For Those About to Rock....
Jan 31 '02
The Bottom Line I love rock and roll. Put another dime in that jukebox, baby.
So what exactly makes a rock n' roll movie?? To me, a rock n' roll movie is one that either 1) features rock music or 2) features a rock n' roll lifestyle.
So what exactly is rock music? Rock music is, basically, music that rocks. May be subdivided into punk rock, classic rock, hard rock, soft rock, pop rock, and heavy metal. But, for my purposes here today, it's all just rock.
So what exactly is a rock n' roll lifestyle? A rock n' roll lifestyle is one where either you 1) are, in fact, a rock n' roll "star," and live life as such or 2) are a rock n' roll star "wannabe," and live life as such.
Now, definitions out of the way, here are my choices for top ten rock n' roll movies (in no particular order.)
Rock n' Roll High School Well, duh. The title alone pretty much clues you in that this is a rock n' roll movie. Honestly, and please forgive my sacrilege, this is not my favorite movie in the world. There's not a whole lot of plot here. Basically, the main character is Riff, a rebellious rock n' roll "bad girl," and you get to watch her exploits as she kind of stalks The Ramones and eventually brings them to her high school (hence the title, Rock n' Roll High School). In a rather disturbing scene, she dreams of finding members of the band hanging out in her bedroom, bathroom, and (those with a weak stomach read no farther)... shower. (Shudder). Not only does Riff just kind of annoy me, but her lust after one of the most undeniably UNattractive bands ever sort of creeps me out. But... The Ramones are The Ramones and for that reason you must love their music. And include their movie on lists like these.
Sid and Nancy The Sex Pistols were short-lived as a band, but extremely influential to the whole punk rock movement (forgive the massive understatement I just made). This movie centers around Sid Vicious (played beautifully by Gary Oldman), the self-destructive bass player of the band, and his volatile love affair with Courtney Love... ooops, I mean, Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). You don't get much more rock n' roll than Sid Vicious, and even though Nancy is more annoying than words can describe, this movie is a must see for anyone who has even a marginal interest in The Sex Pistols and the mystery surrounding Nancy's death. (Note that Courtney Love has a cameo in this flick. Try not to get her confused with Webb's Nancy.)
Almost Famous This is Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical tale of a teenaged boy (Patrick Fugit) who gets sent by Rolling Stone to travel with a rock band for an upcoming article. He bonds with the lead guitarist (Billy Crudup), falls for a groupie (Kate Hudson), gets nagged by his mom (Frances McDormand) and, naturally, learns something about himself along the way. With rock stars, rock journalists, and groupies on board, this is the very definition of a rock n' roll movie.
Grease This might seem a questionable, somewhat unlikely entry. Sure, it's a musical. But is it rock n' roll?? By my own literal definitions, probably not. But the attitudes here.... from Rizzo's snarly in-your-face attitude to Kenickie's leather jacket and hair pomade. It's undeniably rock. Who can watch goody-goody Sandy's transformation into leather-clad "tramp" (oh, come on... "tell me about it, stud???") and deny that as a classic rock n' roll moment?? Can you? I didn't think so.
Dogs in Space A hard-to-find Australian movie about a group of punk rock outcasts and drug addicts squatting in a ramshackle suburban house. More a character study than anything, the film shifts from character to character who all have the same self-destructive tendencies and hopeless outlook on life. You will only meet a few who are actually trying to improve themselves. Watching the movie somehow gives you the feeling that you are living the day-to-day life of the characters. (So much so that you feel like showering afterwards.) Don't let the fact that Michael Hutchence (of INXS) has the starring role fool you, this is a powerful, hard-hitting, tragic kind of movie, and Hutchence is actually pretty good in it. Excellent soundtrack, too, if you can find it.
High Fidelity This is one of those rock n' roll lifestyle movies. John Cusack is Rob, who owns and works in a not-entirely-successful record store specializing in rare vinyl. He is obsessed with music, using it as sort of an escape-- and sometimes a justification-- for some of his failures in life. This is an intelligent guy basically going nowhere. I know a lot of guys like that. Guys who secretly wish they were rock stars but who always end up in record stores since they lack the confidence or motivation to do anything else... (if they could think of anything else they wanted to do in the first place). So, they're essentially miserable and stuck. But at least they've got some good tunes.
Rocky Horror Picture Show I've only seen this a few times all the way through. It's strange, and cheesy, and not altogether the best movie ever. But it's so over-the-top and confident that it really does kind of rock. And, it's got a number by Meatloaf. 'Nuff said.
Cry Baby A kooky John Waters film starring Johnny Depp as a rebellious teen... a greaser, if you will. First of all, anything starring Johnny Depp is rock n' roll. Period. (Especially 21 Jump Street). But this movie is particularly rock n' roll because it's set in the 1950s.... right at the time when rock music was just starting to get popular and when it was still considered dangerous and scandalous. Amy Locane (of brief Melrose Place fame) plays the good girl in love with the bad boy. Part rock n' roll movie, part classic teen movie.. it's kind of odd but worth seeing. Also starring Ricki Lake and Traci Lords. (Now, there's an odd combo for ya'.)
Singles Much like High Fidelity, this is a lifestyle movie. (And, like Almost Famous, it's also another movie by Cameron Crowe). Set in grunge-y Seattle, here you've got a character (Matt Dillon) who's in a crappy band but who is trying to be a legitimate rock star. (For more rock n' roll cred, his band is actually played by members of Pearl Jam who, are, in fact, actual rock stars... I think Eddie Vedder would be highly upset to know I just called him a rock star. Sorry, Eddie.) Then you've got everyone else in the movie (most notably Bridget Fonda, Kyra Sedgewick, and Bill Pullman), who are all basically unhappy with their lives because they haven't figured out who they are or what they really want to be doing. And that's pretty rock n' roll.
Suburbia Another punk rock squatter movie. This time we move from young adults in Australia to younger teens in suburban America. These kids call themselves The Rejected, because they, well, basically feel rejected by everyone and everything except themselves and punk rock. They live in a grimy house with some scary dogs. They get harassed by some of the locals, which is kind of the basic plotline, but the more interesting thing about this movie is the slice-of-life aspect. A lot of the actors are just people from the local punk scene who actually do (or did at the time) apparently live the lives they portray onscreen. With the exception of Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who also has a role in the movie.
RIP, Joey Ramone.
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vania
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Location: Atlanta, GA
Reviews written: 49
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About Me:
I'm against it.
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