Episode 39 Purple Rain and La Bamba

Dave & Christopher review the 1984 musical drama  "Purple Rain"--  starring Prince, (in his film debut) Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos and Clarence Williams III and directed by Albert Magnoli from a screenplay by Magnoli and William Blinn

Dave & Christopher also review "La Bamba," a 1987 musical biopic about the life of Ritchie Valens starring Lou Diamond Phillips (in his film debut), Esai Morales, Elizabeth Peña and Joe Pantoliano and directed by Luis Valdez 

"Ride Captain Ride "© writers: Mike Pinera, Frank "Skip" Konte  performed by Blues Image

Transcript

Purple Rain

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Hello and welcome to Let's Go Get Some Ice Cream. The weekly films of the podcast hosted by me Dave and my co-host Christopher. We worked together for several years at a small town movie theater, and ever since I've shared a lot of movies that have seen thousands over the years. We provide unique perspectives on some love of the movies everybody's seen. And some you might not have, but sure. If you're looking for a good movie or two to enjoy, you've come to the right place. Let's get started. And action.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Hey, shut up out there. Sorry. Get off to the wrong foot. Hello, we're back. Yes, we're back. Let's see. So for today's this week's episode, we chose two musical themed movies from roughly the same type within a couple years of each other. Yeah. The 80s. Right. My uh choice was Purple Rain. Prince in his first motion fiction.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

Before he created the music, he lived every bit of it. For the one thing that makes everything. A movie.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Purple Rain. We'll get to David's later. We'll say we'll keep that a secret.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

A secret.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

But Purple Rain.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Okay, um you were gonna say something about Yeah, I I know that the movie is loosely based on autobiographical incidences of Prince's life. And I guess I saw the when I watched it the little what is the making of Purple Rain. Oh yeah. And the director stating that I guess when he was working with Prince, a lot of it stuff that they did have was basically real, you know, and you would think, wow. But that's what I was gonna say is that even though it's semi-auto autobiographical, there's a lot more truth than just what you think.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Yeah, and he um from what I've heard with interview with uh interviews with Prince over the years that he kind of kept it vague as to what details are true and what details aren't. Um which is kind of smart because you wanna any kind of art you want to let people interpret it their own way and really inhabit it, you know, lose themselves in it.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Right. And I'll can I interject if you want. I think it's also a way to keep people at because you don't want to give all of yourself. Right. Right.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

You see, he's a master of mystique, or he was a master of myself.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

I mean, anybody when you're an artist, you don't, you know, you don't give away everything if you're it's like a magician uh magician. Right. Right? You allow certain things to be okay, you might have got that, but you don't see all of it.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Right. Let me tell you how I did it. Come on back. Right, you know, no. It's like you want to keep that allure like that mystique. Right, right. You don't really because that's what makes people want to keep coming back because they want to try to figure this stuff out. Right. They're curious about it. Um so anyway, so Purple Rain. Um, so first of all, I chose this movie because Prince just had a birthday. June 7th would have been June 7th, right? So um It would have been 68. Yeah. So it's bummer that he's not around anymore. Exactly. Um there was a lot of talk about his number one, I guess it he has another record out, or I guess this the state has or they're releasing another record is what I should say. And I heard the first song and it's like But it I I don't want to get off on a tangent on that, but when artists have unfinished work that they try to release post posthumously, posthumously, um there's a reason usually didn't get released. I mean when when you're an artist and you do something and you say, That's my best work, let me put that out for the people. And then all this other stuff, well, I'll get to that later. Well, now is later, and now all that other the dregs almost is like, okay, well, here's the rest of stuff I didn't show you 40 years ago or whatever. It's like, well, if it wasn't good enough to show me anytime between then and 40 years, why are you showing it to me now? But anyway, like I said, I don't want to get off on a tangent with that.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Well, I'm we'll stay on it for a second. I'm gonna agree with you that what's sad also is that this is his family, it's not Prince. Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

It's his sister, I guess, is the executor.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

You can't even be t pretend to emulate anything close to what his genius was. Right. Right? So you can put music out, right? But you and I know, I mean, look at we saw James Brown and all those guys, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Right, Tupac. All of them have posthumous releases which are slip par, frankly.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Well, that's because one, they weren't alive, obviously they're dead. But they're not their hand they're have no say in it.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

So you're doing worse, they specifically said not to release it, and the family did it anyway. Yeah, because they're just like Michael Jackson from the case. It's a money grab.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

That's all this is. And I hate to say that, but I mean, it's a fact. When p y you throw family and money together, you know, there's a evil raises up and it's all about the green.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Mystery to me how the time like that when someone dies, that you make it all about money. It's just I don't I mean, I don't know. So many families do it, I just don't get it. But whatever. Um yeah, no, that's our little That's another tangent. Right, that's a little piece on that, but yeah, I agree with you. I chose this movie because there was a lot of h uh publicity around Prince with the new album coming out and his birthday celebration. I guess they have people that are dressing up, stuff like that, all over the the country and stuff like that. Um I'm gonna be honest, I mean, uh sometimes I and I I'm gonna put this in the category with light of day. These this is a movie that meant a lot to me at one point, but going back and revisiting it at this lit stage of my life is like, nah, nah, not really.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

I still enjoyed it, I can't lie. I mean, I it brought it I liked the nostalgia of it, bringing back the memories of when I went to see it and how it's I still saw it in the theater? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Yeah. When it came out, but uh eighty eighty four. So were you here in Fairfield? Yes, and it backed me and my now wife. I'm just saying we had the best theaters. I I just people missed out. And I did see it at our former place of we had four theaters, right, to choose from, folks. Four. They were all awesome. Oh, four theaters, I yeah. When we were growing up. Right, right. You're right. In this small little town. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 7:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

But um, yeah, and so anyway, you saw it in the theater and you liked it at the time. I mean, I liked it at the time. Uh Prince was huge in the 80s.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

I still liked it even now.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

I mean, I just I the music holds up. Uh the movie's good, it's not bad. I'm just saying, it's just like when I was a kid, it was like Oh my god. It was him, it was like Michael Jackson, the biggest star in the world, and Prince maybe 1A or even tied, depending on who you ask. They were eclipsed, like they were everything. Right. I remember like they were like every year they'd be like the at the award shows, the Grammys or whatever, it was like Prince would take everything, and then Michael would take everything, and then it was just like those two and Lionel Richie and a few other people.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

I want to say they had kind of a rivalry, rivalry that it wasn't publicized, but I think it was I don't want to say, but Prince, you know, who really you know, Michael came from the Jackson 5. Prince was like a prodigy, no one really heard. He kind of got himself his own start.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

He worked his way.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Right. Michael, yeah, same thing, but yes and no.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

Right. Well well, I will say this if you might mind me interjecting. So the the no, don't you? No, no, I mean you're good. You're good, kid. No, no, you're good, kid. What do you call them? Like the music bios or whatever you call this kind of film, like like with uh the Queen and Elton John.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

They're never they're never good because this you're trying to cover too much stuff and too little time. Uh maybe the Elton John, I've heard you said the Elton John one was good, but the Queen one was terrible. Um the James Brown one that I saw was terrible, Tupac one is terrible. I mean, they're all like you're trying to jam all this stuff in the into two hours and it just doesn't work.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

