So I caught another 20 flicks in February; at this rate, I’ll see about 300 movies this year! Anyway, caught a wide variety of flicks last month, several of which qualify as among the worst I’ve seen in a while. One film stood way, way out among this motley collection.
Best of the Bunch:
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) Finally, someone made a movie about Fred Hampton! And it’s fantastic! Hampton has been a hero of mine since I wrote an essay about his murder for my Black Radicals class at UCSB in the late 80s. I’ve always been aghast at how his story has been pretty much swept under the rug (along with most of the actual history of the Black Panthers, I might add). This incredible film goes a long way toward correcting that. It’s anchored by a pair of great performances, headed by Daniel Kaluuya’s mesmerizing turn as Hampton. From the first time you see him speaking to a crowd, declaring, “I don’t need a microphone,” Kaluuya channels the charisma and power that caused the FBI to fear Hampton’s growing influence. You believe this is a man that really could unite a “Rainbow Coalition” and change society. Maybe even better, though, is LaKeith Stanfield as Bill O’Neal, the “Judas” who served as an FBI informant and ultimately ended up helping set up Hampton’s murder by federal authorities. Stanfield delivers one of the best performances I’ve seen in ages, perfectly portraying Gates’ rock-and-a-hard-place dilemma and his absolute ambivalence about what he’s being coerced into doing. He channels the pain, frustration, and confusion of the situation O’Neal found himself in so well that you really do feel bad for the guy despite his often despicable actions. Everybody is at the top of their game, frankly, from Dominique Fishback as Hampton’s lover Deborah Johnson to Jesse Plemons as O’Neal’s morally compromised FBI handler. This is a powerful, important film that tells a story that’s been forgotten for far too long.
Other high- and lowlights:
Piranha (1978) A fun, low-budget riff on Jaws, written by John Sayles of all people and directed with fantastic b-movie panache by a young Joe Dante. Basically, a bunch of ultra-deadly piranha bred by the government get loose and wreck havoc down the length of a river. Needless to say, there’s a kid’s summer camp and the grand opening of a water park along that very same river. Bloody chaos and a very environmentally-dubious solution to the piranha problem ensue.
Chandler (1971) One of the worst, most unendurable movies I’ve seen in a long time. Warren Oates is wasted as an aging private eye who’s hired to protect government witness Leslie Caron. Or something. The flick is an unfathomable mess with a plot that is either a) super-complex or b) non-existent. Honestly, Chandler is so bad I can’t even tell you which. So boring. So confusing. So pointless. At one point, Oates spells his character’s name to someone over the phone, saying, “Chandler, with an R. Like Raymond.” Not quite.
The Swarm (1978) This terrible disaster flick boasts one of the most ludicrously overqualified casts in history: Henry Fonda, Michael Caine, Olivia de Havilland, Richard Widmark, Lee Grant, and Fred MacMurray are just some of the screen legends seen here fleeing from some insanely violent ‘killer bees.’ These bees can take down helicopters! Anyway, the best bit is a silly chat between ‘bee scientist’ Caine and ‘army general’ Widmark. When Widmark worries that the bees will demand vengeance for their fallen bee comrades, Caine asks if he’s attributing human thoughts and emotions to bees. Widmark angrily responds, “I always credit my enemy, no matter what he may be, with equal intelligence.” Touché!
The Conqueror (1956) This would just be your run-of-the-mill, racially insensitive mid-50s adventure flick if it weren’t for the tragic and hilarious casting choice at its heart: John Wayne as Genghis Khan. Even in the midst of a wildly whitewashed cast (Susan Hayward as a Tartar princess…), Wayne’s insanely off-key performance stands out as one of worst I’ve ever witnessed. Watching Wayne deliver flowery, terrible, George Lucas-style dialogue in his familiar cowboy drawl provided some of the funniest moments of the month.
The Complete List for February (first-time viewings in bold)
2 Champions of Shoalin (1980; Chang Cheh)
Atlantic City (1980; Louis Malle)
The Baron of Arizona (1950; Samuel Fuller)
Chandler (1971; Paul Magwood)
Coffy (1973; Jack Hill)
The Conqueror (1956; Dick Powell)
E.T., the Extraterrestrial (1982, Steven Spielberg)
Fitzcarraldo (1982, Werner Herzog)
Friday Foster (1975; Arthur Marks)
Gil intoccabili (aka Machine Gun McCain) (1969; Giuliano Montaldo)
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021; Shaka King)
The Killer That Stalked New York (1950; Earl McEvoy)
Out of the Past (1947; Jacques Tourneur)
Piranha (1978; Joe Dante)
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960; Budd Boetticher)
The Swarm (1978; Irwin Allen)
Tepepa (aka Blood and Guns) (1968; Giulio Petroni)
Una lunga fila di croci (aka A Hanging for Django; No Room to Die; A Noose for Django) (1969; Sergio Garrone)
The Wind and the Lion (1975; John Milius)
Wu Tang Clan: Of Mics & Men (2019; Sacha Jenkins)
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January 2021
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