Taking Sides: "Velvet Goldmine" versus "Almost Famous"

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Huey Lewis just experienced shrinkage w/ your cavalier dismissal of his unit, Morb!

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 21 April 2005 13:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I pick VG, although I don't think the Bowie-esque character is charismatic enough. Morbius and others OTM about opening sequence. I love the bit where Christian Bale buys a new record and brings it home to play it.

Among the many annoying things in AF- "I am a golden god!"

― Ken L (Ken L), Thursday, 21 April 2005 13:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, that whole slipping the LP on the turntable scene may be the most erotic one in the film. I also liked Bale's "MOM! DAD! That's MEE!" yelp.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 21 April 2005 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh God, I had momentarily forgotten the whole buying-the-record-and-playing-it sequence.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Thursday, 21 April 2005 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I did like the replication of that album cover as the soundtrack tray inlay art.

I am still annoyed a full version of the fake 80s corp rock song by Shudder to Think, "People Rocking People," has not surfaced. (You can hear it playing at a couple of points in the 1984 sequences, as in the start of the bar scene.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 April 2005 14:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Velvet Goldmine = FAN FICTION MADE FLESH!!! or, well, at least celluloid.

I love the short scene in VG where the girls are playing with their Brian and Kurt dolls.

Toni Collette's accent work, weaving between affected English to New Yawkish is yet another piece of evidence in my case for the absolute dominance of Australians when it comes to English language accents.

― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 21 April 2005 14:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I love the short scene in VG where the girls are playing with their Brian and Kurt dolls.

It's nice as both Haynes' tribute to himself and as an element in the film in general -- it works regardless of whether you know Superstar or not.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 21 April 2005 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I found the plot to be less than blatantly obvious, I.E. I couldn't tell it was there.

OTM -- I couldn't really tell you what VG was "about." Then again, I can't even remotely recall what The Big Sleep is about, either, and I've seen it about 15 times. It totally doesn't matter.

― happy fun ball (kenan), Thursday, 21 April 2005 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i thought that _A Mighty Wind_ was a pretty good movie about fake bands...

― kingfish, Thursday, 21 April 2005 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

i thought that _A Mighty Wind_ was a pretty good movie about fake bands...

...but, like it's sibling This is Spinal Tap...it's a parody.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 21 April 2005 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

and awful

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Thursday, 21 April 2005 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

what, do you prefer your movies about fake bands to star Liv Tyler?

― kingfish, Thursday, 21 April 2005 23:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Velvet Goldmine is one of the great movies of all time, never mind great movies about Rock and/or Roll. Assuming nobody can film Great Jones Street. Narrative died durink Help, or 1850, depending which arc you're stitched to.

― Failin Huxley (noodle vague), Friday, 22 April 2005 00:33 (twenty-one years ago)

what, do you prefer your movies about fake bands to star Liv Tyler?

Uh, hell yeah.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Friday, 22 April 2005 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

OTM -- I couldn't really tell you what VG was "about." Then again, I can't even remotely recall what The Big Sleep is about, either, and I've seen it about 15 times. It totally doesn't matter

OTM. The plot isn't what the movie is about. The movie is about glitter, debauchery and flash.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 22 April 2005 00:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, one of these movies is about the Black Fucking Crowes.

― Failin Huxley (noodle vague), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Black Fucking Crowes >>>>> David Bowie

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Assuming you've had a lobotomy and a permanent intravenous acid drip, yeah.

― Failin Huxley (noodle vague), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I've had piles that were more classic than the Black Crowes.

― Failin Huxley (noodle vague), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

better than Bowie is damning with the faintest of praise.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:10 (twenty-one years ago)

U think the Robinson bros R good.

― Failin Huxley (noodle vague), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't drag Robinsons into this.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Can I drag them through the mud?

Then again there's Kozelek.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

(I am one!)

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:22 (twenty-one years ago)

It's not like I dislike the Crowes, but milo clearly has a crackpipe glued to his lips.

― Failin Huxley (noodle vague), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Black Fucking Crowes >>>>> David Bowie

We have now officially punctured the flimsy battlements of rational thought and are now skipping willy-nilly through the wilderness of insanity.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex jumps up and down and does a Riverdance on the fucking money.

― Failin Huxley (noodle vague), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I see Allyzay has a problem with slashfic. Or boys kissing boys. ;)

(Nothing wrong with that. It's just... well... English Kate should be able to explain more the whole connection between slashfic and that peculiar sort of fanhood that, well, uh, never mind.)

Also, no one ever talks about Toni Collette's fantastic Liza-in-Cabaret-as-Angie-Bowie tour de force.

DUDE! I keep on forgetting to give Toni Collette as not-Angie the props it deserves! She's one of the major reasons why I like that film as much as I do. She's, like, totally on fire. Burning the celluloid down.

