5/5
Two chords and Hi-8 camera!
by Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America)
Old-school pop-punkers such as The Mr. T Experience, The Smugglers and The Queers join several generations of their musical acolytes in this fun set of sassy, goofy, low-budget videos. Also of note are three videos by the still-indie version of The Donnas (same "ooh-baby, we're so bad, we're so hot, yeah right-you wish!" come-on schtick, but a less slick image and more endearing amatuerism), scruffy popsters The Hi-Fives, and newer powerhouse bands such as the Pattern, The Oranges Band, and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists.
Lookout! fans should enjoy this collection a lot -- my personal faves are the MTX "Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba" video and "Punk Rock Girls" by the Queers, both directed by Berkeley filmmaker Jennifer Kaufman, each shot on real film (not video) and in black & white... The Queers video, which features a montage of fan portraits taken at a Queers show in '96, interspersed with shots of the band playing live, has a classy, arty feel to it, and gives us a great glimpse not only at the band, but of their fans (...us!!) as well. The MTX video is a perfect, hilarious encapsulation of the Mr. T's nebbish image... the band setting up to play in a suburban house, and the video ending before they even start.
All of the clips on this DVD reflect the buoyant sauciness of the Lookout! scene. Some videos are super-low budget, low-concept, and others are more ambitious and visually arresting... But they're all a welcome contrast to the slick, corporate videos that are beamed into our brains via MTV, etc. These clips are more low-key and more personal -- just you, the band, and a few minutes of fun.
2/5
some ok songs, but some real garbage too
by Mclaren880 (Beverly Hills, MI)
there are some good songs by MTX, but there are also some absolutely terrible songs by the donnas, and a few others too. the video by pansy division is pretty funny(they didn't mean for it to be like that). but i wouldn't reccomend it too much