Jack Black and Kyle Gass are Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny the totally true 100% real account of the origins of the greatest rock band ever. The Shout Studios / Shout Select Blu-ray comes loaded with special features.
The Film
Before Jack Black was one of the biggest comedic stars in the world, he was one-half of the best fucking rock band that ever existed – TENACIOUS D!
One who isn’t in the know. Many of you aren’t. Asked how the fuck did Jack Black (aka JB) and Kyle Gass (aka KG) seemingly normal dudes become the greatest rock act in the history of everything???
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny aims to answer those questions and more for both the already converted and those who will be converted. Part Rock Opera. Part ode to Broramnces. The Pick of Destiny is the kind of medieval epic that tracks a journey of peril as they search for the mythic guitar pick that turned the gods of rock (aka The Who, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC into said gods). All that stands in their way are coeds, shrooms, Big Foot, Baby Big Foot, and Satan hisself.
Part of the delight of Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny is its willingness to go just about anywhere in search of not just a laugh but a belly aching out of breath laughter. Director/Co-Writer Liam Lynch and stars/co-writers Jack Black and Kyle Gass create a film that’s as much about mythologizing as it is about the music and friendship that’s at the core of Tenacious D. Similar to John Landis’ brilliant The Blue Brothers, The Pick of Destiny is both a journey film and musical. One that plays fast and loose but never feels splash dab or episodic. A film like the Landis film or even Ken Russell’s Tommy where the leads are never outshined by the ample amount of cameo appearances (look for people like Amy Adams, John C Riley, and others to show up).
One would be inclined to say that this is Jack Black at his most Jack Black-iest and eulogized the greatness that is Jables but you’d be missing half the point of The Pick of Destiny. What makes the film and Black’s performance so good is his partner in crime Kyle Gass. The duo playing hyper-stylized versions of themselves are such great comedic partners one would forget these are performances. There isn’t anything that Black is willing to do that Gass isn’t willing to match pitch. One just needs to watch the entire series of events that leads them to their name to see true one-two comedic genius at work.
The Pick of Destiny is not for everyone but for those that it is… your brain is about to mother fucking explode into a mother fucking billion-trillion baby mother fucking brain pieces!
The Transfer
The Transfer provided by New Line to Shout Select is another winner for Shout Studios. The image is free of any dirt, scratches, or defects throughout the run time. The transfer is gorgeously luminous retaining all the grain structure, black, and contrast levels without a hint of artificating or crushing of the blacks making the 35mm shot film look beautifully representative of its origins.
The Extras
They include the following;
- Audio Commentary with Stars Jack Black and Kyle Gass
- Audio Commentary with Director Liam Lynch
- In the Studio
- The Making of the Music Video
- The Pick of Destiny Music Video
- The Orchestra and Choir
- Deleted/Extended Scenes
- Internet Shorts
- Home Movies
- Theatrical Trailer
- Teaser Trailer
The first of two archival Audio Commentary is with Director Liam Lynch begins with discussing the opening animated by John Kay from Ren and Stimpy fame. Some of the other details include how they constructed the opening sequence – including casting Meatloaf, casting the young JB, DIO recording the song, and inspirations from other Rock Musicals; the first day of shooting; a discussion of the title sequence; how Pete Townsend helped with getting more than just The Who’s music and imagery for the movie – specifically the Rock n Roll museum; the importance of the guitars and the iconography; some of the visual reference to the HBO TV Series; the very last day of filming; a crazy anecdote about filming at the Guitar Center set that created issues during nighttime shoot; the animated sequences and how they were accomplished; the various locations around Los Angeles they shot at; a discussion of the JB dream sequence and how it was accomplished; a discussion of the shrooms set piece and how it was accomplished; how they filmed the History of Rock n Roll Museum was accomplished – the mixture of designed on set what was visual FX, etc.; a larger discussion of improv throughout the film; a larger discussion of the various extended and deleted scenes from the film; a discussion about the various cameos that come up in the film; and much more. Lynch delivers an informative track.
The second of the two archival Audio Commentaries is with Stars Jack Black and Kyle Gass opens with a little bit about the opening sequence. Some of the other details include how they filmed the opening sequence – including the younger JB, the casting of Meatloaf as his father; discussion of the opening title sequence; the reason why they used the droogs from A Clockwork Orange in the scene where JB gets beaten up; a hilarious story about Tom Cruise hugging; a discussion of Ben Stiller’s cameo; and much more. The track is a lot looser a track than Lynch’s track with more jokes and ridiculousness – exactly what you expect from JB and KG.
Making of Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (23:10) – this behind-the-scenes featurette is a detailed look into the making of the film. Ported over from the original DVD release, there wasn’t really a need to produce a new one as this goes into everything you’d want to know about not just the film but Tenacious D. The featurette goes into the development of the script, the production, the cameos, and much more. There is great b-roll footage from the production including looks into the make-up FX, musical numbers, and more. Featuring interviews with stars Black, Gass, director Liam Lynch, actors Meatloaf, Ronnie James DIO, Dave Grohl, and others.
In the Studio (21:37) – a fun look into the hijinks and shenanigans Tenacious D and guest acts get up to making the music for the film. Shot on DV to mimic the footage from the PT Anderson special features on Magnolia. This featurette is very much for the D fandom as much of it is “taking the piss” out of these kinds of featurettes. Stay tuned to the very end for a fun bit. Featuring Black, Gass, singer Ronnie James DIO, composer John King (aka ½ of the Dust Brothers), John Konesky (aka electric lead guitars for Tenacious D), and Gass’s ass.
The Making of the Music Video (4:44) – a quick look into the making of the music video with lots of b-roll footage. Featuring interviews with Black, Gass, director Lynch, and others.
The Pick of Destiny Music Video (2:50)
The Orchestra and Choir (7:28) – A fun and funny look at the recording of the score at Sony Studios hosted by director Liam Lynch. Featuring interviews with composer John King, and composer Andrew Gross, and stars Black and Gass.
Deleted/Extended Scenes (54:22) – with over an hour of extended and deleted scenes hosted by director Liam Lynch. Deep dive into some truly wonderful material that looks like they could have cut an entirely different film without using 90% of the theatrical footage. Including cut scenes with Jason Segel, David Krumholtz, and David Koechner. Lynch mentions Black and Gass’s ability to improvise in his commentary track, here is the proof, if one needed it.
Internet Shorts (35:08) – a great cheeky version of webisodes which is just a way for Tenacious D to update fandom on the goings on of film that was in production at the time. Weirdly like the Lord of the Rings making-of webisodes that New Line did for those epics (New Line financed The Pick of Destiny). Whenever The Hell O’Clock News episodes show up make sure to slow down their end credits for some truly funny credits. Each episode ranges from 1 to 5 minutes long.
Home Movies (13:05) – another cheeky look at the making of the film. Beginning with a Star Wars-inspired opening crawl this “fly on the wall” footage is a brief look at Black and Gass’s experience shooting the film in the way that only Jables and KG could.
Theatrical Trailer (1:39)
Teaser Trailer (1:24)
The Final Thought
Shout Select continues its curation of truly great cult classics filled with the best special features and great picture + sound. Highest possible recommendations!!!