list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Repo Man on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Repo_Man/28629/default.aspx Title: Repo Man
Year: 1984
Director: Alex Cox
Plot: Alex Cox's directorial debut was a wickedly funny and willfully bizarre story that became a major cult item once it began making the art-house rounds a year after its release (an initial run in a string of Southern grind houses and drive-ins, where it was billed as an action film, was a resounding failure). Having lost his job and his girlfriend, punk rocker Otto (Emilio Estevez) meets a guy named Bud (Harry Dean Stanton) who offers him $25 to drive his wife's car out of a "bad area." When a handful of angry people start chasing Otto, he realizes that something is up, and he discovers that Bud repossesses cars for a living. With few immediate prospects, Otto joins Bud at the repo yard and is soon "ripping" cars with the best of them. When an anonymous source posts a $20,000 reward for a missing 1964 Chevy Malibu, it turns out that what's valuable isn't the car itself, but what's in the trunk, which is very hot, glows brightly, and kills anyone who comes in contact with it. A vaguely surreal modern-noir science-fiction comedy with echoes of Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Repo Man is packed with more incongruous sight gags than anyone can absorb in one viewing; keep your eyes peeled for the air fresheners, the generic newspaper box, and the watches without hands. Harry Dean Stanton gives a superb comic performance as the intense but laid-back Bud, Emilio Estevez delivers perhaps the best work of his career as the petulant but goofy Otto, and Tracey Walter is hilarious as the spaced out repo-yard man Miller. Iggy Pop wrote and performed the theme song and The Circle Jerks appear as a lounge band. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 17
Number of Lists: 16
Number of blog posts: 7
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:00:41 GMTRepo Man1984Alex Cox<a href="/players/P____86102/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Alex Cox</a>'s directorial debut was a wickedly funny and willfully bizarre story that became a major cult item once it began making the art-house rounds a year after its release (an initial run in a string of Southern grind houses and drive-ins, where it was billed as an action film, was a resounding failure). Having lost his job and his girlfriend, punk rocker Otto (<a href="/players/P____89157/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Emilio Estevez</a>) meets a guy named Bud (<a href="/players/P____67626/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Harry Dean Stanton</a>) who offers him $25 to drive his wife's car out of a "bad area." When a handful of angry people start chasing Otto, he realizes that something is up, and he discovers that Bud repossesses cars for a living. With few immediate prospects, Otto joins Bud at the repo yard and is soon "ripping" cars with the best of them. When an anonymous source posts a $20,000 reward for a missing 1964 Chevy Malibu, it turns out that what's valuable isn't the car itself, but what's in the trunk, which is very hot, glows brightly, and kills anyone who comes in contact with it. A vaguely surreal modern-noir science-fiction comedy with echoes of <a href=/films/19086/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Kiss Me Deadly</a> (1955), Repo Man is packed with more incongruous sight gags than anyone can absorb in one viewing; keep your eyes peeled for the air fresheners, the generic newspaper box, and the watches without hands. <a href="/players/P____67626/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Harry Dean Stanton</a> gives a superb comic performance as the intense but laid-back Bud, <a href="/players/P____89157/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Emilio Estevez</a> delivers perhaps the best work of his career as the petulant but goofy Otto, and <a href="/players/P____74496/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tracey Walter</a> is hilarious as the spaced out repo-yard man Miller. <a href="/players/P____57341/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Iggy Pop</a> wrote and performed the theme song and The Circle Jerks appear as a lounge band. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide17Tag Target (>10)16733http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t72567w74h5.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Repo_Man/28629/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2009/7/30/43328.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 7/30/2009 1:00:41 PM
Body: Today’s Venice Film Festival announcement included mention of a film called Repo Chick, directed by Alex Cox. The film is not listed on IMDb, but it would seem reasonable to assume that it’s a sequel to Cox’s 1984 cult classic Repo Man, no? As Cox writes on his blog, “It isn’t really; it’s a story of different characters in a different world” — but that hadn’t stopped Universal, the studio that owns the 1984 film, from issuing a cease and desist, claiming that Cox has made “an illegal sequel” to their property. Cox had decided to ignore the filing and continue work on the movie — there is apparently significant effects work to finish up in the month left before its Venice premiere — until receiving news that Universal had their own Repo action up their sleeves. They’ve apparently taken a Jude Law film called The Repossession Mambo off their shelf, finished two years ago and left mysteriously in their vault ever since, and have announced plans to rush it into release under the title Repo Men (according to this story, it’s actually Repo Men!, jaunty exclamation point required). Cox is convinced this is an attempt to confuse audiences, distracting them from his non-sequel to Repo Man with a non-sequel of their own. He writes: I still have a contract with these guys and - if they ever want to make a film based on my original work - they have to ask me to direct it. What fun that would be! … I’m sure [The Repossession Mambo] is an excellent film, which Universal accidentally forgot to distribute, and now are passing off, in their innocence, as the new Repo Man. Only a cynical person might see any attempt to catch the upward draft of Repo Chick, and give loft to a turkey. What do we think: dasterdly intellectual property violation or unfortunate coincidence? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:00:41 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog7/30/2009 1:00:41 PMToday’s Venice Film Festival announcement included mention of a film called Repo Chick, directed by Alex Cox. The film is not listed on IMDb, but it would seem reasonable to assume that it’s a sequel to Cox’s 1984 cult classic Repo Man, no? As Cox writes on his blog, “It isn’t really; it’s a story of different characters in a different world” — but that hadn’t stopped Universal, the studio that owns the 1984 film, from issuing a cease and desist, claiming that Cox has made “an illegal sequel” to their property. Cox had decided to ignore the filing and continue work on the movie — there is apparently significant effects work to finish up in the month left before its Venice premiere — until receiving news that Universal had their own Repo action up their sleeves. They’ve apparently taken a Jude Law film called The Repossession Mambo off their shelf, finished two years ago and left mysteriously in their vault ever since, and have announced plans to rush it into release under the title Repo Men (according to this story, it’s actually Repo Men!, jaunty exclamation point required). Cox is convinced this is an attempt to confuse audiences, distracting them from his non-sequel to Repo Man with a non-sequel of their own. He writes: I still have a contract with these guys and - if they ever want to make a film based on my original work - they have to ask me to direct it. What fun that would be! … I’m sure [The Repossession Mambo] is an excellent film, which Universal accidentally forgot to distribute, and now are passing off, in their innocence, as the new Repo Man. Only a cynical person might see any attempt to catch the upward draft of Repo Chick, and give loft to a turkey. What do we think: dasterdly intellectual property violation or unfortunate coincidence? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/7/30/43327.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/30/2009 1:00:32 PM
