Hey you all!
I run a film podcast with a rotating panel of guests. My podcast is about film franchises and (especially) the nostalgic feelings they make us feel and the life events we associate with them. I noticed that people tend to imprint a lot on, not just their favorite films, but film series.

Today, my friend Anton and I are talking about the three theatrically released Prince films (besides Sign O' The Times). We also talk about the Musicology tour, Prince.org and some other funny things that may be to your interest.

Warning: There are some salty opinions ahead! Please keep that in mind!

I hope you enjoy the show! I apologize for any audio problems, Anton's mic was a little difficult to work with.

https://soundcloud.com/iv...e-ft-anton

Gohi said:

Hey you all!
I run a film podcast with a rotating panel of guests. My podcast is about film franchises and (especially) the nostalgic feelings they make us feel and the life events we associate with them. I noticed that people tend to imprint a lot on, not just their favorite films, but film series.

Today, my friend Anton and I are talking about the three theatrically released Prince films (besides Sign O' The Times). We also talk about the Musicology tour, Prince.org and some other funny things that may be to your interest.

Warning: There are some salty opinions ahead! Please keep that in mind!

I hope you enjoy the show! I apologize for any audio problems, Anton's mic was a little difficult to work with.

https://soundcloud.com/iv...e-ft-anton

This is a neat idea but you need Rocky, Rambo, Fast & Furious, Alien/Predator, the Godfather and Jaws on that splash page. I'd limit the focus to franchises that have had at least three movies. Ghostbusters and Monsters Inc. don't make the grade.

Hey herb4!

Interesting point you make. I think due to cultural influence, Ghostbusters definitely makes the grade! However you are probably right about Monsters Inc and I think that was me pulling an idea out of thin air.

I thought the rose on the upper left was a Godfather reference but I could be wrong.

Thanks for commenting!

Listening to this... you know that Prince asked Martin Scorcese to direct his followup to Purple Rain? He was politely declined, but Michael Jackson nabbed Scorcese for the Bad video.

Prince did hire a DP that Scorcese used to shoot Under The Cherry Moon. That's why's it's shot well. He hired a great DP to shoot Graffiti Bridge too... same guy that shot Jaws.

It's a pity that Magnoli didn't direct Under the Cherry Moon. He knew how to make shit with Prince.

Are there any chance you'll speak about the Prince soundtrack when you have your Batman (1989) episode?

Gohi said:

Hey herb4!

Interesting point you make. I think due to cultural influence, Ghostbusters definitely makes the grade! However you are probably right about Monsters Inc and I think that was me pulling an idea out of thin air.

I thought the rose on the upper left was a Godfather reference but I could be wrong.

Thanks for commenting!

Ah...you may be right about the rose. I always think of the puppet string/marrionete logo and I actually wondered what that rose was. I just assumed I was old and it was Hunger Games or some shit.

Listening to your show now. It's quite good. Funny and accurate. You guys have a laid back style that resonates.

These films are rather hard to defend, even Purple Rain to some extent. But in spite of the wooden acting, there's a spirit to Purple Rain that still resonates, even beyond the incredible live performances; the andorgony, new wave, glitzy chic that was going on. I agree with you that Prince did a surprisingly good job in that film, acting wise. Parts of it he was guilty of over-acting and vamping too much and, let's admit it, he was really just playing himself so it wasn't much of a stretch.

UTCM is an abomination though. A total mess where the vamping and the ego were just too much to take. I agree bits of the cinematography are really good but god damn. What's the STORY of that movie? Prince was very unlikeable and unsympathetic I thought. I haven't gotten to Graffiti Bridge yet but am looking forward to it. That sucker makes UTCM look like Citizen Kane, although ONE thing I like about GB is that it's not boring. It's just so out there and weird.

I went to see it with a non fan friend of mine in a theater with like 5 people in it and as we walked out he said, "Some of the music was OK, but, man, where is Prince COMING from?" I had no answer. GB is more interesting to watch than UTCM to me just for the sheer bizarreness of it.

Lastly, I've brought this up before, but if Prince ever made another film, what would you guys think about him playing Willy Wonka? I think he'd be perfect. Reclusive, eccentric, musical, perceived weirdo who built his own little world. The musical numbers would blend right in. Prince basically IS the Willy Wonka of the music industry, isn't he? Isn't Paisley Park just Wonka World? I think in this instance, Prince's oddness and sometimes "creepy" or off putting nature would work well since that's basically how Wilder played the character. Prince wouldn't have to act much either, which is always best.

