Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Camera Obscura The omission of Jazzy Jeff, the creator of the chirp and transformer scratch, raised a few eyebrows, but it's good to see he made it to the extras of the DVD after all. With SCRATCH, Doug Pray, who previously chronicled the grunge phenomenon of the '90s in HYPE (1996), made an excellent documentary about the world of the hip-hop DJ and the evolution of turntablism. His latest documentary, INFAMY (2005), explores contemporary American graffiti culture. After a couple of viewings four years ago, my DVD had been gathering dust ever since, but recently I watched it again and besides the subject material, I was surprised how well-shot and edited this documentary actually is. An immensely enjoyable soundtrack as well and not just talking heads, but lots of music, old school footage, parties, break dancing, you name it. One of the best things about the film, is that it mainly examines where the art of turntablism is today (in 2001 that is), without disregarding the pioneers of course. Good stuff.Camera Obscura --- 8/10

WeHaveSixFeet I'm not a fan of scratching, but I really dug this movie. It gave me a real insight into a world I never had a clue existed; and what else is a documentary for? Funny, clever, hip - just like Pray's previous film, Hype! about the grunge music scene.

md-24 just saw this film at resfest and was floored. i've never been a huge fan of scratching, but this film had me hooked from the getgo. it's listed as a documentary, but never really felt like one. (can't remember the last time i had so much fun watching a documentary). it has a style and an energy that is refreshing, insightful, and never too preachy. the production values were up there too. (shot on film with cool cuts and an amazing soundtrack). overall a smart, entertaining, and enlightening piece.

mis-7 Just seen this at the Cambridge Film Festival - UK premiere.Scratch is very well researched, has in-depth interviews and contains some superb footage (especially Herbie Hancock doing Future Shock live). There is no doubt that this film is aimed at a very specific audience, who will absolutely love it! The entire documentary emphasises the importance of the dj throughout the development of hip-hop. As with any good culture, hip-hop has now been absorbed and appropriated by the commercial mainstream. Doug Pray pays respect to the originators and innovators who still rock the crowds with a pair of turntables, a mixer, stacks of vinyl and phenomenal dj skills.However, given the incredible diversity of hip-hop, it was a shame that Pray didn't offer a wider view of this fascinating culture. In the last decade, for instance, some really inventive vocal styles have developed and artists such as those in the Anticon collective, Kool Keith, Company Flow, Infesticons and Mike Ladd didn't get so much as a mention.Even if you haven't got vhs tapes of the DMC World DJ championships adorning your shelves, this documentary is worth catching if only to see various dj's reminiscing about wrecking the stylus on their parent's turntable in their youth!