New Wave (not French) Movies
January 4, 2009 11:09 PM Subscribe
Looking for New Wave movies. No, not the French New Wave. Movies from the 80s and beyond that were significantly influence by New Wave music, including using the music on their soundtrack and having characters that were New Wavers. Some punk crossover is fine.
Breakfast Club? Pretty in Pink? Anything by John Hughes.
posted by mattoxic at 11:34 PM on January 4, 2009
posted by mattoxic at 11:34 PM on January 4, 2009
Lots of John Hughes:
Pretty in Pink (classic example; the title comes from a Psychedelic Furs song)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Sixteen Candles
Breakfast Club
Others of the high school genre:
Valley Girl (aside from Rock'n'Roll High School, possibly the quintessential non-John Hughes new wave high school movie)
Better Off Dead (though with a tedious Van Halen animated interlude)
non-high school genre movies:
Repo Man
Suburbia
Liquid Sky
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains
Sid and Nancy
posted by scody at 11:35 PM on January 4, 2009
Pretty in Pink (classic example; the title comes from a Psychedelic Furs song)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Sixteen Candles
Breakfast Club
Others of the high school genre:
Valley Girl (aside from Rock'n'Roll High School, possibly the quintessential non-John Hughes new wave high school movie)
Better Off Dead (though with a tedious Van Halen animated interlude)
non-high school genre movies:
Repo Man
Suburbia
Liquid Sky
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains
Sid and Nancy
posted by scody at 11:35 PM on January 4, 2009
Tapeheads
Three movies about yuppies lost in hipsterville:
Something Wild
Desperately Seeking Susan
After Hours
posted by hydrophonic at 11:40 PM on January 4, 2009
Three movies about yuppies lost in hipsterville:
Something Wild
Desperately Seeking Susan
After Hours
posted by hydrophonic at 11:40 PM on January 4, 2009
Semi-Obscure: Slaughterhouse Rock, which featured Toni Basil in the film, and a soundtrack by Devo. Sadly, the movie itself sucks.
posted by SansPoint at 11:42 PM on January 4, 2009
posted by SansPoint at 11:42 PM on January 4, 2009
The Forbidden Zone strikes me as an utterly New Wave American Style movie. And then there's The Nomi Song about a quintessential new waver, Klaus Nomi.
posted by maryh at 11:44 PM on January 4, 2009
posted by maryh at 11:44 PM on January 4, 2009
SLC Punk. There are Mods!
The Decline of Western Civilization (albeit somewhat derided).
Hobgoblins had a new wave band in it--the Fontanelles. I saw it on MST3K. "Thank you, that was our one song. Good night!" I remember them only because the guitarist was also in the Braindead Soundmachine.
Gregg Araki is sort of post-post-new-waveish in a grossorama kind of way.
Revenge of the Nerds has a performance piece in it satirizing New Wave. We got Poindexter on the vi-o-lin..
posted by ostranenie at 12:06 AM on January 5, 2009
The Decline of Western Civilization (albeit somewhat derided).
Hobgoblins had a new wave band in it--the Fontanelles. I saw it on MST3K. "Thank you, that was our one song. Good night!" I remember them only because the guitarist was also in the Braindead Soundmachine.
Gregg Araki is sort of post-post-new-waveish in a grossorama kind of way.
Revenge of the Nerds has a performance piece in it satirizing New Wave. We got Poindexter on the vi-o-lin..
posted by ostranenie at 12:06 AM on January 5, 2009
oh, and there's some bad new wave at the dance in Once Bitten.
posted by scody at 12:11 AM on January 5, 2009
posted by scody at 12:11 AM on January 5, 2009
Lola by Fassbinder struck me as new wave when it came out.
posted by telstar at 12:11 AM on January 5, 2009
posted by telstar at 12:11 AM on January 5, 2009
Downtown '81 is a great film about the new york no-wave scene, starring Jean-Michel Basquiat, with musical performances by DNA, among other no-wave and new wave bands, features a small role played by Debby Harry of Blondie.
