Jason goes to the Niles Film Museum for a Creature Features show

This is one of only four complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features shows that has survived. As explained by local historical documentarian Tom Wyrsch, Bob Wilkins would go in Thursday night and tape his segments. Then when they played Saturday night, they would switch from tape for his segments to 16 mm film for the movie. Then during the next week the tapes were always recorded over. Bob Wilkins saved four of the tapes, and gave them to Wyrsch. This is the second one he has put back together with the movie (the first one, THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US) played at Niles a couple of years ago. And he's got two more to go.

But first, we got to see Ernie Fosselius' PLAN 9.1 FROM OUTER SPACE. A short PLAN 9 remake/spoof (although how do you spoof something that is practically a mockery of itself?) with puppets. Excellent. And if you want the movie (with the bonus feature of Ed Wood's original PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE) it's available on his website (where you can also get his HARDWARE WARS, PORKLIPS NOW, and Disasterous Shorts DVD's.)

And finally, the feature, TARGET EARTH. Oooh, this was pretty bad. A woman wakes up after trying to overdose on sleeping pills. She finds she's the only person left in (the unnamed) town. Or almost. She meets a few others, and they whole up in an apartment trying to figure out what happened. Meanwhile, the Army is trying to figure out the same thing. Turns out what happened was an invasion...of robots...from Venus! (probably?) Or, to be more precise, an invasion of the crappiest looking robot in the history of cinema. I mean, it was really, really bad.

But that's not the point. The point is to enjoy the vintage commercials and Bob Wilkins' dry humor (my favorite bit, after the first commercial break when all that has happened is the woman walked around the empty town, Bob promises the film is about to pick up "just a little bit.") And then there's the interviews. He interviewed a guy who built an actual robot (of course, this was the 70's so not particularly sophisticated, but much better than the robots in the movie.) And later he interviewed Bruce Hyde. Who's Bruce Hyde? Well, obviously he's the guy who played Kevin Riley on two episodes of the first season of Star Trek. He actually talks rather candidly about leaving show business (or at least L.A.) because he didn't like what it was doing to him.

Oh, and one final note, John Stanley (who took over Creature Features after Bob left) was supposed to be there for the show, but he was recovering from a mild heart attack. The word is that he's okay, but all of us at Niles and all your fans around the Bay Area wish you a speedy recovery, John.

Total Running Time (estimated): 120 minutes
My Total Minutes: 301,708

Jason goes to the Roxie for Not Necessarily Noir III--SOMETHING WILD and KISS KISS BANG BANG

I haven't made it to as much of Not Necessarily Noir III as I intended, but I did make it to this double feature on Saturday. And, of course, it was great.

SOMETHING WILD I had seen before, but not in about 10 years. A funny, sexy, and ultimately pretty violent romp. "Closet rebel" Jeff Daniels is seduced by Melanie Griffith and taken on a road trip that turns from crazy to strangely quaintly romantic. And it was already a pretty wild ride when Ray Liotta shows up at his crazy psychotic best (with those psychotic eyes!) And, despite some snide comments when the film broke for just a minute, I think the drawn out ending is perfect.

But what interested me the most was Melanie Griffith's character. Before I had seen it and sympathized with Jeff Daniels--how would I react if I was drawn into this crazy world by some hot seductress. But this time I noticed her character arc more. When we first see her, she's reading a biography of Frida Kahlo. She's also dressed in a Louise Brooks wig and calls herself Lulu. Later she's reading book on Winnie Mandela. I'm sure there are other references I missed, but she's absolutely obsessed with strong women. She desperately wants to be one, and despite some mistakes in her past she effectively is one (or pretends to be one. The facade falls at times.) That's why [SPOILER ALERT] when Jeff Daniels rescues her from Ray Liotta she's so angry. She tries to make it about how he lied to her about being married (not that way--she thought he was married but his wife had recently left him.) But really she's upset because being rescued by a man violates he 'I'm a strong, independent woman' fantasy. [END SPOILER.]


Then the second movie was KISS KISS BANG BANG, which I had never seen. It's sort of the perfect pairing with SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS out now. They're both highly meta Hollywood satires in the guise of an action flick. Robert Downey Jr. plays a New York thief Harry Lockhart, who accidentally runs into an audition and nails it. So he's brought out to Hollywood where he's told to take lessons in playing a private eye from "Gay" Perry (Val Kilmer.) But their mundane stakeout turns into something big, Harry runs into his old childhood crush Harmony and tells her he's a private eye. Two cases turn out connected, wacky violence occurs, Harry loses a finger, etc. It's actually pretty funny, if you're a fan of meta-humor. I know a lot of people tire easily of that stuff, and I can  understand that. But I still like it.

Total Running Time: 216 minutes
My Total Minutes: 301,588

Jason goes to the Hypnodrome to see Shocktoberfest 13: The Bride of Death

The Thrillpeddlers never fail to deliver, and their annual Shocktoberfest show is what started it all. I've proudly been a fan since they were doing their show in the old Odeon bar, and have been delighted to see how they've grown since getting their own space--the fabulous Hypnodrome.

