“I want to know everything about his personal life. Does he frequent those pathetic bars? What other homosexual facilities does he go to? What deviant groups does he secretly belong to?”
PHILADELPHIA screens Saturday, July 1st at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the eighth and final film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
Director Jonathan Demme’s PHILADELPHIA (1993) is a story about the courage of Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks who won his first Oscar for this), who needs to put closure to his life. Of course, he is gay and a victim of AIDS. He has been let go from his job because the higher ups (embodied by Jason Robards) in his firm, filled with misinformation and prejudice, think he will transmit his disease to others. It is. But it was really common when this film was made. Andrew is played to the hilt by Tom Hanks who puts an incredible signature to the role. He obviously studied the disease and its manifestations. I’m aware that some have said that this movie leads to judgment of the gay community, defining by the AIDS epidemic. But, it is my belief, that it took on the issues that were used to persecute these people. Hanks’ character is strong and unyielding, willing to use what is left of his life to fight the forces that are working to crush him. PHILADELPHIA is an excellent film and a great way for Webster University to close out its tribute to Jonathan Demme.
Admission is:
$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty
“You were right. I’m a rebel. I am! I just channeled my rebellion into the mainstream.”
SOMETHING WILD screens Friday, June 23rd at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the fifth film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
Director Jonathan Demme’s SOMETHING WILD (1986) more than lives up to its title. This rolicking, road trip melodrama about coincidences and happenstances features a slippery-fingered bohemian babe, a staid businessman, and a psychotic criminal on the lam. Charlie Driggs (Jeff Daniels) neglects to pay his bill one day, and a complete stranger, Lulu (Melanie Griffith) confronts him about it outside of the restaurant. Afterward, Lulu takes the hopelessly conventional Charlie on a wild ride that concludes with her handcuffing him to a bed in a sleazy motel and tearing off his clothes. Impulse prompts them to careen off with Charlie still wearing the cuffs. Eventually, they collide with Lulu’s ex, a sadistic, uninhibited parolee, Ray Sinclair (Ray Liotta) who epitomizes recklessness.
The first half of the action depicts the lunacy of Charlie and Lulu right down to an impromptu meeting with Lulu’s mother, while the second half waxes conventional with Ray and his criminal exploits. Liotta steals the show with an electrifying performance as an unhinged, gun-toting, ex-convict on parole. He is a force to be reckoned with and shows no qualms of giving into his violent urges. Ray makes a hypnotic villain and the confrontation between Charlie and he at the former’s suburban residence will have you screaming for Ray’s death (or maybe Charlies). The thing about SOMETHING WILD is its unpredictable passion. You don’t have any idea where it is going, even when it turns formulaic during its second half. Having Melanie Griffith running around naked the whole movie doesn’t hurt, but even on that note there’s a weird realistic edge to all the sexuality in the film. It’s unbelievably sexy without being dirty, cliché’, or overdone. So revisit this little gem when it screens Friday night at Webster University.
Admission is:
$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Here’s the rest of the line-up for the other films that will be part of the ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’: 6/24 – Married to the Mob (1988) 6/30 – The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 7/1 – Philadelphia (1993)
STOP MAKING SENSE screens Saturday, June 17th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the fourth film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
STOP MAKING SENSE (1984) is an action-packed concert film… not in the sense of leaping towers of pyrotechnics… but in the way of seeing David Byrne falling back, standing up, shoving lamps, and running around risers, while musicians emerge song-by-song and various backgrounds come and go. Everything is in perfect place for this concert film directed by Jonathan Demme –and, even better, it’s nonstop. There are no minute-long, audience-panning breaks; if one song ends, the next one’s almost there. And, of course, there’s the music. See this one at Webster U and you’ll be treated to some wonderful tracks -from a spastic, minor-keyed “Psycho Killer” to a somehow strangely touching, acoustic “Heaven,” a denser, heavier “Life During Wartime” funkier “Girlfriend is Better,” and the ‘Stop Making Sense’-only track, Big Business. Even the Tom Tom Club number is catchy, if not a bit too light. David Byrne remains his tense, geeky way throughout the entire performance, and the addition of the “Speaking in Tongues” musicians to the touring group packs every ounce of funk they can fit into “Making Flippy Floppy,” “Once in a Lifetime,” and “Burning Down the House.” For the uninitiated, it’s a fine place to start. For Talking Heads fans, it’s a must to see.
