From The Flaming Lips to The Free Design, Jingle Bell Rocks! is a trippy, cinematic sleighride thru the strange and sublime universe of alternative Christmas music!
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Signed DVD (Chock Full o’ Extras) = $12 usd
Stream (extended version) in full HD = $6 usd
About the movie
Unearthing a fascinating Yuletide music netherworld, the film is a deeply personal journey in search of the soul of Christmas music. These are the songs even Santa Claus forgot!
Starring hip hop legend Joseph ‘RUN DMC’ Simmons, cult film auteur John Waters, fearless freak Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, soul sensation Clarence Carter, Bebop jazz icon and Schoolhouse Rock! Creator Bob Dorough, Calypso-King The Mighty Sparrow and many more irreverent & insightful musicians, cultural icons, obsessed collectors and critics.
Equal parts social history, pop culture pilgrimage and revealing character study, Jingle Bell Rocks! follows this motley crew of merry misfits as they confront the Christmas music mainstream, reinventing the seasonal soundtrack for the 21st century.
Reviews & Recognition
“A surprisingly bittersweet doc about obscure holiday music.” The Hollywood Reporter
“A supremely entertaining, funny and ultimately moving portrait that’s as warm as Christmas and Hanukkah combined.” Film Corner with Greg Klymkiw
WINNER of World Documentary Award at Whistler International Film Festival 2013. The Jury recognized Kezin for “the courage to explore the pain that he experienced as a little boy… and the music that somehow expressed and redeemed those feelings. It’s a beautifully crafted film and a surprising journey into the world of Christmas vinyl.”
“Every so often I come across a documentary I can only describe as pure delight.” Top Five Films from the Whistler Film Festival
★★★ THREE STARS from the National Post “A satisfying, thoughtful romp in the genre, its history and its subculture of aficionados.”
★★★ THREE STARS from the Globe and Mail. “… the film will enjoy the same fate as the handful of Christmas songs that have stuck like pine needles in the carpet and become a perennial seasonal phenomenon.”
★★★ THREE STARS from La Presse in Montreal. “Étonnant. Touchant. Original. Psychotronique. Le documentaire québécois Jingle Bell Rocks! est tout cela à la fois et un peu plus encore.” (“Amazing. Touching. Original. Psychotronic. Quebec documentary Jingle Bell Rocks! is all that and a little more.”)
“À travers les anecdotes, les souvenirs et l’analyse d’un genre musical mal aimé, Jingle Bell Rocks nous imbibe de la magie des fêtes grâce à sa trame sonore sans faute de goût et, surtout, grâce à la candeur de Mitchell Kezin.” (Through anecdotes, memories and the analysis of an unloved musical genre, Jingle Bell Rocks soaks us in the magic of the holidays, thanks to its faultlessly chosen soundtrack and, especially, through the innocence of Mitchell Kezin.) — Voir
“If you like Christmas music, you cannot miss this movie. It’s everything a holiday music fan could ask for. Featuring great songs that stray from the norm, and a group of people who know all about a love of the season, this movie will brighten your holiday.” –Toronto Film Scene
“The greatest thing about the documentary, aside from the witty insights from the aforementioned array of characters, is undeniably the abundance of great xmas tunes (most of which you’ve probably never heard of).” — Grolsch Filmworks
“A rambling tour of Yuletide frivolity that comes from a very serious — and personal — place for the writer-director.” The Toronto Star
“This is the first thing this year that actually got me excited for the holidays, and I think there’s something deeper going on here than just the study of Christmas music and the people who collect it.” dorkshelf.com
“Mitchell Kezin’s Jingle Bell Rocks! is a loving look at Christmas songs that seldom crack the charts but burrow into the hearts and minds of people looking for an alternative to the holiday standards.” — NOW Toronto
“Christmas songs as you’ve never heard them before! Jingle Bell Rocks is a fun foray into the world of obscure, secular Christmas songs and the people who collect them (or make them).” — Montreal Gazette
Festival screenings
