Recent Viewings, Part 2

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Acid King" (2021)
Intriguing but slightly overlong true-crime doc about Ricky Kasso, a Long Island stoner and alleged "devil worshipper" whose brutal murder of a fellow teen in 1984 kicked off a "Satanic Panic" in the New York suburbs. I remember when this case happened, because it was pretty big news at the time, but it was interesting to hear all the gory details all these years later.

"Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue"  (2009)
The history of the American horror film is examined in this thorough documentary loaded with clips from classic scary movies from the silent era to the present day. Commentary is provided by such luminaries as John Carpenter, George Romero, Joe Dante, Roger Corman, and many more. A fun history lesson and a trip down memory lane.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York" (2022)
In 1983, a new top 40 FM radio station in New York City called Z100 goes from dead last in the ratings to number one thanks to a mix of celebrity guests and wacky on-air personalities like "Morning Zoo" host and program director Scott Shannon. I grew up in the NY metro area and though I was not a regular Z100 listener, I still remember their rapid rise (seemingly out of nowhere) and eventual victory in the cut throat New York radio wars. A cool time capsule documentary.

[Rev. Powell]

VIDEODROME (1983): A sleazy TV programmer looking for shocking content discovers a pirate signal that appears to be broadcasting snuff films--but is it real? Or beyond real? The technology has changed, but Brian O'Blivion's prophecies about the effects of media oversaturation are as relevant as ever: "The [television] screen is the retina of the mind's eye." Cronenberg's best film. 5/5.

[M.10rda]

RACING WITH THE MOON (1984):
Here's another seemingly altogether-forgotten film. Indeed, there's little reason to take interest in yet another nostalgic period piece about small-town kids bumming around, falling in love, and eventually heading off to war, particularly when its screenplay is as pedestrian as RACING WITH THE MOON's. Yet my interest perked up at the young cast: Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, Crispin Glover, and Michael Madsen?! Suddenly I could make time for this film!

I remember RWTM director Richard Benjamin as a comedic actor from CATCH-22, SATURDAY THE 14TH, and others; I guess I was also vaguely aware he had a sideline directing these kinds of serious ("uninteresting"?) period pieces... SUMMER OF '42, maybe? Anyway, it turns out he's got a good hand w/ the camera and with assured, contemplative (if not quite propulsive) pacing. But the best thing Benjamin does as director is to let his gifted actors (seemingly) run the show while he trusts them and attends to their performances with patience and affection, instead of just marching them from set-up to set-up. That approach really transforms RACING WITH THE MOON, which on paper could've been a total snooze-fest, into something worth watching.

Glover alas only has a brief role as an irritating rich kid, and into the bargain Dana Carvey (?!) shows up VERY briefly for a single scene and like one line of dialogue. More pleasingly, there's a lengthy appearance by (the always weirdly appealing) Carol Kane, as a hooker with a heart of gold. (Natch, right???) The primary love interest is Elizabeth McGovern, still looking natural and lovely - and giving a persuasive performance, as she usually would - before she eventually succumbed to horrifying 80s perms by the end of the decade/circa A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM. The leads, of course, are Penn (already a star after FAST TIMES..., BAD BOYS, etc) and Cage (fresh off VALLEY GIRL) as Hopper and Nicky, two eighteen year-old goofballs who work overtime at the local bowling alley, screw around with girls, play pranks on the locals, etc etc etc, as they count the days until they're due in Basic Training.

About three-quarters of the way through the movie, Penn and McGovern go volunteer at a local hospital for seriously wounded G.I.s. There's Madsen, who's returned from the war a few pounds lighter than he was when he left home, so to speak. Penn is pretty freaked out by Madsen's condition, but Madsen's had more time to process it and would be pretty content if Penn could just get him a Dashiell Hammet novel. The scene is a little bit over a minute long and a lot of middling directors could've shot it in wide shot, as if Madsen was just another extra in the hospital. (This was only his second or third film, either right before or after his small role in THE NATURAL.) But Benjamin was smart enough to know that if you put a young Madsen in close-up and give him a little time to do his job, the audience would pay attention. It's a minor scene yet it makes a big impression.

I've often had little patience for students and other young folks who seem to celebrate Nicolas Cage ironically, since they know him mainly as the guy in brief social media clips shouting about "bees" and so on. That's not to say that Cage doesn't deserve his laurels, but RACING WITH THE MOON is more strong evidence that the guy did almost all of his best work by the end of 1990. As with Madsen but far more expansively, Benjamin seems to give Cage near carte blanche to sing, dance, hyper-emote, twist his body into all manner of odd shapes, improvise extra-textual grunts and hoots, and even deliver some intermittent quiet, contemplative moments. And granted this extravagant liberty, Cage keeps the viewer's eyes on him for every moment, even amidst a lot of predictable plot mechanics and dull-as-dishwater dialogue. It's a very real triumph of performance ingenuity over material.

