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Show RIO - THE REEL - RED y r:1 1' '.vJi o) All I Need To Know blockbuster SI-.-- i About Filmmaking I Learned From The Boulevard Books takes a lot more than big and buckets of blood to Dt make a good these days. For Lloyd Kaufman, of Troma Studios, making that push the immorality envelope requires everything from Chopper Chicks to Nymphoid Barbarians. A lot of people may remember of the Troma classics such as some J "Class of Nuke 'Em High" and "The Toxic Avenger," but few are familiar with the history and background behind one of the most prolific studios that still turns out campy classics that thrive on B-mo- step-by-ste- The masters reveal of new in book. their all their secrets fun-lovin- g head-crushin- film. In addition to the hilarious anecdotes of everything that can go wrong while making a movie, All I Need to Know... features lists on how to obtain filming permits and avoid run-in- s with the local police or state officials. There's also tidbits on shooting sex scenes at the beginning of shooting to release some of the anxiety of the actors as well as hints and suggestions about how to cut the movie in But probably the most important lesson to be learned from the authors isn't how to make a good movie, but rather what not to do to avoid a mediocre product. Everything these guys have learned about film came through trial and error. While the typical Troma film usually has a budget under $500,000, Kaufman and Gunn know the economical ways of making a quality movie for a fraction of the typical Hollywood honor film. vie (out of four) one thinks of gangsters and dealers, poetry is one of the things to come to mind. But it Is the refusal to believe these myths and distinctions of capitalistic white Amen ca which have become so entrenched m Hollywood that "Slam" does best. Poetry, gangs, politics, and racism all blend together in a film that continually defies the "Slam" is set in Washington, D.C, and centers on Raymond Joshua (Saul WiUiams). a poet who gets rrested on a drug charge and is sent ceep into the D.C penal system. There he attempts to slide past gang rivalries and feuds while expressing himself through When powers-that-b- g words. In prison Raymond meets and quickly bonds with Lauren Bell (Sonja Shon), a beautiful writing teacher who urges the prisoners she teaches to express their ; poetry work to subvert that cliche. To the honor of conservative white literary critics everywhere, no distinction is made between reciting poetry and rapping in the film. This is most noticeable in a powerful scene where Raymond joins the rapping of his prison neighbor with his own "poetry." Although their styles differ drastically, one gets the sense that these two prisoners in separate cells who cannot even see a shockingly candid scene, one of the prisonersstudents reads In a poem titled "Why?" about how he murdered three men and still doesn't know why. each other are both expressing and sharing some of the same anger and frustration of African Americans coming out of the underprivileged parts of D.C Director Marc Levin, acclaimed for documentary films about gangs and the justice system, creates a gritty view of cameras, improviD.C using hand-hel- d natural and sations, acting and timing. This rough style may not satisfy the desires of audiences weaned on slick Hollywood productions, but it's not to, as the disconcerting ultra-rea- l sup-pos- ed ism serves the political purpose of waking audiences up to the plight of African Americans and urban youth. The political and social energy of the film Is such an admirable and contagious antidote to the complacency of most films, that even when it goes overboard and characters begin to recite didactic speeches about society, it is hard to be overly critical. One can't realistically expect a film about an angry and oppressed group to meet the standards of restraint subtly desired by the ruling literary class. The highlight of the film is Saul William's portrayal of Raymond Joshua. Williams, who is an actual award winning performance poet and was recently published, wrote the pieces he performs in the film and his recitation of them is nearly flawless. His accent may be a bit too dear for the role he plays, but otherwise his performance is so emotionally impacting that it fleshes out an other-- . wise incompletely drawn character. To escape a prison fight, Raymond improvises an explosion of poetry that left me as stunned as the prisoners in the film, and when he finally performs at an actual poetry slam, his rapid-fir- e poem is more moving than any dusty old book of poems. "Slam" fills the possibly racist gap between ghetto movies like "Boyz In the Hood" and literary movies like "Dead Poets Society." It gracefully weaves between the political and the individual, and in the process, points out the hypocrisies and prejudices of Ameri- can cinema and society. n. p RED Drink by BRIAN RAJSKI been the stereotypical woman who "saves" Raymond from his tendencies, but the frustration and conflict