"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural Causes."

I know I'm not alone in this but Repo Man was such a strange film to me. It was one of the few on our list of movies to watch that I had never heard of and I was excited to see it. Our discussions in class about these types of films were interesting. This whole idea of 80's movies moving in a different direction of style over substance, where it completely had to do with image and the rest didn't really matter, intrigued me. But when I saw Repo Man I wasn't the least bit intrigued. It wasn't a horrible film but it wasn't a good film either. While interestingly blurring genres (the film has elements of science fiction, comedy, drama, horror, detective, western, and romance) the film was an overall disappointment. I went into it hoping to see another Blade Runner and ended up with another Dude Where's My Car?.

After watching Repo Man a second time I decided that there was absolutely no use in trying to find any hidden meanings or connections. I've come to the conclusion that it is merely a film that celebrates the bizarre, one that tries to entertain us by piling strangeness on top of strangeness. The world that director Alex Cox creates is one without any direction or sense. It begins with a scene where a cop disintegrates after looking into a macguffin of a trunk that apparently is holding four extraterrestrials that look like sausage, and the ridiculousness doesn't stop there. When Otto is sought out and chosen to become a repo man (which is never explained to us why and appears to be due to fate or chance) he is thrust into a world that is even more offbeat than the punk rock, rebellious youth world that we originally find him in. We soon witness a ridiculous, unordinary world that is without consistency and is overtly contradictory, one that rains a hail of ice cubes, contains glowing green cars, and gives lobotomies to people who aren't crazy. At one point early on Bud and Otto are driving and Bud says that he should dress like a detective. Moments later when the camera cuts to two longer shots, the scene goes from daylight to night time and then cuts back to daylight, all during the same conversation. While Bud preaches the moral code of repo men (I couldn't help but think of High Plains Drifter and what Eastwood was doing with moral codes) they snort speed while Bud claims, "Ordinary fuckin' people I hate em."

Repo Man is filled with ridiculous and puzzling characters and settings. All of the characters seem to be in groups and come in and out of the story without any logic or purpose. Characters like Plettschner who isn't introduced but is thrust into the film without warning, Miller who is clearly crazy while he dances and chants like an Indian and says things like "John Wayne was a fag", and Lite whose gun sounds like a futuristic laser pistol when fired, all make up the group that Otto is, at least at first, unwilling to join. Before this we see that Otto's family isn't any more normal as his mother and father sit on the couch smoking a joint, brainwashed by a religious infomercial on their television. The film's settings are equally bizarre. The streets are strangely vacant for being Los Angeles, something I would only guess has to do with production decisions or budget restraints. At one point Otto steals a car from a man inside a laundromat, a place where people casually lay passed out on the ground. The gas station and grocery store are filled with various products that all look the same and are strangely labeled exactly what's inside them. Every box, can, or bottle is almost featureless except for the various labels including "drink", "beer", "food", and "pretzels". This creates a very distinct look and allows the locations to seem as if they are surrounded by collections of words that randomly crash into one another. As it was mentioned in class by professor McRae the 80's were a time of numerous generic goods. I would like to think that the filmmakers are commenting on a particular point in history. But since I refuse to believe that there is really any underlying meaning to this film, I think the filmmakers are simply using the strangeness of this particular image to create something that is in some ways satirical but overall just cool to look at.

The film actually uses music in very interesting ways. Aside from a clever leitmotif of tense, sci-fi horror used during the Chevy Malibu scenes, the filmmakers set up interesting moments where music appears to address different genres and stereotypes. When Otto and Bud first run into the Rodriquez Brothers, the scene quickly turns into a chase sequence where they skid across large puddles of water while surf music is being played. When Otto is first riding in the car with Lite, they eventually turn on music that is clearly satirical as they ride down the rode listening to funk that could have just as easily not been diegetic. But at many points the music just seems strange, adding to this weird and cryptic feeling to which the purpose is unclear (Secret Agent Man in Spanish).



Overall, there’s just way too much to talk about regarding Repo Man. Much like the postmodernist Natural Born Killers, the film is a never ending collage of images that crash and collide, giving film students a lot to look at and potentially analyze. But unlike Oliver Stone’s film, Repo Man doesn’t seem to have a clear message or purpose that would be typical reasons for analysis. One thing that I did enjoy about the film was that Cox was able to successfully create a world that I’ve never seen before. He creates a world where normal activities include shaving people’s heads at work while discussing John Wayne’s sexuality. Where people wear one lens sunglasses at night. Where driving makes everyone more stupid. And where some deaths have no other explanation than that “people just explode”.

