FREEFALLING THRU THE FUCKERY: SEPTEMBER EDITION

About the heading: Things are Bad, but this is just the Beginning; we haven't even truly started to get into The Bad Times yet - if you're not Hispanic, Palnstinian, a foreign student or a resident alien, you might find that statement slightly laughable & naive. Being an American, that's slightly permissible, since those who aren't MAGA or MAGA adjacent/sympathetic still believe that there is still a chance to turn things around - despite the fact that we've continually squandered every chance given so far.

While America (and specifically Whyte America - because nothing of note actually happens in this country until Pissed-Off Whyte People get involved) does its Hamlet-bit trying to convince itself it still has a soul), it feels like one is just Freefalling Thru The Fuckery until things coalesce into some definite action.

While that slowly happens - I watch movies. I write. At least until I can't do either one or the other.

Or both.

 

Pretty quiet here in August, due to spending the month on production of THE BARD, the next film from Kevin Willmott about poet George Moses Horton. There will be much more on that over the next few months but in the meantime, if you're somewhat intrigued, a good introduction to the subject is the book THE REMARKABLE STORY OF GEORGE MOSES HORTON  POET by Don Tate. Written for children, it should be easily findable in your local library or bookstore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that’s over – now we return to The Real World.

UGH.

In the meantime, Dumb and Evil appears to be having its expected outcome: The Regime not fully striking as much fear as they had hoped in Gen Pop plus having to deal with the Spectre of Jeffrey Epstein becoming a dense psychic fog that is not dissipating at all, as well as the fruits of dismantling the USA starting to manifest.

And like a floater from Hell, Charlie Kirk then takes one for the team, with Mainstream America quite willing to denounce and demonize those who don't really feel all that bad about a propagandist who said that gun deaths were 'a necessary evil' to have the Second Amendment. If anything should be felt about this grifter who had nothing good to say about Women, Blacks or anything/anyone that wasn't White, 'Christian' and Male, it should maybe be a grudging respect that he ended up living out the principle he believed in. 

Yet – a lot of people will get hurt before this is over. Hell, a LOT of people will DIE before this is anywhere close to being ‘settled’. And I’m here watching movies n’ shit.

WTF?!!?

There’s no good answer. At least one that’s going to be satisfactory. And probably something that will be struggled with as long as this bullshit goes on.

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Anyway…

Got copies of 366 Weird Movies Guide, Vols. 1 & 2. Technically, I’m a published author! (In hardback, finally.) Configured as a movie a day for a (leap) year, with Vol. 1 Jan-June and Vol. 2 July-Dec., this’ll make a great resource for film studies and film clubs – anyone who may want to have some curation as to interesting films to watch. If both volumes do well, who knows… maybe another volume or two of 366 Weird Movies Apocrypha Guide.

 

 

You can still check out recent reviews and capsules of films that didn’t make the 366 cut over at the site, as well as the weekly podcast with Greg, Giles, Penguin Pete and assorted guests. I may pop back in soon – and I’ll attempt to be more entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM FREE STATE FESTIVAL 2025 VIA CHEAP BASTARD

 Free State Festival was just this past weekend in Lawrence, KS. If you couldn't make it, here's a taste of what you missed - if you did make it, some reminders of what you saw.

  

FREEFALLING THRU THE FUCKERY: IMPRINT'S THE KEEP, 'DIRECTOR'S CUTS' & EXPECTATIONS

About the heading: Things are Bad, but this is just the Beginning; we haven't even truly started to get into The Bad Times yet - if you're not Hispanic, Palanstinian, a foreign student or a resident alien, you might find that statement slightly laughable & naive. Being an American, that's slightly permissible, since those who aren't MAGA or MAGA adjacent/sympathetic still believe that there is still a chance to turn things around - despite the fact that we've continually squandered every chance given so far.

While America (and specifically Whyte America - because nothing of note actually happens in this country until Pissed-Off Whyte People get involved) does its Hamlet-bit trying to convince itself it still has a soul), it feels like one is just Freefalling Thru The Fuckery until things coalesce into some definite action.

While that slowly happens - I watch movies. I write. At least until I can't do either one or the other.

Or both.

 

 

So Imprint's edition of THE KEEP went up for pre-order this morning and already history seems to be repeating with this possibly selling out even quicker than the Vinegar Syndrome package. What I see happening is a lot more respect for that VS release, which up until yesterday was considered to be an underwhelming POS for not having deleted scenes. The Imprint release just HAD to be Better...

