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Directed by: Rob Reiner aka Marty Di Bergi Starring: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer Okay, I've labelled this as a documentary only because there isn't an option for ROCKumentary. This classic 1984 film follows the British heavy metal band Spinal Tap as they prepare to launch their now infamous self-titled "black album" on the American market. After such critically acclaimed albums as Shark Sandwich the band must resurrect their career with a tour of the US to introduce the audience to an inspirational repertoire of songs including Big Bottom, Stonehenge and the always profound Sex Farm. This Is Spinal Tap captures more than it set out to do, as it witnesses the perils and complexities of life on the road testing the band members' dedication. They endure such obstacles as labyrinthine backstage areas, record company censorship, disinterested audiences, malfunctioning stage props, management disputes and tiny sandwiches. Whether they overcome these obstacles I won't say, but I'll mention that my favourite moment involves the band's big breakthough as the opening act for a puppet show. The DVD release is especially valuable for those of us who grew up watching copies of copies of VHS copies, as it includes the original band members reflecting on times gone by in the audio commentary. Not to mention the entire second DVD full of deleted scenes, film clips and interviews. I've voted this a five only because the votes don't go up to eleven.
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# ? May 2, 2004 14:04 |
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# ? Mar 29, 2024 08:57 |
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My favorite quote from the movie: Nigel is playing some music on the piano. Marty, the reporter: It's very pretty. Nigel: You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really. It's like a Mach piece, really. It's sort of... Marty: What do you call this? Nigel: Well, this piece is called "Lick My Love Pump."
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# ? May 2, 2004 18:59 |
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quote:Nobody came out of the closet to say: THESE AMPS GO TO ELEVEN!!
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# ? May 2, 2004 19:11 |
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So many classic lines. . . Nigel Tufnel: It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black. Ian Faith: The Boston gig has been cancelled... David St. Hubbins: What? Ian Faith: Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though, it's not a big college town. And my most favorite of all: Bobbi Fleckman: Ian, you put a greased naked woman... Ian: Yes Bobbi: ...on all fours... Ian: Yes Bobbi: ..with a dog collar around her neck... Ian: with a dog collar Bobbi: ...and a leash... Ian: and a leash Bobbi: ..and a man's arm extended out up to here holding onto the leash and pushing a black glove in her face to sniff it. You don't find that offensive? You don't find that sexist?" (a few seconds later, Nigel and Ian are talking) Nigel: Well so what? What's wrong with being sexy? I mean there's no... Ian: Sex-ist. David: -ist. More than sexy. http://www.chiprowe.com/tap/scripts/tist.pdf - The complete script.
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# ? May 2, 2004 19:14 |
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One of my favorite mockumentaries ever. Just endlessly quotable but I think it's all been done in this thread or whatnot (too lazy).
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# ? May 2, 2004 20:45 |
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This movie really doesn't really make me laugh out loud when i watch it, but the overall movie is so much more than the sum of it's parts, which makes it one of the funniest movies ever. The Stonehenge bit is probably my favorite individual one. edit: poo poo I voted 4, when I meant to hit 5
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# ? May 2, 2004 20:48 |
Dude.... no, our amp goes up to 11. AHAHAHHA
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# ? May 2, 2004 21:15 |
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If you enjoyed shows like 'Home Movies' then this is probably a movie for you. While I found the movie on whole to be entertaining, I didn't find it extraordinarily funny. At the time, a brilliant idea that's been copied quite a bit since then. If your taste in humor is subtle and dry, then I recommend it. If you're looking for quirky, weird, or zany humor, then see this when you're in the mood for subtle humor. 3/5
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# ? May 2, 2004 21:41 |
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I didn't know what the big deal was until i actually saw. it's a very subtle humor (most of the time, anyways) but it works loving perfect. one of my favorite movies of all time
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# ? May 2, 2004 21:50 |
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This film is perfect. Perfect. Also, the outtakes/commentary on the DVD are superb. 5 with a bullet.
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# ? May 3, 2004 01:33 |
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I think I actually cried from laughter at about ten points throughout this movie. It's got a perfect mixture of subtle humour and slapstick, even more enjoyable if you've ever been into the hard rock/heavy metal side of music. I learned recently that most of the dialogue in this (and in stuff like A Mighty Wind) is pretty much all ad-lib, which really adds to the confusion in most scenes. 5/5
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# ? May 3, 2004 13:26 |
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One of my favorite movies. If you're into British classic rock/metal, this is a must see. Also, if you've seen Best In Show, Waiting for Guffman, or A Mighty Wind, and liked any of those films, you'll love this. Christopher Guest and Michael Mckean are brilliant. Fred Willard makes a great appearance too. Edit: As mentioned in an above post, the DVD extras are GREAT, including actual music videos for a few songs. 5/5
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# ? May 3, 2004 15:28 |
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"This Is Spinal Tap" is the first movie I bought as a kid. I think this movie really takes on a whole other level of hilarity if you're a musician.
