Review: Star Vehicle

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Star Vehicle (aka Bleading Lady)
Directed by Ryan Nicholson
Plotdigger Films; New Image Entertainment; Unearthed Films; MVD Visual
76 minutes, 2010 / 2021
www.plotdigger.com/movies/hanger-2009/
www.unearthedfilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com

Apparently, Unearthed Films – one of my fave labels at the moment for both its original content and reissues – has purchased the hardcore gore films of the late Vancouver director, Ryan Nicholson (d. 2019, way too young of natural causes). Nicholson’s love of the ‘80s slashers is evident here right from the start, be it the tone of the film, and even the synth score over the credits.

Dan Ellis

As with the recently released Hanger (reviewed HERE), this film also stars Dan Ellis, as Donald Q. Cardini, who stole every scene he was in during Hanger, and not just because of the prosthetic nose. One of the things the opening prologue scene made me think of is the multitude of videos available on YouTube about abusive Lyft and Uber passengers. For this film, Don is a driver for a movie company, shuttling cast and crew from accommodation to location, and back. His take on these privileged back seaters is certainly a fantasy of drivers, on occasion, I’m sure.

As grumpy as Donnie is, he is smitten by Reversa Red (Sindy Faraguna), “the Scream Queen,” who has an unknown stalker lurking about. He knows all about her life and career, and is super protective of her, even smashing a friend and fellow driver’s (Mike Li) face into a fence for suggesting he’d like to…well, you know. Don is egocentric and a buttinsky, needing to make his presence known, even if it means lipping off Luke (Nathan Durec), the newbie indie director of the film within the film (meta-film). I was wondering if she is a metaphorical or ideological stand-in for Debbie Rochon, the star of Ryan’s previous release.

Sindy Faraguna

He spends a lot of time on set, as we watch the director shooting his low-budget horror flick. This leads to some very dry humor that can be appreciated by the viewer, if they have been on a similar set, or not. The meta-film shooting of the horror epic are some of my favorite parts. Thing is, you can guess this is actually what it is really like on some sets, with some bad acting and minimal accommodations, including food.

There are some good action scenes (i.e., kills) throughout the first two acts as Don gets more and more deranged, reminding me of other nutty overly enthusiastic fanboy films, like The Fan (1981), The Fan (1996), or The King of Comedy (1982). Being an aspiring filmmaker with no direction or means, who is watching shoddy work, along with the presence of his idol, Don snaps, which affects Reversa, her co-star Sienna (cute Erindera Farga), the make-up person Jenny (Paige Farbacher), and Luke. Assisting Don on camera to film the debacle is the “Lodge Boy” (Nick Windebank). The latter becomes a willing accomplice to the mayhem.

Of course, things get increasingly erratic and especially bloody as these filmmakers get caught up in the vision of a maniac. I will not, of course, go into detail, and ruin the joy for the new viewer. Let’s just say, as this is a Ryan Nicholson release, that things are not all smooth sailing.

The thing is, most of the characters, with some exceptions (such as Luke), are actually likeable, and even with little to no backstory on any of them, it is easy to feel some sympathy for them, which of course makes the kills all that more engaging. There are a lot of prosthetic goodies from the meta-film, but the actions of Don feel more visceral, even if they too, in reality are compositions, like in Hanger, created magnificently by Michele Grady.

It is pretty easy to figure out who the stalker is, though, which is a nice ribbon-and-bow tied on the story that made a really nice soup with all the bits coming together. There are still plenty of surprises that pop up and can make the viewer go, “oh, I was not expecting that!” or admire how even some well-worn tropes are used (stalker) to an advantage.

Though I do not have the disk, some of the extras will include an archival full-length commentary with the director and lead actor Dan Ellis, “On the Set of Star Vehicle” presented by Left Coast TV, “Behind the Wheel of Bleading Lady,” a “Making Of” featurette, “Make-up Students + Acting Students,” Deleted Scenes and Alternative Opening, opening at Splatterfest at the Plaza Theatre, a photo gallery, and the trailer. The discs are available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Unearthed Films and MVD Entertainment at the links near the top. 

