SELENA and a Cultural Awakening

SELENA (1997)

Starring Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Constance Marie, Jon Seda, Lupe Ontiveros, Jacob Vargas. Directed by Gregory Nava. (128/134 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM

WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😸

I remember when Selena died. It was all over the news for about a day, after which I went on with my life without giving her another thought. Of course it’s tragic when anyone so young is senselessly murdered, but it ain’t like she was a cultural icon like John Lennon...or even Kurt Cobain.

Then Hollywood made a movie about her. Pretty quickly, actually, considering Selena was written, cast, produced and released less than two years after her death. But even though I’ve always enjoyed a good music bio, no way was she already a legend (we waited 28 years for Richie Valens' life story). The movie sounded like a cynical cash-grab to me, so I took a pass.

But that was 30-year-old me talking. More specifically, the 30-year-old white me. To be even more exact, the 30-year-old white me whose definition of popular culture was shaped by his environment. It took a career change for me to stop sniffing my own farts.

In 1997, I was earning a degree in education and did my student teaching at Sunnyside High School in a rural community that was roughly 60% Hispanic. Not only was it the first time I’d been in a public classroom in 20 years, it was the first time I’d been around large groups of teenagers since the days I was one. And without a doubt, it was the only time I ever found myself being the whitest guy in the room.

Selena and the Dinos learn they lost the talent show to a kid who squirts milk out his nose.

Student teaching was pretty interesting. In addition to English – my actual major - I was also afforded the opportunity to create curriculum and teach a class called Media Studies, which focused on the impact of television, advertising, music and cinema on modern culture. For the music unit, I chose a few films about some of rock music’s biggest legends to show their lasting influence on popular music. but the class was largely unimpressed and even The Beatles were just four funny-looking British blokes from “The Hippy Days.”

Dumbass teenagers. To my dismay, they made it clear that everything which existed before they were born – including me – was from The Hippy Days. With hindsight, I should’ve taken a clue on my first day of class, when one kid asked if I fought in Vietnam. That’s right, kid...me and a troop of fellow toddlers took Hamburger Hill back in ‘69.

However, I think this also when it slowly dawned on me that my definition of popular culture may also be from The Hippy Days.

"Well, what music is important to you?” I finally asked the class. “Nirvana?” (a few nods and shrugs). “Tupac?” (which I pronounced, Tu-pack, triggering a tidal wave of laughter at my expense).

"Can we watch the Selena movie?” one girl asked, which got a chorus of approval from a majority of her classmates.

Selena? Showing that movie never occurred to me. Why would it? Even at the advanced age of 33, I knew Tejano music’s cultural impact was negligible. Still, since I had already scrapped plans to enlighten them on the importance of the punk rock movement, I relented and picked up a copy of the film at my local video store.

There’s an old saying that “good teachers never stop learning.” If that’s true, the first lesson of my new career came the day we watched Selena in class. The film opens with her performing before 67,000 people at the Houston Astrodome, bigger than any crowd who paid to see those funny-looking British blokes at the height of their popularity. Afterwards, the story focuses on Selena’s upbringing, blossoming career and meteoric rise to stardom. Played as an adult by Jennifer Lopez, she not-only packed arenas, won Grammys and sold a shit-ton of records, her image was so popular that she opened a chain of namesake boutiques which sold Selena-inspired clothing. Funny...I don’t recall ever seeing any Nirvana shops...not even in Seattle.

"Hey, 'Balls to the Wall!' That's my jam!"

Selena was never mistaken for a complex, dirt-filled tell-all. Anchored by a star-making performance from Lopez, the film plays more like an engaging, affectionate eulogy celebrating the singer’s life, talent and oh-so-brief moment in the sun, its sunny tone only changing during the inevitable conclusion. But even then, the circumstances surrounding her murder are only briefly touched upon and the incident itself is - mercifully - not shown. The result is a coda that’s arguably more poignant than tragically downbeat.

Of course, Selena is also filled with music - from traditional Tejano to modern pop – which a lot of the students in class knew by heart. A few sang along during the concert scenes and many more were sniffing-back tears by the time the movie was over. Ultimately, I learned something you don’t pick up in a college course: Cultural importance is relative. If nothing else, the film made me appreciate just how popular and influential Selena Quintanilla was to an entire culture and generation...right under my nose. So my initial assessment of her worth was woefully ignorant. She was indeed as iconic as Kurt Cobain, her murder as tragic as John Lennon’s.

