You didn’t mention that Jeannie’s ice skating performance was done to Gloria by Laura Brannigan which is the best song ever!! Butt news is my one and only news source!
Also extremely worrisome that I used to think this movie was 100% normal and ok and was obsessed with Jennifer Beals (have you seen her and Matthew Broderick in Fairy Tale Theater’s Cinderella SWOON OMGGG my fave movie EVER) but it’s completely wrong and bonkers as hell. She’s 18! And a welder?!
I have never watched this movie but I have worked enough customer service jobs to know that the secretary used to have a sign and/or make group announcements but people were still confused and claimed nobody told them to include their 4 months of Irish step dance classes when they were two so she gave up and went back to telling everyone individually.
Also I thought there was a requirement that every little girl take ballet at least once, how did Alex escape this?
Also also welding used to be one of those things they would teach you on the job, you’d just start out as an apprentice welder with zero experience and they’d hand you a mask and a blowtorch and show you how to draw straight lines with fire. It was the eighties, you didn’t even have to go to Welding Magnet School to get a union job; you could just drop out of high school and show up.
Love this so much. Thank you, Lindy for making my laugh so hard my ribs hurt. Fun fact! The role of "some other old woman [who] pops out of the dumbwaiter" to announce the death of Not-Grandma was played by my actual grandmother!
When I was 12 my mom bought this for me on VHS because she somehow forgot it was about an erotic dancer. I haven't seen it since that first awkward watch, but thank you for validating my memories about how completely bonkers it was (that boob grab near the train tracks! Why.)!
In the movie “ The Full Monty” (very British, comedy drama about a bunch of unemployed men putting on a Chippendales type show in Thatcher’s Britain) Mark Addy playing an out of work steelworker is watching Flashdance for dance inspiration. He has a strong opinion on the welding- if I remember correctly “Her mix is all to cock”.
Re: How different can Altoona possibly be? An hour and 45 minutes away from Pittsburgh is all it takes to get into Pennsyltuckey territory. Like, we're talking KKK, entire huge houses painted with Trump slogans, weird UFO enthusiasts... The transition from city to boonies in PA happens fast and it's legit terrifying.
Now I want a Butt News deep dive into Stardew Valley. What's your go-to farm type, Lindy? Favourite romance pick? Strategy tips for the mines? Most hated character, and why is it Clint, and can I please get a Butt News takedown of him??
This is a very good idea because I have many thoughts. I'm on my second playthrough (first one was in like 2019--I did river farm and I gay-married Leah) and I'm doing standard farm and I thought maybe I'd be heteronormative this time but ALL THE MEN ARE SOOOOOOOOO BAD! I've almost sealed the deal with Sam because at least he always says hi to me, but he IS A TEENAGER even if canonically he is not a teenager. Elliott is the obvious choice but I hate him??????? I'm considering changing course and romancing Haley just to see what it's like for her to be nice to me. Also the skull mines are too hard so since I finished the community center I'm just kind of sitting around accumulating money I have no use for. Once I get my hands on some more iridium I can [spoiler] but until then I'm bored, which is what happened to me last time. Also I accidentally slept through grandpa's ghost and I'm not sure what to do about that. I assume he'll come back. Oh also I never thought about how pathetic and whiny Clint is but you're right! Shut up, Clint!!!!
Madam, I continue to await notice of your Nobel Prize for Entire Movie Retelling.
I am a girl er woman who knows Flashdance by heart (it also helped her at the time with her nascent ED), still recalls the main line of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s capsule review of it (…this stale grab bag of clichés…”), loveovelovesloves the soundtrack, and often says that this is one of the best movies of the 80s.
AND YET… I still was able to wrest deeper—much deeper—and more penetrating—much more penetrating—insight from this retelling of the whole movie.
(Also it was really really funny. My father is sitting next to me and I was able to hold my laughter in until I got to: “The dog is like YEEEE-IKES and leaves.” 😆😆🤣🤣🤣 Luckily he’s really hard of hearing and I’m sitting near his bad ear. My father, not the dog.)
I do have just one eency weency call-out—a note, if you will. You say:
“Flashdance only passes the Bechdel Test because of when she talks to her not-grandma about sewing.”
I *do* believe that when Alex yanks nude Jeannie out of The Zanzibar Alex shouts at her, “Do you want to make a living rolling around on your back?” [Although this is completely hypocritical because breakdancing includes rolling around on your back and Alex incorporates that into her audition routine. Sigh.] And Jeannie replies, “I make good money!”
But other than that, you really hit all the bases. [imaginary link to dance school secretary clapping primly but enthusiastically]
P.S. I love all the screencaps but especially the ones with the snippets of the cc visible.
OK to be fair to this movie 18 is the only time you have enough energy to be a welder by day and dancer by night
omg you're right it makes perfect sense
You didn’t mention that Jeannie’s ice skating performance was done to Gloria by Laura Brannigan which is the best song ever!! Butt news is my one and only news source!
SO important, thank you!!!
Also extremely worrisome that I used to think this movie was 100% normal and ok and was obsessed with Jennifer Beals (have you seen her and Matthew Broderick in Fairy Tale Theater’s Cinderella SWOON OMGGG my fave movie EVER) but it’s completely wrong and bonkers as hell. She’s 18! And a welder?!
I do love this movie, lol. It made me want to live alone in an abandoned warehouse. I still dream of that…
she has a dream life tbh!!!
