Labyrinth
Given the recent sad news it was inevitable that people were going to be digging out their Bowie films to watch. Some may opt for Man who fell to earth, others Merry christmas Mr Lawrence (though the stand out performance in that film will always be Takeshi Kitano) for me its always going to be this one. I remember my Dad taking me to see this at the old flea pit when I was around 6-7 and ordinarily I was one of those chatty little brats that could not shut up at that age but according to my dad it was the first time I'd been totally quiet through a film. I was absolutely riveted by the film and through the years its been a fond favourite of mine. From all the small details that I still pick up on each time I watch it, I'm always discovering something new. The film has some of Jim Henson's greatest creations. The script was written by Terry Jones, then rewritten to the point Jones states there's very little of his material left, however a lot of his humour seems to shine through in the dialogue.
It's a film that can be watched as pure entertainment as a child, however as an adult there are themes that really resonate. Essentially its a film dealing with the transition from childhood to Adulthood. The Labyrinth representing sarahs negotiation of the complex journey of self discovery and acceptance of responsibility. Here is where Bowies casting is a great creative choice. Bowie was on posters in teenage girls rooms across the country (and more than a few boys) as an icon of burgeoning sexual desire for Sarah it adds an extra frisson to the plot that was probably much more apparent to older viewers. Its also great to here Bowie delivering some great material for the soundtrack as well as clearly having great fun with the role.
Joysticks
Lightweight but entertaining comedy from Greydon Clark that centres around the growing arcade scene of the early eighties. Joe don Baker plays a shady businessman intent on having the place shut down. Its entertaining and pretty funny for the most part aside from one point that comes dangerously close to laughing at rape. The real standout for me however was Corinne Bohrer as Patsy, a genuinely great performance and incredibly funny.
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