I also liked Bale's "MOM! DAD! That's MEE!" yelp.

Awwwww, one of the scenes that makes you like Arthur more and more as the movie progresses.

Heh. Why am I not surprised that you would easily be able to name that song, Ned? Anyway, I had no idea that was the (a.) artist behind the song and (b.) the name of the song itself. Wow. That was a good approximation of soulless '80s AOR, wasn't it? Very convincing.

― The Spirit of Sam Endicott (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

(I am one!)

But you are good and not evil, so the other Robinsons referred to must be the evil ones.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Also:

David Bowie >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the Black Crowes

(i.e. I agree with Ferlin Huxley et. al.)

― The Spirit of Sam Endicott (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

David Bowie is awful. He and Morrissey are tied as the biggest/most-respected musicians where I just can't comprehend the love.

One and a half listenable songs ('Queen Bitch' and the duet w/ Mick Jagger) - but he was cool in Labyrinth.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Crackpipe.

― Failin Huxley (noodle vague), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

keep suckin' on that glass cock

― kingfish maximum overdrunk (Kingfish), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

they are both terrible. VG is better although AF has better tottie (crudup, kozelek and that guy from the kevin smith films).

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I know I'm pretty much alone on the David Bowie Suxxx bandwagon.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:51 (twenty-one years ago)

nah, he kinda creeps me out too.

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 22 April 2005 01:56 (twenty-one years ago)

You're Good Thread (Has Gone And Went Bad)

― Ken L (Ken L), Friday, 22 April 2005 02:15 (twenty-one years ago)

David Bowie is awful. He and Morrissey are tied as the biggest/most-respected musicians where I just can't comprehend the love.

Yet you're completely fine with the Black Crowes? FETCH HITHER A STRAIGHT-JACKET!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 April 2005 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex, why are you calling Milo "Hither"?

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 22 April 2005 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Whathisface that plays Lester Bangs is great, the guys in the band are all funny, Zooey Deschanel - what's not to like?

KATE DUDSON. For starters.

― Vic in Alderaan (Vic), Friday, 22 April 2005 04:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Whathisface that plays Lester Bangs is great,

Philip Seymour Hoffman, and if you ask me, he overplayed his hand in that role.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 April 2005 04:19 (twenty-one years ago)

He did, but his speech about not being cool is my favorite thing in the movie.

― happy fun ball (kenan), Friday, 22 April 2005 04:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, VG has the physics phunny of "Maxwell Demon" which still makes me giggle every time.

― Lapdog Shoesnog (kate), Friday, 22 April 2005 09:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"you are home"

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 22 April 2005 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't think Kate Hudson was bad at all. Not great, but she certainly fit the role of ditzy narcissistic groupie well. Sarah Polley would have been too old and mature - these girls were really 14 or 15 at the time, weren't they?

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Friday, 22 April 2005 17:04 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm starting to feel pretty alone in my "almost famous" love (not that i've seen it in like three years), even ppl who say they like it seem to have this "i know it's kinda terrible, but..." attitude about it!

glam is classic. david bowie is classic. iggy pop is classic. "citizen kane" is classic. despite all these things, "velvet goldmine" is a dud.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 22 April 2005 21:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Comparing Velvet Goldmine to Almost Famous is like comparing champagne to that shitty new Budweiser w/caffeine + guarana + bull semen... yes, Haynes is THAT MUCH BETTER than Crowe.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 22 April 2005 21:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think it's terrible, just at the high end of mediocre or low end of good. I don't think enough attention is paid to the ick factor of the groupies' youth, and it would be loads better if it was more daring (that's one area where the director's cut is better) or had more to say. But as a gentle coming-of-age story, there's little wrong with it.

People who hate it seem to be responding to the director (hey, I can't stand any of Crowe's other movies) or the culture's response or even just looking for something 180 degrees from what Crowe wanted to show.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Friday, 22 April 2005 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Re: The weird Bowie/Black Crowes polemic above. One of the the great things about the VG soundtrack is that, since Bowie wouldn't allow use of his music, they went more Roxy on the soundtrack.

― M. White (Miguelito), Friday, 22 April 2005 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

coming-of-age stories should not be gentle. there is no rock n roll in the movie. the acting is terrible (exception: PS Hoffman). the script goes nowhere. the "moral" - musicians leave a trail of destruction in their wake - is stale, boring, and predictable, and not even that well illustrated. there is nothing visually interesting about the movie. the revelation that the groupie has been used and cast aside is trite and lacks any kind of dramatic impact it is SO GODDAMNED OBVIOUS. My friend fell asleep in the theater. it has no redeeming qualities.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 22 April 2005 21:58 (twenty-one years ago)

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