Pick of the Week:
Blacula (1972) Directed by William Crain. Starring William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas.
On April 30th, Black Ass Cinema returns to the Clinton! This Dracula reimagining was ground zero for 70s blaxploitation. Blacula is a fun movie, and not the punchline we all make it to be. It’s campy, it’s funny, it’s got a great soundtrack, and it’s better than most vampire movies. Seeing it with a crowd is always fun.
Also Playing:
Dr. Strangelove (1964). Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden.
Opening at the Academy this week. The faces George C. Scott makes in this thing. Look, this movie is great and the trick is that the threat of nuclear destruction is treated as real and the lunatics are running the asylum.
This Week:
Stargate plays at the Hollywood on April 26th. This is one of those dumb 90s movie I have a real soft spot for. Chances are the theater is going to be full of dudes in their late 30s/early 40s glad to be out of the house for a night. Between James Spader and Kurt Russell maybe this movie was a real sexual awakening for you?
Hellboy plays at the Hollywood on April 28th. This is a fun movie but more importantly it’s a fundraiser for the Northwest Museum of Comic Art so you should go see it or donate money to them so I have someone to talk about Doctor Doom with. You see, Victor Von Doom never actually got his doctorate but because he’s a king he gets all these honorary doctorates from Ivy League universities, and the amount he makes in speaking fees! Not as much as Obama, but pretty good.
Kung Fu Hustle plays at the Hollywood on April 28th. Another fun movie that feels like it was on basic cable all the time and now it’s here!
Day of the Dead plays on May 2nd at the Hollywood. People did not like this one, I’ve never seen it, but one critic who did wrote: “this time the focus is less political than philosophical. Beginning from a position of absolute misanthropy, Romero asks what it means to be human, and the answers are funny, horrifying, and ultimately hopeful.” Romero originally wanted this to be the “Gone with the Wind of zombie films” but the budget got cut. Imagine Gone with the Wind with zombies!
Rebels of the Neon God plays at 5th Avenue Cinema this weekend. This is Tsai Ming-liang’s first feature and I’ve always meant to watch it. I absolutely loved Goodbye, Dragon Inn when I saw it at the Hollywood a couple of years ago. So if it’s anything like his other movies expect wry observations, beautiful shots, and minimal camerawork.
Hollywood 90028 plays at the Tomorrow Theater (the hub for cultural snackers, don’t you know) on April 27th. This is a neat looking lost horror movie from the 70s about a frustrated failed filmmaker who starts strangling women. What fun! Local makeup artist Christina Kortum will be giving a lesson in horror makeup beforehand, so show up in your best Frankenstein and ask her what she thinks.
OMSI’s Sci-fi festival continues. You can see some standards like Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Blade Runner Forever, Galaxy Quest, Mad Max 2, Blade Runner Forevermore, District 9 and uh, more. These are all fine but nothing you haven’t seen a million times! There are neater looking movies later this month like Star Trek Two: The Wrath of Khaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnn, Brazil, Children of Men, and Starman.
Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke plays at Cinemagic on April 30th. There’s a joke to be made about it being so close to playing on April 20th but failing to. This is Cheech and Chong’s first movie and really the only watchable one. Somehow they made 8 (!) movies. Can you imagine!
Drunken Master II plays at Cinemagic on May 2. It’s Jackie Chan doing his thing. Seeing this in a theater is, honestly, pretty magical.
Cinemagic is playing a bunch of movies from 1985 this week and next: Re-Animator, Commando, Desperately Seeking Susan, and The Stuff. These are movies that play fairly often but are all fun.
Alien plays at the Academy this week. Another old favorite. Feels like we’re getting a lot of that this week.
Night Shift plays at the Academy this week. This is an 80s Ron Howard movie about a stock broker (played by Fonzie) who’s job is so stressful that he quits and becomes an overnight morgue worker and then a…pimp…I don’t know man. Maybe Ron Howard lost a bet. I once watched this in a haze.
Diner plays at Cinema 21 on April 27th. All your classic 80s yuppies are in this one.
Fantastic Fungi comes to Cinema 21 on May 2nd. It’s a documentary about fungus that has become an arthouse perennial. It’s pretty fun and has some great visuals.
Church of Film’s next screening is on May 1st—a collection of French surrealism!
Hellzapoppin' (1941). Directed by H. C. Potter. Starring Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson, Martha Raye.
Based on the stage play created by Vaudeville duo Olsen and Johnson, this movie is pure anarchy. There’s not really a plot here, and the first ten minutes are some of the most chaotic scenes you’ll ever see in a mainstream American movie. It’s a live action Looney Tunes and was a big influence on Joe Dante, and all of those terrible (and some not so terrible) spoof movies. It makes the Marx Brothers look conservative. One of the funniest movies ever made.
Thanks to a tangled web of movie rights, the movie is rarely screened, and has never been officially released in America. Movie Madness has a copy (probably the same weird bootleg I have), and you can torrent it easily. It’s also on Youtube.
I could list out my favorite jokes but if anyone is reading this please watch the first ten minutes of this thing.
Other than sheer anarchy, and more jokes per minute than 30 Rock, the movie has a famous dance scene with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. And like 30 Rock there is casual racism, as was the style of the time. But watch that dance clip—it’s like watching people fly.
If you know about it you either read about it on a film blog or maybe you were alive in the 40s, I don’t know.
The tip jar is open if you feel so inclined! I appreciate the support. All money goes directly to getting my dog more expensive treats.
Once again -- spectacular writing in this.
Years ago, I read an oral history of 'Animaniacs' and apparently all of the original writers had a shared obsession with 'Hellzapoppin.' I just watched that DVD-R copy from Movie Madness a few months ago and oh man--it's absolutely bonkers in the best way. Shockingly meta and years, if not decades, ahead of its time in terms of film comedies. I can't believe it ever got made. Thank you for helping spread the good word on Hellzapoppin.