Movie Details
| Title: | Joysticks | |
| Director: | Greydon Clark | |
| Year: | 1983 | |
| Genre: | Comedy | |
| Times Seen: | 1 | |
| Last Seen: | 05.05.07 |
Other Movies Seen By This Director (3)
- Black Shampoo
- Satan's Cheerleaders
- Without Warning
| Date Viewed | Venue | Note |
| 05.05.07 | Alamo Downtown | While there were more people than I expected, it's still a shame that Napoleon Dynamite could sell out and Joysticks could draw maybe 60 people. oh well. Before the show, they had Satan's Hollow going and Jack got the high score. Way to go, Jack! Nerd! anyway, it was good of John Gries to stay and hang out for this and it was even better that his girlfriend made him stay and watch the movie because she hadn't seen it before. It had to be weird for him to sit there while a small group of us really geeked out on such a horrible (in the best way) 80s gem. But it's cool that he stuck it out even though he said he honestly wanted to kill himself after he made the movie and thought that his career was over. But he also said this had the worst music in movie history which... I disagree with. the music in this movie is GREAT. I really need to track down a soundtrack or get a good copy of the movie to rip audio or something because the songs in this film kick ass. There's the theme song sure with the "totally awesome video games!" but also.. the Knack-esque King Vidiot cue and the "shake it around" love theme... all these background songs that the lyrics are way too loud in so you can hear them even though there's dialogue and whatnot going on. great stuff. Gries also mentioned that he couldn't tell whether Joe Don Baker was drinking or just happy all the time, but whichever it was he had a good time working with him. So... this would make great double features either with Pinball Summer as an early 80s youth culture exploitation fest or with The Wizard as a video gamesploitation night. Such specific niches, such totally awesome movies. This was tons of fun. I really liked the movie and saw it's great to see some friends again and generally wallow in our weird tastes and afterward Gries was super nice and kept introducing himself like "hi, I'm John." and stayed well past all the fans had left and it was a few minutes of quiet laid-back conversation in the lobby of the drafthouse - moments that i'll perhaps miss the most after the move (depending on how the new lobby is or if there even is one) - talking about random things, hearing awesome little anecdotes from Gries' long and varied career, and just having a good time. Incidentally, they played a trailer for a movie that Gries made an early appearance in called Swap Meet, which looked like a swapsloitation film all about the weirdos who hang out at flea markets and the hijinx that goes on. Tim mentioned that he MAY have a print of it and might have to show it if he does and Gries said that Joysticks was like Gone with the Wind compared to Swap Meet. I'll be there! And then I walked outside and remembered the date. It's funny, Cinco de Mayo up in Rochester, NY is just May 5th. It comes after May 4th and right before May 6th. So i continue to completely disregard the date as anything special, and am therefore surprised when I walk out of the little movie geek cocoon of the Alamo into a sea of party-dressed drunk people, cabs, pedi-cabs (grrrr), cops, cops on horses (grrrrrr), road blocks, bad live music, and more people who cross the road when the light is green. Unlike Halloween when there are tons of people downtown but they're all dressed cool or slutty or St. Patrick's day when there are tons of people downtown but they're all dressed in green or slutty, this was just like any other Saturday night but more. tons more people clogging the streets. I fled. I also thought about if it was that bad in the warehouse district, what's it gonna be like after the Alamo moves to 6th street. I glanced down that way on my walk to my car and could only see a throng of movement with two cop cars slowly being enveloped. After shuddering, it made me value these last few months all the more. |
