SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB: Week 85 Discussion - Tuff Turf

[Guestx]

Classical child-actor burnout, maybe?

Maybe. She does seem to have been quite prolific before Tuff Turf.

But the odd thing is that it's not that she quit working . . . it's just that she quit working very much.

So is it a situation to where she suddenly couldn't get roles for some reason? Or is it because she decided she WANTED to only work once every five or 10 years?

And what does it say that her last role was in Sharknado 3?

 

[jasonrest29]

All I’m learning in this thread is that I was born too late. To Muster’s point, being that I was born in ‘85, the 90s and early 2000s was my growing up time, but I watched tons of movies and listened to tons of music from the 80s during that time, so I always have identified with the decade even if I don’t remember it. Although, the 90s arguably had the greatest cartoons of all time, so that worked out for me.

Im right there with ya friend. Was born in 81' and while I have grown to appreciate so much from the 80's, this kind of scene wasn't one of them. One, because as previously mentioned I was only a child during the time and Two. I grew up in New York so, this scene is only something I've witnessed in movies and never in person. However, as you could imagine growing up in New York, even as a 90's kid, I reached back and became aware of the break movement in the 80's and could appreciate it, seeing remnants of it in hip hop. I think I might have saw a few breaking moments with a boombox in the flick.

Barring the plot holes that have already been mentioned. I found it watchable... more so than "heathers" which is roughly from the same era but the "scene" itself is lost on me. I see a lot of members reminiscing and I'm just watching the movie in amazement thinking, this was real life at some point. But, I can watch the movie considering its era and appreciate it within that era... if that makes any sense.

By the way, Im just catching up on all these 80's hits, and Im seeing these faces wondering thats not who I think it is. and yea it is. I purposely dont read the synopsis, cast or anything, just to be surprised and im like that guy looks like a young downey jr. thats weird. Wait a minute hold up... I'm getting a real education here. and you'll have to forgive me I had to look up spader. Im sure he's known for much more than just his spot on the "The office" but that's the first image that popped in my mind.

 

[the muntjac]

If you like Metal or Hardcore, the '80's pretty much crushed.

The first time I heard a song from Metallica’s Master of Puppets album, there was no going back for me. I dug deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole trying to get my hands on anything metal and sifting through what I liked and hated. I don’t keep up with the scene anymore today, but damn, when I hear an old Slayer song now, I’m ready to tear the house down.

 

[the muntjac]

I'm more amazed by what a bait-and-switch it is. We expect the ice cream guy to get shoot. And then she just appears and gets gundown in less than a second!



I am also traumatized by ice cream vendors... but for different reasons.

Clint Howard is one weird looking dude.

 

[Guestx]

I found it watchable... more so than "heathers" which is roughly from the same era but the "scene" itself is lost on me.

I'm surprised you enjoyed Tuff Turf more than Heathers.

They're very different movies, obviously. I think that Heathers is overall a more interesting film though, and a sharp social critique.

By the way, Im just catching up on all these 80's hits. . .

I presume you have at least seen some of the more notable 80s teen movies like Ferris Beuller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club?

and you'll have to forgive me I had to look up spader.

If you want to see an interesting mid-90s sci-fi film with him, then go check out Stargate. That one is a bit underrated I think. Not a GREAT film, but an interesting one.

 

[jasonrest29]

I'm surprised you enjoyed Tuff Turf more than Heathers.

They're very different movies, obviously. I think that Heathers is overall a more interesting film though, and a sharp social critique.



I presume you have at least seen some of the more notable 80s teen movies like Ferris Beuller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club?



If you want to see an interesting mid-90s sci-fi film with him, then go check out Stargate. That one is a bit underrated I think. Not a GREAT film, but an interesting one.

yes very diff. movies i iust meant from the same era.

and oh yeah i mean.....of course all the standouts. my favs being.
extra terrestrial
goonies
breakfast club and FB day off
back to the future
beverly hills cop etc.

ive yet to see stargate or battlestar galactica but been meaning to.

 

[Guestx]

@sickc0d3r, since we talked about movies and shows where country music plays a key role, let me recommend a film called Wheeler to you.

It's a faux documentary starring Stephen Dorff that just came out this year. I thought it was interesting. Nothing that changed my world, but a pleasant watch.

 

[sickc0d3r]

@sickc0d3r, since we talked about movies and shows where country music plays a key role, let me recommend a film called Wheeler to you.

It's a faux documentary starring Stephen Dorff that just came out this year. I thought it was interesting. Nothing that changed my world, but a pleasant watch.

