By “Cinema” Dave
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

As late as Monday morning, Oct. 7, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was supposed to open exclusively in Miami. Perhaps some studio executive read this column a few weeks ago because last Friday night, the film also opened locally, as close as the IPIC Boca Raton theater in Mizner Park. The first screening was packed and the ticket buyers were intimately aware of every nuance of this Breaking Bad history, while embracing some of the characters from Better Call Saul, a spin off.  This is noteworthy because El Camino also debuted on Netflix the same day — Friday, Oct. 11.

Like Rob Zombie’s 3 from Hell, Vince Gilligan’s El Camino is redefining the business model for a motion picture release. Neither film rivals the box office revenue of a Joker or The Addams Family, but both 3 from Hell and El Camino are relatively low budget productions, so the return of investment can be substantially larger, whereas a successful big budgeted studio production with many movie stars may never see a profit for many years after release.  Kudos to the independent streaks of Rob Zombie and Vince Gilligan for lighting the way for the creative part of the motion picture industry.

Despite being part of the Breaking Bad universe, El Camino is a standalone movie. One does not need to see the previous 62 episodes of the television series, but one will likely want to watch them now. The El Camino Jessie Pinkman (Aaron Paul) character is the gestalt of television version of Breaking Bad. Jessie, the boy, has become a man and is the whole of the sum of his 62 parts.    

El Camino opens  moments after the grand “Felina” of Breaking Bad. Jessie has escaped his captivity and is on the run from the police and sadistic criminal scumbags. After reuniting with his old buddies Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) and Badger (Matt Jones), Jessie seeks the services of Ed (the late Robert Forster), a man who runs his own private industry witness protection program.  

Given writer/director Vince Gilligan’s love of words, El Camino is a double entendre. While there is a Chevrolet car in the movie and the locations are set in New Mexico, El Camino is a Spanish word for “a path, a road or a journey.”

How Jessie goes from “Point A” to “Point B” is an entertaining story, yet this is a meditative story about potential redemption.  Throughout the film, various Breaking Bad characters appear in flashbacks. Each provide kernels of wisdom for Jessie’s journey to enlightenment.  

Sadly, the Oct. 11 release also marks the passing of Robert Forster. An actor with 50 years of motion picture experience, Forster provides a fine swan song performance as “Ed the Disappearer.” Suffering from Brain Cancer at the time of filming, Forster’s performance rings sincere and true. 

There are some great violent visuals to El Camino, but the quiet moments with Aaron Paul and Robert Forster will be the cinematic moments to savor. 

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Joker is probably the most ambiguous movie to open with such strong box office revenue. It helps to have a comic book character with almost 80 years of villainy. Mix that with almost 50 years of movies featuring urban alienation, and it is little wonder why Joker became a box office monster last weekend.  

“Sympathy for the devil” begins with an unreliable narrator. Understanding this concept will enhance your viewing pleasure of this film if being seated next to a madman on a roller coaster ride is your idea of pleasure.

The film opens with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) putting on his clown make-up and preparing for his temp job as a sign carrier for a failed business.  After being mugged on the street by a bunch of callow boys, Arthur loses his job because his sign is destroyed.

Defeated, Arthur returns to his one room apartment that he shares with his delusional mother.  The two find pleasure in watching Murray Franklin’s (Robert DeNiro) celebrity night time television show. Beyond that, many things happen and Arthur is right in the middle of these wild situations. Sometimes, Arthur is the agent of chaos; sometimes, he is the victim of chaos. Regardless of the circumstance, Arthur laughs at jokes that only he understands.  

Through the cloak of ambiguity, this film manages to raise social messages.  From a subway shooting that echoes Bernard Goetz’s 1984 headlines, Arthur inspires a mass protest to “Kill the Rich” by people wearing clown make-up, which echoes the 2014 Ferguson Missouri riots. 

Batman’s Father, Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) is a self-made billionaire, who commits to the political ambition to become Mayor of Gotham City, which echoes Donald F. Trump’s Presidency.

Much like Renee Zellweger’s performance in Judy, Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Joker is likely to be Oscar-nominated. The actor runs the gamut of human emotions.  One feels sorry for Arthur, but the seduction of evil is real and an unsuspecting individual could easily become the Joker’s prey.

Though clowns have been part of the entertainment industry since the Roman Circus, recently clowns have been front and center during recent Halloweens. Sid Haig’s Captain Spaulding and Pennywise the Dancing Clown from Stephen King’s It books and movies have been trick or treat favorites and horror movie convention winners.  Like Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker fits right into this Rogues Gallery Circus.

