moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Jun 19, 2018 23:22:36 GMT -5
I wasn't sure if I should start this thread in music or film, so I'm putting it here.
This week, I was saddened by the death of local blues legend Matt "Guitar" Murphy, a member of Muddy Waters' band who was delightful in The Blues Brothers. On TV, I also caught Absolute Beginners, the Julien Temple-directed 80s musical extravaganza featuring Bowie, and a request on my radio show rekindled my love of Married to the Mob, an early Jonathan Demme romp with a killer soundtrack and fun cameos from David Johansen and Chris Isaak.
This led me down a wormhole of exploring not only 80s soundtracks (for truly, the 80s were a golden era, with Dirty Dancing, Top Gun, and Footloose to name a few) but the surfeit of star vehicles and musical cameos that often accompanied them. In fact, I managed to come up with an inventory of 21 films produced in the 80s that either starred musical artists or featured musicians in at least two non-cameo roles.* In this thread, I will explore the films as well as their soundtracks, with particular appreciation for 80s excess in all its forms. Here's what I plan to cover, in chronological order:
1. The Blues Brothers (1980) – featuring Aretha Franklin, James Brown et al.; soundtrack: blues and R&B legends
2. Pink Floyd’s The Wall (1982) – starring Bob Geldof; soundtrack: Pink Floyd
3. The Hunger (1983) – starring David Bowie + Ann Magnuson, Bauhaus; soundtrack: classical, Bauhaus
4. Videodrome (1983) – starring Debbie Harry; soundtrack: electronic
5. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) – starring David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto; soundtrack: Ryuichi Sakamoto
6. Purple Rain (1984) – starring Prince, et al; soundtrack: Paisley Park
7. Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) – starring Madonna + Richard Hell, Ann Magnuson, Arto Lindsay; soundtrack: 80s eclectic
8. Absolute Beginners (1986) – featuring David Bowie, Ray Davies, Sade; soundtrack: UK blue-eyed soul
9. Captain EO (1986) – starring Michael Jackson; soundtrack: Michael Jackson
10. Down By Law (1986) – starring Tom Waits, John Lurie; soundtrack: soul and R&B
11. Howard the Duck (1986) – featuring Thomas Dolby, Richard Edson; soundtrack: Thomas Dolby
12. Labyrinth (1986) – starring David Bowie; soundtrack: David Bowie
13. Shanghai Surprise (1986) – starring Madonna + George Harrison; soundtrack: George Harrison
14. True Stories (1986) – starring David Byrne + Pops Staples; soundtrack: Talking Heads
15. Under the Cherry Moon (1986) – starring Prince, the Time; soundtrack: Prince
16. Disorderlies (1987) – starring The Fat Boys, Ray Parker Jr.; soundtrack: The Art of Noise, the Fat Boys
17. Dudes (1987) – featuring Flea, Lee Ving; soundtrack: punk & hard rock
18. Straight to Hell (1987) – starring Joe Strummer + Courtney Love, Grace Jones, Elvis Costello; soundtrack: The Pogues
19. Who's That Girl (1987) – starring Madonna, Coati Mundi; soundtrack: Madonna
20. Married to the Mob (1988) – featuring David Johansen, Chris Isaak; soundtrack: David Byrne
21. Mystery Train (1989) – featuring Joe Strummer, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins; soundtrack: soul and R&B
**BONUS Suggestions
22. Hairspray (1988) - featuring Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono, Ric Ocasek; soundtrack: 60s dance party
23. Scrooged (1988) - featuring David Johansen, Robert Goulet; soundtrack: adult contemporary
24. Clue (1985) - featuring Jane Wiedlin, Lee Ving, Bill Henderson; soundtrack: fifties kitsch
25. Ladies and Gentleman, The Fabulous Stains (1982) - featuring Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Paul Simonon, Vince Welnick; soundtrack: the punk stylings of Barry Ford
26. Dune (1984) - featuring Sting, directed by David Lynch; soundtrack: Toto + Eno
27. Repo Man (1984) - featuring Harry Dean Stanton (sometime musician, like Lynch), The Circle Jerks, produced by Mike Nesmith; soundtrack: SoCal punk
BONUS BONUS ADDITIONS
28. Streets of Fire (1984) - featuring Lee Ving, but everybody's singing, I think; soundtrack: rock musical
29. Tapeheads (1988) - featuring Junior Walker, Sam Moore, Fishbone, Stiv Bators, Jello Biafra, Courtney Love; soundtrack: Fishbone and their postpunk peers, along with new tracks by Sam & Junior
30. One Trick Pony (1980) - written & starring Paul Simon + Lou Reed; featuring Sam & Dave, the B-52s, Tiny Tim, David Sanborn, The Lovin' Spoonful; soundtrack: Paul Simon
31. Round Midnight (1986) - starring Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock and lots of other jazz musicians; soundtrack: jazz!