Yeah man, haven't seen it. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll let you know what I think when I get a chance to check it out. As for today I'm ready and anxious to set aside time for Whiplash. Just need to get the brat into bed. And our daughter too

 

[Guestx]

Yeah man, haven't seen it. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll let you know what I think when I get a chance to check it out. As for today I'm ready and anxious to set aside time for Whiplash. Just need to get the brat into bed. And our daughter too

LOL.

If you haven't seen Whiplash, it's really hard to think you won't be impressed with it. I'll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

[JayPettryMMA]

I wasn't that old in the 80s so I can't really say I grew up in them, but after watching Heathers and Tuff Turf on the same day, I can't help but notice how much three or four years makes a difference, from Tuff Turf's 1985 to Heathers's 1989. It's too much of a generalization to say all films from X year are different/better/stranger than all films from Y film, but as far as teen dramas involving new kids that end up being bizarro vigilantes, they are starkly different. Heathers was dark, and Tuff Turf (I keep wanting to call it Tuff Talk because of the TUF Talk show talking about ultimate fighter episodes) has moments of sudden and unexpected darkness. Heathers is sort of a dark comedy, and Tuff Turf is just a boring 80s teen drama.

I've never seen this movie, but I can't help but expect that there's going to be a final battle between Spader and the gang leader in an abandoned warehouse or machine shop or bike shop or gang headquarters at the end, and it's going to be dramatic and someone's going to die. My money's on Spader living and then having to move away leaving the girl behind. If I'm right, this movie will have completely overrelied on tropes and other scenes that other movies has done better. Also, the gang leader looks like a young curly haired Rufus Sewell to me for some reason.

I didn't feel the motivation from the weak love story. Sure, he fell for the bad guy's girlfriend, so there was that forced tension, but it was not convincing. The bad guy had no redeeming qualities or anything to make him seem human, and he was just bad to the core. I don't even know if I heard his name, he was that inconsequential as anything other than a bad guy to fight.

Whenever I saw the bands playing live, I couldn't help but think of Miami Connection. While the performances were relatively enjoyable, they completely destroyed any momentum the movie was trying to pick up with a song interlude. Maybe that's why I never liked The Monkees tv show. Who doesn't want to hear an 80s version of Twist and Shout? Did anyone honestly believe that was James Spader singing when he was playing piano? I hope not. It didn't even sound like him. He did look a little like Bowie while playing though.

This is a critique on movies as a whole and not just this one - when people on foot are being chased by cars, why do they always run in a direction that the car can chase them? Why run on an open street instead of down a narrow alley, behind a large sturdy object that the car can't ram into, or towards uneven terrain the car can't drive on? You're not going to outrun a car, so why not make it so the car can't follow you?

This movie did not need to last almost two hours. It was jam packed with filler, and it wasn't even enjoyable filler. The whole set of scenes with the country club were amusing but agonizingly long. So they snuck in to that country club to get a bite to eat, and then proceeded to take the next 10 minutes messing around until they were asked to leave. I suppose it was to try to establish a love story between Spader and girl, but that whole love story just didn't work for me.

Coming back to something I said above, well, I half-called it. They even called it "The Warehouse"! Spader fought the gang leader in a bloody warehouse, the gang leader died, although he did get the girl. I didn't think that would happen given how slightly depressing this whole thing was. Seriously, what were we supposed to take away from this? Sometimes high school is tough? Sometimes people suck? I'll go with that one.

One last thing - Robert Downey Jr stole that loaf of bread at the fancy country club and put it in his pants, and the maitre d' just put it right back on the spread. That wouldn't happen in an actual fancy gala like that, it would be discarded and he would be escorted out. I don't know why such a minor detail stuck out to me, but I found that ridiculous.

I didn't enjoy this very much. I don't know if it was because I watched Heathers so soon before this, and kept comparing the two in my head for some reason, but it just...didn't work. The writing was subpar and everything was cliche after cliche. I'm going to give it a 5/10. I echo what other said above - this could have used some sort of martial arts, for James Spader to train to be better and use his skills after a montage to save the day. Oh well.

 

[europe1]

Whenever I saw the bands playing live, I couldn't help but think of Miami Connection

Dragon Sound!



And the song where Miami Connection straight out says fuck you to shadow_priest_x!

Seriously, what were we supposed to take away from this? Sometimes high school is tough? Sometimes people suck? I'll go with that one.

See, I don't think that we should even be asking for real-life parallells or wisdoms from a movie like this. It's not an reflection on anything tangible. It's a genre piece. One of those movies that soley exists in fantasy land.

