This Week In Film (6/14/21 - 6/20/21)

June 14, 2021 - June 20, 2021

Hello readers. For the last week we've been entertaining Katie's mom and niece. It was a six year old's first trip to... well anywhere without her mommy. She was a little homesick after the first night, but then she got to see Chicago. I love it when newbies to the city come into town. It gives you a chance to do all those over-priced and over-hyped tourist things you never want to do. We went to Navy Pier and took a boat tour. We rode the centennial wheel, shopped the shops in Water Tower, visited Cloud Gate (The Bean), the American Writers Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, visited Wicker Park, Lincoln Square, ate hot dogs and deep dish pizza, and walked a lot. After all the tourism, it was riding the L through the loop that really captured the city. That moment right after you depart from Merchandise Mart and you're over the river... That's the city. That's Chicago's beauty. Skyscrapers along the river as far as the eye can see. Even as someone who's lived here most of their life, that sight is still everything. We also saw a guy sh*tting in the street, and it was just as memorable. 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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 CRUELLA (2021)

dir: Craig Gillespie

One of my favorite writings about Cruella comes from a mother who has disavowed all of Disney due to this film. The moment Cruella knocks the 'man' from Hellman Hall to name her home HELL HALL, this mother nearly had an embolism. She stated there's a current of Satan worship through the film and that Disney has embraced the dark lord. To be honest, this was the review that tipped the scales for me. How can you not read about Satanism and comparisons to Joker (2019) and not want to hurry out to see the dog killer?

While the Satanism is a stretch even with Cruella's henchmen accidentally giving her the new last name Devil to discover it is actually the car brand De Ville, there are interesting discussions of nature vs. nurture that are weaved into the plot. Was the young Estella born to become the psychotic Cruella, or are we a sum of our choices? The problem moving forward with a Francis Galton model of discussion regarding Cruella sliding into a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, is what is considered the biggest issue with the film, history is rewritten. Given that Cruella finds solace in Dalmatians, it's hard to imagine she would become the puppy killer we know from the cartoon and Glen Close versions. But there will be a Cruella 2. So, for this film, let's view it as a standalone coming-to-power story about a new fashion industry legend.

Is this film any good? It's hard to say. Craig Gillespie has made a career with stories dealing with mental illness starting with Lars and the Real Girl (2007), multiple episodes of United States of Tara, and I, Tonya (2017). There are so many fun sequences and more needle drops than all Edgar Wright films put together that the experience feels like a series of 'edgy' Disney music videos. Emma Stone is fantastic as Estella / Cruella and even the characters of Horace and Jasper deliver more in-depth performances than ever before. Look, me and my six-year-old niece loved it. Isn't that everything?

SEANCE (2021)

dir: Simon Barret

A prank gone awry. A ghost story. A revenge plot. Wait, is this a slasher film? Oh sh*t it is! I almost want to write a review in the voice of Stefon from SNL, because THIS FILM HAS EVERYTHING! The trailer doesn't do the film justice. If you know nothing about it, go in cold. Even stop reading this. Actually, go back and erase the first few short sentences from your memory.

It is crazy to imagine, but this is Simon's first feature length film as director. But, we've known his work forever. The Barret Wingard team is legendary. Together they brought into existence: A Horrible Way To Die (2010), Autoerotic (2011), You're Next (2011), V/H/S (2012), The Guest (2014), and Blair Witch (2016). Right off the bat you know Seance is going to be something special. As you can see from this sampling of his work, none of the films strictly adhere to specific genre rules. That is what works so well with Seance. We move seamlessly from a ghost film to a slasher film, then transform into a revenge film all in an hour and a half complete with grizzly effects.

It feels as though there have been tons of horror films set in all girls schools such as: Little Witches (1996), College Girl Murders (1967), Satan's School for Lust (2002), Rings of Fear (1978). In reality, prior to Seance, there are only two that matter: Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and Suspiria (1977 / 2018). That's how you give praise to a film that takes a lot of chances and ends up winning in every way.

THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960)

dir: Roger Corman

Hey everybody have you heard the news? Joe Bob's Last Drive-In Show S03E10 - the season finale ended with a BANG! We were given a Roger Corman double feature that included interviews with the 95 year old maestro himself. We began the evening with the original Little Shop Of Horrors. Growing up, the Frank Oz remake was always in my rotation as one of my favorite musicals. This list in no particular order also included: Tommy (1975), Grease (1978), Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), and Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982). When I eventually saw Corman's original, I was saddened by the fact that Audrey Jr. wasn't as talkative. But between Jack Nicholson's cameo performance, Dick Miller eating flowers, and the shocking buds at the end, the original film has just as much to offer.

The film was shot in two days to win a bet. It was a crew that had all worked together before, and they were just having fun. This shows. When you consider Ed Wood's filmography or that retched Things (1989), these makers had more money and time to make their mark. It goes to show the talent of a great director. Corman, throughout his life, could always turn a situation into profit. In Little Shop, he saw the opportunity to shoot a film on a set prior to them taking it down. He reused props, ideas, and in some cases footage from film to film. Yes, some films were bad, but he never lost money. This is why non-formal Corman school of filmmaking turned out so many great directors. The first lesson each of them learned is how to make the most of every frame. There are a fleet of filmmakers who we wouldn't have without Corman: Timur Bekmambetov, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Kaplan, Jack Hill, Monte Hellman, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Joe Dante, John Sayles, Curtis Hanson, Jonathan Demme, and James Cameron to name some of the biggest names.

Fun Fact: Dick Miller and Jackie Joseph (Audrey) would team up again in Gremlins (1984) as Murray & Sheila Futterman.

HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (1980)

dir: Barbara Peeters with Jimmy T. Murakami directing the 'extra' scenes.