No, no, that's that's fair because I mean I also I think with the difference like Rocket Man with the bio. Yeah, is that Elton got to collaborate, right? It's different. Those guys, the other ones were all dead, and this is all hearsay, basically. You're you know, interjecting possible things that could have happened, but you don't really know. He's not there, right? Right, and Queen, like I said, I know Sasha Barron Cohen was originally attached to a different story.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

It was a little bit darker, more edgy, yeah, more true to life, frankly. Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

And I think Brian May stepped in and said, no. Yeah, let's make it about us. Let's make it about us, mate. Right. We the real stars. And I think going back to this movie, that's the fairness is that Prince was alive.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Right. And I will say that if what I was my point was biopics are usually um inadequate, in my opinion. Maybe people like them uh to each their own. But for this, the way he kind of it's fictionalized, but also little bits of truth, that's actually pretty clever.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Right.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

So if if they're more like this, then I I think I'd be more interested in that this type of thing rather than the let's try to rehash what happened and just get people in weird makeup or whatever costumes and stuff. That's fair. I like that though. Eight Miles kind of like that too. It's kind of like it's fictional, but it's kind of true. Right. So you kind of get a feel for the actual artist. Yeah, I'd rather have that than like some guy and you know, dressed up like Eminem, trying to pretend to be in one of that be terrible.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Oh, it's guy.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

Yeah. Uh so anyway, uh, Purple Rain is a 1984 rock musical drama directed by Albert Magnoli, who later went on to do Tango and Cash, which we're gonna have to look at at some point. Yeah, I agree with that. That'd be fun. Uh, and with a screenplay co-written by Magnoli and William Blyn. William Blyn was a like a producer back in the day, or screenplay, kind of just an all-around jacket all trades, I would understand. Yeah. Did Brian's song. Oh. Uh worked on Roots. He came up with the idea for the show, Starskin Hutch.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

Ooh.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Uh, he worked on Eight Is Enough and Fame. Wow. So he was a big deal. Yeah. Um powers of B Set, of course, get the big deal to work in this movie for Prince. And um, but Magnoli, the director, kind of said, Well, Prince wants to do such and such, which kind of tracks with what I've heard about Trent Prince over the years. Right. Prince doesn't um not a big fan of authority. Well, I mean, that's not a secret. He had that slave thing on his face for a long time, and the whole artist formerly known as that whole everybody knows that. He doesn't like to be told what to do. Who does? Yeah, but I mean, if you're taking someone's money, then you kind of have to shut the fuck up. That's I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

I mean, I heard his counter because you know, he's the one, he's the talent, and he was making them menace. Yes. And I get it from both sides. I get understand. You know.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

I mean, he so what happened was after he did the whole slave, oh I'm a slave, I don't have all my money, I'm losing all this stuff. It's like, okay, great, now you're on your own, and he square went in the toilet. So it's like, that's what I'm saying. It's like you should have let them help you and played ball a little bit. That's what everybody kind of I mean, I know what's you could look at it any way you want. I mean people can look at it with it. But I mean, if you have a job, anybody has a nine to five job, you can't go on to your boss and tell him to suck your ass. Because you want to, but you know you have a family at home, you got bills to pay, you suck it up, and you just do what you're supposed to do. And you maybe you complain after work, whatever, but this dude was just like, no, I'm not gonna he just like define it like all the way across, and so anyway.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

Yeah, I get what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 12:21

I just think his career suffered for it, which is should be I would think if he was still alive, he could look but maybe I don't know. He would look back at that and go, Yeah, you know what? They were right. I should have like let them guide me a little bit. And because he was putting out hits from like the eighties to the nineties when he was with uh his record label, and then he did a whole shit about oh Miss Label, whatever. Then he got out and then Hello, crickets because now he has to do everything himself or hire people, and they're not as good as there's a reason why major labels are major labels. Anyway.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Yeah, another tangent we can go on, kids.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Yeah. Um movie stars Prince, of course, in his film debut. Clarence Williams III, my boy, always being super creepy, including in this movie. Oh, my girl Apollonia Cotero. Oh my god, talk about beautiful turn this podcast off right now. Gorgeous. Sorry. Uh why you sorry. She I lost my train of thought. She replaced Vanity. Right, who was originally movie? Right. I don't remember what happened there. I think her and Prince are dating and they broke up or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Something like that. I remember, and I don't know if she agreed with some of the the scenes in it.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

I mean uh the movie's pretty spicy. I'll go on and talk about that a little bit later, but if that's the case, I know she was heading toward Christian being a Christian or whatever. I don't know if she wasn't already.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

I think you're right.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

She was on the track of it, but she had so that was like all that stuff they were trying to do, sex shooter, and also she's like, nah, I don't think so.

unknown 13:51

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:53

Uh Morris Day, MVP, if you ask me, of this movie.

SPEAKER_01 13:57

I didn't realize because I saw the interview afterwards on the making of it, that he was actually a really, really good drummer.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

I mean, they said he was phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Yes. Prince said, nah. You're gonna be the you're gonna be the lead singer now. You're gonna be I he had the whole vision of how Morris it should be.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

So real quick interjection. Um I guess while there him and the revolution were touring, he actually had this idea for a movie of Purple Rain. Yeah. I mean, it wasn't called Purple Rain, obviously he didn't know the song, and he actually wrote it as he the movie was being made. But yeah, he had this idea, he said, and he told the man, We're gonna I'm gonna make a movie, and they were like, Okay, you know, but yeah, he he had all of that. But I didn't like I said, going back to Morris Day, he yeah, phenomenal drummer, and also what you see is what you get. That really is Morris Day, literally on yeah, his persona is that it's not like it's just a character. Oh, also when he was they finally realized and they were gonna do a movie, Prince in the Revolution. He goes, All right, I need you all to go to acting class or acting school. Right, right. So I mean, not that Prince, I mean he's good, but there's parts I understand what you're saying with the movie now looking like it's a little like uh he's reading like the lines, not emoting. And it's it's again, it's being a musical artist compared to being an actor is two different things. Right. I mean, I give him credit, he did good.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Yeah, he did pretty good. But Moore's Day was like a natural though on the screen. Yeah, he just like tore it up.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

And that's what I felt like with him. I I guess what I was I'm trying to say is that Prince could have followed that, kind of like just be you. You're mysterious, we know you're all a little off or whatever, you know. Right, it's cool. Yeah. I don't mean that in a disrespectful, you know what I mean. When you're creative, sometimes you you come across as being aloof or you know. Right.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

He was a little off.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

I I mean that in the most positive sense, not like, oh, he was like no, I just mean when you you see things that people can't see.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Right. Well, some people say that uh having that level of musical talent is kind of a um you wouldn't say it's like a disability, but it's like it's uh some kind of something with a cognitive function.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Like a savant?

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Yeah. It's yeah, it's almost like that. Like nowadays we would say a savant or something. Like someone who's super good at math, but you know, they can't function in any other aspect of it's the same thing, but people don't look at it that way because Prince can basically get by and he's okay, but he does a lot of he did a lot of weird shit. So I guess people just kind of excuse it because he is, oh, he's you know, that's cool. Like his music or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Right. I mean, it's alluded in the movie with the the guy that owns the the club, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:38

No one understands music, but yourself.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

And there's a there's a truth to that though. There really is. Right. And you know that coming from where you've come. Yeah, yeah. And I feel like that way, sometimes for me, there's certain movies that I see that people go, like, and it's nothing against it, but you just, you know, it's just for your through your lens, you can see it, you understand it, or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

It touches you and it hits you a certain way.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

You kind of don't understand how other people don't get it. Right. And that's the thing where, you know.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

And I guess that's what I'm saying about Prince being a very good thing.

