10 Favorite Christmas Music Performances

This meme originates at The Shelf, and made its way to me via Retro Hound (who hates the word "meme" at least as much as I do).  I decided to participate in this one for two reasons (1) it's not just Christmas songs, but rather performances, which I thought was an interesting twist, and (2) because Retro Hound operates one of my favorite retro sites in the blogosphere (another word I hate), so I'm all over it.

10. "Silent Night" by Claudine Longet and Andy Williams

You may recall from an earlier post on Claudine Longet that Andy Williams discovered her stranded on the side of the road in Vegas.  He fell in love with this unknown dancer and it wasn't long before her career took off in television, movies and the music business. They were well connected with the Kennedy's (Bobby being a close family friend) and things couldn't be happier.

By 1970, however, the couple split up and Claudine moved in with the famous Olympic skier, "Spider" Sabich. The relationship became tumultuous and in 1975 Claudine shot her husbund in the stomach, killing him.  She only spent 30 days in jail.....

So, why do I love this performance? It gives me a very strange feeling, knowing what was to come just a few years later.  One day a sweet wholesome moment before the violence.

9. "Merry Christmas, Darling" by The Carpenters

Another bittersweet Christmas song.  The tune was originally recorded when Karen was only 20 years old, her future certainly looked bright in 1970, but there was always a hint of sadness in everything she sang. This performance was taped 8 years after the original recording - she would die from complications of anorexia in 1983.  (Sorry if I'm bringing the room down - I'll try to make the next one peppy.)

8. "Happy Life Day" by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher)

Life Day is the Star Wars Universe's answer to Christmas. It was featured in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978.



Note: One reason you rarely see embedded YouTube videos on Retrospace is that they are so unstable. They're removed all the time due to some greedy bastard getting mad about not getting his royalties.  Very likely this video will soon be deleted if George Lucas'  bounty hunters legal team gets wind of this.

7. "White Christmas" by The New Dada

The New Dada were an Italian band which opened for The Beatles during their tours of Italy. Their version of White Christmas presented here is short but sweet. They have that shit kicking mod 'tude in full effect and somehow take a Bing Crosby classic and warp it into something Mick Jagger-esque.  The icing on the cake is that it ends with a few words by Sophia Loren.




6. The Christmas Scene in Tommy by Oliver Reed and Ann-Margret

It's not so much the song that I like, it's the bizarre fusion of Christmas with The Who, of having Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed singing Who songs at a Christmas party.  Unfortunately, the song absolutely sucks. I had to listen to Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" just to get it out of my head.



5. "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake

A founding member of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer preaching against the commercialization of the holiday - incredible, to say the least. But it's not just the song that's great, the video performance in Jordan with images of Vietnam is pretty hard hitting. Lake was a talented and intelligent musician if there ever was one - he would throw up at my choice for number one on this list.



4. "O Come All Ye Faithfull" by Carol Brady (Florence Henderson)

I love good ol' fashioned Christmas songs and I love Mrs. MILF Brady - they go together like peanut butter and jelly. A very heartwarming moment on The Brady Bunch that I hope you are not too cynical to enjoy. You go, Mrs. Brady!




3. "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade


Utterly brilliant song by an utterly brilliant band. A glam rock Christmas classic by my main man, Noddy on Top of the Pops. For another great glam Xmas, I recommend Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" or Mud's "Lonely this Christmas".



2. "Children of Peace" by Unit Gloria

From Utrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, comes this wild piece of Christmas prog rock.  The clothes, the hair, the accent, the lyrics, the Teutonic "progishness".... what's not to love? In case you doubt this is actually a Christmas song, the B-Side to the single was "Silent Night" and "Ave Maria".



1. I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing - The Hillside Singers

This Christmas version of the unbelievably successful 1971 song brings back so many memories, my mind simply bursts with warm fuzzy thoughts of Christmases past.  Maybe it's sad that a commercial jingle would top my list, but my generation was raised on the commercialization of Christmas and so it seems only fitting.

Of course, this song transcends "jingle".  This was a hippie anthem - just listen to the lyrics: "I'd like to buy the world a home and furnish it with love. Grow apple trees and honey bees, and snow white turtle doves." The song hit a chord with the young generation.  Sure, it was by one of the world's largest corporations, but who cares? It's not just carbonated high fructose corn syrup, it's a commonality that binds us all in peaceful harmony. Merry Christmas!

Most Hated Meme

Here I go again with the meme thing. I can't help it. I've never met a meme I didn't like. This one's not even retro related, but here goes anyway...

So far, I've seen Darius, Cal, and Wings tackle this meme - which is basically a list of things you hate. This is all done with a degree of humor and levity, so don't take it too seriously.

