Episode 128 - Streets of Fire: LIVE!

[Cam Bert 8145]

I feel bad about doing this, but I feel as the only resident of Japan here I need to clarify and correct the one audience member's comment.

 

Streets of Fire was indeed a big hit in Japan. Many of my middle aged Japanese friends love this movie, and it was voted by the readers of Kinema Junpo in 1984 as the movie of the year. However, unlike like the audience member said it was actually only influential on the video game Final Fight. Final Fight was originally pitched and sold as a sequel to Street Fighter, the original one not the more popular Street Fighter 2 which served as the basis for the JCVD movie Street Fighter. However, due to the popularity of Double Dragon 2 they decided to make a side scrolling beat 'em up instead of a fighting game. The production staff were fans of Streets of Fire and decided to curb some of the story elements from the movie as well as name one of the main characters Cody. This character would appear again in later Street Fighter games. However, while serving as inspiration for Final Fight and having a plot similar to that of Streets of Fire, Double Dragon was not influenced by the movie. Here is where things get a bit interesting though. Double Dragon was inspired by the incredibly popular Kunio-kun games put out by Technos Japan. The game Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun which was the direct inspiration for it was released in the west as Renegade. When it was being localized for America they decided when westernizing the graphics to basically make it a direct rip off of The Warriors which was directed by Streets of Fire director Walter Hill. Not directly connected but interesting none the less.

 

I'm sorry this doesn't help clear up for Jason, Paul, and June what exactly a street fighter is though.

[Jon Calderas 40]

I am just gonna keep assembling bits of the sequel movie until I get a full cut. It is totally bonkers this even exists. Ellen and Tom have a daughter (also named Ellen, also a rock star). She also returns home for a gig after hitting it big. Nuttiness. But Singer Roxy Gunn looks cool in the clips, she looks like she really could be their kid.

 

http://youtu.be/lBeUhRHqvPw

 

http://youtu.be/0TtudS18kwo

 

[babyoilbandit 81]

The whole fight with the sledgehammer thing made me think of all the times I've seen someone in a film fight with a sledgehammer. Off the top of my head I've only got Pale Rider where Clint Eastwood hits Richard Kiel in the face with a sledgehammer and doesn't Shaq have a sledgehammer in Steel? I guess Shaq never hits anyone in the face with it.

 

Anyway the whole problem everyone had with the scene is that sledgehammers are top heavy and will take you with them when you swing them at somebody and this very issue comes up in a scene in a martial arts film I saw within the last year or so where the solution was to not fight with the heavy end but to fight with the handle. Anyone know which film I'm talking about?

[Jon Calderas 40]

The whole fight with the sledgehammer thing made me think of all the times I've seen someone in a film fight with a sledgehammer. Off the top of my head I've only got Pale Rider where Clint Eastwood hits Richard Kiel in the face with a sledgehammer and doesn't Shaq have a sledgehammer in Steel? I guess Shaq never hits anyone in the face with it.

 

Anyway the whole problem everyone had with the scene is that sledgehammers are top heavy and will take you with them when you swing them at somebody and this very issue comes up in a scene in a martial arts film I saw within the last year or so where the solution was to not fight with the heavy end but to fight with the handle. Anyone know which film I'm talking about?

 

It's like the lowest tech light saber duel ever

 

Sledgehammer battle? That's SO Raven!

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

I can't help but love the total batshit illogical nature of this movie; the fact that it's in its own universe and freely takes aesthetics from all different eras and styles. I was trying to come up with a way of describing it that properly conveys its inherent madness; "Happy Days (with Tits and Fire!): The Musical"? What happens when someone from the 1980s decides to adapt a movie poster of a 1950s biker movie like Marlon Brando's 'The Wild One' without ever having seen it, then adding contemporary music? I dunno.

 

Then I think I hit on it: It's Grand Theft Auto: Streets of Fire! It's just like the video game but with a retro setting. It's got a mysterious protagonist coming back into town after a long absence, various musical mishmashes playing constantly that are sometimes period appropriate and sometimes not, corrupt cops, huge explosions for no reason, cartoonish side characters that do nothing to advance the plot, a wacky assortment of weapons, various feuding gangs, and the fact that murder and arson and theft are just sort of... forgotten about by law enforcement if you just drive around for long enough.

 

I haven't played a GTA game in years, but I think I would play this one.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

Mykelti Williamson, aka Bubba from Forrest Gump and Baby-O from Con Air, also played one of the Sorels just in case you missed him.

 

I was going to post this if you hadn't. I had to look him up because Mykelti is such an unusual name. In Streets of Fire he's credited as Mykel T. Williamson. Apparently that was the first iteration of his stage name because his real name is Michael T. Williamson! Way to go on finding a stage name that really stands out!

