200 Motels [VHS]
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VHS Movie Reviews of 200 Motels [VHS]
Movie Review: In its sense, criminally bad, but arguably one of the best things I've ever seen
Summary: 5 Stars
I've never seen anything that comes close. Zappa's Varese- and Boulez-influenced compositional moments are astoundingly beautiful, and the depth of the strangeness of the rest of the enterprise is truly unplumbable. There are a lot of experimentish film exercises somewhat in the same mode, by other people, that came out of the same period, but I've never seen anything in that mode that actually grabs your attention and richly rewards it in the way "200 Motels" does. It kept replaying in my head after my first viewing. I wouldn't be able to name precisely what it is about this delirious haze of a film that gives it its sense of underlying rigorousness, maybe the sheer quality of the music, but there's a real intelligence at work in it or in some manner splayed all over it.Movie Review: I'm so commercial I could die!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Flo and Eddie. Ringo Starr. Theodore Bikel. Keith Moon. And a vacuum cleaner.
This is a failure and a success at the same time. It was a total product of its times, and had very surreal moments that almost defy description.
It's a Zappa fun fest.
Too many good moments grace this movie. The naked groupies trying to comfort a depressed nun (who happens to be Keith Moon), the elixers, the Mystery Roach, Lonesome Cowboy Burt (speaking at'cha), Rance Muhammitz, Strictly Genteel, Ringo Starr as Larry the Dwarf as Frank Zappa (let's spin the big wheel!!!)...
It's all here.
Now, I know this is hard to find. It's not on DVD, and it probably never will be (all the extra tape footage was erased and sold as bulk tape). Zappa claimed that only a third of the script was in the movie. Does that mean there was more??? It's a dang shame that there won't be a remastered version, but it's good enough for now.
The music's great. The animation sequence is great. And it's tons better than Baby Snakes. TRUST ME.
- Alex
Movie Review: Odd
Summary: 1 Stars
The question is are you a zappa fan? I'm not a huge Zappa fan but I like a couple of his songs. If you aren't a big fan then don't bother.
This is a very odd, surreal and hard to follow movie. A lot of times you can tell the actors are reading off papers. I should have read more about it before I watched it. I thought it had a story.
There were 2 good songs "Lonesome Cowboy Burt" and another that had a good guitar solo. Another good thing was a cute girl with big teeth that took her shirt off and rubbed her nips for a second.
For the average movie watcher this movie is not worth your time.
Movie Review: Only For The Fans Who Like Flo & Eddie Too..... Average Movie
Summary: 3 Stars
*** Warning to Zappa Fans - FZ does not sing or speak at all in this movie...he leaves that up to Flo & Eddie.
FZ's first movie, 200 Motels, is supposedly about "life on the road" as seen from the perspective of a touring rock n roll band like the Mothers of Invention.
Some references to groupies and nudity make that clear but the film really has nothing else plot-like.
This movie was made during the Flo & Eddie era of the band (1970-71) that many fans detested as the worst part of Zappa's musical career since he made both of them the center of practically all the albums and concerts released during this period. I liked them both and that's why this movie gets 3 stars.
Ringo Starr plays Larry the Dwarf who dresses up to look like Zappa. There are dancing newts in a nightclub and other wacky scenes of musical experimentation.
The 5 classic songs are: Lonesome Cowboy Burt, Daddy Daddy Daddy, Magic Fingers, Mystery Roach and the Finale.
I suggest listening to the album if you're just interested in the songs. The film can be considered individual music videos for each song with "...Cowboy Burt" being the best song and funniest thing about the whole movie.
If you can't get enough of Flo & Eddie, this is the movie for you. If you prefer FZ and FZ only, stay away because you will be disppointed.
Movie Review: Huh?
Summary: 2 Stars
As a longtime Zappa fan, I'd owned the soundtrack to "200 Motels" for a decade or so before I ever had the chance to view the film itself. Now, I always considered "200 Motels" one of Frank's weakest recorded efforts, but figured given proper visual and narrative context I'd be able to give the effort a fair chance.
Sadly, I quickly found that "200 Motels" the album fairly accurately mirrors the highs and lows of the movie itself. Though there are a handful of memorable moments - most notable, perhaps, being Jimmy Carl Black ("the Indian of the group") as Lonesome Cowboy Bert - the work as a whole adds up to one long, unholy and self-indulgent piece of lime horse pucky.
Still numb from the downer that was my viewing experience, I nonetheless made the extra effort to do a little research and discovered that the movie was originally shot on video and then transferred to film. While this factoid accounts for its over-saturated and nausea-inducing color scheme, it does little to explain its total lack of focus, melody, character or narrative flow.
Forget death metal or honky-tonk; if I were to pick an artistic piece by which to do myself in, "200 Motels" would surely top the list. Maybe the Bush administration will see fit to use its VHS format to interrogate future terrorist suspects and/or members of the liberal, intellectual elite like myself.