JOHNNY SUEDE
Johnny Suede
D: Tom DiCillo; with Brad Pitt, Catherine Keener, Alison Moir, Tina Louise,
Nick Cave, Samuel L. Jackson.
Miramax Films
DiCillo’s new film, Living in Oblivion (opening in Austin on
August 25??), is the buzz of the indie film world, so for those who like to do
their homework, check out DiCillo’s earlier effort with Brad Pitt as the
indescribable Johnny Suede. Sporting a heavily lacquered pompadour with the
aerodynamics of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Suede’s visual appeal is almost
reason enough to rent this film. Johnny Suede is a loner in search of a
soulmate; a singer in search of a band; a fashion victim in search of style.
Many strange and sometimes inexplicable things occur in this film. Often these
incidents are quite funny; one-liners are thrown out with abandon, and the
characters are all winningly eccentric. While the story itself leaves a little
to be desired (think of an overextended TV episode of Twin Peaks), the
characters truly make the film worth watching. Small parts played by Nick Cave,
Tina Louise, and Samuel L. Jackson pepper the film like jewels. The film’s
narrative develops around the relationship between Johnny and Yvonne (Keener),
a woman who works as a kind of social worker; their love/hate courtship
providing some of the more entertaining scenes. The situation in which they
meet is symbolic of the misunderstandings that characterize their relationship.
This scene’s weird trajectory of events suggests even more the Twin
Peaks similarity, and not just because a midget is involved. Pitt makes a
terrific Johnny, playing the role with tongue-in-cheek bravado. Keener (who
also appears in DiCillo’s Living in Oblivion) is smart, funny, and on
target as Yvonne, a young woman struggling to find a place in her life for a
man with huge hair. Although Johnny Suede lacks a consistently strong
narrative, it is well worth watching for its other elements such as the
characters, the deadpan dialogue, and the Fifties-inspired sets and music. In
addition, Pitt eschews a stunt double and does his own singing, which is an
event in itself. And did I mention his hair? – Alison Macor
Accion Mutante
D: Alex de la Iglesias; with Antonio Resines, Alex Angulo, Frederique Feder,
Juan Viadas, Karra Elejalde, Saturnino Garcia Luminous Film and Video Works.
Produced by art-house fave Pedro Almodovar, the passionately off-beat *Accion
Mutante* marks the debut of Spanish director Alex de la Iglesias (no relation
to fellow countryman Eloy de la Glasia *aka* Agustin Villaronga, who was
responsible the haunting *In A Glass Cage*), whose style clearly follows in the
maniacal tradition of John Waters, Peter Jackson, and (early) Sam Raimi. An
action/comedy/sci-fi/horror epic with all the stops pulled out, de la
Iglesias’s film is set in a unspecified, but presumably distant, future, and
chronicles the exploits of “Mutant Action” – a renegade terrorist faction made
up of a motley crew of “physically challenged” misfits dedicated to waging war
on the so-called “normal” human population. Led by the hideously scarred Ramon,
this crack team of handicapped soldiers sets about on its most ambitious
mission yet, namely kidnapping and ransoming off the virginal daughter of a
rich business tycoon. While this plan more or less goes off without a hitch,
things get (literally) sticky for our heroes when Ramon begins gruesomely
murdering his comrades one by one, in hopes of keeping the ransom money all to
himself. All this mayhem eventually leads to a climax that sees Ramon in a
violent firefight with a virtual army of police, one half of a Siamese twin
(his brother, still joined at the shoulder, is dead) out for revenge, the
hostage falling in love with her captor, her well-to-do father turned into a
suicidal lunatic, and a bunch of bullet-riddled corpses rising up for an
impromptu musical number. An outrageous bit of nonsense directed with style and
gusto by newcomer de la Iglesias, *Accion Mutante* effectively re-interprets
genre cliches in an affectionately crazed manner and more than delivers the
goods for those foreign film fans looking for a fun, hilarious walk on the wild
side. Despite the overall quality of the film, coupled with Almodovar’s
international appeal and generally great production values, it has yet to nab
an “offical” U.S. distributor, making this pan-and-scanned release (the damage
of the compromised 2.35:1 compositions is noticeable) from Luminous, for the
moment, the only game in town. *Accion Mutante* is available at I Love Video’s
Airport location. Call em at 450-1966 for directions.
