis Hyde, who plays the devil character in "Sorcery" in the bands stage show. Their show is a magic based stage show of the battle of good vs. evil. It features some great hard rock music of that era.The band has some roles in the film and Grant does a good job at what he does,stunts. Keep in mind a few things here. The film is from 1978 and the Director,Brian Trenchard Smith is responsible for all we see and hear as the director and editor usually do. 2) Sorcery did a very good job, as I'm sure they followed the directors suggestions and did what was called for at the time. Note, Sorcery went on to do more records after this "gig" and their other CD's, T.V.appearances, Dick Clark shows and other movies they did can be found on you-tube by searching; "Sorcery TV appearances" you'll find them. They were an excellent band and I for one think they considered this picture just another job. It's OK if some people don't care for this film,I know how many I don't like,but this is for many a good time movie about Rock,Stunts, and the backstage requirements of stuntmen and the movie business from a inside look from Grants perspective as a stuntman. And the contribution over time they make to the overall movie. 3) Summary: I would recommend this film to anyone who wants to be entertained! Forget the wanna-be critics who never did anything that requires talent but love to express their jaded points of view. Last word: Sorcery & Stuntrock are well worth watching and if you have the DVD,you'll watch it more than once.

This film has a minor cult following and it's easy to see why. The story is about Australian stuntman Grant Page (playing himself) traveling to Hollywood to handle the stunts for the new TV series "Undercover Girl". Grant hooks up with his cousin, who is a member of a rock band called Sorcery. Sorcery uses real "magic" on stage with their music and their entire stage show is a rock opera that tells the story about a duel between the King of the Wizards (Paul Haynes) and the Prince of Darkness (Curtis Hyde). They go see Sorcery rehearse in the studio and then to an actual stage performance, where the band uses fire, and some pretty awesome prog-rock tunes to tell their story about good versus evil. That's about the entire plot of the film, as Grant performs a series of dangerous stunts (along with footage of other stunt men and women) and Sorcery performs a series of original tunes and magic to an appreciative audience. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith treads a fine line between fiction and reality and, by all accounts, he should have failed miserably. Surprisingly, though, this film is a total blast from beginning to end, thanks in no small part to Grant Page's on-screen charisma and devil-may-care stuntwork and Sorcery's kick-ass music and stage show. But none of this would have mattered if it didn't gel with the concert footage. Luckily, Trenchard-Smith chose SORCERY, a big-haired prog-rock Los Angeles band (the keyboard player wears a hood over his head and his voice is electronically altered) with a loyal cult following.I must confess that I never heard of them or their music before this film, but their songs and stage show won me over pretty quickly. They are kind of like Emerson, Lake and Palmer mixed with an Arthurian Legend stage show, complete with a Merlin-like wizard (who at one point is spun on the tip of a sword and then impaled!) that performs many magic tricks. It's like watching a David Henning magic show with fist-pumping rock music, but without the extreme overbite. It's a feast for the eyes and the ears.

Alright, this movie is from the late 70's. Putting that aside, the movie is quite entertaining. My kids must have watched it 20 times so far. The music is surprisingly good. I liked the music so much after I bought the movie I found the soundtrack and bought that too, and it is even better on CD than in the movie. It really rocks. I remember the rock band Sorcery, and I'm glad to see they still have a web site and are active. I bought my CD from their web site. If you want to be entertained without sex or violence, give it a try.