hey y'all,

has anyone seen the film "high fidelity"? i just saw it for the first time and although i noticed a plot, i noticed more record jackets, posters, and stickers featuring local bands in the background. i thought this aspect to the film was awesome. i noticed:

a jesus lizard poster in the lead guy's apartment
a touch and go sticker on the register
a copy of "racer x" in the "B" section
a poster for a pegboy record
a liz phair record (even though i fucking hate liz phair, it still counts)

and also lots of other shit i should have written down.
in addition there was crap i noticed pertaining to:
-melvins
-love and rockets
-k
-and of course, stupid sub pop stickers everywhere

shit, i'd have to watch it again and make a list, but i hate watching stuff again once i've seen it. so, has anyone else ever seen this film, and can anyone name stuff from other bands i'm leaving out? i was so excited to see local stuff. maybe i should have paid more attention to the movie itself, but i was looking at the walls in the store, all the locations, figuring out what direction they were facing on milwaukee ave, time of day to get the sun on whichever side of the sears tower--it's like a fun trivia.

so, can anyone else play the hidden-pictures game?
vy73's,
jet.

I haven't watched the film to verify it, but I heard that at one point, Jack Black's character was wearing a Bucky Dent t-shirt. They were a local band back in, I wanna say, the late 90's/early this-millenium.

I would definitely like to watch the film again for the very reason of paying closer attention to the little details like you're saying. I've actually been meaning to do it ever since I heard about the Bucky Dent shirt. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

On a semi-related note... just saw the movie Gross Point Blank (starring John Cusak) last week and noticed a funny maybe-deliberate-chicago-insert in one scene... Here's the section from the script:

------------

Bob Destephano grabs two more scotches off the bar and turns
to leave, thoroughly morose. In his path, he finds DAN
KORETZKY, the good-looking side of brainy.

DAN
Bob. Bob Destephano.

BOB
What?

DAN
I'm Dan. Dan Koretzky.

BOB
Computer guy.

DAN
Yeah... Hey, I saw you at your dad's
dealership the other day.

BOB
I sell BMW's. What do you do?

DAN
Not much, actually. My software
company just went public so I'm
just... hanging out, really.

There's a sudden lull in the conversation. Bob tries his
drunken hand at relating...

BOB
Remember high school?

DAN
Sure. Listen. Why don't you join us
up in the grandstands?

Dan points up to a group of happy, laughing people. Bob walks
off shaking his head and smiling bitterly.

This has come up once before...
http://www.electrical.com/phpBB2/viewto ... h+fidelity


...here is my (slightly edited) post from the other thread:

That is Liam from Plush playing piano in the piano bar scene along to a song from his "More You" record....

Royal Trux sticker on wall of office in the record store...

When John Cusak sees Lisa Bonet in the record store and mentions he likes her song that is playing at that moment, it is actually an Edith Frost song...

His apartment and the record store are covered in a ton of local band posters and flyers and also many silk-screened by local Steve Walters....

The woman who asks if the song playing is the new Green Day formally worked at Reckless and now is a girlfriend of one of the Pernice Brothers....

There is a Don Cab guy (Ian I think) in the store at one moment making time with the ladies in addition to Al from US Maple (Shorty also) who is trying to buy that Capt. Beefhaert record...

The band at the very end where Jack Black sings has Dave Pajo (Slint, Tortoise, M, etc...) in it....

The song Lisa Bonet sings at Lounge Ax (with Tortoise's Jeff Parker backing her up) was actually recorded at Electrical Audio on MY old DA-38 (as the engraved plaque I affixed to it states) among other gear....

The music supervisor on the film has the exact same name as one of the owner/operators of Drag City records Dan Koretzky... (and if you go back to Gross Point Blank, another John Cusac movie, that name is used as a character in that movie...) .. yes, it is more than a coincidence..

Mayfair wrote:There is a Don Cab guy (Ian I think) in the store at one moment making time with the ladies in addition to Al from US Maple (Shorty also) who is trying to buy that Capt. Beefhaert record...

i had seen both us maple and don cab within a few month before seeing this movie and was pretty astonished when i saw those guys in there. i didn't recognize al johnson though and my friend had to point it out to me, which leads me to believe that he would actually be a good actor. maybe.

Seems they are just harmless subconscious messages. Like "Numbers" on the radio.

I was an extra in that movie. Mainly, it was the scene at Rainbow Club. Essentially, on film you get a closeup shot of my crotch.


I have 2 fun moments from this experience:

1.) I had been working a bit in film at the time, and did this to see how an actual Hollywood union set operated. Indie movies never really sold it to me. I knew things had to run smoother than having a PA set up midgets with the "Gaffer" who was actually a grip that would work for free. I knew to become friendly with the 2nd AD, cause that is who typically deals with the extras. So I did, and over time, he asked me to be in this scene where I stand at the pinball machine between Jack Black and Todd Louiso. Behind me were Cusack and Bonet on some couch. The camera started on me watching them play pinball. Stephen Frears (sp?) the director kept yelling with a British accent at Jack to "get into it". He wanted them to tilt the machine to start the scene. Its totally silent, except for Black kept yelling to Louiso to "fuck the machine!" with these wild eyes and pursed lips. You have to understand that I am a Jack Black fan at this point, being a Mr. Show fan. I am damn near pissing my pants as we do about 6 takes before they almost ask me to leave, which only encourages Black. I had to refrain from making the joke: "NOOOO! I was on the 18th hole!!!" every time the grip would unplug the maching to "tilt" it. (Mr. Show fans may get that one - from Jeepers Creepers Semi-Star). Anyway, they cut me and the tilt out of the shot, and begin with my crotch walking by the camera in front of Bonet and Cusack.

2. Due to the aforementioned hilarity, Cusack remembered me at a later location. Many of the extras were female, and about 95% would have dropped to their knees if he just looked at them and smiled. So I got to hear all about how hot he was, etc. etc. During a rain break, we all huddled under an awning across the street from Lounge Ax (where the next scene was). Cusack comes strutting by, and the whole slew of extras were whispering, "there he is!" and letting out little girlish squeeks. As he walked by, casually eyeing the crowd, he briefly locked eyes with me, gave me a "what's up" head nod, and proceded across the street. Now, I could give 2 shits about this guy - in fact, I had heard horrible stories about his views of women - so I didn't like him anyway. But the reaction that I got from all the ladies in the extra crowd? I was the fucking man. They kept telling me how he "recognized me!". High fives and blow jobs all over the place - minus the blow jobs.

Thats my gae story about this movie. The film itself? Overall, I would give the movie "some" stars. Chicago people in it? I dunno. Jeremy Piven, maybe?

jet wrote:hey y'all,

a copy of "racer x" in the "B" section

Racer X
http://homepage.mac.com/statikfire/.Public/RacerXCut.mp3

DJs can be so goddamn annoying.


THX,
Jason D