Episode 188 - Body Rock: LIVE!

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Okay, something that jumped out RIGHT away:

 

In that opening musical number, the lyric "children of darkness" is paired with a shot of Magick, who is obviously a small black child.

 

I'd be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and write it off as an oblivious editing choice, but the cuts to and from the shot of Magick are so precisely paired with that lyric that it definitely raised my eyebrows.

 

See for yourself (it's between the 35 and 40 second marks right at the beginning):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdvRr5lIUGA&t=0m35s

 

Oh no I fully was coming to comment about that. It's ... a lot even by 80's standards.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

 

 

And apparently the collar popping is not a character choice but a way of the actor's life as apparently he still does this

and this is just one of many shown on Google. Also with the talk about Lamas' dong size, I guess now I know why when I saw him at a comic convention a couple years ago he had a wheelbarrow under his table.

 

It's like midnight and my cat just woke up because i had such a visceral reaction to this image. I just said in such a strained voice it must sound like I found out something horrific happened to a beloved family member "Oh. Oh no. oh GOD NO. "

I was so distressed by this act of duchery I woke the cat up.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

So I'll definitely clarify that I am the whitest of the white as well. For those that have seen photos of me, and have met me in person, know that I am blue eyed and blonde and actually got mistaken in Reykjavic as being a local (legit this guy tried to speak Icelandic to me and I was like oh no no no), so I'll be the first to say that I have absolutely no idea what it is truly like for people of color in this country. But I believe that ethnicity and race get confused with each other more than we think, and in that sense I have to disagree with you. Only because a lot of my friend group have Eastern European roots (there is a large Czech population in Texas) and they all have dark hair and dark eyes and none of them would ever say they experience any kind of prejudice against them for that in this country, because their skin is still white. There is a different kind of prejudice here than I see in Europe, which I believe does have more to do with where you are from rather than solely the color of your skin, but here I never see someone get put on blast if they have dark hair and dark eyes. I mean to take Melania Trump, for example, she is an immigrant from Eastern Europe but she is considered the "right kind" of immigrant because she's white. No one seems to have a problem with her, but if an immigrant's skin is any darker than hers then holy shit there needs to be a ban or a wall or whatever else kind of racist thing they want to throw around. Again, I'm probably not even the right person to talk on this subject. I recognize the privilege that comes with being white, blonde, and blue-eyed. But I also want to stick up for the POC in this country and we just do not see white people that even have dark hair treated anything like the way latinx, Muslim, and black people are treated. Although the Jewish population has been under attack again because of the rise of the alt-right but they've been targeting those with Jewish last names rather than what they look like.

 

From my understanding of things in Europe this is a thing. People who come from the "wrong" European countries like Greece, Romania, and a lot of Eastern European countries. Apparently in England there was a survey done in 2014 and 71% of the Polish migrants had suffered or knew someone who ha suffered some form of verbal or physical abuse or at the hands of someone British.

 

It's very complicated form of racism because they aren't seen as ... not white. They are white but it's more like in the 19th century America and the immense hated/ discrimination against Irish and Italian immigrants. They were seen as white and were probably treated better than a person of actual color but they were still seen as less than and looked down upon because of derogatory beliefs held about them based on their place of birth.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

I started watching the movie again and Chilly immediately ditches his friends at minute 42.

 

Everything I wrote about him being not selfish in the beginning of the movie goes down the drain 2 minutes after I called quits lol! But that just makes me ask... why? Was it really just the rush of working in this successful club? One minute he's telling his friends about how he told Terrence he's gonna get a DJ and a Rapper and the next he's just getting into a limo and ditching them. There's no signs of true motivation that he would have done that.

 

Dang this movie sucks.