[Cameron H. 23786]

I think I have an answer to "Why sledgehammers?"

 

When Raven is speaking with the police (who apparently don't think to arrest him right then and there for kidnapping...), he tells them, "I want Tom Cody. I wanna nail that son-of-a-bitch's head to the sidewalk under that marquee that says 'Ellen Aim' on it." I suspect that was the purpose of the sledgehammer fight. Say what you want about Raven, he's a man of his word.

 

However, this led me down a rabbit hole of analysis that may require me to slightly amend on of my previous posts. Technically, if Cody represents the "Body" of Rock & Roll, then Raven should have nailed his head to the sidewalk--the death of the "Body" allowing for the ascension of the "Spirit." Instead, it's Raven that's defeated. However, I noticed that as Raven is being driven away his body is being held by one of his thugs in the position of Michelangelo's Pieta--one of the most overused images in the World. I'm not sure if this was a decision made by the director or DeFoe, but I think it is too obvious to just be an accident.

 

 

And, yes, for those who followed the discussion on the mini-sode thread, this is indeed the second time I've compared this film to a piece of Fine Art.

 

So a quick revision of my previous post...

 

I stand by all my earlier assertions, Ellen still represents the "Spirit" and Fish is still the "Brain/Corporate" side of Rock & Roll, but now I'm thinking Cody may actually be the "Heart" of Rock & Roll and Raven, with his shallowness and proclivity for debauchery, may be the "Body." In which case, he would absolutely need to be defeated for the "Spirit' to transcend.

 

[Lando 2019]

I feel bad about doing this, but I feel as the only resident of Japan here I need to clarify and correct the one audience member's comment.

 

Streets of Fire was indeed a big hit in Japan. Many of my middle aged Japanese friends love this movie, and it was voted by the readers of Kinema Junpo in 1984 as the movie of the year. However, unlike like the audience member said it was actually only influential on the video game Final Fight. Final Fight was originally pitched and sold as a sequel to Street Fighter, the original one not the more popular Street Fighter 2 which served as the basis for the JCVD movie Street Fighter. However, due to the popularity of Double Dragon 2 they decided to make a side scrolling beat 'em up instead of a fighting game. The production staff were fans of Streets of Fire and decided to curb some of the story elements from the movie as well as name one of the main characters Cody. This character would appear again in later Street Fighter games. However, while serving as inspiration for Final Fight and having a plot similar to that of Streets of Fire, Double Dragon was not influenced by the movie. Here is where things get a bit interesting though. Double Dragon was inspired by the incredibly popular Kunio-kun games put out by Technos Japan. The game Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun which was the direct inspiration for it was released in the west as Renegade. When it was being localized for America they decided when westernizing the graphics to basically make it a direct rip off of The Warriors which was directed by Streets of Fire director Walter Hill. Not directly connected but interesting none the less.

 

I'm sorry this doesn't help clear up for Jason, Paul, and June what exactly a street fighter is though.

 

This gave me a mega nostalgia flashback. Used to love Renegade, Double Dragon and River City Ransom. You couldn't have a side scroller beat-em-up without a kidnapped girlfriend for some reason.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

 

 

This gave me a mega nostalgia flashback. Used to love Renegade, Double Dragon and River City Ransom. You couldn't have a side scroller beat-em-up without a kidnapped girlfriend for some reason.

And your best bro by your side! Or in the case of "Final Fight", your girlfriend's shirtless mayor father...and your best bro.

 

Holy shit, I also just remembered "Bad Dudes"

[Lando 2019]

Holy shit, I also just remembered "Bad Dudes"

 

Yeah, in that one you're rescuing the president, not your kidnapped girlfriend. TOTALLY different.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I think I have an answer to "Why sledgehammers?"

 

When Raven is speaking with the police (who apparently don't think to arrest him right then and there for kidnapping...), he tells them, "I want Tom Cody. I wanna nail that son-of-a-bitch's head to the sidewalk under that marquee that says 'Ellen Aim' on it." I suspect that was the purpose of the sledgehammer fight. Say what you want about Raven, he's a man of his word.

 

However, this led me down a rabbit hole of analysis that may require me to slightly amend on of my previous posts. Technically, if Cody represents the "Body" of Rock & Roll, then Raven should have nailed his head to the sidewalk--the death of the "Body" allowing for the ascension of the "Spirit." Instead, it's Raven that's defeated. However, I noticed that as Raven is being driven away his body is being held by one of his thugs in the position of Michelangelo's Pieta--one of the most overused images in the World. I'm not sure if this was a decision made by the director or DeFoe, but I think it is too obvious to just be an accident.

 

And, yes, for those who followed the discussion on the mini-sode thread, this is indeed the second time I've compared this film to a piece of Fine Art.

 

So a quick revision of my previous post...

