MOVIES THAT ROCK!

Throw up your devil horns people!!! Over the years, there have been MANY movies about music. If there's one thing I love just as much as the movies - it's music. I'm an arsenal of useless knowledge. Unfortunately, most of my factoids are movie/music related.

Music movies can be broken into 2 types. Movies about bands/actual performers & musicals. Here are a few that I think are worth rocking out to.

BAND/PERFORMANCE MOVIES

This is Spinal Tap (1984) - The quintessential "mock"umentary. Come on, you know the lines...you know you love the dancing midgets... I can't see anything about Stonehenge w/o laughing hysterically. I really wonder how many takes they had to do on this film. I don't know how they did it while keeping straight faces. Seriously, how can you say, "Lick my love pump" w/o chuckling? Impossible! In the event that someone out there in cyberspace is reading my blog right now & you've never seen this movie. Put it on your Netflix queue right away! A classic!

Velvet Goldmine (1998) - This little known late 90's ode to the Glam Rock genre is really well done. Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale & Jonathan Rhys Meyers team up in this tragic tale of sex, drugs, rock & roll. I'm a huge fan of this type of music, so the soundtrack (for me) was just as stunning as the visual aspect. If you too are a fan of the glam rock/Brit rock or just a fan of hot guys you won't be disappointed.

Ray (2004)- I watched "In Living Color" back in the day. I remember Jamie Foxx's big lipped ugly lady. So, I was pretty skeptical about his portrayal of one of America's finest musicians. Then I saw the movie. Jamie Foxx absolutely deserved his Oscar win. I knew a bit about Ray Charles history before watching this. One thing that really surprised me was what a man whore he was! Let me feel your wrist? Even though he's blind, he's still not hooking up w/ the fattys! That aside, this was a really good movie.

Walk the Line (2005) - Johnny Cash, the man in black. Rebel, outlaw, bad ass musician. The only person that can take a NIN song & make it sound even darker. This movie followed his life from farm boy all the way through to his historic concert @ Folsom. Joaquin Phoenix was a very impressive leading man. Although, I thought Reese Witherspoon stole the movie. I am NOT usually a fan of her work (Legally Blonde? Sweet Home Alabama? YUCK-O!) but in her role as June Carter-Cash, she was really great. Another Oscar-winning performance that was truly well deserved.

I know, I know...not everyone out there digs the musicals. But, the ones that have come out over the last few years aren't your parents Rogers & Hammerstein happy-go-lucky versions. So, hear me out on this. You just might find yourself spontaneously breaking out into song/dance for no good reason.

Evita (1996) - As someone who grew up in the 80's, occasionally rocking the fishnet shirt/jelly bracelet combo, I've seen Madonna's career as a whole. I liked "Desperately Seeking Susan". I was duped into seeing "Who's That Girl" & "Dick Tracy". Then I heard how bad "Shanghai Surprise" was. I vowed to never see another Madonna movie. Until '96... The story was interesting, the play had been running on Broadway to critical acclaim for years - so I thought I'd give the movie a try. I'm glad I did. Madonna was surprisingly good in this. She is a great singer, maybe that's why she did such a good job. She was also passionate about playing the role of Eva Peron (even if the Argentinians weren't so supportive). The score was an Andrew Lloyd Webber classic. If you like his work, check it out (if you haven't already), if you like Madonna or Antonio Bandaras, you'll probably dig it too.

Chicago (2002) - Murder, mayhem, chicks in skimpy outfits...and all that jazz... When I originally heard the cast, I was skeptical. Yea, the girls are hot, but can they dance/sing? And Richard Gere? Really? I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with all of them. I didn't know prior to the film coming out that CZJ actually spent many years before Zorro honing her theatre chops & dancing up a storm. Queen Latifah was superb in her role too. But, we already knew she could bust a tune. The costumes were fantastic, the dance numbers were amazing! It was like "Showgirls" only w/ a better script, more clothes & bigger budget.

Sweeny Todd (2007) - Shave & a haircut? Lesson to be learned from this movie? Never get your hair done anywhere near an eating establishment. I should start this off by letting you know that I really don't think there's a movie that Tim Burton or Johnny Depp have done that I haven't loved. I knew Johnny Depp was gonna be huge way back when he walked on camera on "21 Jump Street". Where's Dom DeLuise's kid now? Hmm? Anyway...I was really excited to hear about Sweeney Todd being done by Burton. From the first shot through the streets of London, to the uber bloody ending - I was hooked. It was pretty dark & did I mention bloody?

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) - Contrary to the reports you may have heard, Paris Hilton is NOT a main star in this movie. She's only in bits & pieces. Best part is, seeing her come to her demise is much more enjoyable than having to sit through the first 1/2 of that god awful "House of Wax" remake.

