My Favorite Cult Movies

I've always sought out bizarre and unusual films. Sometimes they are wonderful and brilliant and sometimes they are just trashy and weird for the sake of being weird. Some of them are visionary works of indie genius and some of them are... well, not. Whatever the reasons, the movies below have captured my fancy and I love them as much as I love any of the great Hollywood films. A caveat: not all of the clips I've gathered here are for everyone, and some contain a bit of nudity (not much, but a bit - bare breasts, mostly). Still, if you have the time (and can find them - some of them are particulary obscure), I recommend them all. Here then, is the list of my favorite cult movies, in no particular order:

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Liquid Sky (1982)

Russian director Slava Tsukerman and writer/star Anne Carlisle created this 1982 sci-fi musical about aliens who land on a rooftop across the street from a model/singer (Carlisle) who also happens to deal heroin. The aliens live off the endorphins produced by both heroin and orgasms, and soon everyone Carlisle sleeps with ends up dead. Surreal, punk-infused mayhem, Liquid Sky was the first movie I actually drove into Center City Philadelphia to see at an art-house cinema (The Ritz 5). I saw it with my art-major friend, Deb and we both loved it, though I'm not sure how well it holds up today. It's certainly a fascinating look at the times. "Delicious, delicious. Oh, how boring."

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Freaks (1932)

Best known for the 1931 Bela Lugosi version of Dracula, Director Tod Browning's Freaks was banned for decades because it was deemed too disturbing. It tells the story of a beautiful trapeze artist who marries a circus midget. When it is discovered that she only did so because he has money, the midget's friends band together to take revenge on the gold-digger and turn her into one of their own. The film featured actual sideshow performers which include several micro-cephalics and an appearance by the Hilton Sisters, conjoined twins who would eventually become teh subject of the underrated but truly brilliant stage musical "Sideshow."

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Pink Flamingos (1972)

Director John Waters has long since gone mainstream (Hairspray; Serial Mom), though his most outrageous and depraved movie set the benchmark for outsider filmmaking. Featuring Waters' personal muse, Divine as Babs Johnson, Pink Flamingos tells the story of the search for the "Filthiest Person in America." Incest; egg fetishes; a singing asshole and a grown woman in a playpen (the incomparable Edith Massey) are just a few of the many bizarre sights to be seen - not to mention the infamous dog-poop eating at the end. Singer Cyndi Lauper even managed to reference it on her first solo album ("Oh, Eggman, I love you!"). Not for the weak-stomached, I watched this movie on VHS at home, while a college student. My sister (in high school at the time) was making cookies and I begged her to stay in the kitchen several times.

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Re-Animator (1985)

Based on the H.P. Lovecraft short story 'Herbert West: Re-Animator,' this horror film was notoriously released without an MPAA rating. West (Jeffrey Combs of The 4400) plays a medical student who invents a formula that brings the dead back to life, with disasterous results. It features a scene that gives new meaning to the phrase 'giving head' and cemented Combs' career as an indy-Horror icon.

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Plan Nine from Outer Space (1959)

Often considered "The Worst Movie Ever Made" (though Lord knows, I've seen worse), Plan Nine is the Holy Grail of bad movies. Cult hero Ed Wood, Jr. made this movie based on 5 minutes of footage he'd managed to capture before the death of his friend and film hero, Bela Lugosi. It's about aliens using ressurected corpses to take over the world and features TV Horror Hostess Vampira, wrestler Tor Johnson and Wood's usual cadre of talentless bozos. Cardboard sets, wooden acting and hilariously bad dialog are just the beginnning of this awful and hilarious sci-fi flop. "Because all of you of Earth are idiots!"

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Brazil (1985)

Visionary director and former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam (Time Bandits; The Brothers Grimm) has said that Brazil is part of a trilogy which starts with Time Bandits and ends with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, in which he depicts the world as he thinks it should be. Grim, weird and obsessed with ductwork, it features Robert DeNiro as a terrorist plumber with a plan, Katherine Helmond as a plastic-surgery addicted mum and Jonathan Pryce as a beauraucrat caught up in the machinations of a dsytopian government. If you see this film , make you sure see the Director's Cut and not the sanitized studio version. Simply devastating.

