Monthly Archives: April 2017

Capsules

CAPSULE: SLC PUNK (1998)

3 Comments

DIRECTED BY: James Merendino

FEATURING: , Michael A. Goorjian, Annabeth Gish

PLOT: Young rebels grow up in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA—a location not very conductive to rebellion.

Still from SLC Punk (1998)

WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: One-and-a-half acid trip sequences do not a weird film make, especially when they’re just played for a quick laugh. SLC Punk is in fact a pretty wholesome teenage rumination which happens to be set against the background of the 1980s; in this modern day, it plays like Disney trying to make its own Trainspotting.

COMMENTS: Punk, especially ’80s punk, is a genre defined largely by arguments about its own definition, and SLC Punk spends a lot of time on the debate itself. At the end of the day, we have to give up trying to pin down the genre nobody can agree on and just move on, waving our hands at “that thing over there,” whatever you call it. Punk is Tao; to define it is to grip the air. And we all know the Billie Joe Armstrong quote, thanks.

With that out of the way, you will search far and wide for a comparably mature and realistic snapshot of punk rock culture, the Reaganomics ’80s, or Salt Lake City, for that matter. Stevo (Matthew Lillard) carries us through from start to finish, telling us of his life and coming of age. Along the way, we get some philosophizing about what it means to be a non-conformist, and how to harmonize your nonconformity with the world around you. Stevo’s cast of friends are characters in a punk-culture parable: some come to good ends, some to bad, and some just cruise along.

Not only does Stevo narrate, but he erases the fourth wall and takes us on live guided tours around his life, introducing us to his friends at a party as if we, the audience, were attending. Further segments become mini-documentaries, tackling the rivalry between punk and other cultures, the dichotomy of “posers” within the culture, U.S. vs. U.K. punks, what it’s like to score drugs or even decent alcohol in Utah, and other video-blog topics. We meet Stevo’s chum “Heroin” Bob (Michael A. Goorjian), his dad (Christopher McDonald) who doesn’t quite see eye to eye with his son but manages to have an amicable relationship anyway, his girlfriend Trish (Annabeth Gish), and his drug connection and part-time psycho Mark (Til Schweiger). There’s no real plot to be found here, just a series of interrelated vignettes in the day-to-day lives of these characters.

SLC Punk is a much-cherished cult classic which looks amazing for its six-figure budget. Its soundtrack is one of the greatest punk albums you will ever own; this is the music punks actually listened to in the ‘80s, as opposed to the music we think they listened to. While the movie puts the dyed mohawks and party hi-jinks up front, at its core it’s a thoughtful documentary masquerading as a fictional dramedy, one that wears its heart on its sleeve. It even winds up on a positive note, miraculously pulling through the nihilism to come to some upbeat conclusions, even though not everybody pulls through. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be left with a story that transcends a punk culture exposé and resonates with any youth scene in any state during any decade. All of us, goths, mods, emos, slackers, hippies, yuppies, and hipsters, are all our own brand of punk… and in the end, we are all posers to somebody.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:

“…an absurdist coming-of-age comedy… likable for its outlandishness, less so when it shows a self-important streak. For all of Merendino’s jump-cutting affectations and other flashes of attitude, it’s finally as mainstream as its hero turns out to be.”–Janet Maslin, The New York Times (contemporaneous)

366 Underground

366 UNDERGROUND: ROAD TO THE WELL (2016)

Leave a comment

DIRECTED BY: Jon Cvack

FEATURING: Laurence Fuller, Micah Parker, Marshall R. Teague, Rosalie McIntire

PLOT: To avoid being implicated in a murder, a browbeaten white-collar drone and his drifter friend take a trip to dispose of the body, only to find obstacles and growing suspicions at every turn.

Still from Road to the Well (2016)

WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: Road to the Well is a beautifully shot, deliberately paced neo-noir thriller. It falls firmly in the tradition of wronged men trying to get out from under a dangerous situation, and while a couple scenes are tinged with oddness, in every important respect the film is not at all weird.

COMMENTS: The deck is already stacked for this movie by throwing out the word “noir.” Noir is a handy label for a subset of a subset: the kind of thriller where morals are muddled and the protagonist gets what’s coming to him just as surely as the villain. In its classic form, black-and-white photography is augmented with an ominous soundtrack, hard-bitten dialogue, and high-contrast shadows, all contributing to a sense that our hero is trapped in a universe from which escape seems nigh impossible.

If there’s a more loaded phrase than “noir” in the annals of film criticism, it would probably be “neo-noir.” All genres mature, and the dismissal of the strictures of the Production Code changed the nature of noir. No longer could you be sure that characters would invariably pay for their mistakes. Color allowed filmmakers to add new signifiers of good and evil to their palette. Motivations became more complex, the lines between good and bad muddier, and the very concept of redemption was sometimes rejected outright. Neo-noir acknowledged the themes of its progenitor, but expanded their boundaries, to the point where critic Robert Arnett would lament, “Any film featuring a detective or a crime qualifies.”