SPEAKER_00 17:06

But Prince had the stage where he can go, I'm gonna go and do this weird shit, and people can't.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

That's what I mean by off, but not off, you know what I mean. Right. Different. Thank you. That's the more there's the more operative word, right? Different.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

Olga Carlados played his mom. I've never heard of her, but apparently she's a really big, she's a Greek actress. Yeah, I mean, really famous overseas.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

I'm with you because I mean I in the movie, I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

So she has a couple lines, that's about it.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

I mean, her and Clarence playing his parents, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:32

And that's yeah, but I guess that was a big deal because she she was a big deal in Europe.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

And you and me are like, who?

SPEAKER_00 17:39

Yeah, I didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

I know offense to our haven't seen her since, right. But hey, congrats to her for being famous across the ocean, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Exactly. And she's still alive, too. Uh in 82 Prince instructed his manager that he wanted to star in a film. Right. Uh I forgot his manager's. Robert Cavallo. Cavallo, that's right. His manager commissioned Blyn, uh, the screenwriter, to write a screenplay because Blyn was this, again, big wig who did all this super successful things. Magnoli was then hired afterwards, and Prince didn't like where Blyn was going with the movie. He's making it more he's he's making his own thing because he's he's got a track record. Why would I listen to you? You're a nobody. Okay, great, you're a musician, but this is my this is what I do. So I'm gonna do my thing, and then yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

I don't know. I'm gonna try to cut you off. And this to conjunction with what you're saying, he's on the fringes of particular potential stardom, right? Right. I mean, we've heard, I mean, I was reading up on him how he had a couple hits. Yeah, he had one good album. Right. Uh at that point. At that point. Yeah. So he wasn't out here. He was on, you know, on the way up, potentially. Right. We don't know. Right. This literally, you're right.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

And I already had hits out the ass, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

From and I get where you're going. And then to help our audience understand, you know, you're like, what's Prince though? But again, you're still nobody. I mean, you're on the fringe of the stuff. Just starting out back then, yeah. Right. You've you've been around for a few years, but no one you're not having crossed the mainstream quite yet.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

Almost. Right, right. So you're not there yet. And and that's what I mean. He had this always had this defiant thing about him. This is you know, first of all, what you're doing, like having a movie as a musician is insane. Unheard of. Right, exactly. So all already you should be shutting the fuck up, but that's not the thing. Yeah, you know. Anyway, long story, long story short. Glenn was like, I'm gonna write it the way I want. You can go fuck yourself or whatever. Print Prince is like, okay, cool. And he went to the director and said, Hey, look, if you don't do this the way I want, I'm gonna, you know, back out, I'll I'll I'll pay for it myself or whatever, I'll fire all you. And so the director went in with the big wigs or whatever, and kind of massaged it so that it was more Prince's vision of the movie movie, as opposed to what Blyn had. Right. And now you know the thing about Blyn, they wanted um Travolta. You heard about that, right? I didn't get to that in the kind of urban legend at this point.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Oh wow, yeah. So Blynn again. So wait a minute.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

They they wanted Travolta to play the character of So Prince went to the label and said, or the powers of being said, I want to make this movie. They said, Okay, cool, whatever. We'll give you, you know, some little couch ch change we got or whatever. But if you really want to do it, we need to get this guy Blenn. Right. And we need to get Travolta. We need to get a star. And this was 80s, so I mean, I get it.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

And it's funny, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

And so Prince said, nah, we're not doing any of that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

You know who this reminds me of is Sylvester Salon making Rocky. Stick to your guns, right?

SPEAKER_00 20:42

Right, right. Because they wanted someone else for that's right.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

I mean, he literally got I mean, he was poor. We all I mean, if the people have to do that one day. Right. My point is you gotta stick to your guns. If it's in your heart and you can't.

SPEAKER_00 20:53

That was his story, right? Right well, yeah, he wrote it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

And my point is, this is Prince's story. Right. Right? And then well, you know, fuck you guys. I'll find, I'll do it. Right. You know, you need me more than I mean he and at that time, I mean that's bold to say because that's not true, but he was proven right.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Yeah, he was proven right. I mean, so they lowballed him. Uh low when I say lowball, he's like seven million, something like that right.

SPEAKER_01 21:16

Yes, it was seven budget was seven million. Low balls.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

They only only quote unquote gave him seven million, but they were gotta give much more if it would have been Travolta and etc. Right. So um anyway.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Sorry, kids.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

Yeah, no, I just thought that was kind of interesting.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

I couldn't see it. I mean, John's a good actor. I mean, he was.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Uh and he wasn't like a musical kind of what's Saturday night, whatever. Yeah, and Saturday fever, right.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

That's kind of but I mean being a dancer and being a rock star could he have pulled it off then? Yeah, he was still young. Probably, yeah, he used to be a man. But I don't I just I'm glad he didn't. Right. That's his cut to the chase. Prince was right.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

Let's put it that way. Prince turned out to be correct in his sticking to his guns. Yes. Um Magnoli refused to have Travolta take over. Studio also objected to the film's sexist, misogynistic, and violent themes, especially against women, which we can talk about that a little bit later. They wanted because they wanted to have it be PG 13, because that's what they always want. Or PG, because that's easier to sell to a wider audience. And this is R, if I remember correctly. Oh, yeah, it's R. Yeah. So uh definitely R. They were not happy about any of this, as you can imagine. You you you know, you won't let Blende do his job, you won't hire Travolta, and you won't take out the violence and the slapping women around, stuff like that. Like fuck you. So there's like, no, we don't we're we we wash our hands of this basically.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

In all fairness, though, you're gonna write what you know. Right. Even as an artist, I mean, when you're singing, when you write lyrics as a screenwriter, you're gonna write what you know. And Prince, this is something he knew. Right. And again, we don't know how much if it's true or not, you know, over the years, and that's all fair to him. But Magnoli did say a lot of it when he was surprised when he did converse with Prince while they were making the movie, how much was true.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

Yeah. So and we'll kind of never know, I guess, right? Because he didn't say, oh, this was true or this wasn't. He just they respected his wishes and just like never told.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Um yeah, so anyway, um Studio lowered the budget because they wouldn't play ball, but it didn't matter. They still this the film was released, it received mixed reviews, but as we all know, it was a commercial success, garnered two Oscars.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

Three platinum singles from the soundtrack, which is unheard of. They don't even have soundtracks anymore nowadays. What's that? I know. Prince is the first artist to have the number one album, single, and film simultaneously.

SPEAKER_01 23:42

Yeah, that was the first ever.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Yeah, and this guy just blew up, and the album spent six months as number one. One. Not on the charts, as number one. On the charts, it was there for three and a half years. Almost to the 90s. It was on the fucking charts. Uh Rotten Tomatoes, 73%. So it's kind of mixed-ish, 75-ish.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

So Prince famously said after the movie opened that he had a nightmare that Roger Ebert and Gene Sisko, who were huge back then, yeah, would hated the movie and tore it apart on their TV show. In fact, both critics love Purple Rain and put it in their top ten list for the best films of 1984. Yeah. Roger Ebert would go on to call it one of the greatest rock movies of all time.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

Yeah. So and '84 just for reference Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, Temple of Doom, Gremlins, Karate Kid, Police Academy, Foot Loose, Romance in the Stones, Star Trek III, Search for Spock, Splash, and then Purple Rain.

