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I caught up with this unfortunate film and it's a total dumpster fire. As a thriller, it is bland and ambiguous. As a character study, it is shallow and inconsistent (why do we not meet the character until nearly 30 minutes in if it is really about him?). As a document of a time and place, it felt very insincere. As an allegory, it was hindered by dishonesty and prejudice. Even Pacino looks lost in this film, and I sensed a real hesitancy (either from him, Friedkin or the studio) to keep his character from "going too far." I guess asking for a sympathetic character from William Friedkin was a fool's request anyway, but the whole film is depressed, cold, dispassionate and even cruel. As the film progresses, Friedkin grows bored with the whole thriller structure he had started and decides to subvert all of that by tossing in some pop-psychology about the kid's father, inferring the reasons for a killing spree and then, inexplicably, tries to makes Burns either a killer or the killer (or is it the jealous green undies boyfriend...or...who cares).

In regards to the representation of S&M subculture, it felt like an outsider peeping in a window for a moment, making some conclusions about what was briefly seen and then passing it off to people outside-the-know like he had gone into the place and walked around for a while and then asking the people inside-the-know not to be mad that he stretched the truth. As David Ehrenstein pointed out, the whole narrative is built on a flimsy (at best) premise and the only endearing images (I think I will retain them only for their surreal absurdity) is the jockstrap/cowboy hat clad giant slapping Pacino around and Karen Allen putting on the shades at the end. I'm ready to watch something else and forget that I watched this.

James Franco's film 'about' Cruising, Interior. Leather Bar. is pretty problematic. Too much time spent on the actor taking the Pacino role feeling conflicted about being in a 'sex film' and needing to be cajoled by the rest of the cast and Franco into sticking around. The whole film is done in a drama-documentary style, but seems rather staged even in the verite portions, so I'm not entirely sure if this guy's qualms were real, a comment on the reticent character of the undercover cop in the Cruising film, or just a way of adding manufactured drama to an otherwise rather boring film. The main chap does have a 'the lady doth protest too much' attitude, going on about being married and definitely not being gay at every opportunity!

I ended up feeling as if the interview segments were reality TV staged (especially the telephone discussion with the actor's agent, who warns him that he will be associated with *shock* pornography if he goes through with his job!), and most damningly it didn't really have much to say or critique about Cruising.

I like the idea of trying to 'reclaim' the idea of a gay S&M club from a heterosexual director's idea of it as being the ultimate cave of darkness and violent depravity (see also Irreversible, which also suggests that this production isn't getting at anything Cruising specific and could more profitably have been a film about attitudes behind the imagery rather than the imagery itself), but this 'documentary' climaxing by just showing a couple of willing actors going at it on a couch watched by the conflicted Pacino-substitute does end up just feeling like an average stag reel!

domino harvey wrote:Hilariously vulgar SCTV skit lampooning the film: the Cruisin' Gourmet

That one's been taken down, but SCTV now has it's own station on Youtube.
Here's the Official SCTV Channel version,
Unfortunately it is the rebroadcast of the skit (after SCTV became an NBC property) & looks to be cut short.
The original skit (when SCTV was an independently distributed show) used The Eagles' song "Disco Strangler" & was if I remember correctly funnier & a bit more risque ie. slathering the turkey with Crisco after pulling the chains to separate its legs (or maybe I'm confusing it with the Cooking With Edith Prickley skit where she prepares a turkey while singing "Macho Man" to the syncopations of her Rhythm Ace rhythm machine).

As far as the James Franco film goes, I haven't seen it in its entirety, but from the bits I saw online, it just doesn't look to work. It seems to take some relevant issues about the film & reduce them to padding for a rather gimmicky film & because of that, I haven't really been very eager to see it. It looks to capitalize on the sensationalism of gay s&m everybit as much as Cruising did. I would much rather see a documentary around both the protests that surrounded the film while it was shooting, interviews with Friedkin on how that influenced his final cut of the film, the film's reception & boxoffice etc., since Cruising was such a mobilizing force for the gay political movement. Of course Vito Russo covered some of this topic in The Celluloid Closet , but it's been a while since I've seen how much of the issue is covered in the movie version of the book. Vito was still a bit unidimensional (good/bad....and Cruising was for him the worst) in his views of gay representation on film up until he passed away (1990), but that was before the gay film boom of the 90s & eventual crossover into mainstream film from the 90s on.

Yeah, the version I posted was a VHS rip of the original and it was unbelievably filthy (there were def fisting jokes, you're remembering the Crisco correctly). Hopefully it pops up again soon

The most amusing part of Interior. Leather Bar is where the 'worried Pacino guy' interviews some of the younger members of the cast asking them about Cruising, and most seem to have never heard of it, let alone having an opinion as to the messages of that earlier film! There is a long sequence of the 'Pacino chap' talking to another guy in the makeup chair (getting dressed up in drag, but who the actor is relieved to find out is straight) about what exactly the film is about, and that it is something to do with Cruising, which neither of them appear to have seen, and then they bond over their favourite Pacino role, which turns out to be The Panic In Needle Park!

Most damningly when James Franco himself gets cornered and interrogated about the film, he also seems to be a little unsure as to the reason for doing it. It seems to be some sort of empowerment and reappropriation of imagery, yet it doesn't seem to really be a particularly furious statement about or enquiry into the Friedkin film, and the actor goes away just as baffled as before! No wonder he goes to telephone his agent shortly afterwards, suspiciously captured by an unseen camera crew! It certainly suggests that whatever greater meaning the filmmakers were trying to get at with their film, they didn't really communicate it to their cast very well (who could have helped to put whatever intended message across, however confused), let alone the audience! Perhaps that muddled incoherence of character psychology is intended to be the main way Interior. Leather Bar connects with Cruising, although that might be being too charitable to Franco's film!