Admission is:
$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Here’s the rest of the line-up for the other films that will be part of the ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’: 6/23 – Something Wild (1986) 6/24 – Married to the Mob (1988) 6/30 – The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 7/1 – Philadelphia (1993)
“No one seems to love or understand me. Oh what hard luck stories they all hand me”
MELVIN AND HOWARD screens Friday, June 16th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the third film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
Paul Le Mat is an average Joe named Melvin E. Dummar in MELVIN AND HOWARD (1980) an effective combination of drama and comedy from director Jonathan Demme. Melvin often finds it difficult to make ends meet, no matter what line of work he’s in. Then, one day, it seems as if his luck might change. A stranger leaves on his desk a will proclaiming Melvin to be one of 16 heirs to the fortune of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. Once upon a time, Melvin had given a lift to an aged, decrepit looking individual (Jason Robards) who claimed to be Hughes. The two sang ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ to each other and then remarked about the scent of sage and greasewood in a scene both touching and humorous. All of a sudden Melvins’ ordinary life isn’t so ordinary anymore, and he even has to go to court to affirm that he’s not making up this incredible story.
MELVIN AND HOWARD is further testimony to the versatility of the late Hollywood filmmaker Jonathan Demme, who’d gotten his start, like many of his peers, working for independent operator Roger Corman. Demme has been able to move from exploitation feature (FIGHTING MAD) to comedy (MARRIED TO THE MOB) to documentary (COUSIN BOBBY) to thriller THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) to message movie (PHILADELPHIA) with ease. Here Demme makes the most of the engrossing script by Oscar winning Bo Goldman, and the two men succeed the most in portraying the various ups and downs of average American life.
And, of course, it’s pretty funny as well. Most of the highlights are provided by the memorable Mary Steenburgen (an Oscar winner here , for Best Supporting Actress) as Melvins’ first wife, especially during a TV talent contest. Mary is a delight – and even gets naked, for those who are interested. Demme fills the cast with top actors, although Robards’ screen time is relatively brief. Le Mat has a genuine, likable, Everyman type quality here. Strong support is provided by character actors such as Jack Kehoe, Michael J. Pollard, John Glover, Charles Napier, and Sonny Carl Davis, and other familiar faces like Martine Beswick, Gloria Grahame, Dabney Coleman, Pamela Reed, and Charlene Holt. Joe Spinell appears unbilled; the real Melvin E. Dummar also turns up as a counterman in a bus depot.
MELVIN AND HOWARD is the kind of story that seems too far-fetched to be true, yet it’s all performed and filmed so endearingly that it moves along extremely well, holding ones’ attention consistently.
Admission is:
$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Here’s the rest of the line-up for the other films that will be part of the ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’: 6/17 – Stop Making Sense (1984) 6/23 – Something Wild (1986) 6/24 – Married to the Mob (1988) 6/30 – The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 7/1 – Philadelphia (1993)
CRAZY MAMA screens Saturday, June 10th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the second film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
A band of beauty shop desperadoes cartoonishly plunder their way from California to Arkansas to reclaim the old family farm in the 1975 hillbilly masterpiece CRAZY MAMA directed by Jonathan Demme and produced by Roger Corman, who made a whole series of these backwoods desperadoes flicks in the ’70s.
Cloris Leachman stars as Melba Stokes, who runs a beauty parlor in Long Beach, California with her mother Sheba (Ann Sothern) and her daughter Cheryl (Linda Purl). When the shop is repossessed by banker Jim Backus (aka Thurston Howell III in a great little cameo) Melba and the ladies head back to Arkansas and the family farm which was stolen away from them when shea was a girl. Along for the ride is Cheryl’s boyfriend, surfer boy Donny ‘Ralph Malph ‘ Most who finds out he’s going to be a daddy thanks to Cheryl. The ladies knock over a filling station, which sets about their plan to rob their way back to Arkansas earning the money to buy back the farm.
CRAZY MAMA is more comedic than Corman’s other period gangster flicks from the time, and is blessed with spirited performances by Leachman, Sothern, and especially Merie Earle as the nursing home escapee who finds a few thrills in her last days. There is some surprising violence, an eclectic 50’s soundtrack, and control over the whole crazy-quilt through the direction of Demme. The most touching scene in the film is when the weary travelers stand under a tree and remember their fallen friends by “shouting them into Heaven”.
