THE STORY – An indie rock band struggling to make its mark finds a possible meal ticket in an infectious new guitar riff. Unfortunately, it’s also a cursed melody that just so happens to open a portal to another, much scarier dimension.
THE CAST – Gwenlyn Cumyn, Justine Nelson, Xavier Lopez & Julian Richings
THE TEAM – Sam Scott (Director/Co-Writer) & Gwenlyn Cumyn (Co-Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 91 Minutes
There’s been a huge increase, especially in the independent film sphere, in films more concerned with crafting a good vibe rather than focusing on telling a typically-structured story. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; the success of the wonderfully creepy “Backrooms” shows that audiences crave a transportive experience that’s aimed at visceral feelings more than intellectual engagement. But there’s a danger that a film may become merely a collection of images and sounds with little connective tissue. Such is the case with the new rock band-thriller-comedy “Turn It Up!” It’s a film that aims to be a gnarly good time and, while some sequences succeed in that regard and its visual sensibilities are unquestionably excellent, it feels as if more time was spent selecting the right material to craft the many types of goo and nasty liquids that spill out of characters’ bodies than actually constructing the script.
That’s not to say there’s no overarching story whatsoever, it’s just not executed with as much obvious engagement or care as the individual details that make up the film. Matters aren’t helped by the fact that (besides the charming and underused Xavier Lopez as Russ, the drummer) the members of the band around which the movie is centered are nasty to each other from the start. We never get the chance to see them interacting in a positive, creatively-focused way. Instead, the film begins with them sniping at each other; the relationship between the band’s frontwoman AC (Justine Nelson) and guitar player Berg (Jonathan Craig) is particularly exhausting. It’s a complete mystery why this band stays together. They’re decidedly unsuccessful and, rather than rallying in unity despite their lack of audience and instead focusing on the power of music, they let this tear them apart. And things barely change once they do start to experience an increase in attention, thanks to the mysterious machinations of their new manager Miss Vee (Liv Collins).
This off-putting, cynical perspective doesn’t help evoke the off-the-wall energy that the film is clearly trying to capture. Rather than being a raucous, head-banging (and head-exploding!) party, the movie feels like talking to a bitter-beyond-their-years alt college student working at Hot Topic. But when looked at removed from the context of the story, the aesthetic instincts of director Sam Scott are exceptional. The film is colorful, with malevolent reds used to light scenes where the dark arts that the band inadvertently conjures take over. And to accentuate the film, animated effects drawn over the live action give the movie a comic book feeling (combined with the musical stylings, it immediately calls to mind the modern classic “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” although that comparison may not do this film any favors). These visual choices, more than any other aspect, give the film a spirited quality more in line with rock than the story itself.
It’s a relief when the band stops bickering and just plays their songs. These musical sequences, which often end with aforementioned exploding noggins in the audience, are undoubtedly the highlight of the film. The music is propulsive and captivatingly dark-sided, with some of Adrian Ellis’ score taking on an unexpected whimsical quality, like Danny Elfman meets Metallica. Here, too, Scott allows the film to adopt an otherworldly look, playing with focus and distorted images to make viewers feel as disoriented as the characters.
The actors portraying these figures mostly feel adrift, thanks to the unsupportive screenplay. There’s little to be done to make them engaging or likable – a trait that’s necessary for a story that pits its characters against such over-the-top antagonistic forces – although the actors try their best. The film’s greatest performance comes from Liv Collins as the enigmatic Miss Vee. Collins leans into her character’s vampy, unknowable qualities, playing them up for comedy and earning the most consistent laughs the movie inspires.
But there’s little to be done to salvage a film whose screenplay is generally unfunny (some jokes are truly cringe-inducing, and not on purpose) and unevenly structured. Eventually, it feels like the film itself even throws its hands up and lets the vibes take over. And maybe that’s for the best, as “Turn It Up!” is more successful as a rudderless trip than as a feature length story.
