This Week In Film (3/1/21 - 3/7/21)

 March 1, 2021 - March 7, 2021

Hello and welcome to March in Chicago. So far we've had twenty degree and sixty degree weather and we are in the first week. No one wants small talk about the weather. I learned in a YouTube video [worst beginning of a sentence ever] that people in Sweden abhor small talk and see it as a waste of time. They say people will contrive elaborate schemes to ensure they do not have to talk to others when heading out of the house. The video tried to show how humans need small talk. We have to test the waters before we jump in. I don't agree. If the pandemic has taught us anything, when someone asks how you are, we are allowed to pour all of our garbage out. Instead of the monosyllabic, "Fine," that we've been accustom to, we can go into our bout with seasonal depression. We can open up about how its been a week since we left the house or how we've found peace hidden deep inside the covers on our bed. Seriously, try it out. If some random stranger asks you how your day is, let them really know. Tell them about how your only solace lately comes in the form of a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. The ice cream Core series in particular, because you can spend some serious time tunneling out the actual core of fudge or brownie or Carmel instead of time with your thoughts. But that's not what I came here to tell you about...

This Week In Film, where I create a weekly rundown of the random sh*t I watch. There’s a HIGH / LOW at the end of this entry, so if words aren't really your thing, you can scroll quickly, look at pictures, and skip to my favorite viewings of the week.

Lets begin...

OVERVIEW:

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HOBGOBLINS

dir: Rick Sloan

Recently, the internet floated this question: Who would win in a fight between Gremlins, Critters, Munchies, Ghoulies, or Hobgoblins? I made it my mission to revisit all the tiny chaos bringers. While I keep contemplating which creature would emerge victoriously from the Thunderdome, here are a few thoughts on the horrendous Hobgoblins.

There was a lot of love for the tiny creature killer sub-genre in the 80's. When coming to bed at three in the morning after watching Hobgoblins, I woke my wife and asked her about 1980's tiny creature horror films and she blurted out only one word, Belial, and fell back asleep. I hadn't thought of him. Besides our battling beasts, there's Belial from Basket Case (1982) [thanks sleeping wife], the troll from Cat's Eye (1985) or the troll from Troll (1986) for that matter, the demons from Stephen Dorff's backyard Gate (1987), and the babies from It's Alive 3: Island of the Alive (1987). Out of all these creature features, none is as awful as Hobgoblins. 

The film meanders at every turn. There's a three-round fight with garden rakes, a full song by The Fontanelles is performed at Club Scumb in one static three minute shot, and there's a whole sequence of an Army trainee admiring various armor and weapons that goes on and on. I'm forgetting something pivotal: one must know the Hobgoblin rules. Mr. McCreedy tells our whiny protagonist early on that they are attracted to bright lights and must die before morning. Luckily, this is never touched upon again. They will grant your wildest wish, but you must kill the Hobgoblin to kill the wish. But which wisher wished which wish becomes one of the main questions by the end of this garbage. Hobgoblins shows how complexity can be created solely through ineptitude. There is a full-body burn stunt that is impressive and feels like it should be in another film. That is to say, this film doesn't earn or deserve a moment so cool. 

I can see why most people gravitate towards Gremlins, but as a whole they're just menacing. Munchies want to be good, but they are misunderstood and immortal. When a Gremlin cuts a Munchie or when a Crite bites off a Munchie limb, these severed parts become more Munchies. Even an infestation of Munchies isn't that deadly. Ghoulies are good with tools, pranks, they have sharp teeth, and long claws. But there's only three of them, and again, they fall into a menacing category. I just saw a Hobgoblin get struck with a rake handle and die, so they're out. Yeah, for me the clear winners here are the Crites, they eat everything in their path. While there's a finite amount of Crites in the universe, they can still create an enormous rolling ball of death. Who do you think walks out of the battle victorious?

