Kim (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
grammarwoman) wrote2015-10-28 12:23 pm
grammarwoman) wrote2015-10-28 12:23 pm
Entry tags:
Dear Festividder!
The older I get, the more I come to appreciate how valuable time is, so the fact that you, my wonderful vidder, will spend some of your precious resources to make a gift vid for me is amazing. I thank you most gratefully in advance, because whatever you come up with will thrill me, I promise.
To borrow from Prince, there ain't no particular vid I'm more compatible with, but I do enjoy ones that hit all my FEELS and/or make me dance in my seat. You can never be too literal with lyrics matching or movement that hits on the beat, either. I especially enjoy people with expressive faces, awesome women doing awesome things, characters who take and show joy in being around each other, and people who are phenomenally good at what they do, whatever that might be. Extreme competence FTW! (Yes, I stole that from last year's letter. Recycling will be a recurring theme.)
As for music, I have some suggestions below, but please feel free to use whatever delights and inspires you. I love a wide range of music, so I'm looking forward to the surprise of your choice.
I could try to make some weak claim of being environmentally friendly by recycling past choices, but the truth is that I can't come up with anything better than my former requests, and I am all out of creative braining. Plus, I still love these sources to pieces; I hope you do, too.
American Gothic
This was a short-lived series about supernatural corruption and evil in a small Southern town. The disturbing and unsettling tone of this show still stays with me, almost two decades later. I'd love a vid that encapsulates the tension and dread of "Someone's at the door." Sure, the show didn't always make sense, but it left me with the shivers. And the visuals! So ominously gorgeous! The actors, so pretty! (And a ton of "Hey, it's that guy/gal!") Ah, show. This one goes on the list of series killed by my TV curse - shows that I really enjoyed that got axed in two seasons or less, usually much less.
I would be thrilled with music that brings the creepy, from nursery rhymes to instrumental to gothic (heh) choirs.
Auntie Mame (Safety)
This movie is from a different era, and it shows. Oh, the costumes, and the banter, and the "this a movie set that's pretending, but not too hard, to look real". And Rosalind Russell being amazing: charming, vivacious, outlandish, yet vulnerable. I love it so hard, and if you could make this vid that celebrates her and the movie, I would love you, too - more than I do already for making something for me.
Confession time: I would love, love, love if you could use Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Kiss Them for Me". Because I've always wanted a vid with that combination of source and music, and I've been too lazy to get around to it. So, if you were in the mood to reward my slacking off, woo-hoo! If not, something upbeat and swingy (big band jazz, modern club, whatever) would be fabulous.
Grease 2
Technically, the request is for the Grease series, but what I really want is a vid devoted to "Grease 2". This is one of my all-time favorite movies: it is the epitome of cheesy musical romance, with a tough-as-nails young woman and a bonus transformation of a bookish nerd to a leather-jacketed, motorcycle-riding stud. I’ll make no bones about it – it’s really, really bad, but I love it so much, from the enthusiastic biology class singing about sex, to the upbeat dance number about bowling, to the soulful duet about losing your virginity set in a bomb shelter. Plus, my young self had an enormous crush on dreamy Maxwell Caulfield and his smooth-as-butter English accent. (This crushing thing is a recurring theme of my media-loving youth.) I would love just about anything from this movie: a collection of the exuberant dance numbers, a focus on the blossoming romance of Stephanie and Michael, or even the trials of super-cool Stephanie all by herself.
I would love a song that’s peppy, poppy, and upbeat for this if you favor a dance theme, but if you choose another route, the sky’s the limit.
Heathers (Safety)
This film was my introduction to a whole new world of teenage movies, as it landed in the last days of the 80s in all its sarcastic and over-the-top glory. I had a mad crush on Christian Slater and this whole film. It felt real in its devastating portrayal of high school, even as it reveled in its outrageousness. The vivid, color-saturated outfits; the snark; the teenage lust (oh, the strip croquet scene!); the black humor: I don't know that any teen movie before or since ever captured for me the same feelings. (I am so sad that I never got a chance to catch the off-Broadway show before its untimely demise.) Condensing all that in a vid would be righteous.
It came from the 80s! At least the movie did - if you could find music from that decade to match, that would suit me just fine. Or you could even use the off-Broadway soundtrack of the recent musical; that would be mighty and meta as hell.
