Punk Rawk Movies: Times Square
When Tim Curry died last month, I immediately began proselytizing for Times Square (1980) because hardly anyone I talked to had seen it. Allan Moyle based it on a diary he found in a used couch he purchased that was written by an emotionally disturbed young woman. Director Moyle, best known for the later music films, Pump Up The Volume (1990) and Empire Records (1995), it tells the story of runaways from different sides of the tracks who meet in a psych ward and start a punk band called the Sleez Sisters. The film purports to be a sort of punk rock Saturday Night Fever (1977) because of the involvement of producer Robert Stigwood. As producer, he wanted less dialogue and additional musical sections, so he fired Moyle. Despite this contentious situation, the film is a true gem that should be discussed in any conversation that includes the other commonly cited punk classics: Rock and Roll High School (1979), Ladies and Gentleman, the Fabulous Stains (1982), ...
