Author Archives: Jedadiah Leland

Music Video of the Day: Blaze of Glory by Jon Bon Jovi (1990, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

To be honest, I’m neither a huge fan of Bon Jovi or Young Guns II but Blaze of Glory is still a rocker of a song, one that both makes the film it appears in better and which can also stand on its own. Jon Bon Jovi captured the feel of a great western with this song, in a way that he tried too hard and failed to do with Dead or Alive.

Of course, the video is full of footage from Young Guns II. It’s not only a good music video but it’s a good trailer as well. The only problem is that it almost reveals the plot of the entire movie.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Back For More by RATT (1984, directed by Matt Rezyka)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Like a lot of people, I was shocked and saddened when I heard yesterday that Tawny Kitaen had died at the age of 59. Though Kitaen is arguably best-known for appearing in a series of music videos for Whitesnake, her first music video appearance was in today’s music video of the day.

In this video, Kitaen plays one of two women who apparently really love RATT. (At the time, she was dating the group’s guitarist, Robbin Crosby.) When she puts the Out of the Cellar album on the jukebox, it mystically summons two members of the RATT. Soon, Tawny and her friends are running out on the check, stealing cars, and eventually getting pulled over by two cops who turn out to be Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee! At the end of the video, Milton Berle shows up, recreating a role that he played in an earlier RATT video. Milton’s nephew, Marshal, was the band’s then-manager.

Despite the presence of Uncle Miltie and two members of the Motely Crue, this video today is all about Tawny Kitaen, who is young, beautiful, and appears to have not a care in the world. Rest in peace, Tawny.

Music Video Of The Day: In the City by Eagles (1979, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Joe Walsh, who joined the Eagles in 1976, originally wrote and performed In The City for the 1979 cult classic, The Warriors. Around the same time that The Warriors came out, The Eagles released their sixth studio album, The Long Run, which featured the full band’s version of In The City.

This was an early music video, released before MTV was even a thing and when music vides were still viewed as largely being a novelty. Like most of the music videos of the era, it’s a simple performance clip.

Enjoy!

Marvel Studios Invites You Back To The Movies

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Due to the Pandemic, 2020 was the first year since 2009 not to see the release of any new Marvel films. Many people wondered if the MCU would be able to survive taking a year off. Would people still care about or even remember the Marvel movies without having a new one released every four months? With so many of the MCU’s most popular characters either dead or retired by the end of Avengers: Endgame, would viewers in a post-Pandemic world still flock to theaters to see what Marvel’s fourth phase had to offer?

The positive responses to Disney+’s WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier would seem to suggest that the answer is yes but the first real test will be when Black Widow, Shang-Chi, The Eternals, and the latest Spider-Man film are released later this year. Black Widow is the first solo movie of one of the Marvel’s most popular characters and Spider-Man is Spider-Man so both are expected to be blockbusters. The Eternals are less well-known but, because their movie was directed by Nomadland‘s Chloe Zhao, expectations are high. Shang-Chi is probably the biggest question mark but the trailer generated a lot of enthusiasm.

With Black Widow just a few months away from opening, Marvel Studios today released a sizzle reel to remind viewers of what’s coming out. After a brief look at Marvel’s past, the trailer provides footage of Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and, for the first time, The Eternals. It ends with a list of upcoming Marvel films, including the newly titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Marvels. (The Marvels is the sequel to Captain Marvel, presumably titled to remind people that there is more to the film than Brie Larson.) Finally, things end with a hint that The Fantastic Four will soon be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Music Video of the Day: All I Want Is Everything by Def Leppard (1996, directed by Matt Mahurin)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

This is actually one of Def Leppard’s better songs but it had the misfortune to be released in 1996, at a time when many formerly huge 80s bands were being overshadowed by the new bands of the 90s. Visually, the music video has more in common with the melancholy video style of 90s grunge than with the energetic and upbeat videos that we typically associate with Def Leppard.

This video was directed by photographer Matt Mahurin. Mahurin started directing videos in 1986 and has worked with everyone from U2, Queensrÿche, Metallica, and Dreams So Real to Tracy Chapman, Tom Waits, R.E.M., and Alice In Chains.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Bad by U2 (1984, directed by Barry Devlin)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

This video is from back in the day and I mean way back in the day. Believe it or not, there was a time when U2 was a pretty rocking band. It may be hard to believe it now that the band is often used as a punchline and Bono is better known for his messianic tendencies than his abilities as a singer but in the 80s and, for much of the 90s, U2 was one of the best and, dare I say it, most interesting bands around.

If you doubt me, watch this performance clip which also served as the video for their song Bad. Regardless of how people feel about them in the aftermath of the Songs of Innocence debacle, there was a time when U2 rocked.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Flashdance (What a Feeling) by Irene Cara (1983, directed by Adrian Lyne)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Back in the 70s, Hollywood finally figured out that a good soundtrack was a good way to convince people to come see your movie.

In the 80s, Hollywood figured out that a good music video was an even more effective way to draw in audiences than a good soundtrack.

The video for What A Feeling is entirely made up of scenes from Flashdance. It probably wasn’t difficult to put it together and it probably played a huge role in the film becoming a hit and this song eventually wining an Oscar. It was a lesson that Flashdance producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer would remember when they went on to produce other feature-length music videos, like Top Gun, Days of Thunder, and Dangerous Minds.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Fly by Sugar Ray (1997, directed by McG)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Back in the day, when I first heard this song, I liked it but I also felt it was presumptuous to brag about about “statues crumble for me” when you’ve only had one big hit. Eventually, though, I smartened up and I realized that the song’s upbeat sound was hiding the fact that this is actually a very downbeat song about someone who just wishes that he could fly away from all of the world’s troubles. Statues crumble for me was a reference to Ozymandias. Who knows how long I’ve loved you was an homage to the Beatles. Almost all of the lyrics that sounded like they were bragging were actually referring to something else.

“My mother God rest her soul,” is a reference to the song “Along Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan. At least at the time that Fly was recorded, all of the mothers of the members of the band were still alive. In fact, they all appear at the end of this video.

This video was directed by McG, who later went on to direct several feature films. You know that famous recording of Christian Bale yelling at a cinematographer on the set of Terminator: Salvation? McG was the director who had to listen to all of that.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Abuse Me By Silverchair (1997, directed by Nick Egan)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

I don’t know if there’s any abuse that can really compare to being forced to listen to Silverchair but some may disagree, The group’s lead singer, Daniel Johns, for instance, said that this song was an answer to all of their critics. Go ahead and abuse me, the song says, I’m still going to play my music. Johns also once said, in answer to the band’s many critics, that, “every song I’ve heard sounds like another song I’ve heard.” That’s certainly true if you’re listening to Silverchair.

This song was the band’s second biggest hit in the U.S. Much of that popularity may have had something to do with this video, which is a pretty good video regardless of what you think about the band’s sound. It was directed by Nick Egan, who also did videos for Duran Duran, Oasis, Alanis Morissette, and many others.

Enjoy!