Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Legend, The 36 Year Old Movie That's A Love Letter To Tom Cruise's Thighs, And Other Thoughts

This review will be an extremely long read riddled with spoilers, a little snark, a lot of silly, some hilarious photos, and INTENSE NERD-DOM.

You have been warned.

So a week or two ago I suggested we watch the infamous 1985 fantasy flop, Legend, and discovered something alarming: John had never seen it.
 
That's right, he'd never seen Tim Curry in bull horns. Or Mia Sarah from Ferris Bueller dramatically flouncing through a Claritin commercial. Or Tom Cruise rescuing a fairy with a chicken foot for a hand out of a giant pie shell in hell.

This could not stand.

Let's get one thing out of the way first: Legend is not a good movie. Roger Ebert gave it two stars, and to this day it has a 38% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It flopped HARD at the box office, and is often blamed for killing fantasy movies in general until Peter Jackson came along with Lord of the Rings.

Nope, Legend is not a good movie.

But it is a GREAT movie.

Pretty much everyone agrees you don't watch Legend for the story, you watch it for the jaw-dropping visuals. And when I say jaw-dropping, I mean take-your-breath away STUNNING, even 36 years later:




If one of your aesthetics is "running barefoot through the misty moors in a shredded ballgown", then THIS IS YOUR MOVIE, fam.

I was amazed how well I remembered it, too, considering I haven't seen Legend in probably 20 years. I could even recite some of the dialogue, and immediately noticed when the version we rented cut Meg Mucklebones' scene short.

That cut scene nagged me, so I turned to Google... and immediately fell down a 20+ hour rabbit hole of all things Legend. (Haha, whoops.)

So now, in no particular order, here come my favorite fun facts and personal observations from this amazingly beautiful, amazingly bad movie:

- Legend Is a Love Letter To Tom Cruise's Thighs

Tom Cruise was 22 during filming and fresh off the set of Risky Business - the movie that gave us the world-famous underwear dance. Not to be outdone, the producers of Legend decided Tom would not only be pants-less the entire movie, he would also be prohibited from walking upright for most of it.



Instead he crouches, crawls, leaps, flips, and generally does his utmost to give us as many crotch shots as possible, all while wearing what could most charitably be described as a loincloth.

Am I complaining?

NO I AM NOT. 

But wait, it gets better.

Early on Tom needs to gear up to go fight some baddies. And look! This magic tree has a set of golden armor exactly his size. This tree's got everything, y'all: a scale mail shirt, a shield, a sword...

AND NO PANTS

I want to shake the hand of the costume designer who stuck to their guns for this decision. No-pants armored Tom Cruise fighting baddies is a vibe we can all only aspire to.


- The MUA (Make Up Artist) Had A Thing For Unibrows


Why. WHY.

I could almost forgive their making Tom Cruise look like a member of the Croods, but then Dark Lili, too??


Oh HECK no.

Eh, but who am I kidding: even with a unibrow this makeup is amazeballs. That eyeliner streak is especially brilliant for this scene: from a distance, when she's cowering, it looks like she's cried off her mascara. Then her attitude shifts during the close-up, and the streak makes her look like a gothic badass. Friggin' genius.


- A Large Part Of The Set Burned Down 10 Days Before They Finished Filming

This is why the meeting of the unicorns shifts suddenly in the film: part was in studio, the rest had to be shot in a local park. To create the stream, Ridley Scott opened several fire hoses down the park path!


The set designers did such a good job I can't tell which part is in the park, though. This scene... or this one?


This one has the narrower stream/path, so maybe that's it?


- Gump Was Actually Voiced By The Actress Who Played Blix


K, first of all I didn't know that Blix was played - and voiced - by a woman, and then it's extra cool that she voiced two of the main characters!

I knew Gump's voice was dubbed, but I assumed it was because the actor was so young they wanted an older voice. Nope. Turns out David Bennet (who played Gump) was 18 at the time(!!) and they only dubbed him because of his German accent.

