Reviews: Three films by indie director Sean Weathers

Text © Richard Gary/Indie Horror Films, 2012
Images from the Internet

Guyana-born / Brooklyn-raised Sean Weathers is one of the rare low-budget, indie African-American directors. And even more unusual is his output of different genres of horror, including ghost stories and Italian giallo. In the films represented here, Sean covers Blaxploitation, Violent Revenge, Gangs, Sexploitation, and Tropical Island Prison Camp sub-types. Yes, these are all real, though rarely seen in major studio releases. Those below are reviewed in order of date of filming. Perhaps a future one will be Philippines horror, common in the early ‘70s, the kind usually staring John Ashley (RIP, 1997)?

They All Must Die
Directed by Sean Weathers
Black Sun Productions, 1998 / 2011
85 minutes, USD $14.95
Fullcirclefilmworks.com
MVDvisual.com

Generally, there are two subgenres in the rape  revenge genus, one being the revenge by others, e.g., The Virgin Spring (1960) and its updated remake The Last House on the Left (1972), and the other where it’s the victim enacts vengeance, such as Sweden’s Thriller: En Grym Film (1974), Demented (1980, co-starring Harry Reams!) and Day of the Woman, more commonly known as I Spit on Your Grave (1978). Along the way in this subset, you just know it’s likely one of the perpetrators may have his junk removed.

Note that there are no credits before or after They All Must Die!, so there is no mention given to any of the cast or crew. There are also no extras on the disk.

Borrowing liberally from I Spit…, the story places a white writer named Wendy out of her element, this time in the heart of rough, tough Bed-Sty (where the film is shot), rather than in some remote hamlet. I worked in the neighborhood for a few months in 1980, nearly 20 years before this film was made, and it was no picnic; it is quite a bit more gentrified now, which is good or bad, depending on how you look at it.

The other characters are a fan-obsessed landlord, who does a Fraiser (from the Cheers years) by kicking out his mate, the only other female in the film (which is more of an extended cameo) in mere hope of striking up a relationship with Wendy, in a case of reverse jungle fever. The others are three kinda stereotypical and cliché smalltime gangsta-wannabes (hanging out and selling drugs, which they mostly consume themselves, apparently) who hang out across the street from the Brownstone where she is staying. They are all definitely not in danger of being confused with rocket scientists. Here is a typical piece of their dialog: “Get some motherfuckin’ water and splash it on her motherfuckin’ face, man” (shades of Snakes on a Plane!).

As for Wendy, well, she’s no prize either. Ignoring the fact that this Midwest white girl looks Latina and has a thick New York accent a la Jennifer Esposito, she has a personality that is grating and more than a bit better-than-thou. In other words, a nasty piece of work, herself. For someone who is supposedly writing a book on the Black male experience, she certainly doesn’t seem to have any interest in co-mingling with her topic. She is constantly insulting, putting people down, using racial epitaphs, and being unfriendly to everyone she meets.

Because of this, she angers those around her, and things get out of hand. Okay, I have to be clear, at no point am I even implying that she “gets what she deserves.” No one does who is physically abused. And it’s pretty obvious from the beginning that the dumb druggy trio is up to no good, with the biggest hitting on her as she is moving in. Even though rebuffed by his advances, he doesn’t take no for an answer and brags to his pals that they’ll be up in her apartment and using her space before the day it out.

As actors go, most are pretty good if just a little stiff, but the leader of the trio, Nissan (“like the car”), is the best of the males, and the rancor of Wendy shows that she is not only a decent performer, but what she goes through – even though it’s a scene in a film, albeit a very long and drawn out one – shows she is brave to push the envelope.

Of course, after the long and brutal events which last a third of the film’s length, I really believe I’m not giving anything away in that they have their comeuppance at her hands. But here is what irked me just a bit: after being brutalized for such a long time by these men, which is displayed pretty graphically and detailed, her retribution is very short and hard to distinguish. I wanted to see them suffer, as well, knowing that their end was coming and who it was giving it to them, and most importantly, why. This was an opportunity for the story to show a bit of karma, not just payback. A good example would be a film like Mother’s Day (1980), another vengeance tale where two psychos (and their mother) torture and kill, but they are done away with usually in equal brutality by their victims, which is also shared with the audience, sometimes in close-up.

