RUTZ Song: "Didn't mean a thing"

Thanks to everyone who continues to support my work. Enjoy this new song!

 " I was trying to be....just what....you wanted me to be...to bad it....didn't mean a thing "

Verse 1                                   Verse 2                           Verse 3            

                                                                                                                 

Now that                                 Things Lost                     Alone             

I'm Back                                  A Cost                            Ain't Bad

Free after                                 Too High                        Finding

A Brat                                      Too Blind                       Learning

The Lights                               The Fucks                      Calm

The Cars                                  The Fucks                      Peace

The Bars                                  The Fucks                      Me

No Time                                  Not much                       Much Done

Like                                         Nothing done                 With No One

Me Time                                  I'm trying                       I'm trying

I'm trying                                 To Find                          To Find

To Find                                    Good Times                   Good Times

Good Times                             It's not                            It's not

It's not                                      In Slut                            In Slut

In Slut                                      It might                          It might

It might                                    Be                                  Be

Be                                            In my guts                      In my guts

In my guts                               It's just a hunch              It's just a hunch

It's just a hunch                 

RUTZ Classic Movies: Day of the Dead

Directed by George A. Romero    

Line that stays with me:  “Is anyone alive out there?!!”

Essay Warning: There are no spoilers or story details. I want to offer the emotion that a film can access within us. Plus I think the best way to watch a film is by not knowing anything about it. Just Go In…So if you haven’t watched this film yet please don’t read this essay. Read it afterwards so we can enjoy the “feeling” together. 

George Romero’s Dead series is one the most underrated achievements in cinema. From “Night of the living Dead” to “Survival of the Dead” it is amazing how well these films hold up and how the images of cold reality on display draw us in. It seems that we will never get this sort of cinema on the big screen in the USA ever again.  I am not only talking about blood and guts here. I am speaking about the honesty George Romero delivered with all his characters. In a George Romero movie people are racist, people are weak and some characters are plain insane. I miss that sort of honesty at the movies. It is one thing to watch a zombie movie being slightly excited by the plot, which is usually about a group of people trying to escape their doom.  It is another sort of experience to be drawn into the plot because you are interested in the characters. You are interested in the dynamics between the characters that will surely cause a rift. That sort of execution adds a terrible sense of reality that keeps you interested not only on what the characters will do next but also excited on what they will say next. It is a very special and, difficult movie thing to do, to make audiences excited to hear the characters speak. When you watch “Day of the Dead” you are never bored to death with standard horror film dialog, like “We have to reach the lake before blah, blah, blah”. You are excited to hear the characters in this film speak because they sound like real people. George Romero did his job as a writer and gave these characters instant depth. I don’t care if one of the characters says SPICK. The character is racist, there are racist people in real life last time I checked. If the zombie apocalypse was ever to come, you better believe our race issues will be one of the reasons we won’t survive.

We rarely see racism in film, that’s why I think George Romero writes in racist characters in his films to confront audiences with dark truths and for kicks. I am Hispanic and I laugh during scenes of the movie featuring racial slurs. I find it funny because people who are racist are usually scared, immature or not very smart. They are silly people who believe somehow without proof that their race is superior to others.  How can you not laugh at a fool? That’s one aspect of it; on the other hand it makes me laugh because I am pretty sure that’s how it would happen in real life. So with one stroke George Romero has added tension to his story and comical relief. You feel you are watching a film that holds some truth and merit even though there are zombies running around eating people. It is a, hell of an achievement. Nowadays we only catch racism in movies like “The Help” which makes racism seem like some old past time called “It used to be so much worse”.  It is almost like selling the horrors of racism back to people because supposedly it is an uplifting story. Yet, racism is still alive and well. It will not be conquered if we treat it with such flimsy attitudes. “Day of the Dead” lets racism rear its true ugly head, reminding us that one day we might need each other in order to survive and if we don’t solve our petty differences before then, we will lose. That’s just one of the great layers that “Day of the Dead” has to offer. Even if you don’t get that powerful message from the film, you are still watching a classic horror film with all the guts to prove it.

