The comic hard-rock duo Tenacious D (Jack Black and Kyle Gass) teamed up with director Liam Lynch to write and film their “origin story,” which finds the fellas following in the footsteps of other famous rock guitarists who used…the Pick of Destiny.
Buy Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny Blu-rayAs a young boy in Kickapoo, Missouri, Jack desires to rock but his father (Meat Loaf) is against it. Jack calls out to Ronnie James Dio, who tells him to head to Hollywood. Jack’s first day in California he finds Kyle playing at the beach. Kyle takes advantage of Jack’s fresh-off-the-bus naivete by claiming to be a successful musician. He offers Jack lessons in being a rock star, such as weathering an attack of beer bottles while performing, but Jack eventually learns Kyle is being supported by his parents.
They decide to work together and write new music to win an open mic contest. Researching their guitar heroes, they discover they all use the same pick. They learn from a Guitar Center employee (executive producer Ben Stiller) that they seek…the Pick of Destiny, which is made from Satan’s tooth and diminished his powers. Currently housed in the Rock and Roll History Museum, they decide they must get their hands on it.
Their journey is challenging. Kyle gets sidetracked by sex and finds himself at a sorority party. Jack is sidetracked by drugs and finds himself with a sasquatch. But, of course, rock and roll wins out. They steal the pick, but fight over who gets to use it and break it. Satan (Dave Grohl) comes to reclaim his tooth and after his powers return, he wants the fellas as his first victims. However, they challenge Satan to a rock off, which according to the demon code, he can’t deny.
The Pick of Destiny is a raunchy musical comedy filled with good rock songs and funny references to other movies. Black and Gass have great chemistry, honed from many years working together, which helps the humor succeed. They are also talented musicians that can really play and sing.
The video source for this Shout Select release is “a new 2K master from film elements,” which are displayed at the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The colors appear in solid hues from the green pick to the Satan’s red exterior. Blacks are satisfactory in their inkiness. The image is clean. It exhibits film grain and good depth and texture details.
The audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and showcases the musical performances, which fill the surrounds, as do the ambient effects. There’s a strong bottom end of bass that supports the music. Dialogue and effects are clear.
The Special Features, which have been previously released and include material from the Best Buy bonus disc, come in SD. They are:
- Commentary #1 with Jack Black and Kyle Gass.
- Commentary #2 with director Liam Lynch.
- The Making of Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (23 min) – Tracks the creation of the film through interviews of cast and crew members.
- In the Studio (22 min) – Behind the scenes as the D work in the music studio. Ronnie James Dio makes an appearance.
- The Making of the Music Video (5 min) Behind the scenes as they shoot the “The Pick of Destiny” video so maybe watch that first.
- “The Pick of Destiny” Music video(3 min) – Tells the story of the movie.
- “The Orchestra and the Choir” (8 min) – Looking at the work of composers John King and Andrew Gross who wrote the score.
- Deleted/Alternate Scenes (54 min) – Lynch intros the “golden nuggets” that didn’t make the movie.
- Internet Shorts (35 min) – A series of shorts, including segments from the Hell O’Clock News and Liam consulting the Devil, that promoted the movie. Sorry I missed their appearance at San Diego Comic Con.
- “Home Movies” (13 min) – More of Jack Black and Kyle Gass goofing around the set.
- Teaser Trailer and Theatrical Trailer
The Pick of Destiny is a must-own for Tenacious D fans as it’s packed to the gills with extras and the Blu-ray delivers a quality high-def presentation. For those new to them, this “origin story” is a great entry point to discover their comic and musical stylings.
