“Who Made Who” – AC/DC

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As someone who is increasingly trying to look at glasses half-full instead of half-empty, here’s a big positive that was created out of a negative. The positive in this case is a totally f–king kick-ass song by AC/DC, composed for the 1986 Stephen King-directed film “Maximum Overdrive.”

Now, I actually like Stephen King and have enjoyed a lot of the adaptations made from his novels and stories. If you sneer at this assertion, let me remind you of some of the awesome films that resulted as adaptations: Brian DePalma’s “Carrie,” Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” David Cronenberg’s “The Dead Zone,” Bryan Singer’s “Apt Pupil,” Frank Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption.” And yes, I’ve even enjoyed a few of the lesser adaptations: John Carpenter’s “Christine,” Mark Lester’s “Firestarter.”

Alas “Maximum Overdrive” was not one of them. In fact, it’s probably in my Top 30 of the worst films I paid full evening admission to see in a theater. King later admitted he was snorting tons of coke when making this film, and sadly, that’s about right.

But … you can’t ignore the AC/DC score, especially this beyond awesome theme song. One of their best.

Ramones – It’s Alive – Live at the Rainbow, London, England December 31, 1977

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This is nearly a half hour of footage from one of the greatest rock shows of all time. This was the show that was recorded for the Ramones’ classic live album “It’s Alive.” Considering that album is 28 songs in roughly 58 minutes, you’re getting quite a bargain. What are you waiting for?

“Big Wednesday” (1978) dir. John Milius

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John Milius is a larger-than-life Hollywood legend. The character John Goodman played in “The Big Lebowski” was apparently based on Milius, which no one has yet to dispute.
Milius arrived in Hollywood at the same time that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg did and made a big impression early on. He wrote the original script for “Apocalypse Now,” wrote the classic Dirty Harry sequel “Magnum Force,” as well as directing “Conan the Barabarian”and “Uncommon Valor” (the first … and best … of the “let’s plan a mission and rescue American POWs in Vietnam” films).

Since Milius was a passionate surfer, “Big Wednesday” was supposed to be his “Star Wars.” “Big Wednesday” was a rich tale of how a group of friends, who happened to surf, aged from 1962 through 1974 and how the turbulent times impacted their lives. “Big Wednesday” is the finest Hollywood film ever made about surfing and according to people who know surf culture better than I do, insist it’s the most accurate. It’s not a perfect film by any means, but it’s quite good most of the time and I’ve always enjoyed it immensely over the years.

Growing up in a beach community, this movie had a HUGE impact on many of my friends when it turned up frequently on cable TV in the 1980s. It’s especially poignant seeing Jan Michael-Vincent and Gary Busey doing such stellar and athletic acting work, especially given how dark both actors’ lives would become in subsequent years.

Back in the day, many of filmmakers traded points in each others films as a sign of solidarity, meaning Milius got points in “Star Wars” and Lucas got points in “Big Wednesday.” Apparently, when “Big Wednesday” came out and was a box-office disappointment, Lucas demanded his points back that Milius had in “Star Wars.” Ah, well.

Quentin Tarantino, a huge fan of “Big Wednesday,” said: “This movie is too good for surfers.” Tarantino was allegedly bullied by surfers in his youth, but also understands a good movie better than anyone.

“Election” (1999) dir. Alexander Payne / scr. Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor

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One of the most brilliant comedies of the last 25 years, “Election” is the kind of film Stanley Kubrick would have made had he ever made a high school comedy. However, as many other terrific films (“Citizen Ruth,” “About Schmidt,” “Sideways”) have confirmed, Alexander Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor are in a class by themselves.

The central plot centers around a high school election, but is actually a very dark satire of American politics in general. What’s so great about “Election” is how you can’t trust anyone in this film. With the notable exceptions of Chris Klein’s character Paul and his sister Tammy (played by Jessica Campbell), almost all of the characters are unreliable narrators. The way Payne juxtaposes each character’s narration with how their character actually behaves is consistently hilarious and unnerving.

With the exception of her role in 1996’s “Freeway,” Reese Witherspoon’s characterization of the ruthless Tracy Flick is her absolute finest acting performance. The film also contains Matthew Broderick’s all-time best acting performance as the high school history teacher in charge of running the election. He is the ultimate unreliable narrator of this film and his portrayal of a teacher in his late 30s who is secretly bitter about his fate while his students move on and move up is exceptional.

Easily the best film MTV ever slapped their logo onto.

