Come with us now into the archives as we rescue the "lost" Episode 8 of Catch Basin Cinema.  It's a long story but basically, we recorded this and then.. a bunch of stuff happened. It was Mardi Gras, then some of us got sick, others of us traveled the world in a spiritual journey of self discovery.  By the time, that ended, we were already on to Episode 9. 

But this is episode 8. Finally! The movie, HELL BABY (2013), is a haunted house movie staring some of our favorite comedic actors unfortunately not being particularly funny.  This could have been a gentrification satire, or at least a better horror parody but instead is just some pretty good actors just goofing around and having a good time in New Orleans. So.. missed opportunities. 

But we have NOT missed the opportunity to finally release this content. So, please enjoy. 

That's right, it's Episode 9! We are well aware Episode 9 is out before Episode 8. We will not be taking any questions at this time. 

It has been a long summer but here we are back just in time. The same week that Mayor Cantrell names her choice to become the city's new police chief amid pressures from various political and business factions, we have watched a film about the conseqences that political and business factions can bring upon a police chief and the disastrous violence that comes in the wake of that. 

That's right we're looking at VENDETTA (1999), a made for HBO historical drama about the notorious 1891 lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans in retribution for the unsolved murder of Chief David Hennesey.  It stars Christopher Walken, Ed Hermann, and the finest budget backlot sets Canada had to offer at the time.

This film is based on a book by Italian American Studies Professor Richard Gambino

The lynching seems also to have inspired a forthcoming book by infamous retired federal prosecutor Sal Perricone

We also refer to this book about Joseph P. Macheca who is a pivotal character in the film.

Here, also, is the James Karst article we reference regarding James Houston's attack on a newspaper office. 

We're back after a bit of a holiday hiatus! Our movie is the star studded, but largely forgotten ZANDALEE (1991) starring one of New Orleans's most famous adopted enfants terrible Nicholas Cage along with Judge Reinhold, Marisa Tomei, Steve Buscemi, and several other actors who apparently worked for free at one point during the production. That is, at least accoring to this interview with the director Sam Pillsbury. It's Pillsbury's voice we hear at the beginning of the episode, by the way. That isn't explained in the audio.

We also talk about screenwriter Mari Kornhauser's appearance at Rising Tide 7 (which we had a bit part in the production of ourselves) where she participated in a panel discussion on the uneasy relationship between New Orleans's tourism industry and the people, culture, and art, it extracts profits from.  All of which is worth considering in the context of this film which seeks to ask if "money is just an excuse for the lack of art" even if its contemplation may leave one with a slight paralysis of the soul.

Well it is the season of spooks and so we are contractually obligated to take on INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (1994) directed by Neil Jordan. And with that comes Interview With The Vampire (1976) by Anne Rice which we also spend some time discussing. Unsurprisingly numerous other topics come up. Music, lifestyle choices, media of all types, this goes on for a while. Happy Halloween!

The first documentary to come down the Catch Basin is CLOSED FOR STORM (2021) a film by Canadian YouTuber Jake Williams about the abandoned Six Flags/Jazzland amusement park.  Our young director is missing a fair amount of local context, though, so it's up to Jeff and Lance to fill in some of the blanks... at least as well as they can remember them.  Also real estate developers Troy Henry and Tonya Pope are here. Are they selling something we might be interested in? Or is it really more of a Shelbyville idea?

Let's descend into the catch basin and find out.

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This week's movie is the little noticed Netflix rom-com WHEN WE FIRST MET (2018) staring TV comic Adam DeVine, a Trump beauty pageant winner, some internet famous guy, and what we have to figure is a great big pile of Louisiana film production tax credits to burn on this mixed up pastiche of a time travel plot borrowed from several better films.  Hey, do you remember GROUNDHOG DAY? Did you like BACK TO THE FUTURE? Have you seen BIG? What if you could go back in time and see them all over again? Well, Jeff and Lance chose to watch this movie instead. Pathetic choice? Or does everything happen for a reason?  Who can even judge such things?

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We watched the Jim Jarmusch classic DOWN BY LAW (1986) starring John Lurie, Tom Waits and Roberto Benigni.  This film is much beloved by Orleanophiles far and wide.  But does it have #Standing? Or is it a nostalgia dream of a sad and beautiful world that can't exist anymore? Let's find out!

Meanwhile the mayor and city council continue to call for police and surveillance policies aimed at filling the parish prison even faster than the characters in this film can walk right out of it. 

See Also: The Lens: French Quarter could be blanketed in city surveillance cameras under new plan https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/08/french-quarter-could-be-blanketed-in-city-surveillance-cameras-under-new-plan/

Antigravity: News Gone Wild https://antigravitymagazine.com/feature/news-gone-wild/

Cajun Comedian Dave Petitjean's Cajun Night Before Christmas performance https://www.facebook.com/CenterforLouisianaStudies/videos/cajun-night-before-christmas-by-dave-petitjean/876252549731960/

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We remember the anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Ida and mark the height of hurricane season by watching the straight to DVD Forest Whitaker vehicle, HURRICANE SEASON (2009). Based on the real life story of the 2006 John Ehret High School basketball team, the film also features Bow Wow and J.B. Smoove in minor roles as well as Lil' Wayne in an even smaller role that somehow merits second billing.  Anyway this is probably the deepest dive anyone has taken into this film, its many characters and sprawling plotlines.

The moment also finds us reminiscing about Katrina and the film's underlying theme of "resilience."  In other words, we went a bit long.

See also:

"Last Days of Isle De Jean Charles" Times-Picayune August 28, 2002 by Tristan Baurick https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_70ac1746-1f22-11ed-bc68-3bde459eba68.html

"The Secret Diary of a Sustainable Investor" by Tariq Fancy https://medium.com/@sosofancy/the-secret-diary-of-a-sustainable-investor-part-1-70b6987fa139

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In Catch Basin Cinema's maiden journey down the culvert, Jeff and Lance take a long hard look at the action flick HARD TARGET (1993) staring the "Muscles from Brussels" himself Jean-Claude Van Damme along with Lance Henrickson and Wilfrid Brimley in legendary director John Woo's American debut.  In the film, JCVD and his oily mullet are embroiled in a Most Dangerous Game hunt through the rough streets of a hyper-real 1990s New Orleans. Meanwhile, in the normal-real New Orleans, councilman Oliver Thomas hunts panhandlers and Mayor LaToya Cantrell tries to unshackle her police force from a federal consent decree so they can get back into sporting shape as well. 

Join us down in the gutter as we give our Catch Basin its initial inspection. What all is down there, anyway?