Videos and "classic" films

As John Madden once said:

John Madden: I love to see a fat guy score.
Pat Summerall: Why?
John Madden: Because first you get a fat guy spike, then you get the fat guy dance. –

The Replacements

And a quote from what is probably the WORST DVD in my library. Some people would look and point out that Out Cold and Eurotrip are just as bad, to which I say you are an idiot.

Out Cold was nudity and more screen time for Zach:
( I wanna be in the most independent indie film of all time. *in background* Patton Oswald: Nice Balls! Brian Posehn: You again? Check ya laterrr.)
Galafinakis from being a classic comedy. I still watch it about twice a year, in a hammered cold room with friends debating about moving to Vancouver.

Eurotrip was in the top five of films for that year, behind The Incredibles, Sideways, Before Sunset, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And if you don’t agree, then you have never seen that movie completely happy and drunk.

Even with the ridiculous “I will survive” dance scene that seems lifted from the School of Dancing around a table in chick flick school (and if you get that reference, kudos), The Replacements stands as a bad sports movie with tremendous rewatchability. I probably watched it in various lengths around 10 times on cable.

Around this time is about the same time I started to drift from most of my film school friends to more accessible fare and gave up trying to debate the next great American film vs. watching films for the value of being entertained.

But this brings us to:

Dave’s top videos

#24: Since I left you – The Avalanches

Thanks to technology I can finally link to videos.
(Steazie note: Thanks to roommates, you can link them correctly!)

As you have probably clicked and watched by now, I hope you have come back to read my review, instead of clicking on other links.

The video is essentially a single gimmick, watching this big miner dance and release some of the joy pent up in his drab life. And that’s about it. But there are three moments that give some depth to this.

First, the intro of the two miners sitting deep in a hole in black and white before they hear faint music coming from above, and when they open the hatch the world turns to Technicolor. Sure, this isn’t Wizard of Oz, but the changeover is earned and is coherent with the plot.

Second is the moment when the bigger miner looks at where he is. He doesn’t hesitate, or wander around looking at the world. He knows exactly what to do, and he chooses to DANCE, DANCE, DANCE! The fact that he doesn’t wait makes this work, as he realizes exactly what this opportunity is. Add to the fact that he actually can move, and it’s usually not over the top comedic adds a lasting charm instead of playing it totally for laughs.

Finally, there is the little coda at the end, when we see the second miner fade back to black and white and then wind up in his chair withered and old. It’s almost a cheap blow emotionally, but if you buy the video, it comes satisfyingly as an end to the idyllic dream world of the video.

And the blonde is smoking hot in her dancer way, and only is marginally overshined by her miner dancing partner.

In the end, it’s a simplistic and one note video, but one done with an honest approach that makes it less of a commercial tool for the band, like Fallout Boy’s Dance, Dance or anything by Bowling for Soup. In contrast to these and many, many others you see that while often shallow and self serving, videos like this can be made within a systematic genre format and still feel fresh and interesting.

I would be remiss not to mention the other great video from The Avalanches album frontier psychiatrist which once again is rather gimmicky, but clever enough on it’s own to warrant watching multiple times. These videos could be interchangeable, I just like the Since I left you video more for it’s cohesion in storytelling.