Times are tough out there in the film industry. AI continues its encroach on creative human endeavor… Studios continue to consolidate into increasingly impenetrable, profit-driven cartels… While the very artform of “Cinema” falls under constant threat of replacement by that unholiest of C-words: “C*ntent”.
In an era when even some of the most iconic filmmakers in history must struggle for distribution, what is our meek little single-screen bodega to do?
Sell out, of course!
That’s right! This summer, Spectacle Theater finally decides to embrace the mainstream and give the people what they want: Non-stop superhero thrills! Though we here at the “S” weren’t satisfied just picking up our direct lines to Zaslav & Iger for a DC or Marvel hand-out, despite their constant pleading and 3am drunk texting. Instead, we’ve plumbed the depths of superhero cinema worldwide for cuts so deep even the Moloids haven’t seen ‘em. “Spider-verse”? Never heard of it! “MCU”? Feige-ddaboutit! “Joker”? I barely know ‘er! This is superhero cinema done Spectacle-style.
RAT PFINK A BOO BOO
Dir. Ray Dennis Steckler, 1966
United States. 72 min.
In English.
TUESDAY, JULY 9 – 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, JULY 13 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, JULY 19 – 5 PM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 31 – 7:30 PM
Cee Bee Beaumont (Carolyn Brandt), the girlfriend of rock-n’-roll superstar Lonnie Lord (Ron Haydock), becomes the latest target of the notorious “Chain Gang”: A group of goons that spends their days stalking, tormenting, and murdering young women whose names they randomly pick out of the phone book. When Cee Bee is kidnapped by the Gang, Lonnie and his best friend Titus team up to save her in this gripping crime drama th— This looks like a job for Rat Pfink & Boo Boo! dedicated defenders of truth, justice, and freedom-loving people of the world!
If abrupt transitions are your thing, boy do we have one for you. B-movie maven and Spectacle mainstay Ray Dennis Steckler helms this dirt cheap, rockabilly-tinged homage to the campy tights-n’-fights fare of the 1960s. Originally intended as a straightforward stalker thriller— based in part on star (and Steckler’s ex-wife) Brandt’s own experiences as a victim of obscene phone calls— the story goes that Steckler got bored with the idea part way through filming and abruptly decided to turn it into a superhero comedy, parodying the stylized camp and tongue-in-cheek absurdity of William Dozier’s popular BATMAN television series.
The result is a mind-boggling jumble of ideas crammed into 72 minutes. Everything from silly superhero antics and beach party sing-a-longs to chilling home invasions and escaped ape fights, as only a talent like Steckler could envision.
ROBOT NINJA
Dir. J.R. Bookwalter, 1989
United States. 82 min.
In English.
SATURDAY, JULY 6 – MIDNIGHT
FRIDAY, JULY 12 – 10 PM
MONDAY, JULY 15 – 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, JULY 26 – 10 PM
Leonard Miller (Michael Todd) is an aspiring comic book artist, resentful of his publisher for capitalizing on the runaway success of his Robot Ninja series. After witnessing the brutal rape and murder of a young couple at the hands of a ruthless gang, he turns to his friendly neighborhood mad scientist, Dr. Goodknight (Bogdan Pecic) to help bring his titular comic book creation to life, becoming the Robot Ninja on the hunt for bloody revenge.
This David Decoteau-produced feature by homespun horror legend J.R. Bookwalter (THE DEAD NEXT DOOR, OZONE) is a “comic book movie” in the truest sense of the term: A DIY splatterfest ripped from the pages of the brooding, hyperviolent brand of vigilantism popular in Reagan-era superhero comics. Supposedly made for just $15,000, the film oozes micro-budget charm, filled with lo-fi gore, flashy camera work, splashy neons, and scores of smoke machines that elevate this to a level of surreality beyond your average bargain bin video store fodder.
“ROBOT NINJA is the real deal: A charmingly lowbrow cult actioner that sits perfectly in that delicious liminal space between postmodernism and excessive 80s earnestness that all those turbo kids and hobos with shotguns are trying so hard to emulate.”
– Rocco Thompson, Rue Morgue
THE BLACK PANTHER WARRIORS
(黑豹天下)
Dir. Clarence Fok Yiu-leung, 1993
Hong Kong. 91 min.
In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles.