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# ? May 3, 2004 16:17 |
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quote:grutz came out of the closet to say: You, sir, rock. There's not much I can say about this movie that hasn't already been said with a number of humorous quotes. It's really great.
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# ? May 3, 2004 16:37 |
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quote:substitute came out of the closet to say: Indeed. 5/5
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# ? May 3, 2004 21:20 |
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The movie by itself is a 5. With all the additional and HILARIOUS stuff on the DVD it gets a 5.5 easily. This is a fine example of using the DVD medium to its fullest.
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# ? May 13, 2004 06:16 |
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Excellent look at how patheticly serious people can take silly things, as with most Christopher Guest movies, and the Stone'enge scene will always be classically funny.
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# ? May 13, 2004 16:39 |
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My second-favorite comedy ever (you can guess what Number One is). It's the setup of the "These go to 11" gag that makes it so brilliant: MARTY: Why don’t you just make ten louder and make ten be the top... number... and make that a little louder? (pause) NIGEL: These go to eleven. That Nigel; dumb as a stump. 5/5
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# ? May 13, 2004 16:47 |
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poi - the cast (all professional actors) learned to play their instruments just to make this film. So many great moments ... "You're making it ragga!" "Dubly" My favourite scene would have to be the stage act with the cocoons ... Anyone remember the ads that used to occasionally turn up in the band pages of Kerrang, advertising for new drummers? `Spinal Tap require a new drummer, experience essential. Preferably fireproof.' lol.
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# ? May 13, 2004 22:43 |
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quote:grutz came out of the closet to say: "You should have seen what they wanted to put there. It wasn't a glove I can tell you!" Classic. Edit: Artie Fufkin, Polymer records.
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# ? May 14, 2004 21:48 |
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I judge people based on this. I ask them what the funniest movie ever made was, and if they don't say Tap, I'm disappointed, unless they've never seen it, then they tend to agree with me. "I'm sure I'd feel much worse if I wasn't under such heavy sedation" ALSO: "Mime is money"
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# ? May 14, 2004 23:08 |
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Here's what I've deduced from asking people about this film. Whether or not you like this film depends on your interest in old metal, classic rock, 60s pop rock and roll, psychedlia, glam rock, et al. If you don't know much, or don't care for much of any of these genres, it'll be hard to see the comedic genius behind the film. If you do like and understand these genres, prepare to watch the funniest film you've ever seen.
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# ? May 15, 2004 02:44 |
quote:Cabbit came out of the closet to say: I also kind of got bored by the whole concept well before the end. Like, yeah, we get it, it's a documentary about a heavy metal band but it's actually a parody, ha ha, do we really have to sit through another hour? It did have its moments, though. The lyrics to the songs were excellent--in that they were completely ridiculous and yet they didn't sound much different from "real" rock lyrics (which, I guess, tells you everything you need to know about heavy metal lyrics.) I also liked how they set up Hubbins and Nigel in their performances--it's like they're playing and singing two completely different songs, and they just happen to be on stage at the same time.
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# ? May 15, 2004 09:28 |
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If you've enjoyed any other Christopher Guest movie or you really enjoy some dry humor, you really need to see this movie.
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# ? May 15, 2004 09:29 |
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I showed this movie to my roomates and their friends about a year ago. They loved it so much we watched it three times straight--the third time with the Nigel-David-Derek comentary, which made it seem like an entirely new movie. It remains the most quoted and loved movie among all of us. Everybody needs to see Spinal Tap. Purchase the DVD, it's one of the most packed, deep discs out there. If you liked "Best in Show" or "A Mighty Wind" this movie is about ten times better, and I loved those two. "He was the patron saint of quality footwear."
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# ? May 15, 2004 16:50 |
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# ? Mar 29, 2024 08:57 |
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The first time I saw this movie, I would have given it a 3/4 or so. Then I saw it again and I laughed harder. Then again and I laughed even harder. By the end of the summer, my sister had put it on (and I had watched along with) 7 times and I definitely consider it one of the greatest comedies ever made. The whole hors d'oevre scene with the non-foldable bread is fantastic and, as has been mentioned, the DVD treatment was superb. I was in love with the DVD even before I saw the special features because the menu music loops GRACEFULLY!
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# ? May 17, 2004 20:57 |