Richard Simmons drew concern from his social media followers when he wrote, in part, “I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying. Oh I can see your faces now. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death.” We say “in part” because Simmons would go on to write, “Why am I telling you this?…Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day. Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy.” While this would seem to clear it up immediately, it was still a bit too cryptic, prompting replies about his condition, to which Simmons would respond: “Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion.”
Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying.
It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion.
Richard Simmons would go on to give advice pertaining to one’s diet, exercise routine and overall well-being, encouraging his followers to tell those they are close to that they love them.
Now 75, Richard Simmons has kept a mostly low profile for a decade, something that people thought was odd for such a flamboyant, in-your-face pop culture figure. There was even an investigation launched relating to the belief he was being held hostage and speculation that he was in fact “missing”, spawning an aptly named podcast called Missing Richard Simmons.
Whether out of genuine concern or a tacky grab at limelight, most chatter about the fitness guru only forced him to come out of “hiding” to address the rumors. While the more lecherous people did their part in ruining the way Richard Simmons wanted to live, it is nice to hear he’s doing well.
When it comes to being an actor, it is known that those in the business would have to pay their dues. Sometimes studio politics means playing the game in order to get to the better stuff. The phrase that’s usually said is “one for them” — meaning you just take a job just to show you are a team player. And Syndey Sweeney is attributing her role in the infamous Madame Web to be exactly that. After Sony attempted to expand their Spider-Man property, only to get caught in its own web, which let audiences prey on it, it was recently given a mercy release on digital.
The stars of the film have started to distance themselves from the finished product as well. However, Sydney Sweeney did her part and hopes her role in the production meant building a stronger bond with the film’s studio. According to Deadline, Sweeney told GQ, “To me, that film was a building block, it’s what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony. Without doing Madame Web I wouldn’t have a relationship with the decision-makers over there. Everything in my career I do not just for that story, but strategic business decisions. Because I did that, I was able to sell Anyone But You. I was able to get Barbarella.”
Despite the reception, Sweeney would take the hit in her resume (“hit” in a counteractive sense) and let it roll off her shoulders, “The movie is such a large movie with so many people involved. I was just hired as an actor and happy to bring to life a character that my little cousins are excited about. There’s no outcome I can control on a film like that, especially when I’m not a producer. You sign up for whatever happens and you take the ride.” She was asked if she knew “something was off” during the production, to which she replied, “There’s definitely a different formula when you’re making a film like that, that was very different from what I’m used to.”
The film’s star, Dakota Johnson, would take the flop as a learning experience, “I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again, because I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now. But sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand.”
What do we talk about when we talk about 1979’s iconic outer space slasher, Alien (watch it HERE)? Personally, I start the list with the incredible slow-burn tone and impressive special effects, then I usually gush for twenty or thirty minutes about how inspired the horror aspect was- and especially for its time. It creeps along with nothing but quiet, dark spaces to lure out your fears as this mysterious man-eating creature stalks your every move. Truly scary stuff. And then of course I mention how Sigourney Weaver swiftly cemented her status as one of the greatest final girls in slasher cinema. All of that to say that this film truly lives up to the chills they promise from the movie’s tagline- In space, no one can hear you scream. Folks, slasher movies are kind of a big deal here on JoBlo Horror Originals. We love seeing Ghostface reveal their identities at the end of Scream, we revisit the horror of Haddonfield every Halloween and we sure as shit make sure to cover our fair share of cult slashers that fly below the mainstream radar. But lately, I’ve been trying to scratch a different itch. I mean, I’m always in the mood for blood and guts, but I’ve been in the mood for something a little more “out there” from a hulking masked killer. Of course, within horror, there are many avenues that I could go down. See, on this show I’ve covered ghosts, demons, cults, witches, haunted artifacts, monsters, serial killers and even robots- but I don’t feel that I’ve properly explored- is aliens.