1. Most Hated Food
Circus Peanuts - Styrofoam bits of alien matter

2. Most Hated Person
Bill Mahr- smug as the day is long, makes Limbaugh and Hannity look open minded.

3. Most Hated Job
I had a job giving mice Salmonella... it was for research, but holy crap I hated it. Animal lovers may take comfort in the fact that I myself contracted the disease and almost died... instant karma, I suppose.

4. Most Hated City
As an Air Force brat, I've lived all over the world and by far the worst place I've ever stayed is a place called Prattville, Alabama. Long story.

5. Most Hated Band
Nickelback- A level of blandness so severe it's almost not even music, more like white noise.

6. Most Hated Website
Anything with obnoxious pop-ups

7. Most Hated TV Program
Ace of Cakes

8. Most Hated Movie
Mystic River

9. Most Hated Artist
Rob Liefeld - he basically ruined comics for me back around 1992. I don't think I've bought a new comic since.

10. Most Hated Book
Any book by Anne Coulter

11. Most Hated Shop
Ebay - Once you could find a Dukes of Hazzard lunchbox at a flea market or yard sale for 10 cents, now it's going for a hundred bucks on ebay.

12. Most Hated Organization
The Skull and Bones Society... they scare me

13. Most Hated Historical Event
The formation of Nickelback (see #5)

14. Most Hated Sport
NASCAR

15. Most Hated Piece of Tech
The cell phone

16. Most Hated Annual Event
I love Christmas, but hate buying the presents. It's not so much the money as it is the pure, unadulterated soul crushing stress.

17. Most Hated Daily Task
Dragging my sorry butt to work

18. Most Hated Comedian
Bill Mahr, again. He actually made fun of me when I was at the Improv in California. I should never have sat on the front row.

Well, that's it. Kind of a negative meme, I know. Maybe if you're in a particularly ugly mood, you might try this one yourself. I'd be interested to see it.

The Netflix Meme

I'm always willing to jump on any meme that's floating around. You could have a meme which asks you to count to ten in Esperanto and I'd be all over it. I read a lot of others complaining about getting tagged; I, however, am grateful for a topic to write about without having to dig one up from scratch. I'm going to write a post about every day - that's a given. It's nice to have a topic laid in my lap.

Anyway, Dr. Monkerstein and Wings just completed a meme which has you list ten movies in your Netflix queue (if you don't have Netflix - the last ten movies you watched). I wasn't tagged, but that's never stopped me before, so here goes.

1. Piranha
This one has languished in my "SAVED" portion of my queue for quite some time -along with Asylum (an Amicus horror flick), The Six Million Dollar Man Season One, Carry On Matron, Rabid, and The Hellstrom Chronicle.

2. Paul Bart: Mall Cop
This is for my kids. I get 4 at a time, and one of those is usually for the children. I actually might watch this with them - it looks rather funny in a slapstick sort of way.

3. The Cannonball Run
The recent passing of The Dom reminded me of this movie.

4. Student Bodies
I watched this one a year ago and hated it... yet I have such fond memories. Perhaps I was in a bad mood last year and this horror comedy deserves another shot.



5. The Giallo Collection: Glass Dolls
I know there seems to be a lot of horror in me queue, but I've been on a horror kick for the past several months. Sometimes there's nothing better than a groovy 1970's Italian giallo; I don't know anything about this one, but I'm sure it wild be a wild ride as most of them are.

6. Pineapple Express
This is for my wife and I to watch. She detests horror movies, so I'm on my own with those. This one looks promising.

7. Land of the Giants: Disc 2
Irwin Allen made some great technicolor sci-fi TV shows back in the day. I watched a lot of "Lost in Space" as a kid, but never saw this one until recently. I'm diggin' it.



8. Terror of Mechagodzilla
This is for me and the kids again - this is where I spread my geek contagion to innocent members of the family and force them to watch it. After all, I had to sit through the Hannah Montana movie a couple weeks ago, so it's only fair.

9. Stripes
I love Bill Murray movies from this period: Meatballs, Caddyshack, etc. This one I haven't seen since it came on HBO when I was in 6th grade.

10. Scream and Scream Again
A mod horror movie... with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price. Plus the psychedelic group the Amen Corner... giddyup!

10 Favorite TV Characters Meme

Wings at Caffeinated Joe has brought to my attention a simple meme that seems like it might be fun to try. It stems from Michael May's Adventure Blog and is simply this: List Your Top Ten TV Characters of All Time.

1. Fred Sanford (Sanford & Son)



If I have to explain why Fred G. Stanford tops this list, you and I simply can't hang out together anymore.

