Vinnie's Vantastic Rock N Roll Adventure

Director - Brandon Bishop (Mesa Lake, The Drink with Aeon Cruz)

Starring - Vinnie Vineyard (The Hike, Camp Smokey), Luke Walker (WJHC AM, The Mark of a Killer), and Kandi Thompson (Taint My Ride, A Pokemon in the Maryland Wasteland)

Release Date - 2023

Genre - Comedy/Adventure

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     My Vinnie Vineyard and Luke Walker marathon is coming to an end. Several weeks back I was contacted by Vinnie to review several of his films that he had made with fellow filmmaker Luke Walker. I went into all four of these with an open mind, but it was clearly evident that these films were not for me. The Hike and WJHC AM was a chore for me to finish but Camp Smokey really drawn me in. I was a big fan of that film which further excited me to check out the last film in the marathon. I once again want to thank Vinnie for sending over Vinnie's Vantastic Rock N Roll Adventure. 

      The film follows Vinnie (Vineyard) who decided to live out his dream of living in a van and traveling the country when he is dumped by his girlfriend. As he makes his away across the country to see his favorite band he meets a wide array of characters and finds himself in unforgettable encounters. 

      I went into Vinnie's Vantastic still amazed by Camp Smokey and how much I truly enjoyed it. I really liked how this one started and the idea behind it, but the film was way too long and some of the scenes needed cut. Hell, I could have really gotten into it if the run time was around 60 to 80 mins. However, at over two hours, this film is just way too long for the story that it has. The acting in this one is probably my favorite part of the film. Vinnie is extremely comfortable in front of the camera and does a phenomenal job when he is portraying a character that is loosely, or not so loosely, based on himself. He's very natural on camera which really helps him set the scene. The supporting cast is just as fun to watch as well. While we do have a lot of the same returning cast, the lack of serious tone results in a lot less forced dialogue and awkward interactions. The cast is having fun on set, and it is shown in their performances. The story for this one is very interesting on paper but on camera it becomes repetitive for the most part. While the situation may vary, the overall flow of the film is the same thing over and over. We follow Vinnie as he travels to a new spot, meets new characters, and something happens that will negatively impact him the rest of the trip. Some of the later scenes could have been removed to help with the pacing of the film. Finally, don't expect any blood or gore with this one. Instead, it's a character driven piece with no body count. Overall, Vinnie's Vantastic Rock N Roll Adventure is another film of their I could see myself fully getting behind but the drawn-out scenes and repetitive nature of the film made it another difficult one to finish. That doesn't mean it's a bad film but it's one that I didn't personally care for.