We're all long past the point of pretending that Showgirls is a bad movie. These are enlightened times.
― Eric H., Thursday, 8 May 2008 21:20 (sixteen years ago) link
Back up a bit, folks. Eszterhas is forever the stumbling block.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 8 May 2008 21:23 (sixteen years ago) link
oh c'mon ned: "I have a problem with pussy. I always have, and I'm always gonna."
the real problem is Berkley. She acts like she's in a bad movie. That and the wtf contrived scene where her friend gets beat up.
― Cosmo Vitelli, Thursday, 8 May 2008 21:41 (sixteen years ago) link
It was actually that wtf contrived scene that prompted my comment!
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 8 May 2008 21:43 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah as I recall it wasn't even necessary for the plot mechanics.
― Cosmo Vitelli, Thursday, 8 May 2008 21:47 (sixteen years ago) link
that scene kills off the camp fans - i'm glad it's there because of that; you don't get to just giggle at implications of forced blowjobs and coerced whoredom at the hands of millionaire boat show enthusiasts
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 9 May 2008 00:10 (sixteen years ago) link
i mean, you giggle, but the rape scene retroactively de-gigglefies you, which i think is pretty key
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 9 May 2008 00:21 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/screengrab/archive/2008/06/12/girl-disempowering-nine-films-that-didn-t-do-feminism-any-favors-part-two.aspx
“Do you know what they call that useless piece of skin around a twat? A woman!” And that hilarious quip from strip club “comedienne” Henrietta “Mama” Bazoom pretty much sums up the philosophy towards women in this abortion of a cult classic by screenwriter Joe Eszterhas and director Paul Verhoeven. Sure, I get it...this campy, overwrought drag show bitch-fest about amoral sex worker Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) is so bad it’s good! And we can all just laugh through the parts where Gina Ravera’s Molly (the only vaguely redeemable or recognizably human character in the movie, and a black woman to boot) gets brutally raped by a loathsome white rock star. (I love it when they act out that part in the drag queen version of the show at my favorite hipster bar!) Garish, ridiculous and aggressively stupid, Showgirls is hard for me to enjoy ironically, since it so clearly embraces and truly believes in its own fetid realpolitik Hollywood philosophy that love is a lie, “art” is whatever makes money, winning is everything, men are scumbags, women are worthless (especially if they’re not hot, naked and young), the world is a shithole, if you’re not clawing your way to the top every single minute (and/or don’t know how to properly pronounce the most expensive status symbol brand names) you’re a fool and a loser and deserve what you get. Yeccch. Showgirls ain't just misogynistic: it pretty much hates everyone. And the feeling is mutual.
Contributors to this article, btw, are "Andrew Osborne, Phil Nugent, Leonard Pierce"
― caek, Sunday, 15 June 2008 02:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Roadhouse on again last night. When oh when oh when will it get the Criterion double dvd treatment it so richly deserves?
― Ned Trifle II, Friday, 22 August 2008 23:59 (fifteen years ago) link
Hahah, I was thinking of reviving this thread today for some reason. Great Neds think alike.
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 23 August 2008 00:11 (fifteen years ago) link
It's always a good time to revive this thread. It was up for 5 Razzies, including the totally bizarre Worst Supporting Actor for Gazzara which proves, if proof were needed, that they are a complete pile of do-do.
― Ned Trifle II, Saturday, 23 August 2008 00:23 (fifteen years ago) link
which proves, if proof were needed
Surely 'which proves, if proof be need be'
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 23 August 2008 00:43 (fifteen years ago) link
Road House 2 has my favorite JAKE Busey performance:
http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/rants/RoadHouse2/RoadHouse2-Busey3.jpg
― BigLurks, Saturday, 23 August 2008 03:51 (fifteen years ago) link
no neon fiddle no cred
― latebloomer, Saturday, 23 August 2008 03:54 (fifteen years ago) link
Last month at the AVClub, Scott Tobias considered one, then the other.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 27 August 2008 15:51 (fifteen years ago) link
???
by Preparation Heche
Is there anyone here who thinks this is just an awful, stupid movie?
5:50 AM Thurs July 10, 2008
heheh, some people...
― Ned Trifle II, Wednesday, 27 August 2008 19:39 (fifteen years ago) link
There's no justifying Road House as a good film, exactly, but it's so entertaining that it provokes philosophical musings about how "good" even applies sometimes
Erm, so it is a good film then?
― Ned Trifle II, Wednesday, 27 August 2008 19:42 (fifteen years ago) link
av club goes way too far in rationalizing reasons to like these flicks.
― latebloomer, Wednesday, 27 August 2008 19:52 (fifteen years ago) link
This is actually interesting:
It's a shame that Verhoeven wasn't allowed to explain himself on the DVD, since he gives bar-none the best commentaries in the business
I can't say I've heard any of his commentaries, so is this claim accurate?
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 27 August 2008 20:08 (fifteen years ago) link
well i guess I'M going to be up until 4:05 a.m. est.
― strongohulkingtonsghost, Sunday, 13 September 2009 06:43 (fourteen years ago) link
thanks, hbo.
Still haven't seen Showgirls, totally love Road House obv.
― if I don't see more dissent, I'm going to have to check myself in (Matos W.K.), Sunday, 13 September 2009 07:27 (fourteen years ago) link
really need to sit and watch it. i've only seen the edited-for-tv version.
― i've eaten steaks rarer than you in prison (latebloomer), Sunday, 13 September 2009 07:42 (fourteen years ago) link
Showgoilz that is
― i've eaten steaks rarer than you in prison (latebloomer), Sunday, 13 September 2009 08:33 (fourteen years ago) link
how long was that one, an hour?
