Weird Science's Recent Activity

list Weird Science's Recent Activity - Spout http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Weird Science on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg Weird Science's Recent Activity - Spout http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 Film:Weird Science http://www.spout.com/films/Weird_Science/37795/default.aspx

Title: Weird Science
Year: 1985
Director: John Hughes
Plot: John Hughes' third directorial effort, Weird Science, follows in the tradition of his previous teen-centered films, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith play the wannabe hipster Gary and his nebbish weak-willed best friend, Wyatt, a pair of high-school geeks who are hapless with members of the opposite sex. Using Wyatt's computer, they create what they believe is the ideal woman. A lightning storm brings that woman to life, and she takes the form of Kelly Le Brock. Lisa sets about building their self-confidence, but trouble begins brewing when Wyatt's cruel, military-minded older brother, Chet (Bill Paxton), begins to realize that something is not as it should be. Hughes would finish his cycle of high-school themed films with his next movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 10
Number of Lists: 39
Number of blog posts: 6
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:47:08 GMTWeird Science1985John Hughes<a href="/players/P____95115/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>John Hughes</a>' third directorial effort, Weird Science, follows in the tradition of his previous teen-centered films, <a href=/films/31525/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Sixteen Candles</a> and <a href=/films/4362/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Breakfast Club</a>. <a href="/players/P____93153/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Anthony Michael Hall</a> and <a href="/players/P____49728/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ilan Mitchell-Smith</a> play the wannabe hipster Gary and his nebbish weak-willed best friend, Wyatt, a pair of high-school geeks who are hapless with members of the opposite sex. Using Wyatt's computer, they create what they believe is the ideal woman. A lightning storm brings that woman to life, and she takes the form of Kelly Le Brock. Lisa sets about building their self-confidence, but trouble begins brewing when Wyatt's cruel, military-minded older brother, Chet (<a href="/players/P____55571/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bill Paxton</a>), begins to realize that something is not as it should be. Hughes would finish his cycle of high-school themed films with his next movie, <a href=/films/11408/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Ferris Bueller's Day Off</a>. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide10Taggedy Taggged (6-10)39633http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t34341edxhj.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Weird_Science/37795/default.aspxFilm Spout Post: Re:What is your favorite movie directed by John Hughes? http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/Re_What_is_your_favorite_movie_directed_by_John_Hu/657/43466/1/ShowPost.aspx

Post By: tadiv
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 8/10/2009 5:47:08 PM
Body: Weird Science (*Blush*) Tom
]]>Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:47:08 GMTtadivMovie Polls8/10/2009 5:47:08 PMWeird Science (*Blush*) Tom Spout Post: What is your favorite movie directed by John Hughes? http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/What_is_your_favorite_movie_directed_by_John_Hughe/657/43461/1/ShowPost.aspx

Post By: Risselada
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 8/10/2009 2:06:20 PM
Body: Please reference this thread for the rules of this group. This poll has been posted by the request of laurabot who requeted a John Hughes poll. Maybe next week I'll post a poll about the movies he has written but not directed since there are a good slew of those as well. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:The Breakfast ClubCurly SueFerris Bueller's Day OffPlanes, Trains & AutomobilesShe's Having a BabySixteen CandlesUncle BuckWeird Science
]]>Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:06:20 GMTRisseladaMovie Polls8/10/2009 2:06:20 PMPlease reference this thread for the rules of this group. This poll has been posted by the request of laurabot who requeted a John Hughes poll. Maybe next week I'll post a poll about the movies he has written but not directed since there are a good slew of those as well. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:The Breakfast ClubCurly SueFerris Bueller's Day OffPlanes, Trains & AutomobilesShe's Having a BabySixteen CandlesUncle BuckWeird Science Spout Post: Worst Movie Edit For TV. Clip of the Day http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/30/40098.aspx

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/30/2009 2:01:09 PM
Body: It’s been a long time since I watched a movie aired on commercial television. As a kid, however, I watched enough TV edits of films to have seen both Fast TImes at Ridgemont High and Sixteen Candles about a thousand times each before I knew that either film, in its original cut, features nudity. As far as language goes, though, any kid could figure out what curse words were really being mouthed by the actors instead of overdubbed words like “stuff,” “funsters” and “mothercrusher.” But a young person watching Weird Science may have been seriously confused, because much of the censored dialogue wasn’t even inappropriate for television. So, when words like “nipples,” “fart” and “bang” are replaced with “pimples,” “puke” and “hit,” we kids of the ’80s just simply had to abandon TV edits forever. Therefore, I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing a coarse phrase from The Big Lebowski turned into the bizarre line “This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps!” According to a list of “10 Worst Movie Edits For TV” at AskMen.com, the #1 offender is Die Hard’s infamous “Yippee-ki-yay, Mr. Falcon.” But I have to go with their #10, Weird Science, for the top spot, because it ruined me for future movie edits, and now I’m aware that some of them are actually quite enjoyable in a ridiculous sort of way. Check out a montage of Weird Science overdubs after the jump. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:01:09 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/30/2009 2:01:09 PMIt’s been a long time since I watched a movie aired on commercial television. As a kid, however, I watched enough TV edits of films to have seen both Fast TImes at Ridgemont High and Sixteen Candles about a thousand times each before I knew that either film, in its original cut, features nudity. As far as language goes, though, any kid could figure out what curse words were really being mouthed by the actors instead of overdubbed words like “stuff,” “funsters” and “mothercrusher.” But a young person watching Weird Science may have been seriously confused, because much of the censored dialogue wasn’t even inappropriate for television. So, when words like “nipples,” “fart” and “bang” are replaced with “pimples,” “puke” and “hit,” we kids of the ’80s just simply had to abandon TV edits forever. Therefore, I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing a coarse phrase from The Big Lebowski turned into the bizarre line “This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps!” According to a list of “10 Worst Movie Edits For TV” at AskMen.com, the #1 offender is Die Hard’s infamous “Yippee-ki-yay, Mr. Falcon.” But I have to go with their #10, Weird Science, for the top spot, because it ruined me for future movie edits, and now I’m aware that some of them are actually quite enjoyable in a ridiculous sort of way. Check out a montage of Weird Science overdubs after the jump. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog Spout Post: Pineapple Express and A Brief History Of Plot Songs http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/7/2/32024.aspx

Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 7/2/2008 12:01:15 PM
