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High School (Frederick Wiseman, 1968)

Mar

11

National Promposal Day

High School (1968)

Girls PE class accompanied by last year's hit single, 1910 Fruitgum Company's “Simon Says”. DP: Richard Leiterman.

Frederick Wiseman is the fly-on-the-wall at Northeast High School, filming teenage angst and awkwardness. There's talk of #PromNight, and small dramas when it turns out that above-the-knee is not formal wear thankyouverymuchyounglady. The dance itself is never shown.

“I didn't mean to be individualistic.”

– student

This is High School. I'm glad I never have to set foot in one ever again.

She-Man: A Story of Fixation (Bob Clark, 1967)

Mar

10

International Wig Day

She-Man: A Story of Fixation (1967)

Lt. Albert Rose is about to be transformed into Rose Albert (Leslie Marlowe). DP: Gerhard Maser.

Real-world female impersonator Leslie Marlowe plays Lt. Albert Rose, a military man forced into wearing lingerie and said wig and eventually embracing it as “Rose Albert”.

“IS HE? or ISN'T SHE?”

– tagline

Re-released by Something Weird you're forgiven to think that She-Man: A Story of Fixation will be a schlockfest. Instead it's a versatile as Bob Clark's filmography. She-Man – and do please forgive the wording – is part #fetish fest, part #mondo movie, part #queer liberation.

 

A lovely film that, reminiscent to Ed Wood's Glen or Glenda (1953), was made by people who lived the lifestyle and therefore forfeits the unnecessary, exploitative angle.

 

Read more about Marlowe and his/her peers in Avery Willard's wonderful Female Impersonation from 1971.

The General (Clyde Bruckman + Buster Keaton, 1926)

Mar

8

National Oregon Day

The General (1926)

Johnnie Gray (Keaton) stands on the roof of The General's locomotive while Oregon passes along. DPs: Bert Haines & Devereaux Jennings.

“This girl was in the baggage car when we stole the train, so I thought it best to hold her.”

– Captain Anderson

Sadly it was a box office #flop, resulting in Keaton losing his independence and his movie entering the #PublicDomain as early as 1954. Luckily for us that means we too can enjoy Oregon beautiful 1920s vistas.

Paris Is Burning (Jennie Livingston, 1990)

Mar

6

National Dress Day

Paris Is Burning (1990)

Pepper LaBeija is a stunningly extravagant gold-sequined dress. DP: Paul Gibson.

Paris Is Burning is probably best known for its fabulous #ballroom and #vogue​ㅤing scenes but in its heart, it tells the story of #family, of people who found their new ménage where they can live and love without fear and prejudice.

“In the ballroom circuit, it is so obvious that if you have captured the great white way of living, or looking, or dressing, or speaking – you is a marvel.”

– Pepper LaBeija

While you may expect a fierce documentary about #TransRights, or maybe merely a glamorous parade, you will be confronted with the flagrant #racism that made the #BallroomScene so essential for the Black and #Latinx LGBT+ community who founded it. And the tragedy of its demise in the name of pop culture even more heartbreaking.

The Incredible Shrinking Man (Jack Arnold, 1957)

Mar

5

National Scott Day

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Scott Carey (Grant Williams) standing in a palm of someone's hand, his arms outstretched as if pleading. DP: Ellis W. Carter.

Despite its sensationalist pulpy title and #ColdWar premise, Jack Arnold's adaptation of the Richard Matheson's The Shrinking Man (1956) is an existentialist treatise.

“A strange calm possessed me. I thought more clearly than I had ever thought before – as if my mind were bathed in a brilliant light.”

– Scott Carey

The Incredible Shrinking Man plays with the understanding of what it means to be acknowledged as a human, and one's place in the world. The story is told through the eyes of the titular Shrinking Man – Scott Carey – who after being exposed to strange fog, finds himself increasingly lost in this world.

Desperate Living (1977)

Desperate Living (1977)

March 1: someone pays a compliment on #WorldComplimentDay

Desperate Living (John Waters, 1977)

Peggy Gravel: Peggy is about to die from being shot up the ass by Mole. You're so low you make white trash look positively top drawer! Mole McHenry: Oh, blow it out your ass!

#Bales2023FilmChallenge #JohnWaters #LizRenay #MinkStole #SusanLowe #EdithMassey #crime #comedy #USA #1970s ★★★½

#todo

Dirty Little Billy (Stan Dragoti, 1972)

Feb

25

National Billy Day

Dirty Little Billy (1972)

Michael J. Pollard as Billy the Kid. He looks rather unwashed. DP: Ralph Woolsey.

A mucky, nihilistic #punk adaptation of the Billy the Kid saga foreshadowing Alex Cox's Straight to Hell by 15 years.

– All right, Billy. All right. You still haven't answered my question. What do you want to do?

– Nothin'.

American Dreams: Lost and Found (James Benning, 1984)

Feb

24

National Trading Card Day

American Dreams: Lost and Found (1984)

A Hank Aaron trading card from director James Benning's personal collection. Below it a scrolling text quoting from Arthur Bremer's diary.

The Whole Shootin' Match (Eagle Pennell, 1978)

Feb

23

Diesel Engine Day

The Whole Shootin' Match (1978)

Frank (Sonny Carl Davis) and Loyd (Lou Perryman) attempt to fix the diesel motor that keeps their polyurethane business afloat. DP: Eagle Pennell.

“Now this is a real good one Loyd, you want me to get in a business I can't even pronounce the name of? Poly-whatcha-doodle-all-day?”

– Frank

Fast Break (Mike McLeod + Don Zavin, 1978)

Feb

19

NBA All Star Game

Fast Break (1978)

Bill Walton hosting a basketball camp for Indigenous kids. Children line up to get pictures and T-shirts signed. DP: Mike McLeod.