Their Shocktoberfest show is their homage to/recreation of Grand Guignol theater (for more information, check out grandguignol.com, which is also maintained by the Thrillpeddlers.) In recent years they've also delved into the Theater of the Absurd and musicals, recreating some of the old Cockettes musicals. Music found its way into Shocktoberfest last year with their Fear Over Frisco show (in collaboration with Czar of Noir Eddie Muller.) And there are some very clever musical interludes this year, too. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

First up, Coals of Fire, which is the simplest and most serious of the plays in the show. An old, blind wife spends an evening talking to her young female companion. Secrets are revealed, and of course there's a violent end. But it's really all built on just the two women talking, if that didn't work I'd have been bored way before the big payoff.

Next up, the first musical piece, I'm a Mummy. A comical duet of Mr. and Mrs. Mummy singing about...well, being a mummy, and all that goes with it.

And then, The Bride of Death. A newspaperman and his photographer travel to an old mansion wherein lives Evelyn Maxwell. She's the former star of several bloody horror plays (including Coals of Fire, and many titles from previous Shocktoberfest shows) but has been out of the public eye for decades. Now she's making the jump to the silver screen with an adaptation of her most famous role--The Bride of Death. But something is pretty odd in the house. A creepy doctor, a mute servant, a star who hasn't aged a day in 30 years, and strange singing from the hidden corridors in the house. Very well done!


And then an intermission. Time to fill up on a little more beer.


Coming back from intermission we had another musical piece, Those Beautiful Ghouls, all about sexy demonic ladies. Lady Dracula, Lady Werewolf, etc. Nice.

And finally, the climactic play of The Twisted Pair. Two scientists--Earnest McKenzie and his assistant Anthony Lark--are working in the basement of their boarding house. Their trying to discover the secrets of life--it's in the blood after all. So far they've failed (and just learned Watson and Crick made a big breakthrough on DNA.) All they've really accomplished is making a powerful adhesive. That was Lark's invention, but it turns out that contact with the skin can cause powerful hallucinations. Too bad McKenzie has glued his scalpel to his hand so he can work non-stop. A wonderfully psychotic and hilarious descent into madness and murder. All for the sake of fame, because first comes fame, and then comes funding. Yup, that seems to be how science works. And, of course, it all ends with their famous lights-out horror effects.


There are only a handful of shows left. The special Halloween and night-before-Halloween shows are sold out, but they still play Thursday through Saturday for three more weekends. Advanced tickets are here and I'd suggest you buy early because they tend to sell out.

Jason slips into a Vortex and meets BAD RONALD

Ah, back at the Vortex room. A couple of martinis down, and I settled into this bizarre little flick. Ronald isn't really as bad as the title BAD RONALD would suggest. He's just kind of shy and weird. Oh, and he did one bad thing--he accidentally killed a girl who was mocking him (he just pushed her and her head fell against a brick and she died.) But then he made it worse by burying her. So his mom knows no one will believe it's an accident. So she does the only logical thing--walls off the spare bathroom, hides him in there, and tells everyone Ronald's run away (nobody seems to concerned about that, or even concerned that she's not concerned.) And the months go by. And Ronald's mom goes to the hospital for an operation. And she never comes back. And the house is sold to new owners. And Ronald goes a little crazy in there. He sure has a vivid imagination, creating an entire fantasy world in there. A pretty twisted little flick.

Running Time: 74 minutes
My Total Minutes: 301,372

Jason goes to Not Necessarily Noir III--WHITE OF THE EYE

Not Necessarily Noir III rolls along at the Roxie. I only made it to one half of the double-feature last night (Thursday) because A) I've already seen MANHUNTER plenty of times and B) there was stuff going on at the Vortex I wanted to see.

Anyway, what can I say about WHITE OF THE EYE? David Keith looking kinda crazy and Donald Cammell in total, exquisite control of the camera. It's a serial killer flick that's got a twisted flair that has never been duplicated. I loved it from the first murder, where a beautiful dinner spread is upended and a shattering bottle of wine becomes a visual surrogate of the bloody massacre (also, the gasping goldfish on a rack of ribs--quite a striking shot.) Local sound engineer Paul White (David Keith) becomes a prime suspect simply because of the tread of his tires. While he tries to prove his innocence, the fact is he does have dirty secrets he's hiding, and his wife is none to happy to find out.

Ah, but enough of the spoilers. This film is about a close, attentive study of evil in all its depraved beauty. And it might just be about how that close, attentive study of evil induces evil in the student. And it's about the nature of the hunt. And it's about meticulously designed murders. And it's about an explosive ending. And it's awesome.

