Apologies to Musical Lovers - Can't Stand Grease & SNF!!! (1 Viewer)

[Lou Sytsma]

I'll admit it up front that I'm not much for a musical fan - one of the few movies I can stand with singing is The Wizard of Oz - but these 2 movies in particular really grate on my nerves.

Grease has a couple of passable songs but beyond that it's a pretty lame movie. At least this movie is harmless.

SNF OTOH - this movie I detest. It brought the whole disco craze in. It killed radio for a couple of years. Things were so bad it got to the point where I thought that the first time I heard Paul Simon's - 50 Ways to Leave A Lover - that it was a good song!

My god - songs like Disco Duck and the disco version of Star Wars are cringing lowpoints. Not to mention mirror balls!!!!!

Worst of all was the - "I've just been castrated!" vocal stylings employed by the BeeGees. It grated on my audio canals everytime I had to listen to them.

Yeah - I guess these 2 movies were the primary reason I hated musicals.

Whew! There I said it. I feel much better now that that's now longer bottled up inside.

To those of you whom love these movies please don't judge me too harshly.:b

Peace.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Lou,
I can't stand SNF either.
My wife likes watching it, but she makes fun of it. To her, it is unintentionally funny.
One thing I've never understood; is Tony supposed to be an even remotely sympathetic character?
Grease, I like.
Hey, Gene Siskel loved SNF. We all have different tastes.
ps SNF is not a musical.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

ps SNF is not a musical.

It is to me.

 

[Ricky Hustle]

Well, noone has said it so far as I can see, so here goes! ...

DISCO SUCKS!!!

That said, I like SNF. It is a very well crafted movie. Also, I think the Bee-Gees are amazing talents, and actually make disco music almost palatable to me. I really love their early stuff of the non-disco variety. The Brothers Gibb know how to write a melody, and can harmonize like very few others have.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Since, once again, no one ever qualifies their abbreviations- SNF is saturday night fever.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Disco Duck is barely heard in the movie. In fact I had to go back to and re-check my DVD to make sure that it's really there.
And the "disco version of Star Wars" (I'm guessing you are referring to Meco's recording) is not heard in Saturday Night Fever.
Check out Singin' in the Rain and West Side Story. Those are excellent films.
Neil

 

[Jack Briggs]

I don't see that we're discussing Software-related issues here. Ergo, this goes into "Movies."

 

[Ruz-El]

Grease is the only movie that comes to mind that I have actually shut off after 20mins! It comes highly recommended from lots of friends, and I have hesitantly agreed to watch the new DVD at some point in time. My distaste for Grease actually caused me to boycott any live action musical, other than Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I can watch anytime and enjoy.

A great musical to check out is Dancer in the dark. It's the musical that made me break my "no musical" vow, mainly because it dosn't play like a musical. The DVD is well done with a nice transfer (remember, this was shot on digital video!)

I only liked West Side Story because it was a kick to watch Russ Tamblyn (Dr. Jacobie on Twin Peaks) dance around and do backflips. Other than that, it completely left me flat.

 

[Steve Phillips]

So you like THE WIZARD OF OZ (Judy Garland singing) but you hate GREASE (Olivia Newton John singing). OK...well, good for you.

 

[Jay E]

I like SNF but I will agree with you on Grease. I saw the Broadway show of Grease as a child and it bored me to tears. Watching the film was exactly the same experience.

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

Saturday Night Fever, like most other films in the 60’s and 70’s, captured a generation and a moment of time in that era. Beneath the music is a powerful subtext involving family, friendship, the treatment of women and pursuing one’s dreams. Those, for me, are the elements that resonate long after John Travolta has shown his stuff on the dance floor.
Now where it Mitty?
~Edwin

 

[Rob Gardiner]

To anyone who does not care for GREASE, I would recommend HAIRSPRAY by John Waters. The music in this picture is phenomenal.
Agreed!

 

[Seth Paxton]

Does Travolta do more singing in SNF than I recall?

Does the same sort of dancing and mucial background in Boogie Nights qualify it as a musical?

Anyway, I agree with Edwin's assessment of SNF. Solid film, though I think Travolta IS unsympathetic in the film at times. It's kinda the point to me actually.


I think Grease is very singable and has catchy tunes that certainly are relevent to the storyline. Therefore it is a solid musical to me.

But then I like many good musicals.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Saturday Night Fever, as a couple of people pointed out is not a musical. The fact that Tony isn't very sympathetic lifts it above the usual Hollywood schlock. Anyone who thinks that the protagonist has to be a good guy for the film to be good is not on the same page as me. I happen to think that SNF is an excellent film.
As for all the attacks on disco music, lets face it -- you guys don't like dance music and dancing. Sure I wore a Disco Sucks t-shirt back in the day, but in retrospect I love disco. And while we are at it, The Last Days of Disco is a great film as well -- and no, it's not a musical either...
Ted

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Anyone who thinks that the protagonist has to be a good guy for the film to be good is not on the same page as me.

I don't think that at all.
Yet lots of people seem to identify with him. That is what I can't understand. This makes me feel like I should feel sorry for anybody who identifies with him, or that there is something about his character that I just don't get.
I liked 'The Last Days of Disco'.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Yet lots of people seem to identify with him.

As noted in the VH1 documentary on the disc, that's a quality that Travolta brought to the character (in part, he was probably capitalizing on Barbarino good will). The character as written isn't especially likeable, except maybe by contrast to most of the people around him, who are even worse.

M.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Maybe Lou just doesn't like John Travolta movies.

 

[John Tillman]

I'm just happy to have the best versions of SNF & Pulp Fiction in my collection. Barbarino rules!

 

[David Lambert]

I like both of these movies...A LOT. So perhaps the following observation technically makes me a "thread crapper" or a "troll"...I dunno. But I'll make it in any case:

Let's say, for a wild second, that I could not stand a particular film that was considered a "classic". Let's say, for example, The French Connection.


On the street date of it's video release, it would never, EVER occur to me to start a thread - not even with "apologies" for the observation - telling all the joyful purchasers of that release just how much I can't stand the movie they just laid out about $20 for.

.


I just had to get that off my chest. If it's felt to not be appropriate, mods can delete this (as if my permission was needed). Okay...y'all go back to dissin' those two films. I'll go add some cheap price info to the Roundup, and then go watch SNF. And boogie my ass off! :p) :wink:

 

[Michael St. Clair]

On the street date of it's video release, it would never, EVER occur to me to start a thread - not even with "apologies" for the observation - telling all the joyful purchasers of that release just how much I can't stand the movie they just laid out about $20 for.

One of the things people have asked for here is that those with extremely negative comments go start their own thread and not express those comments in threads that are started in support of a particular film.
Now you can start your own thread but the timing of when you do it is subject to political correctness?
Sorry Dave, I can't agree with you on that one.