p e n g u i n d e v i l

Yep, it’s been quiet around here. We’ve been going through sick spells and haven’t even been watching much for movies, but a while back, we did watch one of my old standbys. After finally getting something more watchable than the VHS copy I’ve had for the last 18 years, it was time to have my hundredth or so (probably more) take of one of the best music documentaries out there, Decline of Western Civilization: The Metal Years. I know, yes, it is all about the Sunset Strip Glam Scene of the late 80’s which, well, sucks by any standard, now or then. But the interviews are great and that is where it really gets fun!

what the? dude…

There are plenty of live “performances” of the sunset strip bands and interviews with the band members and with rather lame “metalheads” and scenesters, but Spheeris mixes in some great interview scenes with “metal” musicians who actually had some success. The contrast between the “once young and arrogant, now old and wise” and the “still young and arrogant” is a lot of fun. These young bands (especially the terrifying London, Odin and Lizzie Borden) are so lame that it’s almost unbelievable (well, Faster Pussycat are fine, if you are into that GnR thing and, back in the day, I actually ended up buying an album by the lamely named Seduce, based on the song they play here, “Crash Landing”), the endless interviews of these guys saying “oh, I’m going to be rich and famous, there’s no question” are quite entertaining (and some time in the last few years, I did see one of these guys on TV… dressed in a towel… on Cops). The best bits are with Ozzy, Lemmy, Joe Perry and (especially) Chris Holmes, they are standout’s and Ozzy and Holmes are, really, unforgettable… All their tales of ups and downs and debauchery are a kick. If you can stand the terrible fashions and hair-don’ts of this late 80’s scene (and most of the music is pretty weak), it’s a lot of fun.

an early Osborne’s preview

ok, so there are some real metal fans here…

man. “drink like a beast” is more like it…

Then when the movie is winding down… Megadeth appear and play “In my Darkest Hour”, and it’s not really fair. After watching these guys dressed like tacky valley girls strut around for an hour bragging about how great they are, Megadeth suddenly seem like the best band in the world. They have attitudes and music that just plain blow away everything you’ve just sat through.

On a much different note, thanks to F-dog and family, we actually got to head out on our own, with no little Elinor in tow. We opted to go to a movie theater and watch a movie, since it had been a long time since we’d be able to do something like that. Of course, that led to the standard, difference of opinion as to what to go to, but I agreed to go to Atonement, which I wasn’t looking forward to. What I was looking forward to was trying out the St Johns Theater. I am very glad that you can go to a nice, old movie theater and see current movies, it is so much better than going to those gosh-awful multiplex/chain nightmares. Anyway, so it was nice to go there (even if we did show up for the showing before they serve beer), but what was also quite nice was the movie. I must say that I really liked Atonement. A great and touching story, beautifully shot, epic in scene and scope, well-acted and a very, very nicely made production. Atonement is the story of a little lie told by a little girl and the effects it has on the lives around her as the years progress, and how the effects come back home to haunt her. It has rich people, poor people, war, prison, death and all that good stuff, all very well done… It is sad and tragic and just great. I thought that the scenes around the evacuation at Dunkirk were really top-notch.