Cult-Tastic: Outsiders

The Cry Baby Killer (1958) / T-Bird Gang (1959) & High School Caesar (1960) / Wild Angels (1966) / Naked Angels (1969) / Angels, Hard As They Come (1972) / Nashville Girl (1976) / Black Oak Conspiracy (1977) / Hour Of The Assassin (1987) / Bloodfist (1989) / The Spy Within (1995) 

The Cry Baby Killer (1958) Minor thriller, essentially a chamber piece, chiefly remembered as Jack Nicholson's film debut. There's intensity to his portrayal of a man spinning out of control and taking people hostage, but little narrative interest. Cramped sets and wordy moralizing don't help.

T-Bird Gang (1959) & High School Caesar (1960) Social curousities rather than fully-fleshed narratives, crime dramas translated to youth movies with a conspicuous lack of talent. The music soundtracks at least maintain some energy, but there is little to persuade or interest.

Wild Angels (1966) Ushering in the era of the outlaw biker films, a primal, unrepentant howl of anti-authoritarism, made with Roger Corman's customary filmic intelligence, even as the collage of brutality and nihilism overwhelms. Finely cast, a visceral blow that has lost little of its clout.

Naked Angels (1969) The basic revenge narrative is the excuse for various scenes of debauchery in Las Vegas and surrounding desert. Utilizing film school students, the gritty feel is often contrasted with arty concepts and visual abstraction. A roughly hewn mess of a curiosity.

Angels, Hard As They Come (1972) Though it features shots of bike riding interspersed with sex, drugs and bouts of violence, there's a surprising amount of talk and a debate on how bikers and hippies have been tainted. Jonathan Demme's credits are not a seal of quality.

Nashville Girl (1976) Beneath the surface of Monica Gayle's young country singer trying to make it in Nashville, there's authenticity in the music studios and an impressive soundtrack. Unfortunately, continual sexual abuse of our protagonist is not redeemed by her final cry of independence.

Black Oak Conspiracy (1977) A slow burn thriller as writer / star Jesse Vint's movie stuntman returns to his rural home town to uncover corruption by the sheriff and the powerful mining company. Nothing original, a solidly told story with an impressive final shoot out.

Hour Of The Assassin (1987) Some impressively handled action and suspense sequences contrast with awkwardly handled exposition as Erik Estrada's assassin is tricked into shooting a Peruvian president while Robert Vaughan's CIA op races to stop him. Unconvincing.

Bloodfist (1989) The original that inexplicably launched a thousand sequels, as Don "The Dragon" Wilson sets out to avenge his brother's death in Manila. A succession of fight sequences breaks up the functional narrative, with solid production values and attractive locations.

The Spy Within (1995) Theresa Russell and Scott Glen make for an intriguing ex-spy and a bomb expert generating some sexual sparks before finding themselves on the run from shady government operatives. The action is solid, the tragic, emotional character detail less convincing.

Films: February 27 - March 5

Tystnaden (1963) / Scarlet Street (1945) / Secret Beyond The Door (1947) / Gone Baby Gone (2007) / Ouvert la nuit (2016) / Horse Girl (2020) / Serenity (2019) / The White Orchid (2018) 

Tystnaden (1963) Ingrid Thulin and Gunnel Lindblom are raw and uncompromising as two sisters, the intellectual and the carnal, drifting apart in the silence, while a curious son explores an empty hotel and war looms outside. Captivating, sexual, tense, both tender and searing.

Scarlet Street (1945) At times meandering melodrama that gradually draws the audience into the lead characters' amoral lives and finally leads to murder and execution as Edward G Robinson is driven to madness. Twisted Dan Duryea and manipulative Joan Bennett are viciously appealing.

Secret Beyond The Door (1947) Little makes sense, yet Fritz Lang's visual sense, the atmospheric lighting and the striking design make this fever dream oddly compelling. Joan Bennett is the new bride stripping away the Freudian secrets to potentially homicidal Michael Redgrave.

Gone Baby Gone (2007) Gritty, sharp and twisted, both in terms of narrative and emotions, the search for a missing child leads to questions of morality and care as stock characters gradually reveal greater depth. Unfussy production values and style, a dark tale with solid performances.

Ouvert la nuit (2016) Appealing, humourous, affectionate view of theatre people as a producer and his intern buzz around Paris to find a chimpanzee for the new show and enough money to get to opening night. At times too self-consciously surreal, yet maintains a looseness that is winning.

Horse Girl (2020) Alison Brie's unflinching performance captures an awkward, painful descent into mental obsession and disintegration, even as thoughts emerge that alien abduction is more than fantasy. As offbeat turns to surreal, a pervading sadness proves more provocative.

Serenity (2019) What seems to be a neo-noir with Anne Hathaway's femme fatale persuading Matthew McConaughey obsessive island fisherman to murder her husband, spins into such a head-scratching melodrama mid-way through that the entire narrative disintegrates. Stupefyingly misguided and cold.

The White Orchid (2018) A murder mystery, deliberately paced and produced, less interested in thrills than with identity and the seductive appeal of other people's lives. With its mix of lingering looks and tantalizing glimpses, a studied neo-noir with satisfying twists and an inquiring, driven Olivia Thirlby.