Repost: Jodorowsky's Dune (July 13th and 15th at the Cleveland Cinematheque)

[JODOROWSKY'S DUNE screens Thursday July 13th at 6:45 pm and Saturday July 15th at 8:50 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

One of the more famous movies never made was an adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune that was kicking around in the mid seventies. Cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky wrote the screenplay and would have directed, with Michael Seydoux producing. It got pretty far along in pre-production, but ultimately no studio was willing to come up with the necessary budget to make the film and it fizzled out.

And yet the legend of the film persisted among science fiction fans and admirers of Jodorowsky. The idea of the man responsible for visually stunning acid-head epics like EL TOPO and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN tackling one of the avowed classics of science fiction literature is a tantalizing “what if?” that will never really be answered. Thanks to director Frank Pavich's documentary JODOROWSKY'S DUNE, however, we at least get some idea of what such a film might have been like.

The Bad Batch (opens June 23rd at the Cedar Lee Theatre)

[THE BAD BATCH opens in Cleveland on Friday June 23rd exclusively at the Cedar Lee Theatre.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

In a not too distant dystopian future, undesirables are labeled members of the "bad batch" and sentenced to a candy-colored dessert hellscape. This lawless zone is divided into two camps – the  Bridgers are cannibalistic body builders, while the residents live in a world that's flea market by day, rave by night. When they aren't partying, they somehow manage to eke out enough in the way of conventional sustenance from the limited resources around them to survive.

THE BAD BATCH opens with Arlen (Suki Waterhouse) being released into this world, where she is promptly chased down and captured by one of the Bridgers. In short order, her captor chops off an arm and part of a leg, cauterizing the wounds so Arlen won't bleed out. She is then chained up and kept alive to provide additional sustenance at a future date.

Repost: Saturday Night Fever (Special Fathom Events screening May 7th and 10th)

[SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER screens Sunday May 7th and Wednesday May 10th at 2:00pm and 7:00pm in select area theaters.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

*Note* - this review is of the original theatrical cut and its alternative PG version. The version of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER being shown at this special screening is a brand-new director's cut.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER was a runaway hit that became such an icon of its 1970s disco-music milieu that the white costume John Travolta wore in the dance-contest finale is now on permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian Institution (after being famously owned by film critic Gene Siskel). But viewers with childhood memories of the blockbuster might have forgotten (especially with the alternate version; more on that later) that this movie is no fluffy song-and-dance or a plot-lite MTV collection of pop fantasy like FLASHDANCE. Rather, it's a tough and serious-minded drama about restless, sometimes violent young men on the sordid side of New York City. You remove all the dancing  from SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and you'd still be left with a sturdy, well-acted production (but it sure wouldn't be the same).

Repost: Donnie Darko (screens February 8th and 9th at The Nightlight Cinema in Akron)

[DONNIE DARKO: 15th ANNIVERSARY screens February 8th and 9th at The Nightlight Cinema in Akron]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

Like all good cult movies (and DONNIE DARKO is a very, very good cult movie), Richard Kelly's mind-bending feature struck out in its initial theatrical release. I don't believe it even played Cleveland auditoriums at the time except for two days at the Cinematheque in University Circle in 2001. Ouch! But, in a rather remarkable development, a groundswell of support from critics and DONNIE DARKO fans compelled distribs to actually give the property a second chance and re-release DONNIE DARKO later in the decade with a higher-profile ad campaign. I don't think it hit big then either, but the point is...this you've gotta see.

Repost: Showgirls (April 7th and 8th at the Cleveland Cinematheque)

[SHOWGIRLS screens Friday April 7th at 7:00 pm and Saturday April 8th at 9:20 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

PARENTAL ADVISORY: The (topless) following (topless) review (topless) contains (topless) mature themes (topless).

I remember when I first saw SHOWGIRLS, and no, it wasn't at band camp or computer camp or church camp like you rotten children Googling this at home. Back in 1995, when there was a better economy (don't get too nostalgic; it never trickled down that much to Cleveland), I actually possessed some standing in the local entertainment press, and I attended a cloistered, media-only SHOWGIRLS preview in an elite small venue where normally only Cleveland-area exhibitors get exclusive looks. No, not a "private booth," but not much larger than a private booth (assuming I know how large a private booth is, which I only do from dirty-bookstore shootout scenes in cop flicks). I and a handful of other reporters were jammed in there, and when the lights went up you could cut with a knife the pure hatred hanging in the air, directed at - no, not LeBron, too early for him - but at local-journalist-turned-hotshot-scriptwriter Joe Eszterhas.

