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Title: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Allhallowsday on August 05, 2022, 02:57:21 PM CRUISING (1980) was on a free channel we're getting last night. I had seen it in the '80s on VHS, I watched again.
It's still revolting and perplexing psychobabble. Much implied, nothing explained. :thumbdown: Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Trini on August 06, 2022, 02:14:01 AM I honestly liked the movie despite its flaws and innaccuracies.
Then again, I actually have a weird fascination with 1970's gay male culture, especially the leather subculture and the seedier side of NYC's underground in general. While the film got a lot of flack within the gay community at the time, there were also a lot who liked the movie and a lot of the extras in the movie were real leathermen. Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Trevor on August 06, 2022, 09:48:48 AM Cruising was banned in South Africa in 1980: I remember reading about it in Stephen King's book Danse Macabre where he says this about it:
It fascinated me because I suspect it indicates the wave of the future for the bad film which has a big budget: it has a sparkly look that is still somehow cheesy - it's like a dead rat in a Lucite block. :buggedout: Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Allhallowsday on August 06, 2022, 02:24:21 PM I honestly liked the movie despite its flaws and innaccuracies... I do not see "inaccuracies" in the film, just disturbing and unpleasant messages and images. It's all over the place; the editing is a hack job. Cruising was banned in South Africa in 1980: I remember reading about it in Stephen King's book Danse Macabre where he says this about the film: It fascinated me because I suspect it indicates the wave of the future for the bad film which has a big budget: it has a sparkly look that is still somehow cheesy - it's like a dead rat in a Lucite block... I decided myself that CRUISING is a "bad film". I can understand an interest, even fascination with it. I like "bad movies" but not all of them by far. I do not like CRUISING. Yet, it defines BAD to me at every level, even "bad" for you. Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: lester1/2jr on August 06, 2022, 02:57:05 PM I saw a documentary about gays in movies and one point it made was that visibility might outweigh crass depictions in some ways. There were gay people in old movies and they were always stereotypes but thats how they got them into the movie,as a one dimensional joke. so its a trade off
Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Allhallowsday on August 07, 2022, 12:59:22 PM I saw a documentary about gays in movies and one point it made was that visibility might outweigh crass depictions in some ways. There were gay people in old movies and they were always stereotypes but thats how they got them into the movie,as a one dimensional joke. so its a trade off CRUISING wasn't a "visibility" movie. It's an exploitative "in-your-face" movie. Your remarks are 20th century; visibility is not the issue it was for gays. Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: lester1/2jr on August 07, 2022, 02:18:41 PM Well, I saw the documentary in 1992 and this movie came out in 1980. It was certainly the first mainstream one to showcase these various aspects of gay culture
Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Allhallowsday on August 07, 2022, 07:47:03 PM Well, I saw the documentary in 1992 and this movie came out in 1980. It was certainly the first mainstream one to showcase these various aspects of gay culture So what? Who wants to look at it? Perhaps those in the mood for that, but the movie is still a let-down. It's a particularly stinky fart in the wind. Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Neville on August 20, 2022, 07:25:28 AM CRUISING wasn't a "visibility" movie. It's an exploitative "in-your-face" movie. Your remarks are 20th century; visibility is not the issue it was for gays. I agree with this. William Friedkin's films have always been sensationalist. He is not a storyteller in the traditional sense, he attempts to shock. As for the film, I've tried to like it. It has many things going for it, such as an interesting premise and a comitted performance by Al Pacino. But as it goes on it becomes exploitative, boring and unraveled. Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Jim H on August 26, 2022, 11:47:22 PM One of the craziest bits of trivia is the real story this film is based on, the actual serial killer might (his guilt is not certain) have played an onscreen role in another Friedkin film: The Exorcist.
I haven't seen the movie, it's just such a nutty piece of trivia I wanted to share it. This guy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bateson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bateson) Title: Re: CRUISING (1980) Post by: Allhallowsday on August 27, 2022, 03:34:48 PM One of the craziest bits of trivia is the real story this film is based on, the actual serial killer might (his guilt is not certain) have played an onscreen role in another Friedkin film: The Exorcist. I haven't seen the movie, it's just such a nutty piece of trivia I wanted to share it. This guy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bateson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bateson) Interesting. THE EXORCIST is a masterpiece. CRUISING is a masterpoo ( :lookingup:). |