Body: This is it, the day we’ve been waiting for two full decades (or, at least, since we first heard it was happening back in December): the Huey Lewis plot song written specifically for the David Gordon Green-driected, Judd Apatow-produced stoner comedy Pineapple Express has hit the web! The Playlist first posted a clip of the song last night; today, Whitney at Pop Candy points to the full thing, available for streaming or download on MySpace. It’s very much in classic Huey Lewis plot song mode, complete with gratuitous hand claps and sax solo. It’s not as directly narrative as, say, “Back in Time” (above), but it’s slightly more literally connected to the film than, like, “The Power of Love.” A sample from the chorus: “How did we get into this mess? Pineapple Express! Can’t deal with this stress! Totally gone, cause we’re on, Pineapple Express!” It is the best, and it is also totally the worst. As we’ve discussed before, plot songs take the science of the source cue to a new level. After the jump, a brief, video-guided journey through plot song history. Let us know what we’ve left out. 1955: “(Love is) The Tender Trap” from The Tender Trap Though this Frank Sinatra/Debbie Reynolds sex comedy was based on a play, the song sung twice by Sinatra in the film (once over the opening credits, once directly to Reynolds, as seen above) was written specifically for the movie, and was nominated for an Oscar. Like the best plot songs, it does more than just set a tone or reiterate the film’s plot––it actually becomes integral to it. 1967: “Mrs. Robinson” from The Graduate According to Mark Harris’ Pictures at a Revolution, Paul Simon was under contract to write three original songs for Mike Nichols’ movie. He turned in two, and Nichols liked neither. “Have you got anything else?” the director asked. Simon and Art Garfunkel apparently “muttered to each other” for a few minutes, and then played a song-in-progress, which was then called “Mrs. Roosevelt,” “about icons of a certain generation.” Nichols loved it, “Roosevelt” was changed to “Robinson,” but the song remained unfinished by the time a mostly instrumental version of it was cut into the movei (see above). When it was released as a single a year later, lines alluding to characters and themes from the film were mashed together with lyrics from the “Roosevelt” draft. 1981: “Arthur’s Theme” from Arthur I desperately wanted to honor this era with a song from another Dudley Moore film, “Ready to Take a Chance Again” as sung by Barry Manilow in Foul Play, but this Christopher Cross classic is really the finer specimen of plot song. I think most people my age know this song, but haven’t even seen Arthur; I watched it for the first time a few years ago and was blown away (okay, maybe not blown away, but definitely surprised) by how dark it is. It’s about this total fuck-up rich kid, this terrible, terrible alcoholic who leaves nothing but destruction in his path…until he falls in love with Liza Minnelli. But the song totally give him a pass, reframing Arthur as this loveable loon, “just a boy…laughing about the way they want him to be.” Um…he’s laughing because he’s been drunk since 1967. 1985: “Weird Science” from Weird Science The rare example of a plot song making the film that spawned it superfluous. Infused with an introspection that the the John Hughes movie simply had no interest in (”From my heart and from my head, why don’t people understand my intentions?”), there’s absolutely no reason to see the entire film if you can watch the Oingo Boingo music video above. Um, okay…the movie has a young Robert Downey Jr, I guess. But the song encapsulates the narrative such as it is and the video incorporates all the relevant clips from the film––plus it’s got original Dr. Frankenstein Colin Clive, AND Danny Elfman imitating Colin Clive. We’re done here. 1989: “On Our Own” from Ghostbusters 2 I understand that the selection of Bobby Brown over Ray Parker Jr might seem controversial to some. But look at the evidence: “Found out about Vigo/The Master of Evil/Try to battle my boys?/That’s not legal!” I’m absolutely positive that this is the finest plot song verse ever written. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:01:15 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog7/2/2008 12:01:15 PM This is it, the day we’ve been waiting for two full decades (or, at least, since we first heard it was happening back in December): the Huey Lewis plot song written specifically for the David Gordon Green-driected, Judd Apatow-produced stoner comedy Pineapple Express has hit the web! The Playlist first posted a clip of the song last night; today, Whitney at Pop Candy points to the full thing, available for streaming or download on MySpace. It’s very much in classic Huey Lewis plot song mode, complete with gratuitous hand claps and sax solo. It’s not as directly narrative as, say, “Back in Time” (above), but it’s slightly more literally connected to the film than, like, “The Power of Love.” A sample from the chorus: “How did we get into this mess? Pineapple Express! Can’t deal with this stress! Totally gone, cause we’re on, Pineapple Express!” It is the best, and it is also totally the worst. As we’ve discussed before, plot songs take the science of the source cue to a new level. After the jump, a brief, video-guided journey through plot song history. Let us know what we’ve left out. 1955: “(Love is) The Tender Trap” from The Tender Trap Though this Frank Sinatra/Debbie Reynolds sex comedy was based on a play, the song sung twice by Sinatra in the film (once over the opening credits, once directly to Reynolds, as seen above) was written specifically for the movie, and was nominated for an Oscar. Like the best plot songs, it does more than just set a tone or reiterate the film’s plot––it actually becomes integral to it. 1967: “Mrs. Robinson” from The Graduate According to Mark Harris’ Pictures at a Revolution, Paul Simon was under contract to write three original songs for Mike Nichols’ movie. He turned in two, and Nichols liked neither. “Have you got anything else?” the director asked. Simon and Art Garfunkel apparently “muttered to each other” for a few minutes, and then played a song-in-progress, which was then called “Mrs. Roosevelt,” “about icons of a certain generation.” Nichols loved it, “Roosevelt” was changed to “Robinson,” but the song remained unfinished by the time a mostly instrumental version of it was cut into the movei (see above). When it was released as a single a year later, lines alluding to characters and themes from the film were mashed together with lyrics from the “Roosevelt” draft. 1981: “Arthur’s Theme” from Arthur I desperately wanted to honor this era with a song from another Dudley Moore film, “Ready to Take a Chance Again” as sung by Barry Manilow in Foul Play, but this Christopher Cross classic is really the finer specimen of plot song. I think most people my age know this song, but haven’t even seen Arthur; I watched it for the first time a few years ago and was blown away (okay, maybe not blown away, but definitely surprised) by how dark it is. It’s about this total fuck-up rich kid, this terrible, terrible alcoholic who leaves nothing but destruction in his path…until he falls in love with Liza Minnelli. But the song totally give him a pass, reframing Arthur as this loveable loon, “just a boy…laughing about the way they want him to be.” Um…he’s laughing because he’s been drunk since 1967. 1985: “Weird Science” from Weird Science The rare example of a plot song making the film that spawned it superfluous. Infused with an introspection that the the John Hughes movie simply had no interest in (”From my heart and from my head, why don’t people understand my intentions?”), there’s absolutely no reason to see the entire film if you can watch the Oingo Boingo music video above. Um, okay…the movie has a young Robert Downey Jr, I guess. But the song encapsulates the narrative such as it is and the video incorporates all the relevant clips from the film––plus it’s got original Dr. Frankenstein Colin Clive, AND Danny Elfman imitating Colin Clive. We’re done here. 1989: “On Our Own” from Ghostbusters 2 I understand that the selection of Bobby Brown over Ray Parker Jr might seem controversial to some. But look at the evidence: “Found out about Vigo/The Master of Evil/Try to battle my boys?/That’s not legal!” I’m absolutely positive that this is the finest plot song verse ever written. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth Spout Post: Pineapple Express and A Brief History Of Plot Songs http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/2/32023.aspx

