ATLRetro

By Melanie Magnifique
Contributing Writer

REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS (1986); Dir: Tom DeSimone; Starring Wendy O Williams, Sybil Danning, Linda Carol, Pat Ast; Taboo-La-La Series hosted by Blast-Off  Burlesque at Plaza Theatre, Sat. July 28; 10 PM; arrive early for a sexy live stage show courtesy of Blast-Off Burlesque, and special guests Vanity’s UnCanney and Poly Sorbate; Also riots, chainsaws, and pillow fights , a Wendy O. Williams and Reform School Girls Costume Contest and prizes from  Libertine; age 18 & over only; trailer here.

Blast-Off Burlesque will host REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS at the Plaza Theatre this Saturday July 28, as part of its “Taboo-La-La” film series. The film, which stars Wendy O. Williams of punk band The Plasmatics fame, is a satire of the women in prison film genre and intentionally features many of its more provocative elements, such as shower scenes, fight scenes and implied sexual relationships between inmates and authority figures in exchange for favoritism. Austrian-born Hollywood actress Sybil Danning plays the warden, and Pat Ast rounds out the cast as sadistic prison guard Edna.

As the story plays out, Reform School becomes a microcosmic version of society in which women are stripped of their dignity, terrorized, punished for and enslaved over their sexuality, and forced to lie to protect their captors. The only compassionate ally that the inmates have is the institution’s therapist, played by Charlotte McGinnis. Despite her best efforts, however, the crimes of mistreatment against the inmates finally spark an uprising which ends with a real bang.

Wendy O. Williams plays inmate Charlie Chambliss in REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS. New World Pictures, 1986

Blast Off’s own Dickie Van Dyke says this weekend’s salute to Wendy O is timely. “Wendy is the patron saint of women who whoop ass,” (s)he pointed out the other night at rehearsal. Indeed, it seems that women everywhere could use some inspiration in the whoop-ass department. The global climate towards us these days has many of us shaking our heads in disbelief, and, as Dickie says, “Decades after women’s lib, we still do not have total control over our bodies, we still battle to overcome the glass ceiling, lack of respect… and PMS! Apparently we have to kick everybody’s ass while wearing a bra and thong before our voices are heard. If that is the way the game is played, so be it. Wendy O will be our MVP!”

Other members of Blast-Off agree that the timing is just right for this show. Barbalicious says, “It’s time for us to rock out, and after spending some quality time in the ’60’s and ’70s with Russ Meyer, John Waters and Pam Grier, the ’80s seemed like a great place to continue our big-haired hijinks, but with much less clothes, because you know in reform school, you only need to wear your underwear. It’s also summer, and we’re hot.” She adds that the movie itself will be a blast, saying, “REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS is a ridiculously fun camp classic. All the classic women in prison elements are in place: shower scenes, food fights, forbidden romance, branding and other tortures, but then you add in the Wendy-O-Williams factor and it becomes just that much more surreal. Wendy-O is one of the hardest working women in rock and roll history. She is as hardcore as it gets; no female performer has or will ever come close her badassness. She beats the hell out of everyone in this movie. Those who are not familiar with her, need to be. Those who remember what the power of real rock and roll was about need to pay tribute.”

Taboo-La-La has been a wildly popular film series for Blast-Off at the Plaza Theatre. Previous films have included SHOWGIRLS, FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! , FEMALE TROUBLE and BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. Barbalicious says that its main purpose is to examine cultural taboos in film, but adds with a wink, “It’s really just an excuse for us to throw an amazing party.”

Festivities will begin at 9 p.m. DJ Westwood-A-GoGo will be spinning tunes in the lobby, where patrons can enjoy complimentary cocktails and mingle before the show begins. Once seated, the audience will be treated to a riotous performance by Blast-Off Burlesque, with guest performers Poly Sorbate and Vanity’s Uncanney. Audience members are encouraged to enter a costume contest to win prizes provided by Libertine. Tickets are $10, and are available through Plaza Theatre’s box office and at www.plazaatlanta.com.

Lips Down on Dixie performs at The Plaza.