Also regarding Alice Playten - who played Blix - allow me to present this behind-the-scenes, Extremely Cursed Image:



That's... that's in my brain now. I take comfort in knowing it's in yours, too.

:D

I'm literally bringing back the Unicorn Chaser for that, here we go:

- Unicorns Sound Like Humpback Whales. CANON.


This isn't like Jurassic Park where they mixed together a bunch of animal sounds to make a dino roar, either; they literally just blasted the mournful sound of humpback whales over all the unicorn scenes. It is not subtle. You know it's whale song. They know it's whale song. And they know that you know it's whale song.


Also I kept hearing Scotty say this in my head, ha.

Those scenes feel like an artsy aquarium pre-show, which only enhances the overall "what-was-in-those-brownies" vibe you get through the whole movie, really.

- There Are 4 Different Versions,  2 Different Endings, and 2 Completely Different Soundtracks

Here's where the rabbit hole gets REAL DEEP, y'all.

(Feel free to skip ahead, this part is only for the uber Legend nerds. I spent forever figuring it out, though, so heck yes I'm including it.)

The four official versions of Legend include:
1) The original 1985 European release
2) The 1986 American theatrical release
3) The 2002 Director's Cut released on DVD, and
4) The American TV version, which most of us here in the U.S. know best. This was almost identical to the U.S. theatrical release, but has 2 extended scenes from the European version added in.

The American versions are slightly shorter and all but the DC end with Lili and Jack running off into the sunset together. The Director's Cut adds an extra 20+ minutes of run time, slight story changes, lots of alternative camera angles, and has a more bittersweet/nuanced ending, with Lili leaving Jack in the forest.

Check it out, I found a clip of the alternate ending:



If you're not confused yet, hang on; there's more.

There are two completely different soundtracks for Legend, and hardcore fans will FIGHT YOU over which is best. Europe got an orchestral score by Jerry Goldsmith that includes Lili singing(!!) like in the clip above, while America got a synthesizer-loaded 80s pop fever dream by the appropriately named Tangerine Dream.

I've read more Legend reviews than I can count in the last week, and most fans seem to prefer the  Tangerine Dream soundtrack - but then most of them grew up with that one here in the U.S., so that could be the nostalgia talking. I'd love to hear from some of you who grew up with the Jerry Goldsmith score!

If you're like me and curious to see the original European release & soundtrack, then you'll have to buy either the Director's Cut DVD *or* the Ultimate Edition Blu-ray, which apparently has both versions.

Now back to the easier-to-understand trivia and funny pictures. (Phew!)

Robert Picardo  - aka The Doctor On Voyager - Played Meg The Swamp Witch.

Yes, really!


Sorry, it had to be done.

I'm especially nerding out for this tidbit because a million years ago I met Robert Picardo at a tiny Star Trek con here in Orlando, and someone asked what sort of acting job he'd never take again. He then told a story about an incredibly uncomfortable makeup/prosthetic costume that involved being strapped into some sort of rig. It was such a lengthy process that the crew would leave him there during breaks, sometimes even forgetting he was up there all together, and it was so miserable he vowed never to take a big prosthetics job like that again.

Picardo was too polite to name the movie or the character at the time, but NOW I KNOW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT and I really shouldn't be this excited about it, should I? ::head tilt::

 Nope, I've decided I'll take my nerd joy where I can get it, so yes I should be this excited.

You'll also recognize a younger Kiran Shah as Blunder (once he takes off his goblin helmet), who I know mostly from the Lord of the Rings behind-the-scenes documentaries, plus Chronicles of Narnia.


If you look closely you'll notice Blunder has a chicken foot in place of a hand, which is NEVER MENTIONED, because ehhhh, details, am I right? (Omigosh, y'all. THIS MOVIE. I can't. I love the badness so much.) Anyhoo, turns out the explanation was in a deleted scene; Blunder talked out of turn and Darkness cursed him. There was also a 4th goblin named Tic but we are mooooving on.


