Film Of The Week #4 - This Is Spinal Tap

Karl Hungus

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/

This week it was a tie between This Is Spinal Tap and Bubba Ho-Tep, so I've cast the deciding vote in favour of Spinal Tap.

What can anyone say about this legendary film that hasn't been said already? It's a comedic masterpiece, and stands the test of time excellently. It's impact on popular culture is widespread, with quotes like "This goes to 11" everywhere.

The Bollox

the only thing better than watching the film is watching it with the commentary on

"when two people who lie so much get together, somehow the truth comes out"

One of the finest comedy classics ever made.

There really is'nt really a lot that can be said about Spinal Tap that has'nt been said a hundred times before.

johnny_ultimate

I have always maintained that Spinal Tap is one of the funniest - if not the funniest - comedy ever made. The first time I witnessed the Stonehenge scene I missed the next 5 minutes of the film I was laughing so hard.
Most films get away with one timeless moment. Spinal Tap is constantly timeless. Getting lost backstage. Getting stuck in an on-stage pod. A two necked bass. The whole guitar collection bit. Exploding drummers. And of course the legendary, apparantly improvd utterance - "S*** Sandwhich".
And the worrying thing is some people mistook them for a real band.

Crucifix

Fantastic film.
I've always considered it to be the best of the Mockumentary stuff. I thought they combined scripted ideas with ad-libbed lines beautifully.

bluto63

I just watchec this the other night and I laughed so hard I almost shat myself. Well deserving of Film of the Week as it is one of the best comedies around.
Cups and Cakes is one the greatest songs ever. EVER.

Dont be at yourself

Gimme Some Money is way better!

johnny_ultimate

NekkidBibleMan wrote:

Gimme Some Money is way better!

Tonight Im Gonna Rock You! With added Guitar Hero 2 value!
And who can forget Listen To What the Flower People Say. Ssssh!

quickbeam

Saw This Is Spinal Tap for the first time about five years ago and loved it so much. One of the funniest films ever made, with some of the classic scenes already mentioned.

Saw The Last Waltz last night on Channel 6 (Martin Scorcese's documentary on The Band), and suddenly all those jokes and references in Spinal Tap made even more sense and now seem even funnier.

faceman

What can be said that hasnt already been said - just get it on dvd (Almost an hour of hilarious deleted scenes), the commentary is like watching a new film as its the actors in character looking back at the band in the 80's! Classic!

Further viewing can be seen in 'the return of spinal tap' - basically a little known celebrity ridden 90 minute concert on dvd with a half hour of 'where are they now'. Nigel's inventing shed scene takes the biscuit, seconded by passports for animals. capo for his amp, and fold away wine glasses. 'i havent quite worked out the rubber hinges yet'

Galvasean

Just bought it on DVD last week for only €7. Well worth it.

The Denouncer

Working on a sex farm
Trying to raise some hard love
Getting out my pitch fork
Poking your hay

Scratching in your henhouse
Sniffing at your feedbag
Slipping out your back door
Leaving my spray

Sex farm woman, I'm gonna mow you down
Sex farm woman, I'll rake and hoe you down
Sex farm woman, don't you see my silo rising high?

Working on a sex farm
Hosing down your barn door
Bothering you livestock
They know what I need

Working up a hot sweat
Crouching in your pea patch
Plowing through your beanfield
Planting my seed

Sex farm woman, I'll be your hired hand
Sex farm woman, I'll let my offer stand
Sex farm woman, don't you hear my tractor rumbling by?

Working on a sex farm
Trying to raise some hard love
Getting out my pitch fork
Poking your hay

pickarooney

Spinal tap is really not all that funny, to be quite honest.

Karl Hungus

pickarooney wrote:

Spinal tap is really not all that funny, to be quite honest.

*Shock*Horror* :eek:

OfflerCrocGod

pickarooney wrote:

Spinal tap is really not all that funny, to be quite honest.

I agree, if I'm honest I only laughed a few times during the film. It just didn't do it for me and I don't understand why everywhere I see people saying it's hilarious and non-stop laughs but for me it was mainly dull and immature.

faceman

Ban the blasphemers!
to those non fans, what are your favourite comedies? Please dont say dumb and dumber!