Gotta completely disagree about Tick Tick Bang. I hate this movie, but I like that bit as a music video, I think it's very well shot and cut. I also like the bizarre mix Bus Berkley style old Hollywood production on mushrooms with the drums sampled from a Jimi Hendrix song. and I love Prince's Lovesexy tour style dancing.

But the movie is BAD.

I'd also have to say that the 3121 film clips looked really amateur to me. Good colors though. Symbol album stuff was shot and cut really well for the most part, although the narrative elements were not working. And the trip to the zoo was unintentionally hilarious, but not as funny as the run with Scary Spice to the swing set in the "Beautiful Strange" video.

[Edited 11/30/15 10:23am]

ufoclub said:

I'd also have to say that the 3121 film clips looked really amateur to me. Good colors though. Symbol album stuff was shot and cut really well for the most part, although the narrative elements were not working. And the trip to the zoo was unintentionally hilarious, but not as funny as the run with Scary Spice to the swing set in the "Beautiful Strange" video.

[Edited 11/30/15 10:23am]

That's the thing though. Ever since Prince struck gold and acheived stardom with Purple Rain, I htink he thought he was film mkaer with Something to Say. But NONE of his narrative or segues have EVER worked. GB, Three Chains of Gold, the Kirstie Alley stuff of the Symbol album, the weird Gangsta Glam stuff on the Gett Off video tape...even the dumb, goofy segues in the SOTT movie and on Exodus and Rainbow Children fall flat.

The AOA segues were surprisingly tolerable and blend into the album rather well but, by and large, when Prince delves into the theatrical and the narrative, it never seems to work unless he buries it underneath the surface and into the songs, like on 1999.

ufoclub said:

Listening to this... you know that Prince asked Martin Scorcese to direct his followup to Purple Rain? He was politely declined, but Michael Jackson nabbed Scorcese for the Bad video.

Dang, I did not know that! That's an awesome fun fact.

herb4 said:

Listening to your show now. It's quite good. Funny and accurate. You guys have a laid back style that resonates.

Thanks very much, herb4. I've just started doing this show and it's really nice that people seem to be enjoying it. I've wanted to do a podcast for years. And I love the idea of Prince as Wonka (or a Wonka-esque character. I think this is definitely a project where I would want someone besides Prince to have most of the creative control though, and I think we all know that isn't likely to happen.

ufoclub said:

Gotta completely disagree about Tick Tick Bang. I hate this movie, but I like that bit as a music video, I think it's very well shot and cut. I also like the bizarre mix Bus Berkley style old Hollywood production on mushrooms with the drums sampled from a Jimi Hendrix song. and I love Prince's Lovesexy tour style dancing.

As a music video it might be fine, sure. A lot of the performances in Graffiti Bridge would be okay music videos probably, but as sequences that are supposed to be part of a unified story they don't work at all. The real question is... what did you think of the song? :p

Wolfie87 said:

Are there any chance you'll speak about the Prince soundtrack when you have your Batman (1989) episode?

Hey Wolfie87! Since you ask this, I take it you got to the end of the podcast and I must say- Thanks so much for listening! Yeah, we would definitely have to mention the soundtrack for sure! We actually had a section of this episode where we discussed the Graffiti Bridge soundtrack record's tracklist a bit more and mentioned the unreleased versions of a few songs on there, but Anton and I agreed that it derailed the episode a bit, especially since our focus is supposed to be on films and not music.

herb4 said:

Gohi said:

Hey herb4!

Interesting point you make. I think due to cultural influence, Ghostbusters definitely makes the grade! However you are probably right about Monsters Inc and I think that was me pulling an idea out of thin air.

I thought the rose on the upper left was a Godfather reference but I could be wrong.

Thanks for commenting!

Ah...you may be right about the rose. I always think of the puppet string/marrionete logo and I actually wondered what that rose was. I just assumed I was old and it was Hunger Games or some shit.

Listening to your show now. It's quite good. Funny and accurate. You guys have a laid back style that resonates.

