empire records Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Most of you have probably already heard about this by now, but there's a movie-loving blogger who has decided to anonymously put up a new blog chronicling her last 90 days on Earth. Terminal disease? Nope -- she's committing suicide, she says. The lady is already down to Day 84 and every blog post she puts up elicits hundreds of comments from the fascinated, the concerned, the sarcastic, and the sadistic who are urging her on. No one knows if this lady is in the business of blogging or movies professionally, but movies appear to be a primary preoccupation of hers and she recently blogged about suicide attempts in movies such as The Royal Tenenbaums and Empire Records. She also gives a perfunctory reason for her suicide that, many have already noticed, is suspicious -- it's cribbed directly from Fight Club, and says that "our generation has no great depression, no great war." Her great depression is her life, I guess?

My sense is that the whole thing is a total put-on, even to the point that I don't feel bad about throwing attention to the site, since I don't feel like there's a real person at risk here. I could be totally wrong, but we're talking about a lady who just blogged about a guy who asked her out for Valentine's Day and quipped -- "I just hope he's not looking for anything long-term." Come on, give me a break. People on the verge of suicide are rarely so cogent or so full of humor. She also put up a nice pic of the Hollywood sign, near her anonymous location, and wrote "On my way back from Starbucks. I can say with absolute certainty that caffeine is probably the one thing that is keeping me going for the remaining 87 days." Uh-huh. That, and the book deal she's hoping to turn this into. And that's not an original thought on my part -- it's the conclusion at least one colleague has already reached.

After the highly-loved hideousness of the '80s, the '90s came to wipe the slate clean. Long-haired rock fell to disheveled grunge, and a sea of personal expression, rebellion against pop, and teen sexuality exploded. Unlike the '60s, which are touted as a sexy free-for-all, the '90s focused on its many aspects. In the realm of film, having sex wasn't link to "good" or "bad," but rather, to its different manisfestations and preferences. Emphasis was placed on the characters rather than the story, and this bred a collection of youthful films unlike the movies of other generations.

Here are the films that rocket me back to the '90s with their great characters, music, and sexual expression. Which do the same for you?

Empire Records

I know this -- that if I win this roll, I will save the place that I work from being sold, and the jobs of my friends that work there -- thus striking a blow at all that is evil and making this world a better place to be in.

People usually either love or hate Empire Records, and the ones that love it cherish its quirk, uniqueness, and killer lines. As the Empire employees fight against the news that their beloved workplace will be turned into a Music Town, they also struggle with their own personal issues. Artist A.J. glues quarters to the ground, which drives hooligan Warren crazy, while he obsesses over his secret love for Corey. She, meanwhile, plans to sweetly seduce the aging rock star guest Rex Manning, but he's more into her bad-girl best friend, Gina. Debra tried to kill herself with a pink, plastic razor with daisies on it. Lucas lost $9,000 of the store's money in Atlantic City, but it more interested in relaying his pearls of wisdom: "In this life, there are nothing but possibilities." Mark just gets stoned and hallucinates. And Joe, well, he loves these guys, but is weighed with the responsibility of running the store, and fighting the incoming music chain.

From Rory Cochrane's philosophical rambling to Renee Zellweger's stint as a sex-crazed wanna-be singer, Empire Records is a film in love with music and being different. The characters have extremely diverse interests and attitudes, but they all come together and happily co-exist in this tune-laden environment. Yet it isn't sickeningly saccharine; it's just accepting and honest.

Trivia: Deb's boyfriend Berko is played by the wonderful Coyote Shivers, who, at the time, was Liv Tyler's stepfather.

After 22 hours of flying on planes, waiting on security lines and sitting in airport food courts, I've finally returned home from my two-week trip in Australia. (And get this -- not one politician came on to me in the airport bathroom! Drats!) Did you miss me? Did you even know I was gone? Do you even know who I am? Anyway, apart from bringing home some art and some severe jetlag, I also brought with me some cool Aussie slang. For example, I promised my Aussie friends I'd start using the word 'Brekki' in replace of 'Breakfast.' Instead of greeting someone with "Hey, how ya doing?," I've decided to start using the primary Aussie greeting (no, not G'day Mate) -- "How ya going, Mate?" Oh, and I've brought home a Koala to hang out with my dog. But don't worry, it's just a doll.

And is there a better time to return home than on Labor Day Weekend? It's been absolutely beautiful here in New York the past three days, and since my car is still in the shop, I've spent all of it inside, in bed and in front of the television. After all, two weeks running around on the other side of the world can kind of knock you out. Labor Day is a funny holiday because, while we're supposed to be taking a day off to celebrate all the hard work we've accomplished, all we think about all day is how summer has ended -- goodbye beach vacations; hello work and school. For a day off, you have to admit it's sort of depressing. But if you're looking for a good way to celebrate Labor Day by utilizing your home DVD player, there are plenty of work-related films to check out.

Since I spent most of my years in a cubicle, there's no other film like Office Space to show you the comedic side of corporate life. After doing a stint in the world of television production, I'm also quite found of both Network and Broadcast News. For sexy and seductive, go with Secretary. For some funny rise-to-the-top stuff, go with Working Girl, The Devil Wears Prada or (one of my personal favorites), The Hudsucker Proxy. Crazy teens doing crazy things in the workplace? Empire Records. Jaded twenty-somethings hating life? Clerks. No matter what you're in the mood for, there's definitely something for everyone. Which film will you be watching tonight?

After writing and directing the wildly popular Pump Up the Volume, Allan Moyle picked up his filmmaking pace (to that point he'd been averaging about a movie every decade), and enjoyed moderate indie-style success with The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag and Empire Records. Since then, however, it's been 10 years of relative silence (apart, I mean from his brilliant TV movie, Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story) from the director.

According to this morning's Variety, Moyle back, this time with an indie film with enough cute boys in it to guarantee both a release and a solid audience of teenage girls. Set to star Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley (where the hell has he been, anyway?) and Hustle & Flow's Taryn Manning, Weirdsville is about two "hapless slackers" - that's industry code for morons - who, while trying to bury the body of their buddy who (oops) just ODed, "stumble on a satanic cult performing a ritual." Oh, and it's a comedy. Of course it is. Written by Willem Wennekers, the movie is being produced by Darius Films, a small, Toronto-based company, and has already secured US and Canadian distribution - we should see it sometime next year.