EL PELICULLERO:

upholding the Indie Code in the life

and the twilit and allegorical film art

of Alex Cox

 

by Gary W. Wright

 

        Since striding impishly out of the mists of legend, no film artist has tragicomically upheld the Indie Code quite like the lean, lanky and laconic Liverpudlian film artist Alexander “Alex” Cox.  However, while unique in his indomitable commitment to the Indie Code, Cox implicitly shared the shocked outrage of audiences and film artists caused by the helicopter crash that killed actor/director/writer Vic Morrow and illegally hired and used child extras Renee Chen and Myca Le around 2:20 am in the early morning hours of July 23, 1982 on the George Folsey jr. produced John Landis set of the twilit, allegorical, Kathleen Kennedy associate produced, Frank Marshall produced and Landis and Steven Spielberg executive produced Landis, Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller docufeature film TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1983).  However, unlike most other twilit film artists, Cox was not obsessed with the computer generated imagery (CGI) that was quickly perfected after 1982 so as to implicitly prevent any more film set disasters.  As befitting an uncompromisingly indie film artist, Cox was also not obsessed with mainstream film success or beastly blockbuster profits, instead embracing gritty, satirical, anti-commericial and anti-mainstream indie docufeature film art that was dismissive of CGI.  An indomitable commitment to CGI dismissing indie docufeature film art and the Indie Code that Cox made implicitly clear when he donned the writer/director hats to create his first twilit, allegorical, Ozian themed and slightly CGI enhanced indie docufeature film REPO MAN (1984), released on February 24, 1984.

 

“As soon as I find that Chevy,

I’m going indie!”

 

        Curiously, after the red opening titles flashed over a background composed of a digital green montage of the maps of Arizona, California and New Mexico that was accompanied by an instrumental version of the twilit, allegorical and Iggy Pop written Pop main theme “Repo Man” (1984), the film began with a 1964 Chevy Malibu weaving along a lonely desert road in California.  Soon a California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer-played by Varnum Honey-began to pursue the dangerously weaving car.  Significantly, the CHP officer resembled Charles M. Smith, who played teenaged nerd Terry “the Toad” Fields in the allegorical, Ozian themed and implicitly Ralph Bakshi roasting George Lucas indie docufeature film AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973).  This was the first of many allusions to that film and the rest of the film art of Lucas in the film, implicitly affirming that Cox was addressing Lucas in part in the film. 

Indeed, the license of the Malibu was KEB 283, openly linking the car and the film not only to the TZ disaster on July 23, 1982 but also to 1983, the year of the release of TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE and the year that Lucas crashed and burned forever with the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced and implicitly Spielberg roasting Richard Marquand indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983).  A spectacular demise evoked soon after the CHP officer pulled over the Chevy Malibu and its incoherent and implicitly Stanley Kubrick and Great Oz linked driver Doctor J. Frank Parnell-his name evoking L. Frank Baum, author of the allegorical and implicitly Queen Victoria roasting indie children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz (1900) to implicitly affirm the Ozian theme of the film, and played by Fox Harris.  For the officer was promptly vaporized when he opened the trunk of the car, a powerful vaporizing Force that evoked the equally powerful and vaporizing Force in the Ark of the Covenant at the end of the twilit, allegorical, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced, Marshall produced and implicitly William Friedkin roasting indie docufeature film RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981).

        After this mysterious and tragicomic prologue, the scene shifted to Los Angeles, where the ’64 Chevy Malibu then spent the rest of the film drifting in and out of the life of the angry, bored, disaffected, frustrated and implicitly David Lynch and Scarecrow linked suburban Los Angeles Gen X teen punk Otto Maddox-played by Emilio Estevez.  An angry and despondent young man like most teens in those days, who was first met working as a minimum wage grocery clerk in a no name grocery store with the implicitly Lucas linked clerk Kevin Humphries-played by Zander Schloss-until he was fired by the implicitly John Ford linked store manager and Kevin’s father "Humph" Humphries-played by Charles Hopkins-for “inattention”, indifference and obscenity spewing insubordination.  Maddox then spent a frustrated and fitful night slam dancing with his punk friends, including the recently released from prison and implicitly Mel Brooks and Nikko the Monkey King linked skinhead Duke-played by Dick Rude-and walking the streets. 