32. Hearts of Fire (1987) - starring Bob Dylan; soundtrack - 80s Dylan
SUPER BONUS ADDITIONS
33. Fame (1980) - starring Irene Cara; soundtrack: musical theater
34. Roadie (1980) - starring Meatloaf, featuring Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Alice Cooper, Blondie; soundtrack: the aforementioned artists
35. Flashdance (1983) - featuring Lee Ving & Cynthia Rhodes; soundtrack: totally 80s 1-hit wonders produced by Giorgio Moroder
36. Staying Alive (1983) - starring John Travolta, featuring Cynthia Rhodes & Frank Stallone; soundtrack: the motherfucking BeeGees
37. Get Crazy (1983) - featuring Lou Reed, Lee Ving, John Densmore, Fabian, et al; soundtrack: edgy & eclectic (Sparks, Ramones, etc.)
38. Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon (1985) - starring Vanity; soundtrack - old & new Motown signings
39. Smithereens (1982) - starring Richard Hell; soundtrack by the Feelies
SUPER BONUS SUPER ADDITIONS!
40. Rhinestone (1984) - starring Dolly Parton, soundtrack Dolly Parton
41. The Allnighter (1987) - starring Susanna Hoffs, soundtrack 80's eclectic
42. Krush Groove (1985) - starring Sheila E. Run, and Full Force, soundtrack classic hip hop
43. Vibes (1988) - starring Cyndi Lauper with Van Dyke Parks in a bit part, soundtrack is sadly not Cyndi Lauper
44. Footloose (1984) - starring Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer (both have music careers), soundtrack - 80s hits
45. World Gone Wild (1988) - starring Adam Ant, soundtrack ?
46. Gregory's Girl (1981) - starring Clare Grogan, soundtrack?
47. Slaves of New York (1989) - starring Bernadette Peters and with a big cameo from Joe Leeway of the Thompson Twins, soundtrack: the cream of late 80s/early 90s club music
YET. MORE. ADDITONS!
48. Light of Day (1987) - starring Joan Jett, cameo by Trent Reznor (!), soundtrack Heartland rock
49. Xanadu (1980) - starring Olivia Newton John, soundtrack: ELO!!!
50. Yentl (1983) - starring Barbra Streisand, soundtrack: Babs
51. Dirty Dancing (1987) - starring Patrick Swayze and Cynthia Rhodes, soundtrack: 60s classics
52. Vamp (1986) - starring Grace Jones, soundtrack: unknown...
*not playing themselves or another musician
Please note that I am terrible at keeping a posting schedule, so feel free to contribute your thoughts on the films and soundtracks above at any time!
|
|
Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
Posts: 7,499
|
Post by Dellarigg on Jun 20, 2018 2:19:13 GMT -5
Fun fact, veracity of which may be dubious:
Bob Geldof was humming and hahhing about doing The Wall, Pink Floyd being the enemy and all that. He and his manager were in a taxi discussing it one day - how much they should ask for, what other kind of demands they would make, what their breaking off negotiation points would be, etc. As soon as they got out of the taxi, the driver went to a phone. He was Roger Waters's brother.
Also, in Mystery Train - Tom Waits plays the DJ. Doesn't appear, but that voice though ...
|
|
ayatollahcm
TI Pariah
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
|
Post by ayatollahcm on Jun 20, 2018 2:40:33 GMT -5
I do hope you watch/listen to Waters audio commentary on The Wall, since it's quite funny and takes the piss out of what he considers a noble attempt but ultimately a bore of a film.