Repost: Donnie Darko (opens March 31st at the Capitol Theatre for one week only)

[DONNIE DARKO: 15th ANNIVERSARY opens Friday March 31st at the Capitol Theatre for one week. ]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

Like all good cult movies (and DONNIE DARKO is a very, very good cult movie), Richard Kelly's mind-bending feature struck out in its initial theatrical release. I don't believe it even played Cleveland auditoriums at the time except for two days at the Cinematheque in University Circle in 2001. Ouch! But, in a rather remarkable development, a groundswell of support from critics and DONNIE DARKO fans compelled distribs to actually give the property a second chance and re-release DONNIE DARKO later in the decade with a higher-profile ad campaign. I don't think it hit big then either, but the point is...this you've gotta see.

Multiple Maniacs (opens in Akron on September 23rd at The Nightlight Cinema)

[MULTIPLE MANIACS opens in Akron on Friday September 23rd exclusively at The Nightlight Cinema.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

John Waters has always been interested in shocking people with his films. But as he writes in his aptly titled memoir 'Shock Value', there's good bad taste, and bad bad taste. It's not enough just to be offensive. Waters believes, to quote his book, that, "good bad taste can be creatively nauseating but must, at the same time, appeal to the especially twisted sense of humor, which is anything but universal." That pretty well sums up MULTIPLE MANIACS, the black and white feature length atrocity that preceded his infamous, career making breakthrough PINK FLAMINGOS.

In MANIACS, bored suburbanites are lured in to a twisted circus of sorts called "The Cavalcade of Perversion." Mr. David (David Lochary) serves as master of ceremonies, introducing such performers as, "the puke eater. He'll lap it right up for you, he loves it," also promising, "you'll see two actual queers kissing each other on the lips. These are actual queers!" And the price is right: free! What bored bourgeoisie could resist?

Repost: Saturday Night Fever (August 6th at the Connor Palace Theatre)

[SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER screens Saturday August 6th at 7:30 pm at the Connor Palace Theatre on Playhouse Square.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER was a runaway hit that became such an icon of its 1970s disco-music milieu that the white costume John Travolta wore in the dance-contest finale is now on permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian Institution (after being famously owned by film critic Gene Siskel). But viewers with childhood memories of the blockbuster might have forgotten (especially with the alternate version; more on that later) that this movie is no fluffy song-and-dance or a plot-lite MTV collection of pop fantasy like FLASHDANCE. Rather, it's a tough and serious-minded drama about restless, sometimes violent young men on the sordid side of New York City. You remove all the dancing  from SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and you'd still be left with a sturdy, well-acted production (but it sure wouldn't be the same).

Der Bunker (April 5th and 6th at the Cleveland International Film Festival)

[DER BUNKER screens Tuesday April 5th at 9:00 pm and Wednesday April 6th at 11:45 am at the Cleveland International Film Festival.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

At times, DER BUNKER generates the same kind of quiet mystery and unease as Takashi Miike’s AUDITION. We’re not quite sure what’s going on in the titular abode, where an unnamed father (David Scheller) and mother (Oona von Maydell) live with their overgrown man-child Klaus (Daniel Fripan), but something’s definitely not right. Nonetheless, a nameless student (Pit Bukowski) answering the family’s ad for a room to let moves in. He soon finds himself roped into tutoring duty for young Klaus, who is being groomed for great things by his parents despite obvious mental shortcomings. He also begins an affair with the mother, which seems ill advised given her penchant for breast feeding her adult son and the talking scar on her leg which she claims is really an alien intelligence. So yeah, it’s that kind of movie.

Eraserhead (April 2nd and 3rd at the Cleveland Cinematheque)

[ERASERHEAD screens Saturday April 2nd at 8:45 pm and Sunday April 3rd at 8:15 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

There are a handful of “Midnight Movies” that truly define the genre. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, of course. John Waters’ exercise in good bad taste PINK FLAMINGOS, and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s psychedelic western EL TOPO, the Jimmy Cliff starring reggae crime film THE HARDER THEY COME, and even the arguably more mainstream horrors of George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD all captivated stoned teens and twenty-somethings at late-night theatrical viewings in the seventies and beyond. But perhaps no film better sums up the midnight movie’s mix of head trip, horror, and twisted humor than David Lynch’s debut feature ERASERHEAD.

