Jedi Council Forums - The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Mama Mia" (2008)

Jedi Council Forums » JC Community » The Amphitheatre »

Post Reply | Active Topic Notification | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic

« 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 » - Previous | Next | Reload

Author	Topic: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Mama Mia" (2008)
ApolloSmileGirl Registered: Jun '04	Date Posted: 5/14 11:50am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Annie" (1980)
	If you don't love the 80's version of Annie, than you have no soul. -----signature----- Queen " Baadasssss Pixie" of the Knights of the Sarcasm Table GK edit: That's more than enough. VIN
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jedi_Liz Title: Former CR Lincoln NE, USA Registered: Apr '00	Date Posted: 5/14 4:19pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Annie" (1980)
	I LOVE the 1982 Annie movie! My 4 year old niece (youngest niece) LOVES the movie so much (After watching it probably 4 or 5 times last summer) I bought her the movie for her birthday this year. I saw this movie when I was three, own the DVD (the one that has widescreen), have this old little toy phone that plays Tomorrow...... I even learned to play a few of the songs on the Piano when I took piano lessons. Carol Burnett IS Miss Hannigan. The Sun will come out Tomorrow....... -----signature----- Current Fic: Lightswords of Fury: Special Edition - L/M Romance http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24270936/ Chapter 19 posted on 7/21/08 Coming SOON: Mara Jade of Chandrila Grove Coming SOON to SAGA Fanfic
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
ApolloSmileGirl Registered: Jun '04	Date Posted: 5/15 3:37am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Annie" (1980)
	It's what you wear from ear to ear, and not from head to toe............ that ma-haa-ters....... -----signature----- Queen " Baadasssss Pixie" of the Knights of the Sarcasm Table GK edit: That's more than enough. VIN
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
dp4m Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 5/15 6:49am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Annie" (1980)
	ApolloSmileGirl posted: It's what you wear from ear to ear, and not from head to toe............ that ma-haa-ters....... Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo -----signature----- "Looks like you're about to get pwned" - Eric Cartman "Awarding experience points for cleverly and creatively generating an enjoyable experience. How warped is that?" - Darths & Droids
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Veloz Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 5/15 12:39pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Annie" (1980)
	I looooove 1982 Annie!! ... i remember annoying my family singing "Tomorrow" really loud -----signature----- "Hello there!" "Remember the Force will be with you..always" - Obi Wan Kenobi, ANH "Who's the more foolish...the fool or the fool who follows him?"- Obi Wan Kenobi, ANH
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
hansen Registered: Apr '03	Date Posted: 5/15 3:31pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Annie" (1980)
	The 1982 Annie is one of those movies that I for some reason would watch over and over again as a kid. It really is a great movie. It's been a couple of years since I last watched it actually... Well, I guess I'm off to youtube to reminisce! -----signature----- Hansen: An "Oct 01" in disguise... http://youtube.com/profile?user=Hansen85
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: Monopoly host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 5/25 9:13am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Grease 2" (1982)
	Grease 2 (1982). (from wiki) Grease 2 is the 1982 sequel to the 1978 smash hit Grease. The movie was strongly criticized by many as derivative of the original, and the film did poorly at the box office. In recent years, it has attained a cult following. It has surfaced on cable TV channels such as VH1 (which has shown it on their show Movies That Rock,), ABC Family, and Bravo. Plot The movie starts in the fall (autumn) of 1961 (two years after the original) with a new group of students who are members of both the T-Birds, headed by Johnny Nogerelli (Adrian Zmed), and the Pink Ladies, headed by Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer). He wants to keep dating her though her feelings for him are no longer there. Meanwhile, Michael (Maxwell Caulfield), an exchange student from England arrives. He is the cousin of Sandy Olsson, the character played by Olivia Newton-John in the first movie. Michael asks Stephanie out, but she does not feel like going out with grade-worried, good student Michael. Stephanie tells Michael she would like to date someone with a motorcycle, a "Cool Rider." Michael starts doing the T-Birds' homework for money, so he can buy his own bike and impress Stephanie. A fight ensues between the T-Birds and their rivals, the