Exactly what it sounds like, the Pick of the Week column is written up by the Cinapse team on rotation, focusing on films that are past the marketing cycle of either their theatrical release or their home video release. So maybe the pick of the week will be only a couple of years old. Or maybe it’ll be a silent film, cult classic, or forgotten gem. Cinapse is all about thoughtfully advocating film, new and old, and celebrating what we love no matter how marketable that may be. So join us as we share about what we’re discovering, and hopefully you’ll find some new films for your watch list, or some new validation that others out there love what you love too! Engage with us in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook! And now, our Cinapse Movie Of The Week…
When I was a kid, maybe about 8 years old, our severely outdated Zenith tube television not only employed dials to change channels, but it had a separate dial for UHF signals. Those were useless, of course, but our basic cable channels came in just fine. I wish I could remember what kind of picture quality it offered. It had no remote, so I would spend endless rainy summer hours lying right next to the console in our living room, loudly clicking around whenever Nickelodeon was playing something like Fifteen, or Welcome Freshman, or any other show I believed was “for girls.”
The interesting thing about our all-analogue device was its magical ability to occasionally pick up a weak broadcast from HBO or Starz. I had to prepare myself every time I was about to click onto channel 7, or clack onto channel… I think Starz was 22, because right in the middle of the afternoon, they might have the indecency to be playing something terrifying like Child’s Play. I did succeed in scarring myself on a couple occasions by stumbling onto the nuclear war dream sequence from Terminator 2, and one other time when some image I have repressed from Puppet Master bored its way into the recesses of my mind. It wasn’t all bad, though. A couple of times, I stumbled onto something that really excited me, and over the years, a few of those fuzzy, barely audible memories of movies I kinda-sorta watched as a child have been rediscovered as an adult. The one I was most excited to find was Freaked.
Freaked was the ambitious creation of Alex Winter, co-star with Keanu Reeves in the Bill and Ted movies. He was a promising young talent in the early 90s, and it looked like his star was rising fast enough to not show any signs of stopping. He was a recognizable face in the aforementioned movie franchise, he was directing music videos for huge bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, and he created, wrote, produced, and starred in a hit sketch comedy show, Idiot Box, for MTV. How much better could you do in the 90s!? Unfortunately for Winter, and for us, his career came to a screeching halt when he abandoned his new show for the opportunity to direct a feature film. After endless studio interference, Freaked probably isn’t exactly the film he set out to make, but it is a blast to watch.
Famous sleazebag Ricky Coogan (Alex Winter), his sleazebag best friend, and an activist walk into the trap of Elijah C. Skuggs (Randy Quaid), a maniacal freak-making amusement park tycoon, and are transformed into preposterous monstrosities. We follow our protagonists’ struggle to escape as they meet the likes of Mr. T (a bearded lady), Bobcat Goldthwait (an anthropomorphic sock puppet), and William Sadler in one his funniest roles. The rest of the cast is populated by lesser-known actors filling outrageous rubber suits with noses for heads, literal cow-boys, giant earthworms, and other such insanity.
I would detail the plot, but… who cares? The movie’s worth is in its delirious energy, charging though as many absurdist jokes, hidden sight gags, and over-the-top violent fights as it can. The laws of physics take a holiday in this cartoon come to life. It’s one of my favorite comedies, and thanks to a recent major second chance given to Alex Winter you actually have a chance to see it for yourself.
I don’t know for sure, but I assume the distributor, Anchor Bay, has chosen to throw its Blu-ray bet in now while Winter and Keanu Reeves (he secretly appears in Freaked as The Dog Boy, by the way) are gearing up to make their third Bill and Ted movie. Everything I have heard so far about the upcoming project is that Alex Winter has officially been chosen to write and direct. I can hardly imagine a 20-year-late sequel I could be more highly anticipating than one directed by this mad comic visionary.
I know I haven’t told you much about the movie I’m recommending, but I am counting on the images and cast list to speak on my behalf. Besides, I would hate to spoil anything beyond what you can see in the trailer I have added below. The outlandish visuals (beginning with the amazing title sequence), kick-ass soundtrack featuring Butthole Surfers, and 90s upon 90s nostalgia should make this a great watch for anyone, especially if “anyone” has any sense of humor. Not to mention this is a time capsule for the last days of filmmakers favoring gooey latex eye-gasms over CGI boredom. Grab the new Blu-ray at Amazon, get some friends together, and have yourself an experience.