Admission is:
$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Here’s the rest of the line-up for the other films that will be part of the ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’:
6/10 – Crazy Mama (1975) 6/16 – Melvin and Howard (1980) 6/17 – Stop Making Sense (1984) 6/23 – Something Wild (1986) 6/24 – Married to the Mob (1988) 6/30 – The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 7/1 – Philadelphia (1993)
Look for continued coverage of these films here at We Are Movie Geeks
Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.
The Webster University Film Series site can be found HERE
“Even for criminals you’re just a particularly poor reflection on womanhood.”
CAGED HEAT screens Friday, June 9th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the first film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
Who doesn’t love a good Women’s prison film? – CHAINED HEAT, HELLHOLE, ILSA SHE WOLF OF THE SS, THE BIG BIRD CAGE, THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS, and THE CONCRETE JUNGLE all sit proudly on my WIP (Women in Prison) DVD shelf. One of the very best of this beloved subgenre is CAGED HEAT (1974), a wonderful exploitation masterpiece and the directing debut of Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme, that has everything you could possibly hope for in a Women-In-Prison movie: nudity, shower catfights, lesbian coupling, race wars, murder, chain-swinging, switch-blade slashing, and shock therapy!
CHAINED HEAT stars Erica Gavin (of Russ Meyer’s VIXEN fame) as Jackie, an accomplice in a drug related crime, who enters the ‘D-Cup’ wing of a tough women’s prison run by a hateful, wheelchair-bound lesbian warden played by none other than my favorite actress of all time (after Pam Grier of course)…Barbara Steele! Jackie’s cell mate Lavelle (Cheryl Rainbeuax Smith – another tragic ‘70s Drive-In fave who deserves her own tribute) suffers from suicidal nightmares while another prisoner, Pandora (Ella Reid), is reprimanded for entertaining her fellow inmates with a mildly lewd vaudeville act and placed in solitary confinement. Her loyal friend Belle (Roberta Collins) begins sneaking through the ventilation ducts to bring her food from the kitchen until she’s caught when she surprises an elderly staff member who abruptly dies of a heart attack. Meanwhile, the prison bully Maggie (Juanita Brown) picks a fight with Jackie and gets them both in hot water. Though the warden is a bit stern, the real threat turns out to be the demented prison doctor (Warren Miller). He subjects Jackie and Maggie to illegal electric shock therapy and prescribes a more permanent `cure’ for Belle: corrective brain surgery, which he intends to perform with a Black and Decker power drill!!!
Jonathan Demme’s script provides believable characters and several imaginative dream sequences, and his direction is filled with impressive camera angles and novel wipes and dissolves. He even commissioned an appropriately down and dirty soundtrack from blues legend John Cale. Because of these frequent artistic flourishes, CAGED HEAT is one of the few WIP movies to win the respect of critics. Demme of course went on to even bigger (but not necessarily better) things, becoming one of the most successful directors of his generation, winning the Best Director Academy Award in 1991 for THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, but in my book CAGED HEAT is still his greatest achievement!
Admission is:
$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Here’s the line-up for the other films that will be part of the ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’:
6/10 – Crazy Mama (1975) 6/16 – Melvin and Howard (1980) 6/17 – Stop Making Sense (1984) 6/23 – Something Wild (1986) 6/24 – Married to the Mob (1988) 6/30 – The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 7/1 – Philadelphia (1993)
Look for continued coverage of these films here at We Are Movie Geeks
Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.
The Webster University Film Series site can be found HERE
This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Jim Batts, Michelle McCue, and Tom Stockman discuss the weekend box office, and next weekend’s releases. We’ll review THE GIFT, FANTASTIC FOUR, RICKI AND THE FLASH. We’ll also preview STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., and DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL. We also discuss the films of director Jonathan Demme and Harold Lloyd’s 1923 silent masterpiece SAFETY LAST.
WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is a weekly podcast and we will soon be streaming at ONStl.com Online Radio.