 

TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974)

dir: Joseph Sargent

When that David Shire theme hits against a black screen and the credits begin to flash, you feel the coolness of this film begin to take hold. And Pelham is cool. The premise is simple. A group of plaid coated, grey mustachioed, glasses and bowler hat wearing villains all with colors for code names decide to hold passengers on a New York subway train hostage for one million dollars. Mr. Green (Martin Balsam or Arbogast from Psycho) has a cold, Mr. Grey (Hector Elizondo) has a racist mean streak, Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman or Mr. Wilson from Home Improvement) has a stutter, and Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw) has a plan. It makes me wonder if any other filmmaker has thought to lift this idea of bad guys with colors for code names. If it were me, I'd even throw the color pink into the mix. Because pink is fabulous. The plot wastes no time. All the disguised kidnappers hop on the train at different stops, remain silent and survey the area. Then Mr. Blue walks up to the conductor, pulls his gun, and says, "I'm taking your train." This is when you scream in an ecstatic frenzy at your viewing device. Hell yeah! Bad*ss Robert Shaw kicks the film into first gear, and we're off! At this point we're not even ten minutes in, and the movie has us fully engaged.

Lt. Zach Garber (Walter Matthau) is sort of our hero. He has to give in to the enemy's demands. And he's intelligent enough to figure out how the bad guys may escape, but he's no action movie hero. As a lieutenant in the transit authority police, he's more of a bureaucratic hero. He follows the paperwork. And while there's no great shootout at the end, the final frame oozes cool. This caper doesn't end with a bang, but with a sneeze. 

The director, Joseph Sargent, who had already completed White Lightning (1973) went on to do the horror anthology Nightmares (1983) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987). Which, I forgot to include last week that Cruel Jaws (1995) is still better than Jaws: The Revenge. Even if we don't have a filmography to go seek out, we still have his ultimate early 70s action opus about trains.

BARB & STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR

dir: Josh Greenbaum

As we learn from the villain version of Wiig, who wants to unleash killer mosquitos on the titular Florida city, the people of Vista Del Mar are totally rude. They once called her names like "pale girl, white devil, and as*hole." The popular girls even forced her to be shot from a cannon and land nude on a Disney cruise ship. With this in mind, the film has to be about the revenge on Vista Del Mar and two women from Nebraska who get in the way of an evil scheme. Of course, it is so much more. Barb and Star is an absurdist comedy based around an accent. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo absolutely rule this film. Their banter is seamless, and the characters are instant icons. While the film is filled with surrealist set pieces and songs that come out of nowhere, the heart of the film is the relationship between Barb and Star. The overall message is one of friendship, but other messages via songs come through loud and clear. Lyrics like: "Seagulls in the sand, can you hear my prayer," and "I'll take a big chest of shirt potatoes cause I love boobs," are equally important messages. Sometimes, not always, this throw everything at the screen and see what sticks approach to a comedy film works. There are too many gleaming gems. Even when the film feels a little long-winded, another treasure is unearthed, and you snort-laugh again.

I want to talk about Trish. Barb and Star create Trish through conversation. They don't just come up with her name and her likes and dislikes, they create Trish's entire life story over the course of their flight to Florida. Trish's skin cancer is terminal, and she decides to take her own life by leaping into the ocean. This is a story they fully give themselves over to. When Trish dies in their story, they are brought to tears. Later, Barb and Star buy trinkets with the name Trish on them. And it comes full circle in a great payoff when Trish- a fun-loving water spirit - saves the day. This buried subplot, that is in no way in the reality of our fictitious characters, comes to life and ends the film. This is genius.

"My favorite facial expression goes like this..."

THE CORPORATION (2003)

dir: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott

If a corporation is legally considered a person, what kind of person are they? If you haven't seen this documentary, it is a whole lot to take in. 2.5 hours of the evils corporations do. The main driving plot is the DSM personality test to determine an individual's level of psychopathy and spoiler alert, we are shown how corporations check every box down the list. From Kathy Lee Griffin's clothing line sewn by children in abhorrent factories to growth hormones injected into cows and ingested by everyone, every level of Dante's Hell is covered. We are privy to undercover product placement which occurs when people are paid to talk about a brand in public settings or to leave product labels in full view. This is merely an offshoot of the imperialist goals of corporate branding. Brand trumps all else. 

