Schedule:
2024 Opening Night
7pm: Devo
The Davis Theater
Synopsis
Director: Chris Smith
Producers: Chris Holmes, Anita Greenspan, Danny Gabai
US, 95 min, 2024
"Whip it, whip it good!" This spirited irreverent portrait of the legendary new wave band Devo charts the unlikely rise of the musical innovators from Akron, Ohio. From Dadaist Kent State radicals in the 1970s, galvanized by political unrest, to unlikely icons of the 1980s, featured in Honda Scooter commercials and mainstays of the early days of MTV. Directed by Chris Smith, known for his breakout debut American Movie and nonfiction hits Tiger King and Wham!, Devo goes beyond the typical bio-doc to channel the absurdity and edginess of the sonic provocateurs with the help of their own bizarre and hilarious archival materials. "Bursting with energy and creativity" (Rogerebert.com) and "every bit as fun as its subject" (Variety), the film "apes the art-damaged, collage-like aspects of [their] visual work, while also making manifest their philosophical approach of meeting cynicism not with optimism but a barrage of irony." (Rolling Stone).
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