Change Your Image
W.P.
Reviews
'Gator Bait (1973)
So bad, it's funny
My friend and I rented this film one evening, along with its sequel (which was released 12 years later) in order to have a "bad movie night" of sorts. Well, we were not disappointed. "Gator Bait" is a very bad film, although most of the time it is literally quite harmless. Although Claudia Jennings was included in the cast as the swamp girl presumably because she had been a nude model, there is very little skin to speak of in this film. At times, of course, the filmmakers cross the lines of bad taste and include scenes of strong implied violence that can make you squirm. The only reason it seems out of place here, however, is because most of the film does not follow this violent tone. It is basically the story of a bunch of rednecks who attempt to destroy the swamp girl and her family, who are freeloading in the swamps. It's that basic white-trash dilemma: get offa my property. Luckily, swamp girl (a.k.a. Desiree) and her brother Big T. rise to the challenge. The film was laughable in most parts, and usually quite boring, but it did have one thing going for it: where some "bad" movies are just too horrible to even make fun of, this one lended itself perfectly to the "bad but fun" movie mentality, and my friend and I even named his truck Big T. after one of the characters. The soundtrack consists of warbling banjo music and a hilarious song about Desiree, and just adds to the fun. A good example of a movie that deserves commentary by you and your friends.
Jail Bait (1954)
Film Noir Ed Wood style
Ed Wood is mostly known for his complete ineptness behind (and in front of) the camera in such "bad" film "classics" as "Glen or Glenda" "Bride of the Monster" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space." However, Wood's brief foray into film noir, "Jail Bait", is notable for a few reasons. The first and foremost of which is that it was the first screen appearance of the legendary muscle man Steve Reeves, who was later immortalized in the "Hercules" pictures. "Jail Bait" is a somewhat misleading title, as it is a phrase that usually refers to women who are trouble, more specifically, underaged women who are trouble. In this film that simply isn't the case - the "jail bait" is more the main character's fascination with the underworld. The Rhino Video release of this film is labeled the "director's cut" because it features a short burlesque striptease segment in the place of the original segment which featured a comedian in blackface. Unfortunately, the edit is so poorly executed that it becomes painfully obvious that this "director's cut" was most likely made by the owner of the copyright. The film is just as inept as most of Ed Wood's films, though it is a little more intriguing, as it is set in a less "fictional" environment and features attempts, late in the running time, at plot twists. Plus, lovely international model Theadora Thurman plays the femme fatale (though she's a terrible actress). A necessary rental for Ed Wood or "bad movie" fans, and possibly an educational video on how NOT to do film noir.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Kubrick has done it again
"Eyes Wide Shut" is the best film of '99 so far, and I think it is safe to say that nothing else this year will even come close to equaling its genius. It is not a perfect film by any means, but it is a work of art. It the kind of film that reminds me what cinema was made for. The story and dialogue are so simple, but so cleverly carried out with such care and attention to detail that the very mechanics of a scene with Tom Cruise walking down the streets of New York becomes high art. Of course, what other director could carry this film off with so much care and attention to detail? That has always been Stanley Kubrick's trademark style, and this, his last film, is no different. "Eyes Wide Shut" has the same balance of cold clinical evil set against shallow human beings who are doing their best to stay sane in a slightly askew world as several of Kubrick's other films, most notably "2001: a space odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange." Of course, this film also has shades of the one man's struggle (and eventual release to) sexual perversion of "Lolita" and the satire of human procedure of "Dr. Strangelove." What does this film have that makes it better than other psychological thrillers of the same vein? Well, first of all, Kubrick, the master, is behind the camera, which accounts for the way the movie comes off as a well-oiled machine, performing the same actions just as perfectly no matter how many times you run the program. There are other factors at work here, though. The acting is all top rate, especially the two lead roles. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play a husband and wife facing several physical and mental tests to their fidelity. Kidman shines in the first half of the film as Alice Harford, ex-art dealer and stay-home mother for her child. Cruise's doctor character, Bill, seems not to be the focus in these first few moments, as Kidman takes over the screen with her beautifully timed, intricately spoken and self-assuredly delivered monologues. Soon, however, Kidman disappears as Cruise's character is overcome with jealousy, and sets out on an aimless search of the streets of New York for some sort of way to combat his feelings. Previous to this point, the film had been steadily and laboriously moving forward with great care. Once Cruise begins his adventures into the night, however, suspense and even a sort-of adventure enter the picture, and things start picking up. The middle section of the film played out like "The Catcher in the Rye" for me, with Cruise as the Caulfield character, aimlessly roaming the streets of New York, meeting several contacts, doing anything to keep from having to go home. While I won't reveal the events of Cruise's night out, I will state that it is a series of wide-ranging episodes all dealing with different facets of human sexuality. The episodes range from slightly humorous to downright frightening, and at the end of the night and the beginning of a new day, the real terror begins as Cruise must face the consequences of what he has done, seen and heard. Is the movie perfect? As stated above, no. There are some pacing problems, which only really reveal themselves when Kubrick briefly finds a groove to work in, and then loses it again. This exact same script, in the hands of any other director, may have seemed ridiculous and contrived. But, Kidman and Cruise rescue their main characters from mundanity, and Kubrick rescues the rest of the movie from the same. From the first frame to the last, I was enthralled and completely engrossed in the film. The material itself was mediocre, but the ways in which it was carried out was pure genius. A lot has been made of "Eyes Wide Shut", with few people even having seen it yet. All I can say is that Cruise and Kidman have found themselves in the movie of their careers, and the movie is better for it. I can also say that this film is more than worthy of being known as "Kubrick's final masterpiece." Not pretentious, not without meaning, cold and cynical while still showing evidence of a human heart beneath it all: Kubrick has done it again.