CRUISING / INTERIOR: LEATHER BAR

Al boogies in  the gay bar 

CRUISING (1980). Director: William Friedkin.

INTERIOR: LEATHER BAR (2013). Director: James Franco; Travis Mathews.

Steve Burns (Al Pacino) is assigned to go undercover in the gay leather milieu to see if he can get leads on whoever is murdering the patrons of these bars. Burns feels uncomfortable in his assignment, but his superior (Paul Sorvino) talks him into continuing. Burns seems to have caught the killer when another murder occurs .... Modern-day viewers may wonder what the fuss was about when they look at this through 21st century eyes. But in 1980, decades before LBGT sections on Hulu and Netflix, there weren't that many films about the gay lifestyle, and it was enraging that the best that two major filmmakers (Pacino of The Godfather and Friedkin of The Exorcist)  could come up with was this mediocre slasher film that exploited the gay community, presenting one-dimensional characters to be slaughtered. Most of the film's opponents (which included this critic and activist) didn't object to the movie exploring the gay s & m scene (which was always more about role-playing than anything else) but to its complete failure in any way to positively illuminate that scene aside from sexual activity. While Cruising is well-produced, with a lot of atmosphere due to James Contner's cinematography, and Pacino's performance is okay, it is a much less effective* "slasher" film than, say, the original Friday the 13th,which came out the same year. (Friday the 13th was also much more influential, and while also excoriated by critics, made a lot more money than Cruising.)

Seen today, how is the movie? Well, it's still mediocre, not only due to its exploitation of gay men but to its penny dreadful script. Its use of multiple maniacs (which is apparent once you try to figure out who the killer is) only makes the pic much more confusing than it needs to be. Then there's that ridiculous early sequence where we see two men clad half in leather and half in drag -- like that ever happens (except maybe on Halloween)! At one point Burns expresses sympathy for a gay suspect beaten by police (in an utterly ludicrous sequence that was supposedly based on fact), which makes the implied ending more ridiculous. (This suggests that Burns murdered his friendly gay neighbor as the character did in the crappy source novel)  There's no point in trying to figure out who the different murderers are because it's clear that -- while Friedkin today tries to make it sound like he had some master plan all along -- the movie is simply badly structured and edited, a sloppy hack job in every sense of the word. Friedkin and company could have made a much more positive (and coherent and fascinating) film while remaining true to its thriller/slasher origins. 

One of the cast members of Interior: Leather Bar

And now we come to Interior: Leather Bar, a silly documentary made by actor James Franco and Travis Mathews. The idea was to recreate the supposedly lost forty minutes cut from Cruising that presented more raw footage from the backroom gay bar scenes. The reality is that only a few minutes have been recreated; most of the film is about actor Val Lauren's discomfort in being associated with the project. In some sequences he looks like he'd rather be anywhere else than in this movie. There's at least one gay sex scene, and James Franco admirably talks about why it's unfair that such scenes are often suppressed in major theatrical movies, which is not the case with straight sex scenes. The whole idea of this movie seems to be to get a group of both gay and straight actors in a room and have them interacting in a homoerotic manner, but I get the impression this is more about the filmmakers' fantasies than anything else. One can imagine this is one way the recognizable Franco can be in a gay bar without actually being in a gay bar!

[*Friday's shock/murder scenes are better handled, the film has more suspense, as much atmosphere, and its characters are no less dimensional than Cruising's. In addition, the movie's victims aren't members of a persecuted and marginalized community, unless you think camp counselors are a minority group.]

Verdict: Cruising: **1/2.
              Interior: Leather Bar *1/2.

SORCERER

Truck with nitro on rickety -- to say the least -- bridge

SORCERER (1977). Director: William Friedkin.