Also, I might suggest Hairspray, if you're looking for more films. You got Rachel Sweet on the title track, and performances from Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono, Toussaint McCall, Ruth Brown, and Ric Ocasek.
|
|
|
Post by Jimmy James on Jun 20, 2018 7:38:44 GMT -5
While it's not enough to reach the two roles mark, David Johansen in Scrooged might make a fun Christmas edition if you're still doing this then. (Wikipedia also tells me Scrooged has cameos from Paul Shaffer, Robert Goulet and Miles Davis. I'm honestly not sure if I would have known who Miles Davis was the last time I saw Scrooged.)
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Jun 20, 2018 22:55:22 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Ben Grimm on Jun 21, 2018 21:04:41 GMT -5
Clue (1985) featured musicians in several of the supporting roles: Lee Ving from Fear playing Mr. Boddy Jane Wiedlin from the Go-Gos playing the Singing Telegram Girl Bill Henderson (Jazz musician) as the cop
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Jun 21, 2018 21:27:34 GMT -5
Clue (1985) featured musicians in several of the supporting roles: Lee Ving from Fear playing Mr. Boddy Jane Wiedlin from the Go-Gos playing the Singing Telegram Girl Bill Henderson (Jazz musician) as the cop I REALLY wanted to do Clue, but the soundtrack didn't strike me as notable. If there's interest, I'll totally do it, though!
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Jun 21, 2018 23:13:07 GMT -5
The Blues Brothers (1980)Synopsis: Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised. How this film entered my consciousness: Bitch, I'm from Chicago. Local boy Belushi is sort of a town mascot, along with Al Capone, Mike Ditka, Oprah, and Obama. Though I am too young to have direct recollection of its release, I've seen this film dozens of times and I think it's one of the greatest musicals of all time - definitely among the best Chicago movies of all time. Every time I go to the Assessor's Office to inquire about my property taxes, I tell people I'm "on a mission from God." Film highlights: so many in this one, but I'll limit to three 1. Carrie Fisher with an M16 2. The shopping mall chase 3. RAWHIDE! Film lowlights:1. Nazi scum :-( Really, that's it. This film is nonstop delight. Soundtrack highlights:1. James Brown & the Reverend James Cleveland Choir tear up "The Old Landmark" 2. Aretha Franklin & Matt "Guitar" Murphy have great chemistry on "Think" 3. Ray Charles gets the whole neighborhood to "Shake a Tail Feather" Soundtrack lowlights: Maybe..."Jailhouse Rock"? I mean, it isn't the blues and it seems a bit shoehorned in for a punchline. All the other covers are really well-chosen, though for some, any of the songs done by Aykroyd and Belushi pale in comparison to the originals. How much coke were these people on? Well, we know Carrie Fisher and Belushi were probably imbibing enough for a cast of thousands. Is it worth your time? Absolutely. Just check out the clips and tell me this isn't required viewing. If you have not seen The Blues Brothers, you are missing out on some prime 80s action comedy. The soundtrack and performances are just icing on the cake.
|
|
ayatollahcm
TI Pariah
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
|
Post by ayatollahcm on Jun 21, 2018 23:59:43 GMT -5
The Blues Brothers was the most important film of my life when I was in 7th grade. I watched, in parts, every morning before I went to school. So it's a very formative film for me.
It says a lot that the weakest part of the band was Belushi and Aykroyd, and they're really not that bad, save for when they lay into their characters a little too much onstage. Their original lineup was even more stellar, but you take what you can get sometimes.
Also, Carrie Fisher should count as an honorary musician since she made this film while shacked up with Aykroyd while on a break from her long relationship with Paul Simon.
|
|
Trurl
Shoutbox Elitist
Posts: 7,471
|
Post by Trurl on Jun 26, 2018 9:07:44 GMT -5
Maybe past the cuttoff, but "Hardware" had both Iggy Pop and Lemmy. Had a great soundtrack.