While I would recommend this film, especially to other filmmakers to show how well a film could be made for very little funds, I do so hesitantly, in the same way I would for any other film in this genre. The point is to be horrified by the actions, but I’m afraid there will be the group (especially young males, I would think) who will whoop and cheer at the dastardly deeds portrayed. This should be more of a cautionary tale than just an excuse to see some violent sex. It’s not just graphic sadism, such as in films like Hostel (2005) or The Hills Have Eyes (1977; yet another in the revenge genre), it needs to have a more satisfying conclusion for the audience.

In a Pulp Fiction (1994) way, Weathers takes the linear story and breaks it into four, taking the third part and putting it at the end. There is also a sharp break at the conclusion, leaving what happens to the viewer’s imagination. This is nicely done.

I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere else, but throughout the film, there are actual photographs of murdered blacks in the south, usually surrounded by white men, including lynchings and burnings, shown nearly subliminally in quick flashes. If you blink, you will miss them (they seem to last about a half second). Most likely this release is Sean’s commenting on gentrification and re-colonialization of black (and other) neighborhoods, a practice that was especially enforced by Mayors Koch and Giuliani (and now Bloomberg, who destroyed an entire neighborhood in the borough to build an unnecessary sports complex that will be visited mostly by those not living in the area, similar to what happened in Atlantic City).

I’m not sure why, but the box states that this is “An Unauthorized Film by Sean Weathers.” What does that mean? I’ll let you know when I know.

The Unfinished Works of Sean Weathers
Directed by Sean Weathers
Full Circle Filmworks, 2003-2004 / 2011
90 minutes, USD $7.95
Fullcirclefilmworks.com
MVDvisual.com

This is an interesting, almost documentary look at some of Sean Weather’s directorial method, even though the focus is actually on three failed projects that had been filmed over a period of a couple of years. Much as the behind-the-scenes Lost in La Mancha (1992) focuses in on Terry Gilliam’s attempt to film The Man who Killed Don Quixote,, Weathers lets us see some of the footage that was shot, but never made it to any final product. Well, almost any…

The first we are shown is probably the worst of the batch, The Erotic Adventures of Samson and Delilah. In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, there were a number of “Erotic Adventures of…” films, including …Pinocchio (1971), …Robin Hood (1969), and …Zorro (1972; these are just the ones I remember off the top of my head). Now, before the reader gets all excited, on the commentary track for this 25 minutes segment, which cannot be turned off, Weathers and producer / cameraperson / collaborator Aswad Issa repeatedly say that this is a “dud,” and they don’t know what they where thinking at the time; in retrospect, they posit, this is a project that should never have been mounted in the first place, because it’s so bad. And they are right.

The first two the three clips for this part are detailed, ‘70s-style softcore sex scenes, both with couples that are about as interesting as a nut and bolt. The first, an interracial coupling, has her looking really bored and him looking uncomfortable. The second grouping has Issa using the word “awkward” to describe it, though this dude has a schlong that would have Ron Jeremy saying “bravo” (this actor was also in a previous Weathers film, Lust for Vengeance), doing full frontal. Weathers discusses him derisively, saying things like “He was just very sensitive and moody; it was like dealing with a chick.” He is also wearing white socks in the whole scene. Throughout the first shoot, there is some kind of metal pole distractingly blocking part of the shot. In this second, the woman seems stoned out of her mind (can’t get a straight piece of dialog out of her), This time it was shot through the door of a closet, with the edge of the doorframe blocking about a third of the camera’s view most of the time. This time, Weathers self-depreciatively mocks himself for shooting it this way, trying to be arty.

The third and final scene has a couple spouting dialog (over which Weathers and Issa make comments), and is both badly written and really, really badly acted, especially the woman who can’t make it though a single line without flubs. Then again, the lines she’s reading sound like an old Italian gladiator movie, such as “You speak lies.” I really wish that this set was at the end of the DVD’s collection, rather than first; not a complaint, just an observation.

The second group is from the unfinished / unreleased Gangz vs. Cults. It’s a bit hard to make out the premise from the 18-minutes of clips, but essentially this appears to be essentially Boyz in the Hood (1991) meets Blood Feast (1963), as a street gang tries to stop a blood-thirsty (although apparently led by a coward) cult.

