Simply said, if you're a fan of crazed action movies without a lick of political correctness, then you MUST make your way to the Anthology Film Archivesto catch the last screening of The Mercenaries (which is the British title of the incredible mercenary movie DARK OF THE SUN, which I've ranted about HERE) on Saturday, August 21, at 4pm. That's THIS Saturday, New Yorkers (and folks nearby)!
William Lustigand the good folks at the Anthology have gone through a LOT of trouble to bring you this flick, which, according to the good Mr. Lustig, will probably never be on DVD (unless you are part of the Cinemageddon world and can download it).
The print had to be cajoled out of the British Film Institute, and while I wish it was pristine, it's still good enough to impart the maniacal intensity of this flick.
After hearing about it for years, The TAMI Show was finally released to DVD (I don’t think it was ever even on VHS), and man-oh-man, it’s fucking fantastic. (I’m not gonna give a detailed review/synopsis/track listing, but for that sort of thing, please check out the various links provided (those highlighted bits).)
The TAMI Showis an incredible rock/pop music documentary that needs to be watched with ATTENTION. You just can’t put this on as background noise or as a video wallpaper at a party (well, you could, but you really should watch it for reals first).
The TAMI Show DVD is a thing of beauty: The transfer is crisp, with great performances by an eclectic collection of groups. And I was completely engaged with how the show was shot—I liked its straightforward TV-style aesthetics, with many lingering close-ups of performers, like Diana Ross (fronting The Supremes) during “Where Did Our Love Go.”
If you like the rock (or the pop), you must check this movie out. The footage isn’t available from the intertubes, but during TAMI, Lesley Gore (who was supposedly/probably the biggest act to perform in the show) sings what is now one of my new fave songs, “Hey Now.” I gotta gets me an mp3 of this song, toot sweet!
BTW, the DVD supplementals feature John Landis’ commentary from Trailers From Hell about the flick’s trailer—and guess what? Landis was atThe TAMI Show! His seventh grade class all went, and Landis has some great memories and insights. Like, after the mind-blowing perf by James Brown and the Flames, of course The Rolling Stones would suck!
And speaking of the Godfather of Soul, Mr. Dynamite, Soul Brother Number One, Sex Machine, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, The King of Funk, that is to say Mr. James Brown— Well HOLY SHIT, we’re talking God here. The performance by James Brown and the Famous Flames is the stuff of legend, rightly stealing the show. And I wish to all that I consider unholy that I could dance as well as The Famous Flames. Perfection!
Jeepers, is that creepy or what? Is this song an excuse for pedophilia?!? And during the performance on The TAMI Show, Billy strikes me as a combo of Andy Kaufman and Ian Curtis: oozing discomfort and creepiness. (Was this song used in Todd Field’s movie of the same name? IMDB doesn’t saythat it was, although the song would be perfect, I think—but what do I know, I haven’t seen this movie…) But I’m so glad there’s a touch of uncomfortable weirdness in the midst of all this teen joyful shrieking.
The TAMI Show: watch it ASAP; you’ll feel better, promise. [And yes, this post is in direct philosophical contradiction to this post. So sue me.]
As far as I'm concerned, sites that only use images from the books/movies/comics/whatever they're talking about are BORING. And yes, I've been drinking. And I'm going to sprain my arm patting myself on the back because I have no typos.
That was my original idea for the title of this blog, a sort of summation of nearly everything I'd ever wanted cinematically: regularly playing on the ABC Channel 7 4:30 movie--or on WOR-TV Channel 9's 4 O'Clock Movie--the greatest monster movie in the universe, and incredible combo of miniatures, men in suits and stop motion, with entire continents destroyed!
But then there was a coup d'etat, and Tzar Ivan I of Ivanlandia took charge.
Simply said, if you're a fan of crazed action movies without a lick of political correctness,
