PLOT: A deaf runaway goes to Haight-Ashbury in search of her burnout brother, who has sent her a postcard reading “God is alive and well in a sugar cube.”
WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: A few hallucination scenes supply a bit of weirdness, but essentially this is just an earnest pro-hippie exploitation film.
COMMENTS: I like the vintage newspaper ad copy for Psych-Out—“listen to the sound of purple!”, “they’ll ask for a dime with hungry eyes… but they’ll give you love—for NOTHING!”—much better than the actual film. The movie is a 1968 rush job tossed into the market to exploit the audience’s salacious interest in the drugs, sex and rock n’ roll ethos of San Francisco’s flower children. The story of young Jenny’s search for her acid-casualty brother takes a back seat to a tour of Haight-Ashbury locales and culture. You get love beads, pot smoking, freakouts, happenings, chaste orgies, bead-stringing, bogus zen philosophy (“everything is part of everything else”) delivered by a guy in a Navajo headband, concerts at the Filmore East, the Strawberry Alarm Clock providing a fairly groovy soundtrack, and more pink and yellow paisley than you’d see in binge-watching session of “Laugh In.” Strasberg plays the wide-eyed ingenue lost in the den of friendly sin, Nicholson is musician/love interest aptly named “Stoney,” Max Julien (the future pimp of The Mack) is a drummer who hallucinates that he’s a knight, Dean Stockwell is Nicholson’s hippie conscience (he warns Stoney that success is “all just one big plastic hassle”), and Bruce Dern is the mad messiah of Haight Street. There are a few fun psychedelic scenes—one guy sees his friends as zombies and tries to cut off his own hand with a power saw, while Strasberg’s final fiery crash-and-burn STP trip is almost worth the wait—but mostly the film makes unfettered freedom and hedonism look kind of tedious, like a drug trip that starts off fun but just won’t end.
The script details are sloppy. Lots of plot points don’t make sense, like why a gang of straits is so eager to devote their time hunting down “the Seeker” when he’s no more offensive than any other street freak preacher. Strasberg’s Jenny has the most perfect diction you’ve ever heard from a deaf person. Jenny is also underage—otherwise her mother wouldn’t be able to send cops after her as a runaway—a fact whose moral implications the script ignores when throwing her in bed with various unshowered hippies. Overall, Psych-Out fails as standard entertainment, and delivers little in the way of weirdness or overt exploitation (the film has some blurry, blissed-out suggested sex, but is nudity-free). At the time, it was a novel look at a subculture that was weird to outsiders, but today its only value is as a curiosity of hippie kitsch. It will come over either as camp or nostalgia, depending on your age. High on kaleidoscope lenses but low on plotting, this psychedelic capsule has lost most of its potency over the past five decades.
Jack Nicholson’s original script for Psych-Out was deemed too experimental, and Richard Rush had it re-written by a team of screenwriters; Nicholson kept the lead role of Stoney, which he wrote for himself. The great Lazslo Kovacs (who got his start in low-budget exploitation films like this one) oversaw the cinematography. Psych-Out was produced by clean-cut American Bandstand/New Year’s Rockin’ Eve impresario Dick Clark (!) It was re-released on Blu-ray (to better appreciate the pretty colors) in 2015.
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But this survey can also serve as an excellent opportunity to discuss the current state of movie delivery technology. For example, some of us in our 40s will only begrudgingly watch a movie on our computer screens if there is no other possible way to see it, and would never consider watching a film on a cell phone. Younger folk may not see that as a problem. There is also the issue of the morality of torrenting. At 366 we do not condone any form of copyright violation, but we recognize that there are different levels of ethics at play here. Downloading a movie that’s playing in theaters now is much different than downloading a movie that is not available in any form otherwise. We hope that, after you’ve finished the survey, we can discuss these sorts of issues in the comments—politely, of course.
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DIRECTED BY: Tarsem Singh
FEATURING: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D’Onofrio
PLOT: To find the whereabouts of a serial killer’s impending victim, who is still alive in captivity, the FBI enlists the aid of a psychotherapy group that has the developed the technology to enter and explore the minds of others.
WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: The Cell is a visually impressive movie that holds up pretty well after fifteen years. When not inside the mind of the killer, however, the story falls into the formulaic and serendipitous far too often.