SPEAKER_01 24:39

It's just amazing. Those are all those movies you mentioned are Murder's Row for like good movies.

SPEAKER_00 24:44

Classics.

SPEAKER_01 24:45

I mean, we can go on again on another tangent, like how bad it is today, right?

SPEAKER_00 24:48

That's why I put it in there just to piss you off.

SPEAKER_01 24:50

But I mean, it's it's a fact. But I mean, that's that's our point. Yeah. That's what's so lovely and great about looking back at history, right? Yeah, how many great movies in a year?

unknown 25:00

Right?

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbuster, Indiana Jones.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

I mean those are all you said it, Murder's Row. I mean, gosh damn, man.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Karate Kid, Jesus Christ, footloose.

SPEAKER_01 25:09

You could go literally every week and see something amazing. Yeah. For the whole year.

SPEAKER_00 25:14

This wasn't just like it was like that for years, I think.

SPEAKER_01 25:17

Right. It was. I mean, that's what I miss is that you could literally throw a little dart like I'm gonna hit it's a hit.

SPEAKER_00 25:23

Yeah, right? Yeah, no matter what. I mean, purple rate as good as it was was 11th. Didn't he make the top ten? That just it's um mind-blowing to me.

SPEAKER_01 25:33

And going back to the budget, it was budgeted at 7.2 million.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

It made 70 million. I mean, it made 10 times its budget. 10 times its budget, yeah. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 25:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:43

And and then if you were to equate that to today, I mean, that's over a hundred million dollars, you know. I mean, that's close to probably what either a quarter billion or half a billion dollars in today's money. Because that's 84.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

You know, and I know it's hard for people to but extrapolate how much money that is, but that's a lot of money comparative to today, if you were to inflation and all that. That's why I'm saying it's probably ten amount to about half a billion dollars.

SPEAKER_00 26:09

Yeah. So where do you think that seven million went? That's a good question. Because I mean big stars in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 26:16

I mean, Clarence Williams, but he probably made six figures, I'm guessing. Maybe.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

I don't think he, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Um I know that I was seeing the interview with Magnolian. He said that Prince came in because he goes, Okay, can you write? And he literally had hundreds of songs for the movie, and he had to windle it down, right? And then Purple Rain was the one that and that's when they got the title. Mm-hmm. When he and he actually asked him because he wanted the montage in the movie, right? Which is basically from the video of When Doves Cry, too. Yeah. But he asked and and he wrote that song and he put it in the movie.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

And yeah, that was amazing. I think I read that same anecdote where he said, uh, we need one more song, and he wrote When Doves Cry. Right. I don't just overnight.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Here we go.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Here you go. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:01

Literally says overnight, he goes, I need one more. And Prince goes, Okay, here you go. Overnight.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

I mean, that again, amazing. I can't overstate. He was gifted and he was a genius. Yes. I can't.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

Musical genius, yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Right. So I mean, we're kind of sidetracking because I mean the movies you watched the little interludes of him and Morris Day, the time. Right. Even Apollonia, and I could see how it was because Vanity was it Vanity Six, right?

SPEAKER_00 27:28

Vanity Six, and then there was Apollonia Six.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

Right. Because I you know, it alludes to how Prince did have these side projects. He made it look like it was Morris, but that was really Prince's thing.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

Because I know Vanity, she was one of his prodigies, and there's a bunch of people.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

But um, so so what I said earlier was I was gonna talk again about um the the executives thought that the movie was too sexist, too misogynistic. That's been a common recurring criticism of the movie. That's part of the one that doesn't hold up for me as well because when I was a kid, I was like, I was like, I just I guess I kind of just blocked it out or something. Because his mom got slapped around, then Apollonia got slapped around, they threw that woman in the trash, and it was just like Well, yeah, I get it. But but to be fair, uh I've heard that Prince wrote that as a to show that misogyny was bad, not to glorify like look at me, I'm being a woman, I'm a great guy. I I do these things where I'm I don't get along with people and I act out, but I'm trying my best or whatever, you know. That's not an excuse, but I'm just saying he's he's not glorifying it.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

I'll I'll piggyback up. Yeah, in like one of the scenes. You know, his mom and dad had that roller coaster of a you know, one minute they're happy, next minute they're at each other's throats.

SPEAKER_02 28:51

Right.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

And there's one scene where Prince is walking, or he gets on home on his motorcycle and he looks at mom. And so he goes in the house and he's tearing through the house, where are you? you know, and yeah, and that's like you said, one minute his dad kind of plays it off because he's playing the piano and Prince stops, right? And they kind of have a little collaboration, like and goes, Is that one of yours? Of course it is, and you know, and then you see later on with him and Apollonia they have a disagreement. And what does Prince do? He's you know, slaps his girl like his dad did. So I get what you're saying. It's you kind of do what you learn, not intentionally.

SPEAKER_00 29:28

Right.

SPEAKER_01 29:29

You're the product of your environment, and I don't I know people have a problem with that, but there's some truism to that.

SPEAKER_00 29:34

Right, right. And it doesn't excuse it, but I'm just saying at least you it's not like he's saying, Yeah, I I beat my wife, and what are you gonna do about it? Yeah, who gives she made me mad, or he's not excusing it. As a matter of fact, I think in my interpretation, the song at the end saying the girls wrote this song and I'm gonna I'm finally gonna put myself away and do their song and just humble myself.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

Right.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

I think that's him trying to say, I'm sorry, and plus the lyrics of the song, I never meant to call a genie sorrow, blah blah blah. I'm sure apologizing to you about what I did and who I am or whatever. So Right.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

And I think that's we're hitting on that point. I mean, like he's not excusing again the behavior. I mean, yes, in the movie after he slaps her, he feels bad and there's remorse, but what's done is done. Right. You know? Um anyway.

SPEAKER_00 30:20

Okay, yeah, we're just thinking we're trying to enlighten people that that's possibly explaining this the sexism, because that's the the thing is nowadays, the criticism, and even back then it was too that it's it's against women and misogynistic is why I said, right. He beats the girlfriend and then at the end they're together. Right.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

There's misogynism.

SPEAKER_00 30:40

More than that, I think. Yeah. But but but to be fair, I mean, I don't know, it's like uh maybe they could have he put probably could have done it differently, but it you know, it is what it is. I I would just say this, and I'm gonna as we wrap it up here. My hot take here, again, my hot Thomas's hot takes. That's cool. Uh if you ask me, it should have been the time, it should have been flipped. But the time kicked ass. They I mean, like why so so the the the guy that runs the club is like stressing about Prantsley, fire his ass. There's no other people in Manapula. I mean, you got time, the time are amazing, and then Time technically the one that made Apollonia, so now it's like the time and Apollonia, their group. I mean, and Morris, I mean, oh man, you know, I mean, when this show the scenes of the time, the whole club is rocking, and then but then Prince comes up and everyone's like, What's happening? Like he's he's doing Darling Nicky or whatever. What's wrong with that song? But I that's my hot take. I mean, I've always I've been a fan of the time since '81 when they first came out. But to be fair, Prince technically played all the instruments on their record. Yeah. It was basically him and Morris wasn't even really a band.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:57

And then Prince handpicked all the musicians. As a matter of fact, musicians in the band the time, they're actors. Because I guess the actual band was on they were in the house.