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/2/2008 12:01:06 PM
Body: This is it, the day we’ve been waiting for two full decades (or, at least, since we first heard it was happening back in December): the Huey Lewis plot song written specifically for the David Gordon Green-driected, Judd Apatow-produced stoner comedy Pineapple Express has hit the web! The Playlist first posted a clip of the song last night; today, Whitney at Pop Candy points to the full thing, available for streaming or download on MySpace. It’s very much in classic Huey Lewis plot song mode, complete with gratuitous hand claps and sax solo. It’s not as directly narrative as, say, “Back in Time” (above), but it’s slightly more literally connected to the film than, like, “The Power of Love.” A sample from the chorus: “How did we get into this mess? Pineapple Express! Can’t deal with this stress! Totally gone, cause we’re on, Pineapple Express!” It is the best, and it is also totally the worst. As we’ve discussed before, plot songs take the science of the source cue to a new level. After the jump, a brief, video-guided journey through plot song history. Let us know what we’ve left out. 1955: “(Love is) The Tender Trap” from The Tender Trap Though this Frank Sinatra/Debbie Reynolds sex comedy was based on a play, the song sung twice by Sinatra in the film (once over the opening credits, once directly to Reynolds, as seen above) was written specifically for the movie, and was nominated for an Oscar. Like the best plot songs, it does more than just set a tone or reiterate the film’s plot––it actually becomes integral to it. 1967: “Mrs. Robinson” from The Graduate According to Mark Harris’ Pictures at a Revolution, Paul Simon was under contract to write three original songs for Mike Nichols’ movie. He turned in two, and Nichols liked neither. “Have you got anything else?” the director asked. Simon and Art Garfunkel apparently “muttered to each other” for a few minutes, and then played a song-in-progress, which was then called “Mrs. Roosevelt,” “about icons of a certain generation.” Nichols loved it, “Roosevelt” was changed to “Robinson,” but the song remained unfinished by the time a mostly instrumental version of it was cut into the movei (see above). When it was released as a single a year later, lines alluding to characters and themes from the film were mashed together with lyrics from the “Roosevelt” draft. 1981: “Arthur’s Theme” from Arthur I desperately wanted to honor this era with a song from another Dudley Moore film, “Ready to Take a Chance Again” as sung by Barry Manilow in Foul Play, but this Christopher Cross classic is really the finer specimen of plot song. I think most people my age know this song, but haven’t even seen Arthur; I watched it for the first time a few years ago and was blown away (okay, maybe not blown away, but definitely surprised) by how dark it is. It’s about this total fuck-up rich kid, this terrible, terrible alcoholic who leaves nothing but destruction in his path…until he falls in love with Liza Minnelli. But the song totally give him a pass, reframing Arthur as this loveable loon, “just a boy…laughing about the way they want him to be.” Um…he’s laughing because he’s been drunk since 1967. 1985: “Weird Science” from Weird Science The rare example of a plot song making the film that spawned it superfluous. Infused with an introspection that the the John Hughes movie simply had no interest in (”From my heart and from my head, why don’t people understand my intentions?”), there’s absolutely no reason to see the entire film if you can watch the Oingo Boingo music video above. Um, okay…the movie has a young Robert Downey Jr, I guess. But the song encapsulates the narrative such as it is and the video incorporates all the relevant clips from the film––plus it’s got original Dr. Frankenstein Colin Clive, AND Danny Elfman imitating Colin Clive. We’re done here. 1989: “On Our Own” from Ghostbusters 2 I understand that the selection of Bobby Brown over Ray Parker Jr might seem controversial to some. But look at the evidence: “Found out about Vigo/The Master of Evil/Try to battle my boys?/That’s not legal!” I’m absolutely positive that this is the finest plot song verse ever written. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:01:06 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/2/2008 12:01:06 PM This is it, the day we’ve been waiting for two full decades (or, at least, since we first heard it was happening back in December): the Huey Lewis plot song written specifically for the David Gordon Green-driected, Judd Apatow-produced stoner comedy Pineapple Express has hit the web! The Playlist first posted a clip of the song last night; today, Whitney at Pop Candy points to the full thing, available for streaming or download on MySpace. It’s very much in classic Huey Lewis plot song mode, complete with gratuitous hand claps and sax solo. It’s not as directly narrative as, say, “Back in Time” (above), but it’s slightly more literally connected to the film than, like, “The Power of Love.” A sample from the chorus: “How did we get into this mess? Pineapple Express! Can’t deal with this stress! Totally gone, cause we’re on, Pineapple Express!” It is the best, and it is also totally the worst. As we’ve discussed before, plot songs take the science of the source cue to a new level. After the jump, a brief, video-guided journey through plot song history. Let us know what we’ve left out. 1955: “(Love is) The Tender Trap” from The Tender Trap Though this Frank Sinatra/Debbie Reynolds sex comedy was based on a play, the song sung twice by Sinatra in the film (once over the opening credits, once directly to Reynolds, as seen above) was written specifically for the movie, and was nominated for an Oscar. Like the best plot songs, it does more than just set a tone or reiterate the film’s plot––it actually becomes integral to it. 1967: “Mrs. Robinson” from The Graduate According to Mark Harris’ Pictures at a Revolution, Paul Simon was under contract to write three original songs for Mike Nichols’ movie. He turned in two, and Nichols liked neither. “Have you got anything else?” the director asked. Simon and Art Garfunkel apparently “muttered to each other” for a few minutes, and then played a song-in-progress, which was then called “Mrs. Roosevelt,” “about icons of a certain generation.” Nichols loved it, “Roosevelt” was changed to “Robinson,” but the song remained unfinished by the time a mostly instrumental version of it was cut into the movei (see above). When it was released as a single a year later, lines alluding to characters and themes from the film were mashed together with lyrics from the “Roosevelt” draft. 1981: “Arthur’s Theme” from Arthur I desperately wanted to honor this era with a song from another Dudley Moore film, “Ready to Take a Chance Again” as sung by Barry Manilow in Foul Play, but this Christopher Cross classic is really the finer specimen of plot song. I think most people my age know this song, but haven’t even seen Arthur; I watched it for the first time a few years ago and was blown away (okay, maybe not blown away, but definitely surprised) by how dark it is. It’s about this total fuck-up rich kid, this terrible, terrible alcoholic who leaves nothing but destruction in his path…until he falls in love with Liza Minnelli. But the song totally give him a pass, reframing Arthur as this loveable loon, “just a boy…laughing about the way they want him to be.” Um…he’s laughing because he’s been drunk since 1967. 1985: “Weird Science” from Weird Science The rare example of a plot song making the film that spawned it superfluous. Infused with an introspection that the the John Hughes movie simply had no interest in (”From my heart and from my head, why don’t people understand my intentions?”), there’s absolutely no reason to see the entire film if you can watch the Oingo Boingo music video above. Um, okay…the movie has a young Robert Downey Jr, I guess. But the song encapsulates the narrative such as it is and the video incorporates all the relevant clips from the film––plus it’s got original Dr. Frankenstein Colin Clive, AND Danny Elfman imitating Colin Clive. We’re done here. 1989: “On Our Own” from Ghostbusters 2 I understand that the selection of Bobby Brown over Ray Parker Jr might seem controversial to some. But look at the evidence: “Found out about Vigo/The Master of Evil/Try to battle my boys?/That’s not legal!” I’m absolutely positive that this is the finest plot song verse ever written. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog Spout Post: Episode II: ‘Streets of Fire’ http://www.spout.com/groups/Natsukashi/Episode_II_Streets_of_Fire/592/31907/1/ShowPost.aspx