There are a number of scenes, some of the gang - led by the ironically beefy “Cult Snake” (Weathers’ regular Glenn “Illa” Skeete) - and some of the murderous cult. I had a couple of really good laughs at the dialog, not sure if this was intentional or not. For example, at one point Cult Snake whines, “I ain’t got no friends.” However, my favorite is when he’s spotting someone who is lifting weights, and he counts out, “Gimme 10; one… two… seven more to go!”

Another possibly unintentionally funny moment is when two of the gang (yes, including our anti-hero, Cult Snake) is attacked on a deserted back street by four members of the cult, which leads to a fight scene where fists miss by miles (but still gets impact reaction), in a Keystone Kops manner.

Other scenes include a human sacrifice on an alter, and possibly the most gross (and hilarious) projectile vomiting scene eh-vah.

For this section, the commentary can be turned on and off, and I suggest off, because while the other two mini-films’ remarks by Weathers and Issa are quite informative and interesting (albeit occasionally sexist), here, they are mostly laughing at themselves and what they’re seeing, and that doesn’t translate as well as a process descriptive. There are also a couple of outtakes, which are also available on some other Weathers’ films, including Hookers in Revolt.

The last portion is scenes from Escape From Bloodbath Island. Again, for this segment, the commentary can’t be turned off, which is fine, as they let you hear most of the dialog anyway. Besides, this is certainly the most interesting annotations by Weathers and Issa of the three films here, as they go into some detail about the location shoot, the cameras, the actors, the script, technical problems, etc. Speaking of locales, the entire shoot was done outdoors in what looks like a deserted island, but actually was Floyd Bennett Field, in Brooklyn. They mention the constant airplanes flying overhead (from JFK Airport), and motorized model planes that the viewer can easily discern on the soundtrack.

The first five minutes of the film is of a guy totally in white who looks very hipster running through the foliage (and sometimes, it appears more than once around the same spot). Of all the Weathers films I’ve seen, this one is apparently the most racially diverse, which is a nice change. We see couples and groups of people sitting on beaches and talking, though between the waves, the model planes, the distance, quality of mics, and the commentary, the dialog is occasionally impossible to make out, which is fine, because, as I stated earlier, Weathers’ and Issa’s observations are quite enjoyable and informative.

The last scene is two women discussing their problems with their male partners, when suddenly it turns into a pretty graphic Sappho connection, which not only seems out of context, but doubly so when one considers that the scene was inexplicitly injected into Weathers’ Lust For Vengeance. Oh, well, c’est la vie.

I know it sounds like I was putting this down a bit, but actually, I’m glad Weathers’ put this release out, because it gives a clearer picture of who he is, and his processes. Yeah, some of the scenes are clunky, the dialog WTF and actions sometimes laughable, with others borderline porn, but when a viewer is dealing with an independent artist (such as Sean Weathers), one is foolish to be expecting later, big-budget Peter Jackson rather than early, low-budget Peter Jackson. Putting out an admittedly sub-par, work-in-progress is a brave thing to do, and I salute you for this, Sean Weathers.

Hookers in Revolt
Directed by Sean Weathers
Full Circle Filmworks, 2006 / 2011
112 minutes, USD $14.95
Fullcirclefilmworks.com
MVDvisual.com

Okay, I’m going to just use the cliché and lay the cards right on the table: despite the arguably purposefully salacious title, this is by far the best of the five Sean Weathers releases I’ve seen (and reviewed). Flawed? Sure, but as there is no such thing as a “perfect” picture, this is a large leap over the previous ones, including those listed above.

Using the ‘70s-style gangster blaxploitation genre as a foundation, he has taken his interpretation of George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm (based originally on the Russian revolution of the early 20th Century), and used it as a brush. But I’m not saying anything here that isn’t on the box (see image above). That book was one of my favorites when I was in high school (read it three times back then), and I clearly see where Sean was going. He replaces the power-structured humans from the book as the male pimps, and the animals who seize control as the titular hookers, a couple Bad Lieutenant-style cops and a politician.

While this film is blaxploitation, there are some changes from the style’s heyday, none of which are earth-shattering, but rather placed in their own time. In the 1970s, films such as Coffey, Foxy Brown, Superfly, Slaughter, especially Black Caesar, and the most famous, Shaft (dadedum dadedum dadedum daaaaaah), it was usually poor African-Americans battling rich white villains (mafia, cops, politicians, big business, etc.), though the films were usually written, produced and directed by white dudes (and more often than not, by my fellow Jews). Here, Weathers takes back control by writing, directing and (co-)producing the film himself, and a cast with barely a melatonin-lacker in the batch.

