This week we had a turn of our typical past two rock n’ roll movies we have been watching and watched Sid and Nancy. While this film was just as great, but not as humorous, it was definitely different. The film is centered around Sid Vicious who is in the band the Sex Pistols and his girlfriend Nancy. There love seemed to be an almost too good to be true type of love and the drugs surely did not help in their favor. While the film ends in death it shows the true side to what could possibly be what happens in some peoples lives when fame almost seems to get to their head. Even though Nancy did introduce Sid into the world of heroine it completely took over his life, like a drug as strong as that would. You can see where this film gains its cult status. While many rock n’ roll films usually show the great side to the life that they live this one showed a side that many people do not see. Drugs that were this hardcore in films were still almost not really shown. This could be said to how it brought about its cult status because of the use of such a hard drug being used. Many people wanted to see things like that because it was something not usually portrayed in the film industry. Sure, there were films where people were smoking marijuana but not of people shooting up. The acting in the film is great and shows what the two really went through in a close up and personal way. Although the film was a bust in the theaters many people love it to this day, it made a huge impact in peoples lives showing the toxic relationship of the two lovers.

This week we had two readings that Pat and myself presented on. My personal favorite piece was the piece called Cult Cinema and Drugs. The reading took a deep dive into drugs in cult films and even the use of some drugs such as LSD and marijuana in the making of films and just watching them in general. Something that was very intriguing to me was the part when it talked about people being able to smoke marijuana in the theater. People almost could go and get a contact high from the amount of people that would be smoking. But LSD was something that appeared in many exploitation films around the 1960’s with the fall of the Production Code. Some directors even used these psychedelics to make their films and get more in touch with what they were trying to portray. Even though these films may have been portraying these drugs as positive, it is what brought their cult status to them. Many people loved seeing the use of drugs in films and even going and doing drugs while watching the film.

Lastly this week we had two presentations. The first film presented was on was La Haine which seems like a very interesting film. After I found out that I can request it through the library I will be trying to get it! We also had a presentation on Fight Club which is a great cult classic and if you haven’t seen it I recommend trying to see it. Both presentations were amazing and props to Pat on presenting on readings and his film presentation!

This week we watched Detroit Rock City. I personally had never seen it before watching it this week but of course I knew the song Detroit Rock City. I must say however I was very impressed with the film. This film not only had a great soundtrack that will be stuck in my head the rest of the week the acting was once again great in this film, just like last weeks. The theme of these films we have been watching is something that I can relate to. I have watched many films growing up that were based in this era of the 70’s and 80’s because it is what my parents grew up on. I could see why Detroit Rock City could be a cult classic for many people. It crosses off many checklists for a cult classic such as its budget and then what it made in the box office. When doing some research on this film I was surprised that it only made $5 million in the box office compared to its budget of $17 million. I figured that this movie would have gotten way more reception than it did due to nostalgia reasons that may have resonated with people who grew up during that time. I mean the film specifically targets 4 young boys which their only dream is to see KISS live. They go through many obstacles to get there but in the end they finally get to see KISS. While many people probably wanted to see it just for the aspect of KISS being in it, I liked how they waited until the end to finally give you what they were trying to get the whole time. The film was overall very funny and worth the watch in my opinion.

The reading that I enjoyed this week was the one on Classical Hollywood Cults. It targeted nostalgia which is something I am sure many people related to in Detroit Rock City. We can relate to many classic Hollywood films because of the nostalgia that it brings. Not only does the film not get “old”, it brings us back to our childhood sometimes or the time when you first saw the film making it bring back many memories. I like how it talked about the Wizard of Oz which gives me so much nostalgia from growing up. I still am some what afraid of those flying monkeys. Another part of the reading that I liked that it talked about was the section on Gaiety. It started off by saying that the term gay has changed so much throughout the history of classical Hollywood cult films. While it used to mean happy or cheery it now has to do with sexuality. It talks about how some films may have a battle of the sexes. The receptions of some of these cult films are now losing what they actually meant and their innocence. Those were just some of the categories that defined a classical Hollywood cult film but many things were important throughout the reading.

