a mighty wind Tagged Articles at Cinematical

British rock journalist Nick Kent perfectly summed up pop music by nothing how the best rock combines the Byronic and the moronic. That uneasy mix of poetry and poses, swagger and stagger, makes rock and roll ripe for mockery -- and, with Walk Hard arriving on DVD this week, what better time to name a few great comedies that have mocked rock and punctured the pretensions of pop?

1) Walk Hard

Starring John C. Reilly as roots-rocker Dewey Cox, Walk Hard doesn't just stick a foot out to trip up Walk the Line; it also manages to spoof The Beatles, Brian Wilson, Elvis and much more. (Indeed, Walk Hard follows such a carefully-crafted timeline as it travels through pop music history, it almost feels like a second take on the brilliant, underseen Grace of My Heart, another film that spanned decades through musical styles.) With a brilliant supporting cast and Reilly's cement-headed self-centered performance in the lead role, Walk Hard is that rare parody that nonetheless still loves what it mocks.

Best Line: "Wait a minute, son: Dewey Cox has to think about his whole life before he performs. ..."

The latest in the vdubrocks campaign ads features one of my fave directors, Christopher Guest, reprising his This is Spinal Tap character, Nigel Tufnel. You can check out Nigel rocking it out in his highly fashionable kilt, black tshirt, tube socks and sneakers, while standing on (and falling off of) the roof of a white Jetta rising up from the stage, while white Rabbits mark the four corners of the stage. The first ad in the campaign featured U2s Slash** rocking the casbah with black GTIs set up like amp stacks. Personally, I think its hilarious that they've brought Nigel, a fake musician, out of the vaults for this campaign.

Watching Nigel rock it out in the ad, I couldn't help but think ... wouldn't it be cool for Guest to bring Spinal Tap back for a new mockuementary about the aging rock-and-rollers getting together for a reunion show for VH1? I can't be the only person out there who would love to see Tufnel, David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) bringing it on again, right? The "band" reunited a couple of times in the past, in 1992 for the album Break Like the Wind, for which they did a promo tour and "videos", in 1998 for a short film called Spinal Tap: The Final Tour, in 2000 when they launched a mock website called "Tapster," and in 2001 for a "Back From the Dead" tour that spanned nine cities. Oh, and there was a 2004 documentary about the band as well.

But seriously -- we've had Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration. Isn't it about time we saw Spinal Tap back on the big screen -- utilizing the rest of the of Guest's fab ensemble cast? Picture Catherine O'Hara and Jennifer Coolidge as aging groupies! Parker Posey as, say, Nigel's daughter -- or better yet, as a younger groupie competing against O'Hara for the band's attention. And while we're at it, how about Guest in duel roles? He could reprise Corky St. Clair as the director of the reunion show! Oh, the possibilities are endless. Who else out there would love to see Guest bring back Spinal Tap?

[ via our sister site, Autoblog ]

**SIncerest apologies to both Slash (who, as our readers pointed out, is from Guns 'n Roses, NOT U2, and to The Edge, who IS from U2, for my error there. And thanks to our readers for pointing it out. And yes, I grew up on both bands, and yes, I know better. Shame, shame on me. I guess I have to give back my cool 1980s jean jacket covered with safety pins and rock band buttons now, along with my hip collection of U2 and GNR cassette tapes. Darn. -KV