Body: Today’s Venice Film Festival announcement included mention of a film called Repo Chick, directed by Alex Cox. The film is not listed on IMDb, but it would seem reasonable to assume that it’s a sequel to Cox’s 1984 cult classic Repo Man, no? As Cox writes on his blog, “It isn’t really; it’s a story of different characters in a different world” — but that hadn’t stopped Universal, the studio that owns the 1984 film, from issuing a cease and desist, claiming that Cox has made “an illegal sequel” to their property. Cox had decided to ignore the filing and continue work on the movie — there is apparently significant effects work to finish up in the month left before its Venice premiere — until receiving news that Universal had their own Repo action up their sleeves. They’ve apparently taken a Jude Law film called The Repossession Mambo off their shelf, finished two years ago and left mysteriously in their vault ever since, and have announced plans to rush it into release under the title Repo Men (according to this story, it’s actually Repo Men!, jaunty exclamation point required). Cox is convinced this is an attempt to confuse audiences, distracting them from his non-sequel to Repo Man with a non-sequel of their own. He writes: I still have a contract with these guys and - if they ever want to make a film based on my original work - they have to ask me to direct it. What fun that would be! … I’m sure [The Repossession Mambo] is an excellent film, which Universal accidentally forgot to distribute, and now are passing off, in their innocence, as the new Repo Man. Only a cynical person might see any attempt to catch the upward draft of Repo Chick, and give loft to a turkey. What do we think: dasterdly intellectual property violation or unfortunate coincidence? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:00:32 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/30/2009 1:00:32 PMToday’s Venice Film Festival announcement included mention of a film called Repo Chick, directed by Alex Cox. The film is not listed on IMDb, but it would seem reasonable to assume that it’s a sequel to Cox’s 1984 cult classic Repo Man, no? As Cox writes on his blog, “It isn’t really; it’s a story of different characters in a different world” — but that hadn’t stopped Universal, the studio that owns the 1984 film, from issuing a cease and desist, claiming that Cox has made “an illegal sequel” to their property. Cox had decided to ignore the filing and continue work on the movie — there is apparently significant effects work to finish up in the month left before its Venice premiere — until receiving news that Universal had their own Repo action up their sleeves. They’ve apparently taken a Jude Law film called The Repossession Mambo off their shelf, finished two years ago and left mysteriously in their vault ever since, and have announced plans to rush it into release under the title Repo Men (according to this story, it’s actually Repo Men!, jaunty exclamation point required). Cox is convinced this is an attempt to confuse audiences, distracting them from his non-sequel to Repo Man with a non-sequel of their own. He writes: I still have a contract with these guys and - if they ever want to make a film based on my original work - they have to ask me to direct it. What fun that would be! … I’m sure [The Repossession Mambo] is an excellent film, which Universal accidentally forgot to distribute, and now are passing off, in their innocence, as the new Repo Man. Only a cynical person might see any attempt to catch the upward draft of Repo Chick, and give loft to a turkey. What do we think: dasterdly intellectual property violation or unfortunate coincidence? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2009/2/3/40196.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 2/3/2009 12:02:47 PM
Body: It was 30 years ago this week that Sid Vicious rang the death knell for punk rock, overdosing on heroin on February 2nd while awaiting trial for the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen. So in honor of the spike-haired rebel who was the face (if not the sound) of punk, and whose chaotic life ended at the tender age of 21, I present five punk rock films that really rock. Suburbia Suburbia was released in 1983, and though Sid Vicious had flamed out along with punk’s heyday years before, America’s hardcore scene was in overdrive with bands like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys reinventing the music by playing at the speed of light, pumping up the adrenaline from coast to coast (and causing this minor threat to later consider the Ramones as slowpoke as The Beatles.) Director Penelope Spheeris, best known for docs like Decline of Western Civilization and her later forays into sellout Hollywood, thrillingly applied the original punk DIY ethos to filmmaking, using guerrilla tactics and nonprofessionals to create a time capsule of L.A.’s underground scene. In other words, the film not only documents punk, it is punk – and a must-see for a young punk as much as the latest Bad Brains album was a must-hear. In fact, I must’ve seen this film about a group of runaways who form a punk family a dozen times during my anarchistic teenage years, never sober and usually with my own extended, Mohawk coiffed, leather-and-chain-wearing family. Indeed, the image of lead character Evan kicking at white walls like a trapped animal, futilely trying to fight his way out of society’s cage, often would be the last I’d see before passing out next to a spike-toed Doc. Repo Man Emilio Estevez has never been as good as he was in Repo Man. Appropriately released in that Orwellian year of 1984, Alex Cox’s surreal take on the world of mercenary repossession agents is every bit as bizarre as anything Terry Gilliam ever put onscreen. As punk rocker Otto, Estevez stoically faces losing his job, being dumped by his girlfriend, UFOs and government conspiracies – not to mention a quintessentially slimy Harry Dean Stanton as his mentor – all set to a soundtrack featuring everything from Iggy Pop to the Burning Sensations (whose ditty “Pablo Picasso” has some of the punkest lyrics ever written: “All the girls would turn the color of an avocado/ When he’d drive down the street in his El Dorado/ Though he was only five-foot-three girls could not resist his stare/ Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole…not like you”). Sid & Nancy I’ve already waxed rhapsodic about Sid & Nancy in my recent Criterion Collection essay at The House Next Door, but suffice to say that this true love story of the Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious and his junkie groupie-turned-girlfriend Nancy Spungen is anything but your typical tabloid biopic. Alex Cox’s 1986 film is nothing less than a masterful visual translation of the greatest punk rock story ever told. As with Repo Man, the director digs deep, discovering the surreal in the everyday while mining the humanity and even humor of the nihilist 70s. Songs by The Pogues and the late Clash front man Joe Strummer round out the soundtrack. And of course, Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb are equally unforgettable as the leads. Valley Girl Martha Coolidge’s 1983 film is basically “Romeo and Juliet” set in the San Fernando Valley with no sword fights, a happy ending and, most importantly, as Sparks would say, “music that you can dance to.” Nicolas Cage plays the punk rock, knight-in-shining-armor Randy to Valley Girl Julie (Deborah Foreman) with just the right mix of lovesickness and weirdness. Equally impressive is the soundtrack, with such classics as Josie Cotton’s “Johnny, Are You Queer Boy?” and songs by virtually every new wave band that mattered, from The Psychedelic Furs to Sparks to The Plimsouls. And as an added bonus, it contains one of the best pickup lines ever, “I like tacos, ’78 Cabernet and my favorite color is magenta.” Totally awesome! This Is England My awestruck review pretty much sums up my passion for Shane Meadows’ semi-autobiographical 2007 film about growing up skinhead in the early 80s of Thatcher’s Britain. Defying every cliché with subtlety and specificity Meadows follows 12-year-old Shaun whose dad has been killed fighting in the Falklands War as he discovers a father figure in the leader of the local skins, taking tough love and hard lessons from his new Doc-stomping, Ben Sherman shirt clad family. In fact, This Is England is the perfect companion piece to Spheeris’ Suburbia , released nearly a quarter century before, proving that punk rock really didn’t die with Sid, and that it never lost its heartfelt cool. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:02:47 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog2/3/2009 12:02:47 PMIt was 30 years ago this week that Sid Vicious rang the death knell for punk rock, overdosing on heroin on February 2nd while awaiting trial for the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen. So in honor of the spike-haired rebel who was the face (if not the sound) of punk, and whose chaotic life ended at the tender age of 21, I present five punk rock films that really rock. Suburbia Suburbia was released in 1983, and though Sid Vicious had flamed out along with punk’s heyday years before, America’s hardcore scene was in overdrive with bands like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys reinventing the music by playing at the speed of light, pumping up the adrenaline from coast to coast (and causing this minor threat to later consider the Ramones as slowpoke as The Beatles.) Director Penelope Spheeris, best known for docs like Decline of Western Civilization and her later forays into sellout Hollywood, thrillingly applied the original punk DIY ethos to filmmaking, using guerrilla tactics and nonprofessionals to create a time capsule of L.A.’s underground scene. In other words, the film not only documents punk, it is punk – and a must-see for a young punk as much as the latest Bad Brains album was a must-hear. In fact, I must’ve seen this film about a group of runaways who form a punk family a dozen times during my anarchistic teenage years, never sober and usually with my own extended, Mohawk coiffed, leather-and-chain-wearing family. Indeed, the image of lead character Evan kicking at white walls like a trapped animal, futilely trying to fight his way out of society’s cage, often would be the last I’d see before passing out next to a spike-toed Doc. Repo Man Emilio Estevez has never been as good as he was in Repo Man. Appropriately released in that Orwellian year of 1984, Alex Cox’s surreal take on the world of mercenary repossession agents is every bit as bizarre as anything Terry Gilliam ever put onscreen. As punk rocker Otto, Estevez stoically faces losing his job, being dumped by his girlfriend, UFOs and government conspiracies – not to mention a quintessentially slimy Harry Dean Stanton as his mentor – all set to a soundtrack featuring everything from Iggy Pop to the Burning Sensations (whose ditty “Pablo Picasso” has some of the punkest lyrics ever written: “All the girls would turn the color of an avocado/ When he’d drive down the street in his El Dorado/ Though he was only five-foot-three girls could not resist his stare/ Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole…not like you”). Sid & Nancy I’ve already waxed rhapsodic about Sid & Nancy in my recent Criterion Collection essay at The House Next Door, but suffice to say that this true love story of the Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious and his junkie groupie-turned-girlfriend Nancy Spungen is anything but your typical tabloid biopic. Alex Cox’s 1986 film is nothing less than a masterful visual translation of the greatest punk rock story ever told. As with Repo Man, the director digs deep, discovering the surreal in the everyday while mining the humanity and even humor of the nihilist 70s. Songs by The Pogues and the late Clash front man Joe Strummer round out the soundtrack. And of course, Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb are equally unforgettable as the leads. Valley Girl Martha Coolidge’s 1983 film is basically “Romeo and Juliet” set in the San Fernando Valley with no sword fights, a happy ending and, most importantly, as Sparks would say, “music that you can dance to.” Nicolas Cage plays the punk rock, knight-in-shining-armor Randy to Valley Girl Julie (Deborah Foreman) with just the right mix of lovesickness and weirdness. Equally impressive is the soundtrack, with such classics as Josie Cotton’s “Johnny, Are You Queer Boy?” and songs by virtually every new wave band that mattered, from The Psychedelic Furs to Sparks to The Plimsouls. And as an added bonus, it contains one of the best pickup lines ever, “I like tacos, ’78 Cabernet and my favorite color is magenta.” Totally awesome! This Is England My awestruck review pretty much sums up my passion for Shane Meadows’ semi-autobiographical 2007 film about growing up skinhead in the early 80s of Thatcher’s Britain. Defying every cliché with subtlety and specificity Meadows follows 12-year-old Shaun whose dad has been killed fighting in the Falklands War as he discovers a father figure in the leader of the local skins, taking tough love and hard lessons from his new Doc-stomping, Ben Sherman shirt clad family. In fact, This Is England is the perfect companion piece to Spheeris’ Suburbia , released nearly a quarter century before, proving that punk rock really didn’t die with Sid, and that it never lost its heartfelt cool. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/2/3/40193.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/3/2009 12:01:46 PM
Body: It was 30 years ago this week that Sid Vicious rang the death knell for punk rock, overdosing on heroin on February 2nd while awaiting trial for the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen. So in honor of the spike-haired rebel who was the face (if not the sound) of punk, and whose chaotic life ended at the tender age of 21, I present five punk rock films that really rock. Suburbia Suburbia was released in 1983, and though Sid Vicious had flamed out along with punk’s heyday years before, America’s hardcore scene was in overdrive with bands like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys reinventing the music by playing at the speed of light, pumping up the adrenaline from coast to coast (and causing this minor threat to later consider the Ramones as slowpoke as The Beatles.) Director Penelope Spheeris, best known for docs like Decline of Western Civilization and her later forays into sellout Hollywood, thrillingly applied the original punk DIY ethos to filmmaking, using guerrilla tactics and nonprofessionals to create a time capsule of L.A.’s underground scene. In other words, the film not only documents punk, it is punk – and a must-see for a young punk as much as the latest Bad Brains album was a must-hear. In fact, I must’ve seen this film about a group of runaways who form a punk family a dozen times during my anarchistic teenage years, never sober and usually with my own extended, Mohawk coiffed, leather-and-chain-wearing family. Indeed, the image of lead character Evan kicking at white walls like a trapped animal, futilely trying to fight his way out of society’s cage, often would be the last I’d see before passing out next to a spike-toed Doc. Repo Man Emilio Estevez has never been as good as he was in Repo Man. Appropriately released in that Orwellian year of 1984, Alex Cox’s surreal take on the world of mercenary repossession agents is every bit as bizarre as anything Terry Gilliam ever put onscreen. As punk rocker Otto, Estevez stoically faces losing his job, being dumped by his girlfriend, UFOs and government conspiracies – not to mention a quintessentially slimy