"I gots to say na nay no."

Petey Wheatstraw, The Devil’s Son-In-Law… I wish the title were more ridiculous than the film itself but this 1978 movie was one of the weirdest and stupidest films I have ever seen, and I’ve seen some pretty stupid movies. I don’t know how many people went to the library and finished watching the film (I can’t imagine a lot) but yes, the last hour is just as ridiculous, if not more so, than the 30 minutes we saw in class. I wish I could say there was something I really liked about Petey Wheatstraw but I honestly have nothing. For the sake of this blog, I’m going to search for some interesting points and possibly some redeeming value in the film. This should be interesting.

First off, I need to get this out of the way and say that while we were watching Petey Wheatstraw I couldn’t stop thinking about the movie Pootie Tang. Now, I haven’t seen Pootie Tang in a really long time but I remember that it had the same ridiculous and stupid humor as Petey Wheatstraw. Just by watching these clips one can see that it is definitely a film that parodies Petey Wheatstraw and blaxploitation cinema.













The film’s set design and wardrobe is enough to make you laugh and at least stand to watch the film for a little while. The zig-zag patterned carpet in the ambulance and the sequenced outfits were so cheesy. And at the end of the movie when Lucifer’s demons show up in spandex and face paint…oh my god. Not to mention, the film’s racist and sexual content is surprisingly heavy. Towards the end of the film, Petey Wheatstraw has an orgy with like ten other women in a bachelor pad given to him by Lucifer! As professor McRae said, this is definitely a movie we wouldn’t typically see.

Now as much as I really disliked this movie I have to admit that I am interested in this particular genre of films and it’s not because I for some reason have a secret love for over-the-top racist comedy kung-fu movies. I’m interested in these films simply because it is a type of film and being a film major, I feel like I can learn just as much from watching really good movies as I can from watching really bad ones. Not only that though, I think that there is more to Petey Wheatstraw than the poor acting, horrible editing, cheesy cinematography, and stupid stereotypical characters. (By the way I don’t plan on having many people agree with me, and I can truthfully understand why)

What interests me about Petey Wheatstraw and blaxploitation cinema is not necessarily the film itself but rather why the film was made the way it was and what that says about a particular group of people at a specific point in time. No matter how ridiculous a movie is, there has to be some reason for someone to ever want to make it and most times one can find underlying themes or messages. If anything, we can look at Petey Wheatstraw as being a part of film history, specifically African American film. Without these films we probably wouldn’t have seen talented filmmakers like Spike Lee making wonderful and poignant films like Do The Right Thing.

Also, there has to be something about Petey Wheatstraw that has made it stand the test of time. I mean come on we’re sitting in an American Film class watching the movie. Now I’m not going to claim that Petey Wheatstraw is in any way a great piece of cinema. It is technically and creatively a joke. But maybe the filmmakers had to resort to shock value and ridiculous moments in order to get people to actually think about African American lifestyles and issues. If anything I think every once in a while we need films like this to make sure that we aren’t taking everything so seriously. Or at least remind us aspiring filmmakers that we actually have a shot.

Long Live Clint Eastwood

Ok, back when we watched Stagecoach I wasn’t a big fan of westerns. John Wayne just for some reason wasn’t doing it for me. But after watching High Plains Drifter and seeing Clint Eastwood completely transform the way we think of westerns and heroes of the frontier, I have to say that I am not only entertained but compelled by this genre of film.

Before the film began, some of the concepts regarding revisionist westerns both in cinema and overall ideology were brought to our attention. As professor McRae was giving us this information, I found it interesting because earlier that same day in my Cormac McCarthy class professor Parsons was talking about the same ideas relating to McCarthy’s novel Blood Meridian. Not only were the ideas similar but I quickly found that the imagery of the film matched the imagery of the novel. I had my book down on my desk when the opening image of High Plains Drifter came on and was shocked to see that the cover of Blood Meridian was so similar it could have been taken from that screenshot (the horizontal lines of the sky along with the rocky ground on the bottom).