Curiously, the following morning while walking down the street, Maddox was conned by the even more angry, disaffected, wily, knowing and implicitly Tin Man linked veteran con man Bud-played by Harry Dean Stanton-into helping him repo a car, luring the unsuspecting Maddox into joining him and his fellow equally irascible and indie repo men like the intimidating, ironically named and implicitly Cowardly Lion linked Lite-played by Sy Richardson-at the Helping Hands Acceptance Corporation (HHAC) so as to get his hands on the “blockbuster” commission profits to be had by “ripping” cars.    Significantly, the tragicomic sight and sound reaffirmed the implication that Maddox was linked to Lynch, for it reminded us that shortly before the release of REPO MAN the indie Lynch was persuaded by indie Italian film producer Dino De Laurentiis and his daughter Raffaella to leave behind the indie film artist ranks and collaborate with them to create the blockbuster twilit and allegorical indie moving painting DUNE (1984), inspired by the classic Frank Herbert indie docufiction novel Dune (1965).  Thus, Cox implied that he was roasting Lynch and his decision to leave behind his indie moving painting life and join Dino and Raffaella De Laurentiis in making DUNE. 

        Curiously, Otto’s tragicomic misadventures were interwoven throughout the film with the anarchic sight and sound of the nihilistic, meaningless, chaotic, irrational, callous, perpetually stoned and/or drunk and ultraviolent robbery “lifestyle” of Duke and Duke’s two equally out of control punk associates Archie and the implicitly Anne Bancroft and Wicked Witch of the West linked Debbie-played by Miguel Sandoval and Jennifer Balgobin, respectively.   These exuberantly ultraviolent and carefree interludes evoked the equally ultraviolent and carefree escapades of Alex-played by Malcolm McDowell-and his droogs in the allegorical Kubrick docufeature artbuster A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971), affirming that Kubrick was being addressed on one level in REPO MAN, an implication that was reaffirmed by the film’s allusions to the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical and implicitly David Cronenberg roasting docufeature artbuster THE SHINING (1980).  Curiously, these ultraviolent interludes also evoked the film art of Sir Ridley Scott, and admirer of Kubrick, particularly the equally ultraviolent, nihilistic and eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas toasting and Peter Hyams roasting Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster BLADE RUNNER (1982). 

Indeed, the sight and sound of Bud leading Maddox into the ranks of the indie repo men evoked the sight and sound of the implicitly Scarecrow linked Gaff-played by Edward J. Olmos-leading future ex-Los Angeles Police Department officer Rick Deckard-played by Harrison Ford-back into the Replicant hunting “Blade Runner” ranks at the beginning of BLADE RUNNER, affirming the implicit interest in Sir Scott and the twilit and disastrous year of 1982 in REPO MAN.  In fact, the sight and sound of Bud driving Otto through the 2nd Street Tunnel in L.A. while solemnly explaining the tragicomic Repo Code to his young protégé, a sight and sound that evoked the sight and sound of Deckard driving his spinner police car through the 2nd Street Tunnel in BLADE RUNNER, openly linked BLADE RUNNER and REPO MAN, implicitly affirming that Cox was indeed replying to Sir Scott on one level as well as Lucas and Lynch in REPO MAN.  The fact that Stanton played the implicitly Scarecrow linked mechanic Brett in the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas roasting Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster ALIEN (1979) also openly linked REPO MAN, and implicitly linked Bud, to Sir Scott.  Thus, it was fitting that Lynch implicitly addressed Sir Scott in the implicit form of Doctor Frederick Treves-played by Sir Anthony Hopkins-in the allegorical indie moving painting THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980), a film on which Brooks was overall producer and in which Bancroft played famed actress Mrs. Kendal.

