jrbrowzer

I was in my teens when this film came out, but I remember the times (I first saw it at an art house in LA). The plot of Saturday Night at the Baths has less to do with bath house culture and more to do with the exploration that was going on at the time. The leads do a good job of showing the freeness and openness of the sexual revolution (google it), so much so that when one takes a walk to the other side, aka a gay rendezvous, there is a thought that their straight relationship just may last. The film took my breath as I recalled the often silliness of pre-AIDs existence. All that passed with the millions of gay men who died in the years following this film. Since then, our culture has hardened, but it was nice to once again see how innocent we were despite the oppression of the time. When viewing the film, consider the boldness of the filmmaker and actors. This film was created before being gay was accepted and should be viewed through that lens. That alone makes this a groundbreaking film.

Way back in time in a galaxy far far away, people went to dark places where lights strobed, bass drums thumped and polyester ruled the world. That place is brought to life in the '70s disco classic, "Thank God it's Friday." The movie is as vapid as the music played throughout (although there are some classic dance tracks) which is exactly the point. The film follows the antics of those at a disco where the highlight of the film (spoiler alert) is a dance off. That's it, plain and simple. Back then, not every film had to be deep, profound or make us think. We went to enjoy, and this movie provides that escape. It's fun to see a soon-to-explode disco queen (Donna Summer), a Charlie Chaplinesque Deborah Winger, a pre-fly Jeff Goldblum and a genius in the making Lionel Richie immerse themselves in pure fluff. 40-some years later I can still turn on this movie and smile, and in this day and age, that is quite profound.

I had heard of "Inserts" as being a unique film, but what an understatement. This sordid tale of the underside of the '20s porn industry is actually a slick, well-acted and directed stage play rolled into a movie. The characters portrayed are all at the end of their ropes starting with Veronica Cartwright as a strung out, has-been actress turned porn star, fawning over burnt out and boozy director Richard Dreyfus, who pulls stunning performances out of her that are all blue (watch as he films her reaction shots and you'll see one of the most underrated performances of all time). In walks Big Mac (Bob Hoskins) the films' financier, with his waif of an ingenue Jessica Harper who wants to learn the business from the inside out. Of course something happens and we learn the waif isn't quite (love her firmly planted tongue in cheek name Cathy Cake) as innocent as you think as she steps into her first film role. This movie is genuinely funny, touching and sad at the same time, and I believe had it debuted in this century instead of the last, it would have been hailed a masterpiece. Dreyfus plays one of his best roles ever and Harper shows what a self-fulfilled and intelligent woman can do as she skillfully manipulates the director to get what she wants. Not everyone will appreciate the language, nudity or content, but make no mistake, this is a true Hollywood gem.