Also maybe look for "Rock and Rule", Canada's answer to the Heavy Metal movie. It's ... weird. Has Iggy, Debbie Harry, Lou Reed and the guy from Cheap Trick. I really doubt it's improved with age.
|
|
repulsionist
TI Forumite
actively disinterested
Posts: 3,557
|
Post by repulsionist on Jun 26, 2018 17:01:19 GMT -5
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Jun 26, 2018 23:24:41 GMT -5
Adding Ladies and Gentleman, The Fabulous Stains.
Hardware (1990) is past the cutoff, unless I decide to extend for House Party...
Rock and Rule is animated and doesn't feature musicians in acting roles.
I might fit in Desperate Teenage Lovedolls in with Captain EO, since that's also short, but I don't want to go down a rabbit hole of Super 8 underground films featuring musicians.
|
|
|
Post by nowimnothing on Jun 27, 2018 14:16:09 GMT -5
Maybe past the cuttoff, but "Hardware" had both Iggy Pop and Lemmy. Had a great soundtrack. Also maybe look for "Rock and Rule", Canada's answer to the Heavy Metal movie. It's ... weird. Has Iggy, Debbie Harry, Lou Reed and the guy from Cheap Trick. I really doubt it's improved with age. Huh, I thought Heavy Metal was Canada's answer to Heavy Metal. Off topic, but since I was sent in that direction, I just found out that Taarna was a rotoscoped Canadian model!
|
|
Trurl
Shoutbox Elitist
Posts: 7,471
|
Post by Trurl on Jun 27, 2018 14:39:33 GMT -5
Maybe past the cuttoff, but "Hardware" had both Iggy Pop and Lemmy. Had a great soundtrack. Also maybe look for "Rock and Rule", Canada's answer to the Heavy Metal movie. It's ... weird. Has Iggy, Debbie Harry, Lou Reed and the guy from Cheap Trick. I really doubt it's improved with age. Huh, I thought Heavy Metal was Canada's answer to Heavy Metal. Off topic, but since I was sent in that direction, I just found out that Taarna was a rotoscoped Canadian model! You're right, and I did like John Candy's "Den".
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Jul 10, 2018 21:53:38 GMT -5
Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982)Synopsis: The film centers around a confined rocker named Pink, who, after being driven into insanity by the death of his father and many depressive moments during his lifetime, constructs a metaphorical (and sometimes physical) wall to be protected from the world and emotional situations around him. When this coping mechanism backfires he puts himself on trial and sets himself free. How this film entered my consciousness: The title track is kind of ubiquitous. I can't remember where I would have heard it. I first saw the film on VH1 when they started showing films like (the much superior) Tommy and (the relentlessly irritating) Grease. Film Highlights: (live action) 1. The Headmaster yelling about pudding 2. Bob Geldof's red boot tie 3. Bob Hoskins in aviator shades Film Highlights: (animated) 1. The singing anus (not posting to avoid offending proboards) 2. Flower fucking 3. Marching hammers Film Lowlights 1. The cliche-ridden prologue. Your dad died in the war and you ended up...a groupie-fucking rock star! Boo hoo. That's no good reason to get strung out and become a Fascist. Tommy's story of alienation and de-sensitization makes a lot more sense and it's told with much more flair (Keith Moon's bit still gives me the creeps). I know the World Wars had a massive impact on generations of Brits, but they could have cut most or all of the WWII stuff out of this movie and it still would have been relevant. 2. Despite all the weird psychosexual imagery, the female characters are very underwritten. It's hard to understand why the collapse of Pink's marriage fucks him up so much when you don't really know what kind of relationship he lost. According to Wikipedia, Pink's mother is overprotective, but...I didn't get that either. 3. Geldof shaving and cutting himself, juxtaposed with maggots. Soundtrack Highlights 1. " Comfortably Numb" is Pink Floyd's best post-Syd Barrett song. 2. " Run Like Hell" 3. " Don't Leave Me Now" Soundtrack Lowlights 1. "Young Lust" - This scene seemed shoehorned in to make the most of their R rating. 2. "Bring the Boys Back Home" - Again, I wish they had focused more on how disillusionment with hippie/drug culture can bring out right wing inclinations (see Robert Downey Jr). Clearly, Pink's father's service had no influence on what he did with his life - no need to trot out the war again. 3. The sheer length of the soundtrack. Twenty-six tracks?! Many of which blend together in a gloomy mush? Smh. How much coke were these people on? Enough to induce paranoia, gastrointestinal problems, and this Is it worth your time? If you like Pink Floyd, sure. It's not their best work though. Bob Geldof does a surprisingly good job in the lead.
