Hype! is a documentary of the “Seattle scene” of the early 90’s. Grunge was king. I remember wearing flannel shirts and listening to the big three: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. But what about the other bands? Hype! also talks about the lesser-known bands, like the Supersuckers and The Gits. Hype! is an examination of what went on underneath the “hype” of the Seattle music scene. This isn’t some VH1 doc. And it’s not all about Kurt Cobain either. Hype! covers it all, and cre…tes a gritty portait of the music landscape at a time when grunge ruled the world.
Audio
Crank it. Hype! kicks butt in the audio department. This movie has a lot of live performances, so the audio should sound good. And it’s amazing. You can listen in DTS, 5.1 Surround, or Dolby Digital 2.0. Even the interview portions sound well mixed. Enviroment is created through the use of the rear speakers. But the music is the true test here. Center speakers and subwoofer get a real workout. Great sounding disc.
Video
Not as good as the audio, but the video transfer is fine. Shot in 16MM, the graininess of the source material shows. But I think this quality adds to the “grungeiness” of the subject matter. The aspect ratio is 1.66:1 widescreen. The colors are quite natural and black levels are acceptable.
Special Features
The commentary by director Doug Pray is a delight. There are many details about the difficulties of production. Producer Steve Helver pipes in as well. There are a lot fascinating anecdotes about the making of this movie. The commentary is an easy listen.
There are about 10 minutes of outtakes. These are quite interesting as well. Doug Pray has commentaries.
Additional performancesare also included. These performances can be heard in Dolby Digital 2.0. Pray provides some commentary about why they didn’t make it into the film. The performances by The Supersuckers, Mudhoney, and The Pond are excellent, however.
An interview with Peter Bagge is also included. His artwork is featured throughout the documentary. Bagge talks about underground comics, and Doug Pray is there (yet again) to provide commentary about the difficulties of including this interview in the film proper.
Trailers are also included. Alas, no commentary from Doug Pray
Final Thoughts
Believe the “hype”. This is an informative documentary with kick butt sound and supplements. Crack out the flannel shirts. Hype! is a documentary well worth your time and money.
Special Features List
- Commentary
- Outtakes
- Additional Performances
- Outtake Interview
- Trailers
