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?
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
Sid Vicious’s biggest musical moment … this is Sid’s infamous punk cover of the Frank Sinatra warhorse, with new filthy lyrics. The video, originally at the end of Julien Temple’s Sex Pistols documentary “The Great Rock n Roll Swindle,” is equally as infamous, with a graphically violent climax that must be seen to be believed. Not safe for work.
Perhaps the best use of this song was over the end credits of Martin Scorsese’s gangster classic “Goodfellas,” a perfect choice that sums up the entire picture.
And … as a bonus … here’s the version of the scene from the 1986 Alex Cox-directed biopic “Sid and Nancy” with Gary Oldman dynamically taking the mic as Sid. While this is not Oldman’s first big performance, it was the one that made him famous.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkzgww_catching-pete-red-handed-part-3_shortfilms
This is one of the most realistic scenes of marriage malaise I’ve ever seen. And not because it involves any of the parties doing anything heinous, like starting an affair, or gambling away the family fortune, or becoming a porn, booze, or drug addict.
No, what starts this crisis is the husband making unexplained disappearances … to spend time by himself because he needs a break. On the surface, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. Except for the fact that his wife needs a break too. And maybe … actually wants to have a break where she spends time with her husband. On the surface, the husband’s desire to see “Spiderman 3” by himself doesn’t seem like a big deal. And that’s sort of correct. But the wife’s reaction … and the knowledge that her husband wants to spend time away from her … is not wrong either. Leslie Mann’s pained reaction to her husband’s actions breaks my heart every time I see it. Key line: “You just think because you don’t yell that you’re not mean.”
By the way, if you can get the accompanying clip to work, more power to you. I can’t find this clip anywhere else and I can only get the clip to work on my phone. So, that’s why I’ve included a transcript of the scene below:
Pete: It’s just that I know you’ve been mad ’cause I’ve been working so much, and I didn’t want to upset you.
Debbie: I wouldn’t be mad. I don’t get mad.
Pet: It’s a fantasy baseball draft. I’m not cheating or anything.
Debbie: No, this is worse.
Pete: How is this worse?
Debbie: This is you wanting to be with your friends more than your family.
Pete: Look, the reason I make that up is because if I told you what I was really doing, you would just get mad. So you think I’m seeing a band, I do my fantasy draft, and it’s win-win.
Debbie: Well, what’d you do last Wednesday night when you said you went to see a band?
Pete: I went to the movies.
Debbie: With who?
Pete: By myself.
Debbie: What’d you see?
Pete: Spider-Man 3.
Debbie: Why do you want to go by yourself? Why didn’t you ask me to go?
Pete: Because I needed to get away, you know. With work and you and the kids, sometimes I just need some time to myself.
Debbie: I need time for myself. I want time for myself, too. You’re not the only one.
Pete: It’s not that big of a deal.
Debbie: I like Spider-Man.
Pete: Okay, so let’s see Spider-Man 3 next week.
Debbie: I don’t wanna go see it now. I don’t wanna have to ask you to ask me. I want you to just come up with it on your own.
Pete: I don’t even know what to say. What do you want me to do?
Debbie: You just think because you don’t yell that you’re not mean, but this is mean.
Pete: I’m not being mean. I’m being honest. You’re telling me I need to be honest.
Debbie: No, you’re not. You’re lying.
Pete: I’m doing it because I need to keep my sanity a little bit.
Debbie: You know what? I don’t want you at the house anymore, okay?
Dave's Strange World 