Rocky Horror Picture Show C/D

RHPS was crucial in the development of my adolescent sexuality, I was totally obsessed with transvestites in high school. Yes I was a theatre geek.

Mayeb it's the hype. It was hyped soooo much when I was a teen - "Oh, you've got to see it, its great. Its fantastic. It's sooooo funny!" and I was given the soundtrack to listen to. A fun afternoon was spent listening to the soundtrack and playing Civ. The soundtrack is great - fun songs sung well. So I watched the video that night with my friends round. And it was shockingly bad. The songs' majesty dissolved into a sludge of ill-conceived ideas and humourless humour.

To this day, I can't figure out why somone flicking comdoms is funny.

I'm sorry my thoughts are rather sketchy and badly spelt - I have Joan Jett on Winamp, and I'm not gonna turn her off to tell you lot how much I hate RHPS.

P.S. I still get RHPS and RHCP confused. My opinion of the movie would be greatly increased if Californication was in it.

(I'm going to NedHell arent I?)

Duddest fucking thing in history.

One of the most classic things ever.

otm. xpost

CLASSIC BEST MUSICAL EVER

-- CRW (CRW), Tuesday, April 20, 2004 10:01 AM (3 years ago) Bookmark Link

I could not believe I saw a rack for this on DVD in the checkout line of the local Safeway today. It was the weirdest thing. It was right underneath a Simpsons DVD and next to the tabloids. I mean, when the hell did this film get to be a part of mainstream culture?

Anyway, I appreciate the film for its weirdness, but always find myself nearly falling asleep during the last half of the film.

I saw it a number of times when I was a teenager, and I'm still not entirely certain what it's about.

Bimble OTM really - once Eddie gets killed, the thing just starts to drag.

It's fun!! It's silly! It's TIM CURRY IN SUSPENDERS! I love it.

SIGHUNCE FICSHUN
DOUBLE FEEEETCHURRRRR
DOCTOR EXXXXXXXXXXXXX
WILL BUILD A CREACHURRRRRR

this movie was never that far away from mainstream America, was it? Wasn't it #1 at the box office when it came out? (Not to mention the huge anniversary show that was on prime time tv featuring eric mckormick at the height of his will and grace fame...)

Such a typical ploy on your part, Dan, an obvious attempt to discredit the poster by pretending to know things you have no clue about. Well, Wiki says it didn't do so well on its first run. I seriously doubt it was #1 at the box office when it came out, that's way too far a stretch. I believe it's one of those things that has gained more fame over time, and I suspected a somewhat recent TV promotion of the kind you mention (I'm proud to say I haven't watched much TV at home since the early 90's), otherwise the sale of this DVD in the checkout line at Safeway still makes no sense to me.

I've never beem to a public viewing of the film, and I tend to view the cultists with same suspicion as the other sceptics on this thread. I don't think the film is necessarily mainstream, but since every sci-fi/horror nerd seems to know it and love it, it's hardly that alternative either.

If you take the cult away, the actual film is quite good, I especially like all the gender bending and sexual politics. But it's definitely not the best musical ever, not even in the top 20.

The ONLY thing I thought was good in this movie was Rocky himself, and only because he reminded me of the k-classic PYGAR in Barbarella:

http://postmodernbarney.com/images06/barbarella/barb4.jpg

An angel doesn't make love...an angel IS love.

I kind of appreciate that Tim Curry played Sneery McHater anti-sex/masturbating/black people guy in Kinsey. "Haha but what about your yout as a transvestite from Transylvania?"

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117989391.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

Good. I hope they solely cast High School Musical actors and 50 Cent just to piss of the dramafag RH fanboys.

Oh God. That is such a bad idea.

On RHPS in general I'm with both Teeny and Bimble upthread - it was a huge part of my adolescence so it will forever be C but I've always found that the 2nd half drags (har har) a bit too much. I've probably seen it more than any other movie but have only actually seen it in the theatre once and that was ages ago. I need to get my hands on a new copy of the sndtrk. I lost mine years ago.

I went to my first shadwowcast a couple of nights ago (was on the stage & had to deliver a monkey orgasm)...

Best thing Susan Sarandon ever did.

I wish they did a shadow play in front of other musicals. Like Jesus Christ Superstar, and they INRI a guy at the end.

Co-incidentally I watched the DVD of RHPS this morning.

I've always found that the 2nd half drags (har har) a bit too much.

I think that the main problem is that 'Timewarp'/'Sweet Transvestite' is such a killer combo that the movie never really recovers from it, even when Meatloaf turns up.

^I wd agree with the whole '2nd half drags' thing but that leaves out my favorite part: S. Sarandon singing "I wanna be dirty!!!" to Rocky.

totally classic. last 3rd drags a bit. audience members can be fucking annoying (last night one woman just kept shouting out SLUT! and ASSHOLE! every 5 mins, whcih was funny once, not 20 times). but then without the annoying audience contributions, the film towards the end gets a bit boring.

still classic though. some of my favourite best set design in a film. should have been more shocking/confrontational though. they could have made it a bit sexier, and made franknfurter a bit more risque.