Richard Kerns did collaborations with a number of new wave and no wave artists including Lydia Lunch and Sonic Youth (he did the cover picture for the album Sister), including one early film where a skinny long haired Henry Rollins is chasing Lydia Lunch through the woods with the intention of sexually assaulting her. Kerns films do tend to be disturbing.
posted by idiopath at 12:14 AM on January 5, 2009
Richard Kerns did collaborations with a number of new wave and no wave artists including Lydia Lunch and Sonic Youth (he did the cover picture for the album Sister), including one early film where a skinny long haired Henry Rollins is chasing Lydia Lunch through the woods with the intention of sexually assaulting her. Kerns films do tend to be disturbing.
posted by idiopath at 12:14 AM on January 5, 2009
Liquid Sky 1982, netherworld NYC film about aliens dicovering sex & drugs downtown. Great, weird soundtrack (more synth-wave than new, i suppose) by Clive Smith & Brenda Hutchinson.
Downtown 81 1981, day-in-the-life of Basquiat, with an all-star cast (Debbie Harry, Arto Lindsay, Vincent Gallo, Fab 5 Freddy) and great soundtrack, with several live performances shot on location at downtown clubs as well.
Better off Dead My favorite 80s comedy, with a Rupert Hine soundtrack. E.G. Daily performs two songs during the dance scene.
Valley Girl Mentioned above, but this stands out as one of my favorite soundtracks, and Josie Cotton performs at the prom.
Some Kind Of Wonderful
posted by stachemaster at 12:18 AM on January 5, 2009
Downtown 81 1981, day-in-the-life of Basquiat, with an all-star cast (Debbie Harry, Arto Lindsay, Vincent Gallo, Fab 5 Freddy) and great soundtrack, with several live performances shot on location at downtown clubs as well.
Better off Dead My favorite 80s comedy, with a Rupert Hine soundtrack. E.G. Daily performs two songs during the dance scene.
Valley Girl Mentioned above, but this stands out as one of my favorite soundtracks, and Josie Cotton performs at the prom.
Some Kind Of Wonderful
posted by stachemaster at 12:18 AM on January 5, 2009
Oh man, the Josie Cotton prom scene is legendary.
Others:
Goonies (Cyndi Lauper on the soundtrack)
The Hunger (starring David Bowie and featuring Bauhaus!)
posted by teamparka at 12:23 AM on January 5, 2009
Others:
Goonies (Cyndi Lauper on the soundtrack)
The Hunger (starring David Bowie and featuring Bauhaus!)
posted by teamparka at 12:23 AM on January 5, 2009
Also, let's not forget The Lost Boys and its fantastic soundtrack. It's basically a who's-who of New Wave and 80s pop.
posted by teamparka at 12:28 AM on January 5, 2009
posted by teamparka at 12:28 AM on January 5, 2009
Jubilee? It came out in 1978. Punk must have been dead by then. And it's got Adam and the Ants on the soundtrack.
posted by hifimofo at 2:01 AM on January 5, 2009
posted by hifimofo at 2:01 AM on January 5, 2009
Watch the first film directed by Susan "Desperately Seeking Susan" Seidelman, Smithereens (1982).
It's much more authentic than the Madonna film, co-stars Punk progenitor Richard Hell, and depicts a grim future for a teen trying to be famous for fifteen minutes. Entering the Holland Tunnel is her descent into Hell.
A sweeter film from the same year,
Starstruck, is an a musical from Australia, with a teenage protagonist more ambitious than talented. Directed by Gillian "Little Women" Armstrong.
Also good were "Liquid Sky," "Valley Girl," and "Return of the Living Dead."
"Decline of Western Civilization," "Repo Man," and "Sid and Nancy" were considered more punk than new wave when they were released, for what it's worth.
posted by doncoyote at 2:03 AM on January 5, 2009
It's much more authentic than the Madonna film, co-stars Punk progenitor Richard Hell, and depicts a grim future for a teen trying to be famous for fifteen minutes. Entering the Holland Tunnel is her descent into Hell.
A sweeter film from the same year,
Starstruck, is an a musical from Australia, with a teenage protagonist more ambitious than talented. Directed by Gillian "Little Women" Armstrong.
