Dirty Old Town: Ted Leo/Pharmacists vs. Coney Island

Another one of those concert/documentary hybrids that can't seem to make up its mind what it really wants to be, Justin Mitchell's misleadingly-named Dirty Old Town: Ted Leo/Pharmacists vs. Coney Island cuts between interview footage--mostly with lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Ted Leo--and performance clips of his band playing a summer 2003 concert at Coney Island (I've no idea what the “vs.” means, as there is no conflict here, dramatic or real). Leo, a 32-year-old vegan who wears his influences on his musical sleeve (The Jam, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Thin Lizzy, Split Enz) is a laidback, low-key, nondescript kind of guy who's built up a significant audience as an indie alterna-rocker with punk and New Wave roots. On songs such as “Dirty Old Town,” “Biomusicology,” “The High Party,” and “Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?”, Leo and his small backup band rock the house nicely, but the interviews feel meandering and the B-roll footage of Coney Island visitors is just that: nicely-lensed, non-germane background to a film that only finds its rhythm when the band plays, and drifts aimlessly the rest of the time. DVD extras include an extra half-hour of performance footage. Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)