Post By: usesoap
Post To: Natsukashi
Post Date: 6/30/2008 3:09:52 PM
Body: Download Episode II:Streets of Fire By: Rob Rector Streets of Fire (PG) – 1984Directed by: Walter HillStarring: Michael Pare as Tom CodyDiane Lane as Ellen AimRick Moranis as Billy FishAmy Madigan as McCoyWillem Dafoe as Raven Shaddock Tagline: “A Rock & Roll Fable” Personal Pre-screening Recollections: Tonight it what it means to be young indeed! There are some films that come along at just the right time in your life and consume your thoughts, affect your decisions (“What would Indiana Jones do if his mom asked him to clean his room?”) and make you want to be that person on the screen. Tom Cody was one of those people for me. Street of Fire affected me on several levels: Musically : Granted, the film’s most popular tracks are rather weak, resembling some overly embellished piece of pomposity that even Meat Loaf would have snickered at. Soundtrack aside, it was the film’s score that really got to me. I felt hip among my elders to proclaim my passion for blues-guitar virtuoso Ry Cooder (who scored many a Walter Hill film). Visually: The rainy streets, the violent neon. It was all so Blade-Runner-esque to me. And because Harrison Ford was a childhood idol, anything remotely resembling his films was of automatic interest. Narratively: I know I’ll get crap for this, for the plot could be written on the back of a cocktail napkin, but each scene was stages like it could comfortably fit in a comic-book panel, which it seemed as though it was trying to emulate. Perversely: In the first half hour, I could get my steady diet of cuss words, booze-swigging, chain-smoking heroes, and get flashed of nippledge from a rather homely stripper (but let’s face it, when you are in those formative years, that nipple could be placed on a woman’s earlobe and still elicit interest). And all of this was safely under the just-about-to-be-changed PG rating, which meant no parental supervision! Critically: I can remember using one of my spiral notebooks purchased for school (which, of course, was typically blank inside) and beginning my career of a film reviewer. It was the kind of booklet that had the little colored tabs on the side, which I used to alphabetize the volumes of films I was devouring at that age. Streets of Fire got four stars (the highest). I really wish I held on to that little book. *silent weep* Physically: Thank you, Diane Lane for that wonderful trifecta of “The Outsiders,” “Rumble Fish” and “Streets of Fire” for jump-starting my puberty. Emotionally: I recall being crushed upon learning that “I Could Dream About You” was sung by a white guy Dan Hartman). Yet I still continued a slavish devotion to all actors in the film, including Stoney Jackson, who only pretended to sing the song. I remember watching him all his Jheri-curled glory in the “Miami Vice” ripoff “The Insiders “(featuring a Phil Collins-led Genesis theme “Just a Job to Do”), where he played a reporter teamed up with a honky to solve crimes. Right around the same time as Flip Wilson’s Cosby Knock-off “Charlie & Company” Cinematically: Walter Hill was a cinematic god to me, between this, 48 Hrs, Brewster’s Millions, Extreme Prejudice and Trespass (not to mention that The Warriors was on constant rotation on HBO back then), he defined machismo (even though I failed to emulate it in real life). Heroically: I was convinced between this and Eddie and the Cruisers, Michael Pare was destined to become a star. Only now do I realize that those two films would be the apex of his ability. I followed every player in his/her next project, from the aforementioned Stoney Jackson (perhaps the coolest name ever!) to Moranis to Dafoe. Viewing the film today It came as no surprise that this film held up as well as it did, partially because it was set in an ageless alternative universe, filled with ersatz 50s-era style, retrofitted with 80s sensibilities. Pare stars as Tom Cody, a delinquent who is summoned back to his home town by his sister played by Deborah Van Valkenberg of “Too Close for Comfort” — Ted Knight, rest in peace) after his former flame Ellen Aim (played by Diane Lane) is abducted onstage by a gang of bikers. Ellen is currently shacking up with her nebbish promoter Billy Fish (played by Rick Moranis), and together they team with McCoy (played by Amy Madigan) a drifter/former soldier to rescue the chantreuse back from the clutches of Raven Shaddock (played by Willem Dafoe). That’s it. Honestly. The film’s plot is as economical as its 90-minute runtime. But its brevity allows viewers to focus on the many other aspects of the film – from the host of supporting actors (hey, there’s Bill Paxton, testing out his portrayal of Chet from Weird Science a year in advance; poor Robert Townsend,relegated to a non-speaking role. So this is what led him to Hollywood Shuffle; Ed Beagley Jr.? Is that you?) to the steamy, rain-slicked set design. As I watched, I was still amazed at how much they were able to slip into this PG-rated picture – drinking, swearing, smoking, non-stop violence and gunplay and even the aforementioned boob shot from a Sandra Bernhard lookalike stripper at the Torchy’s nightclub. The cinematography is really what keeps this film from aging. Even the film’s puddles are vibrant, shimmering with the neon-soaked streetscapes (a la Blade Runner). It certainly isn’t the pulpy dialogue, which seems straight out of a cut-rate Dashiell Hammett or Mickey Spillaine novel (Sin City owes a helluva lot to this film.) The film is a textbook definition of “style over substance,” but when a film oozes this much style, it’s easily forgiven. New Memories I don’t care if he looks like a pissed off Gorton’s fisherman in his rubber clamming trousers, Dafoe still can summon legions of hell with his scream. He creates some of the film’s most iconic scenes with just a stare. I noticed, too, that the score is so much better than the soundtrack which was the most popular thing about the movie after its release (made for $14 million, the film only grossed $5 million at the box office). I wish legendary guitarist Ry Cooder would make more films solely for the opportunity to say the words “Ry Cooder.” The acting ranged from wooden to spasmodic, but little in between. Pare was perfect in the roles of stoic bohunk, required to be little more than a 3-D cartoon. How badass is Tom Cody, you say? So badass that in the first scenes in which he appears he’s antagonized by a butterfly knife-wielding gang, he slaps the leader silly, takes the knife, closes it and hands it back to him, telling him to “Try again.” Every character possesses that hyperbolic sense of self. For example, Moranis is not just a nerd – complete with a wardrobe so mismatched, sparks fly when they come into contact with one another – he’s a nerd with a smart mouth, a yellow streak and a look that is just shy of a “Hit Here” tattoo on his forehead. But that was the picture’s whole wonderfully deranged plot. I still consider myself a devotee and fervent supporter of this film, even now that I view films with a much more critical eye. It’s whisp of story and vacancies in dramatic deliveries are far eclipsed by the sheer visceral candyland in which it places it’s audience. Sure, Streets of Fire wears some of its 80s heart on its sleeve, but it’s just loopy enough and short enough to remember “what it meant to be young.”