Because Penn's Hopper is the "Charlie" to Cage's "Johnny Boy", he's obligated to remain comparatively grounded and thus gives a less wildly entertaining performance. He does get to play a couple of rather overwrought drunk scenes w/ Cage, though, and like his co-star, Penn swings for it with an admirable disregard for looking foolish. Hopper does look foolish, obviously, and it made me recall how long it's been since I've seen an early (80s) Sean Penn performance, and how little I regarded all his work in the 80s (minus AT CLOSE RANGE) because he always seemed to be playing some minor variation on the same irritating punk kid. I don't know if I'm in any mood to revisit COLORS or WE'RE NO ANGELS soon, yet RACING WITH THE MOON made me feel like Penn was just playing the narrow roles we was given, and in this case, he plays that same kid w/ a great deal of commitment. Obviously he'd eventually transform into an Oscar-worthy actor, as well as an infamous sourpuss. I heard him interviewed recently and he seems like he's chilled out, even admitting and making light of his grumpy and anti-social disposition. I don't know if he ever thinks of RACING WITH THE MOON, but if he does, I hope he has fond memories of it. He and Cage look like they're having a great old time.

3.5/5

[M.10rda]

VIDEODROME (1983): A sleazy TV programmer looking for shocking content discovers a pirate signal that appears to be broadcasting snuff films--but is it real? Or beyond real? The technology has changed, but Brian O'Blivion's prophecies about the effects of media oversaturation are as relevant as ever: "The [television] screen is the retina of the mind's eye." Cronenberg's best film. 5/5.

The topic on NPR's "The Daily" last night was how states are trying to legislate and (?) prosecute AI-generated sexual images of real people who have never posed nude or in sexual scenarios. Yeah, Cronenberg and O'Blivion really called it.

[lester1/2jr]

Naked Fear (2007) - Boy, you'd never see this much nudity in a movie now. I guess people would say with so much free porn there's no real point, but in this case it actually does figure in to the plot. Also, the woman doesn't have 4 tons of tanner or body sparkle or whatever they do these days.

A serial killer sends women out naked into the desert and hunts them. Basically, the set up is like a seedy Dateline re enactment and the main part is like I Spit on Your Grave (the pre revenge part). Like I Spit on Your Grave, I couldn't help but relate to the main character a bit. Life chews you up and spits you out. It's brutal and awful and there's really nothing good about it, just sheer torture most of the time.

The opening credits are the cheapest thing I've ever seen and there's some seriously weak acting, but I still loved it.

4.75 /5

[RCMerchant]

^I didn't like I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE at all. Not even a little.

[lester1/2jr]

That's because you work in a cemetery and don't want people spitting on the graves.

[M.10rda]

You da' man, Lester! 

[Jim H]

Oxygen - Pretty good single room thriller, well constructed and acted.  Good ideas too. 

[RCMerchant]

"The Acid King" (2021)
Intriguing but slightly overlong true-crime doc about Ricky Kasso, a Long Island stoner and alleged "devil worshipper" whose brutal murder of a fellow teen in 1984 kicked off a "Satanic Panic" in the New York suburbs. I remember when this case happened, because it was pretty big news at the time, but it was interesting to hear all the gory details all these years later.

I lived right next to that s**t at the time it happened! On Long Island! It was all over the news. LI was f**king weird place in the 80's. Bodies all over the place. Not just Kasso. There was some crazy s**t going on. Lotsa drugs.

[Rev. Powell]

SHE IS CONANN (2023):Waking in the afterlife, Conann the barbarian recalls various stages of her life--at ages 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55, each incarnation played by a different actress--and her relationship with the dog-faced demon who guides her destiny. This surrealist take on the Conan myth is obviously not for everyone, and quickly leaves the sword and sorcery genre behind, but Bertrand Mandico's film looks great (both in black and white and hazy color)---and, if you let yourself go with it, it's quite amusing. 3.5/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Office - OMG this new forum. Anyway, this is a Korean thriller about a corporate guy who kills his whole family, then proceeds to live within the  ceiling and floors of the office that drove him to commit these atrocious acts. A young intern who admired him attempts to keep up with her work load and inter-office drama but appears to be heading in the same direction as her mentor. What a turn of events! It's a cool idea and I liked the intern but it lacked a little razzle dazzle, if you know what I mean.

3.75 /5

[Rev. Powell]

HIT MAN (2024): An undercover cop posing as a hit man falls for a woman who solicits his murder-for-hire services. Sounds like a fine film noir premise--and there is tension in the climax--but it plays out like a black romantic comedy. On Netflix. 4 or 4.5 if you like dark endings with light deliveries.

[Alex]

Abigail.

A bunch of criminals are recruited to kidnap and watch a little girl while a $50,000,000 ransom is being waited on being paid. Something in the house starts thinning their numbers. No major plot surprises in this one, but it did have a genuinely creepy atmosphere. I'd recommend it, although I did feel the ending was a tiny bit of a disappointment.