Imagine if you were a regular astronaut who wasn’t expecting and properly equipped and trained to handle a homicidal alien. What if you were alone in space with no way to get help and this thing had its sight fixed firmly on you. Or as writer Dan O’Bannon said, what if “Jaws in space”? 1979’s Alien is the story of a group of astronauts who are headed home to earth when a potential distress signal takes them to a nearby moon where they discover alien life that is sure to make their journey home a hell of a lot bloodier. The film was famously directed by Ridley Scott and remains to be one of the greatest horror classics in cinema history. And truthfully- I can’t wait to get into its so I’m Kier with JoBlo Horror Originals, and you’re watching Deconstructing.
Now, the setup for Alien is quite simple. We’ve got seven astronauts- Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver), Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt), Lambert (Veronica Cartwright), Kane (John Hurt), Ash (Ian Hom), Parker (Yaphet Kotto), and Brett (Harry Dean Stanton)- This crew is on the way back to earth when they get a transmission from a moon nearby. On this moon is the remanence of an alien ship. The crew finds a chamber full of eggs and what’s inside finds its way onto the ship via Kane’s face. This sets up the rest of the film which sees a rapidly growing alien creature with slimy skin and chrome teeth roaming about the ship and taking out the passengers one-by-one. A classic plot for a classic film indeed- but there’s more to it than that so as usual, we’re going to break this movie down by way of our four-key-categories. First, we’ll talk about the original of this movie and how it went from an egg to a STILL ACTIVE mega franchise. Then, we’ll talk about the film’s legacy, which will allow us to dive into what makes it so… mega-franchisable? After that we’ll play a quick game of JoBlo Trivia to get our movie minds buzzing before we get to the finale- the X-Factor- where I discuss that one small thing that takes Alien from being a space-station slasher, to being the timeless horror masterpiece that it is.
So, if you’re ready then keep your back to the wall, and don’t forget to like the video- and let’s hit play on Alien.
ORIGIN
Have y’all ever seen the movie Dark Star by John Carpenter? You know, the one where a beach ball is haunting the ship. Well, as it turns out- Dan O’Bannon worked on that film with Carpenter and his experience on the film got him thinking “What if there was a fully horror version of this that played it completely straight?” And so began the process of writing a script that would feature a handful of victims, an endless hellscape of space, and one VERY angry alien. O’Bannon knew that the key to making it scary was having a believable looking monster for his antagonist. More on that soon- but with the idea fresh in his mind, O’Bannon wrote the first act of a script called Memory which actually turned out to be used as the film’s iconic opening scene which features our astronauts awaking to a distress transmission and deciding to investigate a broken-down ship. With O’Bannon being stuck with a case of writer’s block after creating this incredible beginning. While working on other projects and leaving Memory on the backburner, O’Bannon discovered the haunting artwork of H.R. Giger. Giger is known for his incredibly disturbing and unflattering imagery that was a hot commodity for authors to use as book covers for the Sci-Fi genre. Around this time, O’Bannon moved to L.A. to live with Ronald Shusett, the film’s uncredited co-writer and the two wrote the rest of the script about one of H.R. Giger’s horror creations stalking and killing the astronauts. Giger would of course go on to create the now iconic xenomorph.
With a dark and bloody script in hand, Shusett and O’Bannon began shopping their movie around Hollywood hoping to get enough capital to make a convincing Giger Monster. Along comes Brandywine Entertainment which consisted of producers Gordon Carrol, David Giler, and Walter Hill. They agreed to make the film but throughout the process they would make the development of the final screenplay a living hell by demanding absurd rewrites, re-arranging material and ultimately putting their own stamp on an otherwise great script. It’s believed by many, including O’Bannon, that the studio heads at Brandywine were trying to edge out their work just enough to take credit and leave the writers with none. And with O’Bannon being the sole credit for writer- I guess we know who won that battle.