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Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)

1985 was a big year for cult movies, and director Tim Burton (Batman; Big Fish; Sweeney Todd) made his feature film debut with this tale about a boy and his bike. Paul Reubens' Pee Wee character went on to his own CBS Saturday morning show (itself a cult phenom, until Reubens was caught - literally - with his pants down in a Florida adult theatre). Wrtten by Reubens and the and the late, great Phil Hartman, Pee Wee's Big Adventure is still one of the funniest and most quotable movies to come out of the 1980's. Watch for appearances from Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, Dee Snyder, James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild. "I know you are, but what am I?"

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Perhaps the best known and most beloved cult movie of all time, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a commercial disaster when it was originally released. Based on the stage musical by Richard O'Brien, Rocky Horror became a phenomenom in the late '70's at midnight shows across the country. I was introduced to it while working my first professional theatre gig as a teenager, and immediately fell in love with it. Tim Curry reprised his stage roll as Frank N. Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from the planet Transylvania, who wants to create a perfect man to be his lover. O'Brien is Riff-Raff; Oscar winner Susan Sarandon is Janet Wiess and Barry Bostwick (an original cast member of Grease) is Brad Majors in this musical send-up of horror and sci-fi movies and so much more. "Don't dream it - be it."

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Forbidden Zone (1980)

Richard Elfman (husband to Jenna and brother to Danny) made this quirky little fantasy film starring Herve Villechaize ('Fantasy Island') and Susan Tyrell (Crybaby). In the basement of the Hercules' family home, lies a door to a giant intestine which leads to the Sixth Dimension. Forbidden Zone tells the tale of the Hercules family's attempt to rescue their daughter from the Sixth Dimension's evil King (Villechaize). Frequent Tim Burton collaborator Danny Elfman (then leader of the band The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo - later just known as Oingo Boingo) wrote the music and appears as Satan in the above clip. Oingo Boingo are probably best known for their theme song to another '80's cult classic, Weird Science. Forbidden Zone gives new meaning to the word "bizarre" and is probably best viewed while under the influence (not that I'm advocating that, but it certainly can't hurt).

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They Live (1988)

Horror icon John Carpenter (Halloween; The Fog) wrote and directed this sci-fi parable about aliens who have sublty and subversively taken control of the planet, using subliminal messages to enslave the human race. Former wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper stars as Nada, a down-on-his-luck jerk who discovers the plot with the help of a pair of filtering sunglasses. Keith David (The Thing; There's Something About Mary; Coraline) is on hand as a doubting Thomas and Meg Foster (she of the exceptionally pale blue eyes) is the reporter who claims not to believe. Funny, oddly sexy and oh-so-weird, They Live isn't exactly a good movie, but I find myself watching it every time it shows up on TV. "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I am all out of bubble gum!"

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Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

The most recent film on this list, John Cameron Mitchell's transsexual fantasy punk-rock Off-Broadway musical translates brilliantly to film. Mitchell plays the titular Hedwig, whose botched sexual reassignment surgery left her with an 'angry inch' and a need to express herself through music. When the rock star Tommy Gnosis (Michael Pitt) steals her songs (they were lovers, once-upon-a-time), Hedwig and her band The Angry Inch start following his tour, playing to fans in a series of seafood restaurant chains called 'Bilgewaters.' Through songs and diatribes, Hedwig relays her story of love, rejection and redemption. The clip above is of my favorite number from the movie, "The Origin of Love," composer Stephen Trask's take on Plato's creation myth.

There are probaly a dozen or more cult movies I love, but these are my favorites. Did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know.

More of this, anon.

Prospero

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quickie tonight. I'd like to wish all of my readers (all three of them, hah!) a very happy, safe and delicious Thanksgiving. I count all of you among the many things for which I am thankful , this year.

More of this, anon.
Prospero

Day Without Gays

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 has been designated as the "Day Without Gays." Members of the LGBT community are encouraged to 'Call In Gay' and stay home from work as part of a protest against recent legislation in CA, FL and AZ which ban same-sex marriage on civil level.

When I was in 7th or 8th grade, we were shown the movie version of Alvin Toffler's "Future Shock." I don't remember much about the movie, except that my classmates and I all laughed nervously at the scene portraying gay marriage. And although I suppose that at even at that age (12 or 13) I knew I was gay, I giggled along at the apparent absurdity of the scene. It's not so funny, now

Personally, I'm sick to death of being told who I can or cannot love and who I can or cannot marry. Especially being told so by the Catholic and Mormon churches. Church rules about marriage and reproduction were put in place for one reason only - to insure an ever-lasting supply of people who were so terrified of "hell," they would continue to make babies who would all grow up and make more babies who would be forever subjugated by (and give money to) the church. This rouse worked for thousands of years, until superstition started to give way to science and people started waking up to lies they'd been fed by the Vatican (and Salt Lake and Mecca and any number of religious headquarters).

