Posts Tagged ‘Charles Willeford’

podcast alert: The Projection Booth on THE WOMAN CHASER

Saturday, November 26th, 2011

tn_womanchaserIf you read me alot you’ve probly seen me rambling about my love for the writer Charles Willeford now and then. He’s the guy that wrote the books of COCKFIGHTER and MIAMI BLUES and also one I love called The Burnt Orange Heresy that Neil Labute is supposed to be doing, although I don’t see how it would work as a movie. (It’s about a sociopathic art critic, told in first person, and he thinks he’s the good guy.) Back in 2005 I reviewed the little-seen gem of a movie version of THE WOMAN CHASER. Since then I read the book and respect the movie even more because it’s a very faithful and well done adaptation, but I rarely run into anybody who’s even heard of it.

So I was surprised and excited by the new WOMAN CHASER episode of Mike (not the guy who did CHUCK AND BUCK) White’s The Projection Booth podcast. He talks about the movie and interviews director Robinson Devor (who went on to do the acclaimed horsefucking documentary ZOO), executive producer Joe McSpadden and star Patrick Warburton. Since I knew very little about the making and even release of the movie this was really enlightening. Among other mysteries it explains why to this day it’s only been released on VHS.

I should probly cast more of these episodes into my pod. Of the ones I’ve listened to I would recommend the interview-heavy look at THE WARRIORS and especially their excellent ROBOCOP episode. I was impressed by the interviews with Ed Neumeier and others, and also by the use of ROBOCOP related novelty songs between segments. And wait a minute, Monte Hellman shot which scenes!? That episode turned my world upside down.

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Cockfighter

Thursday, July 6th, 2006

Well when you want a good sports movie you go to Monte Hellman, the fellow who also did the great racing movie Two Lane Black Top and Silent Night, Deadly Night 3. Now I know some of you from the title, you’re gonna say, “Oh, Vern’s reviewing a gay porno” but no, it’s about chickens.

I don’t know if you are familiar with cockfighting, cock is a term for rooster and what they do, they put two roosters in a circle and have them fight each other. Sometimes they put little metal hooks on their legs to make them more deadly. You know, it is basically like the dog fights we have up here but this is what they do in the south, because chickens are more readily available I guess.

I know what you’re thinking, chickens are pussies compared to dogs. But they’re not. I mean you should see these fuckers fight. The feathers on the back of their neck stick up like a cobra and they just start tearing into each other. I mean it’s creepin me out.

You probaly remember the actor Warren Oates, from Alfredo Garcia. He’s not the guy from the singing group Hall and Oates, he is an actor. Well here he plays an individual so dedicated to his sport of cockfighting that he has taken a vow of silence. In a flashback you find out that he lost one of the big derbies because he was shooting his mouth off about how great his rooster was, until Harry Dean Stanton challenged him to an off-the-record match in a hotel room. Of course, his bird was killed and he missed his big chance to win the Cockfighter of the Year medal which all young boys dream of getting when they grow up. So from that point on he stops talking in order to protect his career.

So the movie is kind of like any other sports movie, except with cockfighting. Warren takes on a new partner, he buys and trains new birds, he enters big matches. He has his old arch rival harry Dean Stanton stirring up trouble and marrying his old girlfriend. There is one guy who tries to cheat but they catch him and beat him up. There is an armed robbery. (more…)

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Miami Blues

Saturday, January 1st, 2005

I don’t know if you guys have ever heard of this one. It’s a weird crime movie starring Fred Ward as a cop with fake teeth, Alec Baldwin as a crook who steals his teeth, and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Baldwin’s dumb hooker turned naive fiancee.

From the cover you’d assume this is just some boring cop movie, so you’ll just have to take my word for it that it’s something completely unique. Or don’t take my word for it. Let me explain to you a little bit about the plot, and see if that waxes your mustache.

See, Alec Baldwin (back when he was young and skinny, and made the gals swoon) gets off a plane in Miami, steals somebody’s luggage, and heads for the exit. At the bottom of an escalator he is approached by a hare krishna, who asks him what his name is. He says, “Trouble,” breaks the guy’s finger, and leaves.

So far he’s a petty crook, and kind of an asshole. Or maybe hare krishnas killed his father, I don’t know. The point is, breaking a guy’s finger for trying to push his religious beliefs on you is not usually a big enough crime to be the center of a movie plot. But we find out later that being a sensitive peace loving religious dude, the hare krishna went into shock after the attack and died. Of a broken finger. And maybe a broken heart. So that’s where Fred Ward, the homicide detective, comes in. He’s gotta find the perp, and even he doesn’t take it that seriously (him and the other cops laugh about the murder) but it’s a job, you know. (more…)

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The Woman Chaser

Saturday, January 1st, 2005

Here’s one of those small time, low budget independent movies you never really heard of, because it never really caught on. This one’s not even on DVD, and I think it’s out of print on VHS. Made in 1999 and with no recognizable faces except the star, Patrick Warburton, that big deep-voiced goofball I guess was on Seinfeld.

The twist is, this movie is pretty good. This is one of the rare independent rookie movies that remind you why you try watching all the other ones – ’cause you’re hoping you’ll find one of these ones. I picked it up because it’s one of only a handful of movies based on books by Charles Willeford, the writer of COCKFIGHTER (book and movie) and MIAMI BLUES (book only). I haven’t read this book but seeing the movie, I’m betting it’s a great one.

The book was written in 1960, which seems about when the movie takes place. It’s shot in black and white with a real retro feel and score. Mr. Warburton plays Richard Hudson who starts out the movie “stealing a used car lot” next to the Capitol Records building, taking over an “Honest Al’s” franchise but hiring a manager to sell his cars for him. But he’s real bored with life. And he decides that if he’s going to be happy he must make one powerful creative statement. He chooses the medium of the motion picture, and uses the skills of his washed up movie producer stepfather to make it happen. Oh, and also $40,000 embezzled from the car lot.

The movie definitely has a noir feel, and most of the story is told with voiceovers. But it’s hard to say it’s exactly a crime movie. He’s technically committing some crimes, that’s for sure, but it’s not your usual robbery and murder type crimes. This is more a movie about making a movie, like ED WOOD or LIVING IN OBLIVION or that type of thing. (more…)

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