Punk film misses sound of music

Sometimes, you have to sit through shows you have little interest in, because they might interest others.

So whenever I see a show that looks like it's in my wheelhouse, I get excited. Because it's much easier to watch a show you reckon you'll like.

That's how I felt when I saw this documentary was available for preview. Punk and its offshoots tend to be some of my favourite music and so I settled in to enjoy this show.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it - and for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the focus isn't on the music but on interviews with various punks from around Australia.

I understand this was an intentional move on the part of director Jennifer Ross, which is very strange. The music is at the core of the punk movement; it doesn't make any sense in leaving that out.

The second problem is that leaves us with a lot of talking heads on the screen - talking heads who were in little-known punk bands, who we can't judge because we don't get the chance to hear the music. Maybe we've never heard of them simply because they weren't very good.

Third in line in the problems is the scope of the documentary is it is too broad. Ross has tried to cover the punk scene in every capital city, and seems to jump back and forth from one city to another leaving the viewer confused about where in the country they are at any given moment.

I was left with a strong feeling that nostalgia was the key driver behind the film. That maybe Ross experienced the scene first-hand and wanted to make a movie about it.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, as long as you give those who weren't there a reason to care. Which is what this documentary fails to do.

As the end of day watching this felt like flicking through a photo album full of people who you don't know.

As Christmas TV shows go, this is an easy one to put together.

All it features is clips from various festive-themed movies and TV shows, with an array of people - some well-known, others not so much - talking about them.

Those people's opinions are a bit hit and miss, especially those who see their main role as to do nothing more than explain the plot to us.

Much better are the moments when they offer up some background information about the movie, such as the moment in Miracle of 34^th Street when a mother brings her adopted Dutch child to see Santa.

The film was released just after World War II when refugees from Europe fled to the United States and elsewhere. Knowing this gives that scene more resonance. Also, it shows us that a warm-hearted movie might have been just what theatregoers needed so soon after the hard times of the war.

The best way to watch this is not to worry so much about the speakers and just let the nostalgia of the Christmas movies wash over you.