The Mario Bava Collection: Baron Blood and Lisa and the Devil. D: Mario Bava;
with Elke Sommer, Telly Savalas, Joseph Cotton�Elite Entertainment
Laserdisks��From Elite Entertainment, the enthusiastic new company
who recently blessed us with their wonderful, eye-opening laserdisk set of – DE-
Night
of the Living Dead- DE-
,
comes this exquisite double-feature platter, consisting of two films from
legendary director Mario Bava. When placed together, the pictures in question, – DE-
Baron
Blood – DE-
and
– DE-
Lisa
in the Devil- DE-
,
neatly manage to express Bava’s dual approaches to filmmaking- with the former
displaying the inventive showman who manages to breathe life into what might
have been, in lesser hands, tired genre “product”; while the latter offers up a
portrait of a visionary, taboo-breaking artist in the mold of Roman Polanski
and Alfred Hitchcock. Both movies are dripping with visual style and moody
atmosphere, and while – DE-
Baron
Blood – DE-
provides
a number of chilling sequences and makes for great spooky fun, – DE-
Lisa
and the Devil – DE-
is
a far more memorable picture, filled with the kind of startling, ironic images
and subversive spirit that mark the best of Bava’s films. Beyond their obvious
importance to serious aficionados of the horror genre, these disks also
represent an important first step towards the highly underrated Bava getting a
bit of the respect he so richly deserves. In keeping with the standards of
excellence they have set with past releases, Elite doesn’t stumble in their
presentation, with both films presented (for the first time domestically) in
their uncut versions, looking considerably better than they ever have before,
with Bava’s trademark use of color being a particular joy to witness with such
clarity. Nicely letterboxed at an appropriate 1.85:1, with the addition of
theatrical trailers and, in the case of – DE-
Lisa
and the Devil- DE-
,
a collection of deleted footage, there really isn’t much here to complain
about. One small complaint however, is the virtual ignoring of the troubled
history of – DE-
Lisa
and the Devil- DE-
,
which, while far too convoluted to go into here, suffered from enough severe
post-production tampering to render one of Bava’s most fascinating movies a
laughable, incomprehensible mess. A supplemental section detailing the changes
forced upon – DE-
Lisa
and the Devil – DE-
would
have not only made for some resonant backround information, but would help to
foster an understanding as to why this marvelous film wound up as one of Bava’s
most obscure works. Nevertheless, this thoughtfully affordable set (only
$60.00) is an unquestionably worthy addition to any laserphiles collection, as
well as being (dare I say it) one of the most important releases of this
year.�weigh it’s weaknesses. – DE-
The
Overlook Film Encyclopedia – DE-
has
also produced two other volumes, – DE-
Science
Fiction – DE-
and
– DE-
Westerns-
DE-
,
with a third, – DE-
Mysteries-
DE-
,
on the way. All are rumored to be of the same excellent quality as the – DE-
Horror
– DE-
volume
being reviewed here, and if this is the case, then this is one reader who can’t
wait to indulge in a little more information overload courtesy of editor Phil
Hardy and the fine folks at the Overlook Press.��Broken Mirrors/
Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento�by Maitland
McDonagh�Citadel Press, $18.95��This beautifully and
appropriately titled book (nicely utilizing a line of dialogue from Agento’s
own – DE-
Suspiria-
DE-
),
finds smart fantasy movie critic Maitland Mc Donagh diving head-first into the
twisted landscape of Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento
This article appears in August 11 • 1995 and August 11 • 1995 (Cover).