Masterminded By Rene F.Rangel
After a bit of a hiatus I’M BACK! Unlike the previous B-Movie columns this time I’d like to try something a little different and express myself differently in a bit of an editorial fashion. I want to give you a window into how The Mind Of Rene works.
Basically I’d like to talk about “trash cinema”. There have been numerous times where my “reputation for reliable recommendation” has been called into question. You see, I’ve always been of the mind that if you like something say it loud and proud. Don’t be ashamed about it. The term “Guilty Pleasure” is something I don’t believe in. I know there’s others out there like that, but there’s not a lot of people who will say “I loved Grown Ups and liked Grown Ups 2.”
I said that. I also saw Grown Ups twice in the theater. Right about now most people are checking out and probably thinking “This guy is nuts. What the hell is he doing writing about film if he likes that trash?” The thing is it’s what I like. I have no shame in that despite what some think to the contrary. I’m also not afraid to be controversial and go against the grain by saying I enjoyed Man Of Steel, I wasn’t a huge fan of Drive, and despite purchasing the complete series of The Wire based solely on the acclaim it has gotten, I couldn’t really get into it as a whole despite liking a lot of the parts within the series.
That last statement has pretty much been like napalm and has gotten the villagers riled up with their torches and pitchforks. There are those however, that don’t have an immediate meltdown and know that I’m simply expressing my thoughts and know that I’m not full on trashing the stuff and pissing all over it, but that I wasn’t impressed and may in the future still revisit it. With the price I paid for The Wire I damn well should revisit it!
Trash Cinema so to speak is used to be relegated solely to B-movies and the like. A lot of these are now being rediscovered by the younger generations like myself thanks to outfits like Shout/Scream Factory, Blue Underground, Code Red DVD, Synapse Films, Vinegar Syndrome and many other small companies. I mean Shout Factory recently released a 4 pack “Cult Movie Marathon” that has a film called CHATTERBOX that deals with a woman’s vagina that talks. If that’s not trashy or exploitative then I don’t know what is.
Nowadays most “trash cinema” is automatically triggered by the name ADAM SANDLER. Basically anything he does usually results in people automatically dismissing him, because most people have grown tired of a 40-something man and his group of friends still acting like kids. Have I grown tired of that schtick? Not really. I will admit that I don’t rush out and see every film he does, but there’s still quite a few that I eventually see and end up liking. Those of which I’m not afraid to say that I do without fear that I will be shunned by my fellow film fans. I’m also glad that a large percentage of the people that I’m friends with on facebook understand and still love me despite giving me jabs in good nature about proudly exclaiming why I enjoy these types of films and others.
I just try to stay far away from being pretentious or being a film snob. I embrace all types of film. Be they “art” films or mainstream fluff that lots of people tend to discard as not being worthwhile. Only God Forgives had as polarizing a reaction as Man Of Steel had this year and I loved both of them. They both earned very high spots on my end of the year list which will be put together very soon.
I know there’s plenty of other ladies and gents out there who love what they love and aren’t afraid to say they do. I also know there’s some who may be a bit hesitant they liked something like Couples Retreat or The Switch. I’m just here saying “Don’t be afraid to say you like something.”