― we like cars, we like cartoons (dyao), Sunday, 13 September 2009 08:45 (fourteen years ago) link
like an hour plus 8+ additional hours of ads
― i've eaten steaks rarer than you in prison (latebloomer), Sunday, 13 September 2009 09:30 (fourteen years ago) link
"Pain don't hurt."
― Carey (Carey), Wednesday, November 12, 2003 11:13 AM (5 years ago) Bookmark
― Pullman/Paxton Revolving Bills (Pillbox), Sunday, 13 September 2009 11:52 (fourteen years ago) link
This thread's revival was a sign. (Perhaps.)
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 15 September 2009 15:31 (fourteen years ago) link
rip that man
― Great Scott! It's Molecular Man. (Ste), Tuesday, 15 September 2009 17:59 (fourteen years ago) link
Road House is certainly a proud moment for both Ben Gazzara and John Doe. Do you think there were any second takes on this picture?
It was up for 5 Razzies, including the totally bizarre Worst Supporting Actor for Gazzara which proves, if proof were needed, that they are a complete pile of do-do.
Yes, bcz Gazzara doesn't do anything that could be remotely mistaken for acting, nor does he seem to be fully awake in many scenes.
From the iMdB comments section:
Road House is really about the clash between heterosexual and homosexual culture. Dalton doesn't clean up a bar full of roughnecks, he cleans up a straight town that has been overtaken by homosexuals. Now, I don't condone the message, i'm not a super masculine man who hates homosexuals, but if you watch this film and listen to the dialogue you will realize this is exactly what it's about.
Evil is made possible by nothing more than the sanction you give it
― A Patch on Blazing Saddles (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 October 2009 14:12 (fourteen years ago) link
omg until the last bit i was like "hmm interesting queer reading of road house" hahaha
― gore vitalic (s1ocki), Tuesday, 6 October 2009 14:21 (fourteen years ago) link
He seems to have overlooked that the hero is a ballet/tai chi man.
― A Patch on Blazing Saddles (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 October 2009 14:23 (fourteen years ago) link
Remember, 'cocksucker' is just two nouns put together to evoke a response.
(There's a director's commentary where the douchebag says the movie "went into a world no one had ever seen before.")
― A Patch on Blazing Saddles (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 October 2009 14:26 (fourteen years ago) link
i am a roadhouse man but after re-viewing showgirls today with a friend i have to say it's pretty incredible. elizabeth berkely is terrible in a bizarrely compelling way.
― i ain't no daggum son of a gun (latebloomer), Monday, 2 November 2009 03:59 (fourteen years ago) link
Also the movie is enhanced if you interpret it as what would have happened to Jessie fromSave by the Bell if she had continued her caffeine pill addiction
― i ain't no daggum son of a gun (latebloomer), Monday, 2 November 2009 04:05 (fourteen years ago) link
http://kotaku.com/5434701/playboy-teases-us-with-the-ultimate-coulda+been-game
― ea™e (latebloomer), Sunday, 27 December 2009 07:47 (fourteen years ago) link
This is a vision.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 27 December 2009 17:04 (fourteen years ago) link
Reposted from Chicago thread because I feel that I must further share this exciting information.
Oh! That reminds me -- D told me that some Italian director is making a sequel (that has absolutely nothing to do with the original) to...are you ready?
SHOWGIRLS.
I want to note that these were the circumstances that brought us Troll 2(Italian director, nothing at all to do with the original, schlocky )
― figgy pudding (La Lechera), Monday, March 1, 2010 8:23 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark
― figgy pudding (La Lechera), Monday, 1 March 2010 14:27 (fourteen years ago) link
The trick would be if they kept the original cast.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 1 March 2010 14:41 (fourteen years ago) link
No, I think it has potential! Maybe one little cameo, like the WORK IT dude or something. Troll 2 had NONE of the original cast of TROLL (which included Julia Louis Dreyfus and the kid who played Atreyu!)and it was spectacularly bad.
― figgy pudding (La Lechera), Monday, 1 March 2010 14:45 (fourteen years ago) link
Thought I'd read that Rena Riffel is making her return.
― queen frostine (Eric H.), Monday, 1 March 2010 14:51 (fourteen years ago) link
ooh read where?
― figgy pudding (La Lechera), Monday, 1 March 2010 14:59 (fourteen years ago) link
at work, can't google
― queen frostine (Eric H.), Monday, 1 March 2010 15:14 (fourteen years ago) link
am running to n/sfw problems myselfoh well
― figgy pudding (La Lechera), Monday, 1 March 2010 15:31 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.showgirls2.com/ (TRAILER!)
I am NOT impressed. Totally misses the point and ALSO I heard it had a $25 million budget but I am not seeing this in the trailer, like at all.
― RubyNoir, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 01:12 (fourteen years ago) link
Ugh. Pass.
(Apparently Rena Riffel's character is making a return, not the actress.)
― queen frostine (Eric H.), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 01:22 (fourteen years ago) link
Clearly time for a Road House 2/Showgirls 2 thread.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 01:28 (fourteen years ago) link
I agree, the trailer looks terrible. Against all odds, I maintain hope.
― figgy pudding (La Lechera), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 02:35 (fourteen years ago) link
I guess I will watch Showgirls this year, after watching Road House in '09.
― Fusty Moralizer (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 02:39 (fourteen years ago) link
"I thought you'd be...bigger."
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 6 March 2010 07:12 (fourteen years ago) link