Cycle Lords (headed by Balmudo Dennis C. Stewart, who had played the leader of the Scorpions gang from the original movie) after a game of ten-pin bowling. As the T-Birds are being beaten, a mysterious biker emerges and beats the Cycle Lords, embarrassing them and conquering Stephanie along the way. Now Michael has a dilemma: either keep on going as the mysterious biker, or take the risk of telling Stephanie that he is the biker who has her so impressed and maybe lose her forever. Johnny is jealous of Stephanie and the Mysterious Biker (Michael). He vows to retaliate against the biker, threatening to Stephanie that he will hurt him the next time he sees him. At the June Moon Talent Contest (as summer graduation 1962 approaches), the T-Birds chase the mysterious biker into a construction site ("Dead Man's Curve"), from where he is forced to jump into the night. The T-Birds look around to try to find their victim. Everyone assumes he has died even though there is no real evidence to support the fact, and Stephanie is devastated. Later during the talent show, Stephanie "spaces out" (possibly due to grief) and turns up singing "Love Will Turn Back the Hands of Time" in the middle of the Calendar Girls' (Pink Ladies') performance. This appears to the audience to be a solo, but to Stephanie, it is a duet with her recently lost love, the mysterious biker, who now seems to be in Biker Heaven. Johnny and Stephanie are crowned king and queen of the talent show. At the Rock-a-Hula Luau the next day, however, the Cycle Lords reappear, threatening to destroy everything within sight. Out of nowhere, the mystery biker reappears, to Stephanie's relief and happiness. He finally reveals himself as Michael. While Stephanie is shocked, she also realizes at that moment that the man she had loved all along was Michael, so she goes over to him and expresses her love to him with a long, passionate kiss and soon begin to slow dance to "We'll Be Together". Johnny was shocked too. Admiring Michael for the way in which he had beaten their arch-rivals the Cycle Lords twice, he decides to make Michael a member of the T-Birds by handing him a T-Bird jacket. The film concludes with graduation and poses for the yearbook (similarly to the first movie). Cast * Maxwell Caulfield as Michael Carrington * Michelle Pfeiffer as Stephanie Zinone * Adrian Zmed as Johnny Nogerelli * Lorna Luft as Paulette Rebchuck * Peter Frechette as Louis DiMucci * Maureen Teefy as Sharon Cooper * Christopher McDonald as Goose McKenzie * Alison Price as Rhonda Ritter * Pamela Segall as Dolores Rebchuck * Leif Green as Davey Jaworski * Didi Conn as Frenchy * Eve Arden as Principal McGee * Sid Caesar as Coach Calhoun * Dody Goodman as Blanche Hodel * Tab Hunter as Mr. Stuart * Aidan Mcdonnel as Vira L.P. Enguin * Connie Stevens as Miss Yvette Mason * Eddie Deezen as Eugene Felsnic * Dennis C. Stewart as Balmudo * Jean and Liz Sagal as Twin Sorority Girls Musical numbers 1. "Back to School Again" - The Kids feat. The Four Tops 2. "Score Tonight" - Cast 3. "Brad" - Twin Sorority Girls 4. "Cool Rider" - Stephanie 5. "Reproduction" - Mr. Stuart and the Kids 6. "Do It for Our Country" - Louis and Sharon 7. "Who's That Guy?" - The T-Birds, the Pink Ladies, the Cycle Lords, and Kids 8. "Prowlin'" - The T-Birds 9. "Charades" - Michael 10. "Girl for All Seasons" - The Pink Ladies 11. "Love Will Turn Back the Hands of Time" - Stephanie and Michael 12. "Rock-a-Hula Luau (Summer is Coming)" - Cast 13. "We'll Be Together" - Stephanie, Michael, and Cast Musicians * Guitars: Tim May * Bass: Andy Muson * Drums: Denny Seiwell * Keyboards: Louis St. Louis Recorded at Evergreen Recording Studios, Burbank by Murray McFadden and Gary Luchs Criticism Grease 2 was considered a flop to critics and audience members. It did not live up to the hype as the first film did. Along with criticism, most of the songs that were sung such as Score Tonight, Do It For Your Country and Reproduction did not connect with the storyline at all. The most significant milestone for which this movie would be remembered was that it was Michelle Pfeiffer's first major role. While the music was catchy, the songs did not reflect the times in which the movie was set as its predecessor did. Grease brought a wave of nostalgia for 1950s music and featured some old standards sung by Sha Na Na. Grease 2 had no songs from the early 1960s, except perhaps for a strain of "Our Day Will Come" playing on a radio in the Bowl-A-Rama. Box Office and Business Grease 2 earned just over $15 million worldwide. Part of this failure can be attributed to the fact that it opened in the same weekend as the blockbuster E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Cult Status Grease 2 is still considered by a small following as better than the original. Many who like Grease 2 say this is because the lead cast of Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer gave credible performances considering their young age and that it is more sentimental than Grease. There is also a nostalgia attached to the film. While many remain loyal