31 Days of Halloween 2015: Der Samurai (now on home video)

[31 Days of Halloween 2015: MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH is now available on DVD, Blu Ray, and On Demand.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

*Note: As with last year’s 31 Days of Halloween marathon of horror movie reviews, we’ll be diving deep into the new release section looking for modern horror fare, hoping for the best, but frankly expecting the worst. And a further note for this review: yes, I'm slacking off and reposting a review from earlier this year. I was on vacation the last couple days and didn't have time to watch and review another new film. Plus this is a good movie that deserves some more attention, in my opinion.*

Review by Bob Ignizio

Although billed as a horror film, that seems too limiting a label to put on DER SAMURAI. In the film, Jakob (Michel Diercks) is a young police officer charged with capturing a wolf that has been terrorizing the locals. But instead of trying to kill the beast for which he has obvious sympathy, he opts to feed it deep in the woods, hoping that will keep it away. Because of his sensitivity and perceived weakness, Jakob is disrespected and tormented by his peers, who all but call him “faggot” as they mock him.

Things get strange when a package addressed to “the lonely wolf” shows up at Jakob's address. He takes it into the woods where he finds, instead of a wolf, a transvestite wearing a dress (Pit Bukowski). The transvestite takes the package, which turns out to contain a samurai sword, and sets off on a spree of mayhem and murder. Jakob realizes he has to stop this madman, but does he have what it takes? Perhaps more importantly, does he see something of himself in this gender bending figure? Both actors turn in first rate performances that really bring out the connections between their characters.

Repost: Barbarella (June 6th at the Cedar Lee Theatre)

[BARBARELLA screens Saturday June 6th at 9:30 pm and midnight at the Cedar Lee Theatre.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

Jane Fonda may have given better performances in better films than BARBARELLA, but none are as iconic as her portrayal of the sexy sci-fi super heroine. And yet upon its initial release, BARBARELLA failed to resonate with audiences and critics alike. Over the years, however, it's become a bonafide cult classic.

The film opens with Barbarella (Jane Fonda) cavorting weightlessly in her spaceship, removing her stylish space suit one piece at a time while the kitschy lounge theme song plays in the background. She's been sent on a mission to find Durand Durand (Claude Dauphin), a rouge scientist who has invented a dangerous weapon in an era when earth has forsaken such things in favor of peace.

Der Samurai (coming to home video and VOD on June 9th)

[DER SAMURAI will be released on DVD, Blu Ray, and VOD on June 9th by Artsploitation Films.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

Although billed as a horror film, that seems too limiting a label to put on DER SAMURAI. In the film, Jakob (Michel Diercks) is a young police officer charged with capturing a wolf that has been terrorizing the locals. But instead of trying to kill the beast for which he has obvious sympathy, he opts to feed it deep in the woods, hoping that will keep it away. Because of his sensitivity and perceived weakness, Jakob is disrespected and tormented by his peers, who all but call him “faggot” as they mock him.

Things get strange when a package addressed to “the lonely wolf” shows up at Jakob's address. He takes it into the woods where he finds, instead of a wolf, a transvestite wearing a dress (Pit Bukowski). The transvestite takes the package, which turns out to contain a samurai sword, and sets off on a spree of mayhem and murder. Jakob realizes he has to stop this madman, but does he have what it takes? Perhaps more importantly, does he see something of himself in this gender bending figure? Both actors turn in first rate performances that really bring out the connections between their characters.

Repost: Alien (April 18th at the Capitol Theatre)

[ALIEN screens Saturday April 18th at midnight at the Capitol Theatre.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

The CWRU Film Society reviving the original ALIEN cues - owww! - flashbacks to my college film society back at Syracuse University. Yes, I went to college out of state; it didn't help in the job market after all, if you were wondering.

Back in my undergrad days seemed like the Syracuse University student film society practically played ALIEN as often as they could. Typically in heavy rotation with whatever else was deemed college-cool in the 1980s, usually stuff scrounged up from the catalog of Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog. The hipster programmers did enjoy the gory and the grotesque.

The Ninth Configuration (March 27th and 28th at the Cleveland Cinematheque)

[THE NINTH CONFIGURATION screens Friday March 27th at 9:25 pm and Saturday March 28th at 7:00 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

For a picture that looms large in cult-filmographies, and has a celluloid DNA link with THE EXORCIST, William Peter Blatty's 1979 darkly comic psychodrama THE NINTH CONFIGURATION is far too rarely seen. Even on VHS it was a rarity; I was floored when I found a copy at a now-defunct Corena's Video in Lakewood in the late 1990s. Quite possibly a highlight of my life, too. It was mostly downhill from there.