When it came down to it, the then recent release of Star Wars had studios in Hollywood bursting at the seams to get their own Sci-Fi blockbusters out into the world. This caused Brandywine and O’Bannon and Shusett to begin their search for a proper director. After going through the list of potential talent to helm the movie, names like Robert Altman, Jack Clayton, Robert Aldrich, and Peter Yates all proved to be too slick and the studio and writers feared that hiring them would run the risk of making the film less serious. They wanted someone who would approach the movie as a straight horror. And sure enough, after seeing the film The Dualists, Brandywine pursued Ridley Scott to direct. Scott loved the script and signed on immediately to make the movie and even contributed some seriously beautiful and detailed storyboards to map out the film’s gorgeous and grand look. When the studio saw these magical storyboards, they immediately doubled the film’s original budget from $4.2 Million to $8.5 Million- which later racked up even further to about $11 Million. Money well spent, boys.
The casting process was fairly simple due to the script’s writing being intentionally vague in its description of each astronaut. The intent was for the director to feel free to interpret each character in their own way- even as far as their gender and physical attributes- and cast accordingly. This gave Ridley the freedom to find the most powerful actors for each role and that is how we got Sigourney Weaver as Ripley. Right on. With the main players in the mix- cameras were finally set to roll in Shepperton Studios in London in 1978.
LEGACY
Now, it’s no secret that the Alien franchise has seen quite a robust history. This film was released in May of 1979 and was met with astonishing box office numbers. The film was such a hit that people were seeing it twice and bringing more and more friends each time. Alien’s final box office run totaled at over $180 Million which in Hollywood terms means…. Nothing? Well, at least not for a while. In 1986- James Cameron took on a direct sequel titled Aliens which would also see the return of Ripley. As if two great directors weren’t enough for this franchise, David Fincher stepped up to direct Alien 3 in 1992 which also saw Ripley come back and (spoiler alert) die- only to be brought back in Alien Resurrection in 1997 as a clone. These direct sequels did well- but the time between each film and the return on investment eventually led to the franchise fizzling out in theaters but gained a lot of traction in the comic book and collectable space. This led to the beloved Alien VS Predator comic book which later revived the silver-screen slasher with AVP in 2004 and AVP Requiem in 2007. Alien tried its hand at the prequel thing with Prometheus and later went on to bring us Alien Covenant and the highly anticipated, Fede Alverez directed Alien Romulus– which hopefully looks to bring the franchise back to being more grounded- no pun intended.
But what makes the movie worth the trip to the theaters every time for the follow up? Why did the original Alien film spawn such a huge success? Well, it was made the right way. On its own and away from the franchise- Alien delivered us stunning cinematography that invites you directly into the ship with our crew. The Blu-ray of this thing is beautiful, folks. But what about the chilling slow-burn tone and pacing? The movie lets you float around the ship in suspense with the cast for a lot of this film. Personally, I find it delightful either way, but what makes it special is that even in these slow moments, you’re treated to a warm and grounded group-dynamic between the characters that make the dialogue scenes that much more gripping. It’s truly a movie you can just sit and vibe with and I think that says a lot. This movie’s legacy goes beyond a good movie and a pretty good franchise- Alien was such a shockwave of a film that its impact on the genre in general can still be felt in movies today. While Ridley Scott would call it “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Space”- Science fiction has benefitted the most from the film’s influence- movies like Galaxy of Terror, Inseminoid, Forbidden World, and Dead Space. The reach even extends to recent films like Underwater and Life– which are essentially the same movie with different monsters. And honestly- both of those movies are alright, so check them out.
And while it’s easy to say that alien inspired dozens of movies over the years, let’s also not forget that part of the movie’s charm is the familiar nature of this otherwise brand-new concept. When talking about the film, Dan O’Bannon said “I didn’t steal Alien from anybody- I stole it from Everybody!”. Alien was a mashup of ideas notably taken from films like Forbidden Planet, Planet of Vampires, and multiple EC Comics from the time. These old-time science fiction films give me a sense of nostalgia that Alien also touches on in the same way and I think that must be true for many of us seeing as this film is rightfully ranked up there with the best of them.