For those who want to don greasepaint beyond Halloween, the Kazoo and Drum Corps for the “Day of the Dead” is seeking volunteers for the parade in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, Nov. 2.  (Visit the website at www.dayofthedeadflorida.com.)

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

On June 22, 1969, Mom, Dad and I were out on our Johnson & Johnson wooden boat on Cold Spring Harbor.  My parents swam ashore and I stayed on the boat with a transistor radio. Between songs (likely Big Band), the news man announced that “Judy Garland died.” I got so excited that I pulled the boat ashore, much to my Dad’s dismay — since the tide was going out.

Being six years old, I had seen The Wizard of Oz at least twice, including once by myself on the color TV set. (The Wicked Witch of the West so scared me that I could not watch the film alone in the den the first time). Beyond portraying Dorothy Gale, Mom introduced me to Judy Garland the star of variety shows that featured singing, dancing and comedy.

Starring Renee Zellweger in the title role, the new movie Judy features the entertainer’s swan song. Living off her fame, but performing at low budget night clubs with her children Lorna and Joe, Judy finishes a show, only to learn she does not have a bed to sleep in.  After arguing with her fourth ex-husband Sid Luft (Rufus Sewell) about custody of the children, Judy gets a job offer to perform in London’s “Talk of the Town.”

The money is good, but years of prescribed substance abuse have taken their toll on this vulnerable 46-year-old mother of three.  Having earned a reputation as being unreliable, Judy Garland’s swan song performance is an emotional roller coaster ride featuring insomnia, heartbreak and the divine grace of performance.

Renee Zellweger owns Judy. Besides performing her own singing, there are moments when the ghost of Judy Garland has returned to the big screen. Likely to be Oscar nominated, Zellweger’s performance is consistent. Her final close-up is a rare audience connection that bookends the beginning of the movie.

Based on the play End of the Rainbow, this new film explains the dark side of show business. The opening shot features young Judy Garland (Darci Shaw) being told by Louie B. Mayer (Richard Cordery) that she is a plain, next-door girl that is separated by her beautiful singing voice.  This scene echoes the Book of Genesis chapter in which Eve is seduced by the serpent.

Tears were shed, but the laughs are truthful, Judy is an entertaining tragedy with many life lessons. Parents who know that their children want to “run away to the circus,” should take them to see Judy as a family movie some afternoon. The discussion afterward will be genuine.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Before there was “Spooky Empire” in Orlando, there was Petey Mongelli’s inaugural monster conventions in Broward County until Hurricane Wilma hit in 2005. With roadshow buzz about Rob Zombie’s directorial debut House of 1000 Corpses and buzz about the sequel, The Devil’s Rejects, Sid Haig was one of his featured guests. When I met him at his booth back then, we talked about Spider Baby and his film debut with Lon Chaney Jr.

Haig talked about Chaney’s professionalism and generosity on the set of this low budget, but happy production.  Haig seemed pleased when I mentioned he was carrying the torch from Lon Chaney Jr.’s generation for today’s filmmakers.

Since Sid passed away last Saturday morning, the outpouring of grief from fans and the motion picture industry has become overwhelming on social media. He was not a regular on Entertainment Tonight type news programs, but Sid Haig’s legacy is secure to anyone who ever met him or enjoys a master thespian performing his craft.

Last week, this columnist wrote about the marketing strategy for 3 from Hell, which involved limited time on the big screen — three nighttime weekday screenings. On the fourth day, the home viewing release date – Oct. 14 – was launched. 

Without the marketing might (and theme parks) of  Disney and Universal Studios, independent filmmakers are getting creative in seeking distribution and widening the profit margin. Case in Point — El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie — This film was secretly produced in New Mexico, while the fifth season of the television show Better Call Saul was being produced in the same territory. Utilizing much of the cast and crew of the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe, it was a surprise to learn that El Camino will be available on Netflix on Oct. 11.  However, there will be limited screening in major cities like Miami. (I am hoping for something more local).    

Speaking of local, The Deerfield Beach Percy White Library will be hosting “Local Creative Talent — Film Producers” on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.  The producers and creative force behind Dead Ant will be in attendance and will host a panel. Starring Sean Astin, Jake Busey and Tom Arnold, Dead Ant is a monster movie/ musical comedy about a one hit wonder heavy metal band that gets stranded in the Joshua Tree Desert. Think This is Spinal Tap meets Tremors.