Repost: Donnie Darko (March 20th at the Case Western Reserve Film Society Strosacker Auditorium)

[DONNIE DARKO screens Friday March 20th  at 7:00 pm, 9:30 pm, and 12:00 am at the Case Western Reserve Film Society Strosacker Auditorium.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

Like all good cult movies (and DONNIE DARKO is a very, very good cult movie), Richard Kelly's mind-bending feature struck out in its initial theatrical release. I don't believe it even played Cleveland auditoriums at the time except for two days at the Cinematheque in University Circle in 2001. Ouch! But, in a rather remarkable development, a groundswell of support from critics and DONNIE DARKO fans compelled distribs to actually give the property a second chance and re-release DONNIE DARKO later in the decade with a higher-profile ad campaign. I don't think it hit big then either, but the point is...this you've gotta see.

31 Days of Halloween 2014: A Field in England (repost)

*Note: This year for our annual 31 Days of Halloween marathon of horror movie reviews, rather than write about old favorites, we're focusing on modern horror films that haven't had a wide theatrical release. So for the entire month of October, we will be dealing with horror fare that you can find in the “New Release” section of Netflix or (if you still have one) your local video store. So instead of nostalgic appreciations and recommendations, this promises to be more of a “the good, the bad, and the ugly” kind of affair. Hopefully more good than bad and ugly, but that remains to be seen.

Review by Bob Ignizio

Review by Bob Ignizio

A minimalist head trip of a film, director Ben Wheatley's A FIELD IN ENGLAND (from a screenplay by Amy Jump) would probably have found a respectable audience back in the days when EL TOPO and ERASHERHEAD were kings of the midnight movie circuit. Like Wheatley's other films, for lack of a better term it's being referred to as a horror film by many. It certainly has aspects of that genre, but it's also part historical drama, part lowbrow comedy, and part metaphysical puzzle. It's the kind of movie where a plot synopsis can't do much justice to the work, but we'll give it a shot anyway.

Set during the British Civil War of the 17th century, FIELD follows a group of deserters from both sides of the conflict as they make their way through the titular locale. The band consists of Whitehead (Reece Shearsmith), an alchemist's assistant on a mission to retrieve some property stolen from his master, brusque soldier Cutler (Ryan Pope), simpleton Friend (Richard Glover), and the somewhat sketchy Jacob (Peter Ferdinando).

Cult movies return to the People's Temple October 8th

Jodorowsky's Dune (July 17th and 18th at the Cleveland Cinematheque)

[JODOROWSKY'S DUNE screens Thursday July 17th at 6:00 pm and Friday July 18th at 5:15 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

One of the more famous movies never made was an adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune that was kicking around in the mid seventies. Cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky wrote the screenplay and would have directed, with Michael Seydoux producing. It got pretty far along in pre-production, but ultimately no studio was willing to come up with the necessary budget to make the film and it fizzled out.

And yet the legend of the film persisted among science fiction fans and admirers of Jodorowsky. The idea of the man responsible for visually stunning acid-head epics like EL TOPO and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN tackling one of the avowed classics of science fiction literature is a tantalizing “what if?” that will never really be answered. Thanks to director Frank Pavich's documentary JODOROWSKY'S DUNE, however, we at least get some idea of what such a film might have been like.

Repost: A Field in England (May 8th and 9th at the Cleveland Cinematheque)

[A FIELD IN ENGLAND screens Thursday May 8th at 8:55 pm and Friday May 9th at 9:20 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

A minimalist head trip of a film, director Ben Wheatley's A FIELD IN ENGLAND (from a screenplay by Amy Jump) would probably have found a respectable audience back in the days when EL TOPO and ERASHERHEAD were kings of the midnight movie circuit. Like Wheatley's other films, for lack of a better term it's being referred to as a horror film by many. It certainly has aspects of that genre, but it's also part historical drama, part lowbrow comedy, and part metaphysical puzzle. It's the kind of movie where a plot synopsis can't do much justice to the work, but we'll give it a shot anyway.

Set during the British Civil War of the 17th century, FIELD follows a group of deserters from both sides of the conflict as they make their way through the titular locale. The band consists of Whitehead (Reece Shearsmith), an alchemist's assistant on a mission to retrieve some property stolen from his master, brusque soldier Cutler (Ryan Pope), simpleton Friend (Richard Glover), and the somewhat sketchy Jacob (Peter Ferdinando).