Two moments, one fun with diabolical implications and the second just diabolical. In one segment of the film we are shown two students who decide to be corporate sponsored college students. While seemingly fun, this occurred during their formative years. Instead of learning to think on their own, they were indebted to big-business and whatever whim was asked of them. The second moment is the Earth-shattering revelation about Fanta orange soda. During WW2, The Coca-Cola Company stopped shipping/manufacturing Coke in Nazi occupied Germany. When this began to affect overall profits of the company, they decided to invent a new drink to be made in Germany. Thusly, Fanta became an official drink of the Nazis. While this doc drags on, there are segments that are mind-blowing. We get to see Michael Moore being Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky, the father of modern linguistics, even makes an appearance. If you have 2.5 hours to climb into your depression well, I highly recommend.

THE NEW CORPORATION: THE UNFORTUNATELY NECESSARY SEQUEL (2020)

dir: Jennifer Abbott, Joel Bakan

What I don't recommend is watching The New Corporation after watching The Corporation because no one needs 4.25 hours of hopelessness in one evening. The only saving grace is that The New Corporation contains optimism. We are shown how corporations have changed since the recession. And how companies have, on the surface level, taken great strides to improve their reputations. JP Morgan takes a bailout and decides to help Detroit. Pfizer takes shortcuts and accepts deregulation, but don't worry they made one city neighborhood safe with their tax cuts. This sequel covers big business from the recession to the pandemic. It returns to the original thesis: what kind of person would a corporation be? Luckily, the DSM has added a new category to determine psychopathy. The new reputation based corporations fulfill the new requirement, they use charm and guile to get what they want. 

There is optimism, but there is darkness first. The film follows how the 45th president removed regulations and created tax cuts for corporations and helped to create the single worst wealth disparage ever. This coupled with the mishandling of politics - allowing lobbyists to run government - has led to the grassroots campaign of Bernie Sanders. The film follows how Sanders campaign shed light on how the job of big business is to create fear of the government. How the statement of, "Governments can't solve your problems," has led to the unsettling privatized life encroaching our existence. Noam Chomsky explains how it is incorrect to define Sander's campaign as a loss, because look at the the progressives and grass roots activists that have risen and run for office. Even one of the corporate sponsored students from the first film has changed his views, connected with the Sanders campaign, and became a progressive and elected official. The final thoughts ponder how the pandemic has set the corporate world into a tailspin, and it is up to voters to outvote creative capitalism. And vote for a world we can actually live in.

 

I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA

dir: Keenen Ivory Wayans

I thought I had seen this before, but I was wrong. I hate that I made this mistake because this film is a landmark. It isn't very often that my cinematic partner in crime wins a round of: Recommend Something New, but she is a clear winner this week. She came home excited about an I Saw What You Did (Podcast) episode: Brusselsss Sprouts which explored the world of Kennen Ivory Wayans. She immediately put it on our list. And I'm so glad she did.

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka has cinematic landmark status that comes from its satire of the blacksploitation films of the 1970s, and it was also the main spark that exploded into the Wayans empire. Sucka was influenced by the stereotypical black action films of the 1970s but went on to influence the entire sub-genre of parody. Films like Shaft (1971), Superfly (1972), Black Belt Jones (1974), Cleopatra Jones (1973), The Big Boss (1971), and The Mack (1973) along with shows like Soul Train are on full display. Blacksploitation, while showing African American actors in prominent leading roles, did little to advance the equality between black and white actors in Hollywood. This is satirized in Hollywood Shuffle (1987) co-written by Kennen Ivory Wayans. After Kennen hooked up with Eddie Murphy to assist with Eddie Murphy's Raw (1987), Kennen went on to co-write Hollywood Shuffle (1987). In Hollywood Shuffle, Robert Townsend, plays a black actor trying to make it in Hollywood but is constantly being typecast as a stereotypical black character in films. Kennen went on to write, direct, and star in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka where he utilized icons of the blackspoitation era including Jim Brown, Isaac Hayes, Ja'net DuBois, and Antonio Fargas. 