For almost two years, this columnist has written about the “evolution” of the motion picture industry. With the recent releases of 3 from Hell and El Camino, we are witnessing the business paradigm shift in the motion picture world. With local festivals like the upcoming Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, cinema consumers have the opportunity of better choices.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It was a hot Sunday August night years ago at the Pompano Muvico when Cinema Dave watched Rob Zombie’s creation, The Devil’s Rejects [which was released in 2005]. With visceral violence and terrible torture scenes, Cinema Dave wondered what type of people would pay to see such a film. He questioned the psychological make-up of the people sitting next to him and cheering the exploits of Otis (Bill Moseley), Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) and patriarch Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig).  Now, Cinema Dave owns a DVD copy of it.

A follow up to his first movie, House of a 1000 Corpses [2003], The Devil’s Rejects is now considered Rob Zombie’s best movie.  Barely a blip in the 2005 box office, the filmwas rated highly by national critics like Roger Ebert. A cult phenomenon through the horror convention circuit and through the camaraderie of the actors, Zombie put paper to pencil and created 3 from Hell, a direct sequel featuring Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie and Sid Haig in a brief appearance as the patriarch.

Unless you were in a movie theater for the last three weeknights, you missed the big screen edition offilm as the film is now being processed for a DVD/Halloween release next month. Riding the vibe of this independent cult film trilogy, Universal Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando is devoting a haunted ride exhibit to the Firefly Family from the film.

Halloween Horror Nights is also dedicating a haunted house to Us, Jordan Peele’s next film after his Oscar winning screenplay, Get Out.  Starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, Us is a horror movie that is too long for its own good.  There are plenty of thrills and laughs, but the horrific explanation is complicated and takes too long to explain. (US is currently available on DVD).

Beyond the fantasy of terror movies, there is the realistic horror of Hurricane Dorian upon the Bahamas recently. Unlike the selfish behavior of people seen in a horror movie, our South Florida neighbors have stepped up to help our Caribbean neighbors with donations.

Beginning 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival’s (FLIFF) Savor Cinema (503 SE 6 St., in Ft. Lauderdale) in partnership with the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science, will screen Eye of the Dolphin and Beneath the Blue, two films filmed in the Bahamas that were previously honored by the festival. Throughout the double feature, there will be a Bahamian party in the courtyard.  While ticket prices vary, all proceeds will go to Bahamian charity relief efforts. For more information, find FLIFF on Facebook.

By “Cinema” Dave

While in exile from Hurricane Dorian, I watched The White Tower on the TCM Channel, a forgotten film starring Glenn Ford, Alida Valli, Claude Rains, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and a very young Lloyd Bridges that was released in 1950.  Filmed on the RKO Pathe Studio lot with some exterior shots on a mountain, the film is a fascinating character study about man vs. nature.

The concept of old woman vs. nature is the theme of Edie, being released tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 13, in our community. A seemingly simple British film with a running time of 102 minutes, Edie has much character and philosophical depth that echoes 20th Century literature like Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain. (Available in libraries, this bookpresents the philosophical disciple of a monastic life, with one’s inner longing for an adventuresome life).

Having been a caretaker to her infirm husband for 30 years, Edie suffers from empty nest syndrome when her spouse passes away.  Her children make arrangements for her to live in a retirement hotel, but Edie resists when she remembers her childhood dreams of climbing Mount Suilven in the Scottish Highlands.

Like any good Homeric adventure, there are villains and detours along the way. When she hires a personal guide, Edie learns to overcome her own shortcomings. Proving that it is never too late to learn, Edie is a beautiful epic.

Given the 18 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks this week, it seems appropriate that Official Secrets also opens this week. This somber procedural details Katharine Gun’s (Keira Knightley) ordeal when she released classified information to the public. Under Orwellian legalese, Gun is prosecuted for treason. 

Being a British film, Official Secrets is highly critical of both British and American governments during these early years of terrorist fears.  With the exception of Gun’s plight (though well-played by Knightley’s understated performance), there is an odd emotional detachment to the events. Yet, Official Secrets is an important film that smartly debates censorship and the public’s right to know information.

