Wednesday 22 December 2010

This is Spın̈al Tap

a film by Rob Reiner
Derek: David, we had a fifteen-year ride, mate. ‘Mean, who wants to be a fuck’n forty-five year old rock’n’roller farting around in front of people less than half their age?...
David: So true, so true, yeah...
Derek: ...cranking out some kind of mediocre head-banging bullshit, you know, that we’ve forgotten...

The movie was released in 1984, allegedly documenting the Spın̈al Tap’s 1982 American tour, and it was already funny. (To those, who got the humour, that is: even the guys in the business thought it was a real documentary about a real band.) Make it “a forty-five-year ride” and “seventy year old rock’n’roller” and it could have been made now and still be believable. Even funnier.

Of course, some people still are wondering what’s so funny and how on earth TIST (and the band) acquired the cult status. I myself watched the movie for the first time just now. (I bought the DVD last week in a charity shop for £3.) I think... it could have been great. So what? Now and then, I can afford to watch a movie that is simply very good.

By the by, This is Spın̈al Tap is the only film that IMDb rates 8.0 out of eleven. Unfortunately, the users still can only give it maximum of ten stars, so in effect, its rating is lower than it should be.

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