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10/18/08
What We Do Is Secret (2008)
43
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:42
Fresh:18
Rotten:24
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: Despite its dynamic subject and reckless anti-glamor, this biopic about the legendary punk rocker Darby Crash fails to translate the excitement its subject generated.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Rodger Grossman’s decade of research led to this gem of movie which looks at the seminal band from the late 70’s LA punk rock scene, the Germs, and their enigmatic lead singer, Darby... [More]
Reviews for What We Do Is Secret
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04/23/09
The battering live shows prove West's dedication to the role, but as always there's too little insight into both music and musicians and too much period design
09/12/08
With all his devotion to getting the story right -- and that's a worthy goal, don't get me wrong -- Grossman never captures the insanity and terror, or for that matter the seductive allure, of nihilist L.A. punk in its early years.
08/05/08
Striving to become the definitive word on an explosion of raw musical and philosophical energy, Secret is mostly about lukewarm actors playing dress up, walking around in punk heritage boots they can't stand up straight in.
08/07/08
Despite a terrific performance from Shane West, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Crash, Secret is a chronology, not a biopic.
08/28/08
A thinly dramatized slice of music history better suited for broadcast on an MTV offshoot than cinematic release.
08/08/08
The movie does little to elucidate the experiences and suicidal personality of a singer who was more of a poseur than a musician.
08/02/08
The faux interview preserves Darby Crash's self-image, the reenactment in What We Do Is Secret remembers the preservation.
09/12/08
Some non-fans may find here a social document, but most should beware of a high-decibel obscenity assault on the ears -- precisely what that shock rock movement wanted.
08/07/08
How ironic that a biopic about charismatic punk legend Darby Crash -- lead singer of the Germs in the late '70s -- would be so unmemorably bland.
08/08/08
Feels distressingly familiar and never quite manages to elevate the material with the sufficient drama to make it of interest to those not already passionate about the subject matter.
08/08/08
While the singer’s descent into heroin abuse is meticulously detailed through exploitative shots of needles puncturing flesh, Crash’s greater emotional decay gets shrugged off with a sad childhood.
08/06/08
More amusing than tragic in its depiction of the band's infantile behavior.
08/08/08
Top CriticThe reasons behind Crash's death might be the most relevant lesson to be learned from the Germs story, and one can only dream of what a filmmaker like Gus Van Sant might have made from the material.
08/08/08
An unsatisfying biopic of the Germs, the seminal LA punkers led by Darby Crash.
08/08/08
Despite its thorough attention to historical detail and the obvious love of all involved for their shattered subject, What We Do Is Secret is, in the end, awfully sterile for a movie about the Germs.
10/17/08
A classic example of a biopic not understanding why its subject matters.
08/08/08
What We Do Is Secret is totally hermetic: With a crack crew of set dressers, the entire thing could've been shot in a studio apartment. The London of Crash's fashion-finding trip is identified by putting West in a red UK telephone box.
08/05/08
For all the explanation, the main problem with What We Do Is Secret is that [director] Grossman fails to adequately convey why The Germs mattered so much.
08/08/08
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