Hudson Hawk (Safety)
This is a silly heist movie that’s one of the most-quoted pieces in my household. My husband and I were introduced to it separately; our mutual affection for it was one of the aspects that clued us in to how right we were for each other. It was an absolute flop in the theaters, but it was one of those films that was destined for cult status with the VHS crowd. Made by the same team behind “Heathers”, it stars Bruce Willis, in all his smirking, smarmy glory, in a plot that makes no sense, as a singing cat burglar being blackmailed to track down artifacts of Leonard da Vinci, while paying homage to the Bond-parodying “Our Man Flint” movies. I would love a vid that captures the outlandish plot twists, silly slapstick, and scenery-chewing antics of this ridiculous film. Adding something of the running gag about cappuccino denial would be a bonus.
I think a Big Band-type song or a pop standard like “Side by Side” or “Swinging on a Star” would be a perfect soundtrack for this, but feel free to go as nuts as the movie did.
The Pirate Movie (Safety)
My parents love musicals. They thought nothing of blasting "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" in the background as I was growing up. This may explain my weakness for bawdy, cheesy, love-will-save-the-day stories set to a musical background. Make no mistake: "The Pirate Movie", a parody/homage of "The Pirates of Penzance" was BAD. But it knew that, and embraced that with as much campy vigor as the Pirate King chasing nubile virgins. When I rewatched it in the past couple of years, I was pleasantly surprised by how much it didn’t fail, considering it was made in the early 80s. It’s pretty gay-friendly, with a heavy emphasis on women taking control of their own destinies…and still completely ridiculous.
Can you condense the essence of this merry romp into a vid? Please try, because I would love you for it. The music is completely up to you.
Wolf Lake
Along with a fondness for musicals, dancing, and 80s teen movies, I have another weakness: cheesy supernatural TV, lite on the horror. I am so easy for it, I should have shame, especially because I adamantly will not watch actual horror movies. Maybe it's because horror movies seem to be about the scare and the gross-out (and nowadays the torture porn), and less about feelings and romance and characters with ongoing problems and secrets.
So yes, "Wolf Lake" was one of the cheesiest of the cheesy werewolf shows, ended before its time by premiering with a then-audience-unfriendly storyline at the worst period for fantasy-horror: the week after 9/11. Everyone on the show was so pretty and earnest. Teen Wolf is totally the bastard child of this short-lived series: werewolf politics, human-werewolf love stories, betrayal and intrigue...Oh, show. It's completely ridiculous, and so am I for requesting it. Challenge accepted, vidder?
I can't even begin to offer a suggestion for music. The show is about werewolves. Run with it. (Heh.)
To borrow from Prince, there ain't no particular vid I'm more compatible with, but I do enjoy ones that hit all my FEELS and/or make me dance in my seat. You can never be too literal with lyrics matching or movement that hits on the beat, either. I especially enjoy people with expressive faces, awesome women doing awesome things, characters who take and show joy in being around each other, and people who are phenomenally good at what they do, whatever that might be. Extreme competence FTW! (Yes, I stole that from last year's letter. Recycling will be a recurring theme.)
As for music, I have some suggestions below, but please feel free to use whatever delights and inspires you. I love a wide range of music, so I'm looking forward to the surprise of your choice.
I could try to make some weak claim of being environmentally friendly by recycling past choices, but the truth is that I can't come up with anything better than my former requests, and I am all out of creative braining. Plus, I still love these sources to pieces; I hope you do, too.
American Gothic
This was a short-lived series about supernatural corruption and evil in a small Southern town. The disturbing and unsettling tone of this show still stays with me, almost two decades later. I'd love a vid that encapsulates the tension and dread of "Someone's at the door." Sure, the show didn't always make sense, but it left me with the shivers. And the visuals! So ominously gorgeous! The actors, so pretty! (And a ton of "Hey, it's that guy/gal!") Ah, show. This one goes on the list of series killed by my TV curse - shows that I really enjoyed that got axed in two seasons or less, usually much less.
I would be thrilled with music that brings the creepy, from nursery rhymes to instrumental to gothic (heh) choirs.
Auntie Mame (Safety)
This movie is from a different era, and it shows. Oh, the costumes, and the banter, and the "this a movie set that's pretending, but not too hard, to look real". And Rosalind Russell being amazing: charming, vivacious, outlandish, yet vulnerable. I love it so hard, and if you could make this vid that celebrates her and the movie, I would love you, too - more than I do already for making something for me.
Confession time: I would love, love, love if you could use Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Kiss Them for Me". Because I've always wanted a vid with that combination of source and music, and I've been too lazy to get around to it. So, if you were in the mood to reward my slacking off, woo-hoo! If not, something upbeat and swingy (big band jazz, modern club, whatever) would be fabulous.