While I do not believe this is one of Nicholson’s strongest works that I have seen to date, it’s still heads over many others from either that period or even some that are being released now. I am sad that Nicholson died so early because he could have easily outshone some majors like Eli Roth, and many of his films have done just that; they just haven’t been recognized as such yet because of his passing. Unearthed re-releasing his catalog will hopefully shed more light on his fine work. Think of the early releases by Cronenberg and Peter Jackson; you know how some say, “His early works were amazing even though they were cheesy at times, but you could see the brilliance there”? Nicholson never got past that beginning point, so we will never know what kind of The Fly or Lord of the Rings opus he might have eventually given us. For now, thanks to Unearthed, we have the opportunity to enjoy what we have.

Review: Hanger (2-Disc Collector’s Edition)

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Hanger (aka Wired)
Directed by Ryan Nicholson
Plotdigger Films; Unearthed Films; MVD Visual
90 minutes, 2009 / 2021
www.plotdigger.com/movies/hanger-2009/
www.unearthedfilms.com 
www.MVDVisual.com

Vancouver-based director Ryan Nicholson left quite a legacy before he passed on in 2019, including Gutterballs (2008), Collar (2014; reviewed HERE), and this little gem that I have heard of but had never seen. Now it’s out in a two-disk Blu-ray.

Nicholson was known for his extreme version of cinema, with violence, gore, sex and lots and lots of other nastiness. His films are not for the weak of heart, and this one certainly lives up to the legend that has followed it.

Right from the start, we meet very pregnant prostitute Rose (the ever amazing and brave performer, Debbie Rochon; there are definitely aspect of the opening that are a nod to her history with Troma, such as a television in the motel room playing 1986’s Class of Nuke ‘Em High, and Lloyd Kaufman has a cameo as a “tranny,” which is how it is listed in the credits). Rose’s violent pimp, Leroy (Ronald Patrick Thompson, the only black actor in the cast with dialogue, is a vicious pimp; that’s all I’m sayin’) not only wants her to keep making money, but also demands she get rid of her baby through despicable means, despite it being close to popping.

Debbie Rochon

Her time is close, so the pimp decides to take things into his own closet, the new Texas style of abortion in what is definitely an extremely cringey scene that most, especially women, are bound to turn their heads. If I may digress, I used to work in a movie theater, and whenever any man got kicked in the gonads on-screen, you would hear a collective and deep “Oof” by the men in the audience, followed by giggling in higher, female voices. Nearly every time. This is kind of the reverse of that.

Somehow, the baby survives this assault with many lacerations to the face, teeth like Belial in Basket Case (1982), and a not-fully-developed brain. He is thrown out to be brought up by a homeless man (director Nicholson), and is named Hanger (Nathan Dashwood), a nod to his method of birth. When he hits 18, he’s put on the street and given a job in a junk yard’s recycling yard by a creepy, monotone guy who had a thing for Rose called The John (Dan Ellis, really standing out in the acting department). Actually, this is true in Canada – where this is filmed – that people with disabilities work in recycling centers. However, rather than those who have mental disabilities or Down Syndrome, the people in this film (of course) are not only mentally and physically handicapped, they’re also degenerates.

Dan Ellis

Tall and lanky Hanger is matched up as roommates with beer and porn obsessed co-worker Russell (Wade Gibb, a white guy playing an Asian character, who seems to ad lib a lot to great effect). Soon we see Hanger’s innate lust for violence and a bit of cannibalism come to the front, which makes him a perfect vehicle for revenge against Leroy and others. Hanger is directed by the John towards getting even for his mama.

There is a lot to digest in this film, all of it stuff you may want to puke out at some point, be it tampon tea, GHB sex with colostomy holes, the infamous abortion scene, and…well, let’s just leave it there for now, shall we?

There are also a ton of facial prosthetics that are used (by Michelle Grady) on nearly every male in the story, making everyone look as warped as the storyline, including sores, pimples, an amazing nose on the John that seems right out of Sin City (2005). And like Sin City, the look of the film is quite unique and, well, dirty looking, with some phenomenal lighting, silhouetting, and angles that work with the prosthetics to make them look even more fantastical (by cinematographer and editor Jay Gavin, his first time for both).