]]>Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:09:52 GMTusesoapNatsukashi6/30/2008 3:09:52 PMDownload Episode II:Streets of Fire By: Rob Rector Streets of Fire (PG) – 1984Directed by: Walter HillStarring: Michael Pare as Tom CodyDiane Lane as Ellen AimRick Moranis as Billy FishAmy Madigan as McCoyWillem Dafoe as Raven Shaddock Tagline: “A Rock & Roll Fable” Personal Pre-screening Recollections: Tonight it what it means to be young indeed! There are some films that come along at just the right time in your life and consume your thoughts, affect your decisions (“What would Indiana Jones do if his mom asked him to clean his room?”) and make you want to be that person on the screen. Tom Cody was one of those people for me. Street of Fire affected me on several levels: Musically : Granted, the film’s most popular tracks are rather weak, resembling some overly embellished piece of pomposity that even Meat Loaf would have snickered at. Soundtrack aside, it was the film’s score that really got to me. I felt hip among my elders to proclaim my passion for blues-guitar virtuoso Ry Cooder (who scored many a Walter Hill film). Visually: The rainy streets, the violent neon. It was all so Blade-Runner-esque to me. And because Harrison Ford was a childhood idol, anything remotely resembling his films was of automatic interest. Narratively: I know I’ll get crap for this, for the plot could be written on the back of a cocktail napkin, but each scene was stages like it could comfortably fit in a comic-book panel, which it seemed as though it was trying to emulate. Perversely: In the first half hour, I could get my steady diet of cuss words, booze-swigging, chain-smoking heroes, and get flashed of nippledge from a rather homely stripper (but let’s face it, when you are in those formative years, that nipple could be placed on a woman’s earlobe and still elicit interest). And all of this was safely under the just-about-to-be-changed PG rating, which meant no parental supervision! Critically: I can remember using one of my spiral notebooks purchased for school (which, of course, was typically blank inside) and beginning my career of a film reviewer. It was the kind of booklet that had the little colored tabs on the side, which I used to alphabetize the volumes of films I was devouring at that age. Streets of Fire got four stars (the highest). I really wish I held on to that little book. *silent weep* Physically: Thank you, Diane Lane for that wonderful trifecta of “The Outsiders,” “Rumble Fish” and “Streets of Fire” for jump-starting my puberty. Emotionally: I recall being crushed upon learning that “I Could Dream About You” was sung by a white guy Dan Hartman). Yet I still continued a slavish devotion to all actors in the film, including Stoney Jackson, who only pretended to sing the song. I remember watching him all his Jheri-curled glory in the “Miami Vice” ripoff “The Insiders “(featuring a Phil Collins-led Genesis theme “Just a Job to Do”), where he played a reporter teamed up with a honky to solve crimes. Right around the same time as Flip Wilson’s Cosby Knock-off “Charlie & Company” Cinematically: Walter Hill was a cinematic god to me, between this, 48 Hrs, Brewster’s Millions, Extreme Prejudice and Trespass (not to mention that The Warriors was on constant rotation on HBO back then), he defined machismo (even though I failed to emulate it in real life). Heroically: I was convinced between this and Eddie and the Cruisers, Michael Pare was destined to become a star. Only now do I realize that those two films would be the apex of his ability. I followed every player in his/her next project, from the aforementioned Stoney Jackson (perhaps the coolest name ever!) to Moranis to Dafoe. Viewing the film today It came as no surprise that this film held up as well as it did, partially because it was set in an ageless alternative universe, filled with ersatz 50s-era style, retrofitted with 80s sensibilities. Pare stars as Tom Cody, a delinquent who is summoned back to his home town by his sister played by Deborah Van Valkenberg of “Too Close for Comfort” — Ted Knight, rest in peace) after his former flame Ellen Aim (played by Diane Lane) is abducted onstage by a gang of bikers. Ellen is currently shacking up with her nebbish promoter Billy Fish (played by Rick Moranis), and together they team with McCoy (played by Amy Madigan) a drifter/former soldier to rescue the chantreuse back from the clutches of Raven Shaddock (played by Willem Dafoe). That’s it. Honestly. The film’s plot is as economical as its 90-minute runtime. But its brevity allows viewers to focus on the many other aspects of the film – from the host of supporting actors (hey, there’s Bill Paxton, testing out his portrayal of Chet from Weird Science a year in advance; poor Robert Townsend,relegated to a non-speaking role. So this is what led him to Hollywood Shuffle; Ed Beagley Jr.? Is that you?) to the steamy, rain-slicked set design. As I watched, I was still amazed at how much they were able to slip into this PG-rated picture – drinking, swearing, smoking, non-stop violence and gunplay and even the aforementioned boob shot from a Sandra Bernhard lookalike stripper at the Torchy’s nightclub. The cinematography is really what keeps this film from aging. Even the film’s puddles are vibrant, shimmering with the neon-soaked streetscapes (a la Blade Runner). It certainly isn’t the pulpy dialogue, which seems straight out of a cut-rate Dashiell Hammett or Mickey Spillaine novel (Sin City owes a helluva lot to this film.) The film is a textbook definition of “style over substance,” but when a film oozes this much style, it’s easily forgiven. New Memories I don’t care if he looks like a pissed off Gorton’s fisherman in his rubber clamming trousers, Dafoe still can summon legions of hell with his scream. He creates some of the film’s most iconic scenes with just a stare. I noticed, too, that the score is so much better than the soundtrack which was the most popular thing about the movie after its release (made for $14 million, the film only grossed $5 million at the box office). I wish legendary guitarist Ry Cooder would make more films solely for the opportunity to say the words “Ry Cooder.” The acting ranged from wooden to spasmodic, but little in between. Pare was perfect in the roles of stoic bohunk, required to be little more than a 3-D cartoon. How badass is Tom Cody, you say? So badass that in the first scenes in which he appears he’s antagonized by a butterfly knife-wielding gang, he slaps the leader silly, takes the knife, closes it and hands it back to him, telling him to “Try again.” Every character possesses that hyperbolic sense of self. For example, Moranis is not just a nerd – complete with a wardrobe so mismatched, sparks fly when they come into contact with one another – he’s a nerd with a smart mouth, a yellow streak and a look that is just shy of a “Hit Here” tattoo on his forehead. But that was the picture’s whole wonderfully deranged plot. I still consider myself a devotee and fervent supporter of this film, even now that I view films with a much more critical eye. It’s whisp of story and vacancies in dramatic deliveries are far eclipsed by the sheer visceral candyland in which it places it’s audience. Sure, Streets of Fire wears some of its 80s heart on its sleeve, but it’s just loopy enough and short enough to remember “what it meant to be young.” Spout Post: Just between me and Hughes http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/3/25/26587.aspx

Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 3/25/2008 1:28:31 PM