If you've made it this far into my Legendary deep dive (you knew that pun was going to happen eventually), then you, my friend, are about to be richly rewarded. Yep, these last two sections are my absolute FAVORITES EEEEEEE.

- Legend's Publicity Stills Look Like Awkward Prom Photos With A Unicorn And I Am HERE. FOR. IT. 


They even did the classic cheesy prom pose. YES.

(Side Tangent: I've read Tom's scale mail is made from flattened bottle caps, and now I can't unsee the textured edges around each disk or stop imagining they're all Coors Light caps spray-painted gold.)

Oh wait, but I promised Awkward Prom Pics with a unicorn, didn't I?


Oh Hay There

Of course this gets better:


Hmm. Not bad, not bad, I like the super obvious patch where the horn is glued on - but you know what this photo really needs?

A reminder that Tom isn't wearing pants.


THERE 'TIS

And let's talk about the chiropractic adjustment Mia needed after this shoot, because my neck hurts just looking at that.

On second thought let's get to my final fun fact, because this post is getting out of hand, even for me.


- As It Turns Out, Tim Curry Is The Real Legend

Even the haters agree: Tim Curry is ICONIC in his role as Darkness, and one of the best - if not THE best - parts of the movie. It took about 5 hours to get Curry into costume each day, and I like to think by the time he made it to this particular publicity shoot he was feeling a little punchy:




Seriously, let's take a long moment to appreciate THE COMPLETE AND TOTAL SASS in that final picture. That's the face of someone about to casually criticize your shoes before suggesting brunch.

Ooohh, I found the full photo, apparently they used to sell posters of this?


CAN'T TOUCH THIS
(whoa oh)

Wait, wait, here comes another gem:

HEY GIRL

Omigosh, the head toss in the breeze, the kicky hands-on-hips...! Tell me he wouldn't fit perfectly in a 1980's K-mart ad for back-to-school jeans.

::side eye::

::debates taking this too far::

::looks at how far I've already taken it::

::shrugs::

Aaaaand, you're welcome:

WITNESS MY NERD JOY

I don't know about you, but I would watch the heck out of that sit-com.

(Omigosh, I only just now read the ad text, and it is ::chef's kiss:: PERFECTION.)


Final Thoughts:


Obviously this was not a comprehensive review - or even a review at all, but I have to pull the rip cord somewhere. I left out all kinds of stuff, like the metric butt-ton of glitter that puts even Labyrinth to shame, the allergen NIGHTMARES blowing through every scene, my favorite adorable duo, Brown Tom & Screwball, the still-traumatizing depictions of Hell, and of course the world's most deliciously dramatic costume quick change. There really is so much more, so I'll leave you with a few links if you want to keep this deep dive going:

- This post on Tor is my favorite of all the reviews I've read so far; it made me laugh and has some great insights.

- Here's a fun "Then vs Now" showing most of the main cast.

- This Legend FAQ page has LOTS more detailed trivia, and even links to a few props/costumes that have sold over the years

I hope this was a nice distraction from any bleggy real world stuff going on for you this week, and maybe gave you a few giggles. I also hope it inspires you to watch an old movie soon - preferably something campy and objectively terrible from your childhood - and then write about it! Because seriously, I've lost nearly two dozen happy hours researching and writing this post, and it's been such a blast. Try it!

And of course, please drop any of your favorite Legend memories or trivia here. I know I left a lot out, so lets continue this nerd-fest in the comments.

To my knowledge this the ONLY Legend cosplay I've ever encountered IRL, but wow did they do it justice. (Those horns!) So now I'mma put this out there: I need to see a pants-less Jack & Lili in her ren gown, y'all. SOMEONE MAKE THIS HAPPEN. If necessary we could start a drive for Coors Light caps, to contribute to the cause.

