Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

Film Twenty Six: Zebrahead (1992). Anthony Drazan's first film documents the relationship between two teenagers: a Jewish DJ Zack (Michael Rappaport) and a black girl Nikki (N'Bushe Wright) at a high school in Detroit. Somewhat of a Romeo and Juliet story, the film quickly establishes friction, stemming from how others view their relationship. Solid performances and an interesting soundtrack do not help the film's success. Zebrahead is an enjoyable film that could be better if it tied up the loose plotlines and actually developed the relationship between Zack and Nikki instead of attempting to comment on inner-city violence, infidelity, and other social issues.

Film Twenty Five: You Are Not I (1981). Sara Driver's adaptation of a Paul Bowles short story exemplifies her ability to tell a quiet story about relationships and agency as bolstered by haunting imagery from her regular collaborator, Jim Jarmusch. Not that different in tone or pacing from When Pigs Fly , the thesis film was feared lost after her projection copy became unplayable. Another turned up in Bowles's holdings in 2009. The film depicts Ethel's (Suzanne Fletcher) journey as she comes across a terrible car accident after escaping from a mental hospital. Responders at the scene take her to her sister's house instead of back to the hospital. Watch for an absurd or possibly satisfying conclusion, depending on your perspective.

 Film Twenty Four: X-Ray , or The Hospital Massacre (1981). A typical slasher film set in a hospital.

Film Twenty Three: When Pigs Fly (1993). Quirky is the word of the day in my reviews and apparently as all-too-common of a description of the films in this challenge. Sara Driver's indie ghost story fits that word to a tee. Minor key characters, particularly a fun turn by Marianne Faithfull as one of the ghosts, mesh with the supernatural as a jazz musician inherits a haunted chair that leads him on a quest to help the ghosts and perhaps assuage his loneliness. Like Baraboo , one of the first films I watched, despite being a slow character study, When Pigs Fly contains oodles of charm that makes up for the pacing.

Film Twenty Two: Vernon, Florida (1981). Errol Morris's quirky documentary captures the daily lives of citizens in a Florida town. Focusing on their stories, dreams, and philosophies, he creates a compelling portrait of small-town life and the larger-than-life, passionate characters that can inhabit out of the way places. Brief moments in the film with the turkey hunters, the police officer, or the man who collects various animals attests to the power of story telling and how human interaction can teach us a lot about how others see the world.

Film Twenty One: Uncharted (2022). Uncompelling.

Film Twenty: The Ties That Bind (1984). Su Friedrich's experimental art film explores mother-daughter relationships unconventionally. It examines the realities of her mother's history as a child in Nazi Germany, and the psychic and cultural divide between generations. Chronicling her mother's awful experiences through interviews and archival footage, Friedrich reinforces the separation between the two. She asks questions "silently" through writing and never speaks directly to her. A challenging yet rewarding film that everyone should watch because of the issues Friedrich addresses about the importance of family, the weight of history, and the often fraught improbabilities of personal connection.

Film Nineteen: The Sting (1973). I'm not sure how I missed this one since I generally love gambling and heist movies. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are both compelling in this complex Academy Award Winner that includes a number of textbook cons, gleaned from David W. Maurer's equally indispensable, The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man . Redford was nominated for best actor, but lost to Jack Lemmon for his role in Save the Tiger . Great acting, a tight script, and a satisfying payoff make this one a worthy watch. I'm glad I finally got around to it.

Film Eighteen: The Reagan Show (2017). A documentary that utilizes newsreel and video footage to cover Ronald Reagan's presidency. Since the former actor was one of the first presidents to regularly allow cameras in the White House, directors Pacho Velez and Sierra Pettengill had plenty of footage to choose from. The enjoyable documentary provides a somewhat balanced presentation of Reagan's media image that will please both his fans and detractors; however, a few gaffes show cracks in his media friendly facade. The tight focus on his interactions with Mikhail Gorbachev, while apt, leave this viewer wanting more and asking many questions about some of Reagan's other unsavory and beneficial policies.