This can only be described as extreme cinema, though the word transgressive comes to mind. Blood, gore, violence, coarse language including the use of the N-word, and abnormal sex are the theme, which is right up where Nicholson wanted it to be. This is the kind of film he loves to watch, and as he explained in the commentary, he makes his films for himself, not for the fans, of which there are rightfully many, even though it is a niche market.

Nathan Dashwood, Wade Gibb

The gore is plentiful, which is no surprise, the makeup is as extreme as the violence, and the women are quite beautiful, with standouts being a junkyard admin assistant named Nicole (Candice Le, aka Candice Lewad) who likes to show a lot of cleavage and pleasure herself in explicit ways, a full-lipped prostitute named Trashy (Stephanie Walker), and of course there is Ms. Rochon, in an extended cameo. Women are pretty secondary to the story, which focuses more on Hanger, The John, Leroy and odd Russell.

Being a 2-disc special Blu-ray release, let’s take a look at the hours upon hours of extras. First up is a Triple-X version of the film. Call me crazy, but I watched it and the regular, and I did not see a difference. It’s pretty hardcore anyway. There is also a full-length commentary by the director, Ryan Nicholson, completed for the DVD release in 2010, which he manages to remain interesting throughout. Most of the extras were filmed during this period.

Next up is “Behind the Stoma: The Making and Taking of Hanger” (20 min.). In case you don’t know, a stoma is “an artificial opening made into a hollow organ” (thank you Wikipedia). This is a really well shot collection of interviews with the director and some of the cast, mixed with behind-the-scenes clips. Generally, it was quite engaging, with everything being long enough to get a grip on it, but short enough not to overstay its welcome. Other films’ Makings Of featurettes could use this as a model. This is followed by another “Making Of” featurette (26 min). It’s a rehearsal with Nicholson working through the introduction to Leroy scene with the cast, including Rochon. While fun to watch, I don’t think I would turn it on again, though I was happy to have seen it once.

Ronald Patrick Thompson

“Taking of Hanger, Enough Dope to Hang Yourself With: On the Stet with Lloyd Kaufman” (12 min.). If Kaufman is there on set, one should always do a featurette with this film legend and ad lib maven. Most of the footage here was shot by Kaufman himself, and then the camera is handed off to Ryan’s (adult) son for Lloyd’s “Melvina the Tranny” scenes. It’s a funny, unusual behind the scenes, but what else would you expect from Kaufman? His friendship with Rochon, whose career turned a corner in his films, is evident and smile-worthy.

The “Blooper Reel” (2 min.), “Deleted Scenes” (6 min.), which is also a blooper reel, and Additional Scenes” (20 min.), which is more of a behind the scenes kind of deal, could all have been combined into one 28-minute piece. Nothing very special. Again, glad I saw it, but would probably not watch again

“Black on White Bred” (3 min.) is the film within the film of the porno (hard “R”) that stars Hanger’s mom Rose and Leroy, including the money shot. Don’t really know what more to say about this, except Rochon is definitely one to give for her art.

Gibb

The second disc is “The Raw Tapes, Volume 1” through “Volume 5”. These are the raw footage and can be seen as almost a Master’s Class in indie filmmaking. Each one of these five are on average 3 hours long, Honestly, no, I did not sit through all of them, but I did some zooming around. I have a life, as there are over 18 hours of extras in total. Maybe one day I will come back to these.

There is a photo gallery, and the usual sound and chapter choices on the first disk. Even with the “everything but the kitchen sink” mentality, the only thing missing was English subtitles for those of us with a bit of a hearing thing (too much seeing the Ramones, Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, etc., in small clubs and loud volume).

Sometimes I wonder where Nicholson, who also did make-up for some very major releases, would have gone in his directorial career if he had not succumbed to brain cancer before the age of 40. Gratefully, he is being appreciated after the fact.