|
|
ayatollahcm
TI Pariah
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
|
Post by ayatollahcm on Jul 10, 2018 22:14:09 GMT -5
Instead of going to Senior Prom, I watched Pink Floyd The Wall home alone. That's the kind of 18-year-old I was.
So it's easy to say it's a pretty formative film for me in days of nascent against, and having also very recently lost my dad (which makes the alienation of the film even more significant for me).
Given that pretty much every detail about Pink's character is taken from both Waters' and Barrett's lives means that this is pretty much going to be one solipsistic quest of narcissism. Doubly so since Parker removed any and all cheeky humor that Waters baked into the album (thus applying at least a little self-awareness) in order to make the film An Important Event. And yet by doing that, it turns Young Lust into a leer-fest, and robs a lot of the back half of real emotional impact and catharsis. Waters takes some pretty great jabs at the film in his own commentary track on the DVD.
But I'll still always love the image of the cigarette burnt down to its butt and singing Pink's fingers.
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Jul 22, 2018 16:08:01 GMT -5
The Hunger (1983) Synopsis: The story of a love triangle between a doctor who specializes in sleep and aging research and a vampire couple. The film is a loose adaptation of the 1981 novel of the same name by Whitley Strieber and it is Tony Scott's feature directorial debut. How this film entered my consciousness: Being a closet goth in high school, this film was well known: for Bauhaus, for Bowie, for the lipstick lesbianism. Since then I've always been a sucker (pardon the pun) for silly vampire shit - the more blood-soaked, the better. Film Highlights: 1. The opening sequence - so good 2. where does Tony Scott come up with this shit? 3. The cinematography in general is beautiful: the sunrise/sunset establishing shots, the use of sunlight and shadow, the shiny textures of plastic and leather juxtaposed with yellow teeth, scraggly hair, and other signs of decay...nobody can fault how this movie looks. I'm pretty sure it even inspired one of my favorite anime characters. Film Lowlights: 1. Amateurish lighting and sound mixing. It's clear that Tony Scott is a video director in any scene that requires exposition. You can't see half the performances because they are in shadow. 2. I hate to say it, but while Catherine Deneuve is a marvelous screen presence, she is not a very good actress - at least in English. Her character is the core of this movie and the hollowness of her performance throws the whole thing off. 3. Ugh, this appears to be the film that heralded the age of gauzy curtains + doves in flight. Also no one in this film knows how to walk in traffic - another 80s cliche. Soundtrack Highlights: 1. " Bela Lugosi's Dead" 2. " Funtime" 3. Schubert Piano trio No.2 in E-flat Major. Op.100Soundtrack Lowlights: 1. A choir singing Lakmé: The Flower Duet over an awkward, for-the-camera lesbian scene, complete with blowing curtains 2. The classical stuff is nice, but some more goth tracks would have injected some energy into this movie, particularly toward the end. Here's a suggestion. How much coke were these people on? Tony Scott directed this. Need I say more? Is it worth your time? If you liked The Neon Demon, you will like this movie. I think it looks great, but mostly a misfire.
|
|
|
Post by Albert Fish Taco on Aug 6, 2018 9:06:19 GMT -5
There's likely a couple of flicks with Sting that may qualify here (I can't remember what if any soundtrack they had though since it's between 20-34 years since I've seen either).
In Plenty (1985), an adaptation of a play about a former WW2 spy's ennui in postwar Britain, he plays a Dixieland jazz loving hipster love interest to Meryl Streep. I'd assume there's a decent amount of Boots Randolph style Dixieland jazz in it.