George Romero and John Russo created and cemented the idea of zombies as we know it. I do not think people give George Romero enough credit. His crazy zombie idea, which on paper doesn’t make much sense, has given so many other artists a staggering amount of jobs in the last forty years. From make-up artists working on Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video, to Capcom producing Resident Evil. This one idea is a perfect example of people standing on the shoulders of a genius, yet people barely know his name. It doesn’t matter though; when you watch “Day of the Dead” you know who the man is. The remakes don’t hold a candle to his masterpieces, which have been ripped off to death.  “Day of the Dead” is a crazy mix of stunning imagery, strong characters, pulsing catchy music by John Harrison, pitch perfect performances and some of best make up effects created by the legendary Tom Savini. Right from the beginning the film sets the tone of dread and despair. No fancy credits needed, an opening of a film should set the tone of what will come next. In the opening scene of “Day of the Dead” we see our hero Sarah, stare at a calendar which represents wasted time and her sense of doom.  A beautiful opening that asks a question that most films do not ask, “Am I wasting my time in this life?” A question I am sure many of us ask during tenures in our 9 to 5 hells. John, “Fly boy”, confronts Sarah with this truth when he tells her they should leave the underground bunker and go find some place where they can enjoy life again and, raise some babies.  The film takes the stance of; if you can’t beat them, leave them the hell alone. This is better than the old mantra if you can’t beat them, join them.   

A great film to me is a film that takes you on a journey thoroughly thought out on different levels and manages to be entertaining, undiscovered even after several viewings. It must have the power to fight every art form’s true enemy, the passing of time. The only way to achieve that is by not cutting corners when it comes to the fundamentals of great film making and having visionary ideas.  The images in“Day of the Dead” keeps your eyes glued to the screen and other times makes you look away as a zombie rips a body in half. The music which was famously used in a Gorrilaz song grows on you, sticks in your head and gives the film a perfect tempo. The film’s villain Captain Rhodes is a villain you love to hate, which is important for a genre film. I cannot stand watching a genre film with a dull villain. Rhodes is a bastard, who says things like “Get your black ass out here” and “Or are you just in there jerking each other off!”  The rest of the Rhodes cronies are just as bad and racist as he is which gives the film an authenticity that helps the story progress very naturally. This is a science experiment gone wrong. You have your weak character Miguel, a man falling apart from all the horrors he’s witnessed. This is a very important character. The sort of character you rarely see in movies nowadays, a weak man. The importance of a character like Miguel goes unnoticed but it is there. Miguel’s weakness shows the audience how strong Sarah is in contrast. It makes you not hate Rhodes and his cronies for you feel that at least they are not being crybabies about the situation. Miguel is pivotal to film’s obvious declaration of humanity as a whole, the strange balance and the misunderstandings.

Miscommunication is the only real enemy for everybody in the bunker. No one is working together to solve the problem and some are broken beyond repair. I love that line that “Fly Boy” says “That's the trouble with the world, Sarah darlin'. People got different ideas concernin' what they want out of life.” The very same problems America still has today. Of course George Romero was trying to make a point and I am glad he had the balls to do it. The metaphor being that we are already zombies. That’s why Dr. Frankenstein’s scenes are very important. It lets George Romero discuss those very taboo ideas in a slight disguise. Dr. Frankenstein says people are only civil if they are promised a reward and that these zombies could be controlled. As Sarah explained he does not want to solve the problem but is merely trying to find a way to control it, which means it will never end. Sounds like a USA problem to me. Instead of trying to stop crimes from happening by discovering the source of the problem, we put people in jail, we don’t try to change their ways, and later they come out of jail with even worst ideas, plus not many prospects in getting a decent job. How do you think that story is going to end up? Same goes for our failed war on drugs which has never contemplated reaching the source of the problem. That’s why I love that Dr.Frankenstein is insane, it’s like saying America you’re nuts, you think you can control mindless zombies? With the way school funding keeps decreasing around the country I think you get my point. The fact that George Romero found a way to say this in his film without hitting you over the head is one of his many great accomplishments.

There are so many interesting themes and thoughts worth discussing but at the end of the DAY, this film is horror romp. Gross out scenes of human intestines falling on the floor, a zombie’s head ripped in half with a shovel. These make-up effects look so much better than anything digital. Excellent sequences filled with high tension. My favorite being near the end as Sarah and company follow the red lights to escape the bunker with the hue of blue lights giving the frames a very COOL look. You also have the strange story of Bub the zombie, which seems like a tribute to all under appreciated war veterans everywhere. The scenes of desperation at the end also show doom like very few pictures have. Some go kicking and screaming, one decides to take his own life and another gets delirious as he meets his end. These are all very interesting moments. We rarely see characters in films, characters that we’ve gotten to know, reach such a brutal ends and to watch them react to their death gives us an insight on how people face the end of their lives.  On the other end of the spectrum we see our heroes, Sarah and company on a beach enjoying life again. We watch Sarah X another day on her calendar, a beautiful scene which suggests that she is finally living her life. No longer underground, no longer fighting a pointless battle. It is a hard idea to come to terms with because it sounds like giving up. But when the powers that be no longer value your life and the reality of changing things proves too difficult, the question becomes how much time are you willing to lose? An unfortunate truth of this world, one Sarah finally came to terms with.  Do you want to change the world and suffer or live life while you still can? I think it is worth fighting the good fight if we can win, but if we honestly cannot I’d rather spend my last days making great long lasting memories before it is too late.  

