To the Mattresses Week 5 - Streets of Fire Part 2

Continuing on with the Streets of Fire discussion.   Admit it, you were hoping for more.

Matt: Yeah, I love the sprawling, seemingly endless city, filled with different territories, and strange characters.

And the bar is fantastic. Ooze is right. That sweaty singer looks like he just ran a marathon before hopping up on stage. You know he doesn't smell good. The stripper, by the way, is played by Jennifer Beals' body double from Flashdance, Marine Jahan.

The club/bar/hangout is also the first place we see Dafoe in those terrifying rubber (?) pants.

It's also after the sequence at the bar where the movie takes a style change for a bit, and becomes a Warriors-like journey back across the city to Cody and crew's home turf. Along the way, they face off against crooked cops, meet up with a doo-wop band, and see all sorts of skeezy places.



*admit it, it's awesome, even in a foreign language.

Dan: I'm sure the rubber overalls come in handy for those all night poker games.

And the bus trip reminds me, oddly enough, of The Lord of the Rings. They pick up Dottie from Pee Wee's Big Adventure, the Doo Wop band with Robert Townsend, and basically form a fellowship. But instead of the Armies of Mordor, they fight a gang. 

But all of this pales in comparison to what comes next...

The Sledgehammer fight! Nothing ever committed to film is as cool as this fight. Not even the Roddy Piper/David Keith (or is it Keith David) brawl from They Live.

*my apologies.  I could only find clips of this fight in two parts.  Come on YouTube!





Matt: It really is a great fight. I mean, a gang of bikers on one side; a gang of rifle packing townsfolk on the other, and in the middle, two titans, facing each other the way the gods intended, with hammers. Fantastic.

Dan:  Jesus, maybe it's all symbolism? Is Michael Pare the mighty Thor? Willem Dafoe would most certainly qualify as Loki. I think we're on to something Matt. It's too bad my Norse mythology is completely learned from Marvel comics. You know your shit. Rain some God Talk down upon my mortal head.

Matt: I don't think I've got anything to add on the gods and monsters front. However, as a good closing...

The movie comes screaming out of the 80s with no apologies. It comes from a time when you could solve any problem if you could just rock hard enough. I gather that it was originally planned as the opening chapter of a trilogy, but like several other lost 80s classics (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension immediately jumps to mind), it just never found its audience at the time. It's too bad, but we're left with a gem, made more precious because of its uniqueness. Guns, dames, rock & roll, motorcycles, hammers, and the commanding presence of Michael Pere (and his sweet suspenders). This movie delivers the goods.

Dan: It's an interesting thought that this might have been the opening shot of a trilogy. Perhaps now, with all this new found technology, maybe Walter Hill can get Lucas to do the trilogy for him, if it was "planned all along." I'm sure George can find some sidekick for Tom Cody that's all digital and borderline racist.

But no matter how much I try, I just can't see it as a trilogy. Where would it have gone? Pare's skipped town. Maybe there's some border town that needs cleaning up? Perhaps, but I'd rather leave it to my imagination.  His walking away, or more accurately, driving away,  was the perfect ending.

Friday Night at the Movies Week 5 - Streets of Fire Part 1

Streets of Fire

Directed by Walter Hill

Written by Larry Gross and Walter Hill

Starring Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Amy Madigan, Rick Moranis, Bill Paxton and Willem Dafoe

When it comes to discussing Streets of Fire, I realize it's something I can not, nor should not, do alone.  Within sentences, I'd be reduced to a drooling fanboy, reverting to nothing more than Chris Farley's character from Saturday Night Live.  And no, that would not be "awesome." 

So I've recruited my friend and fellow writer Matt Constantine.  His love for this movie might actually exceed my own.  At the very least, he can claim he owned the DVD first.  So quite possibly that gives him one up on me.

This conversation was conducted over Facebook, with each of us posting a comment, waiting for a reply, then going back and forth.  Perhaps not the easiest way to do this (phone call) but it should have given us each a chance to maintain our composure.  Didn't really work.  Enjoy, and please, comment.

Dan: Is there any better way to start a film? This is the Saving Private Ryan of Concerts. Big biker gang decends upon concert hall and kidnaps the headliner, all on the orders of Willem Dafoe. Where was the security on this place? I realize it's only Diane Lane, but they make her out to be a pretty big deal. I'd think there would be people bigger than Rick Moranis looking out for her.

