Movies - Take Two. Action!

[Hal...]

I saw an interview with Graham Chapman around the time Yellowbeard was released. He said it was kind of an homage to Keith Moon, who he described as a pirate who'd been born in the wrong century. He then went on to tell the story about how he visited Keith at the hotel where he was living in LA. Keith had asked him what his drink of choice was and Graham told him gin. The problem was Keith didn't have any gin so he called room service and asked for a bottle of gin. Ten minutes later and there was still no gin. So Keith called again and said that if he didn't have a bottle of gin in his room within five minutes, he'd toss the TV out the window. After another five or ten minutes Keith went over to the window, opened it, and looked out. Graham thought he was going to toss the TV out it but instead crawled out the window. At first, Graham didn't think too much about it but after a couple of minutes went over to the window and looked out thinking there was a balcony. There wasn't. And since they were on a high floor, he started looking down below to see if Keith had fallen to his death. He hadn't. All he saw was a little ledge that was just a few inches wide. He looked around and still didn't see Keith. Then there was a knock on the door and when he opened it, there was Keith holding a bottle of gin. Apparently, Keith had walked along that narrow ledge, found a room with an open window, crawled inside, and stole the gin from that room.

After I heard that story I always knew Keith was never destined to live very long.

[Vic2012]

Channel surfing. I found Saturday Night Fever. I hate Disco, but I like this movie. I like that polyester look.

[Progatron]

Great story about Moon - I wonder if the name of Peter Boyle's character Mr. Moon in the film was a direct homage?

I've always had a soft spot for the film. I think it has some uproariously funny moments. John Cleese has said he only did it as a favour to Graham, as he felt it was the worst script he had ever seen. But I retain a fondness for it, and bought the DVD when it was finally released on MGM Classics.

[GuitarGeek]

Channel surfing. I found Saturday Night Fever. I hate Disco, but I like this movie. I like that polyester look.

I remember Doug Walker telling me that if John Travolta had really strutted down the street like he does at the beginning of that movie, Travolta would have gotten his ass kicked. he'd have either been mugged, or beaten by homophobic street gangs, etc. You just didn't do that kind of stuff in the part of Brooklyn that Travolta's character is supposed to be from.

[Vic2012]

It's really his best movie. Yeah, Pulp Fiction, Grease, whatever. Saturday Night Fever is a great film. It's pretty hilarious. It's greasy, and very New York.

[Hal...]

I'm not really a Travolta fan but my favorite movie of his is Get Shorty. A close second would be Urban Cowboy.

[GuitarGeek]

It's really his best movie. Yeah, Pulp Fiction, Grease, whatever. Saturday Night Fever is a great film. It's pretty hilarious. It's greasy, and very New York.

I'd say SNF is a decent movie. The Bee Gees songs are probably the best part of the picture, though.

I think I've told this story before, but I used to work with a guy who did some catering for some kind of Scientology function out in LA. He said he's in this big hall, prepping this buffet deal, and Travolta is onstage, with a couple other famous Scientologists (I forget whom now), showing them how to do the Saturday Night Fever dance moves.

[GuitarGeek]

Apparently, it's James Bond time of the year, over at the Starz and Encore channels, so they're rolling out all the 007 pictures.

[TheLoony]

Watching Wonderland. Just a few minutes in. He and she are smoking out of a glass pipe that I'd swear did not exist back then. I'm no stranger to the drug scene and this did occur way before I ever did my dabblings there but I don't believe glass pipes like that existed in that time.

Don't know if anyone here would know but it's the only movie thread I currently deal with so what, if anything, do you guys know?

[Rogue Mail]

I'm not really a Travolta fan but my favorite movie of his is Get Shorty. A close second would be Urban Cowboy.

Urban Cowboy is very underated and largely forgotten.

Its a shame because at the time of release, Travolta's star was already on the wain, largely due to the poorly received Moment By Moment. I thought it was a very good performance from Travolta, and its largely a menage a trois between him, Debra Winger and Scott Glenn, also vying for Wingers affections.

And of course there is the world famous Gilleys (as was back then), the music and appearances from the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Charlie Daniels Band, Johnny Lee and even Mickey Gilley himself.

There's a lot to like here. I think this was a breakout role for Scott Glenn, who I thought made quite an impact here. Then there was the mechanical bull, which was quite an innovation at the time. I had not seen one before anyway...don't get much of those in the UK...

The only thing that seemed a bit forced was a dancing scene where Travolta takes off on his own during a line dancing scene, which just seemed shoehorned in to try and appeal to the Saturday Night Fever fans.