2. Jack Tripper (Three's Company)



As I've said before, Ritter was a physical comedy genius, and totally likeable. He could play the slapstick game, but had a lot more comedic skills in his arsenal. If Jack Tripper doesn't bring a smile to your face, you probably like death metal and hate your parents.

3. Marcia Brady (The Brady Bunch)



Fact: I was tempted to put all eight Bradys and Alice on this list, but that only left room for one from another show, so I refrained. It was a tough decision which Brady to choose, but you know Marcia always wins.... sorry, Jan.

4. Sam Weir (Freaks and Geeks)



So many great characters, but none were as close to my heart as the geek Sam Weir. We all went through an awkward phase at one time or another - Sam is the embodiment of this phase.

5. Steve Austin (The Six Million Dollar Man)



When this show finally comes out on DVD in USA format, expect this blog to shut down for a week. I will take off work and watch each and every episode continually for days without sleep until I black out.

6. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Movie Macabre)



It's 1983 and it's late at night on a Saturday. You grab some cereal and turn on the TV and there's Elvira - is there anybody in the entire world you would rather see up on that screen? I didn't think so.

7. David Brent (The Office)



It's my humble opinion that Gervais invented an entirely new style of comedy with this character - or at least did it so well that it became popular. It's the kind of laugh where you're also cringing. Andy Kaufman relished making you feel awkward, but Gervais added a dose of realism and levity to the mix and came up with pure comedy gold.

8. Buck Rogers (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)



Gil Gerard always bagged the babe, had the cool line, and saved the day in the nick of time. A confident ladies man, Buck never wasted an opportunity to remove his shirt exposing his thick chest mane. He's basically Burt Reynolds in the 25th Century.


9. Emmy Jo (The New Zoo Revue)



I wanted to include a TV character from my early childhood and nearly landed on a Sesame Street or Electric Company star (Easy Reader anyone?), but went with the lovely Emmy Jo. Those who don't remember her may want to check out my post Ode to Emmy Jo. Back in the day, she was quite a hit with the kindergarten/elementary school crowd - the talk at the sandbox and jungle gym. She deserves any shout out she gets these days.

10. Rick Marshall (Land of the Lost)



I've said this before, but I totally admire Spencer Milligan for playing this role with total sincerity. He made you believe it was all real, despite the cheap effects, plastic plants and Styrofoam rocks. The new Rick Marshall played by Will Farrell is a homage, but it's also a parody. In contrast, the original Land of the Lost was played completely straight and I am thankful for it.

There is no tagging in this meme, but I look forward to other blogger's picks. Let me know in the comments if you decide to do your own, so we can check it out.

10 Favorite Film Characters Meme

Both Wings at Caffeinated Joe and Chick at Trash Aesthetics have done the "10 Favorite Film Characters" meme that's been floating around from blog to blog lately. Neither tagged anyone, but I thought I'd jump on board with this one anyway.

The beauty of this meme is that it is basically wide open. You're not thinking of the best actors, the most influential, etc. - it's essentially 10 faves off the top of your head. Almost a train of consciousness experiment. The 10 I name now will not be the same that I would name tomorrow - as Chick says in his post, "The trick was to just go with first thoughts, if I started to refine and cultivate a list, oh boy, that would be another story altogether!' So, without further ado, here goes.

Riff Randell (P.J. Soles in Rock 'n' Roll High School)
Teenage rebellion has never been more fun. Soles was the perfect delinquent teen in both Halloween and Carrie, and here she is no less brilliant. If all movies had The Ramones and P.J. Soles in them, I'd be perfectly happy.

Reggie (Reggie Bannister in Phantasm)
Everyone's favorite guitar playing ice cream man. Something about this pony-tailed dude was endearing and intriguing. In my imaginary world he won the Oscar for best supporting actor for this role.

Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein)
"My grandfather's work was doodoo! I am not interested in death! The only thing that concerns me is the preservation of life!" (jabs scalpel into leg)... classic.

Tony Rivers (Michael Landon in I Was a Teenage Werewolf)
Landon always played his characters with such heart. What a refreshing quality brought to the genre of B movie horror!

Angel (Kristy McNichol in Little Darlings)
"Angel Vs. Farris. Who ever loses there virginity first wins!" - a typical teenage romp was brought to another level by the talents of Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol. Could've been forgettable and trite - instead, it's thirty years later and I'm still talking about it.

Tony Manero (John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever)
It's so iconic that I don't feel the need to explain. Suffice it to say, this is not watered down disco garbage like so many films of the era that were cashing in on the craze. This film had teeth and Travolta blew our collective minds.

Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson in The Royal Tenenbaums)
Similar to his role in Bottle Rocket - a sad likeable figure and a perfect balance to brother Owen's extremes.

R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
Has there ever been a role that fit an actor more perfectly? Okay maybe James Spader as asshole Steff in Pretty in Pink.

Solange Beauregard (Camille Keaton in Cosa avete fatto a Solange?)
Hardly any dialogue, almost no screen time - truly a case of quality over quantity. Camille looked darkly tortured, troubled, disturbed, yet not over the top... is that even possible? Perhaps she was going through troubles of her own during this period and the reality showed through. Whatever the case, Keaton left her mark, albeit brief, in this giallo classic.

Matt Helm (Dean Martin in The Silencers)
Never, in the entire history of planet earth has there ever existed a mortal being who exhibited this degree of cool. This is bionic cool. Take notes and stand in awe.

*****
Since I wasn't actually tagged, I won't tag anyone. However, if you choose to try this meme, let me know - I'd be interested to see what yours looks like.

6 Random Things Meme

I was just tagged by Wings over at Caffeinated Joe with this meme. Seems like a quick n' easy one, so here goes...

The Rules
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Write six random things about yourself.
4) Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

My Randomness

1) My favorite Match Game player is not Richard Dawson, but rather Charles Nelson Reilly
2) I took the GRE drunk on Jägermeister (and still did well enough to get into grad school)
3) I still have not seen The Godfather or Godfather II (but oddly enough, have seen part III)
4) I believe in ghosts
5) I have testified in court nearly every month for the past ten years

6) I have never sent a text message

The 6 I'm tagging:

Chaka
Joe
Samurai Frog
Keith
Bill
Booksteve

Another Fun Meme

My fake band/album cover

Darius Whiteplume over at Adventures in Nerdliness found another way to waste time:

Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

Go to "Random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

With a crap band name like Tropical Storm Fay, you can tell I didn't cheat! The title of the LP is probably better than one I could have ever come up with on my own.

20 Men I Admire Meme

I was recently tagged by Keith over at The Dino Lounge to participate in his 20 Men I Admire Meme. Here's what he says:

This is called the 20 Men I Admire Meme. The title pretty much says it all. Make sure you post these rules when you participate in this meme. Here are the rules:

A. Link back to the blog that tagged you.
B. Link back to the originator of this meme, which is The Dino Lounge.
C. Create your own list of 20 men that you admire and post them on your blog.
D. Tag 5 other people to participate in this meme.
E. If you like, please let The Dino Lounge know that you've participated in this meme so he can check out your posting and comment on it.

Well, before choosing my 20, I had to define my selection pool a bit and limit my choices to those in the entertainment industry and popular around the 1960s and 70s. Otherwise, I'd be all over the place choosing everyone from Tarrantino to Charlemagne. No, I had to limit my choices to fit the venue of retrospace - and they're based on my admiration of their talent and contributions (not their personal life).

I have to say that, for some reason, I actually decided to give this one a lot of thought. I was also amazed at what a strange eclectic mix of names I generated - not necessarily obscure, but just an odd variety. So, here they are in no particular order. The first four get special treatment.

1. Barry Gibb
To say I thought he was the coolest dude on the planet during the seventies wouldn't even come close. I could take or leave Maurice or Robin (Andy was like a younger Barry clone), but Barry epitomized cool for me for a number of years, and I guess I still feel a strong nostalgic respect for the eldest Gibb.

Junior High idol worship aside, Barry is, by my estimate, one of the most talented pop songwriters of all time... those laughing right now obviously fell for the hype in the early eighties that disco sucked and the brothers Gibb were losers - I say otherwise. Songs like "More Than a Woman", "Jive Talkin'", "Night Fever", "Stayin' Alive" and "You Should Be Dancing" are phenominal recordings, not to mention the numerous hits he provided for other musicians such as "Guilty" (Barbara Streisand), "Love Is (Thicker Than Water)" (Andy Gibb), and "Grease" (Frankie Valli). Add all this up, plus an exceptional pre-disco career (even venturing into Beatle-esque psychedelia), and you've got a discography most artists would kill for.

2. Dean Martin
Maestro of cool, chick magnet, smooth operator... those that don't admire Dino are just jealous of his mojo. I'm Italian, so I tell myself that we're in some way related (sadly, Dino's mojo didn't quite make to my branch of the family tree).

3. John Ritter
A physical comedy genius, and totally likeable. Ritter could play the slapstick game, but he was no one dimensional cartoon; much more like a Dick Van Dyke or Lucille Ball who dipped into the physical comedy only on occasion - a lot more comedic skills were in the arsenal. Sure, Ritter never really contributed much great stuff beyond Three's Company, but that's okay; Jack Tripper still has me laughing.