 

I stand by all my earlier assertions, Ellen still represents the "Spirit" and Fish is still the "Brain/Corporate" side of Rock & Roll, but now I'm thinking Cody may actually be the "Heart" of Rock & Roll and Raven, with his shallowness and proclivity for debauchery, may be the "Body." In which case, he would absolutely need to be defeated for the "Spirit' to transcend.

 

I hate how much this all makes sense.

 

But you know me, I am a sucker for connecting bad films to art history (still kinda salty that Paul didn't read my in depth analysis on the Ninja Turtles and their historical counterparts).

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

 

 

Yeah, in that one you're rescuing the president, not your kidnapped girlfriend. TOTALLY different.

I want to see the deleted prologue where the President's men, rather than decide to go with some sort of military strike or covert op, decide "We'll just send in a couple of 1980s street toughs to get the job done. A couple of really...bad dudes."

[Lando 2019]

I want to see the deleted prologue where the President's men, rather than decide to go with some sort of military strike or covert op, decide "We'll just send in a couple of 1980s street toughs to get the job done. A couple of really...bad dudes."

 

It would probably just sound a lot like when they decide to send Snake Plissken into NYC to save the president.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

All I have to add to the sledgehammer convo is...

 

[Lando 2019]

All I have to add to the sledgehammer convo is...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJWJE0x7T4Q

 

[OoofMaGOOF 348]

Jason, thank you for sticking up for this movie. I find it really goofy and odd fun. The fact that it was pretty clear it was filmed on a backlot just kind of lended itself to the weird, otherworldly feel. And yeah Moranis was great, it was so cool to see him in that role.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Jason, thank you for sticking up for this movie. I find it really goofy and odd fun. The fact that it was pretty clear it was filmed on a backlot just kind of lended itself to the weird, otherworldly feel. And yeah Moranis was great, it was so cool to see him in that role.

I really wanted it to be fun, but I really felt that after they save Ellen from Torchie's, it just got really boring and never really recovered until the sledgehammer fight.

[Cameron H. 23786]

I just wanted to say, I thought it was hilarious that the first "2nd Opinions" reviewer had to specify that he "accidentally" shit his pants. It's as if he was thinking, "Okay, I have to include the fact that I had just shit my pants because it's important to my review, but I want just to make sure that it's crystal clear that I didn't do it intentionally. I wouldn't want people to think I'm some kind of weird-o or something."

[OoofMaGOOF 348]

I really wanted it to be fun, but I really felt that after they save Ellen from Torchie's, it just got really boring and never really recovered until the sledgehammer fight.

 

 

I'll definitely give you that it peaked early. I had seen this years ago but watched it again last night and thought "Wow, that rescue happened really early on." The last 3 was a little dull.

[Lando 2019]

All I could think about the plot of this movie (and I use that term reluctantly) is that it reminded me of The Iliad, but much dumber. Ellen is Helen of Troy, and Raven as Paris, and Moranis's Billy Fish character as Menelaus (and either Tom or Reva as Hector).

 

I was thinking about this, and if it had been a rock opera adaptation of the Iliad it would have much more interesting. I would like to have seen them deal with a "cyclops" figure and "sirens" etc.

[staircar1 15]

The whole fight with the sledgehammer thing made me think of all the times I've seen someone in a film fight with a sledgehammer.

 

You gotta see Emperor of the North, in which Ernest Borgnine and Lee fuckin' Marvin have a brutal sledgehammer duel on a moving train.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

 

You gotta see Emperor of the North, in which Ernest Borgnine and Lee fuckin' Marvin have a brutal sledgehammer duel on a moving train.

 

I gotta see this movie!

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

I was thinking about this, and if it had been a rock opera adaptation of the Iliad it would have much more interesting. I would like to have seen them deal with a "cyclops" figure and "sirens" etc.

 

Um...actually, I believe you are confusing The Iliad with The Odyssey. I'm sure it was an honest mistake...

 

[jarrycanada 2483]

Correction:

 

Dottie or Baby Doll as she is respectfully known as in Streets of fire, her job in the film is she's a musical Muse and if your wondering why she wasn't on the job in the film, it's because this was her big week off. and the proof is in the scene that happens right after she is first introduced into the film. they run into a bus full of talented artists.

 

It's well known that Rick Moranis is a bit of a ass hole here in Canada, so much so that it's become a derogative term. used in a sentenced like " don't go all Moranis on me now. " you would say to a wife or a guy that got on your nerves.

 

much used like this popular Canadian saying " hey great one, why don't you take the kids to a movie!"

or "hey great one, why don't you take the trash out!" don't get all Moranis! On me about it, just do it.

 

and so now you know.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

 

Um...actually, I believe you are confusing The Iliad with The Odyssey. I'm sure it was an honest mistake...