The great Clu Gulager, star of The Killers, Return of the Living Dead, Feast, Last Picture Show, McQ and about a million westerns has curated a film festival at the New Beverly in sunny Hollywood.
He's one of the nicest people I've met since I moved out here and he really appreciates movies (especially awesome ones like Night of the Juggler).
Clu's worked with everyone from Lee Marvin to John Wayne to Steve McQueen to Ronald Reagan to Linnea Quigley. He's probably the last bit of old Hollywood still kicking ass, so I'd suggest you come on down and have a great fuggin time.
1. What was the first movie you remember watching in the theater?
Robocop. I was about three at the time and despite not having a very clear memory of the movie, the details of Peter Weller's face fused to a brooding robot really stood out in my young brain. I blame it for iginiting my addiction with super-violent, intelligent R-rated movies.
2: How many times have you seen that movie since?
A million. I've lost count. At one point, I watched it so many times I had entire chunks of the movie memorized.
3: What was the last movie you saw in the theatre?
Blade Runner/Alien double feature. Alien really lived up to the hype. I'm glad I waited to watch it in the theater. It would probably lose most of it's effect on a 24-inch television screen.
4: What's the one thing you always have to get from the concession stand?
Sour patch kids. Delightfully disgusting.
5: What's the best thing about going to the movies?
I am going to bogart Mondo Celluloid's answer...
"This may sound corny, but I think there's an incredible amount of communication. (and I don't mean the kind of communication that happens, say, at the Long Beach Town Center Theater...) The filmmakers are communicating their vision, and you're taking it in as intended - blown up on a big screen, in full sight and sound - and you're communicating back your reaction, be it laughter or fear or awe or whatever. And you get to share it all with the people around you, who are communicate their own reactions, and it can all blend so awesomely to a great experience. 60% of what I loved about watching "The Strangers," for example, was hearing the people around me freak out and lose their minds. Or last year, when I watched one of my favorite movies "The Holy Mountain" at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, I could kind of take my eyes off the screen every once in a while and look around at the audience - for every person laughing in bewilderment there was another sitting perfectly still in reverence and awe. And around them the grass and the trees and the graves and the half-drunken bottles of wine - you simply can't have an experience like that throwing on a DVD at home."
6: What's the best reason to stay home and watch the DVD?
If there's absolutely nothing worth watching in the theater. Or if you have a movie like Body Count that will never, ever EVER be shown in a theater anywhere. That's a good excuse. Despite this, I have a disturbing number of DVD's and 50 of those I have never even watched.
7: Off the top of your head, name your top five movies:
Taxi Driver Blow Out Texas Chainsaw 1974 Vertigo Midnight Cowboy
8: Go ahead, add another one:
Buffalo 66. And.... Kramer VS Kramer. I might like B66 more than Taxi Driver, just because Paul Schrader is a complete prick.
9: Now tell me three of your favorite directors:
Mario Bava Don Siegel John Huston
10: What's the next movie you're looking forward to
The new Batman. Though I am tempering my expectations. It's gotten waaaaaay too much hype.
11: Honestly, what do you think of Star Wars?
I think it's responsible for all the horrible summer action movies like Independance Day, 10000 BC and Wanted. It started a trend of cracker jack entertainment that's ruined a lot of people's taste. Good trilogy that's had a negative impact on cinema. Same with Jaws (except the trilogy part).
12: Off all six, what is your favorite?
Hmm... The one with the Ewoks was probably my favorite.
13: Speaking of good movies gone astray, what did you think of the new Indiana Jones?
A total waste of time. I didn't think my summer could get much worse until I sat through 50 minutes of that filmic abortion 'Wanted'. Jesus Christ, that movie made Commando look like To Have and Have Not.
14: What movie do you think should be remade or given a prequel/sequel?
I side with new ideas, even if they pay homage to older movies. Prequels are generally horrible, giving us back story we never asked for, or at the very least disappointing us with pointless origins. Sequels can be good, if there's an original idea in place. The only movie I could think of that should be remade is Robocop 2... Get Paul Verhoeven and Peter Weller back (sorry Hank). That's the Robocop I want to see. I would love to see a Taxi Driver sequel even though it would be a total embarrassment. Stunt Rock might be a good sequel. OR the Warriors 2 (Thirty Years Later). There has never been a good prequel in the history of anything (Temple of Doom doesn't count).