4. Paul McCartney
The most talented songwriter of the twentieth century. Capable of creating everything from the psychedelic ("Penny Lane") to the horrific ("Helter Skelter") to the beautiful ("Yesterday") to the very penultimate of pop music possibilities (Side 2 of Abbey Road ). Hell, I even like "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?". End of story.

5. Stanley Kubrick
6. Stephen King
7. Peter Sellers
8. Jack Nicholson
9. Stan Lee
10. Frank Sinatra
11. Jimmy Page
12. Rien Poortvliet
13. Stevie Wonder
14. Mario Bava
15. John Denver
16. John Kennedy Toole
17. Waylon Jennings
18. Frank Frazetta
19. George Lucas
20. Syd Barrett

I came close to putting names like Bert Jansch and Ennio Morricone to wow you with my depth and variety. But, in the end, I tried to include just those I honestly felt had a talent I admired, and who contributed a great deal to the arts. I think the following five people I tag will also have their own interesting and unique choices, and I'm anxious to see their list.

Darius Whiteplume at Adventures in Nerdiness
Becca at No Smoking in the Skull Cave
Samurai Frog at Electronic Cerebrectomy
Bill at The Uranium Cafe
Chris at Exquisitely Bored in Nacogdoches

Feel no pressure to take part if you don't feel like it. Most of my tags never do.... yet I shall carry on tagging nevertheless.

The Alphabet Meme

I have been tagged by Keith over at Sugar and Spice in the following Meme. Here are the rules:

1. Pick one film to represent each letter of the alphabet.

2. The letter "A" and the word "The" do not count as the beginning of a film's title, unless the film is simply titled A or The, and I don't know of any films with those titles.

3. Return of the Jedi belongs under "R," not "S" as in Star Wars Episode IV: Return of the Jedi. This rule applies to all films in the original Star Wars trilogy; all that followed start with "S." Similarly, Raiders of the Lost Ark belongs under "R," not "I" as in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Conversely, all films in the LOTR series belong under "L" and all films in the Chronicles of Narnia series belong under "C," as that's what those filmmakers called their films from the start. In other words, movies are stuck with the titles their owners gave them at the time of their theatrical release. Use your better judgement to apply the above rule to any series/films not mentioned.

4. Films that start with a number are filed under the first letter of their number's word. 12 Monkeys would be filed under "T."

5. Link back to Blog Cabins in your post so that I can eventually type "alphabet meme" into Google and come up #1, then make a post where I declare that I am the King of Google.

6. If you're selected, you have to then select 5 more people.

Without further ado, here's the retrospace list. I tried to make it reflect the calibur of material covered here. So, not surprisingly great movies like Saving Private Ryan and The Godfather aren't anywhere to be found, but you better believe Smokey and the Bandit made the cut.

Asylum (1972)

Better Off Dead

Corvette Summer (1978)

Don't Look Now (1973)

Eegah! (1962)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The Gong Show Movie

Humanoids from the Deep

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

The Jerk

Krull

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)



Moonraker

The Nude Bomb (1980)

Ordinary People

Psyche-Out

Q (1982)




Rollerball (1975)

Smokey and the Bandit

Toomorrow

Up in Smoke (1978)

Valley Girl

Wonderwall (1968)

Xanadu

Young Frankenstein

and Zapped!


And now those to be tagged:

Becca at No Smoking in the Skull Cave

Shawn at Branded in the 80's

Chick at Trash Aesthetics

Dr. Geektarded at Geektarded

Chris at Exquisitely Bored in Nacogdoches

(Bill at The Uranium Cafe, has already been tagged by Keith, so I'll leave him alone this time.)

Theoretical Film Festival

There's a meme going around now where you get to pick 12 movies to program into 6 nights at a theoretical film festival. I was recently tagged by becca at No Smoking in the Skull Cave. It's sounds fun, so here goes.

The rules (from meme-originator Piper):

1) Choose 12 Films to be featured. They could be random selections or part of a greater theme. Whatever you want.
2) Explain why you chose the films.
3) Link back to Lazy Eye Theatre so I can have hundreds of links and I can take those links and spread them all out on the bed and then roll around in them.
4) The people selected then have to turn around and select 5 more people.

Night 1: Roller Movies
Skatetown U.S.A. and Roller Boogie




There's a very subtle plot device that unites these two films. Only the most avid film buff and astute cinema connoisseur can detect the nuanced similarities... ROLLER DISCO, BABY!