I love y'all. Go be weird, k?

*****

If you like this sort of eclectic grab bag of nerdery and want to support my
own weirdness, then you can help by sending a one-time tip or monthly donation via Paypal, by sharing my posts on social media, or by leaving an encouraging comment, 'cuz I'm needy that way.

Also our Squeegineer winners for February are Ruth G., Janice O., and Dawn R.. Congrats, you three, and please check your inboxes for a message from John to choose your prizes!

67 comments:

  1. This was a wild ride, I loved every second of it.

    There used to be an incredible music video that paired Legend clips with Hysteria by Muse but sadly it doesn't appear to exist anymore. If I ever find it I will send it to you because it is Legendary (eh?? eh???).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Loved by the Sun, you can still find it on You Tube

      Delete
  2. You just reminded me, I recently rewatched Top Gun and boy, it definitely wasn’t made with our big 4G TVs in mind. I don’t remember ever seeing Tom Cruise’s unibrow before or so much sweat. Like all the sweat! I don’t think there was any air conditioning or fans on that set.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ew, I think I'd prefer the close-up glitter sweat in this one, haha. Also I assumed Tom's unibrow was added in! Never occurred to me he had one naturally and the MUA left it. (So then did they add in Lili's to make a matched set?? These are the questions that will haunt me.)

      Delete
    2. I think I read somewhere that if you watch Tom's mouth in Legend there's very few times it's closed due to his teeth that he didn't get fixed until later...

      Delete
  3. Yes! My husband and I were on an 80s fantasy kick a while ago. We watched Labyrinth, Willow, The Black Cauldron, The Dark Crystal, The Princess Bride and of course Legend! I like to think of it as the "Ridley Scott's GLITTER CANNON movie" and laughed my butt off at Tom Cruise's deplorable lack of pants (despite the full upper body armor.) I agree about Tim Curry, but then again he's the BEST part of EVERY movie he's in. Period. Love Legend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. May I recommend John Boorman's slightly overwrought, all star fantasy film "Excalibur"? 1981.

      Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, Corin Redgrave and it's both terrible and wonderful.

      Delete
    2. Krull! You cant forget Krull, fantasy, sci-fi!?1?

      Delete
    3. Krull was one of the few movies where the video game was definitely better than the movie! Heck, I'm not sure the comic adaptation wasn't better than the movie!

      Delete
  4. I’m sharing this post with all my friends so we can laugh at Tom Cruise in metal shorts!!! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love legend!! So much ❤️ I even have it on VHS and watched it about a month ago. I had no idea there was so much more (more releases, soundtracks, etc). And come on, you have to love the techno wonder of Tangerine Dream's version better. Right? Although, I did liked the addition of lily singing. I did a cosplay of dark lily in high school. Not nearly as cool as the picture you posted though!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Glitter and Tom Cruise were my 13 year old dreams. I Loved this movie but I had no idea what the heck was really going on.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I saw this in a group of friends and we were tearing it apart Mystery Science Theater 3000 style. But no one dared snark on Tim Curry, because he is That Awesome. That voice probably could get nuns pregnant.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this movie! Tim Curry rules! His "Mother Night" speech is my goto when I want to creep my kids out! Lol

    ReplyDelete
  9. A few years ago my husband and I attended a Halloween party at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and the grand prize costume was...a guy dressed as Tim Curry's Darkness! He even had the huge horns, and it. was. AMAZING! I've never seen anything like it before or since!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hands down, best non-review of a movie ever! But Jen! You didn't say whether John liked the movie or not!? We must hear what he thought when faced with this much 80's awesomeness in one pants-less package.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Exactly what I needed today. Thank you for the laughs. I don’t think I can watch this again without ruining my kid memories how did I forget Tom Cruise in metal shorts.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I...uh...definitely don't have the song "Loved by the Sun" on several playlists. Nope.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I absolutely HATED that song when I first heard it as a child and I still hate it to this day. I seriously cannot understand how or why someone decided to add very corny lyrics to the music, which would have been just fine by itself, and Jon Anderson's voice that induces migraines, nausea and embarrassment. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie up until this awful song just ruined everything.

