Screening Log
This new site feature is a collective effort to summarize our viewing habits. Occasionally, you will find titles here that are coming to a theater near you, in addition to films viewed on television, and even films viewed in piecemeal. The screening log is archived each month; to view past entries select a month in the menu below.
February 2008 activity
Total Log Entries: 38
- Adam (6)
- Andrew (0)
- Chet (0)
- Chiranjit (1)
- David (3)
- Eva (4)
- Evan (0)
- Ian (0)
- Jenny (0)
- Katherine (0)
- Leo (4)
- Megan (0)
- Rumsey (4)
- Teddy (0)
- Thomas (5)
- Timothy (0)
- Victoria (1)
Total Comments: 22
- Juno (8)
- Electroma (1)
- The Room (0)
- Grave Robbers (0)
- The Roost (0)
- The Power of Nightmares (0)
- Axe (0)
- The Room (0)
- How She Move (2)
- Step Up 2 the Streets (0)
- The Phynx (0)
- The Oh in Ohio (0)
- Chicago 10 (0)
- Billy the Kid (0)
- The Visitor (0)
- Kisses For My President (0)
- Re-Animator (0)
- There Will Be Blood (3)
- The Ten (3)
- Atonement (0)
- Shoot ‘Em UP (0)
- Beach Girls (0)
- The Satanic Rites of Dracula (0)
- Fried Green Tomatoes (0)
- How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (0)
- The King Of Kong (1)
- Duck Soup (0)
- The Golden Compass (0)
- Cloverfield (0)
- The Cremator (0)
- Great World Of Sound (0)
- Sweeney Todd (2)
- Throne Of Blood (2)
- Zodiac (0)
- Away From Her (0)
- Reeker (0)
- 27 Dresses (0)
- Subway (0)
Full Archive
Advertisements
The Phynx / USA / 1970
The US Government is having no luck stomping out Communism in Albania, whose dictator is behind the kidnappings of B-level celebrities like Col. Sanders and the Bowery Boys. Their supercomputer M.O.T.H.A. has the answer: just form a popular rock group and get invited to Albania. That seems easy enough so they kidnap four dissidents, get Richard Pryor to teach them soul, Trini Lopez to teach them music, and turn them into The Phynx. Then about seventy minutes later the Almighty Rock and Roll saves the day.
This Warner Brothers feature was never released to theaters, is unavailable on home video, and has only ever been presented as weekend matinees on local television. Rumor has it that the studio and everyone involved collectively decided The Phynx was too horrible to release, which might explain why it’s also one of the worst reviewed movies that I’ve ever come across. I happen to like the film’s odd mix of The Manchurian Candidate and The Monkees and while it’s not great, I don’t understand the level of dislike the film is given. Sure, practically every element is sub par, but it’s entertaining and that’s good enough for me.
The underlying message of the film (if indeed there is one) is twofold. First and foremost, the government uses people and manipulates public opinion for its own benefit. The second and more heartwarming of the two is that the entertainment industry provides a useful and perhaps even noble service to society. “Beatles don’t need passports.” — a throwaway line in the film, but I see this as a deeply resonant truth. Making people happy is an endeavor that is respected universally without regard to nationality, ideology, or religion, and The Phynx and I agree there should be more of it.
by David Carter | Source: Bootleg VHS
20 Feb 2008 8:26 PM | Submit Comment