In Skatetown U.S.A. we have Scott Baio, Marcia Brady (Maureen McCormick) and Patrick Swayze competing against one another to the sounds of The Jacksons and Earth, Wind & Fire. What more do you need to know? It even stars Horshack from "Welcome Back, Kotter"! I wrote a post a month or so ago asking the Lord why this is still not on DVD.

In Roller Boogie we are treated to the unparalleled acting prowess of Linda Blair, a rich girl who's anxious to break free from her aristocratic and self-centered parents. She meets a guy from the wrong side of the tracks who teaches her to, well, roller boogie. It's no Citizen Kane, but it's a helluva lot more fun.

Night 2: Horror Spoofs
Jekyll & Hyde... Together Again and Student Bodies


Jekyll & Hyde... Together Again has to be one of the most irreverent movies I have ever seen. Basically, a mild mannered doctor inhales a powder that turns him into the ultimate disco stud complete with gold chains and long fingernail for snorting blow. It stars Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) as a busty nurse and the main star, Mark Blankfield, was a regular on the SNL ripoff "Fridays".


Student Bodies isn't one of the funniest movies ever made, but it's interesting to see a horror parody in the same vein as Scream made over a decade earlier. Plus, it has the infamous and mysterious actor known only as The Stick, who plays the disturbed janitor. Also, it was filmed at the same high school as the brilliant Rushmore.

Night 3: 1980's Teen Movies
The Wild Life and The Last American Virgin

Those expecting a typical teen comedy may get more than they bargained for with The Last American Virgin. The film is surprisingly irreverent with graphic depictions of sex (one rather depressing scene with a whore stands out) and abortion. The soundtrack is phenomenal and really puts your mind, body and soul smack dab in the early 80's.

Like Skatetown U.S.A., The Wild Life is another movie that is inexplicably unavailable on DVD. It may be a rather odd sequel to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but it is so unbelievably 80's that it should be placed in the Smithsonian as the ultimate time capsule of the period. In fact, I feel it is my civic duty to provide you the opportunity to see the theme song for the movie sung by Bananarama so that you can begin to comprehend the sheer delirious 80's-ness of it all.

Night 4: Don't Go In the Water!
Piranha and Humanoids from the Deep

Piranha was directed by Joe Dante and stars Heather Menzies (The Sound of Music and the TV show "Logan's Run"). Here's the plot in a nutshell: the military has created an especially deadly strain of piranha for use in the Vietnam War, and it has been accidentally released into a local river. Who doesn't want to see a movie about mutant flesh eating fish? The sequel, Piranha II, was directed by James Cameron!

In Humanoids from the Deep, we don't have any of the humor that was present in Piranha, but instead are treated to a whole lotta exploitation. Roger Corman added tons of sex and violence to Barbara Peeters' ecological horror film and turned it into one of the nastiest films in the Corman library. I don't think Peeters was particularly thrilled with Corman's additions, but audiences were given quite an unexpected thrill ride with this one.

Night 5: Hippy Kids and Square Parents
Where It's At and The Party

Man, Baby Boomers thought they were just the coolest and their parents were awful squares. In Where It's At, the guy who played "The Fugitive" comes to terms with his hip young son in Vegas. The theme song is by Jeff Barry - the same guy who wrote some of the best TV theme songs ever: "One Day at a Time", "The Jeffersons", and "Family Ties".

The Party is, in my humble opinion, Peter Sellers at his best. The first two-thirds of the movie has almost no dialogue, just Sellers portraying an awkward foreigner at a Hollywood bigwig's party. The gags are physical and typical of Blake Edwards' films, but they are done to perfection by Sellers, a true comedic genius. Sadly, the last part of the movie is a horrible mess with the flower children taking over the party with a bunch of idiotic pandemonium. I suggest you just leave the theater when you see the painted hippy elephant enter the dinner party.

Night 6: Movies Inspired by Songs
Convoy and Harper Valley P.T.A.


Okay, I shouldn't have to explain to you why Convoy is cool. It's got Kris Kristofferson starring as "Rubber Duck" from the C. W. McCall song. Ali McGraw and Rubber Duck form a mile long convoy and, as the song goes, ain't nothin' gonna get in their way!


Not a big fan of Harper Valley P.T.A.? Just be glad I didn't end the Film Festival with the film You Light Up My Life. Hey, it's got Barbara Eden sockin' it to the pompous elected officials. They don't make 'em like this any more.

Hope you enjoyed reading it as I did creating it. Here's where I tag 5 folks to carry on the meme. Of course, if you don't feel like it, then by no means should you feel obligated. I simply would find it interesting to see what each one of you would put on your film festival lineup.

