Over The Edge director Jonathan Kaplan had absolutely no way of really knowing this, since N.W.A. wouldn’t release its debut LP for another nine years (and the highly acclaimed biopic about the SoCal rap group just saw release weeks ago), but his 1979 film is kind of like that generation’s Straight Outta Compton— albeit way more suburban.
Now, there’s no telling whether or not St. Pete’s Muvico Sundial would’ve screened Kaplan’s small-budget coming-of-age flick on its opening weekend, but the cult classic did also suffer (or enjoy) a notoriously limited release way back when. At the time, there was concern that the flick’s message of riot and rebellion would spark misbehavior amongst the nation’s youth, so Over The Edge ended up really only being shown at weird art houses or on cable television.
“We loved the punk ethos of the story, the kids acting out as a direct result of being inadvertently closed in and ignored,” Keith Ulrey told CL in an email. Ulrey’s Tampa-based indie label, New Granada, is named after the film, which he and pals watched over and over at late-night screenings and underground movie fests. The label’s logo is Matt Dillon’s Richie pointing a gun, and Ulrey, 43, has even “sorta” thought about the flick when making important decisions.
“Every release we’re connected with, even to this day, is a very proud DIY moment for us, another milestone,” he said. “So, keeping with the rebellious spirit of the movie, I take some pleasure in that — my current band, Rec Center, is also a nod to the movie, as a central location for the teens hanging out is the local recreation center.”
The Reel Deal film series, which pairs local bands with cred-heavy, culty or just plain favorite flicks at Ybor venue Crowbar, is slated to take on more classics as autumn progresses (Lost Boys and Fright Night on Oct. 22, The Last Waltz on Nov. 19, and Back To The Future on Dec. 17). Previous cinematic/auditory takes on Purple Rain and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou were nothing short of legendary, so don’t expect anything different this time around. The movie will screen at 7:30 p.m. and then Rec Center and the label’s all-star house band will take on songs from the soundtrack, which is way heavy on tunes by The Ramones, Cheap Trick, and The Cars (we don’t think there are going to be any Hendrix covers, though).
Details: Reel Deal Thursdays: Over The Edge Feat. Rec Center & The New Granada All-Stars, Thurs, Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City. $7.