Having said all that, writer/director Jon Cvack’s debut film checks all the boxes for neo-noir. When desk jockey Frank (Fuller) finds himself implicated in the brutal murder of a woman he just met, it’s a wrong-man scenario suitable for Hitchcock, and his questionable decision to try and cover up the crime sits comfortably in the pantheon of noir-hero bad ideas. The interesting variant here is the presence of a friend, itinerant goof-off Jack (Parker), who readily agrees to lend a hand by facilitating the disposal of the woman’s body. The result is a road movie in which truth and comeuppance always seem to be just a couple car-lengths behind.

There’s a feel of thrillers of a more recent vintage, such as Blood Simple or A Simple Plan. But Cvack has none of the ‘ absurdist view of life; even the ridiculous sight of Frank and Jack trying to haul the dead girl up the stairs in a suitcase is played completely straight. All the troublesome elements are explored: cleaning up blood, covering up the smell, finding a suitable burial site… they’re all here. Most significantly, of course, are the people you meet along the way, who seem to sense guilt coming from a mile away.

Those interesting people turn out to be part of the problem with the movie. Consider, for example, the film’s most potent scene, a tense encounter with a retired military chaplain whose intimidation has the force of morality, anger, and a secret agenda behind it. He’s in the movie for somewhere around 10 minutes, but his presence and impact dwarf that of the two leads. Compare that with Frank, ostensibly our hero but in actuality a complete cipher. Although he makes choices that lead down the story’s dangerous path, they are invariably so passive that it becomes far too easy to blame others, especially Jack. Frank is utterly lacking in agency, which is apt for his ultimate fate, but problematic when assessing the momentous choice he is called upon to make. Even under these most extreme circumstances, Frank struggles to establish a presence for himself , and ends up being a vacuum in his own story.

It doesn’t help that there’s a lack of suspense about the nature of Frank’s predicament. We are given critical information at the start of the film, and while we do not understand its meaning out of context, it creates an expectation that hangs over the proceedings. When we finally get the piece of information that ties it all together, it qualifies less as a twist than as validation of common sense.

Road to the Well looks spectacular, and the filmmakers know it; cinematographer Tim Davis is the first name credited after Cvack. Also contributing is the evocative, pizzicato-laced score of composer Conor Jones, who adds layers of foreboding and menace to scenes which don’t really go anywhere on their own. The production quality of the movie far exceeds its sub-six-figure budget, and Cvack and his collaborators deserve a look from big-time producers looking for great moviemaking talent. But his calling card is strangely uninvolving, mirroring Frank’s journey: a beautiful, tension-filled trip to another dead-end job.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:

“Cvack’s screenplay and direction is terrific in its ability to create mood, develop a sense of dread, and keep the performances and individual scenes consistently bizarre and uneasy. Even when all sense of logic sometimes abandons the film – certain sections feel disjointed or seem to be missing important pieces of information – the dedication to tone keeps the story from spinning out of control. …It works, and works well, again blending elements of the Coen Brothers with a Lynchian sense of off kilter madness.” — Larry Taylor, Monkeys Fighting Robots

Miscellanea

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE

Leave a comment

UPDATE: We forgot to note a time-sensitive item in Friday’s “Weird Horizon” column. The label Cult Epics, distributors of the Certified Weird films Death Bed: The Bed That Eats, Nuit Noire, and I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse, as well as more “extreme” films (like the oeuvre of Nekromatik provocateur ) is creating a commemorative hardcover book covering 25 years of the label’s acquisitions. While the work is fully funded through an Indiegogo campaign, there are still some rare perks to be had for those who sign up: signed DVDs, and the item that caught our eye, an advance release copy of the long-awaited title Death Laid an Egg, with a limited edition, signed copy of Bruno Maderna’s avant-garde soundtrack included as an Indiegogo exclusive.  Campaign ends April 27. Cult Epics Indiegogo Campaign.

Now, back to regular Pipeline business. Don’t forget to vote on which Summer Blockbusters to send Alfred and Aja Eaker to this year. (We’re supposed to be neutral, but it does warm our hearts to see Baywatch getting a push). You have until Thursday.

As for the rest of the week, Shane Wilson starts us off with a 366 Underground notice for the microbudget noir Road to the Well; Pete Trbovich kicks in a review from the reader-suggested queue with a look at the self-explanatory SLC Punk; and G. Smalley stays with the reader suggestions as he tries to crack the mysteries of The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb. Meanwhile, in preparation for his summer blockbuster adventure, Alfred Eaker checks out some definite non-blockbusters in his survey of exploitation film circa 1976, featuring Switchblade Sisters, Ilsa: She Wolf of the S.S., and Shivers.