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th. Expect a visit from Jason Voorhees, the boogie man who stalks teenagers that indulge in sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll music. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan will be screening this Friday night at Savor Cinema in Ft. Lauderdale. Considered a lesser Jason Voorhees effort, this Friday the 13th flick is being presented by Popcorn Frights with their exploitative ethos worthy of a William Castle presentation. Beginning at 8 p.m. with a mere $10 admission, Popcorn Frights will provide a Pop Up Video Doom Room, a live interactive performance and Here Comes the Night, a Friday the 13th fan film. 

Save the Date for the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. It is scheduled for Nov. 1-17 at Savor Cinema at 503 SE 6 St. in Ft. Lauderdale. For more information, visit www.fliff.com.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Starting All Saints Day – Nov. 1, and continuing through the Sunday before Thanksgiving weekend – Nov. 24, the 34th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) will make this November one to remember. This year promises to spotlight the best of our local community and bring back some class act honorees from legendary motion pictures, while retaining a watchful eye on potential trends in the film industry.

FLIFF will kick things off at The Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science AutoNation IMAX with the documentary Cuba.  Besides viewing the sun, surf and shores of Cuba on the six-storey screen, this opening night gala will feature Latin music from Tito Puente Jr.  Cinema Dave plans to bend a knee and bust a move that night.

Created by Marc Ferman and Igor Shteyrenberg, “Popcorn Frights” will handle the opening night at Savor Cinema in Ft. Lauderdale with a screening of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge featuring an appearance from leading man, Mark Patton. For many years considered the runt of the Freddy Krueger series, this nightmare series has developed a cult following for the gay community.  Along with dual directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen, Patton will screen his documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street. Popcorn Frights will also host Sam Raimi’s film Drag Me to Hell, featuring Justin Long. Justin Long will be in attendance and will screen his bittersweet comedy, Safe Spaces.

No stranger to the monster movie industry, William Grefe will be honored this season for his contributions to the Florida Motion Picture World. During the 1970s, Grefe’s films could be seen on the Deerfield Beach Wometco Ultravision screen with such titles as Mako: The Jaws of Death, The Godmothers (film debut of Danny Aiello) and Impulse, starring James Bond villain Harold “Odd Job” Sakata and the leisure-suited William Shatner.

As a bit of historical irony, John Wayne’s last movie —The Shootist — screened on the year that Rocky won the Best Picture Oscar in 1976. Alongside Rocky Balboa, Indiana Jones has become the motion picture hero this columnist has most identified with. While Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone won’t be in attendance, the actresses who portrayed their girlfriends will take part in the FLIFF festivities — Karen Allen and Talia Shire. Both of them will be screening new projects.

For the closing weekend, From the Vine features Marco (Cinema Paradiso) Leonardi and Joe Pantoliano in a comedy set in the Italian wine country. Like William Grefe, Karen Allen and Talia Shire, Joe Pantoliano has been honored in the past and is returning to our annual FLIFF party.

As film fads fade away, FLIFF survives and thrives through the chemistry of respecting tradition with an eye on the infinite future. Yet FLIFF has never lost sight of the humanity of the ticket buyer. In my two decades of covering FLIFF, this festival is at its best when it provides a vacation from the ordinary film. For more info, visit www.fliff.com.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The 2019 box office blockbuster season closes this Labor Day weekend. Unless you were a Disney or Universal Studio with a multi-million dollar box office franchise, this summer appears to close with a wimper. As I officially complete my second decade of writing “Flicks,” the world of movie theater geography has changed drastically; yet, much of this was predicted in my undergraduate classroom at Florida State University College of Communication 37 years ago.

In 1982, box office champions were either created by George Lucas, Steven Spielberg or both, as the following films testify: Star Wars, Episode 5:  The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Smaller movie star performance movies were being supplanted by special effects driven story lines.  As television expanded from broadcast television to multiple cable channels, there was no need to pay to see a movie star on the big screen any more. However, a big budgeted special effects extravaganza still had to be seen on the big screen.

Given the record breaking box office of Avengers: Endgame, that formula holds true. It also helps that Avengers: Endgame was a story-driven motion picture with character growth and development.   

When Captain America finally gets the upper hand on the bully Thanos, the collected audience across the world cheered this hopeful moment. As divided as this world is, the symbolism of Captain America being worthy to weld Thor’s Hammer was a moment of world unification — for good guys still like to defeat the evil of bullies. This was an historical scene that will be as remembered like John Wayne’s entrance in Stagecoach 80 years ago.