And like other phenoms taken away too soon, Selena’s music and image remains relevant today. I’ve been teaching for over twenty years and still see many of my Hispanic kids – who weren’t even alive when she was killed - keeping the torch burning with Selena t-shirts they buy at Forever 21, or listening to her music on their phones when they think I’m not paying attention. It’s a tribute to her cultural legacy no different from the Steve McQueen t-shirt I sometimes throw-on for casual Friday (though none of my students know who the fuck he is).

In the end, Selena isn’t a revealing biography, but its subject is insanely likable and her story is mostly upbeat and entertaining. Additionally, it’s impossible to walk away without respecting the long-lasting impact she had on Tejano music and the legions of fans who loved her.

EXTRA KIBBLES

"SELENA: QUEEN OF TEJANO” - Selena’s surviving family members discuss her life, career and influence.

"MAKING OF SELENA” 10 YEARS LATER” - Retrospective documentary featuring Lopez, Edward James Olmos (who plays Selena’s father/manager), writer/director Gregory Nava.

OUTTAKES

TRAILER

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHINDS THE EARS.

THE POOP SCOOP: Denis Villeneuve's DUNE Production Photos

Oscar nominee Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049”) directs Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Dune,” the big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestseller of the same name. The film is slated for a December 18, 2020, worldwide release from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary.

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

The film stars Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaa, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian. Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Oscar winner Javier Bardem. Villeneuve directed “Dune” from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth based on the novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert. Villeneuve also produced the film with Mary Parent, Cale Boyter and Joe Caracciolo, Jr. Hans Zimmer is creating the score. “Dune” was filmed on location in Hungary and Jordan. 

 

Rest in Peace, Fred Willard

Fred Willard (1939-2020)

WAR OF THE WORLDS (4K) and Why We Rewatch Movies

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)

Starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins, Lisa Ann Walter, Ann Robinson, Gene Barry. Directed by Steven Spielberg. (116 min)

ON 4K BLU-RAY FROM PARAMOUNT

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

This is why I rewatch movies. While checking-out the new 4K Ultra release of War of the Worlds (which looks awesome, by the way), I noticed couple of things about the film that never occurred to me before.

First, Tom Cruise plays just a regular dude here, not a larger-than-life man of action. He ain’t some hot-shot pool player, fighter pilot, bartender, race driver, lawyer, agent or assassin. Ray Ferrier’s just a run-of-the-mill, blue-collar everyman with no particular skills or aspirations. In fact, his character is kind of shiftless and unreliable. In War of the Worlds, he doesn’t take charge or save the day and rarely does anything one would consider heroic. Think about it...when was the last time you saw Cruise convincingly play the guy next door?

Second, this is probably the closest director Steven Spielberg ever came to shoot-from-the-hip guerrilla filmmaking, especially during the initial attack scene, where the camera follows Ferrier’s attempt to flee the carnage in a lengthy, chaotic single take. It’s a disorienting, in-your-face sequence that invites stylistic comparisons to the D-Day invasion in Saving Private Ryan. And throughout the film, the action and jaw-dropping visual effects are mostly rendered from the point-of-view of its characters, giving the film a gritty intimacy you don’t usually find in big-budget blockbusters (including Spielberg's).

Not everyone wants Santa Claus to come to town.

Ray is a divorced deadbeat dad forced to protect his two kids when a towering alien machine erupts from the ground and starts incinerating everything in sight. He and his family high-tail it out of town, hoping to make it to the kids' mother's house ahead. Ray doesn't have much of a plan beyond that and is forced to improvise when the house turns out to be abandoned. Meanwhile, he learns hordes of other tripods have popped up all over the world, wreaking havoc where ever they go.

Ray heads toward Boston - where his ex-in-laws live - though there’s no assurance they'll be any safer there. Estranged son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) is constantly defiant, sometimes for good reason, but mostly because he’s snarky little punk (not-to-mention an epic dumbass). Ray's anxiety-ridden daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning), depends on them both, but trusts Robbie more than her dad. The relationship between these three is the crux of the story and the entire invasion is seen through their eyes...no news flashes, extended battle scenes taking place elsewhere, military strategies, sub-plots or attacks on Washington. The world is simply getting its ass kicked while this family runs, hides and avoids mob panic. When you think about it, narrative simplicity is another thing else it shares with Saving Private Ryan.