Administration soldier Jack Spade (Kennan) makes it home to Any Ghetto, USA for the funeral of his brother who died from an OG (instead of an OD, its an overdose of gold chains). Jack finds his neighborhood overrun with people addicted to gold chains. He knows it must be Mr. Big behind it all, as Big is the chain lord. Jack asks for help from neighborhood hero John Slade, and together they team up along with other heroes to destroy the Big empire. The plotting is both brilliant and preposterous which creates a foundation to hold some perfect comedy. Some favorite moments include a white stuntman with a mustache doubling for bad*ss Ma Bell (Ja’net DuBois) during a karate fight, the running gag of how it is always asked, “how do they go to the bathroom?” when characters are wearing too many chains. An early Chris Rock scene were he’s trying to order one single BBQ rib for 50 cents, asking the bartender who the singer is and his reply, “She’s the director’s sister,” and asking why Jack Spade could be a hero, and his reply is that he used to be a football player and that being a sufficient answer.

Sucka is a film that uses satire to shine a reflection on the issues of the film industry regarding actors of color while using humor. Wayans would unleash his talented family upon the world between creating Sucka with their help and creating a sketch show that would change the world... In Living Color.

THE FIFTH ELEMENT (1997)

dir: Luc Besson

I was once so high while visiting a forest preserve outside Winnipeg, Canada that I couldn’t remember the name of my ID card so I kept showing a ranger my license and telling them it was my multi pass. I didn’t mean to, but I was copying Leeloo’s accent. I couldn’t stop laughing. They then called the Mounties, and it didn't get better from there. I looked over at my friend, pointed at him, and said, “I protect you.” He did not find it as funny. He was able to calmly resolve the situation, and we weren’t detained... that night at least.

Milla Jovovich absolutely owns this film. Every frame with Leeloo is perfection. I'll admit Ruby Rhod has grown on me. I though Chris Tucker was hilarious when I first saw the film, but due to our self-imposed rule that anytime The Fifth Element is on organically it must be watched. Ruby Red started to get on my nerves. But I'm on team Tucker again, he elevates the already awesome set piece of Fhloston Paradise. In one sequence you have an un-Earthly opera singer, Leeloo battling a dozen ogres, a shoot-out, Bruce Willis finally being Die Hard Bruce Willis, the death of Zorg, and in the middle of it all there's Ruby Rhod narrating the carnage. Ruby's presence and commentary make light of the action. By injecting the humor, one isn't bogged down by a heavy action sequence. It is very smart and I now understand that. My wife loves him screaming every varying annunciation of Korben Dallas throughout the gunfight, and I guess I do too. 

GHOSTBUSTERS 2 (1989)

dir: Ivan Reitman

Ghostbusters 2 proves that you can dislike the main plotline, but still love the film. I hate the painting of Vigo the Carpathian and his attempt to manifest, but all the subplots are fantastic. Ghostbusters New York has a short memory. One second everyone's splashed with marshmallows, and then next no one believes in ghosts. While Vigo (who's voiced by Max von Sydow) plans to be rebirthed through Dana Barrett's baby, the good film happens around this. The psychomagnatheric substance or Mood Ooze under the city begins to bubble forth and cause chaos. The montage of ghosts, all hell breaking loose, the blob covering the museum, a Mink coat coming to life, Cheech Marin saying, "Better late than never," regarding the Titanic arriving at pier 34 - the original pier the Titanic was supposed to pull into, and a walking Statue of Liberty to save the day make the film a treat. Ghostbusters 2 also marks another first as it went from an original concept in Ghostbusters (1984) then to comics and to the cartoon The Real Ghostbusters (1986). The show was immensely popular so Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis decided to tone down all the adult themes that were present in the original. Nowhere in Ghostbusters 2 does a hundred year old ghost go down on Ray. However, we are told that Egon has slept with the pink ooze, and we never know exactly what this means. Either way, Ghostbusters 2, is a good New Years film.