Matt: Well, Bill Paxton, sporting a rockin' pompadour is in the crowd, so they probably thought they were set. What I enjoy the most is that Dafoe waits till she's done with the song before snatching her. I mean, as far as violent, biker gang kidnappings goes, that's pretty thoughtful.

And it is a great beginning. The music sets the tone of the film very well. A smoky, neon lit Jim Steinman tune lets you know you're in for some over the top 80s madness. And right off, you see the mix of eras, with Diane Lane's very 80s outfit backed up by a 50s looking band. It lets you know you're in for something a little bent.

This was one of the first times I ever saw Willem Dafoe (along with Wild at Heart), and he straight up terrified me. And his reveal, coming out of the shadows, is fantastic.



Dan: I still don't know when the film takes place!

I'm no expert on automobiles, but I'm sure those cars are from the 40's and 50's.

And I like that the film introduced the "villain" before the hero. We know what he's up against before he does. What kind of man can take down an entire biker gang?

Michael Pare, that's who.

His introduction is better than Dafoe's. Sure, he doesn't come skulking out of the shadows, but he makes himself known.  Watching him smack the hell out of the punks in the diner makes me smile every time. It would have been so easy to just punch the guy, but no, he bitch slaps him, many, many times.

Matt: I love the 'non-time' of the film. Much like Brazil, it's set somewhere in the 20th century, but no time in particular. There's even hints of some conflict or war, but which one? Who knows?

To me, the film has always felt like it has a cyberpunk vibe, even though there's no advanced technology or computers. But it captures the spirit, if that makes sense.

And yeah, Pere. The dude just Peres the hell out of ever scene. Smackin' around some two-bit hoods, stealing their car, and going for a joy ride. How awesome is that? "Yeah, I just made you look like a pack of feeps, but I'm gonna cap that off by taking your sweet ride." Nice.

*sorry for the overlap between the two clips. 



Dan: Interesting point about Brazil, as I never would have made that connection. And since I'm not much of a cyber-punk fan, I'd be hard pressed to make sense of that, but I'll take your word for it.

But the real achievement the film had, with me anyway, was making the city a character. From the diner, to the streets, to the industrial wasteland where the gang hangs out. I loved that. I half expected Henry from Eraserhead to step out of the shadows. Instead we get a very strange cameo from Ed Bagely Jr.

And again, the hangout. Loved every second of the scenes where Pere and Amy Madigan infiltrate like agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. From the band, to the, well I guess she was a stripper, to the upstairs card game, it just oozed, well,  ooze. As a kid, I wanted to be bad ass enough to hang out there. I once got my hands on a jar of Vaseline and slicked back my hair, attempting to do whatever the hell Dafoe was doing with his.

This conversation will be concluded tomorrow, as our Michael Pare ass kissing quota was filled for the day. I'll leave you with the thought of a 10 year old me slicking back and sculpting my hair with an entire jar of petroleum jelly.

The Long Con Week 5 - Three from Hard Case Crime

Two to the Chest, One to the Head.

Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips

“No, it’s true. I liked sin. I was praying for a girl who’d, you know, pull the book out of my hands and glasses off my face, even though I didn’t wear glasses, and you know, corrupt me. I thought I was a very serious guy, too, but I was hoping some red-hot mama would come along and make a wolf out of me.”

“And what happened?”

“That’s what happened.”

A failed screenwriter, down to his last few pennies takes the time to listen to a sob story. This girl is pretty, not your typical starlet beautiful, but there is something to her that he can’t resist. She plays it off, not wanting to use her body to get what she wants. She’s done that before, and that’s why she’s in trouble.

She needs a man murdered.

So Ray, the main character, agrees to help. He goes “undercover” and discovers he’s actually a pretty good gangster. He does his own investigation, finds out a few things he shouldn’t, and isn’t quite sure how to get out of it. Bullets might work.

The story is descent, the prose, adequate, but not very quotable. There are some great scenes, especially the slash and burn of the whorehouse. The ending works, although it’s nothing new. I was surprised the writer did not play up the screenwriter aspect, as I was sure it would play into plot.

Good, solid read. I give it One to the Body.


Top of the Heap by Erle Stanley Gardner

Bill put down the magazine. “Now listen, Lam,” he said, “you’re a nice egg, but you’ve got yourself poured into the wrong pan. You’ve led with your chin and you should be smart enough to know that you’re going to make trouble.”

P.I. Donald Lam has given his client, a young man of wealth and privilege, the perfect alibi. Only problem is he doesn’t believe it. He’s got a sneaking suspicion he’s been played for a fool, and if it costs him is job, so be it.