Well, in way it is, but only for hardcore Mann Fans.

The Imprint uses the same 4K restoration and same Theatrical cut as on the Vinegar Syndrome disc.

SAME. THEATRICAL. CUT.
 

There's 4 commentaries on the Imprint: 1) film historians Troy Howarth, Eugenio Ercolani and Nathaniel Thompson; 2) documentarian Stewart Buck, art director Alan Tomkins and photographer Graham Attwood. 
 

The other two are EXTREMELY interesting... 3) F. Paul Wilson (the author of the novel), David J. Schow and Douglas Winter doing a 'previously unreleased' commentary and 4) audio commentary with cast and crew utilizing interview audio from A WORLD WAR II FAIRYTALE archive.
 

And this is indeed 'burying the lead' - this is also the release of the long-awaited documentary A WORLD WAR II FAIRY TALE: The Making of Michael Mann's THE KEEP (aside from the release to Kickstarter donors) which has its own featurettes [interview with Jurgen Prochnow, making-ofs].
It also has the same featurettes as the VS, but adds some new ones (making-ofs from 1983 and video essay) and expands the photo gallery.
 

There's a CD of the 'Official' Tangerine Dream OST and a hardback booklet of essays and a reprint of a Fangoria Magazine article about the makeup effects.
 

But.
 

There's.
 

More!
 

SWAG!!!!!!
Posters, Lobby Cards, reprint of 5 issue comic series, reprint of first draft script - but most of all...
 

YOU GET A CROSS!!!
A replica of the crosses embedded in The Keep walls,  a "heavy, bespoke collector's item" as described on the website.
 

Deleted Scenes? Any of those long rumored deleted scenes in this?
 

Well, no. There IS that alternate ending from the television version on this, finally. But anything like a 'Director's Cut' fabled to exist... Nah. Not here. Never was.

Shit.

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I like a good Disaster Story. More specifically, I like a good Film Disaster Story.

JODOROWSKY'S DUNE. LOST IN LA MANCHA. LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY'S 'THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU'. DEMON LOVER DIARY.
 

They're popular now and I think that's because they allow people to imagine something Better. Whether it's a project that never actually got into production, like JODOROWSKY'S DUNE; or documenting Things Going Drastically Wrong, like the others named. 
 

If that preview cut of THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS ever shows up, after the initial excitement I'd bet there'd be a huge disappointment. Because the finished product can never live up to the legend in people's heads. 
 

That's also been fed by the whole "Director's Cut" cult mindset kicked off by Ridley Scott and BLADE RUNNER in the early 90s and used as an effective marketing gimmick since. ANY 'Extended cut', 'Preview cut' or early assembly is a 'Director's Cut' nowadays, and the two most wanted 'Director's Cuts' that were rumored to exist were for THE KEEP and David Lynch's DUNE.
 

Which, I think we can now safely say is BULLSHIT. COMPLETE BULLSHIT. The Director's Cut IS the Theatrical release in these particular cases.
 

I could understand why, for years, he was pained to talk about DUNE, despite the following it had amdist all the hate. I think that for him, it's a failure - an interesting failure. He did get a lot artistically out of that failure, true... But it's the largest public failure he had up to that time, and I think for him, an artistic one. He had to make compromises early on and in production and he didn't have final cut. What the fabled 4 -5 hour cut that is talked about I suspect was an early assembly.
 

I think that's similiar in terms of THE KEEP; mistaking an early assembly as a fabled 'Director's Cut' There may be elements that still exist, but they're no longer in assembly form. There's a possibility - no way to know until the docu is seen - of including small snippets of scenes but if that's indeed the case, even then no Director's Cut is in physical form.
 

If you're a big fan, then you're gonna get this. Despite there being no Director's Cut - there's enough swag to distract you from that pain.
 

If you got the VS edition, you'll be giving it a lot more respect from here on out. Pick up the Standard Edition later for the commentaries and documentary.
 

Although a commentary track of F. Paul Wilson, David Schow and Douglas Winter giving the film a thorugh roasting is tempting... that's like letting Stephen King do a commentary track on a release of the Kubrick version of THE SHINING. Uncensored and Unfettered. 
 

Damn.
 

Like THAT would ever happen. It's a fantasy.
 

Just like the Director's Cut of THE KEEP...