I didn't feel the motivation from the weak love story. Sure, he fell for the bad guy's girlfriend, so there was that forced tension, but it was not convincing. The bad guy had no redeeming qualities or anything to make him seem human, and he was just bad to the core. I don't even know if I heard his name, he was that inconsequential as anything other than a bad guy to fight.

To continue on the previous point, the enjoyment in this movie isn't seeing motivations or actual human psychology. These people are arctypes. The pleasure to be had in it is seeing them going through the motions. It's not about seeing a bad human. It's about seeing a bad "guy". It's all theatrics. Playing it so unreal unveils a sort of farcical unrealness to it all that brings fun and humor into it.

Movies don't have to be set in the real world.

I'd even argue that the movie is better because of this. Inject a dose of "realism" and suddenly you have a whole other movie. You get different expectations. Different standards. You can't do the same things or feature the same characters because the reactions will be different.

The meaning of a film is vastly different if you're playing it as make-belief or if you're playing it to a varying degree of "realism" or versimilatude.

 

[JayPettryMMA]

Dragon Sound!

I thought SPX loved Miami Connection too.

See, I don't think that we should even be asking for real-life parallells or wisdoms from a movie like this. It's not an reflection on anything tangible. It's a genre piece. One of those movies that soley exists in fantasy land.

I'd be ok with that if it added something or brought something to the table. It does neither for me. It just exists as such. Forgettable and mediocre and disappointing.

To continue on the previous point, the enjoyment in this movie isn't seeing motivations or actual human psychology. These people are arctypes. The pleasure to be had in it is seeing them going through the motions. It's not about seeing a bad human. It's about seeing a bad "guy". It's all theatrics. Playing it so unreal unveils a sort of farcical unrealness to it all that brings fun and humor into it.

Movies don't have to be set in the real world.

I'd even argue that the movie is better because of this. Inject a dose of "realism" and suddenly you have a whole other movie. You get different expectations. Different standards. You can't do the same things or feature the same characters because the reactions will be different.

The meaning of a film is vastly different if you're playing it as make-belief or if you're playing it to a varying degree of "realism" or versimilatude.

I struggle with that at times, that since these aren't humans but instead are drawn cardboard cutouts of what the writers think people are, and it's tough to sympathize with or relate to any of them. I'm not saying I like my films always grounded in reality, but they just rubbed me the wrong way. It would almost be more worthwhile to think of them as members of an alternate earth, where the rules don't quite apply to them. I'm sure there are actual terms that define the way different people approach films and reviews, and I prefer to look at films through a more logical and realistic eye most of the time. If it were some magical 80s picture like Repo Man where the rules don't apply because there's a lot of insanity and sci fi, that would be completely different. But this is just a run of the mill 80s high school drama with romantic tension and a new kid who fights against the old bad system of the bad gang in town. I don't want to spend more time thinking about it, honestly.

 

[europe1]

I struggle with that at times, that since these aren't humans but instead are drawn cardboard cutouts of what the writers think people are,

Personally I wonder if this is what the writer thinks people are like or if the writer purposfully more them more straw-like (or just out of convenience). The answer tends to vary from film to film.

I'm sure there are actual terms that define the way different people approach films and reviews

I too wish to know these words. I would make my typing a lot more economical.

It would almost be more worthwhile to think of them as members of an alternate earth, where the rules don't quite apply to them. I'm sure there are actual terms that define the way different people approach films and reviews, and I prefer to look at films through a more logical and realistic eye most of the time

I really like the "alternative earth"-vibe that films can give. It makes them seem enchanted some how. Some directors are really good at this. I tend to think that every Argento-film takes place in the Argento-verse, for instance.

Mostly, it's just a question of consistency. If ambiance and theme flow consistently and with enough evocation to make it's presence feel tangible in the narrative then a film then any movie has won a lot of points.

But this is just a run of the mill 80s high school drama with romantic tension and a new kid who fights against the old bad system of the bad gang in town. I don't want to spend more time thinking about it, honestly.

Honestly, all this is pretty reflexive for me. Mostly I slot movies into these categories without thinking.

It is actually more ardeous for me to watch a film with a realistic vibe. It requires a greater deal of attention. If it's theatrical then you can take certain things as given. Genre tropes and stereotypes are more easily understood that well-written chracters. There is a greater seperation between you and the film, a sort of theatrical distance. In realistic films, you have to engage with the film a lot more to properly assess it. That's not to say that theatrical films can't be "deep" or meaningful -- it just means that the theatricness of them makes them easier to look at.