February 15, 2006

Class of 1984: Round Four

Here's the latest Class of 1984 giveaway. To reiterate: we've got 5 copies of Anchor Bay's upcoming Special Edition of Mark L. Lester's exploitation classic to unload, courtesy of Total Assault. This is the fourth of five mini-contests (one per copy) I will hold here at the blog.

If you've never seen Class of 1984, it's basically a remake of The Blackboard Jungle with the flamboyant gangbangers of The Warriors replacing the original's Wild One-style delinquents. One of the last Canadian tax-shelter pics, it features rare live footage of Toronto punk band Teenage Head, an early performance by Michael J. Fox, and an ending that will have you asking how something so wrong can feel so right. Due out on February 21st, the DVD features commentary from Lester, a retrospective documentary, and beautifully remastered picture and sound. We'll have a full review at the mother site in the coming weeks.

To win the fourth copy, correctly identify the movie to which the below frame-grab belongs. (Since this a frame-grab and not a production still, be sure to take note of things like aspect ratio.) As we're only allowed to give these discs away to North American residents, I must ask that our international readers refrain from placing any guesses. Sorry.


I think this week's pretty easy, but maybe not if you haven't seen the film in a while. I promise next week's (i.e. the last one) will be a showstopper.

Not much else to report. Walter's review of Freedomland is up early; Valentine's Day came and went without Anna Paquin showing up at my doorstep; and in a fit of procrastination I marathon'd the entire first season of "Grey's Anatomy". Why, oh why, is that show so popular? It reminds me a lot of "Gilmore Girls", actually, in that it's clueless as to just how shallow and frankly evil its characters are.

Hot Off the Presses (2/16)
It's Walter vs. the Snow Dogs: Eight Below.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gilmore Girls, shallow and evil? Do elaborate!

mimo70 said...

Is it Suspiria? I know, I'm graspin at straws.

Bill C said...

Someday I may just post my long-stewing "Gilmore Girls" rant. I actively despise it, yet this only increases my appetite for it (I've seen every episode, give or take), which I suppose makes me kind of like the King in "The Death of Groo": "Oh how I hate Groo, oh how I hate Groo. I think I shall stay up an hour later tonight to hate Groo some more!" One thing that drives me nuts is the old 'contemporary screwball' defense/scapegoat--on that score it's not doing anything "Moonlighting" didn't already do and do better.

Mimo70: It's not Suspiria, but it certainly could be, couldn't it? Great guess.

Anonymous said...

Please, please, please post this rant! Get it off your chest! Save yourself from having to watch any more of the fast-chattery unwittyness! (And help me understand why you'd still succumb to something you despise week after week!)

JG Friend said...

Is the screen cap from "Green Flower Street"?

OK, that's not a movie but a Donald Fagen song. Had I guessed a movie, I would have been no closer.

I've never seen Gilmore Girls, but I would say that Lauren Graham's hotness was the one thing I liked about Bad Santa.

Andrei said...

Is the frame from "A Bittersweet Life?"

I don't know why I get that feeling from it, but I feel pretty good about this guess.

Also: I second the Grey's Anatomy dislike. Haven't seen any Gilmore Girls, and I don't hope to.

Bill C said...

Not A Bittersweet Life, alas.

Clues to follow tomorrow eve if no one's got it by then.

Andrew Bemis said...

Dune.

Alex Jackson said...

Dune is a good guess isn't it? Wasn't Bill talking about watching the extended version not too long ago?

Anonymous said...

"Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas"?

Bill C said...

Congrats, Bemis! Shoot over your details (name, shipping addy) to billc@filmfreakcentral.net

I have to admit, it was partly out of sheer laziness that I picked Dune--still working on my Lean/Lynch twofer (up Monday, God willing) and it happened to be loaded in the drive when the time came to do round four.

Andrew Bemis said...

Will do, and I'm looking forward to the review. Many thanks!

Anonymous said...

What. Dude, 79 percent? Must be a pretty elaborate fucking prank.

JG Friend said...

"Director Frank Marshall otherwise manages to tell his story with a minimum of nonsense." - William Arnold of the Seattle PI on "Eight Degrees"

This is the same guy who was geeked up about the prospects of Revenge of the Sith taking home a Best Picture Oscar.


He's the biggest Seattle moron this side of Shaun Alexander.

Bill C said...

Mind you, "a minimum of nonsense" is indeed quite the accomplishment for the director of Congo.

Anybody catch this amusing MSNBC article that asks the essential question of why Paul Walker and four other "Movie man candies" continue to work regularly? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11352129/ I particularly enjoy the description of Matthew McConaughey as "gloopy smarmy syrup poured on every film he's in."

James Allen said...

rachel said...
What. [citing Rotten Tomatoes rating for Snow Dogs] Dude, 79 percent? Must be a pretty elaborate fucking prank.

Quite a few of them are pretty gushy. I guess one can't underestimate the appeal of anthropomorphized versions of man's best friend.

But even in a number of the positive reviews, the empty vessel thas is the "actor" Paul Walker gets a beating. Here's my favorite (and, once again, this is from a positive review):

"I went into the theater with the same thought I always have before I watch a Paul Walker movie - I hope Paul Walker dies in this movie." - Wafflemovies.com

To paraphase Kent Brockman, "I guess I have to say 'ouch' for Paul Walker."

JG Friend said...

Wasn't Cuba Gooding Jr already in this movie.

Isn't Eight Degrees based on Snow Dogs?

JG Friend said...

Now that I've seen Walter's review, I must retract the Snow Dogs joke.

Walter beat me to it.

He put the quick in wit!

Walter_Chaw said...

He put the "half" in wit, too.

Jefferson Robbins said...

Wasn't Running Scared a Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines vehicle back in the '80s?

I'm old.

JG Friend said...

I hope Michael McDonald is on the soundtrack.

Walter_Chaw said...

It was - the most memorable thing about that I remember is how weird Hines' legs look when he braces himself to fire a gun.