Ex Drummer (2007)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I have rated 755 films on IMDb; I've watched many more, I suspect. Finally, a film has caused me to write a review out of pure respect to the creators.If you like:surreal cinema, extreme violence, dark humour, transitions from guilty laughs to gut-wrenching, sickening imagery, thought-provoking intelligent drama which superficially looks and sounds unintelligentthen you may well feel the same about this film as I do.Quentin Tarantino is one of my all-time idols. If he had made this film the world would have raved about it.

Flemish cinema. OK why not.Pretty much the only reason why i got my hands on it in the first place, it turned out however to be quite a surprise. Deep down below the underground of Europe's cities has always provided some nasty atmospheres, from the French Irreversible to the Danish Pusher, there is always something dark and nasty… and real. This is definitely the case as well with Ex-drummer: half dark comedy, half shock value, full art.The movie has little plot, on paper at least: bunch of idiotic semi-handicapped idiots want to form a rock band, and so they ask the local celebrity (a well published writer) to be their drummer. The characters personality however is what makes it all stick together, it's a tale of simplicity and manipulation. Each protagonist is easily distinguishable from each other, and ultimately all stand alone to represent a specific issue of society.I understood (?) the movie as some sort of metaphor for current issues of this world: diseases, violence, ethics, sex, alienation etc… and that feeling was greatly enhance by the ending scene (hint: morals). Thumbs up for that, i'm sure there is more than meets the eyes in it.As far as cinematography goes, there was a lot of brilliant work in there ! The intro and final scenes definitely stuck in my mind, they worked perfectly well to suck you in, and to leave you thoughtful for a while later.Nasty piece of life representation, it manages to leave you both eerie and in disgust: how fascinating the life down the hole can be ? Also, interesting soundtrack (not necessarily good, but definitely interesting). Plenty of rock obviously, some international while some very local.Either way, how many Flemish movies have you seen ? *Originally written for http://abstractcuriosity.tumblr.com/*

I'd like to start with the positive about 'Ex-Drummer.' The soundtrack was pretty good. Whew, now that's out of the way, let's really dissect this mess. The movie has no: likable, honorable or root-for characters; none. The movie has no: plot, just a shadow of one involving a devilish writer whose pleasure is to cause havoc on a "handicapped" band for his own amusement. The movie has no: beginning, middle or end; the movie was just there. I've heard this could be a cult hit and I agree: this drug-tripped, sadistic movie certainly belongs in a cult; it'd probably be good for recruitment. It would give good examples on how to mutate people, beat on homosexuals, the handicapped or handicapped homosexuals, use, abuse and hurt peers and family, violently rape both women and men and shout and swear at the top of your lungs as that seems to be the only "acceptable" form of communication. Aside from some stylish and ambitious scenes that certainly don't save the movie, I honestly can't see anyone enjoying this that's not into hard metal – the wonderful kind where you simply can't understand the singer's loud grunts and must participate in a painful mosh pit. To each his/her own, you might like this sad little movie. Heck, some people found comedy in it. Really, it's just depressing knowing there actually are people like these in the world.

Remember how depressing Danny Boyle's TRAINSPOTTING gets near the end? The dead baby, AIDS, addition. Imagine a movie that starts with that dark tone and goes on from there and you're thinking of a film similar to EX DRUMMER.What starts out like a fun-filled lark about three societal rejects starting up a band with writer Dries (Dries Van Hegen) on drums turns ash black before the credits are even over. As soon the band's singer brains a woman with a brick (for fun), we know that the good times are over. Sodomy, rape, and homophobia are used as punchlines in Koen Mortier's distasteful work. I was often curious if Mortier's script was collecting highlights of Herman Brusselmans's novel as the storyline often felt disjointed, giving the film the feel of driving down an unpaved road. Despite the subject matter and the "shocking for shock's sake" story, EX DRUMMER was visually interesting and managed to keep me in my seat (and my lunch in my stomach) for the entire duration.