I could go on...maybe in the future - just like every other good movie franchise, there will be a "Part Deux" to this subject.

TOP 10

I've seen TONS of movies. I'm quite the connoisseur of film, a film junkie if you will. Just give me some popcorn & Junior Mints and it's on! I could go on for days about my favorites (good & bad). Here are just a few...

Top 5 FAVES:

1. Pulp Fiction. Best John Travolta dance sequence since..."Stayin' Alive" w/ Jamie Lee Curtis. I hear he did a bit of dancing in some 70's disco movie too.

2. Goodfellas. I got 2 words for you - Joe Pesci. The entire cast was brilliant together. Scorsese's camera work - sheer genius! Soundtrack - amazing! I've had people tell me they've only seen this on basic cable (chopped up like onions by a Benihana chef) & didn't get it. For those people, do yourself a favor & get the real version. You're missing so much!

3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Can you really shove a lump of coal up someone's ass & get a diamond? I've seen this movie more times than I can count. I pretty much know it word for word. Every single time I watch it, I crack up like it's the first time. John Hughes truly captured teen angst during the 80's like no other. Don't believe me? How 'bout "Breakfast Club" or "16 Candles" or "Pretty in Pink"? Not to mention he also did the first "Vacation" movie! All classics in my book.

4. The Big Lebowski. That rug really DID tie the whole room together! The only other funny bowling movie (besides Kingpin) that I know of. The Cohen Bros. had a fantastic vision (after one too many White Russians?) & brought it to life w/ an all-star cast. Jeff Daniels as "his dudeness" is great! John Goodman as the Nam Vet w/ the occasional flash back - priceless! Steve Buscemi is also great in this movie.

5. Reservoir Dogs. It's been at least 10 years since I first saw this little gem. I still can't listen to Steeler's Wheel "Stuck in the Middle" without getting a tiny bit squeamish.

Top 5 WTF Were They Thinking?

1. Bulletproof Monk. Now, I LOVES the Kung Fu. However, I got 10 mins into this crap fest & was ready to shut it off. Against my better judgment, I watched another 10 minutes before I had to eject the DVD in fear that the crappiness of this movie would somehow make my DVD player no longer function properly. How can Chow Yun Fat go from something as visually outstanding as "Crouching Tiger" to this??? For shame!

2. Idiocracy. I'm a big fan of Mike Judge. Love his animated work & adored "Office Space". I know he was trying to make a point w/ this movie (TV will rot your brain & the stupid will rule the world). But, I felt it was too slow moving. So slow in fact that I fell asleep at one point & woke up at the end and it all still made sense. My "spidey sense" said it sucked!

3. Last House on the Left (1972 version). Like most of America, I enjoy being scared from time to time. Horror movies are a fine art that are slowly becoming blood & gore for shock value. This movie was so controversial when it came out b/c of the content that it was actually banned in several countries. It's a sort of remake of "The Virgin Spring" by Ingmar Bergman. 2 teen girls horrifically raped/murdered by some punks. The murderers wind up at the one girls house (last one on the left) & when the parents find out what's going on - all hell breaks loose & everything that you thought was so shocking about the previous 1/2 of the movie gets blown away (pun intended) by the ending. I've seen tons of "disturbing" movies, but this one still haunts me. And, now it's been re-made (since Hollywood is apparently running out of ideas & that's all they can do anymore) & I really can't understand why.

4. Blair Witch Project. Shaky hand-held cameras, knit hats & snot. No wonder why I fell asleep 3 times while trying to see what all the fuss was about. Finally, I drank enough coffee to be sure I stayed awake (I thought if I saw it all the way through it would make sense...silly me) & I still can't figure out who/what was standing in the corner. Where was the "witch"? This movie wasn't scary - it was a complete waste of time unless of course you need a nap. This is another one that really didn't need a sequel. Don't remember the sequel? Don't worry, you're not missing anything!

5. From Dusk to Dawn. As you can see, I have 2 QT movies in my top 5 faves. I've loved pretty much everything he's ever done...except for this one. I'm also a huge fan of Mr. Rodriguez' work as well. It started out so promising. The first half of the movie was great. And then they got to the strip bar... Woo! Selma Hayek!!! A snake!!! Shots of Tequilla - Ole! And then - it turned into a totally different movie & went downhill quickly from there :( Killing vampires w/ disco? Come on... Then someone had the brilliant idea to do a sequel??? Huh??? The sequel would rank at #6 on my WTF list for sure!

So, that's what I think. Please feel free to let me know what you think...