Noche de rock

The movie is fun. The atmosphere, setting, acting, characters, and dialogue are well-done. I like the music. At only 100 minutes or so, the movie is more like an episode of a TV show than a movie. There isn't much filler, and the climax comes at the right time.

I think that Al, the bartender, steals the show from Shorty, who gets the protagonist role. As a result, the ending doesn't feel as satisfying as it should. One death scene is poorly executed. I didn't like the conclusion for Julia, the singer. Certain character details and backgrounds are neglected. The plot as a whole relies on several coincidences.

But it's still a decent movie.

Roger Corman's films tend to be cheap and cheerful but this one's mostly just cheap. Mind you, the thin plot (baddies take a group of hostages) has been used for some $100,000,000 movies as well. Thirty minutes of talk, padded out with irrelevant songs. Mr Cameo himself, Dick Miller, turns up in a rare main role. (4/10)

If you are like me and are interesting in seeing musical acts you can not see anymore like The Platters or The Blockbusters then this movie may be for you. If it doesn't in any way interest you than you might want to steer clear of this one. For this Roger Corman 50s flick is padded with musical numbers. Just think the duration of the movie is 62 minutes and I believe there are 7 songs in it! But it works as it is entertaining to see the acts perform and the pretty thin story isn't bad.

Dick Miller plays a cool cat they call Shorty. The film takes place in Cloud Nine which is a bar and is taken over by two punks (Russell Johnson and Jonathan Haze). Would have been interesting to extend the picture as in get more into the lives of the people in the bar and keep the hostage situation lasting much longer than it does. Seems like it only lasted 10 minutes and I knew the movie was ending soon. Sadly there wasn't much tension on the end. Good to see Miller in a starring role though and he is quite good in it. Screenplay by Charles B. Griffith, Story by Charles P. Harmon.

I watched this on YouTube because the Platters did a couple of numbers. Unfortunately the sound was out of sync through the whole movie, but I just ignored that. The opening was great, when a really cool-looking 1957 DeSoto (I think it was) with fins about as big as they ever got pulled up in front of the bar. I assumed the movie was going to be one of those kid rock festival things, like so many other 'rock' movies of the time, but it turned into a psychological drama. Not what I was looking for, but it was interesting enough that I kept watching. The fact that it was only 62 minutes long helped. It was really surprising to see Russell Johnson, the Professor from Gilligan's Island, as a bad guy. I looked at his credits, and I never realized before what an extensive career he had. As for the movie, I think the fact that it all took place in one spot, the bar, made it more interesting. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I think it could make an interesting play. Retro, of course. Kind of a study of 50's mentality. I'd say that the people's interactions were highly unrealistic, but that's part of 50's mentality - isn't it?

Back in the 1950s and 60s, Roger Corman made a long string of low budgeted films that managed in all but one case to make money. Amazingly, the one that lost money was one of his best..."The Intruder". Here he is again with "Rock All Night"...a film far, far better than you'd expect given its production values and very simple plot.

The entire film is set in a bar. One by one, various folks come and go into the place until, ultimately, two hoods show up and hold everyone hostage...and killing one of the innocent patrons. The only guy who isn't afraid of these thugs is Shorty (Dick Miller) and, inexplicably, the pair don't seem to know what to do with him as he mocks them. What's next? See the film.

There are quite a few reasons to watch the movie. First, the music is often amazing--with the Platters singing a couple of their best tunes and the little-known Blockbusters singing a delightful theme song. Sure, Julie (Abby Dlaton) sings a few klunkers--but she is supposed to be singing poorly. Second, seeing Miller was a treat and this familiar character in Corman films is at his best. Third, the craziest of the two thugs is played very colorfully by Russell Johnson...one of the last guys you'd expect to be playing such a part, as he was the Professor on "Gilligan's Island"! But he was very good...and the film quite enjoyable and yet another example of the quality pictures that filmmakers CAN make if they are stuck with limited funds. Well worth seeing.