Despite the fact that she's the Green Party chairperson, the Lord Mayor of the capital city of a neutral country with no military culture, Hazel Chu chose 'Top Gun' as her movie of choice on this week's episode of 'The Revisit'.
While that may seem like it's going against everything you might think, the reason for her choice is quite simple. 'Top Gun', when you leave aside all the unintentional homo-eroticism, the Reagan-era militarism, and everything else that's off about it, is a gloriously entertaining romp about camaraderie and friendship.
"I mean, I could have lied and said something artsy or happens to be critically acclaimed, or I can tell you what my favourite movie is." Indeed, Lord Mayor Hazel Chu made no qualms about loving it for what it is and without a hint of irony. "You're in the Mansion House, we'll kick you out if you diss it," she laughs.
Released in the summer of 1986 and with a soundtrack that featured chart-topping artists like Kenny Loggins, Berlin, and Cheap Trick, 'Top Gun' was directed by former advertising wunderkind Tony Scott, who was hired off the back of an advertisement he made for Saab which saw one of their cars racing a fighter jet on a runway.
The story follows two pilots - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw - who have been selected to attend the Fighter Weapons School, known to the pilots of the US Navy as Top Gun. Tom Cruise's rise to superstardom may have begun with raw performances in the likes of 'Taps' and 'Risky Business', but it was in 'Top Gun' that he hit the big time.
For Lord Mayor Hazel Chu, however, the stakes aren't quite so high when it comes to 'Top Gun'. For her, and like so many others, it's just a comfort movie.
Here's this week's episode:
Last week's episode of 'The Revisit' featured comedian and actor Tommy Tiernan. You can listen to that interview and more from 'The Revisit' here.