to the original, it has attained cult status when seen as a supplement rather than a rival to it. Trivia * When Michael attempts to confess that he is the "Cool Rider" to Stephanie, he asks her "Ever read a Superman comic?" By saying that line, Michael not only gives away his identity but also reveals that the film parallels the Superman myths. Like in "Superman," the film tells the tale of an awkward, socially inept but good hearted guy (Michael) falling for a stubborn woman (Stephanie) who is nice to him, but does not give him a second thought. The guy then proceeds to sweep her off her feet in his more heroic, daring persona. Meanwhile, Stephanie, like Lois Lane, begins to fall for Michael himself, seeing him for the good natured and honest person that he is. Finally, when he reveals his true identity to her at the end, she reveals that she loved Michael, not his "Cool Rider" alter ego all along, paralleling Lois Lane falling in love with Clark Kent for who he is as a person, not his alter ego. * Although the connection was never acknowledged in the movie, the character of Johnny was originally intended to be the cousin of John Travolta’s Danny. But with the character of Michael being the cousin of Sandy from the first film, the writers thought that there were too many similarities. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 5/25 6:49pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Grease" (1982)
	Not my favorite, actually.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: Monopoly host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 6/4 2:56pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Victor/Victoria" (1982)
	Victor/Victoria (1982). (from wiki) Victor/Victoria is a 1982 musical comedy film, which involves transvestism and sexual identity as central themes. It stars Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras and John Rhys-Davies. The screenplay was adapted by Blake Edwards (Andrews' husband) and Hans Hoemburg from the 1933 German film Viktor und Viktoria by Reinhold Schünzel. The film was produced by Tony Adams, directed by Blake Edwards, and scored by Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. It was later adapted in 1995 as a Broadway musical. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Preston), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Julie Andrews), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lesley Ann Warren), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Summary In 1930s Paris, Victoria Grant (Andrews), a struggling female singer, is unable to find work. She runs into Carroll Todd ("Toddy", played by Preston) at a Paris restaurant as she is scheming to plant a cockroach in her food in order to get her meal for free. Toddy has a plan to help both her and himself: Victoria will pretend to be a man pretending to be a woman, and get a job as a female impersonator in a nightclub. In order to enhance the ruse, Toddy will pretend to be her gay lover. Soon Victoria's new persona, "Count Victor Grezinski", becomes the toast of Paris. As money and fame start to turn her (and Toddy's) lives around, an additional complication arises. King Marchand (Garner), a gangster and nightclub-owner from Chicago, finds himself at first repelled by and then strangely attracted to "Victor". This encourages his burly bodyguard, "Squash" Bernstein (Karras), to come out of the closet, but it enrages Marchand's current girlfriend, Norma Cassady (Warren). Victoria must come to terms with what she really wants out of life: to be true to herself by giving up her career and fame in Paris to be with the man who loves her and whom she loves, or to continue with her duplicitous profession and risk losing Marchand. The vocal numbers in the film are presented as real-life scenes or entertainments that involve singers; this explains why neither Toddy nor Marchand sings a duet with Victoria as part of some sort of private scene. Nevertheless, the lyrics or situations of some of the songs are calculated to relate to the unfolding drama. Thus, the two staged numbers "Le Jazz Hot" and "The Shady Dame from Seville" help to present Victoria as a female impersonator. The latter number is hilariously reinterpreted by Toddy for diversionary purposes in the plot. The cozy relationship of Toddy and Victoria is promoted by the song "You and Me," which is sung before the audience at the nightclub. In any case, perhaps the most beautiful number is Victoria's slowish waltz-song entitled "Crazy World," the lyrics of which allude to her confused status. (The music of this song is reminiscent of Mancini's famous "Moon River.") Review (from IMDb) "Victor/Victoria" was the film where Blake Edwards finally managed to deliver his valentine to his wife, Julie Andrews, and convince the public to join in. Maybe because of that, it's one of his most heartfelt movies, and the enormous love between the director and his star do as much to warm up this movie as the careful colour composition of Dick Bush's fantastic - and underrated - photography. This is a film where