Harry Dean Stanton as his mentor – all set to a soundtrack featuring everything from Iggy Pop to the Burning Sensations (whose ditty “Pablo Picasso” has some of the punkest lyrics ever written: “All the girls would turn the color of an avocado/ When he’d drive down the street in his El Dorado/ Though he was only five-foot-three girls could not resist his stare/ Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole…not like you”). Sid & Nancy I’ve already waxed rhapsodic about Sid & Nancy in my recent Criterion Collection essay at The House Next Door, but suffice to say that this true love story of the Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious and his junkie groupie-turned-girlfriend Nancy Spungen is anything but your typical tabloid biopic. Alex Cox’s 1986 film is nothing less than a masterful visual translation of the greatest punk rock story ever told. As with Repo Man, the director digs deep, discovering the surreal in the everyday while mining the humanity and even humor of the nihilist 70s. Songs by The Pogues and the late Clash front man Joe Strummer round out the soundtrack. And of course, Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb are equally unforgettable as the leads. Valley Girl Martha Coolidge’s 1983 film is basically “Romeo and Juliet” set in the San Fernando Valley with no sword fights, a happy ending and, most importantly, as Sparks would say, “music that you can dance to.” Nicolas Cage plays the punk rock, knight-in-shining-armor Randy to Valley Girl Julie (Deborah Foreman) with just the right mix of lovesickness and weirdness. Equally impressive is the soundtrack, with such classics as Josie Cotton’s “Johnny, Are You Queer Boy?” and songs by virtually every new wave band that mattered, from The Psychedelic Furs to Sparks to The Plimsouls. And as an added bonus, it contains one of the best pickup lines ever, “I like tacos, ’78 Cabernet and my favorite color is magenta.” Totally awesome! This Is England My awestruck review pretty much sums up my passion for Shane Meadows’ semi-autobiographical 2007 film about growing up skinhead in the early 80s of Thatcher’s Britain. Defying every cliché with subtlety and specificity Meadows follows 12-year-old Shaun whose dad has been killed fighting in the Falklands War as he discovers a father figure in the leader of the local skins, taking tough love and hard lessons from his new Doc-stomping, Ben Sherman shirt clad family. In fact, This Is England is the perfect companion piece to Spheeris’ Suburbia , released nearly a quarter century before, proving that punk rock really didn’t die with Sid, and that it never lost its heartfelt cool. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:01:46 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/3/2009 12:01:46 PMIt was 30 years ago this week that Sid Vicious rang the death knell for punk rock, overdosing on heroin on February 2nd while awaiting trial for the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen. So in honor of the spike-haired rebel who was the face (if not the sound) of punk, and whose chaotic life ended at the tender age of 21, I present five punk rock films that really rock. Suburbia Suburbia was released in 1983, and though Sid Vicious had flamed out along with punk’s heyday years before, America’s hardcore scene was in overdrive with bands like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys reinventing the music by playing at the speed of light, pumping up the adrenaline from coast to coast (and causing this minor threat to later consider the Ramones as slowpoke as The Beatles.) Director Penelope Spheeris, best known for docs like Decline of Western Civilization and her later forays into sellout Hollywood, thrillingly applied the original punk DIY ethos to filmmaking, using guerrilla tactics and nonprofessionals to create a time capsule of L.A.’s underground scene. In other words, the film not only documents punk, it is punk – and a must-see for a young punk as much as the latest Bad Brains album was a must-hear. In fact, I must’ve seen this film about a group of runaways who form a punk family a dozen times during my anarchistic teenage years, never sober and usually with my own extended, Mohawk coiffed, leather-and-chain-wearing family. Indeed, the image of lead character Evan kicking at white walls like a trapped animal, futilely trying to fight his way out of society’s cage, often would be the last I’d see before passing out next to a spike-toed Doc. Repo Man Emilio Estevez has never been as good as he was in Repo Man. Appropriately released in that Orwellian year of 1984, Alex Cox’s surreal take on the world of mercenary repossession agents is every bit as bizarre as anything Terry Gilliam ever put onscreen. As punk rocker Otto, Estevez stoically faces losing his job, being dumped by his girlfriend, UFOs and government conspiracies – not to mention a quintessentially slimy Harry Dean Stanton as his mentor – all set to a soundtrack featuring everything from Iggy Pop to the Burning Sensations (whose ditty “Pablo Picasso” has some of the punkest lyrics ever written: “All the girls would turn the color of an avocado/ When he’d drive down the street in his El Dorado/ Though he was only five-foot-three girls could not resist his stare/ Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole…not like you”). Sid & Nancy I’ve already waxed rhapsodic about Sid & Nancy in my recent Criterion Collection essay at The House Next Door, but suffice to say that this true love story of the Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious and his junkie groupie-turned-girlfriend Nancy Spungen is anything but your typical tabloid biopic. Alex Cox’s 1986 film is nothing less than a masterful visual translation of the greatest punk rock story ever told. As with Repo Man, the director digs deep, discovering the surreal in the everyday while mining the humanity and even humor of the nihilist 70s. Songs by The Pogues and the late Clash front man Joe Strummer round out the soundtrack. And of course, Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb are equally unforgettable as the leads. Valley Girl Martha Coolidge’s 1983 film is basically “Romeo and Juliet” set in the San Fernando Valley with no sword fights, a happy ending and, most importantly, as Sparks would say, “music that you can dance to.” Nicolas Cage plays the punk rock, knight-in-shining-armor Randy to Valley Girl Julie (Deborah Foreman) with just the right mix of lovesickness and weirdness. Equally impressive is the soundtrack, with such classics as Josie Cotton’s “Johnny, Are You Queer Boy?” and songs by virtually every new wave band that mattered, from The Psychedelic Furs to Sparks to The Plimsouls. And as an added bonus, it contains one of the best pickup lines ever, “I like tacos, ’78 Cabernet and my favorite color is magenta.” Totally awesome! This Is England My awestruck review pretty much sums up my passion for Shane Meadows’ semi-autobiographical 2007 film about growing up skinhead in the early 80s of Thatcher’s Britain. Defying every cliché with subtlety and specificity Meadows follows 12-year-old Shaun whose dad has been killed fighting in the Falklands War as he discovers a father figure in the leader of the local skins, taking tough love and hard lessons from his new Doc-stomping, Ben Sherman shirt clad family. In fact, This Is England is the perfect companion piece to Spheeris’ Suburbia , released nearly a quarter century before, proving that punk rock really didn’t die with Sid, and that it never lost its heartfelt cool. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/12/38295.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/12/2008 12:00:31 PM