Jackie Scanlon (Roy Scheider) participates in the robbery of a parish during which a priest is shot, and the priest turns out to be the brother of a mafia bigwig. In France banker Victor Manzon (Bruno Cremer) learns that he is probably going to prison and the only man who can help him commits suicide. These two men and others wind up working in South America under fairly miserable conditions, and are desperate for money to go somewhere else. An opportunity arises when the oil concern needs volunteers to drive two trucks full of nitroglycerin for many miles over dangerous terrain to deliver to the oil well, with a big pay-off for those who survive. Sorcerer is a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages of Fear, and is generally well-done, if not exceptional. The movie pulls you in even though its characters are hardly sympathetic, and the gritty and atmospheric details help make the trip compelling. The film's main strength lies in excellent, harrowing [if somewhat improbable] sequences in which the trucks have to somehow maneuver their way over shaky bridges on the verge of falling apart and spanning rushing waters. [Oddly, one scene in which a deadly explosion occurs is sort of thrown away.] There is some forgettable music from Tangerine Dream when Sorcerer cries out for a rousing, dramatic score, which probably would have made it a much more successful picture on every level. [Even Hitchcock knew the value of a good musical score, and Friedkin is no Hitchcock.] The actors give it their all, and the photography is top-notch, although there are times the somewhat documentary-style approach results in some disjointed editing and an occasional slapdash look. Friedkin wrote about his travails making the picture in his book The Friedkin Connection.

Verdict: Not entirely satisfying, but often quite gripping. ***.

KILLER JOE

Matthew McConaughey

KILLER JOE (2011). Director: William Friedkin.

"Who would like to say grace?" -- Joe

This latter-day film from the director of The Exorcist is based on a play by Tracy Letts, who also did the screenplay. Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) owes thousands of dollars to bookies who are threatening him with death and disfigurement, so he hatches a plan -- with the full approval of his father, Ansel (Thomas Haden Church), virginal sister, Dottie (Juno Temple), and stepmother Sharla (Gina Gershon) -- to hire a hit man to murder his hated mother. The hired gun they choose is a West Dallas detective known as "Killer Joe" (Matthew McConaughey), who insists on being paid $25,000 up front. When Chris tells him that they can only pay him after they get his mother's insurance money, Joe demands a retainer -- Dottie. No one gives him any argument. Of course, things don't quite work out the way everyone thinks they will. Killer Joe is a well-made and well-acted black -- very black -- comedy that leads up to some disquieting, but hardly unexpected, violence. Ever since the relative success of Pulp Fiction, we've gotten all sorts of movies in which the characters are all complete low lives, and this is just another one, although it holds the attention for the most part and has some riveting sequences. Gershon is excellent, and Smith and Temple do the best they can considering the material. McConaughey seems miscast at first, but he quietly etches a disturbing portrait of simmering and slithering evil. Church seems like just a variation on the idiot "Lowell" that he played on the sitcom Wings; in fact, the whole movie resembles a particularly dark sitcom with violence. An unpleasant aspect of the movie is that at times it seems like little more than an excuse to brutalize women. A fellatio scene involving a piece of chicken seems dragged in for no good reason. This probably worked better on the stage, but Eugene O'Neill it's not. You forget it as soon as it's over. Friedkin and Letts also collaborated on another adaptation of a Letts' play, Bug, but based on this I'm not in such a rush to see that.

Verdict: Has its moments, but not every play needs to be immortalized on film. **1/2.

THE FREIDKIN CONNECTION A Memoir by William Friedkin

THE FRIEDKIN CONNECTION A Memoir. William Friedkin. HarperCollins; 2013.


Back in the seventies William Friedkin was the well-known bankable director of such highly successful films as The Exorcist and The French Connection. Friedkin admits that he let it all go to his head, made many wrong choices, and often treated people terribly. “When you are immune to the feelings of others,” he asks right at the start, “ can you be a good father, a good husband, a good friend?” Well, why would anyone want to spend a couple of hours reading the memoirs of an admitted self-absorbed jerk who isn't exactly one of the Giants of Cinema despite a couple of well-known movies? Well, there are several reasons. This is a must read for aspiring directors who need to know just how Hollywood works and the business of filmmaking and how it often interferes with the art of cinema. Friedkin lived through it all, and has plenty of info and anecdotes to deliver to those seeking a career in this wonderful and crazy profession. Other readers will appreciate the inside look at Hollywood and the behind-the scenes struggles of making a couple of famous movies, whether or not they are among their personal favorites. You are taken inside the mind of a typical director, understanding his struggles and attitudes, how he agonizes over casting choices, picking just the right cinematographer, and a dozen other things that can severely affect how a movie will work out and how it will be received by critics and public. Friedkin never thought Gene Hackman was really delivering for him while filming The French Connection and relates how the actor just didn't like and couldn't relate to his character. You'll learn how a bit actor in The Exorcist became a murderer whose horrible exploits inspired, in part, Freidkin's excoriated film with Pacino [with whom he did not relate at all], Cruising. [He also directed The Boys in the Band.] Later on Friedkin became a director of operas, despite the fact he had never been to the opera! Friedkin mostly stays away from his personal life, which probably wouldn't interest most readers anyway, but is honest about his reduced standing in the industry and the affect in status of simply growing older. This is well-written and very entertaining.