But I think the central relationship between the characters works very well. And its kind of a time capsule of a particular time and place. I was never really a big fan of country music but yet I still enjoyed the movie and the music. It helped that I worked at a cinema playing it at the time.

[Vic2012]

Didn't Staying Alive bomb at the box office? I think after that he started doing those dumb Look Who's Talking films.

[GuitarGeek]

Didn't Staying Alive bomb at the box office? I think after that he started doing those dumb Look Who's Talking films.

Pretty much everything he did after Urban Cowboy (which was at least successful enough that Ross Bagadasarian Jr parodied it in the form of an album called Urban Chipmunk) was a bomb, up until he started doing stuff like Get Shorty and Pulp Fiction. The exceptions of course being, presumably, the Look Who's Talking movies, which even Quentin Tarrantino (who's apparently a huge Travolta fan) claimed he didn't like.

[nycsteve]

Watching Wonderland. Just a few minutes in. He and she are smoking out of a glass pipe that I'd swear did not exist back then. I'm no stranger to the drug scene and this did occur way before I ever did my dabblings there but I don't believe glass pipes like that existed in that time.

Don't know if anyone here would know but it's the only movie thread I currently deal with so what, if anything, do you guys know?

What year is Wonderland taking place in?

[nycsteve]

I'm not really a Travolta fan but my favorite movie of his is Get Shorty. A close second would be Urban Cowboy.

Those 2 are on the opposite ends of my spectrum. For me Get Shorty is great. Travolta exudes cool , the film itself is great. Its sequal , Be Cool (?) not so much. On ythe other hand , Urban Cowboy , I really didn't like even with Debra Winger in her prime as a part. I'm not a fan of the fake cowboy bunch, aND Travolta himself was unlikable ,to me, in this film. To much brooding and pouting. To many dumb ass cowboy hats in this one. Remember the joke of the time; What do cowboyhats and hemriods have in comman? Sooner or later every a***ole gets one.

[nycsteve]

BTW , is the closed thread of which this is its clone, around anywhere. I wish to dig through looking for Netflix ideas. I have run out of things to order on my own , need ideas.

[moecurlythanu]

Watching Wonderland. Just a few minutes in. He and she are smoking out of a glass pipe that I'd swear did not exist back then. I'm no stranger to the drug scene and this did occur way before I ever did my dabblings there but I don't believe glass pipes like that existed in that time.

Don't know if anyone here would know but it's the only movie thread I currently deal with so what, if anything, do you guys know?

When does the film purport to take place? We had glass pipes back in the mid-late 70s. And head shops that sold a wide array of them.

[The Dark Elf]

When does the film purport to take place? We had glass pipes back in the mid-late 70s. And head shops that sold a wide array of them.

Wonderland takes place in 1981. Definitely glass pipes/hookahs since the early 70s. Even plastic ones. Plenty of them in the head shops in the Detroit area back in the day.

[Hal...]

Urban Cowboy is very underated and largely forgotten.

Its a shame because at the time of release, Travolta's star was already on the wain, largely due to the poorly received Moment By Moment. I thought it was a very good performance from Travolta, and its largely a menage a trois between him, Debra Winger and Scott Glenn, also vying for Wingers affections.

And of course there is the world famous Gilleys (as was back then), the music and appearances from the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Charlie Daniels Band, Johnny Lee and even Mickey Gilley himself.

There's a lot to like here. I think this was a breakout role for Scott Glenn, who I thought made quite an impact here. Then there was the mechanical bull, which was quite an innovation at the time. I had not seen one before anyway...don't get much of those in the UK...

The only thing that seemed a bit forced was a dancing scene where Travolta takes off on his own during a line dancing scene, which just seemed shoehorned in to try and appeal to the Saturday Night Fever fans.

But I think the central relationship between the characters works very well. And its kind of a time capsule of a particular time and place. I was never really a big fan of country music but yet I still enjoyed the movie and the music. It helped that I worked at a cinema playing it at the time.

I could have written that post word for word, even down to working at a theater at the time.

I think this movie is indicative of the popularity of C&W and/or Southern culture seeping into the mainstream in the US. I don't know what started it all, but Southern rock was very popular at the time, as were some C&W artists/bands like Charlie Daniels and Willie Nelson, who appeared in The Electric Horseman (which I've always enjoyed), released in '79, and starred in Honeysuckle Rose, released a month after Urban Cowboy. I can even remember hearing "Uneasy Rider" on radio stations that normally played R&R and, of course, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was a huge hit. Most of my friends at the time were into Judas Priest, AC/DC, Van Halen, and Black Sabbath and even they liked some of that stuff.

