Fix: The Ministry Movie
Released: April 10th 2012
Blairwood Entertainment
I’ve been a huge Ministry fan for a long time. I’ve kept up with the band’s musical releases to this day and have always been into much of the side projects Al Jourgensen has worked on. So I was very excited to find out a film was coming out about the band and what it was like backstage.
FIX: The Ministry Movie is NOT a documentary about the band and it isn’t being marketed as such. It’s marketed as a “backstage pass” to see what things were really like with the band (most footage is from 1996 era Ministry). This part is mostly true. However what you get is essentially 93 minutes of Al Jourgensen doing drugs. No really, that’s pretty much all you get.
The entire focus of the film is Al and his addiction. It’s not about the band at all. The film makes a little effort to try and tell a “story”, but really there isn’t much of one there. Al’s drug addiction and antics have reached mythical proportions and the film goes on to show you that it’s all pretty much true. It’s more just sad than entertaining.
Sprinkled throughout the film are the occasional interviews with people who know and/or have worked with Al (I guess that’s why they are in it). Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Maynard (Tool), Nivek Ogre (Skinny Puppy), David Yow (The Jesus Lizard) and others. The footage and interviews with Yow and Ogre are really the highlights of the film.
FIX really could (should) be a 10 minute behind the scenes bonus feature on a Ministry Live DVD and that would have been plenty. Watching 93 minutes of Al Jourgensen being high really isn’t that interesting. If you aren’t a fan of Ministry or do not know who they are, then you will especially have no interest in seeing FIX.
If you want to see a great documentary about a heavy metal god, go watch the LEMMY documentary. It IS worth seeing.
This is an awful hackjob fuckoff review, how can you summise the premise of the film as ‘al doing drugs’? Did you write this after a conversation at the watercooler? You cant possibly be qualified to write reviews if you dont understand the rawest thing available, for us REAL ministry fans, firstly, it was a shock somwthing this well aged even exists. I thought sphintour was it for live material, and outside that, you can scarcily find anything out there with al speaking personally of himself. The demon caracature is partilly to blame for the lack of real info out there about him and where hes came from. Outside of drugs, being misunderstood is al’s worst problem. How can you say this is bad when there is quite simply nothing out there like that? Did you know he wore body armour durring gigs? Did you know he was terrified at one point to work or get shot? Did you know did you know he watched river phoenix die while he was picking up chicks, did you know how spiritual he is, or how hardit was for him to carry that kind of weight around, he needed the drugs before he would have succumeda to nervous breakdown or something. Fuck, if you think hes simply a recording artist, you really need to hear more music – overall. You didnt watch it enough, dont work youself into a preconcocted self delusion that, you write in order to influence an individual by giving a valid and well documented account of your complete thoughts, your casual dismissal of this work by filling space with halftruth dredged from the internet mire. I read the “fix this” review before this, although it was a possitive review, same problem. Journalism isnt about CONVINCING your readers that your words hold water by peppering assurances here and about. We shouldnt like this ministry release because you, as an undocumentable “older fan” doesnt like it because its “just thrash” dude, in 86 the dude shave his head and performed in the dark infront of synthesizer banks, he added guitar the following year. Ministry has been in guitar configuration for 24 fucking years of their 31 and this doesnt cut it??? If youve been some electronica coneseure wheres your band? Everyone who was influenced by als early work either had their day some 16 years ago or are now legends themselves. Think about it, he was an early digital recording hero, today, regardless of the style you play, your using his techniques. He influenced electronica early on by creating dark pop music, when he mastered that he revolutionized sampling and created a metal band out of it. The idea could have been done, in theory, done by anyone, but hes endured and outlasted everyone thats sprung up around him, i guess the most logical thing to do at this point would be piss everyone off so hes not competing against his own fans for record sales, think about that when you listen to any band now and wonder if that band would even exist if a computer d.a.w. wasnt involved.
So there, ive spent more time standing in my garage after getting of work typing this response to your review, one out of many in which you recieve record company tax tax write off promo copies and padding your media player without a full commitment of interest or desire to learn from him. I spent more time syntaxically flogging you than you spent informing the readers of your site of any trusted presept that your a reliable narrator.
I give this dvd a full 10/10. For bravery and merit and time served, you sir, get this participation award of one press copy for selling on ebay later, duplicating for your friends or for supporting cold beverages on your coffee table. Fuck your review, ive met al three times, he is one of the most important artists of the last generation and the real deal, he cant take that costume off, so a video camera was sent in through the unzipped fly to sort things out.. And the circle continues, “the press doesnt get it”..
Read this closely before you delete it, you may question the part you play in influencing others by your question of authentisity. Well, you have an ezine, write about what your passionate about, no one who slaggs off anothers pain and suffering should have to feel compelled to publish an anecote about, “its just him doing drugs and playing metal”
this comming from someone involved in the dead market of press. Have you ever given an interview? Have you ever read the interview videoed/written by the bald guy 70 miles away in the adjacent city? Yeah, they said the same thing. Yes they like their own products, yes, touring, making money and having two people who work for you kill themselves is the highlight of the week, and i promise you they made plenty denero playing live even though the “reported numvers” provided by soundscan really reflect, well, chainstores malls and other gerbil factories that stock too much inventory to track?
Im tired, ive watched that video twice
i wouldnt rant like this about reviews unless i felt passionate about the subject.
Question what you do for the artists you review,
Nic… I appreciate your passionate response to the review and thanks for taking the time. I might suggest you go back and re-read the review however. The review was not an attack on Al, Ministry or anyone. It’s just one man’s opinion (my opinion) on the FILM. As a FILM. It tried to be a documentary and, in my opinion, failed at that and was not interesting.
The film was absolutely nothing about how talented a musician Al is. The premise of the film IS about Al and his drug addiction. If it’s not, what else did the film depict? It wasn’t about Ministry as a band.
My copy of the film was purchased by me, not a media freebie. Reviews on this site, and ANY review, is just opinion. No one is trying to convince anyone here. Everyone should just take information in, from whatever avenue, and then form their own opinion.
I’m curious, what exactly constitues a “real” ministry fan? Shooting up while blasting Stigmata? Just because one is a fan doesn’t mean you have to love everything and anything related to the artist.
Al was a junkie. The film still sucks. Thanks for reading.
Thank you for reading my comment, i was having a bad day.
No, i agree, i do not like everything he’s made. I didnt buy animositisomina till eight years after the fact and i never owned filthpig because, well, same reason i dont own korn records, not into the mainstream. I dont worship his music, but i DO have some friends who shootup while listening to stigmata and their one of the groups who give MIN the bad name.
I appoligise for harsh words, you really do have a very informative site
I somehow stumbled upon this site and I am so glad I did.
I am downloading this Film right now and reading through your site while I am waiting, but I wanted to say that although I do not shoot up while listening to Stigmata, I did snort some raw Afghan #4 while reading this review and the comments – does that count for anything?
Cheers on the site. Not sure if or when I would have come across this movie.
Thanks for checking out the site! Let us know what you think of the film. Just don’t OD on that Afghan while watching it. Jourgensen was recently hospitalized in Paris for almost collapsing at a show. Ironically it was not due to drugs (so they are saying anyway).