THE MOVIE: Awesome: I F--in’ Shot That! THE DIRECTOR: Horatio Hornblower (aka Adam Yauch) THE STARS: The Beastie Boys It’s been 20 years since the Beastie Boys released the multi-platinum album “License to Ill” and became the first white rap group of any significance. Over these past two decades, the trio from Brooklyn has proven to be remarkably innovative and today remains as vital a musical force as ever. Case in point: “Awesome: I F---in’ Shot That!” a bum-shaking, head-bopping ticket to a raucous 2004 Madison Square Garden performance as captured on Hi-8 cameras by 50 randomly chosen audience members whose only directive was to keep the cameras rolling throughout the show.
Though edited and mixed by professionals under the guidance of band member cum director Adam Yauch (aka, MCA), the frantic visual style is pure commando. Spasmodic zooms, unfocused close-ups and random flights of fancy abound (anyone up for a trip to the john?), and the chaos is amplified by Yauch’s post-production fascination with special effects. It’s dizzying at times, but the beats are phat and the amateur cinematographers’ enthusiasm infectious. “Awesome” is just that because it deliberately eradicates any barriers that exist between the artists’ creation and those who revel in it. For 90 glorious minutes, we experience the band and their fans making beautiful music together, and it certainly is most ill. (RATED R. RUNNING TIME: 90 MINUTES)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 31, 2006. Read the original PDF.