A Band Called Death (2012) 70/100 – So after I finished watching this documentary, I went on Youtube and found the album. When the last song was finished, it left me pondering what should be obvious questions. Their debut album, or should I say EP, is only 26 minutes long. How could the film makers not spend more time actually playing excerpts from all of the songs on the disc? They seemed to focus only on three songs, and though they are great songs, more depth could have been given to the film by showing how diverse and talented the Hackney brothers were on the entire EP. The film then starts to meander through the history of the two brothers who are still alive and it is here where the film starts to falter. Had they focused more on the stuff from the 70’s and the resurgence in the 00’s, this could have been a really tight documentary. I would have liked to know why the band, after all the rejections, didn’t choose to relocate to New York City, instead of Burlington, Vermont. Their EP was recorded in 1975, two years before the punk invasion of 1977. When the Sex Pistols toured America, it was on the nightly news on three major networks. Why didn’t Death just go to CBGB in 1977? They would have crushed the other famous bands that came out of that seminal punk venue. If you’re into music, then this documentary is worth a look. But if you’re not, the story just doesn’t grab you enough to keep it interesting. After listening to the whole EP, I can tell you this, I never really cared much for punk rock, but it would have been interesting to see what David Hackney would have come up with next. He definitely had talent and one can only wonder what technically crafted music he would have created.