The Crumbles

The first impression I got from watching the trailer was the movie looked like a feel-good, cult- following, niche-audience, young-adult to hipster-adult, indie movie, that seemed a bit like (though Hollywood, with some minor-to-famous cameos) the movie, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. The trailer gives off that the movie will have its trials and tribulations, but also a sense of humor, and that relatable feeling of trying to make a living and following one's passions/hobbies in life. The actors in the film look like normal people you would see in suburbs or on the streets, not like the plastic always dressed "to the nines" glamour and stylish Los Angelenos.

This film is a raucous girl comedy from director Akira Boch, and it's a story about a girl band from Los Angeles—The Crumbles. Those artsy music types can be quite a handful at times, and that's certainly the case with Elisa, the drunken, pixyish key-tar player and "lead personality" in the group. She's a wild girl, and she's been crashing with her more responsible best friend Darla after a bad breakup. Darla is the lead singer and guitarist for the band, and she's the only one in their group of friends who seems to be bringing in any kind of reliable paycheck. Their drummer is Dante, the dreamy boy from next door. Darla has been making googly eyes at him for ages, but she hasn't had the guts to make a move just yet. This is quite a clash of personalities, and of course that makes for a pretty crazy story and some really fun comedy. I really loved the music in this film. The band plays the kind of upbeat indie rock that really makes you want to dance. It really fits the personalities of the two main characters and it's perfect for this story. The music is the most important aspect of a film about a band, but surprisingly, it's an element that sometimes gets overlooked. If the music is boring or stale, an audience isn't going to care whether this particular group of kids is going to make it big. But, this film definitely delivers! The music is fresh and exciting, and made me really want to root for the struggling musicians in this story. In fact, I liked the music so much that I went to look it up after the screening. It looks like there's a free download on the film's website. Definitely check it out. This is one movie that you're going to want to make sure and see whenever it becomes available in your area.

After I saw the picture I immediately purchased the movie on Amazon as well as the sound track which was available at the showing. The mixture of the actors/actresses ethnically played well with the areas the movie was shot in as well as the character development without the use of stereotypes (a relief, given the usage of stereotypes in movies and TV shows currently). I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between all of the characters in the film, although a few of them seemed fairly contrived and taken to extremes (must have been all of the IPA consumed during the film). Overall the film was very entertaining, had a very realistic ending and was over with well before I wanted it to end. If you like rock and roll and would like to get a hint of what it is really like (not the euphemistic plots hurled at us in most other movies) being an aspiring musician or you just want to be entertained for a while, this is the movie for you.

This movie was the BEST MOVIE EVER!!! I saw it at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, and all I can say is: awesome and awkward!! Akira Boch is the most amazing director: he shot Echo Park really well. The actors were amazing (Seth Milwood made me laugh the entire time) and I really wish it would come out on DVD so I can buy it. For one thing, I am an enormous rock fan. You can find me doing a crazy dance in my car and pretending I have an electric guitar and microphone. Personally, pop music just isn't my thang, because the words are too catchy, they repeat in your brain OVER AND OVER again, and it's practically the same words for each line. Also, it is played EVERYWHERE. I can't have one moment of peace without Adele's latest new music blasting from the next-door neighbor's house. Anyway, since Akira had the Crumbles be a rock band, I was TOTALLY all for it. The music was amazing (congrats to Quetzal) and I REALLY REALLY loved this movie. Everyone should go see it. Good luck Akira!