Cinematix Problematix

Wild Things: Sex, Swamps, and Sin

And today, we’re talking about John McNaughton’s 1998 film Wild Things. It takes place in a steamy, affluent Florida town where the hot, popular high school teacher Sam Lombardi draws longing glances from his female students. In particular, Kelly van Ryan - a shamelessly flirtatious student who will stop at nothing to get his attention. But horny teenage antics take a much more serious turn when she accuses him of rape. As does Suzie Toller, a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking loner from the other side of the tracks who has a mysterious past with the cop investigating the case. But you would be sorely mistaken if you think that the film takes any of this subject matter seriously. Oh noooo. What we have is a film soaking in wet t-shirts, arched backs, threesomes, sexual exploitation, and a huge splash of campy humor. This is a film unabashedly submerged in the male gaze, but takes itself so unseriously that you can’t help but enjoy the ride watching these Wild Things gleefully stab each other in the back. The film stars Matt Dillon, Denise Richards, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Kevin’s Bacon, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Theresa Russell, Robert Wagner, and Bill Murray, and has a runtime of 1 Hour and 48 minutes. CREDITS Hosts: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

Heathers: Croquet, Corn Nuts, and Cruelty

And today, we're talking about Michael Lehmann's 1989 high school black comedy Heathers. It follows the most popular girl clique in school completely composed of girls named Heather, save for one Veronica Sawyer who's conscience stands in stark contrast to the mean girl energy of her other clique-mates. Complicating things further is the arrival of J.D. - a dark, mysterious new student who taps into Veronica's secret disdain for her vicious and shallow friend group, and eventually manipulates her into one murderous scheme after another. While this cult classic remains popular for having one of the most quotable scripts of the 80's, it can also strike a nerve in today's audiences for its casual handling of suicide, school shootings, and terrible boyfriends. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Kim Walker, and Lisanne Falk and has a runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes.

[RERUN] Revenge of the Nerds: Frat Boys, Boobies, and the Horny Underdog

[In honor of the passing of Donald Gibb, we're re-releasing one of our Revenge of the Nerds episode in his honor. R.I.P, Ogre.] Today, we’re talking about the 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds directed by Jeff Kanew, which follows horny freshman nerds Lewis and Gilbert as they get into college, only to be bullied by the cool, jocular members of the Alpha Beta fraternity. In response to their humiliation and their sudden lack of housing at the hands of the Alpha Beta frat bullies, they not only form their own fraternity born out of the all-Black fraternity Lambda Lambda Lambda, but they challenge the jocks to various competitions at the Homecoming Carnival so that they can rule the Greek Council and get the girl(s). The film stars Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley of Shrinking Fame, and John Goodman as the evil football coach. This film has a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Sins against it: sexual assault, voyeurism, gratuitous boobies, and infantile sexual innuendo. CREDITS Hosts: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

Mommie Dearest: Wire Hangers, Wigs & Wholesale Wickedness

And today, we’re talking about 1981’s Frank Perry film Mommie Dearest. Based on the best-selling book by Christina Crawford, it depicts in VIVID detail the abuse she suffered at the hands of her movie star mother, Joan Crawford. It follows Joan’s initial desires to have a child and difficulties with adopting Christina and her brother Christopher, to not-so-gently catapulting the audience into a near-endless parade of cringe-inducing scenes depicting escalating child abuse. Rocketing this film into its camp classic status is an iconic performance by Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford, as she goes FULL FUCKING HAM to show Crawford’s perfectionism, alcoholism, manic-depression, and especially her disdain for wire hangers. The delicious scenery-chewing of Dunaway’s performance paired with a problematic marketing campaign from Paramount may have launched this into camp classic status, but it’s worth discussing if rampant child abuse is the best use of your marketing dollars, especially when it winds up being this fucking funny. The film stars Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Mara Hobel, Steve Forrest, Rutanya Alda, and has a runtime of 2 hours and 9 minutes. Hosted by: Kristina "Krissie" Rettig & Erin Maxwell Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme song by: Spooky Dan

Pretty Baby: Pretty Disturbing and Exploitative, Baby

And today, we are talking about the 1978 Louis Malle film Pretty Baby which tells the story of a 12-year old girl (Violet) who grows up in a brothel who can't seem to wait for the day where her virginity is auctioned-off to the highest depraved bidder. Along the way, she falls in love with a local New Orleans photographer (Bellocq) who frequents the brothel, who eventually returns her affections. Oh, and he's in his 30's in case you were wondering. If that weren't disturbing enough, the film shows Violet kissing grown men, grown men groping and kissing her back, as well as a fully nude Brooke Shields. This is all wrapped in a deceptive arthouse label that does little to suppress our desire to projectile vomit in shock and disgust. The film stars Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon, Keith Carradine, and has a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes. CREDITS Hosted by: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme song by: Spooky Dan