Hey everybody have you heard the news? Joe Bob's Last Drive-In Show S03E10 - the season finale ended with a BANG! We were given a Roger Corman double feature that included interviews with the 95 year old maestro himself. The second film of the night and the final film of the season was the 1980 creature feature Monster (Humanoids From The Deep).

This creature film holds up mostly due to Rob Bottin's effects. As Corman says, the creature holds up. Maybe there was only one completed suit that had to be re-used over and over again, but it doesn't show. The effects are seamless for such a low budget effort. And the film has a nasty overall feeling to it. Especially when you realize these sea creatures have come from the depths to kill men and impregnate women. Corman says that Barbara Peeters did a hell of a job killing off the men, but didn't exploit the sex between the women and creatures enough. This led to additional filming that ultimately sends the film right to that delicate edge between entertainment and exploitation. We see the creature early on, and it breaks the rule that says they need to be hidden to create suspense. But this rule is overwritten when you get to the chaos of the carnival sequence. There are creatures everywhere, killing everyone in their path, and trying to find any women on the boardwalk. This overwritten creature rule becomes key in the 1980s. If you see the 'beast' early, then you'll be seeing way more later on. A perfect example is Gremlins (1984).

We say goodnight to the drive-in and can't wait for Corman's upcoming projects and any news from Joe Bob and Darcy on which holiday specials we can expect from 2021.

IN THE HEIGHTS (2021)

dir: John Cho

There are controversies surrounding Lin-Manuel Miranda and John M. Chu's In The Heights for not featuring Afro-Latino performers in prominent roles. However, the film itself is said to be a giant step forward for Latinx representation in Hollywood. While watching the film, I was unaware of this lack of representation because I didn't know the area where the film was supposed to take place. A few minutes online and you begin to - if you didn't already - understand where this criticism is coming from. One of the tweets that has gone viral reads: "We are asking why a film about Dominicans in the Heights doesn't look anything like Dominicans or The Heights?" These are fair questions. We do risk falling into another disturbing category of criticism if we unfairly criticize creators who are people of color. Minority filmmakers still face unfair treatment by old Hollywood. Miranda has responded to this criticism by acknowledging they may have fallen short: "In trying to paint a mosaic of this community, we fell short. I'm truly sorry."

So now that we got that out of the way, how does this 'controversial' musical stack up as a film or even as a musical? There is nothing new - plotwise. Anthony Ramos stars as Usnavi, an owner of a bodega located in the heart of New York's Washington Heights. He dreams of leaving his home and starting a new life on an island. Along the way, he realizes a large part of his dreams include the people he loves, and so he decides to make his dreams come true in The Heights. Nothing new except for the culture depicted on screen. We've been watching various George Bailey's save their Building And Loan and realizing their dreams are closer than they ever imagined. This plot has been around since It's A Wonderful Life (1946). Okay, so what about the music? Honestly, there's not one single song I can remember. There were plenty of great moments within the songs, but Lin-Manuel's magic isn't here. The songs are three or four songs mashed into one. And they become forgettable. Anthony Ramos shines. He's a wonderful actor, singer, and dancer. We've been in love with his Eladio in the new season of In Treatment. It's fantastic to see how versatile he is as an actor. But the true acting award would have to go to Jimmy Smits. He feels more genuine in this role than he has in his entire career.

To a certain degree, the controversy is fueling people to see the film. The statement all press is good press applies. We all want a film that expresses diversity to succeed, but when it's an overlong story we've seen again and again for at least 70 years it makes it very difficult to cheer for a victory.

THE DOORS (1991)

dir: Oliver Stone

"Is everybody in, the film is about to begin..."

This film gets worse with each viewing. I still love it. But it has devolved into a guilty pleasure. I grew up with nothing but The Doors playing on the stereo for nearly four years. My mother was obsessive compulsive when she fell for an artist. We owned every CD, and the albums were played on repeat throughout the day. I knew all the fascinating tidbits about Jim Morrison before I turned ten. I could remember the lyrics to any Doors song as if they were Dr. Seuss rhymes. By the time the Oliver Stone film came out, my mother had moved on to Freddie Mercury. But this film played prominently in our home. We had some VHS tapes of The Doors in concert, but my young mind couldn't decipher the difference between Val Kilmer and Jim Morrison. Later, I realized it wasn't because of my young mind but because Kilmer became Morrison. My mom's obsession then became passed down to me. In my teen years, I desperately needed Jim's poetry books. Wilderness and American Night were so tattered, torn, and greasy from pizza smeared pages I had to have multiple copies. Jim became my poetry teacher and abstract thinking guru.

I owe a lot of my adolescence to this film. I thought being a lizard king was everything. I believed in the rock god. But now, when Jim's life is reflected back through this flashy acid washed biopic you see the sadness under the surface. We held him up as an idol who fell too quickly. But he was consciously attempting to attain Freud’s Death Drive. He was intelligent and saw the world through a series of nihilistic riddles. The film shows this as madness and the gibberish of someone who lost their reality. He was a drunk, he fought to stand at the edge of the abyss, he peered into his own darkness, but he was no buffoon. Val Kilmer needed therapy to get out of Jim's mindset. It's sad to see such a waste of a brilliant performance. But it's fun to sing along to and the Paul Williams and Crispin Glover duo will stand the test of any era watching this film.

HIGH: Watching Little Shop of Horrors and Humanoids From The Deep with Joe Bob, Darcy, and Roger Corman on the season finale of The Last Drive-In was absolutely a highlight. Seance was damn good and I'd recommend it to any horror fan. But this week I have to go with that mentally unstable Emma Stone.

BEST VIEWING: CRUELLA

LOW: There's no doubt in my mind, no ties what-so-ever.

WORST VIEWING: IN THE HEIGHTS