PARIS IS BURNING (1990)

"...you're black and you're male and you're gay.  You're gonna have a hard fuckin' time.  If you're gonna do this, you're gonna have to be stronger than you ever imagined."

Filmed in New York City in the latter part of the 1980's, PARIS IS BURNING gives a small, but fascinating look into the NYC "ball culture".  Balls are (from what the film told me) a mix of dance, posing, performance, modeling, etc. where participants (mainly African-American and Latin American members of the LGBTQ community) get up in front the audience and strut their stuff like a motherfucker!!!  I mean work that shit!  It's dope.  I wish I knew how to move like that.  It'd be awesome!  Strutting around, pointing at the cat, voguing all up in her smug face.  "Mmmm-hummmm!!!  What are you gonna do about it?!"

Anyway, PARIS IS BURNING focuses solely on one certain group location in NYC.  We're shown the events of a ball, explained the different categories, terminology and introduced to some of the main players who all have bad ass names like Pepper LaBeija, Danni Xtravaganza, Octavia St. Laurent and Willi Ninja.  There's so much going on, you really can't even take it all in in just one viewing.  I had to watch it twice and it was great both times.

One of the sadder things I noticed (besides the racism, homophobia, cruel parents and murder) was how a lot of the people being interviewed wanted to be somebody else.  Like a person they saw on television (Dynasty, which ran from 1981 until 1989, is mentioned a few times) or somebody that is wealthy.  It was sad.  I wish more people, not just the people in this film, but people in general, could be happier with being themselves.  Realize that it doesn't take money or material possessions to give you value.  You, yes, you reading this, if you possess virtues like honesty, empathy, integrity, civility, modesty...then you have value.  Fuck sports cars, fuck big TV's, fuck boats, fuck motorcycles, fuck a powerful job...honesty, compassion, acceptance.  That is where it is at.   

Try to leave the world a better place than how you found it. And, if you find somebody to love (and they love you back), love them every single day like it is your last, because one day it will be.

Wow.  I got way off subject.  Long story, short: PARIS IS BURNING is a great documentary.  Quick pace, uplifting story, delightful people, unique subject matter, GHOSTBUSTERS on TV.  The entire thing was like a really cool time capsule.  Highly recommended.

If you need me, I'll be in my room sad voguing to $uicideBoy$.

FLUNKY, WORK HARD (1931)

Clocking in at only 28 minutes, FLUNKY, WORK HARD (Mikio Naruse's 8th film and his earliest work available to the public...as of 2019)  tells the unfunny comedy/tragedy story of an insurance salesman who is not only terrible at his job, but is also terrible at being a loving father, being a supportive husband and being able to face reality.  Example: when the landlord knocks on the door because the rent is overdue, this stud runs and hides in the closet.  All of this is presented as somehow be funny.

After bravely hiding in his closet, he goes out to sell insurance, but doesn't close any deals.  Later on, while walking home empty-handed, he sees his young son, who had just defended himself against three other boys who tried to beat him up.  Once the father notices that one of the bullies is the son of a woman he's trying to sell insurance to, he starts yelling and smacking his kid around.  Dad of the Year right there.  The kid is understandably upset and runs off...and gets hit by a train!!!  What the hell?

I love Mikio Naruse's later masterpieces (like WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS), but this earlier stuff is definitely dated and not going to win over any new fans.  As a lifelong student of film, I'm glad I watched it and did notice some interesting filmmaking techniques (especially towards the end of the movie), but the average passive movie watcher will probably be bored.

GHOST WORLD (2001)

"I just - I can't relate to 99% of humanity."

I loved GHOST WORLD. I loved it the very first time I saw it back in 2001 and I think I love it even more now.

After a smile inducing opening credits (that perfectly sets the tone for movie), we are introduced to best friends, Enid and Rebecca, at their high school graduation. Both hate school and all the brain dead conformists that go there. Rebecca is excited about getting an apartment with Enid, but Enid (depressed about life and that she still has to go to summer school for art class to get her diploma) is still clinging (maybe subconsciously) to her childhood and keeps coming up with excuses to not get (or keep) a job. At the same time, Enid and Rebecca jokingly respond to a "missed connection" ad in the newspaper.  The ad was placed by the sad and lonely Steve Buscemi, who is absolutely fantastic in this role.

For the longest time I thought that the first half of GHOST WORLD was one of the best things I'd ever seen and the last act kinda fizzled out, but now, after many viewings and me getting older (and hopefully wiser) I've come to the conclusion that the ending is great also.  It's purposefully vague and open to interpretation (I'm not going to ruin it for anybody who hasn't seen it), but I think that the story takes a very dark turn at the end.

Perfect acting by all of the leads, some of the best supporting acting of all time, amazing set design and wardrobe, a cynical script that still cracks me up, Brad Renfro, masterful direction by Terry Zwigoff, six beef jerkys, many quotable lines, excellent use of "found footage", mirror, father, mirror, a Federico Fellini joke, The Mutilator, great music, nunchucks vs. mop fu, Satanists and quite possibly the single greatest post-end credit scene of all-time.

GHOST WORLD is one of the better things in my life.