YOUNGBLOOD (1986)

dir: Peter Markle

A film like Youngblood asks more questions than provides answers. Questions like: Why is Dean Youngblood's (Rob Lowe) initiation include Patrick Swayze shaving his balls? Why does Keanu Reeves have less than one line of dialogue? Why does Miss McGill love to have sex with young hockey players? Miss McGill, who runs a boarding house, likes to bring tea and have sex with her boarders. As the saying goes, "The only thing better than a glass of beer, is tea with Miss McGill." The biggest question that has no resolution is: What is this movie trying to prove? It develops as though it is a typical underdog sports movie, then we add in a love story with the coaches daughter and a rivalry with a Goon player, but there never feels as though anything is at stake. 

The love story sub-plot begins with Cynthia Gibb's female gaze as she stares at Rob Lowe's heartthrob butt. This is interesting to point out because the next time we see Jessie, Gibb's character, she's coming out of the theater. She had just seen Slumber Party Massacre (a feminist slasher film). And with that we know Jessie is way cooler than Dean could ever wish to be. The feminism ends there, and we learn nothing about Jessie's hopes, dreams, or thoughts unless they involve Dean. But I guess we're supposed to glean something from their romance. I don't know what? But, sure. Remember it's not about winning, it's about proving yourself. We learn that hockey isn't about making goals or winning championships, it's about kicking *ass - Goon style (made cinematically popular by Slap Shot (1977)). Watch out, this film will broadside you. When you think you're going to get that typical montage scene toward the end of the second act, you actually get a double montage that includes practicing hockey as well as fighting. The montage ends with Dean having to fight his father on the ice as the true lesson. We are lucky that we got to see father and son fighting, because it lays the groundwork for the absurd ending. I hate to spoil everything, but after the team wins, Dean has to get in a fistfight on the ice. Only then, can Dean really win. But at what cost? I'm just kidding, there's no cost, everyone loves this stupid machismo sh*t.

VALENTINE (2001)

dir: Jamie Blanks

Thanks to the Chicago mail system, my wife and I finally watched our Valentine's film. I ordered the Shout! Factory version at least two weeks before February 14, but better late than never. Which is sort of my feelings on Valentine. I remember hating this film, but since we've thrown this into our annual Valentine's Day film rotation - along with our anniversary film My Bloody Valentine (1981) - my attitude has changed. This whole change of tune, isn't a new song, and it reminds me most of my feelings toward April Fool's Day (1986). Another film that I love more today than ever before. The irony is that both Valentine and April Fool's Day killed the Slasher sub-genre. April Fool's Day killed the original cycle of slasher films and Valentine was the death blow to the Slasher resurgence that reemerged with Scream (1996). These new slashers were smart, slick, and meta. This new cycle died quickly with Keenen Ivory Wayans' parody Scary Movie (2000). When you out meta the already too meta, I guess you betta' stop. That was lame, but you get it. Parody deconstructs source material and can destroy the interest in the original. But that's a whole theoretical discussion on the myriad definitions of deconstructualist art that shouldn't appear anywhere near a blurb of the movie Valentine.

Jamie Blanks of Urban Legends (1998) fame directs a holiday slasher about a junior high kid who asks five girls if they would like to dance. He gets rejected, stripped, and beaten up in front of the whole school. 13 years later he exacts his revenge. The first thing you notice is that there is no decent guy in this film. There are typical creeps like scary Gary, the final girl's neighbor who breaks in and tries on her intimate things when she isn't home.

Gary: "You look great, Kate. How about a date, Kate? You could be my mate, Kate."
Kate: "You're scary, Gary."

