I’m delighted to report that noted Canadian auteur Bruce McDonald (best known for his films Highway 61, Dance Me Outside, and for his onstage comment on winning an award for the movie Roadkill, which came with a large cash prize: “This will buy me a big chunk of hash.”) is creating not just one, but three sequels to the 1996 cult classic, Hard Core Logo. The original is a mockumentary about punk band Hard Core Logo’s last cross-Canada tour, and is often compared to This is Spinal Tap. But it’s a lot darker, to say the least. That’s part of the reason why the announcement of sequels is so surprising – the end of Hard Core Logo is, well, terminally depressing. The movie also wasn’t what you’d call a commercial hit, although it’s developed a steady fanbase on DVD. On the other hand, both the leads are now draws in their own right: Hugh Dillon has gone from his punk roots as lead singer for Toronto’s Headstones to a well-respected actor on Canadian TV, and Callum Keith Rennie most recently played one of the Cylons on Battlestar Galactica. And playwright Daniel MacIvor is signed on to write the second sequel. More details of the sequels can be found in this Calgary Herald article.
Posts Tagged ‘hugh dillon’

Watch: Hard Core Logo
March 16, 2008What This is Spinal Tap is to heavy metal, Hard Core Logo is to punk – both of them are mockumentaries following a band on tour. As befits its different genre, however, Hard Core Logo foregoes the silly jokes of Spinal Tap and instead walks an edgy line between humour and bitterness. Based on the book by Michael Turner, and brought to the screen by Bruce McDonald, the movie is widely seen as an allegory of the death of punk (although that makes it sound very boring, while it is in fact funny and sad, and has great music). The cast is stellar, with Hugh Dillon (the lead singer of The Headstones) and Callum Keith Rennie (now probably best known as a Cylon) playing the leads, and guest appearances by Vancouver punk legends DOA and by Joey Ramone. This is just a terrific movie for anyone interested in music, bands or punk.