If it weren’t for The Plaza Theatre, where would we get our Friday midnight ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW fix with live stage show by Lips Down on Dixie?!  If you haven’t been in a while or are – shudder – a Rocky virgin, maybe it’s time to lust after a sweet transvestite and do the Time Warp again. Think you remember it well? For the third in our series of Rocky trivia quizzes, we asked our resident expert in all things RHPS to titillate you with her most difficult questions yet…

1. Name the date and location of the world premiere of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.

2.  Who supplied the singing voice for Peter Hinwood/Rocky Horror?

3. Which cast member appeared in RETURN OF THE JEDI?

4.  Is the newspaper that Janet uses to shield herself from the rain a) an actual copy of the newspaper “The Plain Dealer” or b) a mock-up of “The Plain Dealer”?

5.  The “castle” featured in the film is currently:
a) a private residence
b) a hotel
c) a set located on the backlot of Bray Studios

6. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW was the film debut of which principal cast member?

7. Was the glowing dome on top of the castle: a) an optical effect added in post-production or b) a real dome?

8. What type of car does Brad drive?

9. Five cast members of the original London stage production of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW went on to appear in the film version.  Name all five.

10.  Is the church depicted in the opening wedding scene a real church?

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE ANSWERS….

 
1.  August 14, 1975 at London’s Rialto Theater on Coventry Street
2. Trevor White
3.  Sadie Corre, the shortest Transylvanian, played an Ewok.
4.  B–it is a mock up featuring the fictitious headline “6 Big Ohio Utilities Seeking Rate Boosts”
5.  Oakley Court is currently a luxury hotel
6.  It is Tim Curry‘s feature film debut
7.  The fiberglass and metal geodesic dome was constructed for the film.  It was approximately 25 feet in diameter and was lifted to the top of the castle by a crane.
8. A 1967 Ford Country Squire
9. Tim Curry, Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell and Jonathan Adams.
10.  No.  It was a set constructed for the movie.

So many of us tend to only get down to The Plaza Theatre when there’s a special screening, but that’s part of the reason we could lose this Atlanta treasure if we’re not careful. So before you head down to the multiplex, how about instead seeing that first-run movie down on Ponce. You might even see a cool indie or foreign film that you didn’t even know about…

A CAT IN PARIS

Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature, A CAT IN PARIS is a beautifully hand-drawn caper set in the shadow-drenched alleyways of Paris. Dino is a pet cat that leads a double life. By day he lives with Zoe, a little mute girl whose mother, Jeanne, is a detective in the Parisian police force. But at night he sneaks out the window to work with Nico—a slinky cat burglar with a big heart, whose fluid movements are poetry in motion. The cat’s two worlds collide when young Zoe decides to follow Dino on his nocturnal adventures—and falls into the hands of Victor Costa, a blustery gangster planning the theft of a rare statue. Now cat and cat burglar must team up to save Zoe from the bumbling thieves, leading to a thrilling acrobatic finale on top of Notre Dame.  A CAT IN PARIS is a warm and richly humorous love letter to classic noir films and the stylized wit of the Pink Panther cartoons. Dino, the literal cat burglar, manages to steal the show with little more than a subtle swish of the tail and quiet mew. In English. Plus short, “Extinction of the Saber-Toothed House Cat.”

HUNGER GAMES

WHERE DO WE GO NOW?

Alice Cooper appears in concert at the premiere party for Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' "Dark Shadows," in Hollywood. Photo credit: Greg Zabilski/Warner Bros., 2012.

By Rachael Mason
Contributing Writer

If you saw the Tim Burton-Johnny Depp remake of DARK SHADOWS recently, then you probably enjoyed watching Alice Cooper perform as himself at a party hosted by Barnabas Collins (Depp). In fact, Cooper’s brief appearance—a highlight of an otherwise uneven film—likely left you with an incredible desire to see the rock star on the big screen once again.

Well, wait no longer, because Splatter Cinema is hosting a one-night only screening of Cooper’s 1975 classic concert film WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE on July 10 at The Plaza. The movie depicts the incredible horror-themed stage show designed for the tour supporting Cooper’s 1975 concept album—his first solo project without the Alice Cooper band. The production centers around the nightmare of a boy named Steven and includes faceless demons, dancing skeletons and giant spiders. Choreographed by David Winters, who also directed and produced the film, WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE includes footage from Cooper’s concerts at Wembley Arena in London on Sept. 11-12, 1976. Cooper hits like “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “School’s Out” and “I’m 18” are part of the show, as are “Billion Dollar Babies,” “Only Women Bleed,” “Department of Youth,” “Black Widow” and “Some Folks.”