Grease 2
Technically, the request is for the Grease series, but what I really want is a vid devoted to "Grease 2". This is one of my all-time favorite movies: it is the epitome of cheesy musical romance, with a tough-as-nails young woman and a bonus transformation of a bookish nerd to a leather-jacketed, motorcycle-riding stud. I’ll make no bones about it – it’s really, really bad, but I love it so much, from the enthusiastic biology class singing about sex, to the upbeat dance number about bowling, to the soulful duet about losing your virginity set in a bomb shelter. Plus, my young self had an enormous crush on dreamy Maxwell Caulfield and his smooth-as-butter English accent. (This crushing thing is a recurring theme of my media-loving youth.) I would love just about anything from this movie: a collection of the exuberant dance numbers, a focus on the blossoming romance of Stephanie and Michael, or even the trials of super-cool Stephanie all by herself.
I would love a song that’s peppy, poppy, and upbeat for this if you favor a dance theme, but if you choose another route, the sky’s the limit.
Heathers (Safety)
This film was my introduction to a whole new world of teenage movies, as it landed in the last days of the 80s in all its sarcastic and over-the-top glory. I had a mad crush on Christian Slater and this whole film. It felt real in its devastating portrayal of high school, even as it reveled in its outrageousness. The vivid, color-saturated outfits; the snark; the teenage lust (oh, the strip croquet scene!); the black humor: I don't know that any teen movie before or since ever captured for me the same feelings. (I am so sad that I never got a chance to catch the off-Broadway show before its untimely demise.) Condensing all that in a vid would be righteous.
It came from the 80s! At least the movie did - if you could find music from that decade to match, that would suit me just fine. Or you could even use the off-Broadway soundtrack of the recent musical; that would be mighty and meta as hell.
Hudson Hawk (Safety)
This is a silly heist movie that’s one of the most-quoted pieces in my household. My husband and I were introduced to it separately; our mutual affection for it was one of the aspects that clued us in to how right we were for each other. It was an absolute flop in the theaters, but it was one of those films that was destined for cult status with the VHS crowd. Made by the same team behind “Heathers”, it stars Bruce Willis, in all his smirking, smarmy glory, in a plot that makes no sense, as a singing cat burglar being blackmailed to track down artifacts of Leonard da Vinci, while paying homage to the Bond-parodying “Our Man Flint” movies. I would love a vid that captures the outlandish plot twists, silly slapstick, and scenery-chewing antics of this ridiculous film. Adding something of the running gag about cappuccino denial would be a bonus.
I think a Big Band-type song or a pop standard like “Side by Side” or “Swinging on a Star” would be a perfect soundtrack for this, but feel free to go as nuts as the movie did.
The Pirate Movie (Safety)
My parents love musicals. They thought nothing of blasting "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" in the background as I was growing up. This may explain my weakness for bawdy, cheesy, love-will-save-the-day stories set to a musical background. Make no mistake: "The Pirate Movie", a parody/homage of "The Pirates of Penzance" was BAD. But it knew that, and embraced that with as much campy vigor as the Pirate King chasing nubile virgins. When I rewatched it in the past couple of years, I was pleasantly surprised by how much it didn’t fail, considering it was made in the early 80s. It’s pretty gay-friendly, with a heavy emphasis on women taking control of their own destinies…and still completely ridiculous.
Can you condense the essence of this merry romp into a vid? Please try, because I would love you for it. The music is completely up to you.
Wolf Lake
Along with a fondness for musicals, dancing, and 80s teen movies, I have another weakness: cheesy supernatural TV, lite on the horror. I am so easy for it, I should have shame, especially because I adamantly will not watch actual horror movies. Maybe it's because horror movies seem to be about the scare and the gross-out (and nowadays the torture porn), and less about feelings and romance and characters with ongoing problems and secrets.
So yes, "Wolf Lake" was one of the cheesiest of the cheesy werewolf shows, ended before its time by premiering with a then-audience-unfriendly storyline at the worst period for fantasy-horror: the week after 9/11. Everyone on the show was so pretty and earnest. Teen Wolf is totally the bastard child of this short-lived series: werewolf politics, human-werewolf love stories, betrayal and intrigue...Oh, show. It's completely ridiculous, and so am I for requesting it. Challenge accepted, vidder?
I can't even begin to offer a suggestion for music. The show is about werewolves. Run with it. (Heh.)