ABOUT RCM: Rutz Classic Movies is dedicated on writing film essays for films that in Rutz's opinion, have not gotten the credit they deserve. Next Essay: Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia 

 

          

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RUTZ Web - Series "Raging Roomies" Teaser

I know my blog usually has serious overtones but I'm a comedy writer as well. I wrote 8 episodes for Hip-Hop artist Pitbull's Sketch Comedy show "La Esquina" and I've written for various sketch comedy groups. I am very silly person and I am glad this show lets me do some really crazy stuff. We can't wait to show how crazy, enjoy!

RUTZ Classic Movies: "Naked Lunch"

Directed by David Cronenberg     

Line that stays with me:  “I got my ticket”

Essay Warning: There are no spoilers or story details. I want to offer the emotion that a film can access within us. Plus I think the best way to watch a film is by not knowing anything about it. Just Go In…So if you haven’t watched this film yet please don’t read this essay. Read it afterwards so we can enjoy the “feeling” together.

             

Do you want to go have a naked lunch? The title of the book, the film, continues to rattle in my head as I try to make up my mind on what to say about this film. It brings to mind the scene when our hero Bill Lee’s friend Hank talks about how re-writing is a sin. I don’t know about that but at this point in my life and career I can understand what he’s getting at. This film is a marriage of two great artistic minds William S. Burroughs and David Cronenberg. It would probably have never existed without David Cronenberg and oddly enough David Cronenberg would have never made films if it wasn’t for Mr. Burroughs. David Cronenberg wanted to be a writer but trying to surpass the master proved to be too difficult.  So instead of being a cheap imitation he decided to move his artistic ventures towards cinema.  He moved his ventures so he could grow freely with no ceiling and still implement the many influences, lessons, and ideas he had found along the way. William S Burroughs influence in David Cronenberg’s work is very apparent, even in his commercial work like the “The Fly” where the Kafkaesque experience is in full walking display.  “Naked Lunch” to me means (Please remember that no interpretation is right or wrong) a visual meeting of two artistic minds completely “Naked” with their work and thoughts. David Cronenberg did not base this film solely on the book of the same name; he used various writings from Williams S. Burroughs career and added auto-biographical accounts as well.  In the end we have this film, which presents both artists in Full Monty, dragging us through artistic hell and quiet victories.

The work of William S. Burroughs will forever be intriguing. It is the work of a stubborn realist who’s lived enough to not be fooled again. When Mr. Burroughs work first came out during the end of the cold war and the beginning of the 60’s beatnik/counter culture revolution, it brought forth a loss of innocence so profound it transformed a whole generation of artistic minds forever. These are ideas that shake the very ground you walk on dealing with perception and reality. Many people shy away from this kind of conversations because they tend to bring to light certain natural fears all humans have about life and death. One of the reasons I think people love Mr. Burroughs is because he went to “The Abyss” for us. If you have ever been to “The Abyss” you can relate with his war stories. I know many people get excited about the film in relation to the drugs and that sort of wild lifestyle but the film offers much more than that. The film deals more with the creative process, and. The strange forever scarring moments that births it and the long road ahead. Mr. Burroughs said the reason he became a writer was due to the fact that he killed his wife Joan when trying to pull their “William Tell Routine”.  I love how David Cronenberg found a brilliant way to bookend the film with this important fact of Mr. Burroughs life. It gives the film weight so it does not come across as flimsy but as a true nightmare of the creative process.

