MovieChat Forums > Rollercoaster (1977) Discussion > classic late-night flick....with sparks.

classic late-night flick....with sparks.

posted 18 years ago by juliano66
9 replies | jump to latest

i caught this on the late, late show( back when local affiliates did that kinda thing)in the late 80's and i got a zen-like buzz from the repeted stretches of amusement park footage coupled with the mounting tension of the search for the sniper-- a bit like dirty harry meets the brady bunch amusement park episode.
the appearence of sparks singing their current(at the time) single, "big boy"
was the icing on top of an already pretty surreal slice of cinema-cake. i actually owned a copy of that album back then(dollar discount stash) and i loved their album, "sparks in outer space"('82-83) as a high-schooler. all in all as good as it got for regular t.v. back then, especially around 2-3am wnen the commercials we're fewer and farther between. oh, those simpler pleasures of a different modern age than this....check out peter bogdanovich's 1968 release, "target" for a similar themed sniper flick with the finale set at a drive-in movie. another classic in the "movie-movie" tradition.

[–] LemonJokeKid 18 years ago

That's a nice little review. It took me a while to identify the band, but being a Sparks fan from the '80's, I got it. I grew up during the era of the late (or late, late) show, and loved watching fare such as Rollercoaster. Back in those days, we didn't have the dreadful infomercial, so late night viewing was much more fun.

[–] bodoe5783-1 18 years ago

sparks should have been huge in the us in the 80's....it's too bad they have gone so techno now, they were a great rock/pop band...

[–] animlnitr8 18 years ago

sparks was the best part of this movie. i stll love sparks...new albums and all. i prefer their older stuff from the 70s, but the new stuff is good too...all of their albums are different and in my opinion, good. this movie was really cheesy (sign of the times?), but i could watch it over and over for the sparks performance.

[–] WarpedRecord 18 years ago

I agree that Sparks was the best part of this film, and like many of the other posters, I watched this film on late-night cable in the late '70s and early '80s. I still like Sparks, though I prefer their earlier stuff, which was more power pop, over their recent stuff, which is more techno. Still, you have to hand it to a fairly obscure band that's been able to endure this long.

[–] dgates64 18 years ago

I thought 'Sparks' was just some made-up band for the movie. They were so lame. Were there any other lyrics to "Big Boy" besides the words big and boy? just awful. There's a reason they weren't bigger in the 80's.

This movie's about what you'd expect post-Jaws. Of course, nowadays, there's no way in hell an amusement park would let them film a movie about a bomber AND leave their name associated with it.

[–] caljones 18 years ago

Well, bear in mind the song was stretched far longer than it actually was in order to fit with the movie. That and the other song they play (Fill 'er up) are on their 77 album, Big Beat.
It's not a bad album although the earlier 70s albums are better IMHO (Kimono My House and Propaganda are two of their best) and Indiscreet has flashes of brilliance although it's very, very quirky.
The new stuff has its moments - I wasn't that impressed with Lil' Beethoven but Hello Young Lovers is a return to form. Waterproof (from that album) is almost old school Sparks.

They're definitely one of my favourite bands and as I am also crazy about rollercoasters, how could I not love this movie?

[–] djrage54 11 years ago

Sparks is also responsible for the other ear worm song Eaten By the Monster Of Love that was used in Valley Girl. The scene where Cameron goes to see Suzis mom but ends up finding Suzi in the shower.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] TequilaMockingbird63 11 years ago

amusement park footage coupled with the mounting tension of the search for the sniper-- a bit like dirty harry meets the brady bunch amusement park episode.

HA HA HA BRILLIANT!!!!! so true. i just watched it again. It played on Turner Classic Movies (saw it in the theater when it came out) I am the same age as Hellen Hunt. So weird to see her!?!? whats my point? If Helen Hunt was 13 when the film was made the members of the Sparks must be in their late 60s?

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