Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2006)

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Am I Missing Something?

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Highly entertaining documentary that traces the start and end of the midnight movie. El Topo, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Night of the Living Dead, Pink Flamingos and Eraserhead are discussed by critics, their filmmakers and those who made them famous. The documentary does a great job at showing the appeal of these films and why they've lived on for so many years after, for the most part, they couldn't even get into theaters early on. George Romeo, David Lynch, John Waters and even Roger Ebert are all interviewed as well as others.

Stuart Samuels brilliant documentary puts in its proper perspective how going to the films was changed forever with the arrival of the classic Alejandro Jodorowsky's film "El Topo" at the famous Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Mr. Samuels proves to have an insight into the counter culture that came into being in those golden days when people embraced a new expression in the movies, as championed by Mr. Jodorowsky and others of that era.The Elgin Theater was located in what we now know as the Joyce Theater, a mecca for the modern dance, on Eight Avenue, between 19th and 20th streets. Back then, the Elgin had a great programming and all kinds of films were shown, as it operated as a semi repertory cinema with its emphasis in the outrageous, which was presented at midnight. The place had seen better days by the time it became a refuge for the new film makers that wanted to change the way they made films.Alejandro Jodorowsky was perhaps the most influential one of that generation with his film "El Topo". It was the film that gave way to that trend to present unconventional films that wouldn't otherwise be shown a new venue for people looking for new things.John Waters was an admirer of what he encounter at the Elgin, and it gave him the push to go ahead with his outrageous films that wouldn't have a distribution, had the Elgin not welcomed him. George Romero is also part of that generation as is David Lynch, who is much younger, but one can see the influence of those outrageous films he saw early in his youth.The comments by Roger Ebert, J. Hoberman, Jonathan Rosenbaum and others in the documentary put things in the right perspective for us, as we learn the history of this phenomenon. Stuart Samuels has to be congratulated for putting things in their right place in order for everyone to understand how the change began.

I watched this film the other night on TV- it's based on a book of the same name (the authors appear in the film as well)- and it did its job perfectly. It kept me interested by films I've seen and loved, heard of, or got introduced to during the program. And, the history itself behind the actual movie-going experience of the 'midnight movies' of the late 60's and 70's makes for fascinated viewing. We get interviews from filmmakers (John Waters, George Romero, Alejandro Jodorowsky, David Lynch, among several others) who go over the legends of their big 'cult' films, which either were made specifically for it, or just happened that way.One of the things I love about documentaries about movies, like the Martin Scorsese documentaries on American and Italian movies or Decade Under the Influence, is that there's a new awareness to material that I've never seen before. Most of the films selected here I have seen, but the ones that I didn't not only were impressive on their own, but gave me the feeling "I have to check these out, if I can find them." The most prominent one for me, which served as the sort of birthplace of the "midnight movie", is El Topo, Jodorowsky's madness of a film, that goes all out to do everything in its power to offend and act violent, nutty, obscene, while still maintaining a deranged sense of humor. It became a huge success as the first "midnight movie" that attracted a mass (or cult) of young people (almost all pot smokers, even in the theaters). Other films like Pink Flamingos and The Harder They Come looked equally interesting (and funny) to see. And getting some more back-stories on Night of the Living Dead, Eraserhead, and even The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which I was never much a fan of) kept me glued to the TV even in the later hours of night.For a movie buff this is a must-see to catch, another of the "good old days" kind of documentaries where one feels as much excitement and historical interest as slight sadness. There are still theaters around the country that have midnight showings of movies, almost by demand 'cultish', but the whole mystique and pandemonium around it- the kind of excitement that in its own realm was stronger as for the big Hollywood films- is gone.

Absorbing documentary about midnight movies--how they started, why they existed and did so well and what killed them. It deals with six key movies--El Topo; Night of the Living Dead; The Harder They Come; Pink Flamingoes; Rocky Horror Picture Show and Eraserhead. They interview the directors and distributors of all six films and they discuss how they got them out and the reactions of critics and audiences. It also explains why these movies were only successful as midnight movies (Rocky Horror was a disaster when it came out as a regular movie).I'm old enough to remember midnight movies and how much fun they were. They're gone forever but this wonderful documentary brought it all back to me. Also there's a HUGE amount of footage from each film. Highly recommended.