Verdict: A good bet for film enthusiasts and a must-read for aspiring directors. ***1/2.

 

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Gene Hackman in a scene with Eddie Egan, the real "Popeye"

THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971). Director: William Friedkin.

The book "The French Connection" was a non-fiction account of New York City cops busting a big heroin racket with ties to France, focusing on two of those cops [although many were involved]: Eddie "Popeye" Egan and Sonny Grosso. In this film version of the book the names were changed and Egan was cast as his own boss (Grosso also has a small role). Gene Hackman, who doesn't seem that much like a NYPD officer, got the role of Doyle while Roy Scheider was cast as his partner, Russo. Amazingly Hackman won an Oscar, as did the film and Friedkin for direction. The main problem with the movie is that it has hardly any plot or characters. Neither Doyle nor Russo nor anyone else are that dimensional in Ernest Tidyman's screenplay, so all we're left with is action, and not enough of it. The stand-out scene is a well-executed frantic chase between a hit man on an elevated subway, which he takes control of, and Doyle careening below following him on the street in a car. The movie has no humanistic touches, nor any memorable sequences aside from the chase. It begins well, with another chase sequence, holds the attention, and looks good for the most part as we are taken to beautiful settings in Marseilles and grubby streets in Brooklyn and Manhattan. While The French Connection was never a masterpiece, there have been so many, grittier cop-and-drug themed movies and TV shows since then that whatever edge it once had has been blunted. Considering how little really hard acting is required of the part in this story, Egan -- who became a professional actor although never on the lines of, say, Edward G. Robinson -- might as well have been cast to play himself. Oh, yes, the film has a racist hero who utters the "n" word even though he works with brave black undercover agents. Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco and others are fine in underdeveloped supporting roles. The story was continued in John Frankenheimer's French Connection 2.

Verdict: Popular but over-rated crime thriller. **1/2.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN -- AND CONTEST ANSWERS

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We've got a round-up of horror-related movies, TV shows, and books this week.

To my great surprise, no one came up with the correct answers for The Exorcist Blu-Ray giveaway.

Here are the answers: Jack MacGowran, who played Burke Dennings, also appeared in the British monster movie The Giant Behemoth as the paleontologist, Dr. Sampson. The connection between Behemoth and the original King Kong is that famed special effects man Willis O'Brien worked on both pictures.

William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, helmed two controversial films that dealt with aspects of the gay community: The Boys in the Band in 1970 and Cruising with Al Pacino in 1980.

Abby was the 1974 "blaxploitation" film inspired by The Exorcist. It was directed by William Girdler.

FREE NEW EXORCIST BLU-RAY CONTEST

WIN A BRAND NEW SHRINK-WRAPPED BLU-RAY OF THE EXORCIST:

* Both the original theatrical version and the extended director's cut.

* Hi-Def presentation.

* New 3-part documentary on the movie's production and legacy with new, never-before-seen set footage.

*38 page collector's book.

*And more.

This Blu-Ray set is now available in stores or direct from Warners. Courtesy of Warner Brother's, I'll be awarding one copy of this Blu-Ray Exorcist set to the first person who emails me at tawses67424@mypacks.net -- do not leave answers in the comments section -- with the correct answers to the following questions:

1.) One of the actors in the supporting cast also appeared in a monster movie that had something in common with the original 1933 King Kong. Name the actor, name the monster movie, and name what it has in common with King Kong.

2.) Exorcist director William Friedkin also helmed two controversial movies that dealt with aspects of the gay community, made ten years apart. Name the two movies.

