Monday, July 2, 2012

Netflix Review: The Rock-afire Explosion

There is something to be said for people with bizarre passions. They  feel things that so-called "normal" people will never be able to. What most would call obsession, these individuals call love. Generally, it is a love for a specific product, person, or event that transcends any love that the public is able to comprehend. Brett Whitcomb and Bradford Thomason's documentary, "The Rock-afire Explosion", captures this through the eyes of a collection of fans of the Showbiz Pizza franchise, as they share their passion, and their stories. 

The film primarily focuses on two men: Aaron Fechter and Chris Thrash. Fechter is the creator of the Rock-afire Explosion, owner of Creative Engineering, and co-founder of Showbiz Pizza. He lays out the heart-breaking details of his rise to stardom with the quick success, and failure, of the pizza franchise. Thrash,on the other hand, is a small-town roller rink DJ, and the self-proclaimed, biggest fan of Showbiz Pizza. He spends his time trying to get enough money to buy, and maintain, a complete Rock-afire stage show, which he keeps in his garage.

Dreams do come true!
Watching this film was beautiful experience. These two men bare their souls on screen, one in ways that may seem absolutely silly to anyone who would not care to understand him, and it becomes very easy for the audience to be taken by them. Whitcomb and Thomason delve into this topic with gusto, and I can't tell whether it was my nostalgic streak, my personal connection, or my love of a great underdog story, that really got me hooked, but I feel this is honestly one of the most strikingly honest documentaries I have seen recently, and suggest it whole heatedly

Grade: A
RT: 72 min
Rating: NR


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