Body: Perhaps it’s a certain soft spot for the navigator of my awkward adolescent journey, John Hughes; maybe it’s the affable charisma of lead Owen Wilson (who, even off his game as he is here, is just someone with whom you want to share a beer); or it could be the overall throwback tone of the film’s less-ironic, less-cynical high school setting.Whatever the reason, I quite enjoyed “Drillbit Taylor.Hughes, the arbiter of public school angst, originally scribbled the screenplay for the new comedy and allowed it to languish for the better part of two decades before it was dusted off by reigning comedic king Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up,” “40-Year-Old Virgin”) and his faithful scribes Seth Rogan (“Superbad”) and Kristofer Brown (TVs “Undeclared”). Hughes’ name is not found on any of the credits (acknowledgment is given to his frequent nom de plume of Edmond Dantes), but his style can be felt throughout. With great nerd love, Hughes always tapped into the anxieties, hopes, fears, and, dare it be dreamed, love of those squares living outside the popular circles in high school. He affected and defined a generation with six films in just four years. Think about that number. The list of his film could hyperventilate many a Gen-X –er prone to spouting off many a memorable movie line : “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Weird Science,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and “Some Kind of Wonderful.And while “Drillbit Taylor” will not gain access to the coveted coliseum of memorable Hughes characters (Bueller, Duckie, Long Duk Dong, Farmer Ted, Chet, Cameron, etc.), it is a good-natured return to perhaps the most anxiety-prone places of repressed memory, and where some of Hughes’ richest comedies were set – high school.Wilson stars as a homeless Iraq vet genially slumming the California streets in search of spare change. Now this is hardly the stuff of comedy gold, and while the subtle social commentary is an awkward fit, Wilson’s laissez-faire demeanor pitches the proper balance between snickers and sympathy.Drillbit notices an online ad from a trio of geeks searching for protection from their psychotic high school harrier. The outcasts could easily be renamed “Superbad: The Early Years,” as they consist of the fat, sarcastic one (Tony Gentile), the skinny introspective one (Nate Harley), and the screeching uber-dork (David Dorfman). The actors themselves offer relatively little to the whole affair, but, then again, no one ever praised Andrew McCarthy for his range, Judd Nelson for his Method approach, or Molly Ringwald for her intensity.Drillbit sees the young suburbanites as three little ATM machines who can help finance his ticket to Canada to start life anew. He pilfers a few valuable knick-knacks from their homes while haphazardly helping them overcome their daily high school hell. Conscience gets the better of Drillbit, and soon he infiltrates the school as a substitute teacher to further aid the kids’ daily humiliations.At this point in the review, you may be thinking: “Hmm, faint praise, hackneyed plot… I think I’ll pass.” But “Taylor” works despite all these things. It works in all those “in-between” moments of the film. Throwaway lines delivered by former “Daily Show” correspondent Beth Littleford (someone please give this woman a smart lead role!), comedian Matt Walsh, and Danny McBride (soon to be seen in Apatow’s “Pineapple Express” and Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder”).They, along with the leads, deliver casual, off-the-cuff zingers that validate “Taylor’s” existence, When training his young charges, Drillbit casually tosses off such lines as: “Now it isn’t all Oriental martial arts, Sometimes you give a little Mexican judo. As in you don’t know who you messin’ with, homes.” And at its core is an oversized Hugh-sian heart, one that was absent from the flick of Wilson’s frequent co-star Will Ferrell in “Semi-Pro.”It’s also an element that is sadly lacking in film designed for the high school crowd, which is more willing to highlight the misanthropic myopia and would-be sexual exploits than exalt in the more inconsequential aspects of freshman life, such as just existing without getting the snot clocked out of you. Perhaps his pen is a wee out of touch with today’s school experience, but his talent for mining the primal emotional dread is spot on.And if he decides to infrequently revisit that world every decade or so, I’ll slap on a pair of parachute pants, load up the Trapper Keeper, slip a cassette of Sigue Sigue Sputnik in the Walkman, and be first in line to watch.
]]>Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:28:31 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog3/25/2008 1:28:31 PMPerhaps it’s a certain soft spot for the navigator of my awkward adolescent journey, John Hughes; maybe it’s the affable charisma of lead Owen Wilson (who, even off his game as he is here, is just someone with whom you want to share a beer); or it could be the overall throwback tone of the film’s less-ironic, less-cynical high school setting.Whatever the reason, I quite enjoyed “Drillbit Taylor.Hughes, the arbiter of public school angst, originally scribbled the screenplay for the new comedy and allowed it to languish for the better part of two decades before it was dusted off by reigning comedic king Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up,” “40-Year-Old Virgin”) and his faithful scribes Seth Rogan (“Superbad”) and Kristofer Brown (TVs “Undeclared”). Hughes’ name is not found on any of the credits (acknowledgment is given to his frequent nom de plume of Edmond Dantes), but his style can be felt throughout. With great nerd love, Hughes always tapped into the anxieties, hopes, fears, and, dare it be dreamed, love of those squares living outside the popular circles in high school. He affected and defined a generation with six films in just four years. Think about that number. The list of his film could hyperventilate many a Gen-X –er prone to spouting off many a memorable movie line : “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Weird Science,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and “Some Kind of Wonderful.And while “Drillbit Taylor” will not gain access to the coveted coliseum of memorable Hughes characters (Bueller, Duckie, Long Duk Dong, Farmer Ted, Chet, Cameron, etc.), it is a good-natured return to perhaps the most anxiety-prone places of repressed memory, and where some of Hughes’ richest comedies were set – high school.Wilson stars as a homeless Iraq vet genially slumming the California streets in search of spare change. Now this is hardly the stuff of comedy gold, and while the subtle social commentary is an awkward fit, Wilson’s laissez-faire demeanor pitches the proper balance between snickers and sympathy.Drillbit notices an online ad from a trio of geeks searching for protection from their psychotic high school harrier. The outcasts could easily be renamed “Superbad: The Early Years,” as they consist of the fat, sarcastic one (Tony Gentile), the skinny introspective one (Nate Harley), and the screeching uber-dork (David Dorfman). The actors themselves offer relatively little to the whole affair, but, then again, no one ever praised Andrew McCarthy for his range, Judd Nelson for his Method approach, or Molly Ringwald for her intensity.Drillbit sees the young suburbanites as three little ATM machines who can help finance his ticket to Canada to start life anew. He pilfers a few valuable knick-knacks from their homes while haphazardly helping them overcome their daily high school hell. Conscience gets the better of Drillbit, and soon he infiltrates the school as a substitute teacher to further aid the kids’ daily humiliations.At this point in the review, you may be thinking: “Hmm, faint praise, hackneyed plot… I think I’ll pass.” But “Taylor” works despite all these things. It works in all those “in-between” moments of the film. Throwaway lines delivered by former “Daily Show” correspondent Beth Littleford (someone please give this woman a smart lead role!), comedian Matt Walsh, and Danny McBride (soon to be seen in Apatow’s “Pineapple Express” and Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder”).They, along with the leads, deliver casual, off-the-cuff zingers that validate “Taylor’s” existence, When training his young charges, Drillbit casually tosses off such lines as: “Now it isn’t all Oriental martial arts, Sometimes you give a little Mexican judo. As in you don’t know who you messin’ with, homes.” And at its core is an oversized Hugh-sian heart, one that was absent from the flick of Wilson’s frequent co-star Will Ferrell in “Semi-Pro.”It’s also an element that is sadly lacking in film designed for the high school crowd, which is more willing to highlight the misanthropic myopia and would-be sexual exploits than exalt in the more inconsequential aspects of freshman life, such as just existing without getting the snot clocked out of you. Perhaps his pen is a wee out of touch with today’s school experience, but his talent for mining the primal emotional dread is spot on.And if he decides to infrequently revisit that world every decade or so, I’ll slap on a pair of parachute pants, load up the Trapper Keeper, slip a cassette of Sigue Sigue Sputnik in the Walkman, and be first in line to watch. Spout Post: For the fans that love to remember the 80's http://www.spout.com/blogs/cwoodruff/archive/2007/7/24/15685.aspx

Post By: cwoodruff
Post To: cwoodruff Blog
Post Date: 7/24/2007 10:22:31 AM
Body: Weird Science is on my short list of movies that I will always stop and watch when I see it on TV and I also throw it in the DVD player every few months and enjoy. Sure it is immature and childish. It also makes me remember my childhood and the last innocence of my life. The teen movies of today do not try to bring lightness to entertainment. The great teen comedy movies of the 80's were fun without being to edgy in terms of shock.