Running Time: 110 minutes
My Total Minutes: 301,372

Jason goes to SVJFF and sees DAVID

Last Wednesday I was down at the Camera 7 in Campbell for this charming little child's cross-culture adventure. Actually, first I was next door at Rock Bottom for a couple of hours watching the Giants build up a nice lead over the Tigers in game 1 of the World Series. And of course while I was there I sampled their fine selection of beers. Sadly, they had just run out of IPA, but everything else I tried was pretty darn tasty. But hey, this isn't a beer blog, it's a movie blog. And this is all just to say A) I was a bit toasted when I settled in for the movie, and B) Go Giants!

Now the important thing about having a few beers before a movie is that is typically a recipe for falling asleep. But I didn't. Which means the movie was good enough to command my slightly-pickled attention. It's the story of a good, studious Muslim boy in Brooklyn. He's not just devout, he's also a good neighbor. When he sees one of the Jewish kids accidentally left his prayer book at the park, he follows him to school and drops it off. Or he thinks he does, but accidentally drops off his Muslim prayer book. So he has to go back, and he's mistaken for a new student. So Daud becomes David, and he starts attending a Jewish school. And he makes friends and becomes a part of their society despite himself. Kids just make friends easily, even if it means hiding a bit of what you are. Of course, his deception will have to come to a head, both with his family and his new schoolmates. But I think I've already been spoiler-y enough here, so I'll just end by saying it's a charming little look at cross-cultural awareness through a child's eyes.

Running Time: 80 minutes
My Total Minutes: 301,262

Jason goes to Not Necessarily Noir III--COCKFIGHTER and BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA

It's one hell of a Warren Oates double feature!  Not Necessarily Noir III is already in full swing, but this was the first night my busy schedule allowed me to make it here.

COCKFIGHTER (1974): Faded/slightly damaged print aside, this was pretty freakin' awesome. And as for the projection problems, well let me just say that they were a minor frustration that I guess is just necessary to see perhaps the only 35 mm print of this film available.

Monte Hellman (kind of a perfect last name) directs and Warren Oates stars as Frank Mansfield, a talented trainer of fighting cocks who never says a word. In a flashback, we learn that he wasn't always a mute. In fact, his big mouth got him into a lot of trouble (with his main rival, played by Harry Dean Stanton.) From that point on he decided he wouldn't say a word until he wins the Cockfighter of the Year. Pretty universally, people agree he's much easier to get along with now. More importantly, it gives Warren Oates a chance to shine in a role that's all about understated, enigmatic facial expressions rather than words. And he gets to beat the crap out of Ed Begley Jr. But what I really love is the ending. So much so that I can't avoid talking all spoiler-y and stuff. So highlight to read on:

In the ending tournament, his fiance finally showed up to watch him fight. He's sure that if she sees him in his element she'll understand his obsession with being the best cockfighter out there and they can finally get married. Instead, she's horrified at the violence. After the final match (where both chickens die, but he's declared the winner when Harry Dean Stanton quits) he chases her down to the parking lot with his dead champion rooster in his hand. She berates him for his cruelty. And not even necessarily the cruelty of the sport--she wasn't looking at the chickens, she was looking at his face and concluded the chickens had more heart and more soul than he did. In response, he rips the head off his chicken, wraps it in a handkerchief, and places it in her hand. As she runs off horrified he gets the word that he's just won Cockfighter of the Year. And his first words, while watching her run away, are "She loves me."

I love the ambiguity of that ending. The easy interpretation is he's wrong. She hates him and wants nothing to do with him, but he's delusional about it. But there's also the interpretation that he's right. That even though on the outside it looks like hate, there's something a cockfighter understands that sees it as love. Something only a cockfighter can recognize. She can't recognize it, the audience can't recognize it (at least this audience member can't,) but he can, and he's right. The easy interpretation is the former, but after thinking about it for a good few hours last night, I've decided to go with the latter.

[End Spoiler]

BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (1974): Next up was this Sam Peckinpah classic that I had somehow missed over the years. So it was great to see it in brilliant 35 mm (this time a nice, relatively clean print with no issues.) A wealthy Mexican aristocrat finds his daughter is pregnant. After a bit of torture, he finds that Alfredo Garcia is the father, so he demands his head (for a $1 million reward.) While searching for him, some of his goons run into an American bartender (Warren Oates) who doesn't exactly know where he is, but knows the name. They offer him $10,000 for his head. So he sets out with his prostitute girlfriend to find him. And, of course, they have to deal with everyone else who is looking for his head, as well as just random violence (in the form of a pair of bikers, one of whom is a young Kris Kristofferson.) Lots of violence, plus Isela Vega's fantastic breasts. And bleak nihilism by the end. Yup, that's classic Peckinpah at his best. And it's awesome. I don't know how I missed it for so long.


Hey, I also just noticed that besides being Warren Oates movies, both of these were also released in the greatest year of human history--1974. That's the same year the greatest work of art in history was released into the world. Which reminds me, my 38th birthday is coming up in just one week, so get shopping everyone!

Total Running Time: 195 minutes
My Total Minutes: 301,182