I’ve been told to never judge a book by it’s cover. Not to many situations have come up where this would be an issue until now, with the film Punks Not Dead. One would judge by the title of the film, that it’s just another documentary on the punk scene and proposing that punk is in fact not dead. What I come to learn, is this film is more then just another documentary on punk rock scene and dives deeper then all the other documentary’s, while not leaning towards one point of view or argument over the other, is punk dead, is punk not dead. Think of the film as a punk rock memoir from those folks who play it, live it and keep it thriving strong today. The film leaves the viewer with a wealth of insight into the punk scene with first hand accounts from those who live it. Visually, Punks Not Dead is like any other documentary with old footage, live footage, interviews, a punk rock soundtrack, etc, but done in such brilliant fashion that keeps the viewer glued to their seats until it’s over. Punks Not Dead features some of the best bands in the punk scene from The Adicts, Black Flag, The Ramones, Rancid, Green Day, Sum 41, NOFX, The Damned, and so much more. As an added bonus, the DVD comes packed with over 2 hours of extra’s that include behind the scenes content, out takes, a “cribs” like tour of Fat Mike’s (NOFX) house, and never before scene footage. In a true DIY fashion, Susan Dynner has captured the moment of the punk scene, era by era, and creates a memorable film that is sure to stand the tests of time.

Rating: 5/5 • Release Date: July 8, 2008

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