3.) What was the name of the 1974 “blaxploitation” film inspired by The Exorcist and who directed it?

There can be only one winner as I have only one copy of The Exorcist Blu-Ray set. The contest will end either a.) as soon as someone comes up with all the correct answers or b.) on Sunday October 24th at midnight Eastern Standard Time. If no one comes up with the correct answers in that period, no prize will be awarded. [I will post the answers when the contest is over. Please understand that I may not be able to respond to every email.]

Sorry, this contest is only open to United States residents.

Good Luck!

THE EXORCIST

THE EXORCIST (1973). Special Edition DVD with extra footage. Director: William Friedkin.

Although billed as “the scariest movie ever made,” I have never found The Exorcist to be especially chilling (although the novel did give me the creeps). There had been many movies of demonic possession made before The Exorcist, but William Peter Blatty's novel and Friedkin's film version took such stories out of haunted castles and ghostly manors and placed one in prosaic, sun-lit Washington D.C. -- and made the possessed person an innocent little girl who not only acts differently but looks different as well. [In fact, that is one major flaw in this movie among many. Even when we take into account that medical science is at a loss to explain what has happened to Regan (Linda Blair), I can not believe that any mother, seeing her child covered in suppurating sores and turning green and nasty, wouldn't insist she be placed in a hospital with around the clock care!] The reason why the novel worked better than the film is that the movie is simply too literal. It's one thing to read about what happens to Regan, quite another to actually see her ramming a crucifix you-know-where and all the rest. In fact, at times The Exorcist turns into a vulgar burlesque of a horror movie, just as silly as the endless imitations that followed in its wake (such as Abby). At the same time, the story remains fascinating (but only in an unbelievable 'horror' fashion) and some of it is quite well done and generally well-acted (although Jason Miller, who is otherwise fine in the movie, shows absolutely no reaction to Regan's appearance when he enters her bedroom!) The good performances of Ellen Burstyn, Lee J. Cobb, and others certainly help. Jack MacGowran is excellent in the small role of the drunken director, Burke Dennings, whom Regan/Pazuzu throws out her second story window. Kitty Winn, who plays Burstyn's assistant, co-starred with Al Pacino in The Panic in Needle Park (and was superb), but, sadly, faded out into small parts like this thereafter. Of the new footage included in this edition, Regan's walking down the stairs backward like a scuttling crab is effective but perhaps they thought it looked too comical. The opening sequence with Max von Sydow (rather wasted in this part) seems rather slow. Despite my many quibbles, I have to say that The Exorcist is a good, entertaining flick and was – for better or worse – highly influential. Friedkin continued his examination of the transferal of evil in – of all things -- his film version of Cruising with Al Pacino.

Verdict: A mixed bag but entertaining. ***.

EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS

EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood. Peter Biskind. Simon and Schuster; 1998.

To the sub-title of this book could have been added the words “and destroyed themselves in the process.” This excellent book studies the lives and works of the major directors who came into their own in the seventies and afterward, when directors and not the studios seemed to become the prime power in Hollywood. The directors – Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, William Friedkin, Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby, Bob Rafelson, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert Altman and others – are depicted as being just as egomaniacal and domineering as any movie star – in fact, they come off as a bunch of major assholes. Biskind chronicles how Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider began a youthquake in Hollywood that tried to capture the waning audience by making films that were hip and irreverent, full of sex, drugs and violence, and once in a while achieved quality. It also documents how many of the decade's most famous directors imploded on their own egos and self-destructed on drugs and alcohol. [In one of the book's funniest anecdotes we learn how Dennis Hopper stopped mixing his gallon of rum a day -- he also imbibed several beers and consumed drugs daily -- with coca cola and switched to rum and cranberry juice because he thought it would be healthier for his liver!] Directors such as Friedkin and Bogdanovich became so successful so soon that they believed their own publicity and thought there was no production that was beyond them, no idea they couldn't turn into a money-making Oscar contender [boy, were they wrong!]. Some of the people give very frank interviews to Biskind, and – surprisingly – put the blame squarely where it belongs – on themselves. Just about everybody agrees that most of today's movies – sequels, prequels, remakes, and big-screen adaptations of awful old TV shows -- stink.

Verdict: A riveting read. ***1/2.