Finally this week we ended with two great presentations. The first presentation was on Hot Tub Time Machine which in my opinion is also a great cult film. The film in general is just so funny and hard to not be laughing if you watch it with all its catchy lines. The second film presented this week was Tank Girl which personally didn’t sound too intriguing to me. I am pretty open to most films but I could understand where this film could be a cult film for some people who are into films like that.

This week we started off with the screening Dazed and Confused, which I am sure why everyone in the class can see it is a cult classic. I hadn’t seen Dazed and Confused since high school so I was very excited to watch it this week. From the great acting, to the amazing soundtrack there is no way nobody could not love this film and not relate back to it in some way shape or form if you are comparing back to high school. There is no way you can’t watch without laughing or having a smile on your face. Going along with why I think everyone can relate, it seems like a film that can just bring nostalgia to anyone. I remember being stupid in high school, may be not as stupid as the actors in the film but I just remember having good fun with friends like everyone can relate too. I personally thought the acting was amazing in this film. This was one of Matthew McConaughey’s first breakout roles, and let me tell you did he really help himself out by putting his name out there for taking this role. Also, does he not age like fine wine, but that’s just my opinion of course. Overall all the acting and great soundtrack really helped me love this film.

I next want to talk about my favorite reading this week which was on the Alamo Drafthouse. I had no idea what this was until this week. I never knew that a place like this existed and now I really want to go to one of them. One person said in the reading that they liked the Drafthouse so much because of how different it was compared to other theaters where you could view films. You don’t find movie theaters doing dinner and drinks while showing a movie. While reading this I almost related it to a drive-in theater but classier in a sense. I see why so many people chose to go here instead of your typical theater, and because they were different shows. I also liked how it talked about the Roadshows which I would have loved to attend. They talked about the first one ever which was Jaws and people were swimming under the water grabbing people’s legs. You would never find a place doing something like that now and I think that is why the Drafthouse got such a cult following and stood out from competition. Finally I want to conclude with the video of the review of the Drafthouse Professor Schlegel showed us. I found it to be very funny and if the woman would’ve done her research before going she would have realized it wasn’t her place to be.

We ended the week with two fabulous presentations again. I think everyone has presented great films. This week we had The Shining presented first, which was very odd to me because I had just watched the film days before this. I can’t seem to help myself but watch it when I see it on TV. Even if you don’t like scary movies, it is almost more creepy and disturbing in my opinion than scary. It is definitely a cult classic and should be watched by everyone. The second film that was presented was Jennifers Body which I had never seen before but now I want to watch very badly. I have definitely seen people talk about this movie after looking at clips from the film, and I could see why people love it so much.

Going into this week I was very excited that our screening was Suspiria. I personally love horror movies but I had never seen an Italian horror movie until this week and Suspiria did not disappoint. Suspiria was definitely different than any horror film I have ever seen just because of its beauty. One thing that I think caught all our eyes was the color palette of the film and how they made the primary colors very vivid throughout the film. One thing that caught my eye was the blood especially. It almost looked like paint and was not like blood I had seen in other horror films due to the red being more vivid. It was said by Dario Argento that he wanted to make the movie something people could look at and not look away due to fear. I think he did great by bringing in a vibrant color palette because it made the film beautiful and very appealing to look at.

The one reading I want to talk about is A (Sadistic) Night at the Opera. I had the pleasure of presenting this reading and I really did love it. The reading specifically went into four types of things you would see in Italian horror. The first was horror as a “bad” object. What I found that described this best was it said “good horror movies don’t show much actual horror, but the bad ones do because they lack imagination, taste and restraint.” I think this was a great line because it went with Suspiria well. While Suspiria did show horror it had the imagination (the maggots for example or the dog attacking) making it pleasing to watch and not something you were yawning at 10 minutes in. The next was exploitation/ art cinema. This section described Argento’s works and how he was different with things such as camera angles keeping you on your toes. It also talked about the different film periods and genres they went through after the war and how Italian horror was almost more explicit. The next section was the gothic and the giallo. In this section it talked about how the switch in Italian horror was more centered around women compared to Britain at the time who was working more with male leads in their horror films. It said how the giallo centered around almost making women a fetish and Argento even said himself how he’d rather see a beautiful woman being murdered than an ugly woman or man. This goes into the last section on pornography/sadism/masochism. The flesh and murder can classify into these categories. Something they mentioned was when the knife entered the body and we could see the beating heart. This was something that could fall into these categories. All in all I thought this reading was very informative on Italian horror.