TUESDAY, JULY 2 – 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, JULY 12 – MIDNIGHT
MONDAY, JULY 22 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, JULY 27 – 10 PM
Black Cougar (Alan Tang) is a professional thief for hire whose skill level is unmatched. When a mysterious stranger offers a huge some of money to recover a top secret file from the local police headquarters, Cougar assembles a group of elite superpowered mercenaries— including the dart-throwing Madam Rose (Carrie Ng), sharpshooter Fai Mang-po (Tony Leung Ka-fai), gravity-defying gambler Black Jack Love (Simon Yam), computer genius Robert Parkinson (Dicky Cheung), and seductive swordswoman Ching-ching (Brigitte Lin)— to help pull off the ultimate heist, unaware that a double agent acts among them.
From Clarence Fok (NAKED KILLER, CHEAP KILLERS) comes this go-for-broke actioner in which all laws of physics and standards of good taste are thrown out the window. An orgy of wuxia wirework, gun fu, sparklers, and crude sex jokes, featuring a Suicide Squad-like gang of gimmicky rogues, and topped off with the violent energy of a Tex Avery cartoon. A film is so over-the-top and manically paced that it feels like flipping through a comic book made up entirely of splash pages. Borderline incomprehensible at times but a total blast throughout.
IRON FIST: THE GIANTS ARE COMING
(DEMIR YUMRUK: DEVLER GELIYOR)
Dir. Tunç Başaran, 1973
Turkey. 70 min.
In Turkish with English subtitles.
FRIDAY, JULY 5 – 5 PM
THURSDAY, JULY 18 – 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, JULY 20 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, JULY 26 – MIDNIGHT
A stash of uranium is hidden away with the only clue being a dagger with a map to the location engraved on it. The diabolical, flamboyant villain Fu Manchu seeks out the cache to help him rule the world, but after murdering an archaeologist with a lead on the loot, the archaeologist’s son turns to the superhero Iron Fist to help bring the bad guys to justice.
No program of superhero oddities would be complete without a trip to 1970s Turkey, aka the Wild West of unlicensed superhero schlock. With a booming film industry but not enough written material to keep pace with demand, Turkish screenwriters and directors throughout the 60s & 70s turned to quick and cheap adaptations of popular Western characters, tailored to the tastes of local audiences. Despite the name or the “S” insignia, Iron Fist is more of a riff on the 60s Batman-type of vigilante that relies more on gadgets and cheesy one-liners than superpowers, making for a delightfully odd piece of Turkish pop cinema.
AN (UNLICENSED) EVENING WITH DAN POOLE
Dir. Dan Poole, et al., 1969-1992
United States. 125 min.
In English.
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17 – 7 PM w/Q&A (This event is $10.)
This month, Spectacle is thrilled to host an evening of superhero “fan films” featuring a remote Q&A with death-defying DIY filmmaker Dan Poole.
From Andy Warhol’s BATMAN DRACULA, to the Turkish pop cinema of the 1960s and 70s, to this year’s own THE PEOPLE’S JOKER, unauthorized “fan films” of popular superhero IP have been a staple of the culture for as long as comic books and copyrights have coexisted. In 1992, upon hearing that James Cameron was writing a script for a big screen Spider-Man feature, Baltimore native Dan Poole gathered together $400, a committed group of friends, and an uncompromising vision to craft what many consider to be the greatest fan film ever made: A DIY adaptation of the iconic Spider-Man story arc “The Night Gwen Stacy Died”.
Eighteen months in the making, THE GREEN GOBLIN’S LAST STAND grew to be a cult sensation over the next decade through a combination of secret screenings, bootleg VHS copies circulated at comic conventions, and online auctions taking place out from under Marvel Comics’ watchful eye. Much of what set LAST STAND apart from other fan films was the sheer dedication of its director, producer, writer, creative editor, stunt performer, and star, Dan Poole, whose creative ethos of “getting the shot” above all else resulted in some of the most inventive and audacious DIY filmmaking ever captured, with Poole jumping off bridges, riding on top of cars, and swinging on ropes four stories off the ground with no safety net, all to bring his own vision of the character to life.
Three decades later, amidst a glut of generic CGI-driven superhero cinema, LAST STAND feels like a breath of fresh air. A comic book adaptation like no other, and a true testament to the spirit and passion of DIY filmmakers. Join us on July 17th for a program featuring Poole’s early fan films, presented alongside a sampling of (similarly unauthorized) fan-made shorts from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, and followed by a virtual Q&A with Poole himself.
Total Runtime: 125 min.