And of course in Dune (1984) he plays the skinny/rape-y Harkonnen nephew. I'd assume it has an interesting soundtrack being a Lynch flick. If nothing else it inspired the "Move Any Mountain" video by the Shamen (though that's likely 1991)
|
|
|
Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on Aug 6, 2018 12:35:40 GMT -5
Albert Fish Taco Orchestral Toto plus one Eno track (which I think is part of an abandoned, earlier soundtrack that to my knowledge hasn’t resurfaced or been recycled)
|
|
|
Post by Albert Fish Taco on Aug 6, 2018 15:19:12 GMT -5
Zander Schloss of the Circle Jerks played Emilo Estevez's geeky grocery store coworker/sorta friend in Repo Man (1984), and contributed to its outstanding soundtrack via his side project band The Juicy Bananas.
Although the Circle Jerks also cameo as themselves briefly (playing the crooner version of When The Shit Hits The Fan) I don't know if he was in them at the time.
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Aug 6, 2018 18:55:21 GMT -5
Albert Fish Taco - well, I'm convinced. I'm adding Dune and Repo Man to my Facets queue as we speak...
|
|
ayatollahcm
TI Pariah
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
|
Post by ayatollahcm on Aug 6, 2018 20:52:46 GMT -5
Theatrical or Director's Cut? Because, umm.......
|
|
|
Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on Aug 7, 2018 11:28:16 GMT -5
Theatrical or Director's Cut? Because, umm....... I thought Lynch basically disavowed the movie—there are the “Spicediver” series of cuts, which are the only versions I’ve seen, but it’s interesting that the best Dune film is only available via torrents. That noted it doesn’t matter much in terms of music—they keep the cheesy soft-rock soap opera end credits, and the extra material is either stuff that’s been rearranged or stuff gleaned from deleted scenes, and I don’t think it has any relevance wrt music (and certainly not with how the film was received, both in theaters and on cable, where I first saw it).
|
|
ayatollahcm
TI Pariah
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
|
Post by ayatollahcm on Aug 7, 2018 12:13:49 GMT -5
Theatrical or Director's Cut? Because, umm....... I thought Lynch basically disavowed the movie—there are the “Spicediver” series of cuts, which are the only versions I’ve seen, but it’s interesting that the best Dune film is only available via torrents. That noted it doesn’t matter much in terms of music—they keep the cheesy soft-rock soap opera end credits, and the extra material is either stuff that’s been rearranged or stuff gleaned from deleted scenes, and I don’t think it has any relevance wrt music (and certainly not with how the film was received, both in theaters and on cable, where I first saw it). He did. And both versions are pretty much trash, although the theatrical has the merits of still being a goddamn slog and condensing the entire war the film built to down to one of the worst montages in cinema.
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Aug 26, 2018 21:35:23 GMT -5
Videodrome (1983) Synopsis: Videodrome is a Canadian science fiction body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg, and starring James Woods, Sonja Smits, and Deborah Harry. Set in Toronto during the early 1980s, it follows the CEO of a small UHF television station who stumbles upon a broadcast signal featuring extreme violence and torture. The layers of deception and mind-control conspiracy unfold as he uncovers the signal's source, and loses touch with reality in a series of increasingly bizarre and violent organic hallucinations. How this film entered my consciousness: I did media studies in college and as a film buff, I knew this was early Cronenberg. Though I admire Eastern Promises, I've struggled to get through other Cronenberg films. All I know about Videodrome is it's 80s techno dystopia - maybe like Blade Runner? Brazil? Max Headroom? I hope it's like Kidd Video, but that seems a longshot. Film Highlights: 1. The character names: Nicki Brand (a pop psychologist who is into S&M played by Debbie Harry), Brian O'Blivion (the villain???) 2. TIE: The lighting and decor of the S&M dungeon / the costume design 3. the high surrealism of this scene 4. the 4th wall breaking moment when a character says "you'll forgive me if I don't stay around to watch? I just can't cope with freaky stuff." Film lowlights: 1. Masha, the nice old soft-core pornographer getting tortured - don't bring Masha into this! She's harmless! 2. The pacing. Although the last act is all weird visuals at the expense of exposition, this movie is still mostly tell and very little show. 3. Missed opportunities: For example, what's with the eyeglass store? There was no payoff to that motif except for when the so-called government agent says "the eye is the window to the soul". You'd think the effect of Videodrome could be mitigated by special glasses or something... Soundtrack highlights: In general, Howard Shore provides provides an effective electronic score. Nothing flashy or obtrusive. Soundtrack lowlights: A movie this out-there requires an out-there soundtrack. There's no room for underplaying; only flashy or obtrusive music could carry off scenes as bonkers as James Woods hiding and later retrieving a gun from his stomach cavity. How much coke were these people on? Well, far be it from me to libel the venerable James Woods... Is it worth your time? This is a really fucking weird movie. It's kind of a cool premise, but it just runs out of steam at the end. The noir elements are cool, along with the whole Jekyl & Hyde motif, but they don't blend well with Cronenberg's (literally) visceral body horror. I'd love to see this remade for the internet/social media age, maybe with some clever meta casting: John Hamm as the lead, James Woods as O'Blivion, Rihanna as Nicki Brand...It would also be cool as an anime or in CGI/rotoscope.
