Nick Bromfield's Fetishes

This week we dive into the world of High-End S&M/Bondage through the lens of provocateur director Nick Bromfield - Fetishes. A 1996 HBO documentary in the American Undercover series, Bromfield's camera walks into New York's exclusive, expensive, and fascinating world of dominatrixes, fantasy, race-play, whipping, humiliation, and dungeons. Lorded over by Mistress Raven and a small staff of women who engage in and fulfill the fantasies of New York's elite through bondage, humiliation, wrestling, fetishizing, feminization, suffocation, and wrestling among others. There's a great deal to experience and Bromfield's camera exposes the acts and many of the participants. Join our discussion as we atttempt to understand this world and decide whether Bromfield captures fully the complexities of this subculture. As always, we can be reached at [email protected] - Our Continued Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

John Dahl's The Last Seduction

Continuing with an idea that we started a few episodes back focusing on Lena Olin in Romeo is Bleeding, this week Mr. Chavez & I take a look at an overlooked neo-noir, erotic thriller from 1994 featuring a stand-out performance from Linda Fiorentino. Our basic idea is the difficulty of casting "dangerous and strong" female characters with intimidating and daring actresses. So, why was Linda Fiorentino - an intelligentl and overpowering actor - not given the opportunities to break big? In John Dahl's cult classic, The Last Seduction, audiences were never given the chance to watch a performance that defied the narrative conventions of redemption, nurturing, or karmic comeuppance that is standard in Hollywood films. Fiorentino gives a performance that ranks with the great femme fatales of cinema including: Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity), Johan Bennet (The Woman in the Window), Marie Windsor (The Killing) and Ann Savage (Detour). As Bridget Gregory/Wendy Kroy, Fiorentino is a sexual force without any apologies or sense of regret. It's a performance Fiorentino fully dives into with equal parts sex appeal, intelligence, and danger. Featuring Peter Berg, Bill Pullman, and classic character villain, J.T. Walsh, Fiorentino is a lesson in femme fatale manipulation. Take a listen and let us know if you agree. As always we can be reached at [email protected] - Many Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

J-P Valkeapää's Dogs Don't Wear Pants

This week Mr. Chavez & I explore Finnish Cinema with a look at J-P Valkeapää's Dogs Don't Wear Pants. A brave and troubling look at emotional trauma, BDSM, and auto-ertotic asphyxiation, Valkeapää's 2019 erotic black comedy is an exploration of the erotic underground subculture of dominance and submission. There's a great deal to admire in this film including the lead performances of Pekka Strang as a widowed single father struggling with death of his wife seven years earlier, and Krista Kosonen as the woman he meets and whose dominatrix skills he becomes consumed by. A film that is not for the squeamish or prudish, but one that gives insight into - some of - the workings of this sexual subculture. Not all of the film works, but what is there speaks louder than the majority of American films that claim to tackle sexuality. Take a listen, give the movie a watch, and let us know what you think. As always, we appreciate the continued love and support. We continue to be available to you at [email protected]. Many, Many Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Peter Medak's Romeo is Bleeding

In the 1990s low-budget studio films on the periphery (in this case Polygram Filmed Entertainment) were being made with casts that - in some cases - would become mainstream stars throughtout the decade and the upcoming milennium. 1993s Peter Medak directed Romeo is Bleeding, is an under-watched, hidden gem with a cast that almost defines the 1990s - Gary Oldman, Annabella Sciorra, Roy Schreider, Juliette Lewis, Michael Wincott, and the brilliant, Lena Olin. A New York set Neo-Noir that explodes beyond the Hayes Code limits of the genre, Medak's film is a platform for a darkness of material that is rarely seen in mainstream Hollwyood. Building on a violent and highly sexualized narrative that reminds today's viewer and expands on the memories of late 80s/early 90s Cinemax Erotic Thrillers (as well as Sharon Stone and Basic Instinct), Romeo is Bleeding is a showcase for Oldman's burnt-out, self-destructive cop, Jack Grimaldi, and Lena Olin's daring, highly sexualized, and dangerous, femme fatale, Mona Demarkov. This week Mr. Chavez and I discuss the brilliance of these two performances and the film that underserves their talents. We dive into what the film gets right and how a better director (in our opinions, Paul Schrader) may have produced a masterpiece. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always we can be reached at [email protected] - Our Continued Love & Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

David Lynch's Wild at Heart

This week we return to a World of Dreams and the Land of Oz through the dark and chaotic eyes of David Lynch (January 20, 1946 - January 16, 2025). A Homage/Love Letter to the classic MGM masterpiece, Lynch's 1990 Wild at Heart is a pulsating cinematic shotgun blast. The story of young lovers breaking parole and crossing the country to find a future that is never clear, Lynch's dark romantic comedy is unlike anything seen before, but inspiring to cinema for decades after. With allusions to Fleming's 1939 Technicolor Classic, as well as nods to Elvis, Americana, and the great tradition of cinematic road trips, Wild at Heart cannot be adequately described, it can only be experienced. This week Mr. Chavez & I describe our relationship to this film (his history with it and my first viewing nearly a decade ago). We discuss our history (and dismissa - minel) of Lynch followed by the embracing of this great American filmmaker (also mine). With particular attention paid to the over the top brilliance of all involved in front of the camera, including: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Harry Dean Stanton, Isabella Rosellini, J.E. Freeman, Calvin Lockhart, Grace Zabriskie, Crispin Glover, and Willem Dafoe. We are thrilled to dive into a great film from an incredible director. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at [email protected]. Our Continued Love & Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Victor Fleming's (w/Directorial Contributions from George Cukor, Richard Thorpe, and King Vidor) The Wizard of Oz