Whether the wide open spaces of a western or a computer-generated special effects extravaganza of the newest space opera, the big screen will always endure. Although, headline news for the motion picture industry is now transmitted onto a cell phone or the Internet.

From the major studios, Disney announced a new trailer for the last Star Wars movie featuring the Skywalker family. Along with a new television series about intergalactic bounty hunters entitled The Mandalorian, there is a  new series featuring Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of Obi-Wan Ben Kenobi, a role first essayed by Sir Alec Guinness in the original Star Wars, circa 1977. 

Locally, details for the 34th Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival will be put into action. Next week this column will feature important dates for screenings, volunteer opportunities and parties.  Until then, have a safe and happy Labor Day!

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Despite what Representative Rashida Tlaib says, things must be getting better between Palestine and Israel … at least in the movies. The winner of the Venice, Haifa and Seattle Film Festivals, Tel Aviv on Fire opens tomorrow in area theatres. It is a satire about relations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, but with good intentions.

Tel Aviv on Fire is a popular soap opera that is about the “Six-Day War,” circa 1967.  With gritty vacuum tube television technology, we are introduced to the fictional Tala, who is a Palestinian spy with plans for terrorism upon Israel. The actress who portrays Tala has charisma and attracts both Palestinian and Israeli fans.

As the producers decide how to wrap up their soap opera, an executive producer hires his bumbling nephew Salem, who has no experience writing screenplays. He does have an ear for dialogue, and Salem becomes a valuable assistant to the soap opera, which makes Salem a local celebrity at the border crossing between Israel and Palestine.

With great celebrity, comes great responsibility. While crossing the border, Salem runs afoul the Israeli checkpoint officer. Fortunately for Salem, the officer’s family is fans of Tel Aviv on Fire. Unfortunately for Salem, the family wants to influence their own story lines into the soap opera.  

A foreign language film with both English language and English subtitles, Tel Aviv on Fire is a gentle motion picture.  Both sides of the border will find some laughs and the conclusion does satisfy.

This weekend, The Peanut Butter Falcon expands its theatrical distribution in South Florida. The national box office has been slow for this movie, but it is one of the highest rated movies of the year on Rotten Tomatoes.Com in which both critics and public reaction match by a mere one percent difference.

As dire as recent big screen entertainment has been, both The Peanut Butter Falcon and Tel Aviv on Fire are two life-affirming movies with genuine laughs and warmth.  

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The Peanut Butter Falcon opens tomorrow. This independent sleeper film is an acknowledgement of the American dream. This film contains so many subtle echoes of American cinema and literature, expect media buzz about this filmaround awards season.  

Without a family, Zak (Zack Gottsagen) has Down’s Syndrome and lives in an assisted living facility with his aged roommate Carl (Bruce Dern), a retired engineer. Zak’s caseworker is Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), a sympathetic soul who is trapped within the rigid rules of the assisted living facility. Inspired by Zak, Carl and Eleanor find escapism by watching VHS copies of Southern Wrestling featuring The Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church). 

Across a river, Tyler (Shia LeBeouf) continues his long-standing feud with Crabber Duncan (John Hawkes). A passive aggressive game of tit for tat literally explodes with a dock fire. As Tyler flees for his life, he learns he has a stowaway, Zak, on his little dinghy.

Filmed on the outer banks of Georgia, the narrative for this filmechoes Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pat Conroy’s The Water is Wide and Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Sufficeth to say, The Peanut Butter Falcon is a meandering and leisurely told tale, but one that engages the ticket buyer up until the final image before the credits roll. Despite outrageous situations, itnever loses a human connection.

Not since Chris Burke’s work as “Corky” on the ABC Television Series Life Goes On, has an actor with Down’s Syndrome taken on such a responsible role. With a natural truth, Zack Gottsagen acquits himself as the title character. Despite a wide generational gap of acting schools (from the Actor’s Studio to the World Wide Wrestling League), the ensemble cast provides generous support towards their leading man.

Despite being tabloid fodder, both Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Shia LeBeouf provide transformative performances that may have affected their personal lives in a positive way. Shedding her Fifty Shades of Grey notoriety, Dakota Johnson gives a winning performance. Even the notorious Bruce Dern provides charm as a rebel who is confined to a chair in an assisted living facility.

Every couple of years, there is a motion picture sleeper that awakens the Dog Days of August box office. A roller coaster ride of laughs and tears, The Peanut Butter Falcon is a sharp contrast to the motion pictures on the big screen these days, go see this one for some Saturday matinee popcorn-eating fun!