Extreme Neighborhood Watch.

War of the Worlds was always aesthetically unusual, weirdly-lit with considerable grain and washed-out colors. By design, it never had a clean, sharp & pristine image, which is nicely enhanced by this 4K transfer. There's no problem with the sound, either, which is as clean - and loud - as one could hope for. The result is an awesome assault on the senses. Elsewhere, the film remains a unique anomaly in the careers of both Cruise and Spielberg, a sci-fi action film that manages to turn a global alien invasion into a personal struggle for survival, much like H.G. Wells' original novel. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

FEATURETTES (all carried over from the previous Blu-ray release) - “Revisiting the Invasion”; “The HG Wells Legacy”; “Steven Spielberg and the Original War of the Worlds”; “Characters: The Family Unit”; “Scoring War of the Worlds”; “We Are Not Alone”; “Designing the Enemy: Tripods and Aliens”; “Previsualization”

PRODUCTION DIARIES

GALLERIES

TRAILER

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEE-OW! LIKE TAUNTING A MOUSE TO DEATH.

VIVARIUM: Just Say "Woah"

VIVARIUM (2019)

Starring Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Senan Jennings, Eanna Hardwicke. Directed by Lorcan Finnegan. (97 min)

ON DIGITAL FROM LIONSGATE

Review by Fluffy the Fearless

One thing is certain...you aren’t likely to see a weirder film this year. And if nothing else, Vivarium is visually fascinating and a potential good viewing choice while firing-up a fat one.

Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) are a young couple looking to buy a home. Real estate agent Martin (Jonathan Aris) takes them to a newly-built neighborhood called Yonder, street-after-street of identical green homes. After Martin suddenly disappears, they find they are literally unable to escape the neighborhood. No matter which direction they take, they always end up back at house #9. They even try burning it down one night, only to find it rebuilt the next day.

With no choice but to stay, Gemma and Tom end up being the only tenants in the neighborhood. Then an infant boy arrives in a box, with instructions that they’ll be released once they've finished raising him. He's a bizarre kid, to put it mildly. He grows at an accelerated rate, speaks with an adult voice and screeches incessantly until his needs are met. He’s also a strong candidate for the most irritating child character in movie history, which is probably by design so we can empathize with the couple’s growing resentment of him. Gemma makes fleeting attempts to bond with the boy, while Tom takes a turn for the worse, both physically and mentally. He ends up occupying his days digging a hole in the yard because he’s convinced there’s something else beneath them.

No, they don't come with instructions.

Despite the bizarre scenario and surreal imagery, Vivarium isn’t perplexing, telling a relatively straightforward story that’s easy to follow (a definite positive when one is stoned). It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the boy isn’t human. In fact, it’s immediately obvious, which means most of the film spends its time dropping hints as to who or what is behind Gemma & Tom’s imprisonment (though with hindsight, the opening title montage pretty-much gives it away). The payoff is pretty 'woah'-worthy, but this is also the type of thing Rod Serling could have managed in a fraction of the time. With some lengthy, repetitive stretches where nothing consequential happens, there simply isn’t enough to the story for a 90 minute film...not without chemical enhancement, anyway.

For baked potatoes, however, Vivarium might be an ethereal wonder. The striking artifice of the production design – the stark uniformity of the neighborhood, the interior & exterior of the house, even the sky itself – enhances the isolation of the main characters, as well as creating an unsettling tone not-unlike a bizarre dream. That alone might make it worth checking out for altered viewers looking to just push play, fall into the sofa and let the movie flow over them.

But even without herbal enhancement, Vivarium remains aesthetically engaging, with a concept that instills just-enough curiosity to ride-out the duller stretches and see how everything plays out.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD, PARTICULARLY AFTER A BIT OF CATNIP.

Rest in Peace, Jerry Stiller

Jerry Stiller (1927-2020)

FIST OF FEAR, TOUCH OF DEATH...Game of Suckers

FIST OF FEAR, TOUCH OF DEATH (1980)

Starring Adolph Caesar, Fred Williamson, Ron Van Cleef, Aaron Banks, Bruce Lee (archival footage). Directed by Matthew Mallinson. (90 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM THE FILM DETECTIVE

Review by Tiger the Terrible😼

It must have been great to be an exploitation filmmaker in the days before the internet. By the time word gets-out your “movie” is a complete sham, you’ve already banked a shit-ton from the same clueless rubes who preferred dining at Denny’s because the menu didn’t require reading. Back then, a creative ad & title change could dupe horror fans into seeing the same movie twice, while indiscriminate martial arts fans marveled at how Bruce Lee managed to remain so prolific after his death.