A long time coming, this week's episode focuses on the 1939 MGM Technicolor Classic The Wizard of Oz. In the early days of the studio system, each studio focused on a specific genre, Metro Goldwyn Mayer was the home of the musical and The Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest, most remembered, and most loved musicals of all time. Adapted from the L. Frank Baum classic series of novels - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) - the film an eagerly antiicipated adaptation that would prove one of the most difficult, problematic, and dangerous productions in the history of cinema. An American Classic, the film is a staple in the memories of film lovers the world over. Nearly as well known as the film itself are the stories of abuse and production difficulties which plagued the film. From the verbal and physical abuse suffered by Garland, as well as her studio forced drug addiction that was born during the making of this film, thru cast changes from life-threatening reactions to make-up (Buddy Ebsen as the original Tin Man) and Margaret Hamilton's near death experience, as well as four different directors, The Wizard of Oz is a miraclulous achievement. With some of the greatest and well known characters in cinema (The Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy Gale, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Oz, Toto, and The Great & Powerful Oz), songs that continue to inspire, as well as a following from children to their parents, grand-parents, and great grandparents, the Gay Community, Pink Floyd and Dark Side of the Moon fans, The Wizard of Oz is a film that over eight decades later continues to captivate, enchant, and inspire. Take a listen as we make a long overdue return to this American Cinematic Classic. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to [email protected] - Our Continued Thanks. \

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Wolfgang Petersen's The Never Ending Story

This week we look into the cinematic psyche of Mr. Ibrahim Chavez. Our path is Wolfgang Petersen's 1984 Childrens' Dark Fantasy, The Never Ending Story. A childrens' adventure/heroes journey of youth battling nihilism (in this case The Nothing), bullies, parental loss, and the power of imagination, self-worth (self-belief), and self-realization. Possibilities abound in this story surrounding a magical book, a young warrior (Atreyu), beautiful, frightening, and troubling settings (The Swamp of Sadness - one of the most depressing and overpowering setttings in The History of Movies), and imaginative puppetry (The Luck Dragon - Falkor, Gmork, Turtle-like Morla, and The Rock-Eater - truly magnificent). The struggle to save the mythical Fantasia of the film presents imaginative and important points for those of us who have always loved reading and literature and the new generations that are understanding the power of literature. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at [email protected] - Our Continued Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China

When I first saw John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China, it was a Pan & Scan VHS copy from my local video store. I immediately fell in love with one of the strangest and most imaginative films of the 1980s. The fourth collaboration between Horror icon, John Carpenter, and Disney legend Kurt Russell (doing an over the top and ridiculous parody of John Wayne), Big Trouble in Little China is a love letter to the Hong Kong Sword and Sorcery epics of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. With admitted and obvious inspiration from Tsui Hark's Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, Carpenter's fantasy swordplay epic would employ an almost entirely Asian-American cast led by Denis Dun as Wang Chi, Victor Wong as Egg Shen, and the great James Hong as David Lo Pan. This week Mr. Chavez & I discuss this movie with a focus on how the film stands up to charges of appropriation (lovingly created), Orientalism (questionable), and the White-Saviour trope (mislabeled). An American set, San Francisco and Chinatown comedy that lovingly and respectfully dives into the mythology of culture, history, and hero-making, John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China is a comedy, that 40 years later, is as thrilling, funny, and exciting as it was when it premiered in the summer of 1986. Take a listen and see if we give this film a fair and balancecd review or if I'm simply too in love with my memories to be objective. As always, we can be reached at [email protected] - Many, Many Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

James Mangold's Cop Land

Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, and Sylvester Stallone in one of the most highly-anticipated films of the 1990s . . . Springing from the headlines of the 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, and today, James Mangold's 1997 police corruption drama was released to critical acclaim and tepid box-office. In an era of 90s Independent filmmaking, focusing on newspaper/magazine headlines and evening newscasts, Mangold would write and pitch a story (ostensibly a Western) set in modern day life. The reluctant hero, Sheriff Freddy Heflin (an overweight, tired, and sad Stallone), who is neither the Rocky or Rambo hero Stallone is known for, fighting the corruption of an all-star cast of big-city police living outside of the city in a mob financed town. Stallone versus Keitel, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg and John Spencer, with a cocaine-addled Ray Liotta as back-up, and a disheveled, angry, and calculating Internal Affairs officer played by DeNiro manipulating the scene, Mangold's second film - with obvious comparisons to Scorsese - stands out as an brutal and honest look at police corruption and those wiling to stand up against it. As always, we can be reached at [email protected] - Our Continued Thanks and Appreciation.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Richard Linklater's Dazed & Confused (70s Soundtrack)

This week Mr. Chavez & I return to Richard Linklater's 1993 "Hang-Out" Masterpiece, Dazed & Confused, focusing on the importance and use of its soundtrack. Featuring Aerosmith, KISS, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, WAR, ZZ Top, Edgar Winter Group, and Deep Purple, among others, Linklater's "Cinematic Soundtrack" would establish nostalgia, youth, freedom, aimless wandering, and a musical foundation inspired by previous films and inspiring others to come. Take a listen as we retrun to a great film and unwrap the music that would ground it in its time and establish a mood rarely equaled. As always, we can be reached at [email protected] - Many, Many Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.