He’s going to climb into a tangled web of lies, scams, and murder, and hope he doesn’t get bitten. And quite possibly, he’s going to get rich along the way.

Lam’s a good character, with brains and brawn to help him along his way. He’s not afraid to blackmail widows, the police, even his own partner, if it’s going to help him. But he’s got honor, and odds are he’ll share the wealth if necessary.

The plot had some twists and turns, and lots of names to follow. It took some close reading to follow along in parts, and actually taught me a few things about shell corporations. Not something I expected.

Another good, solid read. Once again, I give it One to the Body.


Grifter’s Game by Lawrence Block

But I didn’t tast my dinner. I thought about him and I thought about her and I tasted murder instead of meat.

A grifter grabs a strangers suitcase as he arrives in town. He plans on wearing some clothes, maybe selling what he can from his contents. There is more in the case than he bargains for. He discovers who it belongs to, and who she belongs to.

He’ll kill for her, and take her away from the life of desperation she live.

It goes right, and wrong all at once.

Perhaps he’s the one who has been played.

This book was the perfect book to start off the Hard Case line. Written by a Grand Master of Mystery, it rolls along like a freight train, barreling over everything in its way.

Block’s prose is fantastic, natural, yet snapping lines off like hardened criminals. The main character is a natural, believing he’s in control of every situation, yet his obsession consumes him, leading him to make dumb decisions.

And the ending! Perhaps the bleakest conclusion I’ve read since Scott Smith’s A Simple Plan. Just an amazing book. Perfect.

I give it One to the Head.

New Comics Wednesday Week 5 - Fell

Remember a few years ago, when Warren Ellis was going to change the world of comics?  His sixteen page (plus backmatter) comics (at an astounding $1.99) were going to be the perfect piece of disposable pop entertainment.

Well, he was right.  It should have changed the industry, and for the better. Here we are now, constantly complaining of company wide comics that drag on from one event to the next with no end in sight; stories that are padded out to meet the needs of the eventual trade that will most likely be out two weeks after the last issue ships; and most importantly, comics that are $3.99 a pop.

You can only blame yourselves people.  Look at the person in the mirror, and please, deliver a vicious bitch slap to the person looking back at you.

If Fell, and Casanova by Matt Fraction and Ba/Moon,  had sold 100,000 copies, you could bet your copy of X-Force #1 that the big two would have copycatted the hell out of that business model.  Those "second features" that are in those $3.99 books, wouldn't take much to put those out all by there lonesome at $1.99.

But Warren Ellis, the internet Jesus that he is, does not escape blame in this at all.

Where is the next issue of Fell?

Since issue #9 came out, two years ago January, I have seen his name on Ultimate Page Filler, and Astonishing Franchise that Won't Die for months.  (And yes, I know his collaborator Ben Templesmith might also be to blame, but he's been drawing tons of books, and he doesn't have a forum named after him.  Warren is the higher profile of the two.  Hence, blame.)

Yes, I sound bitter and angry, and most likely I'm throwing around blame where it doesn't belong.  There are reasons I cannot even fathom as to why Fell is no longer on my pull list.  To be this upset is silly.  But I don't care.

Fell was the PERFECT crime book.

Dumped in the collapsing urban trashzone called Snowtown, Detective Richard Fell is starting all over again.  In a place where nothing seems to make sense, Fell clings to the one thing he knows to be true...

Everybody is hiding something.

Even him.

Tell me with a straight face that you don't want to read that book?  Give me reasons.

Don't want to spend to much on a new book? It was $1.99

Don't want to get lost in all the continuity that comes with comics?  Each story was self-contained. 

I didn't like Ben Templesmith's art in 30 Days of Night (That was going to be mine)?  It's so much better.  Really.  Check out this page chosen completely at random and marvel at the storytelling.

I'll be done reading sixteen pages in less than five minutes.  That's why there was backmatter folks.  Pages and pages of Warren Ellis rambling about whatever he wished, often accompanied by sketches and research information. 

You had no excuses, until now. 

Only one collection of this book exists.  It included none of the backmatter (which I applauded.  Gives you a reason to buy the single issues.) and only six of the nine issues.  There is always chatter the book will return, but its always vague.  I want something Moses can bring down from the Mount. 

So please, Warren and Ben, bring Fell back. 

And if you haven't read Fell yet, do yourself a favor.  Read it.

The Short Con Week 5 - 100 Words

Something new for this week.

