There is a well acted indie film out there called MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. The lead girl is an Olsen twin little sister and she does a great job as a damaged girl escaping from a cult in upstate New York. She also has a great rack. John Hawkes plays the cult leader and does an award worthy job. The movie itself doesn't add up to a lot but the two performances are exceptional.
A few reviews compared the cult leader to Jim Jones. Having now seen the film, the Col sighs and realizes that TLB is now less than a footnote to the public. Why?
- Hawkes seduces each girl and then sleeps with her, making it seem like a religious rite
- Each girl then helps the next girl get ready to be screwed.
- There is a cute young boy there to recruit girls for the cult.
- Hawkes hands a gun to one accolyte and says "Go ahead and kill me."
- The cult creepy crawls houses. Like for real.
- There is a great sequence as they jump off rocks into a swimming area that is filmed like in Hendrickson.
- While creepy crawling someone is killed.
- Hawkes using charisma to control Olsen and make her get over the killing. "For me."
- Hawkes has a long discussion with Olsen about "fear" and how it is a pure emotion and makes one aware. Fear brings you to NOW.
Anyway.... the film is clearly modeled on the Family, not Jonestown. I wonder why I think I am the first to point this out?
Check it out and let me know your thoughts.
8 comments:
Never teach a woman how to sharpen a knife or shoot a gun.
Yes, the NYTimes likes this film as well. Goddam, just what I need, my worst fear confirmed: Manson-like cult in upstate NY. Damn.
The Colonel wrote: "Anyway.... the film is clearly modeled on the Family, not Jonestown. I wonder why I think I am the first to point this out?"
Patty is wondering if mentioning Manson is a sure way to NOT get your film produced? Five films in preproduction, all about Manson or his girls, all of them floundering.
they most likely were confused as powers booth played jim jones in a made for tv movie.
Panamint patty said:
Patty is wondering if mentioning Manson is a sure way to NOT get your film produced?
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It occurs to me that maybe in another 10 years or so (when all of the entertainment industry types that partied with Charlie back in the day are either dead or senile) we might finally see something other than Helter Skelter come out of Hollywood.
In the meantime, b-grade versions of the same ol' same ol' is about all we can probably expect from the mainstream media.
Hey Col, this guy agrees w/ your assessment: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20111028/ENT/710289969
Good acting. Olsen's a babe. Doesn't trivialize the whole cult thing. But yeah, holy did they not just borrow, but steal from the school of Manson.
Made it feel like I wasn't seeing anything "new," or 100% natural to Hawkes' character or the character of the cult itself.
Dig the "new hollywood-era" type ending. Love ambiguity.
R.O.
Sounds like a good movie, but we tend to give Manson credit for things that have nothing to do with him.
George Vreeland Hill
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