      Delete
  13. I've never seen this movie but this post made me wheeze/laugh (it's nighttime and I'm trying not to wake the whole apartment complex cackling). You got me every time with the pants jokes!
    Thanks for the laughs and I'll have to investigate this doozy of a movie!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am currently trying to write a demon romance, and my head will only provide THIS version of a demon for it... and then you write this; thanks, universe.♥

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have never heard of this, and I'm now off to find a copy! This sounds amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you Jen, that was amazing :) Legend was one of my three favorite movies when I was a kid (the other two being Labyrinth and Last Unicorn, it was all the L movies). I was excited last summer when I found the Jerry Goldsmith score on CD in a used book store. I own that Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray too, but TBH I only watched it once...I should put it on and see if I traumatize my 4yo, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  17. If you thought Legend was bad, you should see Krull. It has Liam Neeson in it. I'm sorry. You're welcome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved Krull! I have to see if I can find it to watch again. Thanks for the reminder!

      Delete
  18. One of the few dvd's I still have(european version)
    If I want a chear-me-up afternoon/evening its legend, krull, princess bride, willow, dark crystal and/or labyrinth.
    Pure nostalgia

    ReplyDelete
  19. I've always adored Legend. I prefer the American release with TD. The Directors Cut rambled too much for me, and the classical soundtrack was just too mundane for such a weird and quirky film. I remember being amused as a kid that the credits listed a Contact Lens Specialist. Guess it was still really uncommon to use specialty lenses then. Now anyone can buy them on Amazon!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love Legend so much. I think we only recently got rid of our VHS copy in a de-cluttering purge, even though we've had nothing to play it on for years. Now I *really* need to figure out where/how I can watch it again.

    The visuals really are truly stunning, though. I do remember watching it (maybe when we first got that VHS copy?) after not having seen it in a while, and I'd forgotten soooooo much of the sheer weirdness, but the visuals have never left me. The unicorns, the scenes in hell, everything about Tim Curry's demon... all of it, just stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  21. My friend and I love watching this movie just to rag on all the absolutely insane decisions that were made. I think you really undersold just how much glitter was in this movie, I would be absolutely surprised if they paid more money to hire Tom Cruise than they did to buy all the glitter. Also the scene where the unicorn is first shown has become something of an inside joke between my friend and I because when we watched the movie, truly the only thing either of us noticed in the shot was a glowing lake. Then a shot later the characters start talking about the unicorn and we had to rewind just to see that there actually was a unicorn in the shot after all. Also the glowing lake was never mentioned, it was just yet another baffling set design choice.

    In a move that came truly out of left field and caught me completely off guard, there was a Match.com commercial last year that had an actor in Tim Curry's Darkness costume dating an incarnation of the year 2020. It makes me laugh every time I see it: https://youtu.be/YPq23RWpgPM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was the funniest, best produced thing I've seen in awhile! I had to watch it three times, and now sending to my daughter.

      THANK YOU for the link!

      Delete
  22. Legend is my all time hands down favorite film and I am so disappointed it has such a low rotten tomatoes score. Don't care. It's amazing, it made me believe in magic. I also will fight anyone who says the Orchestral score is better. Nope, the Tangerine Dream Synth heavy score is much more MAGICAL to me than anything else in the world.

    Glad to see this write up and glad to know others enjoy this treasure of a movie.
    SO. MUCH. GLITTER.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I have not seen this movie, and the only thing I know about it is a review that said (if I've got the right movie) that Mia Sara was... doomed? chosen? something? because she was a virgin, and the reviewer spent the whole movie thinking "why don't they just do something about that?"