SPEAKER_01 32:07

Jimmy Jam and uh some of them, right?

SPEAKER_00 32:09

They weren't in the movie. No, I'm just saying, but they were in the band technically. Technically, not Jimmy. Morris, of course. I guess Morris almost threatened the quit a couple times. When I heard there's some tension or whatever. Morris is like, anyway, rambling. But Morris is like I think it's cool, man. I'm your peer, I'm older than you, as a matter of fact. So you don't boss me around. I, you know, we're we're gonna talk to each other like friends, like we're doing, like right now. You don't tell me what to do, even though I know you're this genius, but I know you as I know the real you. Right. So don't make me bust you out or whatever. You know, you know how friends are or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Yeah, you call them out on their shit.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Thank you. Exactly. So Morris didn't play. Everyone else kissed Prince's ass. Morris's like, no, I know you from way back when we were both poor. So I know your mother, you know. So anyway, yeah, uh, the time was in the doghouse at the time of the filming, so he canned all of them, and then they got like some actors to play the whatever. So I mean, the time kicked ass. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 33:11

I'm glad you picked it, it was very nostalgic. I still enjoyed it. It brought back memories of when I was that age and how I felt after the movie. Yeah. I mean, I still love the album, you know.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

I don't know if people can relate to how famous Prince, but even any app, Madonna, all of them, because back in the day you had to go to a place and buy a CD or a record.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

Record back then, CDs were right.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

Something that was like 10 bucks, 10, right? 15, 20 bucks. Now it's like you don't even have to get up from your house. So it's different, you know? Right. No, it's different. It's like so if someone sold has three platinum singles for this record for this movie, that means three million people went to physically go somewhere, you know, not to mention the people probably bootlegged and shit like that, but three million people actually bought the record, went somewhere and bought it. Right. Nowadays, like three million streams, okay, that's cool. I could buy that right now if I had 50 bucks.

SPEAKER_01 34:06

Well, now to go back up, I think Purple Rain is like in the top ten of all time albums. It's like in the top ten of all time albums.

SPEAKER_00 34:14

So isn't the movie like on some registries, historical registry, something like that?

SPEAKER_01 34:19

Oh, it probably is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

I think I saw that in Wikipedia. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

So I'm gonna ask you, Mr. Thomas, before we close it on this, what format did you watch this on?

SPEAKER_00 34:30

Uh I believe I watched it, I think it was an HBO Max. I will find out for you. Or maybe Netflix. One of those two. I didn't pay for it, I'd know that. And I don't think I actually own this movie. I do own it. I do own the soundtrack, though. Soundtrack is a good one.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

So it's what I see here is it's on Pluto TV, Amazon. Uh you might have it might be on HBO. I haven't checked my HBO, but just because I own it, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:57

Yeah, it had to be one of those two. So. I and I what I understand, I guess it was re-released recently, like a couple years back, like a 40th anniversary or something like that. Like a DVD or Blu-ray, something like that. Yeah. I don't have it, but I do. I'm saying the time. Where's the Times movie? That's all I'm saying. Morris Stadium movie. What time is it? They tried to make him an actor, didn't quite take, but give it a shot. Anyway, that's all I got for this one. I uh thumbs up, of course. Yeah, big thumbs up for me. Doesn't quite hold up to the way I remember it, but it's still a good movie, still historically significant. That's um, there's never gonna be another talent like Prince, as far as I know. Oh, I yeah. You know, it's like one of those people that like once in a lifetime uh talent. So fair enough. Yeah.

La Bamba

SPEAKER_00 35:44

Speaking of once in a lifetime.

SPEAKER_03 35:48

Here he is, America's newest rock and roll sensation, Richie Valley! One, two, three, four. Don't be such a dreamer, man. My dreams are pure rock and roll. Richie, want you to meet Rudy. What's that?

SPEAKER_02 36:11

Why is it looks like something somebody threw away? I'm playing at a garage party tonight. Would you like to come?

SPEAKER_03 36:18

Okay. Well, come on, let's make that you live. President Delphi Records in Hollywood. I really dig your music, and I'd like to record it. Well nice Making money! Talking about making music. That's all I hear about, man. We still need another single to go along with Donna. How about La Bamba? It's not rock and roll. It is the way I play it. I'm really happy for you, Richie. American Bass Tab. Richie, fly up to that. I never fly in, I told you. I have my reasons. Holly is not enough a plane to fly us onto Fargo tonight. Let's go. Hey! That's beautiful, Richie. That's the one.

SPEAKER_01 37:22

I picked this week La Bamba. I just, you know, I remember watching it back when it came out in 87. It's the biographical drama written and directed by Luis Valdez about um uh Richie Valence. Richie Valence, thank you. Well, Ricardo Valenzuela. But through the movie, we learned that.

SPEAKER_00 37:41

I never quite understood that whole changing the name.

SPEAKER_01 37:43

I I get it, but I'm just I mean, because well, what's his name? Joe Pantellino's character. Joey Pance. Who, you know, for once, I give him credit, he actually showed his villa natural you know, lack of hair. Yeah. I think, you know, that's another thing, real quick as I go into this movie. What I'd appreciate about Joey Pance is how good of an actor he really is. You know, I think people forget because they always see him now as the heavy, the matrix, and other movies, right?

SPEAKER_00 38:10

Yeah, but even the heavy he plays, he's still right.

SPEAKER_01 38:13

But I'm just saying here, I mean he plays a actually real character, but there's something just to his acting style. You know, he shows the how diverse he is. I think people forget. But this is a 1987 biographical movie about Richie Vallins and his rise to stardom basically as a teenager. We see him on well, he has his it shows in the opening sequence some kind of a plane crash, and he always has nightmares about it, and he explains through the film what happened. I think it's kind of a what do they call that in movies? A precursor to Criminition.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

What's gonna, you know, potentially.

SPEAKER_00 38:52

Yeah. But uh that's freaky. And and because of it, he was scared of planes, which is also plays into the movie.

SPEAKER_01 38:59

Um but we meet him and they're on some kind of uh farm. That's where they live, and they have to work in the farm. So Richie doesn't really go to school, he works. And his mom works his Oh, does he not go to school? I didn't see him. It wasn't until they moved in the movie because you met what's her name in school?

SPEAKER_00 39:15

Donna or whatever?

SPEAKER_01 39:16

That was later. Because when Bob, Bob gets out of prison or and he drives up and he tells his mom, you know, he rides to where the the fields are at and tells his mom, We're getting out of here. And they buy a house in Southern California, and that's where Richie goes to school and meets well Yeah, he meets Donna later, but um actually he has a girlfriend in the fields too. But then when Bob comes along all of a sudden forget Richie, Bob he did?

SPEAKER_00 39:48

I don't remember that. Richie did?