        Fittingly, given that audiences had also turned against him by 1984, Cox also implicitly roasted Spielberg in REPO MAN in the form of Otto’s stoned, listless, tv hypnotized and Spielberg and Amy Irving resembling and implicitly linked suburban pod people parents-played by Jonathon “Tree” Hugger and Sharon Gregg, respectively.  Indeed, the film’s many sarcastic allusions to extraterrestrials and UFOs affirmed that Cox was implicitly roasting Spielberg on one level and addressing the twilit and disastrous year of 1982 in REPO MAN, for these sarcastic allusions evoked the allegorical and implicitly Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau roasting Spielberg docufeature film CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) and the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical and implicitly Terry Gilliam addressing Spielberg docufeature film E.T., THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL (1982).

        Tragicomically, as Maddox was welcomed to Helping Hands, taught the Repo Code and slowly transformed into a dedicated and secret agent resembling Repo Man complete with black suit, Lynchian white dress shirt and black tie and long and cool ’76 Cadillac Eldorado, he also became caught up in a quixotic quest to track down the mysterious ’64 Chevy Malibu and its equally mysterious driver and win the $20,000 reward for its capture.  This quixotic quest not only pitted him against Bud and Lite but also against the nefarious and implicitly Folsey jr. and Landis linked rival repo brothers Napoleon “Napo” and Lagarto Rodriguez-played by Eddie Velez and Del Zamora, respectively-and an ultra top secret government agency led by the implicitly Kennedy and Glinda the Good linked Agent Rogersz-played by Susan Barnes-while the gleefully greedy and implicitly Marshall linked Reverend Larry-played by Bruce White-did his best to save everyone's souls, as long as everyone paid in full for their salvation.  Curiously, however, it was the HHAC’s strange, spacey and implicitly Slava Tsukerman linked mechanic Miller-played by Tracey Walter-who beat everyone to claim the ’64 Chevy Malibu and then evaded twilit LAPD helicopter NC2802 by mastering the primal creative Force of the car and flying the terrifying mystery car up into the air like a spinner in BLADE RUNNER, in the end.  Thus, the tragicomic sight and sound of Maddox indifferently abandoning his sweetie, the Judy Garland resembling and implicitly Dorothy linked Leila-played by Olivia Barash-and joining Miller in the passenger seat of the ’64 Chevy Malibu and then blasting off with Miller into hyperspace to the heart of the galaxy like a time travelling UFO in an effect straight out of the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy in a last wry and satirical goodbye to the Skyrocking Lucas era implied the hope of Cox that Lynch, Tsukerman and even himself would not be brought down by the TZ disaster or by DUNE but would instead use their primal creative Force to head off to bigger and better indie film art for film art’s sake. 

Alas, while Cox would go on to bigger and better things, Lynch would almost destroy himself with the release of DUNE.  For his part, Tsukerman never made another feature film after the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical and implicitly Lucas, Lynch and Spielberg roasting indie docufeature film LIQUID SKY (1982).  As for Cox, while REPO MAN was a fine and funny first indie film manifesto that affirmed that Cox was a mischievous and confident Coxman, indeed, and a film that influenced other indie film artists like Kathryn Bigelow and Richard Kelly, the final cut was, alas, not as enthusiastically embraced, marketed or distributed by Universal Studios, the studio that oversaw the film (Cox, X Films, 73-6).  Not surprisingly, this lack of appreciation or support from the scousers at Universal displeased Cox, leading to a second Indie Code upholding film that was more disaffected and anti-mainstream than REPO MAN and again implicitly roasted Lynch and Sir Scott when Cox donned the co-writer/director hats and collaborated again with Harris, Richardson, Rude, Sandoval and Ed Pansullo and Biff Yeager-who played Agents E and B, respectively, of the secret U.S. government agency in REPO MAN-and more anarchic punk energy and music tempered by a more traditional and linear structure in the twilit and allegorical indie docufeature film SID AND NANCY (1986), released on May 14, 1986.

 

“I’m your best friend, Sid!”