I also remember at the time that Northerners were even buying cowboy hats. What was really interesting about it was that they also adorned them with feathers that hung on a string from the back. Astute observers, however, noticed that the part that attached to the hat was actually a roach clip.

Funny thing to me is I've always hated C&W music but for some reason, Urban Cowboy and The Electric Horseman get a pass from me.

To many dumb ass cowboy hats in this one.

Well, it did take place in the Houston area, so what do you expect? And, as I mentioned, Willie Nelson and Charlie Daniels and some other acts enjoyed crossover popularity and most of them wore cowboy hats, too. It was the zeitgeist.

[Hal...]

BTW , is the closed thread of which this is its clone, around anywhere. I wish to dig through looking for Netflix ideas. I have run out of things to order on my own , need ideas.

If you don't mind slogging through 198 pages... http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...k-about-movies

[dropforge]

I'm not really a Travolta fan but my favorite movie of his is Get Shorty. A close second would be Urban Cowboy.

Get Shorty is mahvelous. UC was a regular on HBO/TMC, and I watched it plenty. Scott Glenn was a mean mutha in that.

[GuitarGeek]

Those 2 are on the opposite ends of my spectrum. For me Get Shorty is great. Travolta exudes cool , the film itself is great. Its sequal , Be Cool (?) not so much. On ythe other hand , Urban Cowboy , I really didn't like even with Debra Winger in her prime as a part. I'm not a fan of the fake cowboy bunch, aND Travolta himself was unlikable ,to me, in this film. To much brooding and pouting. To many dumb ass cowboy hats in this one. Remember the joke of the time; What do cowboyhats and hemriods have in comman? Sooner or later every a***ole gets one.

The thing I find amusing about the whole Urban Cowboy deal is, that's how "country" music fans actually dress. When I was in the Navy (!!!), in the early 90's, and stationed in San Diego, every Friday and Saturday night, you'd see all these goofballs dressed like extras from that movie, with the cowboy hats, the denim shirts, the stupid boots, etc. It looked incredibly hilarious to me. Then again, I guess the way metal fans in their studs and leather splendor looks just as silly.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

Wonderland takes place in 1981. Definitely glass pipes/hookahs since the early 70s. Even plastic ones. Plenty of them in the head shops in the Detroit area back in the day.

I was a pothead in the 70s and 80s and I had many glass pipes and giant plastic bongs as well

[Vic2012]

I'm wearing cowboy boots right now. No hat, just boots.

[Hal...]

When I was in the Navy (!!!), in the early 90's, and stationed in San Diego...

You were stationed in San Diego??? Oh man, have I got a story for you.

I was in the Coast Guard stationed on an HEC (roughly the size of a frigate) in Seattle in the mid 80s and we'd go down to San Diego all the time, including the annual hell of REFTRA. We usually tied up at Broadway Pier but this time we were over on Coronado Island.

One late afternoon, a buddy and I went down to Seaport Village, which was still kind of new at the time. We went into a restaurant that had a club upstairs and got drunk. I mean we were hammered. We staggered out early evening and sat down on a bench down by the sidewalk. My buddy promptly leaned over and threw up in the grass. lol Someone must have called security because a few minutes later, a couple of off duty cops working security came up to us and started in with the questions. One of them asked, "you want us to call the police or the shore patrol?" I figured the SP was the lesser of two evils so I said, "shore patrol." And then they asked for our IDs, probably to see if we were of age. After looking at our IDs one of them said, "oh, you're in the Coast Guard. You want us to call you a cab?"

I will never forget that for as long as I live.

[Gruno]

I think this movie is indicative of the popularity of C&W and/or Southern culture seeping into the mainstream in the US. I don't know what started it all, but Southern rock was very popular at the time, as were some C&W artists/bands like Charlie Daniels and Willie Nelson, who appeared in The Electric Horseman (which I've always enjoyed), released in '79, and starred in Honeysuckle Rose, released a month after Urban Cowboy. I can even remember hearing "Uneasy Rider" on radio stations that normally played R&R and, of course, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was a huge hit. Most of my friends at the time were into Judas Priest, AC/DC, Van Halen, and Black Sabbath and even they liked some of that stuff.

Bronco Billy came out in 1980. Possibly part of the C&W thing.