From that point on, I was fascinated by this connection not only between the two classes but between both the novel Blood Meridian and the film High Plains Drifter. Blood Meridian is a western novel that takes place in the mid 1800’s. The story is about a group of men (mixed races but mostly white) that travel across the country scalping both Indians and Mexicans, destroying towns as they go. As Barcley Owens claims, Blood Meridian can be read as in some sense a reaction to the Vietnam War, a time that divides history, making people aware that the heroism of the frontier was a myth. This subject is exactly what High Plains Drifter deals with. In a much less violent and bloody way (I’m actually now interested in seeing Soldier Blue because that seems a lot like Meridian), Clint Eastwood’s character The Stranger is perfectly representative of the members of Glanton’s gang in Blood Meridian. The first scene of High Plains Drifter, we see The Stranger enter a town, eventually killing men and raping a woman. This is almost exactly what happens throughout Blood Meridian and clearly reflects what people were seeing in their own lives. Vietnam allowed people to see the brutal and inhuman actions of American soldiers, leading people to believe that the nationalism and heroism was always only a myth. Blood Meridian and High Plains Drifter are also interestingly connected by their protagonists. They both share an ambiguity about them, clearly represented in the names that each character has. The Stranger is the main character in High Plains Drifter while The Kid is the main character of Blood Meridian.

Moving away from Blood Meridian, we can specifically look at High Plains Drifter for its connections to the Vietnam War and how these connections clashed with John Wayne’s interpretation of the west. Like I said before, when we watched Stagecoach, I didn’t like John Wayne. There was something about him that just screamed fake to me. Not only that, I didn’t find Wayne likeable. I actually found Clint Eastwood’s character more appealing because he seemed like a “real” and original character. There was something about the way Clint Eastwood looked in that movie that screamed not “fake” but “badass”.

I couldn’t believe how much control he had over the townspeople. One of the most memorable scenes of the film for me was when he had the townspeople pain all of their buildings red as he changes their sign from “Lago” to “Hell”. The fact that the film’s setting is renamed “Hell” could very well be connected to our new perception of what American conquest actually is as a result of us being in the Vietnam War. Rather than us seeing a classic and nostalgic western setting that we would see in a John Wayne film, we are seeing a corrupt and “evil” town. When The Stranger first steps into Lago, one could see this as Eastwood’s interpretation of Americans entering Vietnam, eventually killing innocent people and “painting the towns red”.

I really enjoyed what Eastwood did with the western film genre in High Plains Drifter. It is such a huge change from the corny, unrealistic, and frankly false image of the western that John Wayne represented. I recently saw Gran Torino in theatres and I wish I had seen these films and had this discussion before watching it. I can now see that Eastwood has continued to push the way we see the western genre and the classic western hero. He makes as big of a leap with Gran Torino as he did with High Plains Drifter by placing this classic idea and iconic character in a contemporary rural setting which deals with gang violence.

One thing that I really admire about Clint Eastwood is his ability to still be able to make these films even though he is pushing 80 years old. In the article it mentioned that as John Wayne got older, he was no longer able to fulfill his role. John Wayne’s image and iconic character began to suffer and die out with age. Clint Eastwood, now 78, hasn’t lost his edge as he points rifles at kids saying in that everlasting raspy voice, “Get off my lawn.”

"Why don't you pass the time with a game of solitaire?"

The Manchurian Candidate was definitely not what I was expecting. It was without a doubt the most twisted and original story that we've seen this semester. Although some of the other films were out there (White Zombie) this satire was filled with moments that were completely ridiculous as well as heartbreaking. This is a perfect example of a film that was without a doubt ahead of its time. I found myself not being able to concentrate on the technical aspects of the film simply because I was trying to follow the story. The story is surely what makes this film so engaging and a huge reason why it is considered a classic. With it's incredible performances, interesting undertones regarding communism, momism, and behaviorism, and overall engaging plot, The Manchurian Candidate is yet another one of my favorites this semester.

I just wanted to get one thing out of the way before I focus on the main points of my blog. The first thing I noticed about the film was the fact that it was black and white. I wasn't sure why this film was shot in black and white seeing as how color had clearly been established and used by the sixties and this I'm sure was a very huge film at the time. I know that certain films use this technique to create a particular mood or reinforce their message and maybe that's what the filmmakers were trying to do. I'm not certain but my guess would be that it was a stylistic decision that made the movie seem more like it was part of the times, a technique that is used successfully in very few other films (Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove).