Body: Earlier this month, Production Weekly reported that Alex Cox and David Lynch would begin shooting their Repo Man sequel, titled Repo Chick, next month. Fifteen years after the release of the first movie, Cox revealed that it’s a timely revisit, as the new movie will “unfold against the background of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, where repossessions of homes, cars and other forms of property is at a new high.” Coupled with the recent announcement that John Carpenter is producing a remake of his own They Live, the news of a second Repo Man film has us wondering what other ‘80s cult classics should appropriately be remade or revisited now that the economy is shit again. Depending on your definition of “cult film” (many people call Ghostbusters a cult classic), some of the selected films may not be fitting for that term. Regardless, the following ten movies, if redone today, would have definite relevance to these troubled times. Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) With unemployment on the rise, and homelessness sure to increase, it’s time for Hollywood to break out the ol’ Capra-esque stories of bums hitting the big time. Some films, such as Trading Places and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, don’t need to be touched. But this forgotten yet somewhat beloved movie could use a redo. Alan Arkin stars as an unemployed baseball player who may have a new job in the minors if he can only raise the money to get across the country. Fox could remake this story without retaining the title or the profession (though what’s more American Dream-like than baseball player? Capra employed the same idea in Meet John Doe), so as not to associate the new film with this ancient box office disappointment. Eating Raoul (1982) We recently spotlighted this “gold standard for black comedies” on a Thanksgiving-related list of cannibal movies. But it fits here as well. A couple in need of money ends up killing people and selling the corpses for cash. While the original film has the human meat sold to a dog food company, it might be even a greater gag in this financial crunch to have it feed the homeless. Or, better yet, in the U.S. Capitol’s cafeterias. The Survivors (1983) The opening premise alone will have the recently laid off feeling better about their own firing. One guy (played by Robin Williams) is let go by a parrot, while another (Walter Matthau) loses his business when it blows up. From there, anything goes with the remake as long as it still shows desperate measures resulting from unemployment. As a buddy movie, though, it’ll be worthwhile to pit a financial layoff with a blue-collar layoff. Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) Don’t say it makes no sense to remake a sequel without remaking the original. Nobody cares about the first Breakin’. Besides, Electric Boogaloo is the one that features the cliché plot involving a greedy real estate developer wanting to tear down a community center. And evil real estate developers and bankers ought to be making a comeback. Rappin’ (1985) If nobody wants to touch the sacred icon that is Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, then here’s another hip-hop movie involving an evil real estate developer. Despite a similar cheesiness, it’s not nearly as celebrated, or remembered. A remake could right all the wrongs of the original, especially with regards to the rhymes. The Goonies (1985) Hardly a cult classic, sure, but it does have the feel of one, especially to all those people who take trips to Astoria, Oregon, just to visit the film’s locations. Anyway, more evil real estate developers here, and more kids trying to save the day. Rather than truly remake the movie, which would be met with disapproval, and rather than completely bypass the reunion sequel that’s been talked about for so long, Warner Bros. ought to make a separate remake-type sequel titled The Goonies Too. The new movie will simply follow another group of kids on another adventure that will similarly stop the impending foreclosure of their homes. One Crazy Summer (1986) Yeah, yeah, more greedy real estate developers. But this one involves saving the house of an old man who nobody in the audience cares about. And a regatta. Actually, without the warped genius of Savage Steve Holland and without John Cusack in the lead, a remake of this comedy would be pointless, even if relevant. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood made a pointless remake, right? The Money Pit (1986) It may not technically be a cult classic, but it’s so rarely celebrated for its good qualities (like the excellent scene involving a cataclysmic sort of Rube Goldberg machine) that it deserves to be here. Plus, few plots are more relevant to the subprime mortgage crisis than one involving a couple (played by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) that finds a deal on a new home that’s too good to be true. Wisdom (1986) If a cult classic requires only a cult of one member, then Wisdom is a cult classic. And since every economic recession needs its own Robin Hood movie, this is ripe for a remake (never mind Ridley Scott’s forthcoming Nottingham). Repo Man star Emilio Estevez wrote, co-directed (with Robert Wise) and co-starred (with Demi Moore) in this Bonnie and Clyde tale of a pair of bank “robbers” who bomb bank file cabinets in order to erase records of loans and mortgages, thereby helping out the struggling debtors. This time, though, it’s key that the main characters don’t get killed. Hiding Out (1987) Jon Cryer stars as a stockbroker on the run from mobsters he’s cheated. Does he flee to Florida and join an all-girl band? No, he shaves off his beard and magically becomes a teenager again. Then he reenrolls in his cousin’s high school and falls in love with a young girl who’d probably get him in worse trouble than he is already in. A remake of this film could be more depraved, more American Psycho than Some Like it Hot, by having the protagonist on the run from the government rather than the mob (he’s guilty of insider trading or some other form of Wall Street corruption), and his unlikable traits would extend to his multiple affairs with minors while pretending to be a high school student. And this time, it’s key that the main character does get killed. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:00:31 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/12/2008 12:00:31 PMEarlier this month, Production Weekly reported that Alex Cox and David Lynch would begin shooting their Repo Man sequel, titled Repo Chick, next month. Fifteen years after the release of the first movie, Cox revealed that it’s a timely revisit, as the new movie will “unfold against the background of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, where repossessions of homes, cars and other forms of property is at a new high.” Coupled with the recent announcement that John Carpenter is producing a remake of his own They Live, the news of a second Repo Man film has us wondering what other ‘80s cult classics should appropriately be remade or revisited now that the economy is shit again. Depending on your definition of “cult film” (many people call Ghostbusters a cult classic), some of the selected films may not be fitting for that term. Regardless, the following ten movies, if redone today, would have definite relevance to these troubled times. Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) With unemployment on the rise, and homelessness sure to increase, it’s time for Hollywood to break out the ol’ Capra-esque stories of bums hitting the big time. Some films, such as Trading Places and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, don’t need to be touched. But this forgotten yet somewhat beloved movie could use a redo. Alan Arkin stars as an unemployed baseball player who may have a new job in the minors if he can only raise the money to get across the country. Fox could remake this story without retaining the title or the profession (though what’s more American Dream-like than baseball player? Capra employed the same idea in Meet John Doe), so as not to associate the new film with this ancient box office disappointment. Eating Raoul (1982) We recently spotlighted this “gold standard for black comedies” on a Thanksgiving-related list of cannibal movies. But it fits here as well. A couple in need of money ends up killing people and selling the corpses for cash. While the original film has the human meat sold to a dog food company, it might be even a greater gag in this financial crunch to have it feed the homeless. Or, better yet, in the U.S. Capitol’s cafeterias. The Survivors (1983) The opening premise alone will have the recently laid off feeling better about their own firing. One guy (played by Robin Williams) is let go by a parrot, while another (Walter Matthau) loses his business when it blows up. From there, anything goes with the remake as long as it still shows desperate measures resulting from unemployment. As a buddy movie, though, it’ll be worthwhile to pit a financial layoff with a blue-collar layoff. Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) Don’t say it makes no sense to remake a sequel without remaking the original. Nobody cares about the first Breakin’. Besides, Electric Boogaloo is the one that features the cliché plot involving a greedy real estate developer wanting to tear down a community center. And evil real estate developers and bankers ought to be making a comeback. Rappin’ (1985) If nobody wants to touch the sacred icon that is Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, then here’s another hip-hop movie involving an evil real estate developer. Despite a similar cheesiness, it’s not nearly as celebrated, or remembered. A remake could right all the wrongs of the original, especially with regards to the rhymes. The Goonies (1985) Hardly a cult classic, sure, but it does have the feel of one, especially to all those people who take trips to Astoria, Oregon, just to visit the film’s locations. Anyway, more evil real estate developers here, and more kids trying to save the day. Rather than truly remake the movie, which would be met with disapproval, and rather than completely bypass the reunion sequel that’s been talked about for so long, Warner Bros. ought to make a separate remake-type sequel titled The Goonies Too. The new movie will simply follow another group of kids on another adventure that will similarly stop the impending foreclosure of their homes. One Crazy Summer (1986) Yeah, yeah, more greedy real estate developers. But this one involves saving the house of an old man who nobody in the audience cares about. And a regatta. Actually, without the warped genius of Savage Steve Holland and without John Cusack in the lead, a remake of this comedy would be pointless, even if relevant. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood made a pointless remake, right? The Money Pit (1986) It may not technically be a cult classic, but it’s so rarely celebrated for its good qualities (like the excellent scene involving a cataclysmic sort of Rube Goldberg machine) that it deserves to be here. Plus, few plots are more relevant to the subprime mortgage crisis than one involving a couple (played by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) that finds a deal on a new home that’s too good to be true. Wisdom (1986) If a cult classic requires only a cult of one member, then Wisdom is a cult classic. And since every economic recession needs its own Robin Hood movie, this is ripe for a remake (never mind Ridley Scott’s forthcoming Nottingham). Repo Man star Emilio Estevez wrote, co-directed (with Robert Wise) and co-starred (with Demi Moore) in this Bonnie and Clyde tale of a pair of bank “robbers” who bomb bank file cabinets in order to erase records of loans and mortgages, thereby helping out the struggling debtors. This time, though, it’s key that the main characters don’t get killed. Hiding Out (1987) Jon Cryer stars as a stockbroker on the run from mobsters he’s cheated. Does he flee to Florida and join an all-girl band? No, he shaves off his beard and magically becomes a teenager again. Then he reenrolls in his cousin’s high school and falls in love with a young girl who’d probably get him in worse trouble than he is already in. A remake of this film could be more depraved, more American Psycho than Some Like it Hot, by having the protagonist on the run from the government rather than the mob (he’s guilty of insider trading or some other form of Wall Street corruption), and his unlikable traits would extend to his multiple affairs with minors while pretending to be a high school student. And this time, it’s key that the main character does get killed. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Recast_HIGH_FIDELITY_2000_Top_5_Challenge/563/36468/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Kowalski76
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 10/17/2008 6:29:29 PM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] Recast HIGH FIDELITY winner -- kowalski76Great list kowalski! It seems to be a favorite with the group, too. Ewan Mcgregor ... Rob GordonKate Winslet... LauraEwen Bremner ... Dick (the quiet one)Rhys Ifans... Barry (the Jack Black one)Charlotte Gainsbourg ... Marie De SalleHayley Atwell ... Charlie NicholsonShirley Henderson ... LizSteve Coogan ... Ian 'Ray' RaymondStephen Fry ... Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)Ben Whishaw ... Louis, the cool customerRussell Brand ... Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)Bruce Springsteen ... HimselfReally great trio for Rob, Dick and Barry. I'd love to see the dynamic between ewan MacGregor, a meekly opinionated Ewen Bremner, and a rude & smarmy Rhys Ifans. Some great picks others mentioned are Shirley Henderson for Rob's friend Liz and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Marie de Salle. This would be a real flip from her conscientious, vulnerable role in I'm Not There; I think of de Salle as thicker skinned, a real heartbreaker. I also really like Steve Coogan as Ray. To me Coogan seems especially suited for strange or slightly larger-than-life characters, so although I can see why rustymills18 and chrismorrell picked him for Rob, I still think Coogan shines better as a character actor. I laughed out loud when I saw rustymills18 cast Sting as the middle-aged square. And filmgal81, John Malkovich would be great as Ray!gsanchet made an interesting point: since in Hornby's novel the characters are Brits arguing about American music, the characters seem sort of silly. I know what gsanchet means, but I feel like there's something about good art that invites people to connect with it, and the artists themselves, on a very personal level.For example, I have strong opinions about what the best Shakespeare plays are, and those were written by an Englishman five hundred years ago! Why does art that I love make me feel like I've befriended the artist? Why do I make the jump from a thought like "The Tempest is one of my favorite stories," to a thought like "Shakespeare and I really would've gotten along." Can anyone relate to this? I don't mean just with Shakespeare, but with any artist. Top 5 ListsI enjoyed all of your top five lists, but ElCid2002 is getting a t-shirt for his Top 5 Underrated B movies. (But I do have to go on record for disliking Cemetery Man, his #3 choice).5. Tapeheads4. The Story of Ricky3. Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man) 2. Repo Man1. Night of the CreepsAnd dreamtupelo, thanks very much for the Top Five Films We'd Have a Blast Recasting. I will definitely pick at least one of these before the year is out. This goes for everyone: feel free to tell me which movies you want to recast. Here's dreamtupelo's list: 5. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest4. Apocalypse Now3. It's A Wonderful Life2. Casablanca1. The Godfather Saga (1, 2 & 3-who doesn't want to recast Sofia?)Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys! adam [/quote] Thanks, I enjoyed taking part. Hornby is a big lover of American music as he re-iterated later on with his book 31 Songs. The list follows the trend set by his choice of music for High Fidelity. From reading both books I'd say he doesn't confuse music with image, which I think a lot of us brits may be guilty of doing a lot more than our American friends. He has little or no musical hang-up's. If he likes something that's not normally perceived as cool, he's not afraid to champion it still.