EDIT: On watching the interviews with the director and Franco, apparently the above was seriously intended. The interviews were quite interesting, especially hearing more about their experience with Cruising and reasons behind wanting to make the film, which is something that comes across in more of a muddled fashion in the film itself. Both Franco and Travis also make convincing arguments of the worth of Cruising as a film that, however problematic its message, at least captured a certain milieu from a long past era, although that also makes the idea of doing an ersatz recreation of the leather bar seem even more pointlessly futile! Perhaps a more daring (in the non explicit sex sense) and thoughtful film would have acknowledged that and critiqued its own futile creative aspirations?

Announced via a new Arrow teaser postcard (source).

Hope they license this uncut version of the SCTV parody discussed above

Along with that amazing SCTV sketch, here's one of the few good shorts to have come out of Sundance in recent memory. 1080p was invented just so we can see all the oil, sweat and pockmarks on Joe Spinell's face as he gets a blowjob in a cop car. If more Warner titles are on the way, I'd love to see Arrow release Year of the Dragon.

Ha, love the dad's reactions in that one

I was privy to a long series of very heated statements made against this film by David Ehrenstein in which he tried to claim this was the worst thing ever made. Recalling what I can about the film it struck me more as typical tone deaf serial killer movie than maliciously homophobic morality lesson. It feels a lot like a sort of time capsule of Pre-AIDS era made by complete outsiders hence it's aloofness in a lot of ways. What's even weirder (And not often talked about) is that the actual serial murderer who inspired the novel the film is based had a bit part in another Friedkin film, The Exorcist. No really.

It's also has one of the greatest WTF scenes I've ever had the pleasure of seeing in a film (NSFW).

I can understand how a gay person trying to live their life at the time of the film's release could hold resentment towards something that did nothing but add gas to the fire of casual homophobia, but David Ehrenstein is also given to more hyperbolic denunciations and proclamations than even me, so his take kind of just registers as noise

Friedkin says this Spring. I'll let y'all debate about distributors when he says England first.

Big Ben wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:25 pm

Friedkin says this Spring. I'll let y'all debate about distributors when he says England first.

I mean, Arrow has already confirmed its coming in both the UK and US. They’re more than likely doing one of their slow territory roll outs again like they did on Donnie Darko amd Hellraiser.

DRW.mov wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 21, 2019 10:13 pm

I mean, Arrow has already confirmed its coming in both the UK and US. They’re more than likely doing one of their slow territory roll outs again like they did on Donnie Darko amd Hellraiser.

Did they, though? I was asking this on BR.com recently, as I seem to remember the original postcard appeared inside a US release, and there was only 'rumour' of the same postcard appearing in a UK release (I certainly haven't seen it on any of my recent postcards). I don't think Arrow have stated anything official yet, just keep 'teasing' it on their social media.

Relieved to hear it'll definitely be out in the UK, as I was beginning to worry this would be a US exclusive (like Dillinger, Keoma, Django etc).

Complete soundtrack reissued on 180g vinyl:

Waxwork Records is thrilled to present CRUISING Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Score. Available for the first time, the original 1980 soundtrack release has been expanded to include the complete film music. Spanning three LP’s, Waxwork worked closely with director William Friedkin, Sony, and Universal Pictures to locate and unearth the original masters that include the original Jack Nitzsche score sessions, the Germs recording sessions, and all music recorded for the film featuring The Cripples, Barre Phillips, Mutiny, and many more. This is the long awaited and definitive CRUISING soundtrack release requested by fans of the film, punk rock, and the counter culture for decades.

...

Waxwork’s CRUISING Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Score features the complete music recorded for the film pressed to 180 gram Blue, Black, and White colored vinyl, a 12”x12” booklet featuring an exclusive essay by director William Friedkin on the intense making of the film and creation of it’s music, album design and layout by Aesthetic Apparatus, triple gatefold jackets with satin coating and spot UV gloss, and all music sourced and re-mastered from the original master tapes.

Link

Thanks again, William Friedkin

Friedkin: "Let me make this clear...the information in this
Tweet is bullshit. No 3-disc release was ever
Complicated and there are no other versions
Of the film. The version that Arrow has is the
Only version of the film that ever existed.
Mark Kermode has agreed to do a commentary."

Good to hear proper info from the source, mea culpa

And Simeoni pointedly retweeted this today, posted earlier this month: https://twitter.com/kermodemovie/status ... 42081?s=21

Though the original commentary was dropped, a redone version with Friedkin involved may be added to this release, if Kermode's tweet here is anything to go by.

Friedkin solo would have been a total timewaster so it's good that he has someone prompting him and engage with him, especially Kermode.

Finch wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:35 pm

Friedkin solo would have been a total timewaster so it's good that he has someone prompting him and engage with him, especially Kermode.

Agreed, especially because they're good friends and I hope that will allow for a more interesting dynamic. Hopefully they get deep into everything.

soundchaser wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 25, 2019 12:51 pm

Though the original commentary was dropped, a redone version with Friedkin involved may be added to this release, if Kermode's tweet here is anything to go by.

Arrow updated specs yesterday to include such a commentary:

Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, supervised and approved by writer-director William Friedkin
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Newly remastered 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio supervised by William Friedkin
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary with William Friedkin and critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode
Archival audio commentary by William Friedkin
The History of Cruising – archival featurette looking at the film’s origins and production
Exorcising Cruising – archival featurette looking at the controversy surrounding the film and its enduring legacy
Original Theatrical Trailer

Mondo Digital

It's unblued itself!

Feel free to crucify me (and yes I’ve seen this projected on 35mm) but I kinda prefer the bluer color timing.