With that note aside, I really wanted to focus on the story. Wow! Talk about a movie with so many twists and turns. The sheer number of exciting and memorable moments in this film is somewhat overwhelming. Not to mention, for how serious and sad it was at points, this movie was hilarious. One of my favorite moments of the film was when Raymond's mother, in an attempt to make things easier for her husband to carry out her demands, tells him that there are 57 Americans that have been found to be communist, a number which is triggered by his use of Heinz ketchup (57 varieties) in the scene. I actually found it difficult to distinguish what humor was intended and what we found funny simply because it is nearly 50 years later. Scenes like the karate fight were so over the top I couldn't help but crack up. Even the scene where Raymond kills his new wife and her senator father, although shocking, was somewhat humorous (I mean come on, I heard people laugh when Raymond shot the senator through the milk carton). Once again, I don't know if these particular scenes would've seemed funny back then but they are rather humorous today.

Although some of the more intense scenes could be looked at as being comical, I was surprised at the amount of violence that was in the film. The number of times people were shot in the head (particularly the exaggerated and bloody death of soldier Bobby Lembeck) was shocking. I know before we began watching it was mentioned in class that the film was fairly controversial after the assassination of JFK a year later. But this film had to have been controversial when it came out.

Another thing that really surprised me was the performances, particularly Frank Sinatra's. I can honestly say that he was very very good in this film and I went into it expecting the opposite. I'd never seen any of his films before. I actually don't think I was aware that he acted at all. But his performance was a delightful surprise.

Aside from the wonderful humor and incredible performances, there are so many memorable moments in The Manchurian Candidate. One of my favorite scenes in the entire film was the main “brainwashing” scene where all of the captured American soldiers are being controlled and programmed by the communist leaders. The most interesting part of this scene is how the filmmakers showed the soldiers being brainwashed into thinking that they are sitting in front of a bunch of old women while in reality they are actually being discussed and studied by the military. The scene is perfectly edited, cutting these two completely opposite situations together, forcing us to see things in a particular way much like the communist leaders are doing in the film.

What I found most interesting in the article Kiss Me Deadly: Communism, Motherhood, and Cold War Movies was the section on momism and its relationship to communism in during the Cold War. Before discussing about Philip Wylie, Rogin states that during the Cold War, Truman and his supporters claimed that the communist party "was a secret, international conspiracy to overthrow American government… and its members committed espionage." This idea is what The Manchurian Candidate centers on, with the communist government targeting Raymond and his men to brainwash in order to carry out their wishes.

Along with the brainwashing that is done to the American soldiers in the film, a similar type of brainwashing is done by Raymond's mother to Senator John Iselin. If there is one character that I hated in the film it had to have been Mrs. Iselin. Her character perfectly reflects the ideas that Wylie expressed with his theory of momism.    

According to Iselin, mom "was a self-righteous, sexually repressed, middle-aged woman" that "got men to worship her and spend money on her instead." Mrs. Iselin's dominant and manipulative behavior in The Manchurian Candidate is exactly this type of figure. Many of the films that we have seen so far this semester have discussed, although not always obviously, the role of women in society. The relationship between Mrs. Iselin and Senator Iselin reminded me of Jim's parents' relationship in Rebel Without A Cause. The wife called the shots, at some points even humiliating the husband. Unlike Rebel, there is without a doubt sexual tension between Mrs. Iselin and her son. Rogin mentions the scene in which Raymond's mother passionately kisses her son before the final scene of the film. When I first saw this I felt so uncomfortable, swearing that there was something strange behind Mrs. Iselin's actions.

The question was raised in class if this film was serious or satirical. I think it’s a little bit of both, but I can’t help but lean towards the satirical. There are moments that make this a very serious story such as the killing of numerous people and the tragic death of Raymond Shaw. But everything that happens in this film is so over the top and there are so many quirky moments that take us away from the seriousness and make us feel like we are watching something completely ridiculous. The main reason why I would lean more towards satire is that, while watching the film, I felt the story could have been told in a very serious way but the world was filled with characters and situations that just seemed off. I think that much of this comes from the amount of humor and exaggeration. Every moment where Raymond is led astray due to the queen of diamonds trigger makes us laugh because we know exactly what he’s going through and no one else does. Moments such as when Raymond walks into a lake and when he suddenly marries his ex-lover simply because she was wearing a queen of diamonds costume makes us laugh and allows us to recognize the over the top satire of this potentially serious story.