1. Chris at Exquisitely Bored
2. Arthur - I know this is not your cup of tea... but I thought I'd throw it out there just in case
3. Bill at the Uranium Cafe (although, I think you're probably in Tibet right now)
4. Percy - Like Arthur, I know this is not your bag, but my curiosity at a Trout Film Festival is killing me.
5. Rob, who I just discovered has a ton of great blogs. None of them deal with movies, but you're getting tagged anyway.


Chick, I already read your film festival and loved it. A Late One, I'd tag you, but I'm already pressing my luck with Percy and Arthur. I'd be real curious at a Taliesin vampire film festival, but I know Chick already tagged you.

Anyway, this has been a lot of fun, but I'm looking forward to some shorter easier posts. Good night.

Movie Meme: My Life in Movies!

No Smoking in the Skull Cave had a really interesting meme a few days ago that was a lot of fun to read, and I thought it'd be a lot of fun to create as well. The idea, according to becca, originated with samurai frog and basically goes like this:

Make a list of what you think was the best movie from every year since you were born.

The beauty of the concept is how it can vary widely from author to author. I can pretty much guarantee your list would differ significantly from the films on my list (no matter how eclectic your tastes)... and that's the fun of it. So, let's give it a try.

1970: Toomorrow

No, this is not a misspelling. Toomorrow was Don Kirshner's attempt to follow up the success of The Monkees and featured an early appearance by Olivia Newton-John. Since its original release it has rarely been played on TV and hasn't been released on DVD or VHS. Thus, like caviar, its greatness may lie in its rarity rather than true quality, but who cares? I mean, it's an outer space bubblegum rock musical, what's not to love?

1971: Pretty Maids All in a Row

This one deserves a post on all its own. It was directed by none other than Roger Vadim (Barbarella) with a screenplay by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry! Even better, it stars Rock Hudson as a sexually deviant coach, Telly Savalas and the beautiful Angie Dickinson. Like the previous year's selection, this one hasn't been released on DVD - probably due to some highly irreverent and irresponsible plot points which I won't give away.

1972: Superfly

This was a very good year in film (and I'm not talkin' about the overrated The Godfather). Imagine my dilemma having to choose between Dracula A.D. 1972, Deliverance and The Last House on the Left. Well, let's just say Curtis Mayfield had a lot to do with my decision.

1973: The Exorcist

If you've seen Regan climb down a flight of stairs like a demonic spider, then you know why The Exorcist is on my list. If this doesn't terrify you, what will?

1974: The Man with the Golden Gun

I wanted to choose The Satanic Rites of Dracula, but I couldn't pass up this magnificent Bond movie. You've got Herve Villechaize, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams, and Christopher Lee. The cherry on top is the theme song by Lulu.

1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Simply one of the greatest movies ever made. I can't adequately describe this film's greatness, so I won't even try.

1976: Logan's Run

I recently read an article in Filmfax magazine where the authors of the original Logan's Run expressed their extreme disappointment in this film - it didn't live up to their script. Well, I must respectfully disaggree. If you happened to read my earlier post "The Future was Fab" then you know I typically like my science-fiction fun and entertaining without all that depressing dystopian Blade Runner crap. And if it features Farrah Fawcett, as in Logan's Run, then that's an added bonus!

1977: Saturday Night Fever

No self respecting discophile like myself would leave this one off the list (sorry, Smokey and the Bandit). The movie includes three iconic 70's film moments: (1) the opening scene where Travolta struts down the street to "Stayin' Alive" (2) Travolta primping for a night at the disco idolizing a Serpico poster with "Night Fever" in the background, and (3) Travolta showin' us how disco is done on the dance floor to "You Should Be Dancing". Pure 70's gold!

1978: Halloween

I can remember not being allowed to see this when it came out, but hearing my aunt and uncle describe scenes to my parents... and that gave me nightmares! Just the thought of this relentless and faceless bogeyman will stir the primeval scaredy cat deep within all of us. Perfectly executed by John Carpenter, this is the film that launched a thousand bad imitations.

1979: Phantasm and Rock 'n Roll High School

I told myself that I wouldn't have any ties on this list, and I'm not even out of the 70's and I've got a tie. I can't help it. To ask me to choose between the silver balls of death and The Ramones is asking the impossible.

1980: The Shining

I love every single millisecond of this film. This is the perfect picture - I wouldn't change one line of dialogue or a single camera angle (although, I hear Stephen King has a much different opinion). Note: It saddens me to not put The Empire Strikes Back on the list, but you just can't compete with Kubrick's nightmarish masterpiece.

