B-Movies & Couch Classics
Reviews of Movies Often
Overlooked or Forgotten
by Arik Ben Treston
 The music that fills our ears with wonderment can also excite our visual senses if presented in the right film. There isn’t a shortage of films centering on music, just a slight shortage of good ones. For every wonderful film like
Almost Famous, there is an Airheads out there to lower the bar (sorry if you like that one!) When it comes to making lists of
top-whatevers, I’m not the best one for it. I have a hard time trying to rank one above the other so I tend to just throw the best out there and hope that I’ve hit close to the target.
What often happens in these films is that the music just can’t measure up to the storyline. One reason
Almost Famous (yes, I do love that little film) worked so well is because the music was believable and very well done. (It didn’t hurt that writer/director Cameron Crowe’s wife is Nancy Wilson of Heart, a factor that no doubt helped in compiling the soundtrack.) In a similar vein to that film is the gem
Still Crazy that starred Stephen Rea as a former band-mate of “Strange Fruit,” a British rock band who decide, after a long break, to reunite. The hardships and past hurt that took place mixed with indelible humor and a great tone create a truly enjoyable mock-umentary. Unlike
Spinal Tap, which will forever be a classic and grandfather to the great fake rock films,
Still Crazy goes for the drama with the humor coming out of that.
One shouldn’t overlook a hysterical film done by the ZAZ (Zucker, Abrahams & Zucker, the loons behind
Airplane.) Yes, I’m referring to Top Secret!, the joke-a-second crackup starring Val Kilmer as a WWII-era Elvis Presley/Beach Boys-like rock star from America who gets involved in spying, espionage, and love in war-torn Europe. Kilmer sings all of the songs on the soundtrack and shows off his considerable comedic talents here. No, it’s not the sort of film that would usually come to mind, but trust me, it’s still as funny today as it was 17 years ago, and the music will get your feet tapping.
 Since a listing like this might take up a small book, I’ll just have to mention some other noteworthy entries. Alan Parker’s
The Commitments was another one with a great soundtrack — and it helped that the actors actually sang the songs.
Pink Floyd’s The Wall can’t be left out, with its surreal imagery and matching soundtrack, this will be a perennial viewing favorite for many. Robert Altman’s masterpiece
Nashville is now available in great form on DVD with some good extras and the best looking print ever. Want to stray a bit? Try
Labyrinth with David Bowie playing the evil singing lead. For Gen-Xers,
Singles managed to capture the life and times of this generation without being condescending and dismissive. Looking for a little Aerosmith? Well, it’s not really a rock-film, but you can’t go wrong with
Wayne’s World, having Wayne and Garth on their endless quest in finding and worshiping the Bad Boys from Boston.
Yes, I know I’ve missed some great ones on here (which is why I hate trying to come up with great lists!), so don’t yell at me. The more left out the better, since there are so many others that are just not that good
(Light of Day, anyone?) When you find a good one, it’s a great way to experience ‘being there’, but you can do it from home and leave out the sex and the drugs part of the equation (unless you insist, of course). You can be a groupie without putting up with the heartache and long bus trips. What could be better than that? Well, other than being the rock star, of course.
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