Interview with Brooklyn independent horror film director Sean Weathers

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films Blog, 2012

Images from the Internet 

In David Cronenberg’s Scanners (1981), the title-afflicted character of Benjamin Pierce (Robert Silverberg) was “rehabilitated by art.” Similarly, one could say the same thing about Sean Weathers, an independent t filmmaker from the Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Sty) area of Brooklyn, who uses the neighborhood as both an influence and his palate to paint gritty urban stories.

Born in Guyana in 1980, his family moved to New York when he was a very young age, where Sean became involved in various nefarious gang-related activities. Somehow, he managed to claw his way out of the real violence into one of a cinematic nature, with the help of his camera.

At 16 years old, in 1996, he brought his first finished full-length product, to fruition, a horror film called House of the Damned. Currently, he has six films available from his Full Circle Filmworks, which have recently been released (or rereleased): they are also available at MVD. My previous reviews of the five I have seen can be found [HERE] and [HERE]. They All Must Die! has been nominated for Best Taboo Erotica DVD at the 2012 TLA Cult Awards (also it's was also No. 1 on their site in DVD sales!). The full list of his released films is as follows:
House of the Damned (1996)

They All Must Die! (1998)

Lust for Vengeance (2001)

The Unfinished Works of Sean Weathers (2004)

Hookers in Revolt (2006)

The Big Trade Off (2012)

A lifelong fan of various horror and exploitation genera, each of Sean’s films fits into a different sub-genre (blaxploitation, Italian giallo, etc.), showing that he is knowledgeable about the kinds of films he shoots.

The following questions, asked and answered by email, are meant to be both informative, and with a strong sense of humor at the same time.

 You were 16 when you made your first (released) film [House of the Damned, (1996)]. Had you been making shorter films before this?

Yes. As a troubled youth, when I was in gangs I had stolen a camera and after I decided that lifestyle wasn’t for me, I used that camera to shoot my friends and different documentary-styled experimental films before I would go on to shoot House of the Damned.

Have you had any formal training in film since you started making films?

I worked on a few documentary-typed projects before high school when I realized that I wanted to get into movies. After high school, I bypassed college and went the self-taught, out of pocket route. However, Aswad did go to film school.

How did you meet Aswad Issa and George Lopez (who worked on many of Sean’s films)? Is it difficult to maintain both a friendship and working relationship with them?
Aswad and I first started working together when he agreed to be my cinematographer for House of the Damned. Because of his previous experience in film and that being my first movie, I looked to him for a lot of advice. This eventually led to us collaborating on each others films, creatively. Our relationship can be stormy at times because we are two different, creative minds. However, our mutual respect and love of film has kept our working relationship and friendship going through the last 15 years. I met George on the set of House of the Damned through Aswad. George’s involvement was primarily when we needed a second cinematographer on set.

How do you think you’ve grown as a filmmaker from House of the Damned until now?

When I first started out, I was just trying to do outrageous things in my films, such as a rapping zombie, longest rape scene ever, most realistic sex and drug scenes. Now, I’m more focused on the story I’m telling and developing and the characters I’m telling it with rather than the shock value.

How satisfied are you looking at House of the Damned now, and is there anything you would do differently if you filmed it presently?

In regards to what we see in front of the camera, there would definitely have been more nudity and gore. In terms of the technical aspect, it’s Murphy’s Law on set, “what can go wrong will go wrong.” So I would’ve definitely spent more time in pre-production planning scenes and shots out better and rehearsed more with the actors. During production, I would have done less takes. Part of my trademark as a director today is minimal takes. Also in post-production for this film, I spent months searching for editors and working with editors that didn’t pay off for me at all. To date, I’ve edited all of my films.

What progress do you see from House of the Damned to Lust for Vengeance to Hookers in Revolt?
They’re all very different movies content-wise and I leave it up to the viewers to decide which is more entertaining. For me, I can only look at progress made from the technical side of things, more locations, better acting, more polished scripts, more fleshed-out characters, better equipment, etc.

If you had a larger budget, what would you do differently as a filmmaker?