A favorite English professor of mine always like to have us write to start out each class.  A way to get the brain functioning, wiping away from our lobes whatever knowledge we had retained from the previous class, was always the excuse.  I still believe most professors believe with pureness of heart that their class is the only one that matters.

But his class was the one I never skipped. 

Sometimes it was a simple assignment.  Write about what you ate for breakfast, or honest to goodness, what you want for Christmas.  Seriously, he once had us write a letter to Santa for credit.

My absolute favorite quirk of his was the 100 word story.  Once a week, we owed him a story, with beginning, middle, and end in exactly 100 words.  It might not seem that difficult, but I was watching Pulp Fiction every other day at that point.  Try not to be wordy with Tarantino on the brain.

I'm going to start doing that once again.  I'll post a few from time to time.  Here is the first.

BUCKET

He sat at the table, eating my chicken, completely unaware of the man in the pantry.

James was never too observant.

The note on the bucket should have told him not to touch it.

A footprint on the floor that didn’t belong to either of us.

We were not alone. Someone does not sneak into an apartment and hide in a pantry without intent to do us harm.

I knew he was in there, gun loaded, counting the seconds. It would have been easy to warn James as I snuck out the front door.

But he was eating my chicken.

45 Minutes Week 5 - USA Network

How's this for a confession from a television junkie...I don't have cable.  My apartment has tin ceilings, so even before the digital switchover, I didn't even get the free channels. Sure, I could squint real hard, and make out speaking shapes through all the snow, but it wasn't really condusive to quality viewing.   Up until I got my current job, where sadly enough, a great part of my day can involve watching television, I just didn't watch programming on a regular basis.

I didn't miss it all that much.  Sure, I had to be careful reading Entertainment Weekly for those oh so terrible "spoilers," but other than the occasional plot point revelation, it was satisfying to not be in front of the tube at a certain day and time.  It's easy to not be a slave to the box and the corporate honchos who decide that Jay Leno is better than Conan O'Brien.  I have the internet, which should be quite obvious since I am not posting this on a bulletin board in some hallway.  If I want to watch a show, I can check the network's website, wait for the DVD's (which is my preferred option) or heaven forbid, download a torrent.

So you'll forgive the ignorance of the following statement/question.

When the hell did the USA network become so good?

Seriously, this is the same network, that as a child, I watched nothing but wrestling and Kung Fu theater?

Like I said, at work, the television is often on.  Far too hours it's tuned in to VH1 or E!, which means it's easy to ignore.  I couldn't give one giant ass about any of the Kardashian clan, those very classy young men and women from New Jersey, or the umpteenth dating show where one person with herpes gets to date 20 people with the Clap.

But this weekend, the channel stayed on the USA network.  And while I was reading, I couldn't help but notice the variety of criminally based shows it offers.

Sure, I'd heard of Monk.  Tony Shalhoub wins an Emmy every damn year.  And I knew about Law & Order, but it seems of late that USA has really developed some top notch shows.  (It could be that I am falling victim to the constant blurbs that each commercial  bombarded me with, but what can I say, advertising works.)  And it seems I've got some DVD's to add to netflix.

1. Burn Notice.  I remember the lead guy from Eastwood's Changeling, and the girl looks vaguely familiar, like she might have once fought He-Man, but the real draw for this show is Bruce Campbell and his Amazing Chin.  Spies are always fun, and a spy helping others is intriguing.



2. Psych. A fake psychic?  Aren't they all?  I kid, but I love the concept of this show.  Most psychic con artists are just very observant.  This show makes use of that talent.  And it has Dule Hill, from The West Wing.



3. In Plain Sight.  I've been a sucker for the witness protection every since I saw Steve Martin's My Blue Heaven.  Other than that, I really know nothing else about the show. 



4. And the newest addition to their lineup, White Collar.  Not exactly the most original idea, a con man helping the government, but this show wins the prize for finding something interesting to do with a Saved by the Bell cast member.  Sorry Mario, but hosting Miss America does not count.



*The preceding message was not brought to you by the USA network, no matter how many times I mentioned them by name.  Seriously, I am not on their payroll, though monetary offers would be accepted, and are actually encouraged.  I can be bought off.  Cheaply.  Throw in DVD boxed sets, and I'd settle for less than three figures.

Cover of the Week Part 5

Courtesy Argosy Communications, Inc

Again, the ability to give proper credit has stymied me.  +10 Guile points to anyone who can help me with the artist.