TRIVIA
Did you know that there was originally a scene written for the end of the movie where the Alien sees Ripley hiding in the closet while she’s undressed and becomes strangely aroused by her. This would cause the alien to note the difference in their bodies and add to the disturbing nature of it all. Luckily, that was cut from the movie and the ending stands as it should- not gross. Although can we REALLY blame that alien?
And speaking of the Alien, let’s see if you can answer this question:
Which famous painter inspired the iconic “Chestbuster” scene which has gone on to be the film’s most memorable sequence:
Thomas Kincade
Francis Bacon
Ivan Plusch
Faris Heizer
Comment Your answers down below!
*ANSWER: Francis Bacon for “Three studies for figures at the base of a crucifixion”
X-FACTOR
I can’t believe it’s that time already. Folks, we’re at the X-Factor and this is where I’m supposed to pick one small and seemingly meaningless thing and crown it as the most important. And usually, I struggle to find just one thing and then I have this grand revelation at the buzzer. And yeah, it is no different this time. Originally, the X-Factor seemed obvious- the practical effects, right? The way that this terrifying creature was brought to life was both impressive for the time, and honestly- impressive for today as well. You’d never see a movie of this magnitude risk puppeteering their ONLY villain and engineering it to move smoothly when there was no human to operate the body. The digital effects that were used were still very good and this thing held up hard. BUT we expect that. I can’t give the X-Factor to Sigourney Weaver for the same reason of it being too obvious although, she REALLY did an amazing job in this movie and especially in the following movie.
But what it’s really all about for me, and what really makes the movie a beacon for quality sci-fi seekers- is the film’s final showdown. Now yes, this may seem obvious as well- but what makes this final confrontation different from any of the other ones we’ve seen in the seven film since? It’s quiet.
This movie’s slow build up does lead to a triumphant climax- but that’s not the end. The movie truly ends with Ripley thinking she’s finally ditched the Xenomorph after losing her entire crew. But then, she realizes the thing is still on her ship and is knocked out. Instead of blaring music, flashing lights and CGI purple energy beams- Ripley slowly and quietly sneaks into the closet, suits up, and blasts the ship’s thrusters to expel the alien from the ship. But it’s done in stealth. She doesn’t scream, she doesn’t fight, she doesn’t blink, she barely even breathes. It’s satisfying. It feels like you quietly snuck up on that scary spider that’s been crawling around your room at night. And it’s definitely the reason that this movie sticks the landing.
Folks, we did it! We talked about Alien, and I got to add it to my ever-growing list of horror sub-genres that have been properly deconstructed. What else should cover? What do you want to see next? I have a feeling the next one will be quite spooky so… make sure you’re around for that. From JoBlo Horror Originals, I’m Kier, and this has been Deconstrcting. Goodnight everybody.
A couple of the previous episodes of Deconstructing… can be seen below,. To see more episodes, and to check out our other shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
I’m making my way through Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and mostly enjoying my time in its big open worlds, even if I do miss the more linear and guided feel of FF7 Remake’s Midgar. But about 45 hours into my playthrough I reached Gongaga, a maze-like jungle region filled with mushrooms and giant trees, and I quickly…
I’m making my way through Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and mostly enjoying my time in its big open worlds, even if I do miss the more linear and guided feel of FF7 Remake’s Midgar. But about 45 hours into my playthrough I reached Gongaga, a maze-like jungle region filled with mushrooms and giant trees, and I quickly…
Patrick Swayze was one of a kind. He’s the only actor I can think of who was as comfortable cutting a rug on the dance floor as demolishing a room full of bad guys with his fists of fury. When he passed away in 2009, we lost an icon who was never really recognized as the legend he is in his time. In the years since many Patrick Swayze movies have become cult favourites, and with a Road House remake due out on Thursday, we decided now would be a good time to pick the five best Patrick Swayze movies.
Red Dawn:
John Millius’s cold war “what if” thriller goes down in the history books as the first-ever PG-13 movie. It was also Patrick Swayze’s first major leading role, with him best known up to this point for a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders. Here, he plays the young leader of a rag-tag group of local teens who become a deadly militia when the Soviets opt to kick off World War III in their small town. It sounds much sillier than it is, with this a pretty grim (but still butt-kicking) depiction of young people forced to become old before their time to defend their homes. The remake of this was God-awful.