15: What did you think of the LOTR trilogy?
Never watched it.
16: How about Narnia?
Didn't see it.
17: This or that
A) documentary or science fiction?
Depends how bad the Sci-Fi movie is. If it's between Omega Man and Grey Gardens, I am going with Heston.
B) drama or comedy?
Drama. It's so hard for a movie to be funny and stay that way over time. Top Secret is brilliant. Same with Naked Gun and Blues Brothers. A well-done Drama isn't THAT hard to find.
C) action or romance?
A romance movie like Secretary or The Getaway has my vote. But if it's between the Notebook and Cobra, you better fucking believe I am taking the Stallone movie.
D) anime or pixar?
Don't care about Anime. Anyone who brings it up is tragically nerdy. Pixar gave me Toy Story 1 and 2 growing up, so they win.
E) horror or slapstick?
Horror. No slapstick can match the visceral effect of something like The Thing or Halloween 1.
18: Name one movie that should have had a different ending and why?
Le sigh... I tend to forget those movies. BODY COUNT... too weird to have multiple killers and not make any allusion to that before the finale.
19: Name three movies you could watch over and over again:
Switchblade Sisters Rambo: First Blood Part II Key Largo
20: For each word, give me a quote or phrase from a movie:
GUN:
"I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? " - Dirty Harry
LOVE:
"You and I are both the same. We kill out of indifference, out of love sometimes, but never out of hate. Now I don't know who's dead or alive. I'm sick of killing. So I'm leaving the game, Brother." - Cemetery Man
DRUGS:
"You can turn your back on a person, but, never turn your back on a drug. Especially when it's waving a razor-sharp hunting knife in your eye." -Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas MUSIC:
"This the only kind of music they play in this joint?" - Last Boy Scout
DEATH:
"Death has come to your little town, Sheriff." - Halloween 1978
GOD:
"Only thing my old man ever gave me was this goddamn .45. Japanese but it's pretty good. Go on, shoot it." - Kalifornia
SEX:
"You have one choice, boy: sex or the saw. Sex is, well, nobody knows. But the saw, the saw is family."
- Texas Chainsaw 2
BASEBALL:
Striker, listen, and you listen close: flying a plane is no different than riding a bicycle, just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes. - Airplane
WAR:
"You know what you are. What you're made of war is in your blood. Don't fight it. You didn't kill for your country. You killed for yourself. God's never gonna make that go away. When you're pushed, killing's as easy as breathing." -RAMBO
Currently
reading
:
The Getaway
By
Jim Thompson
Release date: 1990-10-03
it's come to my attention that several of the people I like and respect have horrendous tastes in music. While many of these fine folks love and cherish movies like Taxi Driver, Switchblade Sisters and The Quiet Man -- their inkling toward awful FM dreck can no longer be ignored.
Here is a list of ten bland and/or shitty popular groups that remain popular.
1. U2 --Seriously? Their plodding, self-important songs all sound identical. Except for their new songs which sound like overproduced super-crap. Someone I know once said 'if you don't like U2, I feel sorry for you.' How about this... if you like a band that has a number in their name, you are an asshole.
2. Coldplay -- Wasn't their fifteen minutes of fame over eight years ago? How could anyone torture themselves with this vanilla, overbearing, non-non-heinous music. Chris Martin, stick to naming your kids after fruits.
3. Tool -- while they pretend to be original, they are actually pseudo-intellectuals with the most irritating fans in the world (except for Mike Knibbs). They deserve a thank you for giving Tomahawk the opening slot on one of their tours (where they were frequently booed by the FM addicted audience).
4. Creed -- I guess they broke up. How merciful of them.
5. Puddle of Mudd -- I'm guessing they chose their band name based on their love of scatology.
Anyone else want to add some shitola bands they can't stand?
Granted, they never could have matched the quality of the original movie. That being said they pull out a lot of the stops, double the body count and successfully pull off the required suspense. The ending was a nice surprise and while it takes a moment to get used to Anthony Perkins being 23 years older -- it works.
Kudos for them not pulling a Halloween 4 and just recasting the movie with a bunch of stupid kids. It's interesting the makers of this film ask you to somewhat empathize with Norman Bates. It's a nice tragedy and I recommend it for any fans of the original.
