Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1290 hits)
Category: Movies & TVRating: 1 on 6 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by riggyrow (View user info) at 2004-07-07 15:21:39 EDT
On May 5th 1986, friends Jeff Krulik and John Heyn created independent film history. On that fateful day, nearly 20 years ago, Judas Priest tore into Largo, Maryland like the proverbial bat outta hell. Krulik and Heyn were there to capture the glory, and thus was born Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
Heyn, who spawned the idea, and Krulik who came up with the title and supplied the public access camera, made their way through the parking lot of the Capital Center interviewing the legion of heshers, rednecks, and self-professed rock-n-rollers. Mullets and Chevy Malibus were in abundance, as were feathered hair, zebra striped spandex, and bandanas a la David Lee Roth. As one reviewer puts it, "In the short span of 15 minutes, the film brazenly explores mankind's universal truths: sex, drugs, and rock & roll. What they captured on film can only be described as movie magic--the viewer isn't witness to a mere tailgate party, but a LESSON on how to ROCK."
Mere words can simply not do justice to the characters Krulik and Heyn encounter in their attempt to document true rock and roll revelry. We are introduced to 20-year-old Dave, who is joining the Air Force in a couple of weeks and is "ready to rock", as well as his 13-year-old girlfriend Dawn. Another Priest aficionado, Graham (you know, "like a gram of dope and shit") expounds on the virtues of creating a joint that stretches across America--this being around the time of the "Hands Across America" concept that many of you, dear readers, may be to young to remember.
Perhaps one of the films most memorable moments comes when Zebra Boy--so named for his apparent love of, well, zebra print clothing--decides to wax philosophical on the state of modern music: "Heavy metal rules. All that punk shit sucks...it doesn't belong in this world, it belongs on fucking Mars, man! What the hell is punk shit? Madonna can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. She's a dick."
She's a dick, indeed. But what does that have to do with punk? It is just one of the many enigmas Zebra Boy poses for the viewer to ponder.
Brandon Dehart may have put it best when he claimed "When it's all said and done, Heavy Metal Parking Lot is a modern day Waiting For Godot, except with Judas Priest, and more than two characters, and Godot actually shows up at the end, but instead of Godot, it's Judas Priest. In fact, Heavy Metal Parking Lot and Sartre's existential masterpiece are really quite similar if you take away all the differences, and that says a lot."
End Note:
Unless you were lucky enough to catch an infrequent screening at a theatre, HMPL used to only be available as a bootleg VHS tape, the quality of which was usually so poor as to detract from its enjoyment. I've notice however that crisp, clear copies can now be purchased from various retailers, including Amazon.com and Atomic Books in Baltimore, MD (also www.atomicbooks.com).
www.planetkrulik.com
www.heavymetalparkinglot.net
User Reviews
Submitted by I_Have_a_Kristen_Fetish (user info) at 2004-07-07 18:08:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Bleh
Submitted by riggyrow (user info) at 2004-07-07 17:39:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Heavy Metal Parking Lot is seriously, without a doubt, one of the funniest things I've ever watched.
Krulik and Heyn followed it up with some other projects, some of which I think they finished and some they didn't... Neil Diamond Parking Lot, Monster Truck Parking Lot... some others that aren't coming to mind.
Submitted by Falconer (user info) at 2004-07-07 17:28:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Judas Priest YEAH!!
Submitted by Can_Always_Trust_A_Liar (user info) at 2004-07-07 15:43:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
METAL RULES!!!!
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-07-07 15:41:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Them was the days.
Submitted by marchhare (user info) at 2004-07-07 15:34:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Well, not really sure what to say, but I kept reading through the whole thing, which says something...