SPEAKER_01 39:49

Yeah, in the beginning he goes, Oh, this is my girl Rosie. Oh yeah, because I just watched it. And then she sees Bob and she's like Because Bob goes, Oh, was that your girl? I mean, they already you know did some stuff and Richie's like, forget it. Like, damn, just but Bob's a man. And Bob is played by uh Isai Morales. Oh, that's right. And Isai had a little fame, and this was the introduction of Lou Diamond Phillips in this movie. Yes. So I guess when I look back, because I at first you're like there is a slight resemblance the way they made uh the two actors?

SPEAKER_00 40:28

No, oh, with him and Richie Balls.

SPEAKER_01 40:30

Richie Ballons, a little bit. I mean, I could see how they the hair and they try to, you know, because Lou Diamond Phillips is more of a Filipino. I mean he's a a bunch, he's he's a mix, but Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:41

But he seems like he's a little thinner than pictures I've seen of everyone's but uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:49

Richie when they get out of the the fields and go to LA, he goes to school, but he's always had a dream of being a musician. He's actually, I guess, pretty good. We don't we kind of see it sprinkled. Um he finally gets to audition for the the silhouettes.

SPEAKER_00 41:06

The silhouette. Oh my god. And this was in what time period? The 15th century.

SPEAKER_01 41:10

1957-ish?

SPEAKER_00 41:13

Yeah. So everyone was the something. Right. The somethings or whatever. The silhouettes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

And he goes in there and he plays, and then like, and because the one kid's like, oh, this is Richie, and he plays, and he's like, alright. And the the the the head of the of the silhouettes, this one guy is like the b the band leader who plays sax. He looks at him, he's like, Alright, he's in. Reluctantly, right? But he's and then you know he tells his family how oh I'm gonna play, and they all go to watch and he's just strumming in the background.

SPEAKER_00 41:42

The band leader won't let him play. Yeah, because his audition, he actually sang and played guitar, and that's when everyone's like, oh wow, he's really good.

SPEAKER_01 41:48

Right, and that's when the he was intimidated and he was threatened by it. Okay, whatever. Right, he tried to downplay it.

SPEAKER_00 41:54

Yeah. I think he's being a dick, too, especially at the gig, because he's like playing, he kept playing singing songs, and I'm like, let the dude sing. Like, he didn't want you because he knew. Right, right. Like they'll kick me out of the van.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

Well, they'll like you better me. But along this uh trip of watching Richie develop slowly, um, we see Bob. Bob is always, as you can see, trying to win his mom somehow, right? She sees Richie as, oh, he's you know, the golden child. Not literally, she's not saying that, but you can get that sense, right? Bob's had a troubled past. I mean, he found out that Richie's dad, Bob's stepdad, didn't realize that that wasn't his dad. It wasn't until later that he found out. He always thought. And because it's explained, Bob tells when him and Richie later on in the movie get kind of an argument. I always knew the way he treated you, why, you know, I wasn't his. And I mean, it's kind of heartfelt. I mean, growing up, I guess I could say I can kind of relate. You know, it's like it it does hurt.

SPEAKER_00 42:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:56

You know, so I mean, I didn't do what Bob did, but still, I can understand, you know, you can empathize, sympathize, you can understand, you know. Right. But yeah, he was always trying to prove himself, right, to mom, even though it's misguided a lot of times.

SPEAKER_00 43:13

Yeah, and she seemed to favor Richie too. Right, that's what I'm saying. So it's kind of like, yeah, it's good. And he he could he could draw, he had talent too, but I mean, he was whether you have talent doesn't mean you're more deserving of love. You should get love regardless, but you know, but he was like trying to say, hey, look, I could do stuff too. And mom's like, oh yeah, whatever. Hey Richie. Yeah, I love you both, but especially him.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

Right. I mean, it's just yeah, it sucks.

SPEAKER_00 43:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:43

But you know, Richie later on, I'm not trying to dismiss Bob because he comes into the picture obviously throughout the film. He plays an important part. Right. And I did see an interview about this because Luis Faldez, and they had Richie's mom, she was still alive when they made the film, she was in her 70s. So she helped in the collaboration of this movie. So a lot of whatever you see she told them, okay, this is again, it's not a straight biography, they have to you know they have to Hollywoodize it or whatever. Right. Yeah. Because that's just it it's not gonna be as glamorous as if you make this film. And it's a fun film. Right. And it goes to what you're saying about biopics, right? I mean, we don't know. I mean it's her mom, he but she's not there with Richie because I know that it's not gonna be a spoiler, but the end and I won't tell you what happened. You if you haven't seen it, you need to watch the film. But when they show Richie being sick in the Big Bopper, it was actually the Big Bopper who was sick and you know, and they had to flip a coin, and it was Wayland Jen Jennings who didn't make the plane trip. Right, okay. But I'm not gonna go any further than that. But I'm getting ahead of myself, but Lou Diamond Phillips for his first film did a really good job. This is his first film? Oh, okay. Well, it was says introducing in the in the Okay. I mean, I'm sure maybe he did some spots here and there, but this is the actual first time because he's the lead.

SPEAKER_00 45:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:05

But as the movie goes on, yeah. Uh Richie's mom is really, you know, she's totally on board with Richie. She sees the potential. And she actually helps get the silhouettes a gig at this veterans place, right? Yeah. And the lead singer of the silhouette, oh no, we're not playing there. And they're like, what are you talking about? The band's like, what are you talking about? And this is where Richie finally says, Well, uh, you know, I'm gonna play here, so right.

SPEAKER_00 45:33

And then the band's like, well, fuck yeah, this guy's talented, you suck. Right. So they basically get rid of him. Yeah. Well, they he still played, I think. I remember if I remember correctly. He just didn't sing lead. He was still playing saxophone, yeah, because but they kind of like pushed him to the back where he belonged.

SPEAKER_01 45:51

And when they have that, oh well, before that, I skipped ahead. Is that Richie and Bob, because Richie's mom gets into play at some bar where her dad used to drink his life waste, Richie's, yeah. And the owner's like, Oh, I don't know, and then all of a sudden Richie comes in and plays for all you, and it and it takes off, and Bob and his trying to get the rhythm.

SPEAKER_00 46:13

Playing drums, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:14

Right. And you know, the everyone goes crazy. And you can see the obvious talent this kid has. It's nice, right? And that's when she goes, Oh, because that bar now made a bunch of money because people came to see him unintentionally, but it happened.

SPEAKER_00 46:27

And to be clear, uh, it was uh kind of um I don't want to say a redneck bar, but you could say it. It's a redneck bar, a biker bar. So that's why they were saying, like, you'll never be able to make it with this crowd, but he won them over. So it was basically like a biker bar. Biker bar, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Bunch of bikes.

SPEAKER_01 46:43

And he did. He won them over.

SPEAKER_00 46:45

I've been framed. Oh, yeah. For all you criminals out there or whatever, and they're like, Oh, okay, yeah, that's us. And that's like shows he has showmanship. That means he's supposed to be there on the stage. That's his thing.

SPEAKER_01 46:57

And that's when his mom just gets the idea to go, hey, I'll put you guys on, and she does it, and then they they're hit, and then that's when uh Bob Keane, uh Delphi Records, right, watches and he comes up and says, Well, even in that, unfortunately, Bob can't help himself Bob, who comes in drunk and ruins the whole thing, unfortunately. Yeah. Because again, he's drinking his problems away, right? He's trying to medicate himself medicate.