everything works perfectly. The acting ranges from the impeccable (the leads) through the touching (Alex Karras) right to the truly sublime (Robert Preston and Lesley Ann-Warren). The musical numbers are lovingly staged and shot and, possibly because this is a pre-MTV film, we actually get to see dancers dancing, as opposed to machine-gun assemblies of body parts performing details of not necessarily connected movements. The directorial touch is assured, proficient but never showy: the many complicated set-ups are executed with elegance, economy - not a frivolous camera movement to be seen - and discretion. (The circular pan around Julie as she sings "Crazy World" is a lovely example of how camera movement can create emotion without drawing attention to itself.) The sets and costumes are lavish but, again, do not distract. The screenplay is witty, full of deft touches, and Edwards treats his rather daring (for 1982) theme without blinking, and with great lucidity. (The other drag film of the year was "Tootsie", which stuck to the romance and stayed away from uncomfortable homosexual touches as much as it managed to.) The timing never falters. And the score is priceless. All in all, a flawless entertainment, which, like the best movies from the studio system's heyday of which "Victor / Victoria" is a proud and worthy descendant, rewards the attentive (and interested) viewer with far more substance - and style - than might appear at first. I do not have the space to analyse this film at the length it deserves; but I can recommend it, which I do wholeheartedly. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 6/4 7:56pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Victor/Victoria" (1982)
	I've actually seen this, god help me. Julie Andrews isn't remotely believable as woman, let alone a man.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Thrawn1786 Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 6/4 8:03pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Victor/Victoria" (1982)
	I really would like to see this. I have the OBCR of the stage version, also starring Andrews, and truthfully, it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, IMO. "Le Jazz Hot" and "You and Me" are fun songs. -----signature----- e-sibs: Rabe, padawanlissa, Elfie, CW, DG, Kahn, Trimaj, MGA, prj1, SWF444, Swan, Allegra Minister of Internal Affairs, EUC Senate
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 6/4 8:23pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Victor/Victoria" (1982)
	"Le Jazz Hot" is the high point of the movie, but there are many, many lows.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Vortigern99 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 6/4 9:19pm Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Victor/Victoria" (1982)
	Here's yet another instance in which Zaz and I radically differ in our subjective opinions of a film. I love Victor/Victoria with all my heart and have seen it many, many time since I watched it as a kid in the theater in 1980. I find it uniformly hilarious, sparklingly witty and unceasingly entertaining. I cannot imagine what anyone would perceive as being "low points" in this movie, since for me it is filled with nothing but high! Technically it's not really a musical, though, since the musical numbers are all on stage as per the story about a nightclub, and do not express the character's inner emotions or thoughts. "Julie Andrews is not convincing as a woman"? What exactly is that supposed to mean? -----signature----- "I knew from the beginning I was not doing science fiction. I was doing a space opera, a fantasy film, a mythological piece, a fairy tale."--George Lucas My "Vader's Origins" thread: http://boards.theforce.net/Classic_Trilogy/b10002/8708417/p1
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: Monopoly host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 6/16 7:22am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Flashdance" (1983)
	Flashdance (1983). (from wiki) Flashdance is a musical and romance film released in April 1983, and was one of the most successful films of the early 1980s. The film was the first collaboration of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and its presentation of some sequences in the style of music videos was an influence on other 1980s films including Top Gun, Simpson and Bruckheimer's most famous production. Flashdance opened to poor reviews by professional critics but was a box office success, becoming the 3rd highest grossing film of 1983 in the USA. Its soundtrack spawned several hit songs, among them Maniac performed by Michael Sembello and the Academy Award-winning "Flashdance... What a Feeling" performed by Irene Cara which was written specifically for the film. Irene Cara: "What a Feeling" Song Taglines * "What a feeling!" * "When the dancer becomes the dance." * "Take your passion... And make it happen!" * "Something happens when she hears the music... it's her freedom. It's her fire. It's her life." Plot summary Blue-collar worker, eighteen year-old Alexandra (Alex) Owens (played by Jennifer Beals) is an exotic dancer in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bar at night and a welder at a steel mill during the day. She lives on her own in a converted warehouse with her pit bull, Grunt. Her dream is to obtain a place at a prestigious dance school, the (fictional) Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance and Repertory. During one of her performances at Mawby's, the bar where she works, she attracts the attention of Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri) who is the boss of the steel mill, and he learns that Alex is one of his employees. Alex's best friends also work at Mawby's, and they have their own dreams of fame. Jeanie Szabo (Sunny Johnson) is a waitress who aspires to be a professional ice skater, and Jeanie's boyfriend Richie Blazik (Kyle T. Heffner) is a cook who wants to be a professional stand-up comedian. Also prominent in the film is Johnny C. (Lee Ving), who runs the local strip club, the Zanzibar, and is invariably accompanied by his strong but dense bodyguard Cecil (Malcolm Danare). Johnny C. visits Mawby's to check out the dancers, and tries to recruit both Alex and Jeanie to work at the Zanzibar. Alex goes to the Conservatory to ask for an application form for an audition, but walks out when she realizes that she lacks any formal dance training, and will have to leave that section of the form blank. Alex's dance teacher and mentor is a retired ballet dancer named Hanna Long (Lilia Skala), who encourages Alex to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. After Jeanie falls over twice at an audition for an ice show, she loses confidence in herself and becomes a dancer at the Zanzibar, where she performs in the nude, and Alex goes to the strip club to rescue Jeanie. Alex and Nick become lovers, but she later learns that he has an ex-wife called Katie (Belinda Bauer), and they have a frosty meeting in a local restaurant. Nick uses his contacts to secure an audition for Alex at the Conservatory, and just before the audition she goes to Hanna's house and learns that Hanna died the previous night. At the audition, Alex falls over at the start of her routine, but starts again and completes the routine successfully. In the final scene, Alex runs out of the Conservatory building with a smile on her face and is hugged by Nick, who gives her a bunch of red roses. The ending of the film does not say directly whether Alex wins a place at the Conservatory as a result of her audition. Cast (Cast overview, first billed only) Jennifer Beals ... Alex Owens Michael Nouri ... Nick Hurley Lilia Skala ... Hanna Long Sunny Johnson ... Jeanie Szabo Kyle T. Heffner ... Richie Lee Ving ... Johnny C. Ron Karabatsos ... Jake Mawby Belinda Bauer ... Katie Hurley Malcolm Danare ... Cecil Philip Bruns ... Frank Szabo (as Phil Bruns) Micole Mercurio ... Rosemary Szabo Lucy Lee Flippin ... Secretary Don Brockett ... Pete Cynthia Rhodes ... Tina Tech Durga McBroom ... Heels Critical responses Flashdance has seldom received favorable reviews from professional critics. Roger Ebert placed it on his list of Most Hated films, stating: "Jennifer Beals shouldn't feel bad. She is a natural talent, she is fresh and engaging here, and only needs to find an agent with a natural talent for turning down scripts". Halliwell's Film Guide gave it one star out of four while The New Yorker described the film as "Basically, a series of rock videos." The Guardian described it as "A preposterous success." Detractors of the film argue that in addition to the shallow plot, the film represents the worst excesses of 1980s film making with its emphasis on short sequences and rapid editing between shots. The screenplay of the film was nominated for a Razzie (Golden Raspberry) award. A common criticism is that Michael Nouri, who was thirty-six at the time of filming, seems too old to be the love interest of eighteen year-old Jennifer Beals. Critics have also questioned whether an eighteen year-old woman would have been given a job as a welder in an old-fashioned steel mill. The dimly-lit cinematography and montage-style editing are due in part to the fact that Jennifer Beals does virtually none of the dancing in the film. Her main dance double is the French actress Marine Jahan, while the breakdancing that Alex performs in the audition sequence at the end of the film was doubled by the male dancer Crazy Legs (Richard Colón). The shot of Alex diving through the air in slow motion during the audition sequence was performed by Sharon Shapiro, who was a professional gymnast. Although Flashdance has been compared to Saturday Night Fever with a female lead, the tone of the two films is very different. Saturday Night Fever takes a much more downbeat look at the world of people trapped in low-paid jobs, while Flashdance works best as a disco era retelling of the Cinderella story with all the implausibilities that this brings. Like the original theatrical release of Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance was rated R by the MPAA, which meant