]]>Fri, 17 Oct 2008 22:29:29 GMTKowalski76Filmgaming10/17/2008 6:29:29 PM[quote user="SkyPilot"] Recast HIGH FIDELITY winner -- kowalski76Great list kowalski! It seems to be a favorite with the group, too. Ewan Mcgregor ... Rob GordonKate Winslet... LauraEwen Bremner ... Dick (the quiet one)Rhys Ifans... Barry (the Jack Black one)Charlotte Gainsbourg ... Marie De SalleHayley Atwell ... Charlie NicholsonShirley Henderson ... LizSteve Coogan ... Ian 'Ray' RaymondStephen Fry ... Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)Ben Whishaw ... Louis, the cool customerRussell Brand ... Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)Bruce Springsteen ... HimselfReally great trio for Rob, Dick and Barry. I'd love to see the dynamic between ewan MacGregor, a meekly opinionated Ewen Bremner, and a rude &amp; smarmy Rhys Ifans. Some great picks others mentioned are Shirley Henderson for Rob's friend Liz and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Marie de Salle. This would be a real flip from her conscientious, vulnerable role in I'm Not There; I think of de Salle as thicker skinned, a real heartbreaker. I also really like Steve Coogan as Ray. To me Coogan seems especially suited for strange or slightly larger-than-life characters, so although I can see why rustymills18 and chrismorrell picked him for Rob, I still think Coogan shines better as a character actor. I laughed out loud when I saw rustymills18 cast Sting as the middle-aged square. And filmgal81, John Malkovich would be great as Ray!gsanchet made an interesting point: since in Hornby's novel the characters are Brits arguing about American music, the characters seem sort of silly. I know what gsanchet means, but I feel like there's something about good art that invites people to connect with it, and the artists themselves, on a very personal level.For example, I have strong opinions about what the best Shakespeare plays are, and those were written by an Englishman five hundred years ago! Why does art that I love make me feel like I've befriended the artist? Why do I make the jump from a thought like "The Tempest is one of my favorite stories," to a thought like "Shakespeare and I really would've gotten along." Can anyone relate to this? I don't mean just with Shakespeare, but with any artist. Top 5 ListsI enjoyed all of your top five lists, but ElCid2002 is getting a t-shirt for his Top 5 Underrated B movies. (But I do have to go on record for disliking Cemetery Man, his #3 choice).5. Tapeheads4. The Story of Ricky3. Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man) 2. Repo Man1. Night of the CreepsAnd dreamtupelo, thanks very much for the Top Five Films We'd Have a Blast Recasting. I will definitely pick at least one of these before the year is out. This goes for everyone: feel free to tell me which movies you want to recast. Here's dreamtupelo's list: 5. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest4. Apocalypse Now3. It's A Wonderful Life2. Casablanca1. The Godfather Saga (1, 2 &amp; 3-who doesn't want to recast Sofia?)Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys! adam [/quote] Thanks, I enjoyed taking part. Hornby is a big lover of American music as he re-iterated later on with his book 31 Songs. The list follows the trend set by his choice of music for High Fidelity. From reading both books I'd say he doesn't confuse music with image, which I think a lot of us brits may be guilty of doing a lot more than our American friends. He has little or no musical hang-up's. If he likes something that's not normally perceived as cool, he's not afraid to champion it still. http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Recast_HIGH_FIDELITY_2000_Top_5_Challenge/563/36456/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 10/17/2008 2:27:02 PM
Body: Recast HIGH FIDELITY winner -- kowalski76Great list kowalski! It seems to be a favorite with the group, too. Ewan Mcgregor ... Rob GordonKate Winslet... LauraEwen Bremner ... Dick (the quiet one)Rhys Ifans... Barry (the Jack Black one)Charlotte Gainsbourg ... Marie De SalleHayley Atwell ... Charlie NicholsonShirley Henderson ... LizSteve Coogan ... Ian 'Ray' RaymondStephen Fry ... Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)Ben Whishaw ... Louis, the cool customerRussell Brand ... Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)Bruce Springsteen ... HimselfReally great trio for Rob, Dick and Barry. I'd love to see the dynamic between ewan MacGregor, a meekly opinionated Ewen Bremner, and a rude & smarmy Rhys Ifans. Some great picks others mentioned are Shirley Henderson for Rob's friend Liz and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Marie de Salle. This would be a real flip from her conscientious, vulnerable role in I'm Not There; I think of de Salle as thicker skinned, a real heartbreaker. I also really like Steve Coogan as Ray. To me Coogan seems especially suited for strange or slightly larger-than-life characters, so although I can see why rustymills18 and chrismorrell picked him for Rob, I still think Coogan shines better as a character actor. I laughed out loud when I saw rustymills18 cast Sting as the middle-aged square. And filmgal81, John Malkovich would be great as Ray!gsanchet made an interesting point: since in Hornby's novel the characters are Brits arguing about American music, the characters seem sort of silly. I know what gsanchet means, but I feel like there's something about good art that invites people to connect with it, and the artists themselves, on a very personal level.For example, I have strong opinions about what the best Shakespeare plays are, and those were written by an Englishman five hundred years ago! Why does art that I love make me feel like I've befriended the artist? Why do I make the jump from a thought like "The Tempest is one of my favorite stories," to a thought like "Shakespeare and I really would've gotten along." Can anyone relate to this? I don't mean just with Shakespeare, but with any artist. Top 5 ListsI enjoyed all of your top five lists, but ElCid2002 is getting a t-shirt for his Top 5 Underrated B movies. (But I do have to go on record for disliking Cemetery Man, his #3 choice).5. Tapeheads4. The Story of Ricky3. Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man) 2. Repo Man1. Night of the CreepsAnd dreamtupelo, thanks very much for the Top Five Films We'd Have a Blast Recasting. I will definitely pick at least one of these before the year is out. This goes for everyone: feel free to tell me which movies you want to recast. Here's dreamtupelo's list: 5. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest4. Apocalypse Now3. It's A Wonderful Life2. Casablanca1. The Godfather Saga (1, 2 & 3-who doesn't want to recast Sofia?)Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys! adam