I work with a skeleton crew with all of my productions, with 1 to 2 crew members on most shooting days. With a larger budget, I would get more hands on deck and a full crew. In addition, I would get better actors, sets, locations, equipment, etc.

What medium did you use for House of the Damned, and what do you use now?

For my first few films, I used a Cannon GL1, which was broadcast-quality at the time but a far cry from today’s technology. Currently, I use the Panasonic DVC Pro HD, which shoots High Def footage at 24 frames per second for a more film-like quality.

Most of your filming has been done in Brooklyn and occasionally in Manhattan. Are you thinking about widening your scope?
Brooklyn, as a borough, is bigger, more diverse and more populated than a lot cities [Brooklyn has been called “the third-and-a-half largest city in the U.S. – RG]. As much shooting as I’ve done here and as many locations that I’ve used, I barely scratched the surface. As for Manhattan, I’ve shot in many historical sites, but even with that borough, there are still many locations I have yet to use. If you took my films out of the city, they wouldn’t be the same films.

Do you bring anything from being from Brooklyn into your films, other than locales?

Myself. Simply surviving to this age is something I never thought I’d do because almost everyone I grew up with is either dead or doing life in prison. I was in and out of gangs since I was 12 years old. I saw things happen that most people only read about in the newspapers or see on the 10 o’clock news; watching someone get shot right in front of me, getting hooked on drugs, constantly getting into fights, almost killing someone, free-basing, using needles, and falling victim to just about every trap there is for a young, single-parent black kid in the inner-city. Those experiences I had in my younger days permeate through my scripts, my directing style, and my acting.

How do you audition your actors? I can generally tell within the first few seconds of meeting an actor whether they’re right for what I’m looking for or not. If I see someone that interests me, I try to find out more about them to see if it’s worth doing a follow-up. It’s more about the look and the personality rather than how well someone can do a cold reading.

Who of your actors would you Kill? Fuck? Marry? And why? [the first three are questions Sean asked one of his female actors in the extras for House of the Damned - RG] I would kill all of them, skull-fuck their corpses, and marry myself.

Good save! What actor(s) would you like to work with, e.g., appear in your films?

Certainly if I have the right size paycheck, I can get any actor I want. Listen, if Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, or any of those young, hot famous actresses in Hollywood were willing to do a nude, blazing love scene of course I would have them in my film... yesterday!

Are there any other films around currently that you like?
Of course, I’m a big fan of films. Without being more specific, it would be impossible for me to just start naming them.

How do you distribute your films?
I currently have a deal that started in October 2011, with MVD (Music Video Distributors). Currently for sale are House of the Damned, Lust for Vengeance, Hookers in Revolt, They All Must Die, and The Unfinished Works of Sean Weathers.

Do you attend horror conventions? 
 I have yet to do the convention circuit but it is something I look forward to doing in the near future.

How do you pay for the films?

Investors.

Do your films play at festivals?
I have yet to enter any of my films into a festival.

How has the reaction been to your films from the public? Critics?
Most fans and consumers love my films because they’re pretty much straight-forward and I give people what I say I’m giving them so they’re not disappointed when they get it. In regards to critics, it’s been a mixed bag. Some critics appreciate my non-traditional storytelling with its dark themes, social commentary, bleak and cynical outlook on humanity and ambiguous endings, while others do not understand it. The one major reaction that I’ve gotten in person to one of my films was the screening to They All Must Die!. It was screened at a local bar in Manhattan to a mixed crowd of whites, blacks, men, and women. People were offended before the rape scene even took place. At the end of the film, when the thugs got away with the rape, it was like the reading of the OJ Simpson verdict. Some of the black people started applauding and this lead to several fights breaking out, the cops coming on the scene and multiple arrests. Three years before getting my deal with MVD I was dropped from my previous distribution company once they got a look at They All Must Die!, one executive even said to me, it is one of the most “disturbing, depraved, and disgusting films ever made.”