Most of Hookers is a flashback, with a frame of where the story is heading (with the pigs walking on their hind legs, metaphorically speaking), where the Chief of Police (played by Weathers, whose his character’s name is Gene Simmons), his partner, the mayor, Cleopatra (the head Hooker, no pun intended), and her toady.

In this very first section, we get some great dialog, which continues to occasionally crop up throughout the film, some of it meant to be intentionally funny, others not. Here are some of my favorite examples:

Mayor: “By show of hands, who [in the room] hasn’t killed someone?”

Delilah, who sets out to extricate the hookers from their pimps: “How much longer are we going to accept being second-hand [sic] citizens to our male counterparts?”

Coco (a hooker): “Crystal, what the fuck is we doin’ here?”

Hooker to Cleopatra: “What the fuck is your problem. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘It’s easier to catch bees [sic] with honey than with vinegar’?”

Cop to pimp: “Time to visit the big watermelon patch in the sky, pimp!”

La’Dante (a pimp) to a hooker: “When you fuck wid me, you fuckin’ wid the real, motherfuckin’ pimp!... You dig what I’m sayin’ bitch? You know what I mean ho? Y’know, you need to break yourself, bitch. Bow down to a real, muh-thuh fuh-kin’ pimp! Beotch!”

A curious exchange occurs during a meeting led by Cleo, who sets their rules for governance, one being that all men are bad, and another that all women are equal (and, as Orwell showed and is posited here, some are more equal than others). However, when some in-fighting happens, one of the women states, “Fuckin’ Martin Luther King, people!” Last I heard, he was male, but I’m just sayin’ (with a gentle smile across my face).

There are three pimps here, all nastier than the previous, so it’s no surprise that the hookers under their thumb decide to strike out on their own. When a power-mad crack-whore (Cleo) maneuvers her way into power through chicanery and murder (after reading the ancient Chinese classic, The Art of War), both directly and through hired thugs (those two cops).

As this is a Sean Weathers film, of course there are a number of sex scenes, including a lesbian one (most of his films have this, or hints at it). Unlike some of the coitis in his previous releases, these are a bit less explicit (e.g., sometimes parts are covered, though all of his scenes are softcore). The most detailed one actually stars Sean, himself, showing that he will not ask any actor to perform what he won’t execute himself. And, may I say, the dude is muscular, with a solid six-pack and guns.

There are quite a bit of scenes shot outdoors in Bed-Sty, both as dialog and b-roll (including an amusing mural of Malcolm X that was taken more from the Denzel Washington portrayal than Malcolm himself). Sean is definitely expanding his palate, and obviously this film is the better for it.

Some of the actors here that have appeared in a number of Weathers’ films, such as Buddy Love (not a very imaginative stage name; I’m assuming he’s named after the Eddie Murphy role, rather than the original Jerry Lewis one), and Glenn “Illa” Skeete, both of whom play pimps. Illa also plays some of the larger musical rap pieces (he is listed as musical director) on the soundtrack, while Sean handles the incidental score with his magic (electric) organ. Yep, he’s a man of many talents. The women in the film, I’m pleased to say, are nearly all played by actors with a degree of craft, including Olivia Lopez as Cleo, Nefra Dabney as Coco, the lovely Melissa Gimmond as Kitty, and especially Osas Ighodaro as Deliliah, though they are certainly not the only ones in this largely female-dominated cast.

Speaking of characters, I was happy to see that when the final credits roll, we are presented with the actor’s name, the role they play in the film, and the character they are based on in the book (for example Cleo is based on Napoleon, Crystal on Moses, and Delilah on Old Major).

As is similar to earlier Weathers releases, the film is grainy and has a bit of a time-worn look to it (and there is some obvious post-shooting digital zooming), but the night scenes are viewable, and wisely cinematographer Aswad Issa chooses some interesting angles and effects, such as during the murderous scenes that are completed off-camera, there is a red hue.

There are quite a few extras here, some of which appear on other releases, some distinct. included are wardrobe fitting photos for some films to yet be released, outtakes (from other productions than this one), and a couple of trailers. Also, there is a link to Sean’s podcast, where he discusses his – and others – films.

I know there is a new Weathers film on the break of being released, this time in HD. I’m looking forward to that, if this film is any indication of his direction. It’s exciting to anticipate what the future brings for Sean Weathers’ work.