It was a strange week in terms of weird Google searches that brought people to the site. At first, there was almost nothing truly demented (but see below), and then over the weekend we caught the oxymoronic search for “bestiality mainstream” and the even weirder (but no less depraved) query “movies full stories god of priest porn.” But we think that there can be no doubt that the winner of our Weirdest Search Term this week is one that is so epic in scope that it gets its own paragraph:

“hey what’s wrong alex ”i just got this from boss” ”what is it about” ”this girl she was murdered last night 1:16 am the window was broken” where is the broken windows located in the house” ”in the basement” ” that’ weird why the basement ” i don’t know but the weird thing about this whole cast is that there were 4 others girls and the girl he or she picked was the farthest room and close the the parents room ” well i don’t find that weird maybe he’s a picky murder ” enough with the jokes we need to focus why her” well let’s go to the cram seen ” that a good idea let go ” are u the parents ” ya ” will ”i’m officer sam” ”and i’m officer alex in very sorry for your lost’

Hmm… we were just getting interested when the searcher cut off his text.

Here’s how our ridiculously-long reader-suggested review queue stands: SLC Punk (next week!); The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (next week!); Grendel Grendel Grendel; Daughter of Horror [AKA Dementia]; Beauty and the Beast [Panna a Netvor] (1978); Aqua Teen Continue reading WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE →

Saturday Short, Shorts

SATURDAY SHORT: THE PASSION OF JUDAS (2014)

Leave a comment

This short is based on a tradition held every Holy Saturday in parts of Latin America. Objectively, burning a giant effigy of Judas isn’t quite as weird as dressing up in a bunny costume, and placing candy-filled eggs throughout your yard. That being said, your neighbors likely aren’t the objective type, and no one is going to stop you from doing both.

Miscellanea

WEIRD HORIZON FOR THE WEEK OF 4/14/2017

Leave a comment

Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs, and on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

My Entire High School Is Sinking Into the Sea (2016): A crudely animated story that literally describes the disaster of its title. We’re a little surprised to see this offbeat, moderate festival hit picked up for distribution, by GKIDS, no less. My Entire High School Is Sinking Into the Sea official site.

NEW ON VIDEO ON DEMAND:

Neil Stryker and the Tyrant of Time (2017): Sci-fi adventure spoof about a super secret agent fighting a time-traveling mad scientist and an army of goblin puppets. This microbudgeted triumph of persistence was ten years in the making (!), and Major Winchester (David Odgen Stiers) and Chekov (Walter Keonig) lent their talents along the way. Check it out exclusively on-demand. Neil Stryker and the Tyrant of Time official site.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

We’re changing the way we’re compiling this section (formerly called just “Screenings”). Simply noting the venues with minimal commentary will allow us to list more screenings across the country (and the world). If you know of an upcoming screening of a Certified Weird film, please drop us a line or mention it in the comments section of this post.

IN DEVELOPMENT (IN PRODUCTION):

Insects (est. 2017) – Legendary animator and Czech Surrealist , now 83 years old, has announced that Insects will be his last movie before a well-deserved retirement. The news here is that this week he released some notes from his production diary. No bombshells here, but fascinating stuff for fans, with plenty of behind-the-scenes stills to whet your appetite. “Jan’s diary from the Insects film” on Facebook.

NEW ON DVD:

“Dead or Alive” Trilogy: ‘s yakuza trilogy starts out extreme with 1999’s Dead or Alive, turns surreal in the 2000 sequel Dead or Alive: Birds, and moves into post-apocalyptic territory for the 2002 installment appropriately titled Dead or Alive: Final. Arrow Video releases the whole deal in a 3 DVD or Blu-ray set, for only a slight premium over what you’d pay for a single film.  Buy “Dead or Alive Trilogy”.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

“Dead or Alive” Trilogy: See description in DVD above. Buy “Dead or Alive Trilogy” [Blu-ray].

“House: Two Stories”: 1985’s original horror cult film House is about a Vietnam vet/writer who inherits a haunted house after his aunt’s suicide; the barely-related 1987 sequel House II: The Second Story  has a new owner moving onto the titular locale, looking for an Aztec skull. The first installment is in our reader-suggested review queue, but not to be confused with the Japanese weird classic House [Hausu]. Buy “House: Two Stories” [Blu-ray].

“The Phantasm Collection”: All five Phantasm movies, from the Certified Weird original to 2016’s surreal finale Phantasm: Ravager, with a bonus disc containing four hours of supplemental material. Maybe this will supply the motivation we need to finally get off our butts (or rather, to stay on our butts, but with a fully-loaded Blu-ray in the player) and review Ravager. Buy “The Phantasm Collection” [Blu-ray].

What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that I have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.