 

Well doesn't his friend actually tell him to go with them? One of his friends says and I quote " You better check that shit out dude!" The rapper says it I.I couldn't remember a single name in this movie I was so overwhelmed by the bad fashion I could only take in their job descriptions . I'm still pissed they said one of them did magic and YET I SAW NO MAGIC. NOTHING NOT EVEN A QUARTER OUT OF AN EAR

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Of course Folgers's is in this movie. Of course the coffee famous for an incest Christmas commercial would be in a movie where a brother is (not so ) low key clearly into his sister

 

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Ok so the ONLY good transformation about Chilly (Chili?) is that during the sex scene with Shelia from A Chorus Line he's clearly had a FULL body wax. Gone is the sweater from the beginning in the movie. It's the only good thing he does in the whole film.

 

Also can we talk about how Chili is full on wearing women's clothes? The outfit he wears for the meeting with Terrence at the start when he's looking for a manager is a woman's blouse with the sleeves cut off that he's left unbuttoned, blue women's silk (some kind of a crepe fabric?) slacks and what looks like a woman's red belt.

 

His leather boots that look like leather studded Uggs which he wears when strutting down the street like an insane person high off his ass on coke look like women's shoes from the time.

 

There were a couple more but I'm half asleep right now

[FrancisRizzo3 212]

Did this try to be the Anti-Grease movie?

 

Several times in this episode, Paul compares the movie's vibe to that of Cocktail and Staying Alive. However, to me, when I first saw Chilly on screen it seemed to me he was mimicking Danny Z from Grease; from his walk/strut, the collar flipping (and eventual leather jacket), ...and in a few moments, poor attempts to be "Fonzy cool". I thought maybe it was just me, but shortly into the movie as he is trying to get into Lawrence's office, he says his name is Chilly D. and the secretary says "D? As in Sandra Dee?" !!!!

 

So, I believe that this movie was trying to the Anti-Grease, in which Chilly starts off as a seemingly nice guy (ie.."I can't do that" phone call) , but quickly turns into a horrible person for the entire rest of the movie, as his friends try to stick by his side. Danny Z. from Grease was a nice guy trying to put on a tough image, where Chilly is someone who everyone likes, despite being a complete asshole.

 

Continuing on the Grease theme, when Chilly D visits Darlene at work, she's wearing a letterman sweater, with a big D on it. I won't claim encyclopedic knowledge of '80s fashion, but I don't remember these being a thing.

 

[FrancisRizzo3 212]

About 77 minutes in (a point it took a few tries to reach), are we supposed to accept that one of the dancer's phased through the grill of the boom box? The film hasn't attempted any artsy transitions to this point, but we see a dancer behind the boombox fade through to the front. Terrance has some serious FX budget.

[FrancisRizzo3 212]

Interesting night club that allows a child like Magick in.

 

Though Chilly D has no discernible talent, he does have a super power: his incredible confidence despite it being completely undeserved. Can you imagine dropping your friends like a hot rock, not talking to them for a good while, then commandeering a stage and calling those same friends up to perform with you, without any pre-planning? If only the film ended with Chilly D calling out into the dark for his friends and being left along on the stage in a single, solitary spotlight, popping his collar one last time before a cut to black.

 

And what's up with Darlene just going back to Chilly D at the show, despite flipping on him at the hospital? What exactly changed in the meanwhile?

[hornacek 43]

Maybe it was because I had just watched the movie a month ago, but I got a serious case of deja vu from the endings of Body Rock and Strictly Ballroom. Both movies end with the main character at a musical competition where the villain pulls the plug to turn off the music, but one character in the crowd starts slow clapping and the entire crowd joins in to build up a beat (in Ballroom the main characters continued dancing to this clapping).

 

Is it possible that Baz Lurhman saw Body Rock in the 80s and was such a fan that he incorporated its ending into his first movie 8 years later?

[taylor anne photo 11311]

From my understanding of things in Europe this is a thing. People who come from the "wrong" European countries like Greece, Romania, and a lot of Eastern European countries. Apparently in England there was a survey done in 2014 and 71% of the Polish migrants had suffered or knew someone who ha suffered some form of verbal or physical abuse or at the hands of someone British.