 

        Significantly, the raucous and sobering look at the rise and fall of the Frankenstein resembling and Duke evoking Sex Pistols bassist Sidney “Sid” Vicious-played by Gary Oldman-and his bimbo blonde and Debbie evoking American groupie girlfriend Nancy Spungen-played by Chloe Webb-began with the New York Police Department responding to a 911 call regarding domestic violence at the Chelsea Hotel on Seven and 23rd Streets in New York, immediately and implicitly linking the film to the fateful and fatal events of 72382.  The film’s implicit link to the twilit and disastrous summer of ’82 and its implicit interest in Sir Scott and his film art was reaffirmed by the fact that Vicious looked and dressed like a punk rocker seen amongst the crowded streets of future L.A. as Deckard frantically chased renegade Replicant Zhora-played by Joanna Cassidy-in BLADE RUNNER, which was released in the summer of ‘82. 

Indeed, the anarchic film’s numerous allusions to BLADE RUNNER and the resemblance to Sir Scott of Sid’s older manager Malcolm-played by David Hayman-affirmed the implicit interest in roasting Sir Scott and BLADE RUNNER in SID AND NANCY.  The tragicomic sight and sound of Sid and Nancy shooting up heroin throughout the film also reminded us that “blade runner” was slang for a heroin addict, reaffirming the film’s implicit interest in roasting Sir Scott and BLADE RUNNER.  These heroin using scenes also evoked similar scenes in LIQUID SKY, particularly in the end at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, where LIQUID SKY was shot, reaffirming an implicit fondness for the film on the part of Cox. 

Thus, the sight and sound of Vicious being led astray and into heroin addiction by Spungen and then stabbing her to death-a deadly stab to the stomach that reminded us that Deckard killed Daryl Hannah’s equally blonde punkette Pris by shooting her in the stomach at the end of BLADE RUNNER-before dying of a heroin overdose, in the end, implied that Cox felt that Sir Scott had been led astray by blonde bimbo Hollywood and its addictive visual effects laden films and had destroyed himself and his film art with BLADE RUNNER.  In addition, Cox also implicitly roasted Lynch again in the form of Johnny Rotten-played by Andrew Schofield-an implication affirmed by his orange hair, which evoked the red hair of twisted and Evil House Harkonnen in DUNE, and implicitly roasted Gilliam in the implicit form of the London based American drug dealer Rock Head-played by Stuart Fox.

Strangely, while a fine, funny, fearless and moving film, SID AND NANCY was not as successful as REPO MAN (Cox, X Films, 108).  However, the film did give Cox more experience that he brought with him, along with more independent financing and distribution and an indomitable commitment to the Indie Code, to his next satirical film.  An indie outlaw film that completed his Punk Trilogy, implicitly roasted the beautiful but deadly town of Hollywood and its tragicomic lust for fame and beastly blockbuster loot, and paid exuberant and ironic homage to the equally allegorical and implicitly Hollywood roasting spaghetti Westerns that brightened his colourless existence in staid Liverpool in his happily misspent youth and that he paid exuberant tribute to in 10,000 Ways To Die (2012) when Cox donned the co-writer/director hats and rejoined Balgobin, Contreras, Harris, Pansullo, Richardson, Rude, Sandoval, Schloss, Yeager, Zamora, Luis Contreras and Sue Kiel-who played the security guard in the no name grocery store and the implicitly Kathryn Bigelow linked Ms. Magruder, respectively, in REPO MAN-Zander Berkeley, Kathy Burke, Courtney Love, Sara Sugarman, Edward Tudor-Pole and Michele Winstanley-who played Bowery Snax, Brenda Windzor, Gretchen, Abby National, a U.K. Hotelier and Olive McBollocks, respectively, in SID AND NANCY-Joe Strummer-who created the twilit and allegorical tune “Love Kills” (1986) that played over the closing credits of SID AND NANCY-and the Pogues-who created the twilit and allegorical tunes “Haunted” (1986) and “Junk” (1986) for the soundtrack of SID AND NANCY-for the twilit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film STRAIGHT TO HELL (1987), released on May 14, 1987.