Kate's boyfriend, the alcoholic Adam (David Boreanaz), Lily's (Jessica Cauffiel) installation artist and threeway wanting boyfriend Max, Dorothy's (Jessica Capshaw) con artist live-in sh*thead Cambell, and Shelley's (Katherine Heigle) terrible 3rd person communicator Jason round out the love interests of our cast. Nary a first pick in the bunch. Paige (Denise Richards) the only truly single one in the group is harassed by most men who come into contact with her. Even the detective who's attempting to solve the murder of Shelley, sexually harasses Paige. 

The director focuses on objectifying men, showing how despicable they are, and in-turn he creates strong female characters. Denise Richards' performance as Paige is solid. Paige, by all accounts, should come across as a mean girl. You would assume she'd be some extension of Becky Ann Leeman from Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), but she's shown as human with desires and at the same time willing to stand up for herself. Paige is the unsung hero of Valentine, even if she is killed in a brilliant set piece. One scene allows us to cheer whole-heartedly for her. Besides thwarting the advances of the detective, we also see her turn down a douche in the best way possible. At first Paige is attracted to Brian, whom she met while speed dating, and she heads off to find a secluded bedroom with him. When Brian offers her a surprise and he takes down his pants, Paige laughs and asks, "You brought me up here to show me your penis?" He tells her it [penis] isn't going to wax itself. Paige blindfolds him, pours wax on his crotch, and leaves him. Bravo Paige. Paige can't be coerced to do anything she doesn't want to do and we love you for it Paige.

My apologies for the long-winded-ness, but I love slasher films. I'll conclude with a favorite line. When Kate and Dorothy are talking about Adam, a line of dialogue pours out and I wonder how anyone kept a straight face: "He's no angel, but he's not a murderer."*

*I don't want to be the person who has to explain a joke at a party, but here we go. Its funny because David Boreanaz played the character Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in the spin-off Angel.

A NEW LEAF (1971)

dir: Elaine May

Henry Graham (Walter Matthau) has spent all his money, capital, and stocks. He is an individual of luxury and expensive tastes. Having only known the rich life, he concocts a scheme to bargain back his wealth. He'll marry into an unwed's fortune. His plan works. He meets and marries Henrietta Lowell (Elaine May). While she's wealthy, she knows nothing of class. His notion to murder her for her money is thwarted by his need to save her. They meet as Henrietta is berated for spilling tea on some elite's carpet. Henry uses this as a moment to meet Henrietta and steps to her aid. He puts on a show to be on her side, he eventually lives to care for her, her household, her money, her appearance, and eventually her safety.

Elaine May is the star and director. A 1971 woman filmmaker who wouldn't let anyone stand in her way during the production of the film. It is a tragedy that her original 3 hour cut was reduced by the studio and has never seen the light of day, but what remains is still a concise vision with characters that continue to resonate.

 

 THE DEVILS (1971)

dir: Ken Russell

In the town of Loudun, France, the governor has died and the interim leader is the young and beloved priest Father Grandier (Oliver Reed). There are some who dislike Grandier such as the pupil he got pregnant, the pupil's father, and Baron De Laubardemont. The Baron was sent to the city to destroy its walls, but Grandier put a stop to him. While this is happening Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave) who leads the covenant of Ursuline nuns grows sexually transfixed over Grandier. When she learns the father has taken a bride, her envy consumes her and she falsely confesses that Grandier has possessed her. The baron, the father of the pupil, and Sister Jeanne come together and condemn Father Grandier. These are the plot's broad strokes. What you see is a fever trip of madness and depravity.

With set designs by Darek Jarman and source material from Aldous Huxley, Ken Russell fashions a surrealist film based on a true occurrence. The Ursuline nuns steal the show. Between the hypnotic lyricism of Grandier's monologues, we are allowed a glimpse into the nun chaos. The nuns are given a choice, either they could be executed or admit that they were possessed by devils and go free. The nuns provide an over-the-top showing of possession to survive. The infamous sequence that originally gave the film an X rating involves the nuns fornicating with a statue of a crucified Christ. They are batsh*t insane and perfect.

