Xanadu 1980 starred Oliva Newton-John, Michael Beck and Gene Kelly(?)
The movie starts with a mural of The Nine Sisters coming to life with the help of neon and ELO
Shortly after, Kira-the Muse of Dance-bumps into Sonny Malone, an artist on the verge of giving up. Later, he sees her photograph on an album cover he's recreating.
One highlight of the movie is a little animation sequence by none other than Don Bluth:
While not the most intricate of storylines, the movie is 80's eye candy-with lots of neon, roller skating, fragmented screen transitions.
It's also ear candy, with songs by Oliva Newton-John. The title song, some 40's numbers-including one that overlaps a rockin' Tubes song-and the incredible ELO. Love it!!
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
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“A place where nobody dared to go, the love that we came to know, They call it Xanadu! And now, open your eyes and see, what we have made is real, We are in Xanadu!”
Ha.. I actually used a Xanadu pic on my Skate thread!
"Xanadu" is a guilty pleasure flick from my childhood.. I remember it playing on HBO quite a bit.
"I run into this girl this morning. Never saw before in my life; she kisses me and disappears."
The key to loving this movie is to aporoach with the proper mindset.. just relax and let the fantasy of it all takeover!
And the tune "Magic" is still amazing to me.
Great thread Bamersy!
[ 09. May 2011, 18:23: Message edited by: Valley ]
Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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Thanks Val I watched it a couple of weeks ago on Netflix-hadn't seen it for a very long time. I was a big fan of Olivia and her music-this movie never made sense to me though.
Love ELO, they have so many great songs in this movie-I'm Alive, Don't Walk Away, All Over The World to name a few Posts: 452 | From: California | Registered: Apr 2010 | Site Updates: 14
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I think this one falls neatly into the So Bad It's Good catagory (not least of all given it along with the Village People's Can't Stop the Music helped inspire the Razzies), with overblown effects and dance numbers and a hacknyed story that somehow still seems passable. Kudos to Gene Kelly for maintaining decency in the middle of the lunacy, thus giving himself a pretty reasonable swansong.
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
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Bamersy.. I was a huge ELO fan in Jr. High! My basketball team actually played a few ELO tunes in pregame warmups.
"Don't Bring Down"
"Mr. Blue Sky"
Odd I know!
Hold on tight to your dream Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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Your thread reminded me of it Ronnie That year, I gave my friend Tiff MJ's Off The Wall and the Suddenly 45 w/ps. Her friend said I should have bought the Xanadu album instead I had one, but it skipped on one of the songs. Will replace if I ever come across it-though lp's are harder to come by.
Val, should I call you Bruce? Dream's a great song-a teacher I used to work with played it during her PE class-the kids loved it.
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
However, I have a friend that definitely calls me Randy, but maybe on Joe as well.
"You have to believe we are magic"
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I was one of the few that saw this in the theater when it came out. It's silly but I really enjoyed it. I was a serious roller disco skater/fan back then so I saw any movie that had that in it...Xanadu, Roller Boogie, Skatetown USA. LOL =)
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I saw Roller Boogie in the theater. It was hard to get over Linda Blair not being possessed in those days. I remember "skate nights" through my school. We'd do the hokey pokey on skates and later girls would line up on one side and boys would ask them to skate. It was a big deal to hold someone's hand around the rink Posts: 452 | From: California | Registered: Apr 2010 | Site Updates: 14
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Muffy Tepperman
Leopard-print Leotard Wearer.....
Member # 1551
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I've never seen Xanadau.........totally know about it and the song......just still haven't seen it but you guys are making me want too. Posts: 2912 | Registered: Jun 2003 | Site Updates: 26
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quote:Originally posted by Bamersy: We'd do the hokey pokey on skates and later girls would line up on one side and boys would ask them to skate. It was a big deal to hold someone's hand around the rink
wow.. memories... we did the hokey pokey too!
it took me a long time before i got the courage to do couple skating. i would just say no all the time haha, that's so funny about the holding hands, it WAS a big deal.. my first couple skate was to this song Whistle - Right Next To me
Muffy, Xanadu is super cheesy but very colorful and magical
great music!
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Muffy-go to Netflix, watch it immediately and report back ! Eye and ear candy-both have to been seen/heard to be believed. The 40's/Tubes song is impossible to describe!
Ronnie-by the songs I remember playing at the rink, I narrowed it down to 1983 Posts: 452 | From: California | Registered: Apr 2010 | Site Updates: 14
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Xanadu is a train wreck of a film... disjointed sequences and a plot that just doesn't hold together.
However... it has a great soundtrack; Olivia is charming (as usual); and some of the set pieces are quite fun (Bam-Bam mentioned the Tubes one - that was a fave of mine).
The chemistry between Beck and Olivia is weak, and I'm not sure Beck was the right choice as leading man. I heard somewhere that Andy Gibb was supposed to be cast, but had to pull out. Beck looks a little like him. This movie - along with 'Can't Stop the Music' - effectively killed the 70's stone-dead.
Having said all of that... Muff, if you go into this expecting good music and a bizarre, loose TV special-esque movie, you might actually enjoy it.
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
quote:Originally posted by Logan 5: Xanadu is a train wreck of a film... disjointed sequences and a plot that just doesn't hold together.
Not for an 11 year old girl that already loved/wished she could be Olivia after seeing Grease a million times Posts: 452 | From: California | Registered: Apr 2010 | Site Updates: 14
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quote:Originally posted by Logan 5: Xanadu is a train wreck of a film... disjointed sequences and a plot that just doesn't hold together.
Not for an 11 year old girl that already loved/wished she could be Olivia after seeing Grease a million times
Ah... but we don't stay 11... yet the film remains a train wreck
I don't want to sound like I hate it. It's too easy to attack a film like Xanadu. I like the fact the filmmakers tried to do something different. I like Olivia, Michael and Gene. I *love* the soundtrack. But the film itself just doesn't work. I can't help thinking it's one of those movies that would seem better if you tuned into it partway through late at night and thought... 'what the hell is this?!' convinced you were watching a masterpiece lacking only that key chunk at the start for it to all hang together.
Bam-Bam, you'll always be a fluffy-haired Olivia wannabe on rollerskates singing...
"A place... that nobody dared to go..."
Don't ever change!
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Kash
Kash : Aha! He'll save every one of us...
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I tried to watch this on several occasions, well; twice anyway. Eventually made it through: the legends were all true, it really is something else. 'Camp' or 'Kitsch' don't quite cover it, there are some nice moments e.g. the animated sequence, Olivia Newton John and neon SFX. Olivia Newton John looks good. Its Xanadu, what else can you say?
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