I wouldn’t recommend the habit of channel surfing when it comes to selecting an evening’s movie. Jumping into the middle of even a great movie and catching a few seconds of dialogue out of context can look mighty odd. It’s something that doesn’t happen with TV, which is often designed for people to jump in at any moment. I liken the sensation to listening to a random 30 second clip of a song on Amazon and believing you’ve got a full sense of what that track sounds like or how it is they got to that weird, minor key transition.
Regardless, I did not have control of the remote Friday night, and it’s amazing what you can pick up when you’re dividing your attention between an iPad and the TV.
Our family was fortunate enough to turn on the TV right as the ’50s diner scene of “Pulp Fiction” was starting. I commented that Buddy Holly was actually Steve Buscemi, and the DVR confirmed it. John Travolta asked what a $5 milkshake tastes like, and although AMC dubbed it to a “freaking” good shake, it prompted our own ice cream run. Tarantino’s movie is one you can jump into at any moment, and we would’ve remained there were it not for the dubbed swears and commercial breaks.
The next stop was the original “Superman” on HBO. My sister commented that Christopher Reeve is not as attractive as Henry Cavill by a mile, but I noticed that even the cheesy effects as the Fortress of Solitude grew and erupted out of the North Pole looked cooler, prettier and more compelling than the ugly gray shades permeating every moment of “Man of Steel.” Then Marlon Brando showed up as Jor-El and I knew that I was watching a real classic. Will Zack Snyder’s film have the same watchability 30 years from now?
Starting at just about the same time was the original “Lethal Weapon,” and we watched that up until the point that Danny Glover unironically said “I’m getting too old for this shit.” It’s hard to believe there was a time when these cliches seemed less egregious. It was at least interesting to see Mel Gibson in his prime. Too often I’ve caught one of the “Lethal Weapon” sequels on TNT and rolled my eyes at Joe Pesci being irritating or Glover sitting on a toilet rigged to explode.
What I did finally land on did not start that much better. It was the beginning of The Who’s “Quadrophenia,” a coming-of-age depiction of the early ’60s and the conflict between the Mod and Rocker subcultures. The scene we entered on was of the main character and a friend sitting in bath tubs and arguing opposite a dividing wall. The wide shots left little to the imagination, to say the least.
But the movie turned out to be an exciting slice of life, not so much married to The Who’s concept album but more closely resembling that of the French New Wave. The mostly plotless film full of ’60s swagger and being very British is a perfect companion between “American Graffiti” and “Trainspotting,” one critic wrote upon this film’s revival. Most will note the movie’s cameo appearance by Sting as one of the ultra cool Mods, but it also features small performances by a young Ray Winstone and Timothy Spall.
I found “Quadrophenia” so interesting not because it was a great portrait of adolescent angst and growth, but because it felt so close to a different time, style and culture. They all dress in suits, ride Vespas and have a liberal use of the C-word, and it’s fascinating to watch simply because it lacks a contrived story to pull all these slices of life together. One early scene shows a house party where the kids in this teenage wasteland all dance and spaz out to “My Generation.” Even before the whole party moved upstairs to have sex, it looked like a party I wanted to be at, and one that doesn’t exist for my generation.
Some of the best moments however come from the recreation of a real life moment in 1964 when thousands of Mods and Rockers travelled to Brighton for a Bank Holiday. The army of Mods marches down the street chanting “We are the Mods” before spotting some Rockers and starting a brawl to end all brawls. The leading man and lady break off down an alley and have quick sex in a hidden alcove, and it’s a beautiful contrast of romance and rebellion in just a few short moments. Follow that with a shot of staring at the sea as “Love, Reign O’Er Me” blares, and you’ve got yourself a Friday night.