1981: Cannonball Run

Look, I know it's no Citizen Kane, but let me throw some names at you: Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett, Dean Martin, and Dom DeLouise as Captain Chaos. 'Nuff said.

1982: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

I realize there's not a lot of Oscar winners on my list, and Leonard Maltin's list would be a whole lot different. What can I say except "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine."


1983: National Lampoon's Vacation

I'd love to impress you with some obscure independent film from Brussels, but I've got to go with the Griswolds.

1984: This Is Spinal Tap

The Stonehenge segment has to be one of the funniest moments in movie history.

"In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... "

Notice the great string of comedies in the early 1980's! (Note: Revenge of the Nerds came out this year as well.)

1985: Better Off Dead

Another incredibly funny movie from the early 80's. This one kind of got lost amid the flood of John Hughes films and other teen comedies like Porky's. But if you haven't had a chance to see it, you're missing out.

1986: River's Edge

A rather bleak look at teenage life as compared to its contemporaries (Pretty in Pink, Can't Buy Me Love, etc.) with Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, Dennis Hopper and Ione Skye. A very enjoyable film... in a nihilistic kind of way.

1987: Evil Dead II

Ah, yes. The year of Ishtar and Dorf on Golf. I had to go with Sam Raimi's innovative horror film over Full Metal Jacket because the second half of Kubrick's film sucks (to put it bluntly).

1988: Scrooged

I can tell I am getting way out of my "retrospace" element now because it is getting harder and harder to find a movie I really liked. Most of the horror films are lame sequels and I was never much of a Rain Man fan. Check out The Ten Best Things About Scrooged at I-Mockery.com. My favorite is the adaptation of A Christmas Carol featuring the Solid Gold dancers!

Here comes two back to back Stephen King adaptations.

1989: Pet Sematary
1990: Misery


1991: Terminator 2: Judgement Day

This year's films really sucked. Hook, King Ralph, JFK - I hate 1991's movies! Smokey and the Bandit where are you?

1992: Bram Stoker's Dracula

Captain Ron, Sister Act, Stop or My Mom Will Shoot... help me!! I don't even really like Bram Stoker's Dracula! Please tell me there's a few good movies this year that I'm just missing. Of course Reservoir Dogs and El Mariachi stand out as a new breed of film in stark contrast to the blandness of cinema this year. Foreshadows of things to come certainly, but I just don't enjoy either one of these films no matter how hard I try.

1993: Dazed and Confused

At last, after a bleak few years, a movie that I can sink my teeth into! I have watched this film easily a hundred times and it gets better each viewing. I have an entire post devoted to this film, so I'll spare you any further ravings. Suffice it to say that Matthew McConaughey's character is my role model for life.

1994: Pulp Fiction

Things are certainly looking up at the ol' cineplex once again. Pulp Fiction gave Hollywood a much needed kick in the ass.

1995: Tommy Boy

I'm starting to feel really old at this point. It seems like only yesterday that Tommy Boy came out, and I've still got thirteen years to go!

1996: Bottle Rocket and Fargo

Another tie... sorry, but I wouldn't feel right leaving either of these amazing films off the list.

1997: The Ice Storm

An excellent depiction of where the hedonism and amorality of the 1970's ultimately lead you: depressed and alone. This was the year Titanic came out, but I've never been much of a fan of this movie.

1998: Buffalo '66

Independent films had become really popular by this point. This one, starring queen of the independents, Christina Ricci, is one of the best low budget productions to come out of the 90's. Another great independent flick to come out this year was Slums of Beverly Hills.

1999: Office Space

If you want to know what my life is like from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, look no further than this near perfect comedy. I mean it nails "the cubicle life" with its TPS reports and "two Bobs" perfectly. I would love to hatch a plan from Superman 3 like Peter, Samir, and Michael Bolton. Of course you just might wind up in federal "pound me in the ass" prison.

2000: Meet the Parents

There's probably something better than this, but I'm just not finding it. You have to admit though, the painfully awkward scenes between Stiller and DeNiro are fun to watch. Watching Gaylord Focker explain how to milk a cat is priceless.

2001: The Royal Tenenbaums and Mulholland Drive

Both, in my humble opinion, are works of genius. I'm tempted to put Donnie Darko on there as well, but having two on one year is pushing it.

2002: Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
2003: Kill Bill
2004: Hellboy
2005: Sin City
2006: Apocalypto
2007: Planet Terror
2008: Iron Man


Whew! That took a lot longer than I thought it would (I guess I'm just old). At any rate, I had a lot of fun doing it, and look forward to looking at anyone else's movie meme. If I have a glaring omission on this list, or you can recommend something for me to drop in my Netflix queue, please let me know.