Dirty Dancing:
Of all the Patrick Swayze movies on this list, Dirty Dancing was the one that made him one of the biggest stars of the eighties. While he’s about fifteen years too old to be playing the young Johnny Castle, the bad boy dance instructor at the Catskills resort visited by our heroine, “Baby” (Jennifer Grey), the energy and charisma he brings to the role makes us forget all that. This movie not only made him a movie star but also a pop star, with his song off the soundtrack, “She’s Like The Wind,” rocketing up the charts.
Road House:
While Swayze could have just stuck to romantic movies, he opted to branch out into action, and did so brilliantly with Road House. While it’s a cult sensation now, the truth of the matter was that this movie wasn’t a box office hit in 1989 and was widely mocked. Oh, how the times have changed. I stand by including this on my recent list of the 25 Greatest Action Movies Ever.
Ghost:
While one of his biggest box office hits, of all of Patrick Swayze’s movies on this list, I daresay this is the most underrated. People have forgotten what a powerful romantic thriller this is, with some really nifty genre elements, worked into this story of a ghost (Swayze) trying to solve his own murder. Demi Moore is gorgeous as his true love, while Whoopi Goldberg steals the show as the con-artist psychic helping him. It’s crazy that this came from one of the directors of The Naked Gun (Jerry Zucker), with the climactic scenes of the bad guys being dragged to hell, kicking and screaming pretty gnarly.
Point Break:
Without a doubt, Point Break is the best Patrick Swayze movie on this list. Like Road House, it’s one of the greatest action movies of all time, and Swayze is cast against type as the movie’s bad guy, a surfing zen master bank robber named Bodhi. One of the reasons this movie works as well as it does is that even though you know Bodhi is the guy Keanu Reeves’ FBI agent Johnny Utah is after, you don’t want to believe it’s true. He’s so likable that you are actually rooting against Utah, to a point, and to me, their chemistry is a huge part of the movie’s appeal.
Of course, those aren’t the only great Patrick Swayze movies, with Steel Dawn, Next of Kin, City of Joy, Black Dog, and many others all being well worth checking out. Do you agree with our picks? Let us know in the comments what you think are the best Patrick Swayze movies!
The name’s Taylor-Johnson. Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The world awaits the announcement of the next James Bond actor after Daniel Craig’s incarnation would be conclusively laid to rest. The producers of the property were said to be looking for younger talent, so the actor can commit to multiple projects over a number of years. Michael G. Wilson, one of the producers said, “We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past but trying to visualize it doesn’t work. Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience – he’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off […] That’s why it works for a thirty-something.”
Well, perhaps wait no more. Although, you may have to as it has not been totally confirmed. However, People Magazine is reporting that according to the U.K. newspaper The Sun (so take that source as you will), Taylor-Johnson has been “formally offered” the role of James Bond 007 and is expected to sign the contract within the week. People reached out to Taylor-Johnson and the James Bond IP owners for comment. No follow-up was reported. However, an inside source tells The Sun, “Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back. Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement.”
Back in 2022, Esquire said that a credible source had told The Sun, “Aaron went for a screen test to be the next Bond in September and producers and Barbara loved him. He is now one of the front-runners.” Rumors about his casting have been burning for a couple of years, but Taylor-Johnson didn’t seem to know for certain if he would be taking the role. When asked about it last summer, “As I’ve already told you, I have to go by the beat of my own drum. It’s my own path, what feels intuitive to me. I’ve never made a decision based on other people’s perspectives, or their judgments, or their expectations. You lose your f**king mind if you do that. Your sense of worth and soul is gone. You need to understand what is integral to you and what feels right, and you’ve got to stay on track with what’s present in front of you. Kraven is what’s in front of me.” As for whether he would be game to play the iconic secret agent, the actor once again played coy. “I just focus on the things I can have in my hands right now,” he said. “What’s in front of me right now.“
PLOT: An ex-UFC legend, Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal), reeling from a tragedy in the ring, takes a job as a bouncer at a troubled bar in the Florida Keys. While there, he gets caught up in a real estate scheme run by a crime lord’s well-connected son.
