Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

"Nerdcore Rising" is quite a strong documentary that weaves between the subjects of MC Frontalot (AKA Damian offstage) and his band on their first tour, and of Nerdcore Hiphop, the musical genre he seems to have acquired a modicum of renown for having invented. That second subject, despite being what might be called a niche genre, is a fairly broad one as far as reportage might go, but a certain amount of understanding is necessary in order to follow the adventures of Frontalot and his crew. To that end the interview subjects are well chosen and thoughtful on the whole, including other Nerdcore rappers, the always-interesting and impossibly clever comic musician "Weird" Al Yankovic, people from the so-called mainstream rap industry, and people who have just seen MC Frontalot shows. The most interest and the most genuine laughs, however, come from the character study portraits of Frontalot and friends, achieved through roving-cameraman footage from the tour and interviews done apparently later. There's some detectable influence of reality television in the dwelling on a lost keyboard component and some other elements, but that can't derail the picture of a group of truly funny and likable-seeming people. The film avoids the trap of either condemning or uncritically praising the genre whose exponents it documents, but rather illuminates it and lets it speak for itself, giving due time both to critics who have called it racist and to the almost religious sense of belonging it seems to bestow on some of those who place themselves in the "nerd" or "geek" camps. The film is designed very well, with some nice graphics work complimenting the content, especially in the musical scenes, where Fronalot's work is given a respectful and flattering venue. In all a very entertaining and well made documentary that handles an interesting subject well.

The movie was great to me. Nerdcore rising tries to thrust the watcher into a very in-depth description of nerdcore hip-hop while following a nerdcore group around fronted by MC frontalot. The movie also interview other people like Producers,musicians,nerds and non nerds on how they react or think on the sub genre and the nerd community. I laughed multiple times seeing how nerdy some of these people really are and how brutally honest the people in the movie being interviewed was about nerds and peoples opinion on them and "their" music. If you want to watch a random documentary that isn't too long,boring, and not fully compressed with statistics you should watch this movie. Who knows you might even like nerdcore hip-hop. But Also I am a nerd. :P So If you are even a tad nerdy I would recommend watching this.

Like I said, I love nerds. Nerd Core Rising, that is. This film is so funny and original that I could barely contain myself in the seat. It's funny because it's about a guy that is so clued in on a genre of music that is typically not listened to by people like him. He raps about the most random stuff, but relevant if your a fan of say, Magic the Gathering? I also liked that I got taken on this adventure and followed him on his second tour. I just love Mc Frontalots reactions when he finds out that he actually has fans and a female groupie. How cute! Also, The one and only true geek rapper himself, Weird Al gives some cool comments about the whole nerd core history. Anyway, check this film out. It is wildly entertaining and informative about a new culture of artist that are sure to rise up on us faster than those spell cards. Don't front, check out Nerd Core Rising!

Nerdcore Rising is a new documentary focusing on MC Frontalot's first tour. Nerdcore, for those who don't live on the internet, is an offshoot of hip hop that focuses on topics nerds enjoy. Collectable card games, video games, Star Wars, science and science fiction are all topics covered quickly (and apparently from a thesaurus) by MC Frontalot. Frontalot is widely considered the father of Nerdcore, and is the focus of the documentary. The movie is very enjoyable, mostly because MC Frontalot and his band mates are hilarious and fun to watch. The music is interesting, and not at all as gimmicky and worn out as it might seem from the description. The whole act could've come across as a silly novelty, but Frontalot very obviously takes it seriously, and produces interesting and quality music instead of some silly beat with Star Trek samples over it. I highly recommend the film if you are interested in Nerdcore or if you think the idea of it is interesting. I suppose the movie might be less interesting if you don't get at least some of the references or you don't find dorky humor entertaining, but it's enjoyable without catering just to nerds.