Tommy (July 18 at midnight at the Capitol Theater)

[TOMMY screens Saturday July 18th at Midnight at the Capitol Theatre.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

Hard to believe, given the hyped Broadway version, not to mention this 1975 movie, but the Who's Tommy first came into being as a 1969 "concept album" LP, on good old fashioned vinyl (I left some great vinyl out this week at the thrift store; some lucky shopper walked away with a shopping cartful of Captain Beefheart. I know it's off topic, but I had to say it (speaking of things I have to say, did anyone really believe that Ben Affleck-Jennifer Garner marriage was going to last? Movie people, generally speaking, are only capable of love with their own egos (I do believe that's why the film folk support same-sex marriage so fervently, so they can get married to themselves (and even then, there will be ruinous divorces - because they'll cheat anyway)))). Did I drift off-topic? Sorry. Let's rewind.

Repo Man (October 1st at the Cedar Lee Theatre)

[REPO MAN screens October 1st at 9:30pm and midnight at the Cedar Lee Theatre.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

When the 2010 futuristic thriller REPO MEN came out, with Jude Law among medical mercenaries who repossess transplanted organs when the new owners fail to pay them off, I liked the premise (bet the Cleveland Clinic will go that route, in the end) but hated the title. It would only eclipse the 1984 cult classic REPO MAN, the debut from emigre British director Alex Cox, beloved of a generation of moviegoers as the ultimate in "punk" cinema, yet with the novelty of not taking place in a rock-club background, like you'd expect. Fortunately, I do believe REPO MEN sank like a stone, while REPO MAN is still there to be appreciated in all its nihilistic glory, quotable dialogue and restless energy. Not so much screwball comedy as screw-it-all comedy.