But this isn't an anti-religious diatribe. Marriage is a civil rights issue. Don't believe in gay marriage because of your religious affiliation? Fine. But don't tell me that I am less of a person with less rights than you, because I don't believe in your God. Believe I am going to hell because I'm gay? Fine. But don't tell me I am not equally protected under the law because of it. I don't want to get married in your church, anyway. the U.S. Constitution says that all men are created equal. Not some. Not Christians. Not Jews. Not Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses or Wiccans; not Whites, Blacks, Asians, Latinos or any combination thereof. All. Plain and simple. ALL. Why is this so hard to understand?

I urge all of my readers (no matter how many or few of you there are) to take part in the Day Without Gays. Maybe once the rest of country realizes how vital we are to the workforce and the economy in general, they will also realize how wrong they are in denying us basic human rights. So call in 'gay' on December 10th.

Okay - I really promise; no more politics (for a while, at least).

More of this, anon.

Prospero

Posting

I honestly don't know how the "professional' bloggers do it. I barely have time for a single post each day.

I'm tired and plan on taking a few days off for the up-coming holiday. I'll probably pop in once or twice before the week is over.

Thanks for reading and keep commenting. I really do love hearing from you.

More of this, anon.
Prospero

Forgetten Gems: "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T."

It sounds like a horror movie, doesn't it? And to be honest, that's probably what made me watch this 1953 musical fantasy in the first place. Seeing "Seussical" last night brought it all back, and I was embarassed to admit that I'd left it off several previous lists.

The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T is a live-action dream fantasy from non-other than Dr. Seuss, himself. It tells the story of young Bart Collins, forced by his mother to take piano lessons from Dr. Terwilliger, whom Bart is convinced is an evil genius, bent on taking over the world (and stealing his mom). Bart's only hope is the handsome plumber, August Zabladowski, who may or may not be sweet on Bart's mom, Heloise. The action takes place when Bart falls asleep while playing Dr. T's own composition "10 Little Happy Fingers" (part of 'The Terwilliger Method').

Directed by Roy Rowland with production design by Rudolph Sternad and Art Direction by Cary Odell, Dr. T is the epitome of Seussian humor and design, from the curvy wobbly architecture to the zany, colorful costumes and so silly (but perfect) rhyming lyrics. It screams "Seuss," though he reportedly had his name removed from the initial prints (IMDb credits him for both story and screenplay - I'll have to pop in my old VHS copy to see the credits, there).

The title role is played by versatile character actor, Hans Conried, who that same year voiced Captain Hook in Disney's classic Peter Pan. The part is perfect for Conried, who is clearly having a marvelous time, as evidenced by this clip of the number "Do-Mi-Do Duds" (which is also a pretty good example of the lyrics and costumes I was just talking about):

I just love the way Conried's costume is put together like a puzzle. And while the song's lyrics are exceptionally silly, Conried attacks the song with gusto, practically relishing in its ridiculousness.

Top billing went to Mary Healy (who?) as Heloise and the incredibly generic Peter Lind Hayes (who?) as the plumber. Both are fine and have nice voices (and I can imagine SNL's Will Forte as Zabladowski in the unneccesary Tim Burton remake). Tommy Rettig plays Bart, part Dennis Mitchell and part Beaver Cleaver; a typical 1950's kid with a big imagination.

And while I could find no credit for choreography, I can't help but mention the movie's best dance number, 'The Dungeon of Screechy Violins,' in which dozens of half-naked prisoners play outrageous musical instruments in the movie's most homo-erotic scene. The music is practically Gershwinesque (Gershwinian?), but the dancing is so very gay. Watch closely and you may catch a glimpse of young George Chakiris (West Side Story):

Wow! And I'll bet you thought xylophone players were gay before you even saw that!

The movie features a chase by twins (conjoined by the their beards - I kid you not) on roller skates; hypnotism; pickle juice; uniformed thugs; a piano big enough to seat 500 imprisoned boys and a possibly nuclear weapon created with an air-freshener, the contents of Bart's pockets and and a hearing aid.