OfflerCrocGod

I actually don't find film comedies that enjoyable they never seem to work out but as for favorite then it would have to be Annie Hall.

supernic

yes yes yes! brilliant, funny, classic film, fabulous choice. in fact i haven't seen it in a while, i'd better hire it this week!

i like all their mockumentaries- Best in Show is another favourite.

Has anyone seen a Norweigan mockumentary called 'Get Ready to be Boyzvoiced'? i'd recommend it to anyone who loves Spinal Tap, i thought it was hilarious. It's a solid addition to the genre, with fabulous tunes about the incredible rise and all-too-soon fall of a Boy Band.

The Denouncer

My wife thinks it stupid. My friend in work called it Spinal Crap.
My friend who I go drinking time though loves it, and we can quote it all night long, like a pair of sad losers. His friends hate it though.
I once met a bloke in a previous job who seriously thought it was real. "They spontaneously combusted and everything!". Not messing.

c - 13

I love this film, the girlfirend hates it, most of the friends love it, some of them hate it.

A complete love-hate film, with no middle ground seemingly.

I think the fact that most people actually thought that Spinal Tap were a real band when the film was released akes it even funnier.

Some absolutely brilliant moments in the movie, excellent the way that it pokes so much fun at the entire rock band stereotype (I particularly love the part where we see Nigel playing a solo on his guitar using a violin).

Also an excellent and hilarious soundtrack throughout -
1. "Hell Hole" – 3:07
2. "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" – 2:38
3. "Heavy Duty" – 4:28
4. "Rock & Roll Creation" – 4:08
5. "America" – 3:31
6. "Cups and Cakes" – 1:33
7. "Big Bottom" – 3:32
8. "Sex Farm" – 3:20
9. "Stonehenge" – 4:36
10. "Gimme Some Money" – 2:26
11. "(Listen to the) Flower People" – 2:38

THe first time I saw the film, like most people I nearly convulsed at the stonehenge scene. The dvd as someone already mentioned is worth buying for the commentry and for the deleted scenes, some of which are pure classic.

To the spinal Tap haters on the thread, what is it you dislike about the film, perhaps we could get a decent film of the week debate going ?

imp

The commentary's great.

"You can get that on eBay!"

grumpytrousers

It's a great movie. It really is. I loved the drummer who died in the 'bizarre gardening accident' and who can forget Tufnells elegaic 'Lick my Love Pump'.

And you gotta love this...

http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/5/11/d2/ku/hef2k7c404wwcwcocs4gi.html

Slutmonkey57b

What don't I like about it?

It's just not very funny. It's something I sat and watched and thought "Hmm they've done a good job making this" but it just didn't grab me at all. I'd imagine it's a lot funnier if you've been in a band, but I got the odd wry smile out of it and not a lot else. A lot of the big set-piece jokes, like the malfunctioning pod, or the "goes up to 11" are too slowly paced, I got bored waiting for the inevitable punchline. There's a lot of clever knowing jokes with a very obvious conclusion that just take way too long to wrap up.
You end up in a sort of
"Ah here comes a joke"
.....
There it is, when's it going to finish?
.....

Waiting....

....

*mild payoff*
Heh. *sigh*

Dont be at yourself

But that's exactly where Spinal Tap triumphs - the humour is so understated, its success is that you can almost believe it's actually happening.

faceman

NekkidBibleMan wrote:

But that's exactly where Spinal Tap triumphs - the humour is so understated, its success is that you can almost believe it's actually happening.

exactly. Unfortunately most people nowadays are happy with boring dick and fart jokes ala Dumb and Dumber which is quite sad.

Tonight's show: Puppet Show and Spinal Pap

Mushy

Never thought I'd see myself roaming this forum, but how I'm glad I did.

