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Cult film club: "I like that. Turn it up!" Performance is the Altamont of '60s cinema; psychedelic and hallucinatory, decadent and depraved, polymorphous-perverse. And you can dance to it! Melding the sex, drugs, and rock & roll ethos of swinging '60s London with the gangster film, Nicolas Roeg and Donald Cammell's genre-bending cult classic is so mind blowing that star James Fox did not act in a film again for nearly a decade. [more inside]
posted by maxsparber on Sep 29, 2014 - 0 comments

A planned viewing of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: discuss. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Sep 28, 2014 - 6 comments

One of my favorite genres of movie are those where the protagonist is dealing with living inside of a simulated or constructed reality. The Matrix is the most popular example, but there are many, many more (of vastly varying quality). There are already a lot of movie clubs going, so I thought I would put out a feeler for interest.
posted by codacorolla on Sep 26, 2014 - 9 comments

Cult film club: The thrill of the hunt. It's the ultimate drug, and the more intense the rush, the higher the price. International superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme teams up with world-famous action director John Woo for this electrifying thriller that WGN Radio hails as "Easily one of the year's best films!" Van Damme is the target of an evil mercenary (Lance Henriksen) who recruits homeless combat veterans for the "amusement" of his clients - bored tycoons who will pay a half a million dollars to stalk and kill the most challenging prey of them all: Man. Laced with dark humor and slam-packed with electrifying action Hard Target is a must see for action fans. [more inside]
posted by maxsparber on Sep 23, 2014 - 5 comments

Cult Film Club: Step back into the psychedelic ’60s in this sexy, hilarious parody of Valley Of The Dolls, co-written by Roger Ebert. When three fun-loving bombshells with a rock band head for Hollywood to make it big, they find themselves at a hedonistic love-in thrown by an eccentric music promoter. Soon, it seems, superstardom is within reach. That is, if their newfound distractions don’t get in the way! [more inside]
posted by maxsparber on Sep 8, 2014 - 3 comments

Cult Film Club: Lured by their dreams of fame and fortune, three ambitious young women enter the world of show business and discover how easy it is to sink into a celebrity nightmare of ego, alcohol and 'pills' - the beloved "dolls." A prim New Englander (Barbara Parkins) unexpectedly skyrockets from her job as secretary in a talent agency to a glamorous TV model. A determined singer (Patty Duke) finds that Hollywood success can also spell self-destruction. And a beautiful sex symbol (Sharon Tate) is torn between the money commands and the shame of feeling exploited. Based on Jacqueline Susann's phenomenal best-seller about the underside of Hollywood, this fascinating melodrama was once seen as a shocking behind-the-scenes look at how show business creates instant stars, destroys romances and changes personalities forever. [more inside]
posted by maxsparber on Sep 1, 2014 - 5 comments

A dissolute matinee idol is slated to appear on a live TV variety show. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Aug 24, 2014 - 8 comments

The adventures of the sailor man and his friends in the seaside town of Sweethaven. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Aug 23, 2014 - 21 comments

Cult Film Club film of the week: Pink Flamingos is a 1972 American transgressive black comedy exploitation film written, produced, scored, shot, edited, and directed by John Waters. When the film was initially released, it caused a huge degree of controversy due to the wide range of perverse acts performed in explicit detail. It has since become one of the most notorious films ever made and made an underground star of the flamboyant drag queen actor Divine. The film co-stars David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Danny Mills, Cookie Mueller, and Edith Massey.
posted by maxsparber on Aug 18, 2014 - 6 comments

My Favorite Year is a 1983 comedy/drama about a young writer's experience, during one week, on the set of a variety/comedy live TV show. It starred Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, Joseph Bologna, Bill Macy, and more in an ensemble cast. Directed by Richard Benjamin. Are people interested in planning a viewing, and discussion of, "My Favorite Year"? [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Aug 7, 2014 - 12 comments

I'm wondering if there is appetite for a series on films (especially the lesser-known films) made by the American auteurs of the 1960's and 1970's: Altman, Kubrick, Rafelson, Friedkin, et al. [more inside]
posted by Sheydem-tants on Aug 3, 2014 - 3 comments

Eraserhead, David Lynch's early midnight hit. I will post this on Monday, lively discussion sure to follow.
posted by maxsparber on Aug 1, 2014 - 4 comments

Patrick Swayze stars in this sexy thriller from the producer of Die Hard and the Matrix. Co-starring Ben Gazzara (The Thomas Crown Affair), Kelly Lynch (Charlie's Angels) and Sam Elliott (We Were Soldiers), Road House delivers no-holds-barred action that pushes the envelope for high-octane thrills! Swayze is Dalton, a legendary bouncer who comes to Jasper, Missouri, for a special purpose: to restore order at the notorious Double Deuce Bar. In one spectacular fight after another, Dalton rids the bar of thugs and henchmen. But when he runs afoul of a ruthless crime boss (Gazzara) who controls the town, the stage is set for a blistering showdown that'll leave only one man standing! [more inside]
posted by maxsparber on Jul 28, 2014 - 19 comments

A battle of gigantic proportions is looming in the neon underground of New York City. The armies of the night number 100,000; they outnumber the police 5 to 1; and tonight they're after the Warriors—a street gang blamed unfairly for a rival gang leader's death. This contemporary action-adventure story takes place at night, underground, in the sub-culture of gang warfare that rages from Coney Island to Manhattan to the Bronx. Members of the Warriors fight for their lives, seek to survive in the urban jungle and learn the meaning of loyalty. This intense and stylized film is a dazzling achievement for cinematographer Andrew Laszlo. [more inside]
posted by maxsparber on Jul 21, 2014 - 27 comments

Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton star as "repo men" who get caught up in a series of bizarre adventures involving G-men, a nuclear scientist, UFO cultists and revolutionaries. Put your seat belt on and enjoy the wild ride in this groundbreaking, punk-rock, sci-fi black comedy! [more inside]
posted by mathowie on Jun 30, 2014 - 23 comments