WILD AT HEART (1990); Dir: David Lynch; Based on the novel by Barry Gifford; Starring Nicholas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Diane Ladd, Harry Dean Stanton, Isabella Rossellini; Sat. July 7, 9:30 p.m.; Co-presented by and featuring a live performance by Women’s Work, come dressed as your favorite Lynch character, coffee and pie in the lobby; Plaza Theatre; trailer here.

“I’d go the far end of the world for you, baby!”

“A man can’t ask for more than that.”

“You rope me, Sailor, you really do.”

These immortal lines are exchanged between Lula Fortune (Laura Dern)and Sailor  Ripley (Nicholas Cage), but in 1990, I’d have to admit I would have gone to the ends of the world to see any piece of celluloid created by David Lynch.

If you were a certain type of young person drawn to the deepest darkness but still enchanted by the lure that true romance can exist even if it kills you, you worshipped at the insane, amazing altar of Lynch back then. You saw a college or midnight revival of ERASERHEAD, and your head throbbed with pain while watching it, yet your eyes were glued to the screen. ELEPHANT MAN was even more excruciating because of the toll it took on your emotions, but you knew brilliance onscreen when you saw it. You really, really wanted to embrace DUNE and liked some of the visuals, but …well, but then came BLUE VELVET, and every time you heard that song ever after, it had a different meaning and while you didn’t want to admit it to anyone but your diary, Dennis Hopper made you all hot and bothered ever after. So, of course, you tuned into TWIN PEAKS like an addict desperate for a Lynch fix and told your lover “don’t let me too bad,” hoping just the opposite as you twisted a cherry stem into a knot behind your ruby lips.

Sailor Ripley (Nicholas Cage) in his iconic snakeskin jacket is WILD AT HEART for Lula Fortune (Laura Dern). Polygram/Propagada Pictures, 1990.

Into that era of Lynch euphoria arrived WILD AT HEART, perhaps the best example of how behind the violence, Lynch is sweetly sentimental about love. Based on the Barry Gifford novel of the same name (though Lynch changed the ending), the movie didn’t test well with audiences and was not completely critically well-received, but yet walked away with the Palme d’Or at Cannes. In other words, a typical Lynch movie. You either love Lynch or you don’t.

Without giving too much away for anyone who has not seen it before, the plot hinges on a simple love story–boy meets girl, they fall in love, girl’s mother (Diane Ladd) forbids them to marry and hires a hitman to take out boy, boy goes to prison and serves his time, girl picks him up and they hit the road, mom hires another hitman (J.E. Freeman) and craziness, violence – and yes, beauty ensue topped off by a cameo by Glinda the Good Witch (Sheryl Lee, aka Laura Palmer)! Yup, this road movie may be set in contemporary America and include all the requisite stops at seedy motels, but it’s also a fairy tale with heavy references to the Road to Oz.

Diane Ladd as Marietta Fortune in WILD AT HEART. Polygram/Propagada Pictures, 1990.

Like Woody Allen, Robert Altman or Quentin Tarantino, Lynch has been a genius in assembling an intriguing ensemble cast, and WILD AT HEART is no exception. It may be hard to remember now but Nicholas Cage was once a fine actor and just weird enough to make him a perfect Lynch leading man. In those days when he put on a snakeskin jacket and impersonated Elvis, he was sexy, not creepy. Pretty but still real-looking Laura Dern brings just the right mix of passion, forthrightness and stroppu Southern accent to pull off Lula without turning her into a cliche. Casting Laura’s mother, Diane Ladd, as her domineering, disapproving and crazy-as-a-Lynch-movie Marietta Fortune, though, was pure brilliance. At the time, Ladd was at that middle age where she wasn’t getting many great roles, and this one proved a comeback that earned her both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. The supporting cast also includes Harry Dean Stanton as a private dick and Marietta’s boyfriend, a scary-toothed Willem Dafoe as a psychotic gangster hired to kill Sailor, Crispin Glover as Lula’s cockroach-eating cousin (isn’t insect-dining a David Lynch movie prerequisite?!), Lynch favorite Jack Nance as a loony rocket scientist, a gone-blonde Isabella Rossellini (then still Lynch’s lover) as a gangster moll, and a cameo by Sherilynn Fenn (Twin Peak’s Audrey and then every Lynch-boy’s fantasy and every Lynch- girl’s role model) as a car crash victim.