COMMENTS: On the face of it, Tarsem Singh’s the Cell would seem an obvious candidate for Certification. The first long-form work of a music video director visually influenced by the likes of H.R. Giger and the Brothers Quay, it features a clip from Fantastic Planet and stars one of the stranger actors of the day (Vincent D’Onofrio). As far as the movie goes with these elements it plows heavily into weird spaces. However, the nightmarish set-pieces are tacked on to a standard serial killer/FBI pursuit procedural. (Or perhaps vice versa—the movie treads a fine line.)
The weird moments are a hoot to watch. Going all-out creepy with the sets and costume, the Cell has wonderful blasts of unsettling vignettes as it explores the mind of Carl Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio), first by social worker-turned-psychotherapist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) and, after she gets sucked into that “reality,” by special agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn, in one of those “straight” roles I really wish he’d return to).The murderer’s mind is dominated by an entity that acts as the all-powerful king of this grim realm, but there is a flicker of humanity personified by a young boy who represents the vestiges of abused goodness inside. Killer Carl— a seriously unhinged man smashed to pieces by guilt over his past acts and his despair at having been so badly mistreated by his father—also appears in his own mind. (Having suffered from a viral schizophrenic disorder brought on by a particularly heartless baptism didn’t help things, either.)
But aside from split-open-but-living equines, macabre doll-people shadow boxes, obvious (but venerable) surrealist art nods, and a chilling performance from D’Onofrio as the mind’s King, you have perhaps the most run-of-the-mill crime thrillers imaginable. Stargher has been murdering for some time, and one suspects he wants to be caught, but the string of coincidences (albino German Shepherd purchased by the owner of just the right truck stands out as one of several examples) become unbelievable, to the point that the phrase “how convenient” can’t help but spring to mind.
That said, the movie is still pretty neat. Jennifer Lopez is somewhere between adequate and good in her role as a social worker. Her attempts to help a young troubled boy, Mister “E” (whose existence acts as the story’s frame around the frame), are touching. Vince Vaughn does the best he can with a one-dimensional character (his FBI agent apparently was originally a prosecutor who saw one-too-many baddies slip the noose because of good lawyering), and reminded me that he does his best work when not pushing for laughs.
Tarsem Singh’s visually striking opus from 2000 proves to be a decent effort as a qualifying time-trial. In 2006 he opted to go all-out, spending many millions of his own cash for the privilege, for his next movie, the Fall. Although the Cell does not quite hit the mark, there are those who feel his follow-up is a Certified contender; stay tuned.
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):
Alleluia (2014): A serial murderer meets a lonely woman through a personal ad, and she immediately falls in love and becomes his devoted accomplice. This is at least the fourth retelling of the story of real-life “Lonely Hearts Killers” Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez, but this one is from New French Extremist Fabrice du Welz and is shot by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani‘s cameraman, so hopefully this will be the weirdest version of all. Alleluia official site.
SCREENINGS – (Cinfeamily, Los Angeles, CA, Jul 17 & 18):
Alleluia (2014): Speaking of Alleluia (see above), director du Welz will be on hand for screenings at Cinefamily’s Silent Movie Theater on Friday night at 10:30 and Saturday at 9:30 PM. After Saturday’s screening stick around for the midnight showing of…
The Reflecting Skin (1990): Read the Certified Weird entry! Exploding frogs, petrified babies, gasoline drinking and could-be vampires highlight Philip Ridley‘s magnificently surreal first feature film. Shown in a crisp 35mm print.
FILM FESTIVALS – Fantasia (Montreal, CAN., July 14 – Aug 4):
As its name implies, Montreal’s Fantasia Festival originally began as a showcase for fantastic films from Asia; it has since morphed into a major event on the genre cinema calendar, a venue so big that geek event movies like Marvel’s Ant-Man hold special pre-release screenings there. Not that they’ve let mainstream success get to their heads; there’s still more rare weirdness to be found at Fantasia than at just about any film festival on the globe. We make watchlists from Fantasia’s programming, and we’re always saddened when less than half of the most daring films find meaningful distribution in the U.S. Because of the large number of entries, we’re highlighting only films here that are debuting or are totally new to us: we’re not writing up older festival circuit features like The Editor, Full Strike, H., or Kahlil Gibran’s the Prophet again.
Anima State – A killer with a bandaged face goes on a spree in a Pakistani city, and no one seems to notice. Screening Aug. 2.
Assassination Classroom – High school students train to kill a smiley-faced octopus alien. July 17 (tonight, and it’s sold out).