that audience members under seventeen years old required an accompanying parent or guardian to watch the film. This was due to some strong language, nudity and sexual content which were removed for the television version of the film. Flashdance is not a musical in the traditional sense as the characters do not sing, and the songs are presented in the style of self-contained music videos. The cable television channel MTV had been launched in August 1981, and Flashdance can be seen as an attempt to recreate the style of the pop music videos of the period for the big screen. The use of sequences in the style of pop music videos became a common feature of 1980s cinema films, with the song "Take My Breath Away" from 1986's Top Gun being one of the most celebrated examples. Top Gun was a later project of the producers of Flashdance, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and the music for the song "Take My Breath Away" was composed by Giorgio Moroder, who also wrote several of the songs for Flashdance. Copyright issues The video of the 2003 Jennifer Lopez song I'm Glad led to a copyright lawsuit Flashdance was inspired by the real life story of Maureen Marder, who was a construction worker/welder by day and worked by night in a Toronto strip club. Like the character of Alex Owens in the film, she aspired to enter a prestigious dance school. Tom Hedley wrote the original story outline for Flashdance, and on December 6, 1982 Marder signed a release document giving Paramount Pictures the right to portray her life story on screen, for which she was given a one-off payment of $2300. Flashdance is estimated to have grossed $150 million worldwide, and following the use of dance routines from the film by Jennifer Lopez in her 2003 video "I'm Glad" (directed by David LaChapelle), Marder sued Paramount and Sony Corporation (the makers of the "I'm Glad" video) in an attempt to gain a copyright interest in the film. In June 2006, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco affirmed a lower court's ruling that Marder gave up her rights to the film when she signed the release document in 1982. The panel of three judges stated in its ruling: "Though in hindsight the agreement appears to be unfair to Marder - she only received $2,300 in exchange for a release of all claims relating to a movie that grossed over $150 million - there is simply no evidence that her consent was obtained by fraud, deception, misrepresentation, duress or undue influence." The court also noted that Marder's attorney had been present when she signed the document. Although Jennifer Lopez argued that her video for "I'm Glad" was intended as a tribute to Flashdance, in May 2003 Sony agreed to pay a licensing fee to Paramount for the use of dance routines and other story material from the film in the video. History Flashdance was released on DVD in October 2002 Adrian Lyne, whose background was primarily in directing television commercials, was not the first choice as director of Flashdance. David Cronenberg turned down an offer to direct the film, as did Brian de Palma, who chose to direct Scarface instead. Executives at Paramount Studios were unsure about the film's potential and sold 25% of the rights prior to its release. The audition for the part of Alex Owens was narrowed down to a final shortlist of three candidates, Jennifer Beals, Demi Moore, and Leslie Wing before the part was awarded to Beals. Flashdance is often remembered for the sweatshirt with a large neck hole that Jennifer Beals wore on the poster advertising the film. Beals said that the look of the sweatshirt came about by accident when it shrank in the wash and she cut out a large hole at the top so that she could wear it again. There were proposals for a sequel to Flashdance but the film was never made. In March 2001, plans were announced for a Broadway musical version with new songs by Giorgio Moroder, but this also failed to materialize. Flashdance was the first success of a number of filmmakers who became top industry figures in the 1980s and beyond. The film was the first collaboration between Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, who went on to produce Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop. Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter of Basic Instinct, received his second screen credit for Flashdance, while Adrian Lyne went on to direct Fatal Attraction, 9½ Weeks, Indecent Proposal and Lolita. Lynda Obst, who developed the original story outline, went on to produce Adventures in Babysitting, The Fisher King and Sleepless in Seattle. She is currently producing and writing Interstellar, the next Steven Spielberg project. A stage musical adaptation of Flashdance is scheduled to receive its premiere at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, England in July 2008. The book is co-written by Tom Hedley, who created the story outline for the original film, and the choreography is by Arlene Phillips. Music used in the film "Flashdance... What a Feeling" was performed by Irene Cara, who also sang the title song for the similar 1980 film Fame. The music for "Flashdance... What a Feeling" was composed by Giorgio Moroder, and the lyrics were written by Keith Forsey and Irene Cara. The song won an Academy Award for Best Song, as well as a Golden Globe and numerous other awards. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1983. Despite the song's title, the word "Flashdance" is not used in the lyrics. The song is used in the opening title sequence of the film, and is the music used by Alex in her dance audition routine at the end of the film. Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance. The song was disqualified from the Academy Award nomination on a technicality when it emerged that it had not been written specifically for the film. Like the title song, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1983. Other songs in the film include "Lady, Lady, Lady", performed by Joe Esposito, "Gloria", performed by Laura Branigan, and "I'll Be Here Where The Heart Is", performed by Kim Carnes. Michael Sembello - "Maniac". The soundtrack album of Flashdance sold 700,000 copies during its first two weeks on sale and has gone on to sell over 6,000,000 copies in the US alone. In 1984 the album won the Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for A Motion Picture or a Television Special. References in popular culture The "Chair Dance" scene from Flashdance has been widely parodied. Flashdance has been referenced in popular culture on a number of occasions. These include: * A variation of the song "Flashdance... What a Feeling" was used as the basis of an Apple Computer commercial in 1984. The music was slightly different, and the lyrics were changed from "What a Feeling" to "We Are Apple". * It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown was a TV special broadcast in 1984. It featured the Peanuts characters created by Charles M. Schulz, and parodied both Flashdance and Saturday Night Fever. * In the 1997 film The Full Monty the ex-steel workers watch a video of Flashdance to learn about dancing, leading to a discussion of Jennifer Beals' welding skills: It's "Flashdance." She's a welder, isn't she? I hope she dances better than she welds. Look at that. Her mix is all to ***. It's like Bonfire Night. That's too much acetylene. Them joints won't hold. Geri Halliwell recorded a version of the song "It's Raining Men" for the 2001 film Bridget Jones's Diary. In the video of the song, Geri Halliwell recreates the audition sequence from Flashdance and also references the 1980s film and television series Fame. * In September 2006, an Australian television commercial for Carlton Draught beer called FlashBeer parodied the audition sequence from Flashdance almost shot for shot. The commercial features a rotund, bearded man called Kevin Cavendish who "auditions" for a job at the Carlton Draught brewery while wearing the same black leotard as Alex Owens. He launches into a dance routine that closely follows the real audition sequence in the film, and is successful in obtaining a job. * One of the most famous shots in the film occurs in the opening "Chair Dance" sequence at Mawby's bar when Alex tips a bucket of water on to her chest. This shot has been parodied many times, including an episode of Scrubs in which Ted's Band sings an a cappella version of "Maniac" while Ted tips a jug of water over his head. * In an episode of the British comedy series The Office, David Brent claimed his dancing skills were a fusion of "Flashdance with MC Hammer". * In the pilot episode of the Comedy Central series Stella, the main characters reenact the audition sequence in a similar room with the same setup while they dance to try and prove their worth in being tenants for the apartment building. * In the motion picture Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Elvira recreates the famous water bucket scene for a group of teenagers in an audience. * In the Season 4 episode of Friends "The One with the Fake Party", Joey, mixing up his facts, suggests to Rachel that she removes her bra under her shirt in the same fashion that Beals' character did in Flashdance. * In a 2007 French TV commercial for Orangina, an anthropomorphic doe re-enacts the Chair Dance, with Orangina instead of water. * In the 2007 film Norbit, the chair dance scene is recreated with Rasputia pulling the chain to douse herself with water at El Nipplopolis. Original Version of Dancing Scene to "What a Feeling" and "Maniac". Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
rumsmuggler Registered: Aug '00	Date Posted: 6/16 8:17am Subject: RE: The Movie Musicals Thread: Now Dis. "Flashdance" (1983)
	Cool film. -----signature----- " Conan, what's best in life?" " Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of the women." W.W.L.D. What Would Lando Do "Why is the rum always gone?" Retcons = making the dumb stuff look even dumber.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History

« 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 » - Previous | Next | Reload

Jedi Council Forums » JC Community » The Amphitheatre »