It’s familiar fodder for a comedy/drama. Y’know the story of a parent leaving the family unit in order to follow a dream. Then years later, having to return for an uncomfortable, often strained reunion that usually concludes with a big, new extended-family group hug. After a failed attempt (but sometimes successful) at acquiring fame and fortune the prodigal poppa realizes that everything he really desired was right in his back yard. We recently saw this occur in DANNY COLLINS. But this new flick does a switcheroo with that formula. This time mom flew the coop in pursuit of her passions and dreams. Meryl Streep reteams with Jonathan Demme (they remade THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE a few years ago) to tell Oscar-winning scribe Diablo Cody’s tale of, not speedster superheroes, family and rock n’ roll. Grab a brew and settle in for a solid set from RICKI AND THE FLASH.
Life’s just a-chuggin’ along for Ricki (Streep). Sure, her daytime gig ringing up over-priced groceries is a drag, but she lives for the evening hours when she takes to the stage of the Tarzana, CA watering-hole “The Salt Well” to belt out some rock anthems with her back-up band, “The Flash”. Plus, she’s got a nice “band mate with benefits” thing going on with the hunky lead guitarist Greg (Rick Springfield). Then, out of the blue, she gets the phone call. It’s from her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) back in Indianapolis. Ricki, then called Linda, left him and their three kids nearly thirty years ago in order to follow her musical muse. Pete’s remarried, but second wife Maureen is caring for her ailing, faraway father, so he makes a desperate plea to Ricki. Their only daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer) is having a break-down after her hubby left her. Pete can’t get through to her, so perhaps Mom can put her back on track. Ricki hops on an East-bound flight and soon arrives at Pete’s swanky estate. After a tense reunion with Julie (lotsa’ issues between them), the ice starts to melt, just in time for another awkward get-together with Ricki’s two sons. Josh (Sebastian Stan) is engaged to the prim Emily (Hailey Gates). They make an attempt at polite small talk, but son Adam (Nick Westrate) is seething with anger. Later Ricki, Pete, and Julie bond over some medicinal herbs, but the calm is disturbed by the surprise return of the no-nonsense Maureen (Audra McDonald). The former and current spouses clash and soon Ricki’s back in CA, but things just don’t seem right (especially between her and Greg) until a mysterious package arrives in the mail. Could its contents finally inspire Linda..er..Ricki to get her non-stage act together?
Streep proves yet again to be a true force of cinematic nature, her character more than deserves top title billing. Yes, we’ve been treated to those powerfully melodic pipes before (just a few months ago actually, via INTO THE WOODS), but here she tackles all manner of modern styles, from heavy metal anthems to pop ballads, even an original acoustic number. She’s never just playing “dress-up” in her Lita Ford-style “video-vixen” fashions, Streep exudes a sultry, unforced allure. Can she still tear out our hearts? Oh yes indeed, especially as she realizes the hurt her impulsive nature instilled in her siblings. But she can win us back with her naughty cackle as she cracks wise at a beauty parlor. Plus she’s got a wonderful rapport with both of her leading men. Thirty three years after their initial pairing (in SOPHIE’S CHOICE), she and Kline have a terrific chemistry. The uptight, button-down Pete is no mere straight-man to the outrageous Ricki. Kline gives each line a distinct, wry tone, never having to mug in order to sell the joke. Springfield still makes the ladies swoon, but he reveals a real vulnerable side as a guy who wants to be more than a last-minute, late night “hook-up” (as in TRAINWRECK, the lady is leery of commitment). Oh, and the former teen heart-throb can really work that “ax’! And, of course, there are considerable sparks between Streep and her real-life daughter Gummer, whose Julie is a walking, screeching open wound who absolutely will not cut “Liiindaa” any slack, not matter how far she’s traveled to “comfort” her. Gummer’s got a keen acerbic line delivery that cuts like a cleaver. The two brothers, played by Stan (the Winter Soldier!) and Westrate make a lasting impression despite their brief screen time, as does the nervous, twitchy Gates. Though she’s absent for the film’s first half, McDonald bursts out like a charging rhino and makes an impressive verbal sparring partner for Streep (neither’s completely in the wrong or right). Laughs and tunes are provided by those other members of The Flash: Rick Rosas, Joe Vitale, and Bernie Worrell, all first class musicians. And then there’s the hysterical Ben Platt as the Salt Well’s remarkably enthusiastic bartender and Ricki’s number one “fan-atic”.
