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D.O.A. (1980)
We Miss You, "D.O.A.!!"
"Why, why, why why why?!" Discharge may have had something else in mind when penning the lyrics to that classic crust-punk tune, but it's a question that comes to my mind each and every time I think about Lech Kowalski's semi-lost semi-classic, "D.O.A.-A Right Of Passage." (That's the way the title was misspelled on my bootleg VHS copy.) Why oh WHY has this flick never had an official DVD release??! The director received the "film classic" treatment from Troma for one of his lesser works, "Gringo," AKA "Story of A Junkie," so why not THIS one?
Yes,this includes a far longer version of the infamous "bed-terview" with Sid& Nancy than what was seen in "The Filth & The Fury." The film is well worth watching for these scenes alone. You get the feeling that these two are almost entirely unaware of the camera, and the far-reaching consequences of its presence. Also, that they've been lolling about on that bed for a very, VERY long time. (Still think junkies are 'glamorous?')
Perhaps, like Penelope Spheeris' "The Decline," the interminable delay has something to do with securing the music rights from such a disparate and far-flung group of people. In the meantime, while we wait (and wait) for these two vital documents of my youth to have official releases, do you think maybe You-Tube could STOP removing clips of them for copyright violations??!
Cipher in the Snow (1974)
It molded me; along w/ a mystery short where juvi hoods rip up a poetry book!
Wow; You could'a knocked me over with a feather when I stumbled across this listing--This site never ceases to amaze me!
I, too, was profoundly affected upon first viewing this obscure (or so I thought) short subject. I don't remember the year, just that I was attending a "progressive" elementary school (Murdock, La Mesa/Spring Valley, CA). I'm 40 years old now, and like the other "comment-ers" I still think back to this one every now and again; I've even gone so far as to ask several of my film-dork friends over the years about it, to no avail.
Perhaps one of you "Cipher" fans can help me unearth details on another educational short from roughly the same period. Sadly, the title must've been stored in one of the many brain cells i've subsequently destroyed, but here's what I remember:
I guess that the overriding theme of the film is "group-think" and/or the evils of juvenile-onset Sociopathy: We meet a kindly, committed male educator; His favorite thing, other than helping to mold young minds, is his first-edition, autographed (i think) collection of e.e. cummings poetry. Through a series of events I no longer remember (could it have been some sort of 'initiation'?) a small group of his students break in or something and end up tearing up this Prized Possession... All flippancy aside, I really do look back on this as the first introduction to the concept of empathy.
Can anyone help me to identify the film? PLEASE respond here, or by e-mail, as i can't figure out how to join in any reindeer-messageboard-games!
2012 UPDATE: "The Boy Who Liked Deer" was its name!!! Thank you so much for e-mailing me the title of the lost short I just described, 2 different people whose names I forget! You've made it possible for me to find it on You Tube and add it to my YT page/playlists. www.youtube.com/leshaann Thank you!
Spun (2002)
The pupils DILATE, not CONSTRICT, when ingesting stimulants...
When I saw "Requiem For A Dream" for the first time, I remember that I was puzzled, confused, annoyed, then incensed at the consistent failure to correctly depict the proper physiological effects a shot of any form of opiates would have upon the pupil: Constriction, rather than dilation. Eventually, I decided to stop being so ridiculously anal-retentive about it: Maybe a big ol' pupil was simply considered more... "cinematic" or whatever! HOWEVER: The VERY NEXT major Drug-Flick I saw, "Spun," shared the same, glaring "blooper" of depicting a pupillary response 100% wrong; An oversight [???] made all the more noticeable by the rest of the film's near-unprecedented level of accuracy, realism, and resonance.
Can anyone tell me why the pupils get BIG in the heroin movie, and SMALL in the tweak-flick??? I know this question would be a better fit if placed in the message board section, but I can't seem to undulate my way through the verification process. Please, someone: Respond!
Strike of the Tortured Angels (1982)
"Swann-Yee River"??!
Ah, the time-honored, ancient art of Chinese Blackface!
I came across this "film" in/on a DVD 8-pack, $5.00 for the lot of 'em, and STILL feel ripped off!!!
I am an ardent fan of WIPs (Women-In-Prison; -Peril) and an occasional fan of Hong Kong Schlock (Best In Show: "ROBO VAMPIRE" or maybe "SAMURAI REINCARNATION") but i'm sorry: This thing is simply insufferable! A useful review and/or commentary? Well, no, absolutely not... I just needed to get this little something off my chest! As for the remaining product, well, I only bought the first disc (used) with the following titles: "Raw Force" "Savage Man: Savage Beast"(Not half-bad Mondo Movie) "Women's Camp 119" (AKA: "SS Extermination Camp" & KZ9-Lager di Sterminio") etc. OH wait: I DID get the 2nd disc with it, but all of its contents were execrable!
Darktown Strutters (1975)
the film i've been looking for my whole life!
Once upon a time, back in the mid-1980s, I had a boyfriend who didn't own a television set. Often we would lay awake late into the night, listening to the stereo simulcast of a local "all-night movie" channel (XETV, Ch. 6)beamed from Mexico into our snug, San Diego homes. Imagine our surprise and delight upon the discovery of "Get Down and Boogie," A.K.A. Darktown Strutters! If you think WATCHING this flick is a surreal,disorienting experience, just imagine trying to decipher the plot without the visuals!!! Every since that fateful night back in 1988, i've been trying to procure my own copy of this flick, to no avail. (I got an incredibly sparse n' sleazy one-sheet for it one year @ The Comic-Con: "Get Down and Boogie --This movie will fry your eggs!")
It seems to've lapsed into a "public domain" kinda thing, as the only 'official' release I can find is from East/West DVD,one of those 99-cent-store outfits, wholesale only. I do not own a credit card, which severely limits my options here... What's a blaxploitation-struck gal to do?
....March 2008 UPDATE: I FINALLY got myself a DVD copy o' this flick through Amazon.com!! Sure, it's just the $1-Store, edited for television version jacked up to $9 for a used copy, but it looks like this is the best/closest i'll ever get, and I am, for the moment, fulfilled!!! (Now if I could just get that copy of "Black Devil Doll From Hell"...
Evicted (1999)
I couldn't DIS-agree More! I rather liked it!
Let me preface any and all comments w/ the following disclaimer: I have absolutely no relation, association, or connection with the filmmakers and/or principals of this film, other than deciding to further investigate Michael Tierney after viewing (He's so Adorable;So Hep!) I mean, Yeah, it's a "Repo Man" "homage"-to-the-point-of "ripoff", but as an elderly (40) Recovering Punk-Rocker, I thought they captured the general punk ethos/spirit/whatever, along w/ Cali Acid Damage, very well! I bought this for A Dollar, so maybe that DOES color my critical thinking skills here--It was SUCH a pleasant surprise; you gotta dig thru a WHOLE LOTTA CACA to find the DVD gems @ the 99-cent-store! Lesha Holland loved this flick for what it was!