Here at Binge Gamer, we tend to review games, hell, even map packs and demos get reviewed. But sometimes, a movie so important to our geeky culture needs to get any exposure it can, and Nerdcore Rising is probably not that movie… but, its still a good documentary worth a gander if you enjoy seeing the rise of video games woven into all fabrics of popular culture, in this case, hip hop music.
This documentary is split up into two portions that are easily enjoyed even if initially only one half might interest you. The movie starts with MC Frontalot (”Godfather of Nerdcore”) performing live, then intertwined are various interviews with both notable and unknown people within the music, gaming, and entertainment industries.
I was not exactly an MC Frontalot fan before this documentary. Now I do enjoy some of his work and respect him and his band very much after watching him take on his very first tour. I’m sure enough footage was shot where a whole other dvd could be made going further in depth on each of the members of the band, but for the purpose of making this movie about nerdcore as a whole, rather than completely focused on the group, you get to know just enough about each member to appreciate their personalities and the work they put into a subgenre of music that is still finding itself.
Again though, the tour is just one half of this doc, so if you bought Frontalot’s DLC track for Rock Band and said “meh”.. or maybe just not a fan of hip hop, I think there is still enough reason to watch this film, those reasons being the stars discussing not only nerdcore itself, but also music in general and nerding out in general.
Two of my favorite people surprised me as being part of this. Well, I guess maybe I shouldn’t be too surprised that Brian Posehn (stand up comedian, Sarah Silverman Show, Just Shoot Me!) is representing the nerdy side of things, even to go as far as to tell a very personal story about being pelted by rocks by his own friends at the start of a school year (get your tissues out ladies, this is a tear jerker). The other side to nerdcore, the musical aspect, is handled mainly by the great and classic hip hop producer, Prince Paul (Gravediggaz, De La Soul, to so many other artists). He speaks really well on hip hop itself, the music industry as a whole, and even lightly touches on the subject of racism.
Other very known names make appearances as well, such as Weird Al, MC Chris, and even Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra. Frontalot’s last tour stop is at PAX, so also sprinkled throughout is thoughts from Tycho & Gabe. Some up and coming acts are able to share their thoughts on how Frontalot is helping a movement, Nursehella, Beefy, and Optimus Rhyme (among many others). It is neat to hear so many views on this music, I took the time to listen to some of these artists on their Myspace pages and what not, and you can really tell how serious some of them are both lyrically and production wise, where as others seem to be getting 15 minutes of fame out of nerdcore.
Time will tell how long this subgenre lasts outside of comic/gaming conventions and if the general public will ever accept this type of music, but for now, I think if you have ever been into comics, played Magic the Gathering, or might be reading a site called “Binge Gamer,” you should really take a couple of hours out and get educated and entertained by Nerdcore Rising: The Movie. I am giving this flick a 4 out of 5. A full 5 would be given if it was just a half hour longer to fit in some more interviews and some performances by some other nerdcore artists.
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