REVIEW: So here’s the thing. I was super against the idea of remaking Road House. The original film with Patrick Swayze is, in my opinion, one of the greatest B-movies of all time and something of a staple as far as action movies go. It recently made my list of the top 25 action movies ever. Yet, the buzz surrounding Doug Liman’s remake was good, and the trailer sold me on the film 100%. Perhaps too much because I did precisely the wrong thing. I was so psyched by the trailer that I ended up drinking beer and throwing on the original Road House with friends, and I had a whale of a time. As such, the movie was pretty fresh in my mind when I finally sat to watch the remake, which – while still an entertaining actioner – doesn’t compete.
So yeah, let’s get that out of the way first – the 2024 version of Road House is nowhere near as good as the original. Some critics may say it is, but no – it isn’t. There was also a call to have this movie released in theaters. Having seen it for myself, I can say that it’s definitely a streaming movie with budget CGI and some unconvincing VFX, all of which will look fine at home.
So that’s everything it isn’t. But how is Road House as a streaming B-movie? It’s pretty entertaining, even if it’s not the absolute rollercoaster ride the trailer promised. It has some good fight sequences, but it’s short of action until about halfway in. When it sticks to punch-ups, the movie is great, but when it spreads out into boat chases and explosions, the streaming nature of the film becomes more apparent. You start to wonder why they didn’t study the original movie closer, which proved car chases, explosions, and gun battles are ultimately unnecessary in a film about people getting kicked in the head.
But, I’ll give Road House this – it has an ace lead performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, a memorable villain in Conor McGregor, and one hell of a final battle royale between them. I appreciated that Gyllenhaal never tries to channel the late great Patrick Swayze and does his own thing. In the original, Swayze’s Dalton was half Zen master, half action hero. Here, Gyllenhaal plays Dalton as more of a regular guy, a down-and-out UFC fighter who’s been disgraced and makes a living hustling underground fights. In this world, he’s famous, as everyone saw his most infamous match online, and so many of his opponents are (rightly) scared of him, including Post Malone in a cameo.
Gyllenhaal plays Dalton as low-key and friendly, w with one character comparing him to Mr. Rogers. He makes fast friends with the people living in Glass Key (an excellent Dashiell Hammett reference), the town he goes to bounce in. Some of the relationships, such as one he has with a little girl who runs a bookshop, come off as less cheesy than they would otherwise, thanks to Gyllenhaal’s charm.
Physically, he looks like a legit UFC fighter, sporting an impossibly lean and chiselled physique. He aces the hand-to-hand scraps. Dalton is invincible for 90% of the film, but then McGregor comes in, chewing scenery like there’s no tomorrow, as a surprisingly likeable but insane enforcer. Unlike other action heroes, Gyllenhaal has no problem with getting his ass beat, and even if the film is ultimately a B or B-minus as an action flick, he’s A-plus as an action star.
Otherwise, the film skews relatively close to the original Road House, with his love interest being a surgeon (The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchior) and him having a likeable bar owner to report to (although Jessica Williams is quite a bit sexier than Kevin Tighe in my opinion). The main difference is that Sam Elliot’s character has been eliminated, which is just as well as who could compare? Billy Magnussen is a relatively flat, one-dimensional baddie (he’s not Ben Gazzara), but he’s little more than a MacGuffin, with him serving the primary purpose: bringing in Conor McGregor’s Knox. Even if McGregor’s acting is dicey, he makes up for it in presence and physicality. The fight between him and Gyllenhaal is legitimately a great action scene.
