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Austin360 blogs > Austin Movie Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 13 > Entry

Capsule review: ‘Bananaz’

By John DeFore | Thursday, March 13, 2008, 12:57 PM

Despite being a for-fans music doc both in its casual shooting approach (so “fly on the wall” that the filmmaker doesn’t seem to care if we understand everything being said) and in attitude (we’re expected to admire the main players enough that their juvenile antics go unchecked), “Bananaz” boasts just enough pop-culture flash that it holds some appeal even for newcomers. Gorillaz, the band under examination here, is a fictional foursome — cartoon characters for whom real musicians supply the voices and skills. The film, which follows the group roughly from inception through their second hit album, doesn’t make much of a case for the music itself, but the excitement of Jamie Hewlett’s anime-influenced images — which draw heavily on Japanese anime zombie flicks — provides a racing heartbeat throughout. Fans, of course, will relish getting to see behind the curtain of the music’s creation.

“Bananaz” screens at 11:00 a.m. Saturday March 15 at the Paramount.

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