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by celluloid junkie Buenos dias, amigos! Que pasa? So, we've made it through another month and the summer is barreling down upon us like a starving pitbull on a crying baby. I can't wait! Here in Florida we only get a half-day long Spring season to enjoy before the sweating commences. Sucks. I'm just not a summer kind of guy. I'm allergic to the sun, as most redheaded bastards are. When friends come to visit and demand the chance to bake on beachfront sands and brown like Butterball turkeys, I'm relegated to sitting under a blanket like some pre-vert. Okay! No more complaining from me (I did that last month and now I feel like a miserable old man waving his walker at some whipper snappers). If I don't like the weather I can always move, right? I mentioned before that one of the worst things about renting movies is getting a dud. I still do this every so often (especially since I don't have cable anymore), but I like to try to help others to avoid this painful experience. This month's offering is a batch of older movies that come with my special seal of approval, which guarantees your enjoyment for the duration of said film, so you can rent them with confidence (and they probably won't even cost full price since they're older than shite)! Enjoy!! Buffalo '66 The Corndog Man I truly have a special place in my heart for well-made low-budget
cinema, and this film fits perfectly into that niche. About nine years
ago I heard some crank call-tapes that were circulating here in Florida
that featured a victimized a car salesman, and were made by some college
students using "cracker" accents. The calls started out semi-legit,
but degenerated into total harassment, just like the "Red"
or "Tube Bar Bastard" calls (if you're not a highbrow snob
and haven't heard the Tube Bar tapes, go out and buy them immediately
so you can herniate yourself from laughter). The most memorable parts
of the calls were when the victim truly began to lose his composure,
and this is what works best in The Corndog Man. This film is worlds
better than the "Red" movie, because the director, along with
two other writers, actually synthesize a feature-length story (dealing
with racism and betrayal; a little cliche, but good) around the premise,
and create a HILARIOUS movie. Noble Winningham really shines in this
film, and I give it TEN THUMBS UP. You will piss in your pants from
laughing (especially if you've heard those tapes). Watching this film was something of a right of passage for me into the realm of true cinephilism. You see, I've always loved movies, but I didn't always have a taste for quality. Case in point: Revenge of the Ninja. This spoor was cinematic nirvana to me at the age of 13. However, after watching this debut from the Minnesota Wunderkinds one short year later, I had my first taste of film as art, and experienced a major paradigm shift. I think the dark nature and violence in its noir-esque story may have been what grabbed me. The burial scene packs more tension than what's normally held in the neck of a 300-pound truck driver after a meth-enhanced non-stop NY to LA run. I can honestly still say today that it is my all-time favorite movie - PERIOD. The extensive use of storyboards, along with some great acting, really helped bring everything together for a film that should not be missed by any fans of horror, noir, mystery, real crime, or just plain old good American cinema. Hardware I'm casting my vote because this film definitely deserves status as a cult fave for nihilist, futuristic sci-fi fans. The dark look of the film is a great compliment to the setting and script, which offers a perfect story set up for massive carnage and an above average action genre production. It's been a while since I've watched this one, but what I remembered most was that the characters in this story were ultra cool, and their bleak world was quite inviting to a person of my proclivities (in the same way a Gibson cyberpunk novel is). Any music fans should take note of the film as well, due to cameos by Iggy Pop (as a voice-only DJ) and Lemmy Kilmister (as a grizzled water taximan), and the soundtrack, including P.I.L., Ministry and Motorhead. The King of Comedy Everybody knows Martin Scorcese and "Bobby D" (If you don't,
stop reading this column and go back to I Know What You Did Last Summer,
Part 9). After Taxi Driver and Mean Streets, both had secured their
positions in the cinematic Pantheon for good and over the years they've
worked together a few more times, with the last being The King of Comedy.
This movie is probably my favorite effort from the duo because of my
personal affinity for the Rupert Pupkin character and the story. I'm
mentioning this film especially for the younger readers who may be familiar
with the mohawk-sporting, gun-blasting antihero story, but may have
missed this film which is just as PUNK ROCK as the former. After all,
it's a DIY kind of story, isn't it? The acting from all three principle
characters is flawless. Lewis' chilling aloofness seems like it's coming
from a page right out of his own autobiography (have you ever heard
this guy being interviewed?). Sandra Bernhard's Mahsa is a perfect wanna-be
starfucker, and, of course, DeNiro's Rupert Pupkin - what can I say
but this: If you haven't seen this film, you're depriving yourself of
an American classic! |