![54 [VHS] - Find, review and buy online in the VHS store.](/images/americolaTM.gif)
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54 [VHS] |
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Home: You are here: 54 [VHS] |
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54 [VHS]  Rating: Rating:  - "What Nightlife In New York Was Like In 1978"Studio 54 was the hottest nightclub in the country back in the late '70's. Celebrities like Liza Minnilli, Diana Ross, Suzanne Summers, and more were often sighted there and you either had to have a certain look or have good contacts to get in. Studio 54 was actually an old TV studio where daytime soaps like "Love of Life" were filmed, and by the mid 1970's Steve Rubell decided to make this old studio the hottest and treandiest nightclub in New York City. "54" is about Steve Rubell's Studio 54, its inhabitants and characters, and Rubell's ultimate downfall because he refused to claim a lot of Studio 54's cash from the IRS. The plot follows how a young naive man, played beautifully by Ryan Phillpe, comes to Studio 54, meets Rubell, and becomes an employee at the nightclub. Through the Phillpe character we see the rise and fall of Rubell's astonishing empire. Mike Myers (who plays Rubell), Thelma Hayek, and Neve Campbell all star. The DVD is barebones, but it comes in widescreen format (1.85:1), there is a music video that accompanies the set, and there is a chapter search. The music is flawless so if your a fan of late '70's disco you will enjoy the film. Rating:  - All That Glitters Is GrittyI grew up in the Seventies but the Studio 54 mentality kind of flew under my radar. Now if you're talking about another famed New York nightspot, CBGB, you're talking my language. Regardless, I found "54" eminently intriguing and watchable. The film is not so much a celebration of the nightlife but rues the decay that ended the party. Makes you wonder if the makers of the film were partisans or foes of the disco lifestyle. Ryan Phillippe is quite good as Shane, a working-class Jersey kid, who is seduced by the artifice of easy sex and drugs that 54 offered. The performance that is a real eye opener is Mike Myers as owner Steve Rubell. This is probably the best work Myers has ever done onscreen. His Rubell can best be described as a decadent ringmaster who uses hedonism to orchestrate his debauched circus. Studio 54 is a mere footnote in the culture but this is a good film. Rating:  - More like the fake Studio 54 in VegasHow can an eleven year old movie feel more dated than its decades older subject matter? When it chooses to concentrate the zeitgeist of a decade into a simple-minded "don't do drugs" morality tale. In addition, the film is cynical, naive, historically incomplete, borderline homophobic, and regionally offensive to both New Jersey and New York City! No plot point is fully explored, and some are just abandoned mid way through (the father?!). And despite the critical accolades, I thought Mike Myers portrayal of Steve Rubell was just another vampy facet of his Austin Powers or Cat in the Hat character. He played it as more of a klutzy impression than a living person with real flaws. Had any single uncomfortable scene with Rubell, and there were many, been given more than five minutes of screen time, it might have been a very different and effective film. In the end, "54" doesn't have a leg to stand on. It can't successfully moralize against the supposed slick emptiness of disco because it is far emptier at its core, and the story it's trying to tell us is older than the hills. All this movie did was make me long for a time when everything wasn't so corporate and sanitized. My favorite character is probably the recreation of the giant half moon face, with the automated light up coke spoon, hung above the stage in the club. Just imagine telling your investors you want one of those today! Rating:  - Please release the original cut!!The original cut does exist. In fact, it was shown last week in Los Angeles at "Outfest", the gay and lesbian film festival. Hopefully they are planning to release it soon, maybe for the 10 year anniversary edition?? |