What is it about horror films that you find so attractive?
Most people are superstitious whether it be religion, karma, Scientology, voodoo, aliens or ghosts. So believing in the supernatural and loving horror films is easy. However, even for us non-believers, I feel we have all had moments of doubt where fear has sunken in and taken over our better judgment, and we’ve thought we’ve seen a ghost or something other-worldly. For me, the best horror films are the psychological ones that blur the line between reality and fantasy.

How about Giallo?
It’s an interesting sub-genre that has a lot of elements that I love. Lust for Vengeance, styled after Gialli, is the first and only true Giallo film ever made in the U.S. to date. It combines murder, eroticism, nudity, mystery, and whodunits, with stylish visuals. I locked myself in a room for over a month watching over 100 Italian thrillers for inspiration for this film. The predominant themes are complex murder mysteries that emphasized stylish visuals, techno scores, the whodunit element, violence, gore, and large amounts of melodrama via Italy's long standing tradition of opera drama. They also generally include liberal amounts of nudity and sex.

How do you feel about exploitation films in general? (Note: meant as a genre, not “exploitive.”)I love them. The thing I love about exploitation films is that they are straight to the point. Whether they’re exploiting taboo subjects, popular movie trends, or pop-culture movements, they’re pretty straight-forward in that they tell you what they’re giving you and then they give it to you.

Who is your favorite director(s)?
There are so many directors I love. However, if I did have to single a few out, they would be Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles, Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergei Eisenstein and of course Aswad Issa.

Mario Bava or Dario Argento?

Bava

Lucio Fulci?
He made films for over 40 years and I would love to do the same.

As a liberal (small "l"), it’s actually hard for me to ask this question without white guilt, but here goes: How does race factor into your vision of your films? It doesn’t, unless it’s vital to the story-line, as in They All Must Die!. All of the characters on screen in the film are based on real people I knew growing up; real situations that happened, real feelings and emotions. Back then, black people in the inner city felt that whites had taken everything from them and all they had left was the ghetto. It didn’t matter if the white people who entered the ghetto were a part of interracial dating, coming to buy drugs, or even teachers that taught in local schools. They all got it in the end if they overstayed their welcome, or said or did the wrong thing to the wrong person. The only white people that made it out safe were the cops... The only reason for that was because they were armed and stayed in groups.

How do you go about writing the music for the films?
Honestly, it just comes to me.

Who is your greatest musical inspiration?
Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.

Do you play any instruments other than electronic keyboards?

Piano.

In House of the Damned, the main character makes a snide remark about rap. Are you a fan?
A moderate fan, I actually knew Biggie Smalls. He grew up in Bed-Stuy, not too far from me. I listened to him freestyle a few times. I tried to talk him into doing some music for one of my soundtracks and do a cameo in They All Must Die!, in the scene in which my other rapper friend, Illa [Glenn "Illa" Skeete appears in a number of Weathers' films - RG], buys drugs. However, his people wouldn’t let him do it... at least, that’s what he told me. Then he died the next year and I took it pretty hard.

How much of Goblin [Dario Argento’s band] is an influence on you?
They never really had any influence on me. I’ve heard them play before and they’re pretty good though.

Which aspects of filmmaking do you like best (feel free to put in order of importance, and explain why)?: writing, filming, directing, and composing the score.
Putting them in order from most important, I’d say No. 1 is filming because ultimately the footage you shoot is the movie you’re gonna make. No 2 is directing. Even though in my more recent films, I have been acting in virtually every scene and doing less on-set directing, the job of a director as a whole is the most important job. No. 3 is writing. It’s hard to have a good film without a good foundation and the script is the foundation for every film. Lastly, it’s writing the score. I feel the music is an incredibly important aspect of putting a film together. The only reason I would put this at No. 4 is because most of my films don’t have scores. I chose to go with no music at all for They All Must Die!, and in my four most recent films, I used actual songs.

In House of the Damned, why didn’t you show what happened in the basement, other than Liz and her boyfriend’s reaction?
A) I couldn’t afford to show a monster on my budget. B) I wanted to be as mysterious as possible as to what was actually chasing them and C) I was inspired by a similar scene in Evil Dead.