It’s a real shame that the film itself leaves this incredible ensemble adrift. The direction by the usually compelling Demme is quite pedestrian, often resembling a basic cable movie or mini-series (or home design “porn” with his loving, long pans throughout Pete’s plush Indiana digs). Plus he spends far too much time with the band on stage. The Flash performs complete tunes, when just a snippet will do. The inserts of their meager, but very appreciative “long in the tooth” groupies quickly became tiresome (oh, another silver-gray ponytail?). The meandering screenplay by Cody (I swear that’s her enthusiastically “gettin’ down” to a U2 classic at the “Well”) doesn’t help the film’s languid pacing. The first third is pretty entertaining (loved the jabs at the trendy “foods” store), but the “story train” completely left the rails soon after during a contrived confrontation inside an eatery that rings completely false. The movie seems to be spinning its wheels after Ricki’s return, perhaps in order to set up a trite “feel good” finale. I mean the old “fuddy duddies” at a big family function are horrified at hearing rock and/or roll AKA “The Devil’s Music”! Hey, they’re in their fifties and sixties…and just what did they listen to, while in their teens? I mean they’re reacting like party extras in an old Alan Freed flick! Pu-leeze! Hey, at least there’s not an “old lovers rekindling the passion” moment. Hard core Streep fans will probably have a toe-tappin’ good time, but really, RICKI AND THE FLASH is barely a flash-in-the-pan. Tip your servers and gooood night, Tarzana!!
Meryl Streep takes on a whole new gig – a hard-rocking singer/guitarist – for Oscar®-winning director Jonathan Demme and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody in RICKI AND THE FLASH.
In an original and electrifying film loaded with live musical performances, Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family.
Streep stars opposite her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer; Rick Springfield, portraying a Flash member in love with Ricki; Kevin Kline as Ricki’s ex-husband; and Audra McDonald as Kline’s new wife.
RICKI AND THE FLASH opens in theaters on August 7, 2015.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win passes (Good for 2) to the advance screening of RICKI AND THE FLASH on MONDAY, AUGUST 3RD at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
We will contact the winners by email.
Answer the following:
Director Jonathan Demme directed Christopher Walken
in what 1982 made-for-television film?
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
3. No purchase necessary.
The film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for thematic material, brief drug content, sexuality, and language.
A MASTER BUILDER screens as part of the 23rd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival on Saturday, November 22 at 2:30 PM at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre. Get ticket information here. It’s the reunion over thirty years in the making. Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, the stars of Louis Malle’s 1981 cult hit MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, are together again (briefly) in Jonathan Demme’s version of Henrik’s Ibsen stage classic, that’s been adapted for the screen by Shawn. Oh, and he’s the title character, celebrated architect Havald Solness, who, as the film begins, appears to be on his deathbed. He’s hooked up to machines as sister/nurses scurry about in his opulent estate. As he drifts in and out of sleep, his aging mentor Knut (Gregory) pleads with him to give his work requests to Havald’s eager young intern Ragnar (Jeff Biehl), in order to start his own business and finally marry the old master’s secretary Kaia (Emily Cass McDonnell). But even in his weakened state, Havald is cantankerous and egotistical. Once the trio leaves, Havald’s brusk wife Aline (Julie Hagerty) brings her doctor (Larry Pine) in for a visit. But the cure to make Havald spring back to life lies not in the doctor’s bag, instead it’s provided by a visitor to his home. Twenty-something free spirit Hilde (Lisa Joyce) glides in through the front door. As a child, she was dazzled by Havald when he designed a building in her village. And now she re-unites with her first crush. Havald invites her to stay in a spare room, an unused children’s bedroom, much to Aline’s dismay. The older architect and young admirer spend the next days discussing, life, art, and family secrets.
Demme films the story in long, leisurely takes in order to capture the intimacy of the dialogue-heavy scenes. And, aside from some shots of Havald’s work, everything takes place inside the spacious mansion. Shawn is full of charm, and a bit of lechery, as the invorgated near-invalid imbued with energy by this unexpected guest. Joyce sparkles as the pixie-like, giggly fan , whose motivations are often a mystery. And Hagerty makes a welcome return to the movies as the wife whose stern distraction hides years of heartbreak. All the actors help bring this iconic work vibrantly into the modern era. Demme has given fans of the stage and screen a compelling and captivating gift.