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thank you for the recommendation Jen, I am finally going to take the plunge and watch this movie! I didn't grow up with Legend but your review has me cackling and needing to see this terrible movie IRL. Wanna know what -really- convinced me? That genius K-Mart ad! I LOST. MY. MIND. "Hey Girl!"

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love Legend and I'm pretty sure it was my first Tim Curry movie. But I was also the weird kid who liked The Black Cauldron, Labyrinth, and Dark Crystal so of course I like this one too. But I never realized there were so many other versions. Now I'll have to go home and see what I have.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm going to have to confess that I've never seen Legend. But you've convinced me to remedy this mistake! I'll dig it up soon and have a glorious glitter-fest with no-pants Tom Cruise.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I have never seen this, but judging from the stills, the names, and the convoluted/confusing bits it sounds like A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream on serious drugs. Thanks for the laughs!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Best post E.V.E.R!!! I loved that horrible movie when I was young for some reason 🤣

    ReplyDelete
  29. Dark Lili is one of the ways I knew I was queer. She totes did it for me! <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh and THANK YOU for this post, it is amazing and I'm so happy it exists!

      Delete
  30. Did you ever watch the 1987 Sleeping Beauty -film (with Morgan Fairchild).
    We had a recorded from Tv VHS tape of it and I feel so sorry for my mom over how much I re-watched that XD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Cannon Movie Tales were awesome! Cheesy in the best ways :) Some of the songs are great, some are meh. My favorites are Puss in Boots, Red Riding Hood, and The Emperor's New Clothes.

      Delete
  31. I have never heard of this movie before. Now I must watch it. :) I had to explain to my coworker about it as I was laughing with your commentary! Thank you for the pick me up :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. How have I never heard of this??! Love this post and all the trivia.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I just realized that I am *totally* a Legend Nerd because I knew all of this. I love this movie, even if it isn't ... good per se XD

    Also I did the yellow Lilly dress years ago, only 1 person recognized but her reaction was worth it (she fell on her knees screaming and holding herself, it was a bit much but hey!) I should do a photoshoot this spring!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. I saw both Legend and Labyrinth at the theater the same year, when I was already about 25. Somehow in the intervening years I had conflated them into the same movie. Like I didn't remember Tom Cruise, but I could have sworn that David Bowie costarred with Tim Curry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was the same for me! Sometimes I'd rent Labyrinth in later years, thinking it was Legend and be bummed, because I didn't like Labyrinth.

      Delete
    2. Honestly, didn't LOVE love either of them, just liked Bowie and Curry. I was a John Boorman "Excalibur" fan for my 1980's overwrought fantasy!

      Delete
  35. I've never seen this movie, but now I guess I have to!

    And given that I've never seen it, I still have to have the opinion that a Jerry Goldsmith score is better than anything.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Ugh, I got a new tablet and it keeps eating my comments to you. A day later, I'm trying to recreate it on a desktop. However, this post was hysterical. I was really into Tom Cruise in the '90s and I'm sure I watched Legend at some point, but I have zero recollection of it. Thanks for reminding me of what I'd forgotten.

    I had the thought of the costume designer going to his/her friends, so, I have this idea, but I'm gonna need about 1,000 bottle caps...GO!
    Plus I keep wondering, did Beyonce wear it better?

    And that Kmart ad...the only thing missing is jeans with paint splatters.

    --Yet Another Jen

    ReplyDelete
  37. This was truly a thing of beauty. As wonderful as the movie is wonderfully awful. I have never been a Tom Cruise fan, but I watch it frequently just for the magnificence that is Tim Curry. Thanks for all the extras, I learned stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Oh how I LOVE this movie. It is terrible, but jaw-droppingly beautiful.
    I have a set that includes theatrical release and director's cut so you can see it with both soundtracks!

    ReplyDelete
  39. About that K-Mart ad...is that Alyssa Milano next to the Devil?

    ReplyDelete
  40. I have never heard of this movie, but I laughed my way through this post, so thank you for that.

