#nom song
Fame(1981). A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.
I enjoyed this so much more than I was expecting to. Yeah, it’s pretty disjointed and frenetic and grittier than it has any right to be, but it really captures both the headrush and the grind of what these kids experience. It’s messy, sure, but it also surprisingly really works. 7.5/10.
Honeysuckle Rose (1981). Buck is a country singer on the road caught in a romantic triangle with Viv and Lily, the daughter of his longtime musical sidekick.
The music’s great, but the plot is thin and generally pretty sexist. I mean, Amy Irving has to apologise to literally everyone in their extended life about having the affair while he gets to lick his wounds in the desert and then get forgiven in a song? Please. 4/10.
The Competition (1981). Paul Dietrich, at almost 30 years old, is a fading piano prodigy. Heidi Schoonover is a talented young pianist with a promising future. When Paul hears of an upcoming competition that could make his career, he dedicates himself to winning.
Oof, this one really misses the mark for me. Clunky, overstuffed, and peppered with wildly unlikeable characters, especially in Richard Dreyfuss’ narcissistic and sexist protagonist, there’s not much to redeem this one. One and a half stars for Lee Remick and Amy Irving though, who do their best with not a lot. 3/10.
9 to 5 (1980). Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.
God, this movie is just wonderful. There’s such a bounceto it in humour, in character, in plot, which carries it through even the more absurd plot points. It captures the way women are pitted against each other professionally and ground down by the heel of both the patriarchy and capitalism, while finding hope and joy in community and solidarity too. Magic stuff! 8.5/10.
The Muppet Movie (1979). Kermit and his newfound friends trek across America to find success in Hollywood, but a frog legs merchant is after Kermit.
I don’t think I’ve seen this since I was a kid, so it was pretty delightful to revisit and love it just as much as I rememebered. There’s a reason the muppets have the staying power they do, and this movie is a pretty magical demonstration of why. 8/10.