These films are rather hard to defend, even Purple Rain to some extent. But in spite of the wooden acting, there's a spirit to Purple Rain that still resonates, even beyond the incredible live performances; the andorgony, new wave, glitzy chic that was going on. I agree with you that Prince did a surprisingly good job in that film, acting wise. Parts of it he was guilty of over-acting and vamping too much and, let's admit it, he was really just playing himself so it wasn't much of a stretch.

UTCM is an abomination though. A total mess where the vamping and the ego were just too much to take. I agree bits of the cinematography are really good but god damn. What's the STORY of that movie? Prince was very unlikeable and unsympathetic I thought. I haven't gotten to Graffiti Bridge yet but am looking forward to it. That sucker makes UTCM look like Citizen Kane, although ONE thing I like about GB is that it's not boring. It's just so out there and weird.

I went to see it with a non fan friend of mine in a theater with like 5 people in it and as we walked out he said, "Some of the music was OK, but, man, where is Prince COMING from?" I had no answer. GB is more interesting to watch than UTCM to me just for the sheer bizarreness of it.

Lastly, I've brought this up before, but if Prince ever made another film, what would you guys think about him playing Willy Wonka? I think he'd be perfect. Reclusive, eccentric, musical, perceived weirdo who built his own little world. The musical numbers would blend right in. Prince basically IS the Willy Wonka of the music industry, isn't he? Isn't Paisley Park just Wonka World? I think in this instance, Prince's oddness and sometimes "creepy" or off putting nature would work well since that's basically how Wilder played the character. Prince wouldn't have to act much either, which is always best.

He lives the Willy Wonka lifestyle, he aint about to film it on the real.

Haha very apt point, kewlschool. :p

Bumping this for anyone who wants to have something fun to listen to this weekend!

kewlschool said:

herb4 said:

Ah...you may be right about the rose. I always think of the puppet string/marrionete logo and I actually wondered what that rose was. I just assumed I was old and it was Hunger Games or some shit.

Listening to your show now. It's quite good. Funny and accurate. You guys have a laid back style that resonates.

These films are rather hard to defend, even Purple Rain to some extent. But in spite of the wooden acting, there's a spirit to Purple Rain that still resonates, even beyond the incredible live performances; the andorgony, new wave, glitzy chic that was going on. I agree with you that Prince did a surprisingly good job in that film, acting wise. Parts of it he was guilty of over-acting and vamping too much and, let's admit it, he was really just playing himself so it wasn't much of a stretch.

UTCM is an abomination though. A total mess where the vamping and the ego were just too much to take. I agree bits of the cinematography are really good but god damn. What's the STORY of that movie? Prince was very unlikeable and unsympathetic I thought. I haven't gotten to Graffiti Bridge yet but am looking forward to it. That sucker makes UTCM look like Citizen Kane, although ONE thing I like about GB is that it's not boring. It's just so out there and weird.

I went to see it with a non fan friend of mine in a theater with like 5 people in it and as we walked out he said, "Some of the music was OK, but, man, where is Prince COMING from?" I had no answer. GB is more interesting to watch than UTCM to me just for the sheer bizarreness of it.

Lastly, I've brought this up before, but if Prince ever made another film, what would you guys think about him playing Willy Wonka? I think he'd be perfect. Reclusive, eccentric, musical, perceived weirdo who built his own little world. The musical numbers would blend right in. Prince basically IS the Willy Wonka of the music industry, isn't he? Isn't Paisley Park just Wonka World? I think in this instance, Prince's oddness and sometimes "creepy" or off putting nature would work well since that's basically how Wilder played the character. Prince wouldn't have to act much either, which is always best.

He lives the Willy Wonka lifestyle, he aint about to film it on the real.

Truth: First day we allowed to go into Paisley PArk at the Xenophobia Celebration, as hundreds were milling about walking in, The Willy Wonka song "Pure Imagination" was played over loudspeakers to the parking lot.

Prince also made a reference to Wizard of Oz duriing one perfomance there. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. "...."All of you are the man behind the curtain".

I'm surprised this thread isn't getting more action. The hosts gave us a lot to kick around.

ufoclub said:

kewlschool said:

He lives the Willy Wonka lifestyle, he aint about to film it on the real.