]]>Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:22:31 GMTcwoodruffcwoodruff Blog7/24/2007 10:22:31 AMWeird Science is on my short list of movies that I will always stop and watch when I see it on TV and I also throw it in the DVD player every few months and enjoy. Sure it is immature and childish. It also makes me remember my childhood and the last innocence of my life. The teen movies of today do not try to bring lightness to entertainment. The great teen comedy movies of the 80's were fun without being to edgy in terms of shock. Spout Post: Back to 'Back' http://www.spout.com/blogs/minerwerks/archive/2007/7/16/14887.aspx

Post By: minerwerks
Post To: minerwerks Blog
Post Date: 7/16/2007 2:03:00 AM
Body: 'Back to the Future' has been a favorite film of mine since I was ten years old. That was my age when it was originally in theaters and I chose it over 'Weird Science' one fateful evening. In all the years since, I've probably paid more critical attention to the film's sequels and the other works of Robert Zemeckis, mostly because the original film was nearly perfect in my mind.This past weekend, I was able to revisit 'Back to the Future' with an audience of mostly families. It wasn't screened on film, but it was a solid presentation from DVD with surround sound. I wasn't surprised that the film still held my attention, but there were some things that took me by surprise and even a couple things that made the movie seem oddly dated.For those who may not remember, 'Back to the Future' is a time-travel fantasy that follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) on an accidental trip back in time via a time-travelling Delorean invented by Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). While stuck in 1955, Marty has to contend not only with getting back to his own time, but he also must rectify the mistake of interferring with his own parents' meeting. If Marty can't get them together, he may cease to exist. One of the things I always loved about 'Back to the Future' was that the script was quite dense and so many small things paid off later in the story. But watching now, I see things in the film that are a bit over the top and shouldn't really work. Looking back, the film goes out of its way to paint Doc Brown as an eccentric - the giant amplifier and the "25 minutes slow" clock experiement in the opening scene stretch credibility - and one can even note that Christopher Lloyd was more restrained in the sequels. The film is prone to cheap physical humor as well - I now know that kids love to see Michael J. Fox fall over. And seriously, as fun as the "Johnny B. Goode" scene may be, does it really serve a purpose to the story? But when it comes down to it, these flaws somehow add to the character of the film - things that shouldn't work just do. In serving story and logic, there are things in the film that should righfully be cut. But if they were gone, the film just wouldn't be as "fun." Another thing that surprised me was that the dialogue, while quite clever, was not as smart as I had remembered. The performances go a long way toward selling this material, however. Michael J. Fox may oversell a look or two, but he is often spot on with Marty's incredulous reactions to the 1950s world he find himself thrust into. Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson play the parents in the present (1985) and the past. The makeup that subtly ages the actors still holds up to scrutiny. Glover comes off the most impressive in distinguishing three incarnations of George McFly, with Thompson infusing her 1955 incarnation with a bit too much innocence at times.One thing that impressed me on review of 'Back to the Future' was the use of music - particularly balancing hit pop music of the day with score. In fact, it's many minutes in to the film when you first hear actual score music, and that accompanies the introduction of the Delorean time machine. Up to that point, you only hear contemporary songs. In fact, unlike the first sequel to this film, the "theme" music doesn't play with the opening titles. Holding back the score until then helps characterize the present day in contrast to 1955, for one thing. I think this should be a lesson to filmmakers not to overuse score. While not on the record about such things, I think that director Robert Zemeckis would probably regret some of his choices in 'Back to the Future.' Zemeckis' previous work at this point had been very broad, including a screenplay for the bombastic Spielberg comedy '1941' and the dark comedy 'Used Cars.' His work with building character has much improved since, culminating in the Oscar-winning 'Forrest Gump.' As previously mentioned, the characters in 'Back to the Future' are sometimes played too broadly. And there are several moments in the film that come off as sight gags that interrupt the flow of the story, complete with over-the-top knowing looks or double takes. These are things I don't think would have been satisfactory to the director just a few years later. Some of Zemeckis' recurring motifs are quite present, however. Zemeckis will often play with the idea of taking a familiar scene or person and changing the context. In his debut, 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand,' a group of teenagers are present at the Beatles' debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' In 'Forrest Gump,' the title character is thrust into an endless string of historical situations, showing up in newsreels and familiar events. In 'Back to the Future,' Marty returns to the present 10 minutes early to witness a scene from earlier in the story from a new perspective. While a lot of directors would re-use footage the audience had seen before, Zemeckis gives completely different views of the sequence, from Marty's perspective. Zemeckis also adds a lot of detail to his scenes that makes them interesting for multiple viewings. I had never noticed, until now, a couple times that Crispin Glover blended into the action behind other characters and slipped away quietly. The dressing of the famous "town square" set on the Universal back lot is impeccable for both 1955 and 1985 and one of the few instances, in my opinion, where a backlot street seems realistic. Quite apparent from this film as well is Zemeckis' ability to captivate an audience with suspense and action. 'Back to the Future' contains more than one showstopper moment. The build-up of George's confrontation with arch-nemesis Biff is perfectly designed (resulting in applause at the screening I attended), as is the following sequence at the "Enchantment Under The Sea" dance where Marty begins to fade from existence. These pale in comparison, however, to the big finale where Marty and Doc must contend with various obstacles to make sure the time machine and a bolt of lightning intersect at a single crucial moment.All of the sequences I just mentioned are so well planned that you can't help but get caught up in the excitement. The story shines in the invention of complications to all the obstacles and adding them at the crucial moment. As an audience-friendly comedy, the ending of 'Back to the Future' is never really in question. But even though you probably know the ultimate resolution, you forget about it with each of the unexpected smaller crises that come up as you are racing to that resolution.In the end, the sense of fun, good performances and a true sense of excitement carry 'Back to the Future' much further than other films of its ilk. Despite the flaws that I can now pick out on hindsight, 'Back to the Future' is still a very watchable, entertaining film.