 
Why is They All Must Die! indicated as an “unauthorized” film?

Legal reasons.

Why does it have no credit at the beginning or the end?

The impact that this film has had on my personal and professional life, I would not put on anyone else. The stress and hardship I’ve had to endure over the last 13 years with my personal and professional life, I wouldn’t put on anyone. So yes, this film has no “credits,” only blame...and I deserve all of it.

Was Spike Lee any influence on this film, as it has a bit of a Do the Right Thing vibe to it?

No. Although we do tackle similar themes in our respective films, I believe we go about it in very different ways.

You said that you like to use very few takes. Was the attack scene in They All Must Die! filmed in a single take?

No. I do minimum takes for several reasons. One of them being, that if you can get ahead of schedule you can allocate more time for the scenes you build your movie up to. So for the rape scene I did take my time.

How does Illa feel about his junk being briefly shown in the rape scene?

I think you may be confusing some of the actors [this is true – RG], which is understandable since there were no credits in the film. But Illa only had a brief cameo in which he bought drugs. The actor that did flash his junk requested that his junk be flashed to add realism to the scene and a sense that anything can happen.

What message were you trying to give with the quick clips of southern racial killings that are interspersed through the film?

The message is up for interpretation. I think one of the most detrimental things a filmmaker can do is tell a viewer how they should interpret their film.

Is the violence against the woman justified by the images of abuse of blacks by whites?

In my eyes no; however even though I’m the filmmaker I’m still only one opinion. But, I could see why some people would view it that way.

There is no likeable character in the movie, especially the men (including the landlord). Do you think this could be seen as a negative stereotype, even if they are based on people you knew?

It’s up to the viewer to find if they see anything likable in the characters. But, the characters are very likable to each other. The thugs are life-long friends and the landlord and his wife, despite breaking up during the course of the film, were happily married.

Back to Lust for Vengeance, why did you name the character after Michael Richards, and what did you feel after his outburst? It’s actually a tribute to Michael Myers, the last name was made up. In regards to Richards’ outburst, I saw it and I wasn’t offended; it was just two guys yelling at each other.

In some of the scenes in Lust for Vengeance,, it seems like the killer was played by a smaller, female (such as on the back cover of the DVD) than the actor who played the Richards character? Am I imagining this?

Although the actor that played the killer was hardly in the movie, no he did not have a stand-in. He was only substituted by using P.O.V. shots.

Why do we not see Lisa’s demise?
Because she wasn’t killed. Although Michael wanted his revenge and wanted them all dead, he rationalized killing them based on their behavior. From him stalking them, he judged that they didn’t deserve to live. However, he simply couldn’t justify killing Lisa.

How much of the fooling around with the linear story line was influenced by Pulp Fiction?
None. The first cut of the film was linear. However, at the screening I realized that the sex scenes and death scenes took the viewers off guard because they all happened during the last third of the film. I simply needed a way to spread them out. Therefore, I adapted the “sequence approach.”

Putney Swope… discuss.
The name comes from the 1969 film. The only scene the character appears in is the scene in which Beth has sex with him in exchange for drugs. We see this after Beth uses the drugs in a flashback.

In The Unfinished Works of Sean Weathers, of the three film parts, why start with what you and Issa consider a dud [as is stated in the commentary]?

Because I would hate for that movie to be the last one someone saw.

How comfortable are you shooting sex scenes of other people? Or of yourself, as in Hookers in Revolt?

My approach is what ever is required for the character is required. As an actor or a director, the last thing on my mind is comfort level; I’m just trying to get the scene right.

I know this is a silly question, but I really want to know: in “The Erotic Adventures of Samson and Delilah” section of The Unfinished Works of Sean Weathers, why do all the men have short hair? Isn’t the point of the whole seduction of Samson about the hair?

The point of Samson was he gave into weakness and exposed the secret to his powers. From there, it was a story about redemption. The bible is filled with references to the “sun god” and therefore the strength of my Samson was the rays of the sun and not his hair.

In the same film, the clips from “Gangz vs. Cults” looks like a really interesting premise. Are you thinking about revisiting this story for a future film?

