Brothers of the Head (2006)

the audience applauded

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

i loved the movie from about the middle to the end. (the beginning was kind of slow for my taste and confusing to catch on to) i thought it had great actors (who played as the acquaintances/friends/family) to play the supporting roles, as well as the two boys in the film. it was fantastically emotional in the right way (only slightly was it overdone). the photography was phenomenal and the story couldn't have been any more to-the-point and entertaining.again, the movie was a bit slow and direction-less in areas of the final, edited film, but the points in which the two boys were to figure each other out after hitting the "big time" were very interesting and kept me watching all the way through with no problem after the middle of the film.i gave it 8 stars, and i regard this a very cool film indeed. it feels like "velvet goldmine" mixed with a bit of brotherly rival-ism, which can sometimes prove fatal. great film to see with someone you love, but it might not lift so many spirits up as you might think.

No major spoiler in this comment, but if you don't want to know much, don't read much. The two directors brought this film to Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre and their introduction was minimal, stating "Just open your mind". This was a very cleverly crafted movie that engages you early, teases you with hints of a classic rocker-style crash and burn tale, but never lets you know fully what is to come until it hits you. Creatively structured, you have a tale of mid 70's rockers, examined in real-time in a faux documentary, which allowed the film to have the story you're promised; yet includes actors portraying those same characters years later, commenting on the experience with the benefit of hindsight. This nuance not only keeps you intrigued, but also moves the plot-ball from cup to cup, keeping the storyline actively non-linear. The hook to this movie, besides sexy young conjoined twin rockers, is the documentary feel they achieve. The directors told the audience at the Egyptian that sets were built 360degrees, and the cinematographer acted like a real-time documentary cameraman, moving through the scenes naturally, which were never blocked. Scenes were rehearsed and improv was encouraged as long as the essence of the scene was preserved. All the sound and dialog is real-time; all the concert music is recorded real-time and the band is actually playing the music you're hearing. They mentioned that the boom-mic operator even dressed in costume to blend in with the crowd during club scenes. This builds a very believable feeling of reality rather than a corny set-up that easily happens when creating faux star docs.The story is well told and very engaging and it's worth seeing for that - but if you have any interest in the film-making process, this is a great study in new styles. The faux documentary style also allows for surprise celebrity cameo appearances.Definitely not a "happy" film, but hearing the produced soundtrack version of the music during the credits does add a lift at the end.

When I viewed the catalog for the Cleveland International Film Festival, Brothers of the Head was the first film I decided I wanted to see. It had all the potential of being a great rock movie with an interesting twist. The film itself was not completely what I had expected. The storyline was interesting and unusual. The music was humorous. The acting was great. The cinematography was excellent, especially during dream sequences that appear throughout the story. The one problem with this film, which has the potential to destroy the entire experience for the viewer, is its faux-documentary style. The writing was obviously intended to give a third person narration of the boys' life so that it is more dark and tragic. In this way, it is absolutely effective, especially at the conclusion of the film. However, it slows the beginning and keeps the viewer from being pulled in at the start. Many viewers in Cleveland found that this kept them from enjoying the rest of the film. It is sad that such an unusual film may not meet its full potential because of not-quite-there writing.

Directors Fulton and Pepe get full marks for the rare feat of making a film where the fake-verite style is not a distraction and takes a back seat to the story and characters.The film is very deftly crafted, especially considering the subject matter. After all, the film is about conjoined twins being sold to a music promoter who wants to make them into pop stars. (The mind boggles at the heavy-handed way such a story MIGHT have been told.)And, yes, there is an actual meat and potatoes story here. The fact that these brothers are conjoined is key to the plot, but mercifully, it is NOT a one-note gag that the whole film is hung on. The directors made many interesting and ultimately daring choices, such as shooting the film in a verite style. Unfortunately, this will beg obvious (but ultimately irrelevant) comparisons to other fake-verite films with musical themes.Another interesting choice was shooting the performance scenes in what appear to be live takes, rather than having the actors lip sync to a studio recording. This seems like an insane choice because of the extra casting and logistic hassles. You'd have to find actors that could actually play, get them to practice together and then who knows if they'll be a decent band. But they pull it off. The music is authentic-sounding pre-punk--an undeniably raw and vital soundtrack. (I'll buy the soundtrack for sure. They could even put this band on tour and I'd go see them.) So, here's to insane choices.There are modest, surreal sequences between some scenes, but the directors know when to say when on this. The art-house crowd (and the stoned) are thrown a bone. But normal people will not be left rolling their eyes or checking their watch. These parts don't feel like art for art's sake. The casting is amazing. Using two different actors to play the older and younger versions of certain characters is yet another interesting choice. A few of the actors bear such a striking resemblance to one another that you may find yourself scanning the credits to see if they're related.This is the first narrative film by these two directors and I wholeheartedly encourage them to make many more films.