Truth: First day we allowed to go into Paisley PArk at the Xenophobia Celebration, as hundreds were milling about walking in, The Willy Wonka song "Pure Imagination" was played over loudspeakers to the parking lot.

Prince also made a reference to Wizard of Oz duriing one perfomance there. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. "...."All of you are the man behind the curtain".

That's hilarious. I can picture it too.

My son is old enough to watch the original Gene Wilder Willy Wonka movie and it only cements my opinion that Prince would be great in a remake. Certainly better than Johnny Depp, who I usually like, but who came off as bieng wierd for weird's sake in that movie. Actually like several of his movies of late.

I mean, dang. Wonka has a purple coat, lives like a recluse in spite of his fame, is at once gentle and mean, he sings, he surrounds himself with yes men (oompa loompas), he comes off as an arrogant asshole a lot, he has his own brand and a bit of a cult following and he mentally tortures people to gain his affection. He even carries a cane. He IS Prince. Just substitute chocolate for music and Paisley Park for the chocolate factory. Make the golden tickets purple. Emboss the symbol on them.

I'd love to see it. It's about the only sort of role I can picture Prince ever playing again. You can't cast him as an everyman or a lead and no one cares enough anymore to see him in another vanity project.

XNY said:

Somewhat off topic but at this point I'm surprised Prince hasn't teamed up with a more experienced director along the lines of Spike Lee. Someone independent and talented enough to showcase the best in him.

Spike Lee visiting his set for Graffiti Bridge, and Prince got him to direct a "Money Don't Matter Tonight" video.

I had hoped for a Spike Lee / Prince feature collaboration.

XNY said:

Somewhat off topic but at this point I'm surprised Prince hasn't teamed up with a more experienced director along the lines of Spike Lee. Someone independent and talented enough to showcase the best in him.

Yeah, but what can you really do with Prince as an actor? Or in any film that doesn't build off his inherent eccentrcity? He's too other wordly and unique to cast him in a Spike Lee film, given the usually gritty subject matter of Spike's movies.

thedoorkeeper said:

To have a film trilogy you need three individual films with a common thread. What's the common thread with these three films?

They all star Prince, who is not an actor by trade, and one is a sequel to Purple Rain. Why get bogged down in semantics?

herb4 said:

thedoorkeeper said:

herb4 said:

They all star Prince, who is not an actor by trade, and one is a sequel to Purple Rain. Why get bogged down in semantics?

Well if we aren't concerned with semantics why not call those three Prince films The Prince Quartet - it has a nicer ring to it.

Think of it like if they reviewed Elvis movies or the movies that Bowie has been in. Or Sting.

thedoorkeeper said:

To have a film trilogy you need three individual films with a common thread. What's the common thread with these three films?

"Trilogy" was used in a completely facetious manner, hehe.

I usually cover actual franchises and/or trilogy but this idea was too fun to pass up for me.

herb4 said:

I'm surprised this thread isn't getting more action. The hosts gave us a lot to kick around.

ufoclub said:

Truth: First day we allowed to go into Paisley PArk at the Xenophobia Celebration, as hundreds were milling about walking in, The Willy Wonka song "Pure Imagination" was played over loudspeakers to the parking lot.

Prince also made a reference to Wizard of Oz duriing one perfomance there. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. "...."All of you are the man behind the curtain".

That's hilarious. I can picture it too.

My son is old enough to watch the original Gene Wilder Willy Wonka movie and it only cements my opinion that Prince would be great in a remake. Certainly better than Johnny Depp, who I usually like, but who came off as bieng wierd for weird's sake in that movie. Actually like several of his movies of late.

I mean, dang. Wonka has a purple coat, lives like a recluse in spite of his fame, is at once gentle and mean, he sings, he surrounds himself with yes men (oompa loompas), he comes off as an arrogant asshole a lot, he has his own brand and a bit of a cult following and he mentally tortures people to gain his affection. He even carries a cane. He IS Prince. Just substitute chocolate for music and Paisley Park for the chocolate factory. Make the golden tickets purple. Emboss the symbol on them.

I'd love to see it. It's about the only sort of role I can picture Prince ever playing again. You can't cast him as an everyman or a lead and no one cares enough anymore to see him in another vanity project.

Don't forget the purple tickets given in the 3121 CD's to a special few. Sort of Willy Wonka style.