SPEAKER_00 47:26

But I mean, I would I mean, I I'm not saying, again, like you, I'm not saying I would go that far, but I get it. Like, you know, his mom, like, he he has that one gig, and his mom's like Starstruck, like, oh, we have to help him. Like, don't you have a job or like other kids and shit? It's like just like setting up she's setting up these gigs and parties and stuff for him, like to push him. And Bob's like, What about me, he's the oldest, right? Right. And what the fuck?

SPEAKER_01 47:51

There's a thing in the movie where Bob goes, you know, this is my house. Right. I mean, he did, he did. Because he did pay for it, yeah. He took them out of poverty, helped him get his mom. Yeah, she works, whatever she does. And but where's my thank you at? Right. And that's kind of I can't blame him. You know, I mean, he did. I mean, he out of all that, he could have said, you know, F you guys, I'm getting my own house.

SPEAKER_00 48:14

Right. Keep picking the fruit. He really wanted the love of his his mom, though. He did. Acceptance of his family.

SPEAKER_01 48:20

That's basically the acceptance, you know.

SPEAKER_00 48:22

But the love is why he went to the bottle.

SPEAKER_01 48:24

Right. And then, yeah, but out of all that, even you know, Bob Keane sees something in Richie and says, Hey, I want to record, and we see that he that one take where he's going out for what's like, hey, let's go. And hey, how many takes? He's like, Yeah. It's but you know that's that's real.

SPEAKER_00 48:45

Yeah, that's that's real.

SPEAKER_01 48:46

You know, where you're like, it's kind of like who could I equate that to? Uh Stanley Kubrick, right, who's notorious for like hundreds of takes takes or 60. You know, you're like, how many when do you really see? I know there's perfectionism, but there's a point where how many more takes are you really gonna get to perfectionism of it?

SPEAKER_00 49:03

It's tough because you could look at it either way. Like, I I agree with you as a as a musician, but also as a fan of music, just being a normal person, it's like I'm watching that scene where he's singing that thing over and over again. I'm like, come on, dude, you got it. The first time, whatever. It's like I don't hear any difference. Like, what do you you know? But then the other hand, there are people that say the more you repeat something, you start to it's almost like a meditative thing. Sure. And you you go into a flow state and you might hit that one performance that's like transcendent and it's worth all that other stuff to get that.

SPEAKER_01 49:33

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 49:34

I don't, you know. I don't I don't belong to that club. Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 49:38

I'm more of the Clint Eastwood club where it's two takes. Right. And I mean I mean 'cause to kind of I think what you're trying to say, like realistically, realistically, if we're watching a film, would I know like the shining that Jack Nicholson had to do 50 takes that scene? Right. No, I wouldn't, right?

SPEAKER_00 49:56

Or Daniel Day Lewis, I drink your milkshake. What take was that? I don't care. It's like he did it well. I mean, I got it.

SPEAKER_01 50:03

Right, and that's my point. Whereas Clint Eastwood comes in, do I know the difference that it's only been two takes? No. No.

SPEAKER_00 50:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:08

So it's like that's a that's the difference. I mean, I get there's mythology, there's method, right? But I don't I don't know. I kind of like I see both sides. I see both sides like you.

SPEAKER_00 50:18

I do.

SPEAKER_01 50:20

Right.

SPEAKER_00 50:20

But I just love the fact just if I can interject at that. What's his Delphi records or whatever? And it's like his is it his basement? Yeah. He just comes down to the basement. Because isn't it your recording studio? It's the record label and the recording studio. I love that in the 50s. It just had all the recording studio was like this. Here's my recording studio right here. Just go, you stand over there and sing, and that's it. You know, and there's your record, and it just burns to it like a vinyl player over here. Isn't that crazy? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:47

I know, right?

SPEAKER_00 50:48

And that's it. He's like, yeah, go ahead and sing, because this this is your single. You're singing your single to me right now.

SPEAKER_01 50:53

Right.

SPEAKER_00 50:53

There's no like fancy studio, this is it.

SPEAKER_01 50:56

And then it because the movie makes it seem like there's a like a year or whatever, right? But actually, this all transpired in eight months. Yeah. All those he made those singles, all those hits with the He was 17? 16? He was 16, but he got 17 because then he unfortunately the day the music died. For all you kids who don't know, that's Tom McLean. But um he made all those singles and he became a a hit. In like no time.

SPEAKER_00 51:21

Um months, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 51:23

It is interesting because as I said during the 50s, how Richie dated Donna, and of course there's the taboo because he wasn't from the the neighborhood. Even though He wasn't white. Right.

SPEAKER_00 51:32

Yeah. Thank you. Um Yeah, because there's a scene where his dad's looking like what is he Italian? Right.

SPEAKER_01 51:39

Uh yeah, yeah, right. Is he Itali I guess that's a little easier to take thanks to the city?

SPEAKER_00 51:44

Yeah. Is he Mexican? Oh no, you can't have that. But his dad is being a straight-up dick. Her dad, right. Yeah. Um and No, she's not here.

SPEAKER_01 51:53

No, she's not here. I know.

SPEAKER_00 51:54

Doing her homework. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 51:55

Okay, so can you tell her that Richie, you know.

SPEAKER_00 51:57

Yeah. Just come out and say it, dude. You're racist or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 52:02

But yeah, he still hung true. I mean, if I mean Donna kept trying to like, well, yeah, I'm dating other people.

SPEAKER_00 52:07

I was like, right? Listen to your dad. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:13

That's that and that's a little trek for how dare you. But when we see, you know, he thinks it's over, and then we see him singing in the phone booth, he wrote the song Don. Well, that's what I have, Bob. So I'll like, oh. And then Bob takes him on his little Tijuana trip. Yeah. Right. Um it's interesting. Like I said, Bob, interesting character, but he he still loves his family. Even though he knows that Richie's the chosen or the one, he still even hangs out with Richie. You know, he still tries to help him be a man and learn things in life.

SPEAKER_00 52:47

They're still brothers. They still love each other. He looks out for him like a little brother, like a big brother would. Right. Let me take you to T. I mean, it's misguided, but I mean it's nice that he's like, let's take you to a whorehouse or whatever. Right. You don't need you don't need to be singing songs like that. To a girl in a payphone, let's take you to T Ponti.

SPEAKER_02 53:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:07

Don't be a simp, brother. That's reminded of the scene from 40-year-old Virgin. You gotta knock out some hood rats. Slay a bunch of those. Oh, right. You're still gonna be pretty bad at sex, but at least you don't have some experience. Yeah, and then he even doesn't even partake. And then that's when he kind of the legend or whatever, you know, that where he sees Los Lobos, but it's a different band, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 53:27

Right. It's not Los Lobos.

SPEAKER_00 53:28

It's not Los Lobos, it's different. Not what happened to them.

SPEAKER_01 53:32

They're still around. I mean, they it's interesting because he they played La Bamba, which the movie's called.

SPEAKER_00 53:37

It was this was that song was a hit at this time in what 87 or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 53:41

Well, it's because of the movie, too. Really, that really catapulted it. That was crazy.

SPEAKER_00 53:46

But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:47

I mean, he did release that single. He'd released that, and that's what in conjunction with Los Blobos, who was the main uh musical uh artist for the he was blaming them, but they were the ones that really performed the songs.