Film Seventeen: Quadrophenia (1979). Director Franc Roddam's drama about a young man, Jimmy, played aptly and rudely by Phil Daniels, and his struggles to find himself is loosely based on the Who's 1973 Rock Opera. The film sets the young Mod's attempts to escape his dull job and teenage life against the backdrop of the Mod/Rocker battle on Brighton Beach in 1964. The battle on the beach and Jimmy's attempts to befriend Ace Face, a teenage idol Mod played by Sting, and some of his other rebellious antics are quite fun to watch.  I should have probably seen this film as a teenager because it would have fit perfectly in with readings of The Catcher in the Rye or The Bell Jar and other such stories of teenage disillusionment. Instead, I found that I did not relate to the characters or Jimmy's relationship troubles. The excellent music by the early Who and other 1960s groups like the Ronettes and the Kingsmen really capture the mood and feel of the period. Despite it...

Film Sixteen: Putney Swope (1969) Undoubtedly, the best known of Robert Downey Sr's scathing countercultural satires, Putney Swope satirizes corporate America and the advertising industry. There is a lot to like in how the film examines the sacred cows and cultural idiosyncrasies of the 1960s through odd characters and bizarre advertising skits. The film's refreshing, at least for the 1960s, discussion of race and class in America remains pertinent. Sadly, the film feels dated at times and the jokes often fail because of it. They tend to go on for far too long, and the flat acting does little to help.

Film Fifteen: Original Gangstas (1996). An over-the-top action vehicle that shows that 1970s blaxploitation heroes Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, and Jim Brown still have it. Despite the fairly pedestrian plot, of protecting their Gary, Indiana neighborhood against a street gang called the Rebels, the quick-paced action and great performances from the principle cast make it worth a look. Larry Cohen's direction is straightforward as always but has little of the guerilla filmmaking feel of his best efforts. If you want more of his gonzo style, you should look elsewhere. I suggest Bone or Black Caesar.

Film Fourteen: No Maps on My Taps (1979). A fascinating tap dancing documentary that features performances from three of the greats: Bunny Briggs, Chuck Green, and Howard "Sandman" Sims to a backing band led by Lionel Hampton. The film weaves interviews with each man with chronicles of their techniques and personal histories. It also includes footage of early tap dancing greats like Bill Robinson and John W. Bubbles. George T. Nierenberg filmed the documentary at a time when the tap dancing community was lamenting decreasing public interest in their art . The performances and interviews show the versatility and passion that these men bring to the dance floor. As the audiences debate which one is best, it becomes evident that, while interest in tap dancing might wane, it will continue to wow people. The revival of the art form in the 1980s attests to that.

 Film Thirteen: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) Clint Eastwood directed this thriller that tells the story of an antiques dealer on trial for murdering his lover. Beautiful cinematography and period sets provide authenticity, while standout performances by John Cusack and the Lady Chablis make it a powerful study in character. I know this is becoming a habit, but, yet again, I'm not sure how I missed this one. I was a huge Cusack fan in the late 1990s.

Film Twelve: The Laramie Project (2002) Another film that I'm surprised I missed. Based on the play of the same name by Moisés Kaufman, it covers a group of actors interviewing citizens of Laramie, Wyoming after the 1998 murder of Matthew Shephard. Kaufman also directed this absorbing look at a community in turmoil. It not only brings awareness to the tragedy of Shephard's death but portrays the pervasiveness of homophobia and the awful toll that it takes.

 Film Eleven: Kiss of Death (1947) How did I miss this classic film noir? Victor Mature's performance as Nick Bianco wows in this story of an ex-con who just wants to go straight and spend time with his kids. Nick gives up his accomplices for parole and one of them, Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark in an equally persuasive role), comes gunning for him. I highly recommend this one; however, you might want to stay away from the 1995 David Caruso remake, unless you want to see Nick Cage as a less-menacing heavy.

Film Ten: Jurassic Park (1993) Somehow I have never watched this film in its entirety, even though I wanted to be a paleontologist as a kid. I was too cool to watch it when it came out in 1993, and I am unhappy I never sat down and watched it without commercials. My favorite part of this theme park thriller is Ian Malcolm's (Jeff Goldblum) cool under pressure proclamations as the Tyrannosaurus Rex chases them.