]]>Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:03:00 GMTminerwerksminerwerks Blog7/16/2007 2:03:00 AM'Back to the Future' has been a favorite film of mine since I was ten years old. That was my age when it was originally in theaters and I chose it over 'Weird Science' one fateful evening. In all the years since, I've probably paid more critical attention to the film's sequels and the other works of Robert Zemeckis, mostly because the original film was nearly perfect in my mind.This past weekend, I was able to revisit 'Back to the Future' with an audience of mostly families. It wasn't screened on film, but it was a solid presentation from DVD with surround sound. I wasn't surprised that the film still held my attention, but there were some things that took me by surprise and even a couple things that made the movie seem oddly dated.For those who may not remember, 'Back to the Future' is a time-travel fantasy that follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) on an accidental trip back in time via a time-travelling Delorean invented by Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). While stuck in 1955, Marty has to contend not only with getting back to his own time, but he also must rectify the mistake of interferring with his own parents' meeting. If Marty can't get them together, he may cease to exist. One of the things I always loved about 'Back to the Future' was that the script was quite dense and so many small things paid off later in the story. But watching now, I see things in the film that are a bit over the top and shouldn't really work. Looking back, the film goes out of its way to paint Doc Brown as an eccentric - the giant amplifier and the "25 minutes slow" clock experiement in the opening scene stretch credibility - and one can even note that Christopher Lloyd was more restrained in the sequels. The film is prone to cheap physical humor as well - I now know that kids love to see Michael J. Fox fall over. And seriously, as fun as the "Johnny B. Goode" scene may be, does it really serve a purpose to the story? But when it comes down to it, these flaws somehow add to the character of the film - things that shouldn't work just do. In serving story and logic, there are things in the film that should righfully be cut. But if they were gone, the film just wouldn't be as "fun." Another thing that surprised me was that the dialogue, while quite clever, was not as smart as I had remembered. The performances go a long way toward selling this material, however. Michael J. Fox may oversell a look or two, but he is often spot on with Marty's incredulous reactions to the 1950s world he find himself thrust into. Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson play the parents in the present (1985) and the past. The makeup that subtly ages the actors still holds up to scrutiny. Glover comes off the most impressive in distinguishing three incarnations of George McFly, with Thompson infusing her 1955 incarnation with a bit too much innocence at times.One thing that impressed me on review of 'Back to the Future' was the use of music - particularly balancing hit pop music of the day with score. In fact, it's many minutes in to the film when you first hear actual score music, and that accompanies the introduction of the Delorean time machine. Up to that point, you only hear contemporary songs. In fact, unlike the first sequel to this film, the "theme" music doesn't play with the opening titles. Holding back the score until then helps characterize the present day in contrast to 1955, for one thing. I think this should be a lesson to filmmakers not to overuse score. While not on the record about such things, I think that director Robert Zemeckis would probably regret some of his choices in 'Back to the Future.' Zemeckis' previous work at this point had been very broad, including a screenplay for the bombastic Spielberg comedy '1941' and the dark comedy 'Used Cars.' His work with building character has much improved since, culminating in the Oscar-winning 'Forrest Gump.' As previously mentioned, the characters in 'Back to the Future' are sometimes played too broadly. And there are several moments in the film that come off as sight gags that interrupt the flow of the story, complete with over-the-top knowing looks or double takes. These are things I don't think would have been satisfactory to the director just a few years later. Some of Zemeckis' recurring motifs are quite present, however. Zemeckis will often play with the idea of taking a familiar scene or person and changing the context. In his debut, 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand,' a group of teenagers are present at the Beatles' debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' In 'Forrest Gump,' the title character is thrust into an endless string of historical situations, showing up in newsreels and familiar events. In 'Back to the Future,' Marty returns to the present 10 minutes early to witness a scene from earlier in the story from a new perspective. While a lot of directors would re-use footage the audience had seen before, Zemeckis gives completely different views of the sequence, from Marty's perspective. Zemeckis also adds a lot of detail to his scenes that makes them interesting for multiple viewings. I had never noticed, until now, a couple times that Crispin Glover blended into the action behind other characters and slipped away quietly. The dressing of the famous "town square" set on the Universal back lot is impeccable for both 1955 and 1985 and one of the few instances, in my opinion, where a backlot street seems realistic. Quite apparent from this film as well is Zemeckis' ability to captivate an audience with suspense and action. 'Back to the Future' contains more than one showstopper moment. The build-up of George's confrontation with arch-nemesis Biff is perfectly designed (resulting in applause at the screening I attended), as is the following sequence at the "Enchantment Under The Sea" dance where Marty begins to fade from existence. These pale in comparison, however, to the big finale where Marty and Doc must contend with various obstacles to make sure the time machine and a bolt of lightning intersect at a single crucial moment.All of the sequences I just mentioned are so well planned that you can't help but get caught up in the excitement. The story shines in the invention of complications to all the obstacles and adding them at the crucial moment. As an audience-friendly comedy, the ending of 'Back to the Future' is never really in question. But even though you probably know the ultimate resolution, you forget about it with each of the unexpected smaller crises that come up as you are racing to that resolution.In the end, the sense of fun, good performances and a true sense of excitement carry 'Back to the Future' much further than other films of its ilk. Despite the flaws that I can now pick out on hindsight, 'Back to the Future' is still a very watchable, entertaining film. Spout Tag:friendship http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/friendship/MemberTagFilms.aspxfriendship
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]]>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:42:20 GMT6791154980Tag Spout Tag:fantasy http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/fantasy/MemberTagFilms.aspxfantasy
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]]>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:54:25 GMT1044128480Tag Spout Tag:teenagers http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/teenagers/MemberTagFilms.aspxteenagers
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]]>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:42:10 GMT302597399Tag Spout Tag:personal-classic http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/personal-classic/MemberTagFilms.aspxpersonal-classic
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]]>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:21:00 GMT18064274Tag Spout Tag:80s-classic http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/80s-classic/MemberTagFilms.aspx80s-classic
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]]>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:37:46 GMT4434108Tag Spout Tag:nerd http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/nerd/MemberTagFilms.aspxnerd
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]]>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:05:37 GMT1692545Tag Spout Tag:technology http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/technology/MemberTagFilms.aspxtechnology
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]]>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:02:23 GMT6882354Tag Spout Tag:computers http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/computers/MemberTagFilms.aspxcomputers
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]]>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:02:23 GMT3951830Tag Spout Tag:genie http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/genie/MemberTagFilms.aspxgenie
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]]>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:54:00 GMT941416Tag Spout Tag:wish http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/wish/MemberTagFilms.aspxwish
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]]>Mon, 04 May 2009 13:03:58 GMT1231416Tag Spout Tag:rampage http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/rampage/MemberTagFilms.aspxrampage
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]]>Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:08:16 GMT1183916Tag Spout Tag:showerscene http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/showerscene/MemberTagFilms.aspxshowerscene
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]]>Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:50:53 GMT222Tag Spout Tag:AnticGeekHeroic http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/AnticGeekHeroic/MemberTagFilms.aspxAnticGeekHeroic
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]]>Sat, 11 Mar 2006 05:46:01 GMT111Tag Spout Tag:antigeek http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/antigeek/MemberTagFilms.aspxantigeek
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]]>Wed, 15 Mar 2006 05:57:09 GMT313Tag Spout Tag:frankensteinlike http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/frankensteinlike/MemberTagFilms.aspxfrankensteinlike
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