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With: Malcolm McDowell, Allen Garfield, Daniel Stern, Gail Edwards, Ed Begley Jr., Miles Chapin, Lou Reed, Stacy Nelkin, Bill Henderson, Lee Ving, Robert Picardo, Fabian, Franklyn Ajaye, Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Clint Howard, Susan Saiger, Linnea Quigley
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Written by: Danny Opatoshu, Henry Rosenbaum, David Taylor
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Directed by: Allan Arkush
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MPAA Rating: R
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Running Time: 92
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Date: 08/05/1983
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Out with a Bang
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
This rollicking New Year's Eve comedy has been very difficult to find for decades, so a big thank you to Kino Lorber for finally releasing it on DVD and Blu-ray. It involves a huge concert, with performances by a range of artists of various genres: New Wave, Blues, a Mick Jagger-like Malcolm McDowell, and even Lou Reed himself. (Lee Ving from the punk band Fear is on hand, too.) Theater owner Max Wolfe (Allen Garfield) collapses and stage manager Neil Allen (Daniel Stern) former employee Willy Loman (Gail Edwards) take over directing the big December 31 show, sparking some romantic tension. Meanwhile, evil businessman Colin Beverly (Ed Begley Jr.) wants to get his hands on the theater and stops at nothing — including planting a bomb — to sabotage the show. Plenty of other characters run around, getting into trouble, having sex, wearing weird costumes, etc. It's has a lot of the same surreal energy that director Allan Arkush brought to the cult classic Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), and it's a lot of fun, even if it feels very slight. The Blu-ray offers a new 2K master approved by Arkush. Bonuses include a commentary track by Arkush, with Eli Roth (?) and historian Daniel Kremer, a feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary, vintage music videos for Sparks's title song and Lori Eastside & the Nada Band's "Not Gonna Take It No More," and a new video for the latter, a Trailers from Hell episode with Arkush, a featurette with podcasters No Dogs in Space, and trailers.
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