Lastly, I want to end on the presentations of films. I thought both presentations were great and I could personally relate to the presentation on Grease 2. I am a huge fan of Grease and grew up watching that and the second on repeat, even though I will never personally love Grease 2 as much as Grease. Nothing will compare to the first, in my opinion of course.

I just want to start off by saying this week has definitely been different to say the least, but we have gotten through it. I love how everyone is still making the most of the class with everything going on! I want to talk about Chris’s presentation before I start in about Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. I have personally never seen Blade Runner 2049 but I could tell by Chris’s presentation the love he had for this movie. I think he did a great job presenting the film and why he believed it was a cult film! I also presented Scream this week and I almost hated that I presented with Chris because I know how much he loves films but I think we both did a great job showing how much we both had loves for our films and why they were cult films.

Now I want to start by talking about Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. All I could say was what was happening in that film. I had a hard time following the film as it was in a different language and confusing at times. I do know however that Valeries earrings were magical in some way which I found very interesting that a lot of the film is that these magical earrings almost protect her in some way. What also confused me is why was there vampires? This film was so whimsical and different from anything I had ever seen I am almost more at a loss for words for this film than I was when I saw Pink Flamingos. What I found most intriguing though was how Eaglet or Orlik stole her earrings from her at the beginning but then we learn he might be Valeries brother even though he confesses his love for her? It almost to me seemed like a fairytale but not because this girl is having a sexual awakening while there are people trying to attack her for having these earrings that protect her. Overall I think the movie could definitely be a cult film just because of how different it is compared to other films. I can see many people who love horror but also love some kind of whimsical fantasy films would love this film.

I also want to talk about the some of the readings this week. I think Pat and Spencer did a great job really digging in to the readings and Dr. Schlegel’s podcast he did on the film. One thing that stood out to me that we talked about was the very quick cuts of scenes the film had. I do agree that the cuts were almost to fast that you were left wondering if something was still happening. Something that we also said that these low budget films like Valerie and Her Week of Wonders was what we needed to get big blockbuster movies. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders was a movie that helped pave the way for other low budget and high budget films even if it didn’t go over well with most in the country it went over well with people in the United States.

Unfortunately I missed the screening of the Warriors this week due to having a cold. I am semi upset I missed this screening because it really does sound like a great cult classic. I have done some research on the movie since I missed because, I have not had time to sit-down and rent it to watch. From the research I have done I can tell why this movie has become such a cult classic to many. One thing that was mentioned in the readings and also what I read online is the amount of violence that came out of the film. Since the film is about gangs many people who were apart of gangs liked the film causing deaths following the opening weekend. Still it has become a cult classic and overcame that little hiccup when it was first released. The movie made over $22 million compared to its $4 million budget. It also since has had video games made about it and a comic book series which helps the movie be broadcasted to more people, raising its overall cult status. I will be sure to watch this movie as it seems like a great cult classic.

Next, I want to talk about the presentations we had this week. Anna’s presentation on Back to the Future Part III. You could really tell how into the film she was and how much love she had for the film. I think she did a great job describing why she thought it was a cult movie and her reasons behind it. My dad loves the Back to the Future movies so I grew up watching them, so when she said she got to ride in a DeLorean I was semi jealous. Zane also did a great job on his presentation on Space Jam. You could also tell his love for the film since he has seen it since growing up. I think many people could agree on the movies cult status that it has. Overall the presentations were great in my opinion.

Lastly, I want to talk about the Cultural Economy of Fandom. In this reading in the book I want to talk about a quote in the Productivity and Participation section. The very first line says, “Popular Culture is produced by the people out of the products of the cultural industries; it must be understood, therefore, in terms of productivity, not of reception.” This quote was also something that Dr.Schlegel had repeated during the readings. I think this quote really helps define the whole section. Many things that are produced such as films, are not made or advertised as a cult film, therefore the people start loving them due to how well they are produced and give them the cult status. Fans then also like with the warriors create products like the video game, giving the productivity of the film more of a way to get a reception.