So, while the Road House remake was much more of a mixed bag than I thought it would be, I still had a good enough time with it. People will inhale this thing when it hits streaming, and I’m glad, as B-level action movies could be a nice niche for a service like Prime Video, and I hope they make more of them. And, again, Gyllenhaal could be a fantastic future action hero if that’s the road he goes down. Too often, non-superhero, straightforward action flicks are frowned upon. The genre needs new blood, and he could be it.
Expect the unexpected. Take it outside. Buy the vinyl. That’s right, updated version of the Road House soundtrack is getting the vinyl treatment from Mondo, complete with tracks that have never been heard before. Dubbed Road House: The Lost Album, the double vinyl will feature 12 songs from the beloved movie, along with seven tracks from The Jeff Healey Band’s original recording sessions.
As per the official release, “While the Road House film contained a dozen performances by Jeff Healey and his band, the official soundtrack released back in 1989 contained only four of those songs. In the thirty-four years since Jeff Healey recorded these songs, this is the first time they have all been made available. And, as a cool bonus, we’ve included seven songs that were recorded in these same sessions for consideration, but never made it into the film. These extra recordings unheard for almost thirty-five years, were put to tape as potential film tracks, then … they were forgotten by the passage of time. As with all our archival projects, tapes were unearthed and painstakingly restored.”
Adding to the package – which will set you back $42 – the Road House release will feature photos provided by the estate of the late Jeff Healey as well as liner notes. As far as the records themselves, they are pressed on 140 gram color vinyl.
Jeff Healey is an unsung hero of 1989’s Road House. While Michael Kamen provided the score, Healey’s musical contributions shouldn’t be overlooked – and hopefully won’t be with this release – as he added to the genuine atmosphere of the movie. Just 22 when the movie was released, Healey – who also played Cody – was noted not just for his talents on the guitar but for being blind. Tragically, he led a short life, dying in 2008 from sarcoma at just 41. The following year, star Patrick Swayze would succumb to pancreatic cancer.
Road House: The Lost Album drops on Mondo’s website on March 21st.
Thirty-five years on, Road House remains a bonafide cult classic of ‘80s cinema, endlessly championed and protected by its fans (and its writer…).
Will you be picking up Mondo’s vinyl of the Road House soundtrack? What’s your favorite scene from the movie? Let us know below!
Expect the unexpected. Take it outside. Buy the vinyl. That’s right, updated version of the Road House soundtrack is getting the vinyl treatment from Mondo, complete with tracks that have never been heard before. Dubbed Road House: The Lost Album, the double vinyl will feature 12 songs from the beloved movie, along with seven tracks from The Jeff Healey Band’s original recording sessions.
As per the official release, “While the Road House film contained a dozen performances by Jeff Healey and his band, the official soundtrack released back in 1989 contained only four of those songs. In the thirty-four years since Jeff Healey recorded these songs, this is the first time they have all been made available. And, as a cool bonus, we’ve included seven songs that were recorded in these same sessions for consideration, but never made it into the film. These extra recordings unheard for almost thirty-five years, were put to tape as potential film tracks, then … they were forgotten by the passage of time. As with all our archival projects, tapes were unearthed and painstakingly restored.”
Adding to the package – which will set you back $42 – the Road House release will feature photos provided by the estate of the late Jeff Healey as well as liner notes. As far as the records themselves, they are pressed on 140 gram color vinyl.
Jeff Healey is an unsung hero of 1989’s Road House. While Michael Kamen provided the score, Healey’s musical contributions shouldn’t be overlooked – and hopefully won’t be with this release – as he added to the genuine atmosphere of the movie. Just 22 when the movie was released, Healey – who also played Cody – was noted not just for his talents on the guitar but for being blind. Tragically, he led a short life, dying in 2008 from sarcoma at just 41. The following year, star Patrick Swayze would succumb to pancreatic cancer.
Road House: The Lost Album drops on Mondo’s website on March 21st.
Thirty-five years on, Road House remains a bonafide cult classic of ‘80s cinema, endlessly championed and protected by its fans (and its writer…).
Will you be picking up Mondo’s vinyl of the Road House soundtrack? What’s your favorite scene from the movie? Let us know below!