Buddha’s Palm (1982) – A crazy mix of kung fu with a huge dose of Star Wars (including light sabers) from late in the Shaw Brothers cycle; the killer harpists would later show up in Kung Fu Hustle. July 28 & 21.
Cosmodrama – French existential farce about seven scientists who wake up on a spaceship out of a 70s TV show bound for who knows where. Aug 3 & 4.
Crumbs – Ethiopian (yes, Ethiopian) post-apocalyptic black comedy about a deformed man who must defeat Santa Claus (yes, Santa Claus) to find a UFO…. Catch it July 31 or Aug 3.
Deadman Inferno – Aging yakuza seek revenge for generational wrongs on an island that is struck by a zombie plague; just everyday Japanese weirdness. July 25.
Director’s Commentary: Terror of Frankenstein – A movie that supplies fake director’s commentary—that hints at a murder—for the forgotten 1977 horror flick Terror of Frankenstein. July 19.
German Angst – A trio of surreal and transgressive stories about death from Jorg Buttgereit, Andreas Marschall, and Michal Kosakowski. Screens July 18 (that’s tomorrow!) only.
Haruko’s Paranormal Laboratory – Haruoku’s TV comes to life—well, a man with a TV for a head, at least—and she, and the rest of Japan, fall in love with him. July 21 and 25.
Love & Peace – Shion Sono‘s latest (OK, one of the prolific auteur’s three latest), about a giant talking turtle, plays July 26 only.
“Manos”: The Hands of Fate (1966) – The debut of the restored version of the bizarre low-budget anti-classic; we suspect that this plays better with a dirty, scratchy print with missing frames, however. You can judge for yourself tomorrow (July 18).
Meathead Goes Hog Wild – A recently sacked butcher steals meat and tries to hand it out to random people in Chicago. July 20.
Nina Forever – The bloody corpse of his deceased girlfriend appears in his bed whenever Rob tries to have sex with his new gal. August 1.
The Nutcracker 3D – The 1979 Japanese version of “the Nutcraker,” animated by Rankin/Bass, is revamped into 3D to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Hello Kitty” (??) August 2.
Observance – Australian horror about a grieving man who goes insane when he is hired to stake out a beautiful blonde’s apartment. Observe the world premiere July 19 or catch the encore July 22.
On the White Planet – A boy born with pigmentation is treated as an outcast on his black-and-white planet in this animation from Korea. July 24.
The Reflecting Skin (1990) – Also playing in Los Angeles (see “screenings” above). July 21 in Montreal.
Remake, Remix, Rip-Off: About Copy Culture & Turkish Pop Cinema – Documentary describing the Turkish film industry’s habit of creating goofy knockoffs of Western hits like Star Wars, “Star Trek,” and even a Captain America-Santo crossover. Screens Aug. 4.
Roar (1981) – A gang of lions, leopards and tigers attack African homesteaders in a nonstop barrage of fangs and claws (the danger is very real; over 70 members of the cast and crew were injured making this insane feature). July 17 (that’s today!)
Tag – An unseen force is killing schoolgirls in another Shion Sono provocation. Aug 3.
Teana: 10000 Years Later – Cultural differences may add to the appeal of this Chinese all-CGI 3D action/fantasy spectacle set more than 10,000 years from now. July 18.
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959): A French woman and a Japanese architect part, sharing what may be unreliable memories in this flashback-riddled nonlinear narrative. Alain Resnais’ debut is considered a monumental classic of world cinema by most, but we consider it a warm-up for Last Year in Marienbad. Buy Hiroshima Mon Amour (Criterion Collection).
“Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: Season 1” (2013): Gary, a low-level devil, tries to corrupt enough human souls to earn a diabolical promotion, while being undermined by his intern Claude. We thought this mini-sitcom (15-minute episodes) from the Cartoon Networ’s “Adult Swim” was worth a mention; comes with 2 hours of “uncensored” extras. Buy “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell: Season 1”.
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Giuseppe Makes a Movie (2014): Documentary about Giuseppe Andrews’ vulgar, boozy, super-low budget movies, cast with trailer-park residents and the homeless.The Blu-ray (there’s no DVD?) contains the complete Andrews feature film Garbanzo Gas on the second disc. Buy Giuseppe Makes A Movie [Blu-ray].
Some Call It Loving [AKA Sleeping Beauty] (1973): A jazz musician/prince purchases a sleeping beauty from a carnival sideshow. This is the first release from the new Etiquette label, which promises to unearth forgotten gems of the underground. Buy Some Call It Loving [Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack].
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.
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
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