Take all the trends from the year 1980, the emergence of punk rock, the non-stop roller skating, the kicky leg warmers, and the popularity of the world’s favourite Australian, and mix it together with a Big Band sound and a dancing actor whose hey day was the 1950s. Then add extras that came in on the cattle call from what must have been most every drag club in L.A., and add a dash of a few Solid Gold dancers. You get Xanadu, and you wonder why this movie was so popular, considering it was so mediocre. Now, it does have a great soundtrack, and it is not usual for an average movie to have the capability to rock. (See Detroit Rock City) It might have been this advantage that gave it a good advertising boost. The fact that the country was still enjoying Olivia Newton-John’s popularity from her performance in “Grease” a couple of years before could have something to do with it. Maybe some the grandparents enjoyed seeing one of their favourite dance stars, Gene Kelly, on the big screen again, amazed that he hadn’t lost any of his moves. Micheal Beck seems more like a prop for Olivia’s character of Kira, who is really an immortal muse in disguise. It could have been many different things, but what I thought looked so cool when I was fifteen looks a bit too bright and flashy at forty-six.  Read more... (1130 words, 75 images, estimated 4:31 mins reading time)