Also good were "Liquid Sky," "Valley Girl," and "Return of the Living Dead."
"Decline of Western Civilization," "Repo Man," and "Sid and Nancy" were considered more punk than new wave when they were released, for what it's worth.
posted by doncoyote at 2:03 AM on January 5, 2009
I second Downtown '81 and Repo Man. Debbie Harry also appears in Wild Style, which is more about early hip hop than new wave (it is not very good, but it does feature many of the performers and artists from the documentary Style Wars).
posted by val5a at 2:05 AM on January 5, 2009
posted by val5a at 2:05 AM on January 5, 2009
Weird Science and Back to School, both with Oingo Boingo goodness!
posted by ApathyGirl at 3:44 AM on January 5, 2009
posted by ApathyGirl at 3:44 AM on January 5, 2009
Dogs in Space - An Australian movie starring Michael Hutchence.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 5:15 AM on January 5, 2009
posted by TheOtherGuy at 5:15 AM on January 5, 2009
Urgh! A Music War
This may be more of an artifact of my faulty memory, but Diva has new wave influences, or punkish characters, or something.
Since idiopath and stachemaster mentioned DNA/Arto Lindsay, I just wan to point out that he shows up briefly in Desperately Seeking Susan too.
posted by hydrophonic at 5:34 AM on January 5, 2009
This may be more of an artifact of my faulty memory, but Diva has new wave influences, or punkish characters, or something.
Since idiopath and stachemaster mentioned DNA/Arto Lindsay, I just wan to point out that he shows up briefly in Desperately Seeking Susan too.
posted by hydrophonic at 5:34 AM on January 5, 2009
not sure if this entirely fits the criteria (it's been about 15 years since i've seen it) but nico icon?
posted by msconduct at 7:10 AM on January 5, 2009
posted by msconduct at 7:10 AM on January 5, 2009
Seconding Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains
Grosse Pointe Blank has a pretty new-wavey soundtrack
posted by kid_dynamite at 8:45 AM on January 5, 2009
Grosse Pointe Blank has a pretty new-wavey soundtrack
posted by kid_dynamite at 8:45 AM on January 5, 2009
Americathon has at least one Elvis Costello performance.
Alex Cox's Straight to Hell has a little bit of overlap with New Wave.
Stuart Copeland's soundtrack to Rumblefish is pretty New Wavy.
Also, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
posted by newmoistness at 9:07 AM on January 5, 2009
Alex Cox's Straight to Hell has a little bit of overlap with New Wave.
Stuart Copeland's soundtrack to Rumblefish is pretty New Wavy.
Also, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
posted by newmoistness at 9:07 AM on January 5, 2009
Modern Girls, which featured Depeche Mode's "But Not Tonight"
And it's not a movie, but TV's Square Pegs had a new wave character, a theme song by the Waitresses, and an appearance by Devo
posted by faunafrailty at 9:15 AM on January 5, 2009
And it's not a movie, but TV's Square Pegs had a new wave character, a theme song by the Waitresses, and an appearance by Devo
posted by faunafrailty at 9:15 AM on January 5, 2009
There's New Wave Hookers if your search extends to NSFW material.
posted by PueExMachina at 4:52 PM on January 5, 2009
posted by PueExMachina at 4:52 PM on January 5, 2009
I also recommend Smithereens. I was obsessed with that movie for a few years (well, it corresponded with my Richard Hell obsession at the time).
posted by Mael Oui at 8:31 PM on January 5, 2009
posted by Mael Oui at 8:31 PM on January 5, 2009
Out of the Blue - a Dennis Hopper film from 1980 with the underrated Pointed Sticks
CDM
posted by Country Dick Montana at 9:21 PM on January 5, 2009
CDM
posted by Country Dick Montana at 9:21 PM on January 5, 2009
I think Diva counts, it's a gloriously alive film, it's colors and look definitely inspired by New Wave.
posted by Ruby Stevens at 7:13 AM on January 6, 2009
posted by Ruby Stevens at 7:13 AM on January 6, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
Rock 'n' Roll Highschool?
posted by piratebowling at 11:17 PM on January 4, 2009