80s Movies Flashback Fun

Wang Chung soundtrack included!
Originally uploaded by jerebo.

I just watched the DVD of To Live and Die in L.A. There are some films from my childhood that don't quite hold up, but this was not the case with L.A. True, there are some cliche elements (the death of the about-to-retire cop comes to mind), but overall this is an underrated thrill ride.

I'm pissed at myself for watching the DVD's documentary last week, since it spoiled many of the scenes and plot points, which I had forgotten in the almost 20 years since I first saw it. I still managed to enjoy the film, and boy that car chase rules!

It's sad that William Friedkin who directed two seminal 70s films (The Exorcist and The French Connection) has not made a decent one since this.

William Petersen and a very young looking Willem Defoe give great performances. And how many times can you see John Turturro almost get shanked in prison?

To top it all off it's got a Wang Chung soundtrack. I'm dying to find it on vinyl, so I may have to dig through some used record stores very soon.

Random Wang Chung note: The other night I heard "Dance Hall Days" on KCRW's Metropolis. I'm thinking maybe Jason Bentley also recently watched this film. If so, I'm happy he did, for it provided a nice change from his umpteenth spinning of the new Gorillaz track.