Sheryl Lee (TWIN PEAKS' Laura Palmer) as Glinda the Good Witch in WILD AT HEART. Polygram/Propagada Pictures, 1990.

Sigh, because I’ll only be there “In Dreams.” Nope, I won’t be able to take that wild ride with Sailor and Lula tonight because I alas already am committed to other plans. So all I’m going to say is I hope you’ll go in my stead and fill up the Plaza as it should be for a special screening like this (come early and see STAND BY ME for a double feature if you can! If you missed Plaza Day 19, catch up here). If you haven’t seen WILD AT HEART, you should and encourage all your friends. If you haven’t seen it in a while or even more if you’ve never seen it on the big screen, this is a rare opportunity and another reason why Atlanta needs The Plaza.Remember, your ticket and any concessions purchases help keep Atlanta’s longest-running, locally owned historic independent cinema and Retro treasure alive!

By Thomas Drake
Contributing Writer

STAND BY ME (1986); Brand New 35mm Print; Dir: Rob Reiner; Starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix and Corey Feldan; Plaza Theatre, Fri. July 6 and Sat. July 7, 7:30 p.m.; and Sun. July 8, 3 p.m.; trailer here.

Short: Vern: Do you think Mighty Mouse could beat up Superman?
Teddy: Boy, you don’t know nothing! Mighty Mouse is a cartoon. Superman’s a real guy. There’s no way a cartoon could beat up a real guy.

Medium: A coming of age story about four young men who decide to go find the body of a lost boy and become heroes. Along the way, they learn about themselves and are confronted by external hazards from nature and generic thugs.

Maximum Verbosity: For a long time, there were rumors that this was actually based on something that actually happened to Stephen King. The movie itself was based on “The Body,” a novella he wrote in 1982. It wasn’t actually true. There was actually an accusation labeled against him of plagiarism by a manuscript submitted by a fan. King denied the accusation and hasn’t read manuscripts for others since then. Now, it is possible that Stephen King stole the idea, but, quite frankly, given that he’s written 49 novels, many of which are best sellers, and most of which have sold significantly better than “The Body,” we can establish that King is not some one hit wonder that needs to steal ideas.

A lot of King’s movies have been made into movies. So what makes this one stand out? What makes STAND BY ME so exceptional that you’ll want to see a 25-year-old movie with all that’s coming out this Friday? Well, that’s an interesting question…perhaps I should say Magic? I speak not of the Magic of thunder, lightning or fireballs (or Magic Missiles into the darkness) but the Magic of Childhood. I put it on par with THE GOONIES in terms of what it means to be a kid, the wonder thereof, etc. But here’s the difference: Do you remember that ubiquitous Facebook meme where people put “What I think of” “What My Mom Thinks of” that ended with “What it Really Is”? THE GOONIES is “What I thought of my Childhood” whereas STAND BY ME is what it actually is.

Sure, there are dramatic moments, but there are also anticlimactic ones. The great quest to become heroes doesn’t go anywhere. But every single one of them comes out of the experience with something greater, something that helps them move on. It is also a parable told by the storyteller character, Young Gordie (Wil Weaton), who also learns the value of establishing a good relationship with his sons.

So there you have it. There is a magic in the theater, and if you’re looking to recapture something about what it was like to be a kid; not the romanticized world that never was, but the gritty adventure that you and maybe some of your friends had that you remember that you had to be there to understand. On top of everything else, it also helps that the acting is fantastic and the story is really good. It captures the visceral reality merged with cinematic fantasticness.

Go and see this movie.

Millicent Patrick poses with the head she designed of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. Photo credit: Universal Pictures, 1954.

Silver Scream Spookshow Presents THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON in 3D (1954); Dir: Jack Arnold; Starring Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning and Ricou Browning; Sat. June 30;  kids matinee at 1 PM (kids under 12 free & adults $7) and adult show at 10 PM(all tickets $12); All proceeds of today’s shows benefit Atlanta’s oldest running independent cinema, the nonprofit Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

YELLOW SUBMARINE (1968); Dir: George Dunning; Starring and featuring music by The Beatles; Plaza Theatre, Thurs. June 28, 9:30 PM ($9); Fri. June 29, 8:30 p.m.; and Sun. July 1, 3:30 p.m. (adults, $7.50 and kids under 12, $4); trailer here.