It reminds me of Robocop 2 in a way. Just because it's inferior to the original doesn't mean it's a bad movie. And Jerry Goldsmith's score is to die for.
Last Thursday I was made privy to the greatest movie ever made. Heavenly Bodies starring Cynthia Dale.
Ever heard of Cynthia Dale? She was in My Bloody Valentine, Moonstruck and some other stuff you’ve probably never seen.
Anyhow, Heavenly Bodies basically consists of 70 minutes of dancing montages and ten minutes of dialogue. FUCKING SUBLIME. Phil Blankenship described it as a visual orgasm. Watch this trailer and tell me he’s not spot on.
Time to pick out my favorite movies of the year. Unlike 2006, there were a whole slew of excellent movies that came out right at the verrrrrrrry end. SO, as usual, prepare to hate my top ten list.
1. Zodiac. Why: Because David Fincher made the only three hour talking head movie that never once caused me to look at what time it was on my cell phone. Too bad this movie tanked.
2. Spider-Man 3 Why: You knew it was coming. I'm not going to pretend I had more fun at any movie this year. What were people expecting? The scene where Peter is strutting down the street infected by the symbiote goo and leering at all the NYC girls is priceless. Raimi is a genius. How couldn't people LOVE this movie?
3. Southland Tales Why: Because nobody rocks the cock like Krysta Now.
4. There Will Be Blood Why: As soon as the eerie, nerve-wracking music kicked on over a shot of an empty valley, this movie had sucked me in.
5. No Country For Old Men Why: When I walked out of the theater I felt cheated. Really fucking cheated. Like I'd just lost my wife to a guy in a poker game who busted out five Aces. Then, I thought some more and realized that's probably what the Coen Brothers wanted.
6. Gone Baby Gone Why: a well-plotted thriller with one of the tensest scenes of the year. Ben Affleck fucking rules.
7. Knocked Up Why: Hilarious and probably more moving than most dramas I've seen in the past year.
8. Death Sentence Why: Extreme violence and Kevin Bacon going after a gaggle of sadistic thugs... How couldn't I love it?
9. Rescue Dawn Why: It's just good. I liked it a lot. Bale is terrific as is Steve Zahn. Herzog is a master pure and simple.
10. Hot Fuzz Why: This could have been my number one movie of the year if they'd just killed some fucking people at the end! Ahhhhhh! So frustrating.
11. Ghost Rider Why: Because it sucked. A lot.
Some movies I thought were bullshit...
1. Michael Clayton Why: Before I walked into this movie people were saying 'this restored my faith in movies'. Uhhhh, if a tedious political thriller centered around the flattest character George Clooney has played since the lead in Return to Horror High restores your faith in cinema, I think you should stop watching movies.
2. Escape From New York remake Why: Yeah, it hasn't come out yet, but what the fuck? Len Wiseman? Brett Ratner? That jerk from 300. This sounds more like my worst nightmare than a movie with any potential.
3. Dan In Real Life Why: Ladies and gentlemen, the fastest walk-out in Jackson Stewart history. I sat through this for exactly seven minutes before realizing any other movie in the theater would have been a better choice.
4. Grindhouse Why: Aside from Stuntman Mike's excellent kill in Death Proof, the fantastic Thanksgiving trailer and a couple fun moments in Planet Terror this was totally horrible. No self-respecting exploitation fan enjoys these piles of shit. Furthermore, watch Umberto Lenzi's Nightmare City to see Robert Rodriguez' 'inspiration' for Planet Terror.
I've got a humongous headache chilling in my left cheekbone. It feels like I tried chewing on a piece of granite. Working late again. I bought Nightmare City and The Killing Kind today; neither of which I've seen. I suspect they might be good but I can't be sure. Umberto Lenzi (director of Nightmare City) has yet to let me down, so I think Nightmare is a safe bet. Apparently Robert Rodriguez ripped this movie off when he wrote Planet Terror, not a huge shock, considering Grindhouse is a derivative, insultingly bad piece of shit. Yet I still want to watch Planet Terror again... but it sucked. What the hell is wrong with me? Why were these movies so bad? I can't get over it. I'd rather sit through ten hours of Vince Vaughn paycheck movies than watch Death Proof in it's entirety.
Perhaps I have brain cancer. That would be a downer. There's an attractive girl at my work. She's probably insane. Does anyone know where I can get a copy of Boss N-word? I want this movie sooooo bad.