This is very . . . odd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI6zIqVxmmk

I think that the main problem is that 'Timewarp'/'Sweet Transvestite' is such a killer combo that the movie never really recovers from it, even when Meatloaf turns up.

^^^

i think the floor show is the best part besides meatloaf.
― Pablo Cruise (chaki), Wednesday, April 21, 2004 1:24 AM (7 years ago) Bookmark

Floor show is great. I'd probably still get a kick out of the 1st half but the 2nd half really does totally suck. I honestly don't think I could sit through the whole thing anymore. Turns out I still know all the words to the soundtrack as I've just found out looking the songs up on yt.

BTW Neil Gaiman is playing piano (sorta) in that clip I posted earlier.

Awww, I really love Meatloaf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-bkTz31bw0&feature=related

And now my throat hurts from singing for the last 1/2 hour.

pretty much amazing til about half way in, although I'm Going Home is killer.

I was thinking about this quite a lot. The difference is that the stage show references sci-fi/horror B movies, while the movie has to portray those same tropes a lot straighter, because we're expecting a movie to be more 'realistic'. The stage show can be more meta, it can go 'lol monster movie', break the 4th wall, involve the audience, etc., without those things seeming like a jarring break from the story. Consequently the cast are given the leeway necessary to keep a sort of manic atmosphere going throughout the show, which compensates for it's otherwise slower second half.
So the movie drags in comparison, but when you watch it with an audience, it's as though they feel obliged to keep the show 'up' in lieu of a live cast. And that doesn't really work out because...

audience members can be fucking annoying

The slow second half is not really a problem with Rocky particularly, as just a general problem with movies that are based on live shows. Although there are exceptions, 'Chicago' for example, avoids this problem because it's effectively a series of song and dance set pieces. And it's not a problem with musicals that were written from the start as movies, like 'Phantom of The Paradise'.

Oh bugger, I've written an essay...

In anticipation of one of my new work friends playing Magenta in a big upcoming production of the stage show, I rescreened the film other night, and kind of concur with some of the criticisms upthread, primarily about it being frontloaded song-wise.

But why I'm really reviving this thread is that my viewing inspired me last night to take my sealed Big Lots copy of Shock Treatment off the shelf and view for the first time. Not quite the movie that RHPS is, it's still a very interesting and entertaining watch. Fantastic production design, really catches that high style of uber-MTV videos before there was a MTV. It's also cool to see a good bit of the old supporting cast (O'Brien, Quinn, Campbell) get to shine a little brighter on their own terms due to not having a Furter-like totem to orbit around. The songs are unfortunately caught with one foot RHPS glam style ("Little Black Dress" is a pretty transparent "Timewarp" rewrite) and New Wave ("Me Of Me" would have fit seamlessly on a Blondie album, and "Looking For Trade" is convincing Post-Punk).

Just curious if anybody else has any Shock Treatment thoughts, since there really aren't any in this thread.

I love Shock Treatment. I like the music as much if not better than RHPS. It looks amazing and it totally anticipated reality tv. It's pretty sick and more rewarding upon further viewings. That cast too cmon! Jessica Harper!

I watched it in high school, before I was even aware of RHPS. It was very confusing to me and I switched it off halfway through. This is the only part that I can remember:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7BP2Gclzj0

The FOX/Kenny Ortega RHPS remake was such a sad failure btw. They got every detail of the aesthetic wrong. Sadly, even Laverne Cox sucked real bad as Frank. Tried to play it as a Grace Jones-y thing. It was shiny, slick and not fun.

Nooooo, you stop. I thought for sure it would be amazing and not at all a waste of time that nobody was asking for.

Yeah it was not good. Tommy Kail did such an amazing job with Grease Live I had hoped vainly that maybe Ortega could rise to the challenge but... nope

Big whiff

It was just a weird imitation of the movie, but dull & clean & lifeless.
Brad was good tho!

Dana Andrew said prunes
Gave him the runes

That song rules even outside its context, I love how even with all its horniness it's also kinda just a sincere ode to 50's sci fi.

Yes, totally!

yeah i love how over the years it bloomed more with the more movies i saw. when i was a teen king kong was the only one i’d seen (this song was always my favorite)

Right! I still haven’t seen a bunch of them, but at least get the references mostly and looking forward to seeing them one of these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gmMNOouKdM

this RULES

OMG, so cool!

absolute fucking genius.

insane how much is fully formed at this point. like talk about being ready for your momenf.

“science fiction” sounds a lot more like bowie in its demo form, it’s quite good … but the finished version has an extra layer of sad longing that i love.

makes me question why i labor over so much inconsequential shite

Never noticed the OP until just now.

man, lotta RHPS haters back in the day... loved going to this in high school and experiencing the blessed relief of being the least weird person in the room for a while

i rewatched on sunday night, still as majestic & unhinged as ever <3

curry has a real joie-de-vivre, idk if it’s chemically induced but he seems far more delighted to be there than anyone else

Never noticed the OP until just now.

DORKS WHO SIGN THEIR POSTS LIKE IT'S A FREAKIN EMAIL

Sea androids fighting
Brad and Janet

That’s how I wish it was spelled