This animated wonder starring The Beatles is made for viewing on the big screen. You may be thinking I’ve seen it, but take our little trivia quiz to see if you really remember how cool it is and all the psychedelic details. If not, take advantage of three chances to see it at The Plaza tonight and this weekend, including a Sunday matinee for the kids. My parents took me to see a reissue of it when I was very little and they weren’t even Beatles fans! And yeah, I just thought Lucy in the Sky was a pretty chick.

1. First off, an easy one, who are the villains and what weapons do they pummel at the good people of Pepperland?

2. How is John Lennon introduced in the movie?

3. In which sea are our heroes sailing in the Yellow Submarine to “Only a Northern Song”?

4. What is the name of the Nowhere Man?

5. Who defeats the Indians?

6. What does John announce after looking through the telescope?

7. From what show, is George Harrison‘s recurring line, “It’s All in the Mind,” taken from?

8. What type of skies are above the boat on the river in which viewers are asked to picture themselves in “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”?

9. What would happen if the Nowhere Man spoke in prose, instead of in rhyme?

10. Which Liverpudlian poet was responsible for much of the humorous dialogue in the movie?

Scroll Down for Answers

1. Blue Meanies and big green apples (or terrible flying hand).
2. As Frankenstein’s monster who drinks a potion and turns into himself.
3. Sea of Science
4. James Hilary Boob PhD
5. The US Cavalry
6. Newer and bluer Meanies have been sighted “within the vicinity of this theatre” and there is only one way to go out: “Singing!”
7. The Goon Show
8. Marmelade
9. “You’d all find out I don’t know what I talk about.”
10. Robert McGough

So many of us tend to only get down to The Plaza Theatre when there’s a special screening, but that’s part of the reason we could lose this Atlanta treasure if we’re not careful. So before you head down to the multiplex, how about instead seeing that first-run movie down on Ponce. You might even see a cool indie or foreign film that you didn’t even know about…

I WISH (Ends Thurs. June 28!)

Twelve-year-old Koichi lives with his mother and grandparents in a small town by a smoking volcano. His parents’ divorce has split the family, with his younger brother Ryu and their feckless rock musician dad living over a hundred miles away. Koichi yearns for his family to be reunited, and when he learns that a new bullet train line will soon open—linking the two towns—he starts to believe that the combined energy when two trains pass each other at top speed could make his wish come true. With the help of friends, Koichi organizes an expedition to the mid-point of the train lines, with Ryu coming from the other direction—all of them thinking about what they would most like to wish for. A sweet ode to what we value in life, written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda (NOBODY KNOWS, STILL WALKING, AFTER LIFE), who is known for his keen depictions of the trials and tribulations of everyday existence, the innocent minds of children and the warmth of family life.

MARLEY

HUNGER GAMES

Starts Friday June 29…

So many of us tend to only get down to The Plaza Theatre when there’s a special screening, but that’s part of the reason we could lose this Atlanta treasure if we’re not careful. So before you head down to the multiplex, how about instead seeing that first-run movie down on Ponce. You might even see a cool indie or foreign film that you didn’t even know about. Here’s what’s playing through Thursday…

I WISH

Twelve-year-old Koichi lives with his mother and grandparents in a small town by a smoking volcano. His parents’ divorce has split the family, with his younger brother Ryu and their feckless rock musician dad living over a hundred miles away. Koichi yearns for his family to be reunited, and when he learns that a new bullet train line will soon open—linking the two towns—he starts to believe that the combined energy when two trains pass each other at top speed could make his wish come true. With the help of friends, Koichi organizes an expedition to the mid-point of the train lines, with Ryu coming from the other direction—all of them thinking about what they would most like to wish for. A sweet ode to what we value in life, written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda (NOBODY KNOWS, STILL WALKING, AFTER LIFE), who is known for his keen depictions of the trials and tribulations of everyday existence, the innocent minds of children and the warmth of family life.

MARLEY

HUNGER GAMES