I think I now know why my mom wouldn’t let me watch this in 1984 (I was 11)
And I still have yet to see it so thank you 😭
you should watch it! beautifully shot even if the dialogue makes no sense.
I have never watched this movie but I have worked enough customer service jobs to know that the secretary used to have a sign and/or make group announcements but people were still confused and claimed nobody told them to include their 4 months of Irish step dance classes when they were two so she gave up and went back to telling everyone individually.
Also I thought there was a requirement that every little girl take ballet at least once, how did Alex escape this?
Also also welding used to be one of those things they would teach you on the job, you’d just start out as an apprentice welder with zero experience and they’d hand you a mask and a blowtorch and show you how to draw straight lines with fire. It was the eighties, you didn’t even have to go to Welding Magnet School to get a union job; you could just drop out of high school and show up.
Standalone Shirt Cuffs was Sexual Dickie's best album
I’m stuck on “sexual HOORAY-sment!”
Love this so much. Thank you, Lindy for making my laugh so hard my ribs hurt. Fun fact! The role of "some other old woman [who] pops out of the dumbwaiter" to announce the death of Not-Grandma was played by my actual grandmother!
EXCUSE ME HWHWATT????????
Yep! https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0611160/ That's my Grammy :) I have not seen her other films but very much want to see "Season of the Witch," aka "Hungry Wives" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season_of_the_Witch_(1972_film)
lol
I’m pretty sure the gym sequence was the inspiration for the 20-Minute Workout.
And somehow their "gym" like is a minimalist dream world and NO one else is there. Are they working out in the holodeck??
No weight racks, no mirrors, no equipment, and they’re all sitting so close together they can carry on a convo about their sex lives at the same time.
And they’re wearing glitter! Or am I misremembering that?
Everything you said is true but I still love this movie.
When I was 12 my mom bought this for me on VHS because she somehow forgot it was about an erotic dancer. I haven't seen it since that first awkward watch, but thank you for validating my memories about how completely bonkers it was (that boob grab near the train tracks! Why.)!
I didn't realize she was supposed to be 18 in the movie and I love how you pointed out---"Did she go to Magnet Welding High School?"
In the movie “ The Full Monty” (very British, comedy drama about a bunch of unemployed men putting on a Chippendales type show in Thatcher’s Britain) Mark Addy playing an out of work steelworker is watching Flashdance for dance inspiration. He has a strong opinion on the welding- if I remember correctly “Her mix is all to cock”.
Ha ha 😆
Re: How different can Altoona possibly be? An hour and 45 minutes away from Pittsburgh is all it takes to get into Pennsyltuckey territory. Like, we're talking KKK, entire huge houses painted with Trump slogans, weird UFO enthusiasts... The transition from city to boonies in PA happens fast and it's legit terrifying.
Now I want a Butt News deep dive into Stardew Valley. What's your go-to farm type, Lindy? Favourite romance pick? Strategy tips for the mines? Most hated character, and why is it Clint, and can I please get a Butt News takedown of him??
This is a very good idea because I have many thoughts. I'm on my second playthrough (first one was in like 2019--I did river farm and I gay-married Leah) and I'm doing standard farm and I thought maybe I'd be heteronormative this time but ALL THE MEN ARE SOOOOOOOOO BAD! I've almost sealed the deal with Sam because at least he always says hi to me, but he IS A TEENAGER even if canonically he is not a teenager. Elliott is the obvious choice but I hate him??????? I'm considering changing course and romancing Haley just to see what it's like for her to be nice to me. Also the skull mines are too hard so since I finished the community center I'm just kind of sitting around accumulating money I have no use for. Once I get my hands on some more iridium I can [spoiler] but until then I'm bored, which is what happened to me last time. Also I accidentally slept through grandpa's ghost and I'm not sure what to do about that. I assume he'll come back. Oh also I never thought about how pathetic and whiny Clint is but you're right! Shut up, Clint!!!!
Madam, I continue to await notice of your Nobel Prize for Entire Movie Retelling.
I am a girl er woman who knows Flashdance by heart (it also helped her at the time with her nascent ED), still recalls the main line of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s capsule review of it (…this stale grab bag of clichés…”), loveovelovesloves the soundtrack, and often says that this is one of the best movies of the 80s.
AND YET… I still was able to wrest deeper—much deeper—and more penetrating—much more penetrating—insight from this retelling of the whole movie.
(Also it was really really funny. My father is sitting next to me and I was able to hold my laughter in until I got to: “The dog is like YEEEE-IKES and leaves.” 😆😆🤣🤣🤣 Luckily he’s really hard of hearing and I’m sitting near his bad ear. My father, not the dog.)
I do have just one eency weency call-out—a note, if you will. You say:
“Flashdance only passes the Bechdel Test because of when she talks to her not-grandma about sewing.”
I *do* believe that when Alex yanks nude Jeannie out of The Zanzibar Alex shouts at her, “Do you want to make a living rolling around on your back?” [Although this is completely hypocritical because breakdancing includes rolling around on your back and Alex incorporates that into her audition routine. Sigh.] And Jeannie replies, “I make good money!”
But other than that, you really hit all the bases. [imaginary link to dance school secretary clapping primly but enthusiastically]
P.S. I love all the screencaps but especially the ones with the snippets of the cc visible.
“How quickly they forget.”
“It’s her social security number, asshole.”
“🎵 If the gift becomes the fire”