 

It's very complicated form of racism because they aren't seen as ... not white. They are white but it's more like in the 19th century America and the immense hated/ discrimination against Irish and Italian immigrants. They were seen as white and were probably treated better than a person of actual color but they were still seen as less than and looked down upon because of derogatory beliefs held about them based on their place of birth.

Yes, exactly. But according to historical records a lot of that kind of prejudice against the Italians and Irish ended in America around WWII. And as an Irish girl I'm very aware of the shit that my ancestors went through when they were leaving Ireland and arriving here (My father's side even changed their name to sound less Irish and more English). I've even seen Irish Americans use all of this in their dumbass "what about..." in the face of true racism in this country. No thanks, I'm never going to use anything my ancestors went through as a justification to spread white supremacy. Which is why it kinda just rubs me the wrong way when I see very white Europeans claim these kinds of things.

 

Just to bring it back to the podcast a bit, I've heard Jason say he is a white man, and honestly I suspect he has endured some racist comments because he has dark skin and could easily pass as Middle Eastern. No one that would care about the color of his skin would care that his background is from Greece (or that he was really born in Massachusetts) but it's his race that makes them up in arms. Of course this is just assuming he has gotten these kinds of things thrown at him at all.

 

ANYWAY sorry to everyone for the complete digression away from the movie but I just agree with Ryan Sz that I believe Luigi is a white man lol.

[grudlian. 4725]

Yes, exactly. But according to historical records a lot of that kind of prejudice against the Italians and Irish ended in America around WWII. And as an Irish girl I'm very aware of the shit that my ancestors went through when they were leaving Ireland and arriving here (My father's side even changed their name to sound less Irish and more English). I've even seen Irish Americans use all of this in their dumbass "what about..." in the face of true racism in this country. No thanks, I'm never going to use anything my ancestors went through as a justification to spread white supremacy. Which is why it kinda just rubs me the wrong way when I see very white Europeans claim these kinds of things.

 

Just to bring it back to the podcast a bit, I've heard Jason say he is a white man, and honestly I suspect he has endured some racist comments because he has dark skin and could easily pass as Middle Eastern. No one that would care about the color of his skin would care that his background is from Greece (or that he was really born in Massachusetts) but it's his race that makes them up in arms. Of course this is just assuming he has gotten these kinds of things thrown at him at all.

 

ANYWAY sorry to everyone for the complete digression away from the movie but I just agree with Ryan Sz that I believe Luigi is a white man lol.

I'm glad you brought this up. I really considered using Jason as an example when this first came up and I was worried about a super white person (me) discussing a host's racial appearance.

 

I believe I heard Jason mention being "randomly" stopped in airports. Compare to someone like Zach Galifianakis who is also Greek, known for his huge beard and playing mentally unstable characters. I haven't heard Galifianakis mention getting stopped in airports and I don't think it's entirely because Zach is more famous than Jason Mantzoukas.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I'm glad you brought this up. I really considered using Jason as an example when this first came up and I was worried about a super white person (me) discussing a host's racial appearance.

 

I believe I heard Jason mention being "randomly" stopped in airports. Compare to someone like Zach Galifianakis who is also Greek, known for his huge beard and playing mentally unstable characters. I haven't heard Galifianakis mention getting stopped in airports and I don't think it's entirely because Zach is more famous than Jason Mantzoukas.

Honestly I was worried about throwing him in as well because he isn't a willing participant in this conversation, but I'm with you in that I think he had mentioned being "randomly" stopped. And I don't think any of us believe it's because of his Greek name.

