So there’s this movie I like. No, I don’t like it. I LOVE it.
It’s not a "classic" movie by any means, averaging a 4.3 out of 10 on IMDb. This movie was the inspiration for creating the Razzie Awards. It was nominated for six categories and won the first ever for Worst Director.
I can’t help it. I own it. I own the LP of the soundtrack.
What movie is it? Fine, I’ll confess. It’s Xanadu.
What’s not to love? Just think of all the movie has to offer. Olivia Newton-John! Roller skating! Gene Kelly! Greek muses! Electric Light Orchestra! That guy they reference for one second in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang! A random animated love scene!
Seriously though, this movie is pure cheese at its finest. And maybe it’s because it’s a childhood nostalgia thing. I watched this movie countless times with my Mom and sister (my Dad has the good sense to leave the room).
The reason I still cling to it has to be Side B of the LP—all ELO songs. Come on! Classics like The Fall, Don’t Walk Away (featured in the above animated clip), All Over the World, and of course Xanadu. My favorite is I’m Alive.
The reason I still cling to it has to be Side B of the LP—all ELO songs. Come on! Classics like The Fall, Don’t Walk Away (featured in the above animated clip), All Over the World, and of course Xanadu. My favorite is I’m Alive.
So go ahead, post your own pop culture sins. If you’re brave enough, that is. I promise I won’t judge you…much.
2 comments:
While I have never seen Xanadu, I must say it looks...."classic."
I'll fess up, so you're not alone in embarassment.
I think my guilty-pleasure movie, also from the glorious 1970s, is The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. It stars John Travolta as the bubble boy, who just wants to be normal. His father is superdad Robert Reed, who yells out such memorable lines as "My son's not a freak!" There are also several parts where the viewer questions how this kid isn't already infected with disease. (How did they get his food in there without contaminating it? Why is a stream of air protecting him in one part of his room but the rest has to be encased in a bubble?)
So, my confession is more of a guilty pleasure, I guess. I realize how bad and dated the movie is and yet, I cannot help but like it. It's fun to make fun of, and young John Travolta is handsome, but overall I find it a pleasant way to spend a lazy Sunday.
Good post! I have far too many guilty pop culture pleasures to mention. But I will toss a few out there to pay my penance.
To me there are 2 types of guilty pleasures. Those that you admit are awful but you can't help but love for some reason. And then there are the ones that you feel are brilliant but the rest of the world pretty much thinks are ridiculous.
Off the top of my head I can think movies that fit each of those descriptions. A movie That I know is absolutely awful is King Ralph. John Goodman destroyed any chance of becoming a regular leading man in movies and Peter O'Toole shamed an entire career. Yet sure enough, whenever it is on TV I am glued to the screen. I can't get enough of it. I have yet to find anyone else that agrees with me though.
The other movie I can think of is The Secret of My Success. I personally feel the movie is fantastic in every way. It represents Michael J. Fox at his best and it is one of my favorite movies of the 80s without a doubt. Not to mention the soundtrack is so filled with the 80s sound, you just can't go wrong. But again, other than a couple people, I don't know many who cherish it as I do.
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