SPEAKER_00 54:00

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:01

Cause I mean, I give Lou Diamond Phillips, because then they show him lip syncing, he is phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 54:07

Yeah, he's into it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:09

You know, and I don't know, I mean him playing pretending to air guitar there, literally.

SPEAKER_00 54:13

But Oh, I didn't I I to be honest, I got lost in the performance. So I I usually I'd be nitpicky about that type of stuff. Oh no, I'm not I'm not saying because he looked authentic. Yeah, that's what I mean. So it's like at least he wasn't so bad, it's like, oh, what are you doing? It's like he's yeah, he seemed like like that's legit. I could see you know, someone performing like that.

SPEAKER_01 54:31

So like I said, my take is I really enjoyed the film. I really it's a fun film. I mean, for biopics is one of the better fun movies. I mean, I we picked two biopics that are musically inclined. Right. Um, this one was fun. I mean, how much is true? Uh I really didn't care because I just enjoyed the ride. Right. You know. I mean, seeing a kid, I mean, rise up from nothing. It's it's kind of exciting. Yeah. It gives hope. Yeah. For all those people out there who are making movies or writing music.

SPEAKER_00 55:01

Yeah. Following their dreams in whatever way. There you go. Anyway.

SPEAKER_01 55:05

But yeah, it's uh I mean, I know that even towards the end of the movie, hip Bob and him get into it because Richie comes back from his tour and they really I mean Bob really said because it's when him and Richie later on he goes, Well, you came from the heart, they have a they still come together.

SPEAKER_00 55:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01 55:23

But they I mean sometimes it's like you said, you need that voice of reason. Bob pay told him straight up, you know. You know, it's all about you. You know, I was you know, I'm here too.

SPEAKER_00 55:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:34

I mean, it's true though. I mean, like you do, you feel for Bob. I mean, I did.

SPEAKER_00 55:40

Yeah, because people don't act out like that just for shits and giggles. Right. There's so I mean he's yes, he's being terrible to his wife, and he's drinking, he's getting in trouble, but there's a reason for it.

SPEAKER_01 55:52

And like they don't It's easy to paint Bob as the villain, right? Right. But I think anyone who can see through all that veneer, so to speak, sees what Bob he hurts. Right. Right? He yearns for stuff that his mom gives to Richie, not him.

SPEAKER_00 56:08

Right. You know it's almost like Richie's success is paid for with that sacrifice that Bob made too.

SPEAKER_01 56:13

There you go.

SPEAKER_00 56:14

Against his will, kind of, but you know, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 56:17

I think Bob even sees, not to cut you off, sees sees what is transpiring, and he wants his brother to do well. I mean, you know, but I'd like a little recognition. Right, right, right. I mean, I did get you guys out of the field.

SPEAKER_00 56:30

Right. You know? I did take you to the hoe house.

SPEAKER_01 56:33

I mean, I mean, I took two for myself. You didn't take any, but I mean, still I made up for you. I got the two.

SPEAKER_00 56:40

I went home, I got drunk and then I came home late to the house and you checked on my wife, but still something counts. So she had the baby.

SPEAKER_01 56:47

I was I was taking care of your your son. I was there, sure. Eventually. Right. No, we're making light, but yeah, it's like I said, I think Eside did a great job. I mean, playing Bob. He did. I think it's re-watching that film, because you think all it's all about Richie, but you see the duality of those two, right? The family. Right. And you can I think you can understand them. People can relate. Yeah. Um, and I think Eside didn't get enough recognition. I think, like I said, he's painted more as this out, not even an outlier, but uh the villain, and that's unfair to him. Right, right. Because I mean he does have a lot. I did see the interview after, and they showed the real Bob, and you can see even in the real Bob is affected, even from you know how many years it had been. Sucks, yeah. Yeah, I mean, he there's a lot of resentment there, regret, but stuff happens in life. Yeah you know, they're tomorrow is not promised, you know. But this movie was budgeted at 6.5 and it made fifty-four, so that's nine times the budget, which is nice, you know.

SPEAKER_00 57:50

So now this was when we were at the theater at this point. Yes, right. Because I seem to remember I felt like, and I could have been misremembering this, but this seemed to be like a surprise hit. Yes, yeah, because it came out and like you said, it made nine times its budget, but it was just like customers buying for that movie over and over again. And back then, I don't know how it works now, but isn't it funny? It was like demand. If it was selling, we'd leave it in the theater.

SPEAKER_01 58:18

And that's the thing I'm I think we didn't we don't allude to, but there was always repeat business. People didn't, I mean, you went and watched it a few times. Right. Right? Even Purple Rain, the same thing.

SPEAKER_00 58:28

It's kind of it was always like, yeah, the the theater was always at least half full, if not full.

SPEAKER_01 58:32

I mean, even back then you'd see it released for a few weeks, you know, unlike today, where it's first weekend, boom, and the next weekend, like hello. Yeah, exactly. It's gone and changed. It's interesting, but yeah, but yeah, this was one that crept up. It did, it did really it did well.

SPEAKER_00 58:47

Yeah. I remember this one being at the theater where I worked.

SPEAKER_01 58:50

And I had fun, like I said, another one I had fun with watching it, nostalgia of it, and like I said, looking at it through older eyes and realizing Eside how integral he is to the movie. You don't see it, and then when you're younger, you think, oh, he's such a dick. That bopy, you know, but now when you're kind of lived some of that yourself, you go, Oh, I can relate. Oh, I see. Right.

SPEAKER_00 59:11

Right. Like I said, no one acts out just for no reason. Right. Even if their perception is wrong, there's at least there's some perception of you did such and such to me, and now I'm gonna like, you know, I can't get satisfaction, so I'm gonna do whatever for you.

SPEAKER_01 59:26

So what are you, the Rolling Stones? Can't get Rot Tomatoes, your favorite, gave it 83%.

SPEAKER_00 59:32

83%, wow, it's pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 59:34

Roger Ebert liked the film and the screenplay writing. This is a good small movie, sweet and sentimental about a kid who never really got a chance to show his stuff.

SPEAKER_00 59:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:43

It's true.

SPEAKER_00 59:45

So I mean there was favorable. Sweet and sentimental, yes, that's definitely right.

SPEAKER_01 59:48

Yeah. I mean, that's accurate. But yeah, my hot take is I really enjoyed La Bomba. I really enjoyed both films. I did.

SPEAKER_00 59:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:56

Um I think, yeah, thumbs up for me.

SPEAKER_00 59:59

Yeah. I would say they're both classic movies. Yes. Uh both. I think you should see both. Yes. I think uh part of a well-rounded film education, I think. To see both movies.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:11

I think so. La Bamba is on Netflix or Amazon. I don't remember where I saw that one. Uh well. Probably Netflix. I do own both. I'm not trying to, but yeah. Yeah, you are.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:22

Don't shove it in my face.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:24

I just you know me, I love films, and it's fun to be able to sit there and just let yourself just go. Yeah. It is fun. It's that's the whole reason we do the show because it's it's fun going back and revisiting. Like you said, I hadn't seen Purple Rain and it's been a while.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:40

The music still, I really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:43

Um yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:46

So until next week, when we'll we'll let you know what next week is next week. All right, that's it. All right, we're out, kids. That's a wrap for today's movie reviews. Thanks for listening. And remember, if you like what you've heard, make sure you like, subscribe, and rate our show. Let's go get some ice cream.