    ReplyDelete
  41. after your article and falling down the rabbit hole of some of the links, rented it. I'm pretty sure I've seen it before, I think in a vague this sort of seems familiar kind of way, but remember absolutely nothing of it. Would say it's unique, but all I can think of are the parallels to Legend of Zelda (apparently there's some sort of rumor there as well? after playing that series for 20 plus years, certainly understand why).

    Not quite sure how I'd describe it, but certainly was a trip (in a interesting way, not a bad way).

    Also the 'shopped Kmart ad is so completely spot on, I'd forgotten about how, um, unique, those used to be in the 80s-90s. Thanks for the trip!

    ReplyDelete
  42. How did I miss Legend? I saw Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, most all the others mentioned above, but how did I miss Legend? Gonna have to try and find this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, somehow I missed this one too, although it came out during my prime movie-going period. Possibly because I was never all that crazy about Tom Cruise. But..Jen has convinced me that I should give it a shot, and my library has it, so I've put in a request. :)

      Jen: you're totally correct about the awkward prom photos and the excellence of Tim Curry.

      Delete
  43. I refuse to support anything involving Tom Cruise.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Loved this post and shared it on my page, even though I haven't watched "Legend". It led to me hunting down both of the soundtracks so that I could listen to each in turn; only listened to a few minutes of each. Tangerine Dream's did sound more coherent, but that might relate to quality of the reproduction - I selected two YouTube recordings, in part because I wasn't able to find the European release on Spotify. It will be interesting to see whether the soundtracks can stand on their own as musical works. Thanks for the fascinating read, with pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Jen,

    Just an FYI, Robert Picardo was in another movie called "Explorers" which came out the same year as "Legend". In that movie he has three roles of which two of them are aliens in incredible prosthetic costumes. I think you've talked about that movie before but if you haven't, you totally must watch it, because it is awesome and has so many well known actors today that no one knew at the time.

    Maureen

    P.S. It was great to see you in Pittsburgh!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sweet Stay Puft, really?! I love Explorers, had no idea he was in it! Now I have to go look up which 3 characters he played, that's so cool.

      Delete
    2. Jen,

      Did you get to watch Explorers yet? If so what did you think of Robert Picardo's roles? I know you aren't doing anything due to Covid, just kidding - in the middle of renovating a rental and all that. Wish you and John could come to PA and help me. I'd pay...

      Maureen

      P.S. It was still great to see you in Pittsburgh!

      Delete
    3. Snerk! :p

      I've seen it several times in the past, but I haven't watched it again recently, no. I did look up Picardo's roles in it, though, and last week I learned Talisan Jaffe from Critical Role played the baby brother in the intro! I need to put Explorers on the list for Movie Night, that'll be a hoot to watch together. :D

      Delete
  46. Ah yes, the origin of my favourite Compliment That Kinda Scares the Recipient; "You're so sweet, I could eat your brains like JAM!"

    Long Live the Three L's of Fantasy-- LEGEND, LABYRINTH, and LADYHAWKE! What a year '86 was!

    Your Pal,

    Storm the Klingon

    ReplyDelete
  47. I saw Legend in the theaters - but I remember the look of it far more than I do the plot. I don't think I've seen it since then, so I'm surprised how much was familiar from your pictures. But I didn't remember that Tom Cruise didn't wear pants!

    ReplyDelete
  48. You're where for it?

    ReplyDelete
  49. This was a delight and if you wanted to expand this into a series gushing over the absurdity of Legend, the best movie ever, I would be overjoyed.

    ReplyDelete
  50. My friends and I are planning a watch party for Legend this weekend. We are here for Tom Cruise's thighs! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

Please be respectful when commenting; dissenting opinions are great, but personal attacks or hateful remarks will be removed. Also, including a link? Then here's your html cheat sheet: <a href="LINK ADDRESS">YOUR TEXT</a>