I'm mainly only really into comedies, and I love music, so combine the two, and Spinal Tap is the most perfect film ever. I'll prob watch it again tomorrow, its being too long since last time. so many funny quotes in it too. He died in a "bizarre gardening accident" is a standout, along with the two-word album review:D

And like many above, Stonehengenever ceases to amaze me. "It was in danger of being crushed by a ****ing dwarf!" I bring it a lot of places with me, in case that we actually watch it...I love it

the whole year inn

Did not like it that much either.

Slutmonkey57b

NekkidBibleMan wrote:

But that's exactly where Spinal Tap triumphs - the humour is so understated, its success is that you can almost believe it's actually happening.

No you can't. The slow pacing just gives you more time to let your mind wander and wonder when they're going to get on with it and move on to the next setpiece joke. It's a fundamental danger in the nature of unscripted comedy - the system works for example, in Curb your Enthusiasm, where the setpieces are abjectly normal, and the extra time is put to good use picking up the nuances that the actors put into their performances. In Tap, however, it just gives you more time to go "Oh look, that pod's going to malfunction. There, he's getting in it. Oh god, now this is going to go on for 4 minutes while nothing is happening and they won't put in anything to fill in the background of this guy being stuck in the damn pod... **** beans."

Slutmonkey57b

faceman wrote:

exactly. Unfortunately most people nowadays are happy with boring dick and fart jokes ala Dumb and Dumber which is quite sad.

Tonight's show: Puppet Show and Spinal Pap

Ah, the classic "I like the Coens so I'm cleverer than you" syndrome.
If you can explain to me what laughter (and tickling for that matter) actually *are* then you'll have an insight as to why that sort of logic exposes you as merely a snob, rather than the intelligentsia.

corblimey

imp wrote:

The commentary's great.

"You can get that on eBay!"

"He's dead" "He's dead" "She's dead"
"You had me at hello"

humanji

Slutmonkey57b wrote:

What don't I like about it?

Just out of curiosity, when did you see it? I've a load of friends who've seen it, and anyone who's seen it recently thinks it''s rubbish, whereas those who've seen it ages ago all love it. It's all down to what type of comedy you like, ie I think the timing is perfect, but you and others think it's off etc.

Meh, I still love it

Slutmonkey57b

I think there's a good argument to be made that some films have to be seen at the right time, or the right age, in order to work. Star Wars is a great example. Fans of the original trilogy tend to hate the new films, and roundly dismiss them as badly made hack pieces. People who saw the new films as small kids love them. People who hate the old films tend to get quite a lot of fun out of the fact that older fanboys can't seem to see that the old films are just as pathetically useless hack jobs as the new ones.

johnny_ultimate

Slutmonkey57b wrote:

the old films are just as pathetically useless hack jobs as the new ones.

*waits for backlash*
But while I dont agree with your last statement (and couldn't be bothered even humouring a counter-arguement), you do make a good point. I saw Episode 1 at around 12, and loved it at the time. Still have fond memories of the pre-release hype and all that.
Spinal Tap I saw at around 16 and loved it. Don't think I know anyone who hates it, although very few people have seen it recently...

Dave Total

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

Gimme Some Money is way better!

well said! This album cover could be none more blacker.

Mr. Presentable

Way to raise the dead!

Birneybau

Going to see them in Wembley Arena at the end of the month.
Cant Wait..


"The bigger the cushion
The sweeter the pushin'
That's what I said

The looser the waistband
The deeper the quicksand
Or so I have read

My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo
I like to sink her with my pink torpedo

Big bottom
Big bottom
Talk about bum cakes
My girl's got 'em
Big bottom, drive me out of my mind
How can I leave this behind?

I saw her on Monday
'Twas my lucky bun day
You know what I mean

I love her each weekday
Each velvety cheekday
You know what I mean

My love gun's loaded and she's in my sights
Big game is waiting there inside her tights

Big bottom
Big bottom
Talk about mudflaps
My gal's got 'em
Big bottom, drive me out of my mind
How can I leave this behind?

My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo
I like to sink her with my pink torpedo

Big bottom
Big bottom
Talk about bum cakes
My girl's got 'em
Big bottom, drive me out of my mind
How can I leave this behind? "