Fist of Fear, Touch of Death is “Brucesploitation” at its most shameless. Vultures had already been picking at Lee’s corpse for years, cobbling together new movies with unused or existing footage from other films, but this pseudo-documentary takes it to another level, not-so-much a movie as patchwork of unrelated sequences in search of a plot. In this case, it’s the so-called “World Karate Championship,” as presented by a TV reporter played by Adolph Caesar (who would later be nominated for an Oscar...not for this film, of course).

Oscar nominee Adolph Caesar. Seriously, he was.

Caesar is the one constant in a film that includes cameos by Fred Williamson & Ron Van Cleef, who show up for a couple of painfully bad sketches, while real-life martial artist Aaron Banks offers a conspiracy theory that Bruce Lee was killed by the dreaded Touch of Death, a so-called karate move where the victim dies weeks later. The middle act features Bruce Lee’s “biography,” a fabricated account of his youth consisting almost entirely of redubbed footage from a drama he did back in 1957, along with flashbacks of the samurai (!) grandfather who inspired him, lifted from a different film (which doesn't feature Lee).

Not a better mouse trap.

That’s the extent of Lee’s “involvement.” What follows is another sketch featuring a guy in a Kato costume, then about twenty minutes of lethargic footage from karate matches. If the whole thing weren’t so hilariously piecemeal, it would be offensive. Instead, we watch in slack-jawed wonder that anyone was ever gullible enough to be suckered by this, even in the prehistoric ‘80s. Perhaps we’re laughing more at their expense than the snake oil salesmen who subjected them to it. Of course, Fist of Fear, Touch of Death is now a nostalgia piece. Not for its content, but for the audacity of everyone involved on both sides of the camera, who probably couldn’t get away with such a stunt today.

Or could they? Maybe they’re still here in abundance, but simply skip the theaters and go straight to YouTube, where those who prefer the Denny’s menu like to get their news. Shit, now that I think about it, Fist of Fear, Touch of Death just might be ripe for a remake. Just slap some old footage together, throw it on the internet and laugh your ass off as it goes viral.

EXTRA KIBBLES

"THAT’S BRUCESPLOITATION!” - An entertaining retro doc, featuring interviews with producer Terry Levine, director Matthew Mallinson, stars Fred Williamson & Ron Van Cleef.

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET – Includes an essay by William Sloan & Justin Decloux.

TRAILERS

KITTY CONSENSUS:

LMAO...

The Fully-Restored MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM

MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (1933)

Starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Gavin Winton, Edwin Maxwell. Directed by Michael Curtiz. (78 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM

WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION

Review by Mr. Paws😸

Long-thought lost to the ravages of time, this little obscurity is historically noteworthy for inspiring the much-better-known remake, House of Wax, widely considered one of the best horror films of the 1950s and a high point in Vincent Price’s career. Though not as atmospheric or creepy, Mystery of the Wax Museum is a nifty film in its own right.

Morbid premise aside, this one doesn’t really unfold like a horror film. As per the title, it’s more of a mystery and almost upbeat in tone, largely thanks to a highly amusing performance by Glenda Farrell as fast-talking, wise-cracking reporter Florence Dempsey (a persona she would soon take to the bank in the Torchy Blane series). Despite being third billed, she’s the main protagonist with the most screen time. Her quasi-antagonistic banter with beleaguered newspaper editor Jim (Frank McHugh) is witty enough to be right-at-home in  His Girl Friday.

"All I'm saying, honey, is maybe lay-off the tanning visits for awhile."

As deranged, vengeful sculptor Ivan Igor, Lionel Atwill makes a suitably menacing villain. However, fans of legendary scream queen Fay Wray will probably be disappointed. Not only is she largely absent throughout the first half of the film, her character largely exists to be put in peril. Speaking of which, it isn’t until Igor’s grisly agenda is revealed – during the final act - that Mystery of the Wax Museum ventures into horror territory, but does so quite effectively. Sinister production design and imaginative make-up effects (for its time, anyway) provide some punch to a genuinely suspenseful climax.

