Review of Cecil B. Demented (2000) by Dr. N — 20 Sep 2011
John Waters had already been making films for years by the time Cecil B Demented came out, and to me it feels like a love letter to a type of film that seems to be disappearing.
That film is the underground film. The hardcore indie. The type of film that's made on a shoestring budget, is all symbolism, and is made with the camera stolen from the film school you went to. In other words, the type of films that Waters made in his early career, along with a slew of other directors.
The story itself tells of a group of indie filmmaker kids who kidnap a hollywood starlet with the intentions of turning her against her previous "masters." Nothing much more needs to be mentioned about the plot, as it's a rather simplistic one.
The film works in its joyful debauchery (something that only Waters could really pull off), there are no heavy handed speeches, just howled eulogies for art house theaters, the grindhouses, and the adult theatres, for are they not art?
The movie is sure to split audiences in opinions, and the violence perpetrated is rather tame compared to what we're used to at this point, but the spirit that runs throughout the film is undeniable.
Do I personally clamor for the death of all Hollywood films? Not at all, but I can sure enjoy the lustful taunts of the independents that I also enjoy!
This review of Cecil B. Demented (2000) was written by Dr. N on 20 Sep 2011.
Cecil B. Demented has generally received positive reviews.
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