“Cape Fear” (1991) dir. Martin Scorsese

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Dave's Strange World

When director Martin Scorsese signed a deal with Universal Pictures in the late 1980s to release his passion project “The Last Temptation of Christ,” I’m fairly certain he was required to deliver a commercial film in exchange for Universal releasing such a polarizing personal film. Well, in 1991, Scorsese delivered in spades.

Forget “Boxcar Bertha” (the exploitation film Scorsese made for Roger Corman in the early 1970s), “Cape Fear” is Scorsese’s ultimate balls-to-the-wall exploitation film. Granted, it wasn’t seen that way given the large budget and stellar acting cast (Robert DeNiro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis), but make no mistake, Scorsese’s remake of the 1962 shocker with Robert Mitchum is the ultimate Freddy-Jason stalker/slasher film.

Many Scorsese purists detest this film. To whom I say, f–k you! Scorsese loves ALL films, including the sleazy ones that used to play Forty Deuce. Legend has it that he got into a fight with one of his girlfriends, studio executive Dawn Steel, over the merits of the classic 1982 exploitation film “Vice Squad” (Scorsese angrily argued that it should have been up for Best Picture at that year’s Oscars).

Despite its disreputable pedigree, it did win Oscar nominations for DeNiro and Lewis. And it was Scorsese’s biggest box-office success until the release of “The Aviator” in 2004. I’m docking the accompanying trailer MAJOR points for NOT including the music from “Cape Fear” and substituting generic music instead. The music from Cape Fear (originally composed by Bernard Herrmann, but adapted for the remake by Elmer Bernstein) is one of the scariest scores ever composed for a motion picture. I’ve included a link to this score here:

Scorsese has always used music … especially pop music … effectively in his films. I wish I had a clip I could link to, but the use of Guns N’ Roses “Patience” during a vicious verbal fight between Nolte and Lange, while their daughter played by Lewis tearfully locks herself into her room, is brilliantly edited and shot.

“Surrender” – Cheap Trick

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To paraphrase Chris Tucker: have I lost my motherf–kin’ mind?!? I can’t believe I haven’t given a shout-out to one of my Top 5 favorite songs of all-time. I could be wrong, but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who thinks this song sucks. Someone prominent … probably Chuck Klosterman … once called Cheap Trick one of the coolest bands of all-time. During the late 1970s, they were a band that seemed to be popular with EVERYONE, from headbangers to punks to teenage girls to rock critics. I know there are some votes out there for “I Want You to Want Me” (my daughter being one of them), but my vote for greatest Cheap Trick song is “Surrender.”

The entire song is about the teenage protagonist’s parents giving him endless advice for all kinds of life issues and then coming home to this scene:

“When I woke up, Mom and Dad are rolling on the couch.
Rolling numbers, rock and rollin, got my Kiss records out.”

How much of a mindf–k is that? Surrender, at that point, is the only answer. From the tremendously awesome 1978 album “Heaven Tonight.”

“Every Single Body Else” – Butch Walker and the Black Widows

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAAW7IwwJE4

Another winner from Butch Walker and the Black Widows, this is extremely catchy, crunchy power pop in the mode of late 1970s Cheap Trick. From the 2011 album “The Spade,” which also had the gem “Summer of ’89.”

“Pump it Up” – Elvis Costello

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Another classic from Mr. Costello. Second only to “Watching the Detectives,” this is my favorite Costello song. A very accurate approximation of 60s garage punk with all the bile and sexual frustration you’d expect from 60s garage punk. You have to watch this video for what Costello does with his freakin’ feet. One of the most freakishly intense performances I’ve ever seen. I’d be shocked if he’s not wearing orthopedic shoes today, just for his work on this video alone. From the classic 1978 album “This Year’s Model.”

“Green Shirt” – Elvis Costello

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One of my favorite paranoia songs of all time by the original Napoleon Dynamite, Mr. Elvis Costello. I really love the low-key intensity of this track. Key line: “Who put these fingerprints on my imagination?” Damn! From the 1979 album “Armed Forces.”

Joe Pesci freaks out in Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991)

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At some point, I’m going to write a lengthy essay on Oliver Stone’s 1991 conspiracy blockbuster “JFK.” I’m not going to argue what’s true or what’s not in this film. Mainly because I don’t know. I don’t buy everything in this film, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not one of the most brilliantly directed and edited political thrillers of all time.

One of my favorite scenes is when Joe Pesci’s David Ferrie character freaks out when being interrogated by Kevin Costner’s Jim Garrison character and Garrison’s cronies. Yes, it’s over the top and hammy … but I freakin’ love it. The way Stone ratchets up the intensity while that brilliant John Williams’ score ratchets up the tension while Pesci’s character goes increasingly berserk and paranoid is a classic film moment.