exhibited in her speech and the only movie with an stunt turned lethal, just read about the aftermath of a car crash on the set of "The Toxic Avenger," which as was almost as g seen later in the the these days. Prisons i. Poetry: "Slam" Provides a Fresh Perspective ' r. There's also lots of stories about Kaufman's battles with the MPAA rating board and stories about stunts gone horribly wrong. If you thought "The Twilight Zone" was buckets of blood to make a good (3QP33) anger through poetry instead of vio- Bromo-Seltze- It takes a lot more than big breasts ana non-existe- nt comedic gore. lence. In a shockingly candid scene, one of the prisonersstudents reads a poem titled "Why ?" about how he murdered three men and still doesn't know why. Lauren becomes romantically involved with Raymond when he gets out of prison on bail, and she helps motivate him to get involved in the local poetry slam scene. Lauren could easily have vomit using ground beef and James Gunn present the ultimate "how-to- " book of making cutting-edg- e movies with extremely low budgets. In "All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From "The Toxic Avenger3," the authors give advice on how to develop stories and ideas into something that will translate to the big screen. And after 25 years of working on everything from "Rocky" to "Tromeo and Juliet," Kaufman has undoubtedly paid his dues and still maintains the visions and ideologies of the of the 1950s such as Grand National and Chesterfield Pictures. In Kaufman's and Gunn's first autobiographical book about making cheesy exploita tion classics, the authors talk about their experiences in filmmaking and discuss the future of Hollywood studios which turn out the same old honor flicks, with the same "Party of Five" or "Dawson's Creek" cast members every other week. Instead of giving young filmmakers the skills necessary to go out and make blockbuster movies that will make millions of dollars, the guys at Troma teach directors everything from details of how to recreate an arm dismemberment to making the perfect looking batch of fay MATT THURBER drug-dealin- Avenger ing. This year, in celebration of the studio's 25th Anniversary, Lloyd Kaufman and his partner in grime, Author: Lloyd Kaufman and James Gunn Publisher: Berkeley Since the late 1980s, Troma studios has successfully managed to release dozens of movies featuring big name actors from Marisa Tomei, who starred in "The Toxic Avenger," to Samuel L. Jackson's role in "Def by Temptation." But it's not the actors who make controversial and nostalgic Troma films, it's downright, hilarious screenplays combining comedy and horror in the traditional genre. If it wasn't for shows featuring grandmothers who like to eat children such as "Rabid Grannies" or films like "Cannibal: The Musical" which borrows elements of "Friday the 13th" and "Oklahoma," Troma studios probably wouldn't have such an amazing, worldwide cult follow- - - 1999 FEB25 of the Week BOSTON SOUR 2oz. Blended Whiskey Juice of 12 Lemon 1 tsp. Powdered Sugar 1 Egg White 1 slice Lemon 1 Cherry Shake juice of lemon, powdered sugar, blended whiskey, and egg white with cracked ice and strain into a whiskey sour glass. Add the slice of lemon, top with the cherry, and serve. alternative: SOUR the following ingredients following the instructions above. Juice of 12 Lemon Mix 1 tsp. Powdered Sugar 1 Egg White Slice Lemon 1 1 Cherry RED AND BLACK DRINKING GAME This is a very simple game that can get extremely complicated, especially if one of the players has Extra Sensory Perception. Simple supplies: people, beer, a deck of cards. One player goes first. Using mental telepathy, she tries to predict the color of the card about to be turned over. If correct, she continues; if incorrectdrink. If correct three times in a row, the player can make a rule concerning procedure for the game. Interesting rules are: "Can't say red" "Can't say black" "Tap head before drinking" As always, be creative. course, if some one is caught violating a rule, not to break the rules while enforcing them. Of Video Picks: Drama: "Sid and Nancy" -- This film tells the she drinks. herom-fille- d, But be sure extreme- depressing story of Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious and his longtime girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Gary Oldman stars as Sid in an oddly romantic and ly visually stunning tale of punk rock, drugs, devotion, and inevitable early death. Although Courtney Love is in it, you should still check it out. Not for the squeamish. Comedy: "Heathers" With "Jawbreaker" about to hit audiences over the head with hyperbolic teen violence, take the opportunity to see the film that pulled off the same idea with great success. Features a decent cast too: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty. Action: - "Goldf inger" This is a flick worth renting just to hear the theme song sung by Shirley Bassy. This is classic Bond (Sean Connery) at its best. How can you beat a movie about a super villain attempting to rob Fort Knox? |