 

(Also, true story, I get "randomly" stopped every time I go to the airport but I think that has to do with my boobs... not joking I think they believe I'm smuggling shit in my bra)

[JackLechner 14]

I don't know what "Body Rock" is supposed to look like, but I suspect the YouTube upload isn't doing it any favors. When the guy in the audience said the DP's name was "Robert Muller," I did a mental double take, and looked up the movie on IMDb. Actually, the DP is Robby Müller -- one of the great cinematographers of all time. He shot "Body Rock" the same year he shot two stone classics, "Paris, Texas" and "Repo Man." His other credits include "Breaking the Waves," "To Live and Die in L.A.," and a lot of movies for Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch. So if "Body Rock" doesn't look good on YouTube, it's probably not Müller's fault!

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

 

From my understanding of things in Europe this is a thing. People who come from the "wrong" European countries like Greece, Romania, and a lot of Eastern European countries. Apparently in England there was a survey done in 2014 and 71% of the Polish migrants had suffered or knew someone who ha suffered some form of verbal or physical abuse or at the hands of someone British.

 

It's very complicated form of racism because they aren't seen as ... not white. They are white but it's more like in the 19th century America and the immense hated/ discrimination against Irish and Italian immigrants. They were seen as white and were probably treated better than a person of actual color but they were still seen as less than and looked down upon because of derogatory beliefs held about them based on their place of birth.

From The Commitments

[media='']

[/media]

Jimmy Rabbitte: Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Interesting night club that allows a child like Magick in.

 

 

YES THANK YOU! There's no way Magick would have been able to get in the club, they would have had to sneak him in. You have to be at least 18 to tend bar / work in a night club in New York. Also i think there's some kind of rule for 21 and under's not being able to work past 9 pm in places that serve booze? Plus child labor laws ... not that these assholes care about child labor laws .

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Yes, exactly. But according to historical records a lot of that kind of prejudice against the Italians and Irish ended in America around WWII. And as an Irish girl I'm very aware of the shit that my ancestors went through when they were leaving Ireland and arriving here (My father's side even changed their name to sound less Irish and more English). I've even seen Irish Americans use all of this in their dumbass "what about..." in the face of true racism in this country. No thanks, I'm never going to use anything my ancestors went through as a justification to spread white supremacy. Which is why it kinda just rubs me the wrong way when I see very white Europeans claim these kinds of things.

 

Just to bring it back to the podcast a bit, I've heard Jason say he is a white man, and honestly I suspect he has endured some racist comments because he has dark skin and could easily pass as Middle Eastern. No one that would care about the color of his skin would care that his background is from Greece (or that he was really born in Massachusetts) but it's his race that makes them up in arms. Of course this is just assuming he has gotten these kinds of things thrown at him at all.

 

ANYWAY sorry to everyone for the complete digression away from the movie but I just agree with Ryan Sz that I believe Luigi is a white man lol.

 

Oh totally. Which is why it's such a weird thing. Like compared to the very really very awful visceral hatred and prejudice we see committed against people of color in America and other countries (but really America seems always to be at the top when it comes to racism. Let's face it, we're great at being hateful and intolerant no matter the decade.) the idea of white European minorities facing discrimination is so weird to me. I don't know much about it other than seeing an article years ago and honestly I think it's more nationalism and general xenophobia then racism exactly? Not that those things are better, but it's a weird subject.

 

I fully agree Luigi is whiter than overcooked penne

[gigi-tastic 2322]

Ok so is Chilly living with Shelia from a Chorus Line ( this is the only name I will ever call her)? He gets locked out of her apartment right? So if he's living with her how the fuck does Darlene not know hes cheating on her? that's a fucking open loft. There's no way he can excuse all her clothes. I mean yes I've already ranted about his love of women's clothing which, fine you do you Chiily. But I think chilly draws the line at women's dresses. Besides which they aren't even the same size. Like Darlene HAS to notice this shit when she comes over. Unless they only fuck at her place? WHERE SHE LIVES WITH HER PARENTS AND BROTHER. What kind of a monster does that- wait never mind Chilly is exactly the kind of monster who would have sex in someone's tiny apartment while their parents are home. Of course he is. I spent the first half of the moving thinking he was homeless sleeping on their couch I should't be surprised by this revelation .(Legitimately half my notes for the first 40 minutes are about him being a gross hobo . I had a whole theory.) Not that all hobos are are soulless and inconsiderate as Chilly.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Ok so is Chilly living with Shelia from a Chorus Line ( this is the only name I will ever call her)? He gets locked out of her apartment right?