It’s hard to say. I love the concept, it’s one of my favorites. However, it’s unlikely at this point... But you never know.

Illa’s persona, who is in the gang half of the title “GvC,” is named Cult Snake. Isn’t that confusing, even if it is a great character name.

It is a little confusing because it’s just a few scenes from a very elaborate script. To clarify things, Glenn “Illa” Skeete plays Jamal, the character who has his wife stolen by the cult. Buddy Love plays "O.G. Killa" Snake. I believe he calls himself “Cult Killa” Snake while boasting.

I notice that when you have couplings in your films, it’s black men and black women, black men and white women, but no white men with black women. Is this purposeful? Subconscious?

No. There was going to be a white actor and black actress love scene in “Escape from Bloodbath Island” had I finished it.

After hearing your commentary about the filming of that, I’m guessing you won’t be returning to film at Floyd Bennett Field…

I might, but it would have to be a shoot where field audio isn’t that important to me. But, I’m still haunted in my nightmares to this day about those grown men playing with those damn toy airplanes.

And am I correct that the lesbian scene from “Escape from Bloodbath Island” is what appears out of context in Lust for Vengeance?

Yes, you are correct “homie.”                                                    

Actually, there are lesbian scenes in a lot of your films. What's the fascination?

Maybe it’s a hood thing or maybe it’s a New York thing. I don’t know, it’s not really something that I view as out of the ordinary.

In Lust for Vengeance, was there a purpose connected to the plot for the lesbian scene told in the Jennifer segment?
Lust for Vengeance is a visceral film. With the sex and drugs, there is a message that I’m trying to send through the characters to the viewers.

There is also a near-lesbian scene in House of the Damned. Care to elaborate?
That scene involved the lead actress, Valerie, and the supporting actress Kendra. Towards the end of the movie, after Kendra was killed she comes back as a zombie and to defeat her Valerie locks her in a closet. Therefore, putting her back “in the closet.”

In Hookers in Revolt, the character you play is named Gene Simmons. Named after the bassist of KISS? If so, are you a fan of the band?

No, my character is not named after him, but I am a fan of the band.

Is it me, or is there less nudity during the sex scenes of Hookers than in your previous films?

Yes, I tried to make Hookers more “mainstream” and toned down the sex and racism purposely in that film.

From your scenes, it’s obvious you’re quite buffed. How often do you work out?

Quite often; it’s not easy but when you’re going to put yourself in front of the camera, you need to keep up that image.

Which has been your favorite film to date? Favorite scene?

It’s hard to say because my favorites are my more recent HD films, The Trade Off, Tortured by Regret, Scumbag Hustler, and Ace Jackson is a Dead Man. These films, I’ve already finished principle photography on but have been delayed because of the re-release of my older films with my new distribution deal. It’s hard to judge these films since none of them have a final cut to them and they haven’t been screened. In regards to the films that are currently on DVD, my favorite film would be Hookers in Revolt because it is the most polished and my favorite scene would be the rape scene in They All Must Die! because of the intensity, emotion, and realism.

How did you break away from the violence of your youth, and what influence do you think it has with the tolerance towards violence in your films?
I abandoned the gang lifestyle when I started playing organized sports. I started to get a feeling of purpose and responsibility. I began setting goals and the gang lifestyle didn't fit me anymore. Honestly, I don't know the influence this had on the tolerance of violence.

Are your films done “guerilla” style, or do you get permits from the city?

I’m the guy that directed They All Must Die!, Do you think I care about my own safety? Guerrilla style.

What are you working on now?
 Right now, I’m about to release a DVD of short films called, Something Strange. Shortly after, I will then be releasing an erotic drama called, The Trade Off, that was shot in HD. Later this year, I will be going into production again, for the first time in over 2 years, for the murder mystery A Deadly Affair.

Favorites: fast zombies or slow zombies?

Fast. For the record, I was the first one to ever shoot fast zombies with House of the Damned in ‘96.

facebook.com/filmmakerseanweathers

twitter.com/seanweathers

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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
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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.