Rock of Ages Blew...

... me away!

Rock on: Rock on!
Normally, I'm not one to blog at 1:30 on a Saturday morning, but I just had an experience that I want to record while it's still fresh in my mind. I saw Rock of Ages and must say that it was the most thoroughly moving and enjoyable cinematic experience I've had in years. These things never feel the same the next day, so let me try to capture it for you before it fades like so much dust in the wind...

This movie is not for everyone, but if it's for you, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel you were a part of it. If you're of my generation (rock on, fellow X-ers!), you probably were a part of it in your own little way. Didn't we all love to rock out at those grimy clubs? Did we not all love the freedom and excitement of it all! Were we not all, in our own little way, raising a middle finger at the self-righteous church ladies who called us bad because we knew how to have a good time!

Thing is, even if you don't already have some emotional attachment to the music in this film, as I most certainly do, you'll still appreciate the story. Girl goes to LA to seek her dreams, meets boy. Boy acts like an ass and loses girl. Both swirl down the tubes until they reconnect in the end and all their dreams come true. Yeah, you see it all coming from the first scene, but it's the journey that matters here, not the destination.

And, oh, what a journey!

Yeah, I used the word "journey" very intentionally above since the climax of the movie is a Journey song. Funny, nobody ever admits that they like Journey because it's not cool to like Journey, but -- come on! -- "Don't Stop Believin'!" Who hasn't belted that one out in the shower and been transported to another universe in which the shower stall is a stadium full of ecstatic revelers!

I love exclamation points!!! I can't use enough of them when describing this movie.

In fact, here are a few more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The story is tried-and-true, the music is phenomenal, and the acting (kisses all five fingertips and poofs them out into a rock-on hand), well, the acting is something to behold. Kudos to all the actors, including the many rock star cameos -- that was really cool! Every actor in the film really brought their role to life, and at the same time you knew that they were actors having a good time making a silly, fun, feel-good rock-and-roll movie.

Speaking of rock-and-roll, this movie captures its essence. It's about havin' a good time, not taking life too seriously, livin', lovin', and -- above all -- stickin' it to the Man who wants you to:

• be miserable so you'll buy more shit
• take life too seriously so you'll work too hard
• forget what it's like to live so you won't get out of line
• keep hatin' 'cause love is like kryptonite to the Man.

I'm actually going to see this movie again in the theater because I want the full audio experience, and I never, ever see a movie twice in the theater. It was that good. If you like to rock, you'll love Rock of Ages. It's that simple.

Rock is dead. Long live rock!