Additionally, let’s give a shout-out to those who restored this film. All existing prints were apparently in pretty bad shape, but you couldn’t tell from this transfer. Nearly scratch and blemish free, this doesn’t look or sound like an 87 year old movie. Restoration efforts are also the subject of a revealing featurette and one of the audio commentaries.

From a historical perspective, Mystery of the Wax Museum is an interesting early foray into big screen horror, even if it only dips a toe in the water. The film itself is no House of Wax, but a lot of old-fashioned fun and still a damn sight better than the second remake (you know, the one with Paris Hilton).

EXTRA KIBBLES

"REMEMBERING FAY WRAY” - An affectionate interview Victoria Riskin, Fay’s daughter.

FEATURETTE – Seven-minute short on the restoration, with before & after comparisons of certain scenes.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES – 1) Scott McQueen from UCLA’s Film & TV Archive; 2) Film historian Alan K. Rode

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.

Streaming Service Hi-YAH! Goes Mobile

Hi-YAH! (hiyahtv.com), the premier platform for streaming martial arts and Asian action movies in the U.S., today announced its official launch on mobile devices and connected TVs. As part of the launch, new users will be eligible for a 30-day free trial, after which a monthly subscription fee of only $3.99 will apply. Hi-YAH!—available through app stores for devices including iOS, Android, Roku and Amazon Fire TV—offers both exclusive and non-exclusive content that will be refreshed monthly.

THE POOP SCOOP: Cult Shockers & Forgotten Gems

THE GATES OF HELL + PSYCHO FROM TEXAS (Drive-In Double Feature #6) on Blu-ray 5/26

The Gates of Hell: A reporter and a psychic race to close the Gates of Hell after the suicide of a clergyman caused them to open, allowing the dead to rise from their graves. Psycho from Texas: A drifter/hitman is hired by a local business man to kidnap the local oil baron. The hitman had been reared in squalor, suffering the abuses of his whoring mama. When the baron escapes his assistant must chase him while the hitman takes care of a few loose ends. Watch films in DarkForce Entertainment's exclusive 'Drive-In Mode' featuring Cult Director Damon Packard

THE MECHANIC (1972) on Blu-ray 6/2

Arthur Bishop (Charles Bronson) is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deaths seem like accidents, thinks himself an artist. It's made him very rich, but as he hits middle age, he's so depressed and lonely that he takes on one of his victim's sons, Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent), as his apprentice. Arthur puts him through a rigorous training period and brings him on several hits. As Steven improves, Arthur worries that he'll discover who killed his father. NEW FEATURES: Reversible cover art, a new interview with writer Lewis John Carlino & new audio commentary with Paul Talbot (Author of "Bronson's Loose!; The Making of the Death Wish films")

NARROW MARGIN on Blu-ray 6/30

From Peter Hyams, the acclaimed writer/director of Busting, Capricorn One, Outland, The Star Chamber and 2010, comes this suspenseful remake of the classic 1952 film noir. Screen legend Gene Hackman (The Package, Mississippi Burning) stars as an L.A. District Attorney attempting to take an unwilling murder witness (Anne Archer, The Naked Face) back to the United States to testify against a top-level mob boss. Frantically attempting to escape two deadly hitmen sent to silence her, they board a Vancouver-bound train only to find the killers are onboard with them. For the next 20 hours, as the train hurls through the beautiful but isolated Canadian wilderness, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues in which their ability to tell a friend from foe is a matter of life and death. James B. Sikking (The Pelican Brief), J.T. Walsh (Needful Things), M. Emmet Walsh (Retroactive), Susan Hogan (Phobia) and Harris Yulin (The Midnight Man) co-star in this action-packed thriller.

HAIR (Olive Signature Edition) on Blu-ray 6/30

Hair, the Broadway rock musical sensation of 1968, would find its way to the big screen over a decade later under the masterful direction of two-time Academy Award® winner Milos Forman (Best Director - One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - 1976, Amadeus - 1985) in a film adaptation as magical as it is timeless. Based on the Gerome Ragni, James Rado and Galt MacDermot stage musical, Hair stars John Savage (The Deer Hunter) as naïve country boy Claude Hooper Bukowski, a Vietnam War draftee who travels to New York where he’s swept up in a world of free love, hallucinogens and romance, courtesy of hippies Berger (Treat Williams), Jeannie (Annie Golden), Hud (Dorsey Wright) and Woof (Don Dacus). Beverly D’Angelo co-stars as Sheila, a beautiful debutante and the object of Claude’s affections.