Well done to Fangoria scribe Lee Gambin and his Cinemaniacs crew for their screening of Cruising at the Back Lot cinema last night. A terrific venue - good screen, comfy seats and a nice ambience. The prefect place for cult film screenings!
Cruising is just as uncompromising today as it was 34 years ago, and was a pretty brave and risky choice for both director William Friedkin and star Al Pacino. Definitely one of the great New York movies, though also one of the toughest to watch. Classic soundtrack featuring Germs, Rough Trade, Willy DeVille, the Cripples and more, and I loved seeing Don Scardino (the male lead from one of my favourite horror films, 1976's Squirm) turn up as Pacino's neighbour. And Pacino's Amyl Nitrate fuelled dance is a sight to behold...
After the film ended last night, we were treated to an interesting screening of some short, silent footage of gay rights groups protesting the filming of Cruising in the streets of New York City, over which Lee delivered a talk on some of his favourite depictions of gay killers (and gay victims) in genre films over the years. It's the little extras like this (not to mention the give-aways they always have) that help make the Cinemaniacs screenings a genuine treat for the Melbourne film lover. Looking forward to their upcoming Friday the 13th marathon and screening of Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979).
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