“Naked Lunch” is one of those films everybody wants an explanation for. What does that scene mean? What did he mean with that shot? That sort of approach doesn’t work for me with films like “Naked Lunch” because this film is a prose.  This film says many things all at once and in a very straight forward manner. One of the famous lines from the film “Exterminate all rational thought that is the conclusion I have come to” makes this plain. That line of dialog sets the tone for the film. Makes me think, I mean what kind of living situation does a man have to be in order to contemplate such thoughts. After watching my local news for about five minutes that phrase is about the only thing that makes sense.  People kill each other with no disregard, and the politicians don’t care how many people they kill to get their objectives done, but they want us to remain civil. Does that make any sense?? NO! “Naked Lunch” takes us on an extreme journey of an artist who would rather live a life of debauchery, fueled by bug powder than conform to “reality” and its many paradoxes. The film is also very funny thank God!  Roy Scheider’s performance as Dr. Benway,  is comic gold. Judy Davis is perfect even though she's playing two different characters. The film is not a sad sappy story about addiction. It revels in artistic hardships and new beginnings. It finds humor in hallucinations, delivers great special effect to bring characters like the Mugwump to life and finds it center with genuine cinematic moments of obliqueness that have a strange calm to them.

Never has ugliness look this beautiful. “Naked Lunch” has a stunning look. David Cronenberg is a director that has almost no cinematic reference points. You have no idea where his shots originate. He is not trying to be the next John Ford or Martin Scorsese. David Cronenberg has a strong distinct way of framing his pictures and they leave you with the impulse to discover more on your own, hours, even days after you watched one of his films. The art direction in this film is pure spectacle an outstanding achievement, whether it’s Bill Lee’s funky green apartment or the out of wack, “where the hell are we?” Interzone scenes.  You get lost in the story due to the great job by these artists’ commitment to make those scenes time and place authentic.  Less than half-way through the film we head to Interzone and after a while you forget how the film started. I got to say “Naked Lunch” delivers one of best feelings of disorientation that I have ever experienced in a film. When Bill Lee returns from Interzone for the first time, awakened by his friends Hank and Martin, I realized how lost I was in the Interzone story.  I truly forget all about Hank and Martin. This is a great example of how artists get lost in their work and what a dangerous approach that can be.

I once thought that sort of artistic temperament was hogwash. Getting lost in your work and all that, how naïve I was. Of course it depends what kind of artist you are. Nowadays it is hard to tell. Many artists these days have nothing to offer and work more as product placement.  Luckily, we are not discussing any of today’s artists but Mr. Burroughs, he is an artist who took it to the limit and back. Today’s society looks at art as a means to make money, no longer is it a means of human discovery. To discover who we are, what our brain and heart truly want to say during this life, leaving a visible imprint on the wall of time for future generations. I took that artistic plunge four years ago.  Left my 9 to 5 behind for good, it no longer made sense to work there after a robbery that took place that could have cost me my life. I would have been killed for less than $500. I decided that night that I could no longer waste time and started to do what I love with my life FULL TIME and dedicate my time to become great in my craft. Of course hardships followed, but the experience, the writing, and the ideas that came out ever since I’ve dedicated myself to this life have been a revelation for me and have brought me happiness because I am myself. I no longer have to waste time doing somebody else's dirty work. I have gotten a chance to grow as an artist and believe me when I tell you can get lost in your work!

When the credits roll at the end of “Naked Lunch” there is not much to hold onto except the journey.  Same can be said of the creative process. It is hard trying to find that magic and hone it. “The Spirit” as the late Ian Curtis called it in my favorite Joy Division song “Disorder”. It truly comes and goes like a lost ghost. Timing is everything, when I was young I wrote about fun adventures where all the characters live happily ever after. As I got older I started to write tragedies. As an artist you want to lose yourself in order to find something new, to find some truth worth printing. There is no map for such an endeavor and we are all built differently, with the past of our parents guiding the compass. Most of our artistic heroes were on something to escape the cheap venal reality of distorted logic. From alcohol to heroin it doesn’t matter, we all got one vice. If you are a consumer you go shopping and it makes you feel better. If you are an artist you might drink till honest thoughts come pouring out and you make the song you always wanted to make. We all pay for what we want one way or another.  “Naked Lunch” was paid by Bill Lee’s guilt and nightmarish hallucinations. That’s that. It is not a pretty picture but nobody said it was supposed to be.  I love the “As is” attitude this film projects. It is not about the “truth” or “meaning”, it is simply about the crazy twists and turns some artists go through in order to get the job done.  At times the story ends unhappily but as a whole it can be quiet riveting and mesmerizing.  Worth the whole trip!

ABOUT RCM: Rutz Classic Movies is dedicated on writing film essays for films that in Rutz's opinion, have not gotten the credit they deserve. Next Essay: George Romero's Day of the Dead

Tweet to @RealRutz