''All I Can Say'' is a 2019
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
about
Blind Melon
Blind Melon is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Los Angeles by five musicians: three from Mississippi, one from Pennsylvania and one from Indiana. The band currently consists of guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn, drummer ...
singer
Shannon Hoon
Richard Shannon Hoon (September 26, 1967 – October 21, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer of the band Blind Melon from 1990 until his death in 1995.
Early life
Richard Shannon Hoon was born on Sept ...
, consisting largely of footage he shot on his
camcorder
A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-swa ...
during the last five years of his life, from 1990 to 1995. The film, directed by Hoon (and directed after Hoon's death by
Danny Clinch
Danny Clinch (born 1964) is an American photographer and film director.
Biography
Born in Toms River, New Jersey, Clinch graduated from Toms River High School East in 1982. After attending Ocean County College, he attended the New England S ...
, Taryn Gould, and Colleen Hennessy), documents Hoon and his band's formation, their rapid rise to stardom, and his tragic death at the age of 28.
Overview
The film (whose title comes from the opening lyric of the song "
No Rain
"No Rain" is a song by American rock band Blind Melon. It was released in 1993 as the second single from the band's debut album ''Blind Melon''. The song is well known for its accompanying music video, which features the " Bee Girl" character. T ...
") is set mostly in chronological order and filmed on Hoon's handheld video recorder, including the earliest footage of Blind Melon's formation in 1990 in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Hoon sitting in on
Guns N' Roses' ''
Use Your Illusion
''Use Your Illusion'' is a 1998 compilation album by American rock band Guns N' Roses, drawing from the ''Use Your Illusion I'' and '' II'' studio albums. It was only released in the United States, and was primarily sold at Walmart and Kmart, t ...
'' recording sessions, his relationship with his family and bandmates, the whirlwind success of the hit song "No Rain", and all the way up to (and including) the day he died on October 21, 1995, while on tour in support of Blind Melon's sophomore album, ''
Soup''.
Release
"All I Can Say" premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
on April 26, 2019, and was released on DVD and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
on November 24, 2020, which included an interview between
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films ' ...
and the film's surviving directors, among other added features.
Reception
Critical response
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
''
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
'', the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, and an average rating of .
For ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', Andrew Barker wrote, "At one point, Hoon is asked how he keeps from getting lost in the whirlwind of stardom that has taken over his life, and he replies that this is the very reason he’s always walking around with a video camera: capturing enough of the mayhem so that he can try to make sense of it later on, when things finally calm down. He never got that opportunity, but full credit to the makers of ''All I Can Say'' for giving the rest of us a chance."
For ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', David Fear gave the film a 4 out of 5 star rating, and wrote, "These are just home movies, you think. Then, this music doc strings them together and makes you feel like they aren’t just home movies at all. It turns them into a firsthand portrait of fame, making someone’s dreams come true and then majorly fucking with their head."
For ''Alternative Nation'', Greg Prato wrote, "Thanks to Clinch, Gould, and Hennessy, we now have a fascinating glimpse into the tragically short life of one of the most captivating rock singers/performers of the era (and beyond) – Shannon Hoon."
For ''
BraveWords
''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'' (''BW&BK'') is a Canadian heavy metal magazine. Although based in Toronto, Canada, ''BW&BK'' features writers from the US, Germany and the UK, allowing the magazine to represent metal music from an internationa ...
'', Aaron Small gave it an 8 rating out of 10, and wrote, "Impactful, intriguing, intimate, and honest, ''All I Can Say'' is an insider’s less than glamorous look at essentially immediate, and short-lived success."
Accolades
The film won the "Grand Jury Prize" at Sound Unseen, "Best Documentary Feature" at New Hampshire Film Festival, and "Best Feature Length Documentary" at the Rincon International Film Festival. The film was also selected as one of "The Best Movies of 2020" by ''
Esquire''.
The film was awarded as the "Best International Musical Documentary" at the 2020 In-Edit Festival.
References
External links
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{{Authority control
2019 films
2019 documentary films
Rockumentaries
2010s English-language films