Delightful family fun, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T is bizarre and hilarious, and deserves to be seen. If you've never seen it, I urge you to seek it out. I promise you'll have fun.

More of this, anon.

prospero

"Seussical the Musical"

As much as I love my many theatre friends, I don't get to see nearly of enough their productions in which I am not already involved. I should see more local theatre, and I try to see the things that interest me. Sadly, much local theatre is not good theatre. Not to say that local theatre isn't good. There are loads of very talented people producing tons of great stuff everywhere. And even bad theatre is better than no theatre at all, I suppose (though I am desperately withholding a Leonard Pinth Garnell joke, for those of you old enough to remember SNL in it's true heydays).

So it is even less often that I see local educational theatre. But, my strong theatrical connection to my Alma Mater (I've probably done more theatre there - both as a student and an alum - than almost anywhere else) and my recent experience directing on the main stage there, made me curious about what other kinds of productions were going on. So tonight, I joined my three best friends (all with similar connections and backgrounds) and saw "Seussical the Musical."

I'm not going to comment on the production itself, other to say it was exceptionally energetic and lovely to look at. There were some fine performances (especially from "Horton," "JoJo" and "Gertrude.") The unit set was functional and appropriate; the costumes brightly colorful and often hilarious. The lighting design was often quite gorgeous and the audience certainly enjoyed themselves.

This rather, is a comment on the show itself. With book, music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (and the apparent involvement of Eric Idle), Seussical is little more than a bastardization of Theodor Geisel's witty and wonderful rhyming children's books. The Cat in the Hat is our guide on a tale that mostly follows the elephant Horton, who both Hears a Who and Hatches an Egg in the show. The songs, while pleasant Broadway pop, are fairly generic. A few, like "Alone in the Universe," "How Lucky You Are," and "Notice Me, Horton," stand out.

My biggest issue with the show, I think, is its very existence. JoJo makes a poor substitute for Cindy Lou Who in convincing the animals of Nool that Who does exist, and beloved characters like Yertle the Turtle and the Lorax are barley mentioned. Shallow, silly and bereft of any of Geisel's wit, I think everyone's time would have been better spent on a stage version of the bizarre, underrated and not-very-well-known Seuss musical from the 50's The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. If you haven't seen this amazing and weird film you should. And how it missed My Favorite Fantasy Films is a complete mystery, because I just love this film. I'll make it up by doing a whole post just about it. In the meantime, enjoy this:

More of this, anon.

Prospero

Asian Influences & Sci-Fi Movies

First, I want to talk about the newest London stage sensation, "Monkey: Journey to the West." The show's creators took an ancient Chinese folk tale, infused it with a bit of Opera, a bit of Circus and a bit of multi-media to create what is undoubtedly a unique performance experience. As you can see from teh video below, the show looks absolutely dazzling. And if you are the kind of Cirque du Soleil fan that I am, you're going nuts watching it:

You can also see a CNN report on the show, here. Boy, I hope it plays in the U.S. I'll be first in line for tickets.

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As child in the late 60's and early 70's, one of my favorite cartoon shows was the Japanese Sci-Fi Anime, "Astro Boy," the story of a flying robot boy who fought danger and saved Tokyo from all sorts of monsters. The show was apparently revived in the '80's, though I never saw that version. Now a CGI movie version is due for next year, featuring Britain's version of Haley Joel Osment, Freddy Highmore, voicing the title role. I can't say I'm exactly excited for this movie, especially after the disastrous Wachowski Brothers version of another iconic childhood Anime show, Speed Racer, though it certainly has the potential to be as much fun as I remember. As long they include Doctor Elephant...

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As a last thought....

"Michael Rennie was ill, the Day the Earth Stood Still..." Or so goes the song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (I have to a cult movie entry, soon). The original 1951 version of the Sci-Fi classic was a cold-war anti-nuclear warning movie about the dangers of the then escalating nuclear weapons race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. It starred the aforementioned Rennie as Klaatu, an alien sent to earth withh is robot Gort, in an attempt to warn against teh evils of war, and Patricia Neil as scientist who got to utter the now classic line "Klaatu, barada nikto." The new version stars (God help us) Keanu Reeves, Kathy Bates, John Cleese and (thank God) Jennifer Connelly in the Neil role. Apparently, this version takes on global warming and the ecology. I'll cheerfully withhold judgment until I see it for myself. meanwhile, here's the latest trailer:

As always, more of this, anon.

Prospero