No, he lived down the hall from her in a separate apartment but apparently Donald owns the entire building. Sheila asked him if he wanted to stay the night with her cause Donald would never have to know but he just walked out and went to Darlene.

[gigi-tastic 2322]

No, he lived down the hall from her in a separate apartment but apparently Donald owns the entire building. Sheila asked him if he wanted to stay the night with her cause Donald would never have to know but he just walked out and went to Darlene.

 

Oh right! i thought they had moved in together. That makes way more sense.

[Smigg. 509]

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

I spent two hours this afternoon watching this turd sandwich when I should have been grading term papers, so I think I won the afternoon. Lots in there but I'm feeling rusty after a while off the boards so I'll hold off before diving right in.

 

One thing I wondered: did anyone else think of Daft Punk's 'Around the World' video during the skeleton dance song? Daft Punk mostly use mummies, but the jerky choreo made me think of it. I think it's clear that Daft Punk ripped Chilly off. Damn Frenchies.

 

Anyway, hi everyone! Glad to be back now that school's out for another year! I started listening to back episodes today and it was like coming home to old friends.

 

[gigi-tastic 2322]

I spent two hours this afternoon watching this turd sandwich when I should have been grading term papers, so I think I won the afternoon. Lots in there but I'm feeling rusty after a while off the boards so I'll hold off before diving right in.

 

One thing I wondered: did anyone else think of Daft Punk's 'Around the World' video during the skeleton dance song? Daft Punk mostly use mummies, but the jerky choreo made me think of it. I think it's clear that Daft Punk ripped Chilly off. Damn Frenchies.

 

Anyway, hi everyone! Glad to be back now that school's out for another year! I started listening to back episodes today and it was like coming home to old friends.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yca6UsllwYs

 

I mean Chilly looked like a hobo mummy whose was wrapped with any stray bits of fabric they could find. Also Welcome Back!

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

 

I mean Chilly looked like a hobo mummy whose was wrapped with any stray bits of fabric they could find. Also Welcome Back!

Exactly! There has to be something there, surely! And thanks for the welcome back. Glad to be here again.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

Okay, so here's what I've been thinking. Those of you who have known me for a while know that if there's one thing I hate more than a Jacob's Ladder Scenario, it's a Shared Universe theory - that is of course not including the excellent one already posted in this thread, of course. Yet the timing of 'Body Rock''s release had me thinking.

 

The bouncer who stops Chilly from getting into the club is played by Tony Ganios, who all pubescent lads of the 1980s would recognize from his role as Anthony "Meat" Tuperello in the 'Porky's' films.

 

In this film, he's playing a bouncer called Big Mac - I guess that explains what kind of meat he was named for - and he's immediately recognizable as he proves terrible at his job by telling Chilly he can't come into the club only to go check and later let him in. In 'Porky's', as we all remember, 'Meat' had a great ambition to go to Stanford after he graduated from Angel Beach High, and when he was rejected, he took it very badly. Given that 'Body Rock' was filmed in 1984, right after 'Porky's II' and right before 'Porky's Revenge', do you think that maybe instead of Stanford, Meat headed to New York City to take up a bouncing gig, and a more mature nickname? And before you say it, I know that 'Porky's' is set in the 1960's, but I choose to believe that it's Meat that refuses to let Chilly into the club: perhaps out of jealousy over a similarly animal product-based nickname?

 

I'm not even going to go into my other theory about how the unfeasibly roomy nightclub in 'Body Rock' could very well double for the giant nightclub where vampire Nic Cage goes biting girls in 'Vampire's Kiss'. I mean, why not?