 

THE EVIL EYE (1963)

dir: Mario Bava

After Black Sunday (1960), Bava's next horror film became one of the pieces in the origins of the slasher film jigsaw puzzle. The Evil Eye is really a proto-type to Giallo films. The film's other title, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, was an allusion to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). The two films have nothing else in common. Bava merely celebrates Hitchcock’s thrillers by using the title. The film's protagonist, Nora Davis (Leticia Roman), travels to Rome to visit her aunt. On the plane she reads a Giallo book, which is a clever ploy to set up not only Nora’s inquisitive nature but also to acknowledge the type of film we are viewing. Her trip is supposed to be a holiday, but upon arriving at her Aunt’s home she learns that her aunt is very sick. She meets Dr. Marcello Bassi who is played by a young and handsome John Saxon. Later, still her first night in Rome, Nora’s aunt passes away. She goes to inform Dr. Bassi. On her way to the hospital she descends one of Rome’s most famous tourist attractions The Spanish Steps, but along the way she is mugged and knocked unconscious. When she wakes up, she sees a woman stumbling toward her. The unknown woman falls to the ground and we realize she has been stabbed in the back. Nora instinctively moves into the shadows. She sees a bearded man retrieve the blade, and she faints. She wakes up in the hospital and attempts to tell the police what she saw. They don’t believe her: no body, no crime. Nora then takes it upon herself to solve the case. Great black and white cinematography as well as an intriguing mystery.

 

ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL (1974)

dir: Rainer Werner Fassbinder

From the age of 24 until his death at the age of 37, Fassbiner created 41 feature films. This is a prolific feat upon itself. Furthermore, Fassbinder was an out homosexual in post WW2 Germany and figurehead of the New German Cinema movement which included such auteurs as Volker Schlöndorff, Werner Herzog, and Wim Wenders. 

Katie (my wife, if you haven't been following closely) and I decided before the new year began to to create our own unofficial film class. Our winter semester has included classics from the silent era, film noir, screwball comedies, melodramas, Italian Neo-Realism, and Katie's favorite French New Wave. For New German Cinema we went with Fassbinder's first international success Ali: Fear Eats The Soul. While we could have went with Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970) or Fox and his Friends (1975) we chose Ali because of our shared love of Douglas Sirk's All That Heaven Allows (1955).

All That Heaven Allows is a beautifully shot melodrama with Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman about an older woman falling in love with a younger man, and the drama that causes for everyone. The original script by Peggy Thompson went on to inspire Fassbinder for Ali and Todd Haynes for Far From Heaven (2002). In Ali, Fassbinder creates a love story between a young Moroccan man and an older German widow. From 1971 to 1977 Fassbinder's films were created as satires on the Sirk style of 1950's Hollywood melodrama. He used this style to explore systemic disparities of class seperation, fascist politics, racial prejudice, and sexual orientation.

Ali Fear Eats The Soul was shot in 14 days for nearly $98,000 with a final print done within a month. For such a quick turnaround, and made as a stop-gap creation, the film reaches inside you and manipulates every dead nerve until it is quivering with emotion. You feel the anxiety of everyday racism for this couple as they are mistreated by everyone around them. You want their love to succeed in spite of the world telling them it shouldn't.

As an added bonus to Ali being a remake of All That Heaven Allows. Both All That Heaven Allows and Ali: Fear Eats The Soul star young gay men as their leads. Ali played by El Hedi ben Salem was in a relationship with Fassbinder during the filming of Ali and throughout the 1970s.

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Best viewing of the week. This is tough, but I'm going to put my foot down, no ties. I loved seeing Ali: Fear Eats The Soul again and it may have prompted me to dive into the Fassbinder rabbithole again. I loved, loved, loved Ken Russell's The Devils. I've been trying to watch this for years. Thank you to Shudder for featuring it again. But my high this week has to go to the Wayans movie that started it all:

HIGH: I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA

Worst viewing of the week. I would love nothing more than to say Youngblood because it was awful, but the low has to go to the worst tiny creature movie:

LOW: HOBGOBLINS

TV CORNER: