Vinyl (2000)

I really enjoyed Ivan Haffenden's portrayal of Zack X. McBuick MCMLIX--and found his performance as strong, nay, stronger, than that of James Coburn playing Britt in The Magnificent Seven (1960). Take the following line, for example: "Nobody throws my mint copy of Like Long Hair by Paul Revere & the Raiders at me and says it originally came out on Jerden. Nobody." The tension is palpable.The discussions of the relative merits of analog versus digital provided new insight into the rich and complex world of mindless polemic.Also worthy of note were the many antique cars and musical instruments that dotted this cinematic landscape. I was especially taken by the 1965 Studebaker Lark (the built-in vanity kit was an innovative feature!) and what appeared to be a Mellotron MkII of similar vintage.Overall, I give this picture high marks both for content and neat stuff.

Vinyl does deliver on its promise of delving deeply into the psyche of record collectors and their hobby/habit/obsession. What I didn't expect (and regretted slightly) was the filmmakers constant maudlin monologues on his state of mind. While funny, and occasionally actually making sense, and even sometimes referring to record collecting they got very distracting. I just wished he would shut up after a while so we could get back to the real stars.And what a motley collection of obsessives are gathered in this hour and a half. Ranging from the guy who wants to collect every song ever produced, to the gal who stands by in comatose shock as her baby jumps all over her vinyl collection, emitting satisfying crunching sounds as her posterior meets its target.Offering real insights into what could be described as an affliction, Vinyl covers a lot in its time and while proffing up many belly laughs perhaps gets a bit too serious about its subject matter. Satisfying nonetheless.

Excellent, excellent film about record collectors from the perspective of a film maker AND record collector. What's so unique about Alan Zweig's documentation, is that he includes his own person in it, sometimes filming a location and himself in a mirror, or speaking directly to the audience about his private and personal thoughts. The other record collectors portrayed in this 110 minutes movie are beyond belief; can you imagine someone seriously claiming to collect EVERY song ever made? Or being able to tell the tracklists of ALL of his ten-thousands of albums by heart? "Vinyl"will blow your mind beyond the subject of sheer record collecting. It's a study on human obsessions in general.

This is an odd film made by a local Toronto filmmaker who interviewed record collectors in their homes and in their favourite haunt--the record store. For those who enjoyed High Fidelity and thought that Nick Hornsby's novel was a rip off of their life story, wait until you see this one! The director's thesis is that record collectors are obsessive compulsive and are using this pursuit to make up for something that is inherently missing from their lives.This is a very entertaining film. I'm not a record collector but one of my friends was featured in the film. I went on a lark and left feeling like I had voyeuristically ventured into someone's dusty garage.