|
|
|
Post by Ben Grimm on Aug 27, 2018 9:42:06 GMT -5
How much coke were these people on? Well, far be it from me to libel the venerable James Woods... ALLEGEDLY!
|
|
repulsionist
TI Forumite
actively disinterested
Posts: 3,557
|
Post by repulsionist on Aug 27, 2018 17:02:47 GMT -5
moimoi, the Spectacular Optical Corporation broadcasts the Videodrome signal. They represent the Military-Industrial Complex. I disagree with your assessment as such being a lowlight. The Spectacular Optical glasses, IIRC, beam the Videodrome signal directly into the eyes. Relatedly, O'Blivion is both researcher/developer of the Videodrome signal and subsumed critic/whistleblower. O'Blivion is an analog for Marshall McLuhan, who lectured at University of Toronto.
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Aug 27, 2018 20:52:43 GMT -5
moimoi , the Spectacular Optical Corporation broadcasts the Videodrome signal. They represent the Military-Industrial Complex. I disagree with your assessment as such being a lowlight. The Spectacular Optical glasses, IIRC, beam the Videodrome signal directly into the eyes. Relatedly, O'Blivion is both researcher/developer of the Videodrome signal and subsumed critic/whistleblower. O'Blivion is an analog for Marshall McLuhan, who lectured at University of Toronto. Well thanks for explaining. I still don't see why they had to have an actual storefront with pairs of glasses and salesmen and a new product line, though. I thought that was going somewhere...
|
|
repulsionist
TI Forumite
actively disinterested
Posts: 3,557
|
Post by repulsionist on Aug 29, 2018 19:01:13 GMT -5
This one...this reply's gonna be a rambler. To answer your open-ended rumination about Spectacular Optical I offer: Since Spectacular Optical is a representation of a Military-Industrial Complex Corporation, then its delivery of tech will occur in all aspects of consumer culture. For example, radio tech that instantiates today's LTE infrastructure begins as a military development facilitated by academia, then quickly infiltrates all aspects of culture as something bringing humanity forward. Therefore, Spectacular Optical has storefront selling glasses because it is an evolution in technology, also it draws an easy analogy to the notion of how one sees the world - which is the pivotal morality of Videodrome. I did some YouTube research regarding how others have viewed Videodrome. There was the very thorough and open-minded review of the Arrow Blu-Ray that came out 3 years ago by a British Baptist minister. Moreover, I'd like to include an important (as perceived by myself) video, heh, interview appearing some time back on YouTube and now a part of the Arrow Blu-Ray release of Videodrome. This particular conversation is pertinent to my own contemporaneous experience of old film, as I recently viewed John Carpenter's The Thing some 3 weeks ago. It also highlights how Cronenberg intellectualises what is horrific, and in the case of the film he was shooting/editing at the time, reveals insights that you may not have uncovered as a "first timer" to Videodrome.
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,003
|
Post by moimoi on Aug 30, 2018 10:39:38 GMT -5
Note to self: look for Tapeheads (1988)
|
|