Monday, March 11, 2002

Scratch (2002)

A wonderfully engrossing documentary on the evolution of record-scratching within DJ culture. As directed by Doug Pray, it's a lively and informative romp through a vital piece of the hip-hop subculture. If you consider yourself a music lover, you need to see this, even if you're not much of a rap or glitch-hop fan -- it's as invigorating and fascinating as Pray's previous film, the excellent grunge doc Hype!. This, my friends, is the best kind of feel-good entertainment. The scene where Mixmaster Mike (you know him from the Beastie Boys) takes Robert Johnson's seminal blues record "Ramblin' on My Mind" and turns it into a booty-shakin' turntable mixterpiece before our very eyes is one of the most unforgettable things I'm likely to see all year. You should be able to say the same.

Grade: A-