]]>Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:27:02 GMTSkyPilotFilmgaming10/17/2008 2:27:02 PMRecast HIGH FIDELITY winner -- kowalski76Great list kowalski! It seems to be a favorite with the group, too. Ewan Mcgregor ... Rob GordonKate Winslet... LauraEwen Bremner ... Dick (the quiet one)Rhys Ifans... Barry (the Jack Black one)Charlotte Gainsbourg ... Marie De SalleHayley Atwell ... Charlie NicholsonShirley Henderson ... LizSteve Coogan ... Ian 'Ray' RaymondStephen Fry ... Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)Ben Whishaw ... Louis, the cool customerRussell Brand ... Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)Bruce Springsteen ... HimselfReally great trio for Rob, Dick and Barry. I'd love to see the dynamic between ewan MacGregor, a meekly opinionated Ewen Bremner, and a rude &amp; smarmy Rhys Ifans. Some great picks others mentioned are Shirley Henderson for Rob's friend Liz and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Marie de Salle. This would be a real flip from her conscientious, vulnerable role in I'm Not There; I think of de Salle as thicker skinned, a real heartbreaker. I also really like Steve Coogan as Ray. To me Coogan seems especially suited for strange or slightly larger-than-life characters, so although I can see why rustymills18 and chrismorrell picked him for Rob, I still think Coogan shines better as a character actor. I laughed out loud when I saw rustymills18 cast Sting as the middle-aged square. And filmgal81, John Malkovich would be great as Ray!gsanchet made an interesting point: since in Hornby's novel the characters are Brits arguing about American music, the characters seem sort of silly. I know what gsanchet means, but I feel like there's something about good art that invites people to connect with it, and the artists themselves, on a very personal level.For example, I have strong opinions about what the best Shakespeare plays are, and those were written by an Englishman five hundred years ago! Why does art that I love make me feel like I've befriended the artist? Why do I make the jump from a thought like "The Tempest is one of my favorite stories," to a thought like "Shakespeare and I really would've gotten along." Can anyone relate to this? I don't mean just with Shakespeare, but with any artist. Top 5 ListsI enjoyed all of your top five lists, but ElCid2002 is getting a t-shirt for his Top 5 Underrated B movies. (But I do have to go on record for disliking Cemetery Man, his #3 choice).5. Tapeheads4. The Story of Ricky3. Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man) 2. Repo Man1. Night of the CreepsAnd dreamtupelo, thanks very much for the Top Five Films We'd Have a Blast Recasting. I will definitely pick at least one of these before the year is out. This goes for everyone: feel free to tell me which movies you want to recast. Here's dreamtupelo's list: 5. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest4. Apocalypse Now3. It's A Wonderful Life2. Casablanca1. The Godfather Saga (1, 2 &amp; 3-who doesn't want to recast Sofia?)Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys! adam http://www.spout.com/blogs/xinem/archive/2007/3/12/6301.aspx Post By: xinem
Post To: xinem Blog
Post Date: 3/12/2007 8:42:42 PM
Body: i'm 41 and saw it originally in my 20s in college. i just watched it again with my 15 yr old son. we already like the soundtrack together, already had some quotes. "the more you drive, the less intelligent you are." good, silly fun. the great thing about the film is that after all these years, it still held up. it was still entertaining. my 15 yr old son liked it, laughed, quoted it the next day. we were not disappointed.
]]>Tue, 13 Mar 2007 00:42:42 GMTxinemxinem Blog3/12/2007 8:42:42 PMi&#39;m 41 and saw it originally in my 20s in college. i just watched it again with my 15 yr old son. we already like the soundtrack together, already had some quotes. &quot;the more you drive, the less intelligent you are.&quot; good, silly fun. the great thing about the film is that after all these years, it still held up. it was still entertaining. my 15 yr old son liked it, laughed, quoted it the next day. we were not disappointed. http://www.spout.com/blogs/smithco/archive/2006/9/28/3086.aspx Post By: smithco
Post To: My Ponderings on Cinema
Post Date: 9/28/2006 1:16:00 PM
Body: The great thing about Repo Man is the details in the film. The plot is dumb, the characters are flat and predictable and there is are morally redeeming qualities whatsoever. But, the little things in this film make it great. There are a whole bunch of little absurdities woven into the props and background that are often hidden under the absurdity of the characters and plot, and it is these little absurdities that make the film worth watching.
]]>Thu, 28 Sep 2006 17:16:00 GMTsmithcoMy Ponderings on Cinema9/28/2006 1:16:00 PMThe great thing about Repo Man is the details in the film. The plot is dumb, the characters are flat and predictable and there is are morally redeeming qualities whatsoever. But, the little things in this film make it great. There are a whole bunch of little absurdities woven into the props and background that are often hidden under the absurdity of the characters and plot, and it is these little absurdities that make the film worth watching. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/brilliant/MemberTagFilms.aspxbrilliant
Number of films tagged: 179

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