 

“What brings you killers to town?”

 

Curiously, the film began with a character played by Rude who turned out to be the implicitly Tin Man linked Willy sleepily drawing back the curtains of the window of his hotel room in Almeria, Spain, an action that mirrored and lampooned the smoother mechanical movement of the curtains rippling silently back from the screen of a cinema.  That implicitly film lampooning point made, Willy and his roommates the implicitly Cowardly Lion and James E. Jones linked Norwood and the implicitly Lucas and Scarecrow linked Simms-played by Richardson and Strummer, respectively-were discovered to be hitmen when they bungled a hit in their hotel.  And an implicitly film artist linked twilit trio of tragicomic hitmen, given that their companion was the Hollywood evoking and implicitly Dorothy linked buxom blonde bimbo Velma-played by Love.

The implicit link of the Ozian quartet to twilit and blockbuster loot lusting film artists was reaffirmed when they robbed the Banco Central de Almeria and then fled with a suitcase stuffed with filthy lucre from the law and from the deadly and sinister Mr. Dade-fittingly played by indie film artist Jim Jarmusch, who openly linked the feckless foursome to film artists-into the desert hills outside of town that evoked the Jundland Wastes on Tatooine in the allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Spielberg roasting Lucas indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE (1977).  For here in this desert wasteland that mirrored their moral wasteland, the Ozian quartet found themselves to their surprise walking into a decaying wooden nineteenth century American Western town, straight out of a Western film that actually was built for a Seventies Western starring Charles Bronson, making this decaying Western town a natural and literal symbol of the twilit and decaying state of Hollywood film by 1987.

Here in “Helltown”, the Ozian quartet met the sweet, eccentric, furtive and implicitly Gilliam linked Chuch-played by Sugarman-the dorky, despised and implicitly Tim Burton linked wiener boy Karl-played by Schloss-and the jealous and implicitly Francis Coppola linked general store owner and manager George-played by Sandoval.  The four strangers also did their best to come to grips with the equally lawless, fresh brewed coffee luvin’ and mostly Pogues played Clan McMahon gang led by the implicitly Luc Besson and Great Oz linked Frank McMahon-played by Yeager-that ran the troubled town.  Not surprisingly, Simms, Willy and most everyone else, including the implicitly Ford linked Granpa McMahon-played by Jem Finer-the implicitly Kubrick linked Preacher McMahon-played by Berkeley-and the implicitly Landis linked Stupid McMahon-played by Martin Turner-were killed over the course of four bloody days in Helltown or in the bloody shootout that ended the film, a shootout helped along by a crate load of guns, rifles and ammunition provided by the gleefully duplicitous I.G. Farben-played by Dennis Hopper.  Frank and Velma also died when their getaway car ran off a cliff and exploded on impact with the canyon below.  Only Norwood was left alive but apparently trapped in a vicious circle of violence with most of the town’s deadly ladies, including the implicitly Bigelow linked Louise-played by Winstanley-the implicitly Kennedy linked Slim McMahon-played by Cait O’Riordan-the implicitly Amy Heckerling linked Sabrina-played by Kathy Burke-and the implicitly Susan Seidelman linked Leticia-played by Kiel-Cox implied that if they did not let go of the twilight and embrace the daylight, the furiously battling film artists of the dread allegorical Zone Wars were either going to wipe themselves out as well, or be trapped forever in the Twilight Zone, in the end. 

Significantly, as the film ended with Chuch, the only person in Helltown to avoid guns and gunfighting, surviving the final battle and trying to drive away a truckload of bleeding and bullet riddled bodies while workers employed by Farben Oil rebuilt the town, Cox also implicitly warned film artists and audiences that the only ones to benefit from the dread allegorical Zone Wars would be the big oil companies like Gulf + Western that owned Hollywood film studios like Paramount Pictures at the time.  For they would make money on Zone War films, and when the film artists of the Zone Wars burned themselves out or died, they would just recruit a new crop of naïve, innocent and eager beaver film artists fresh out of post-secondary film schools to rebuild and start Hollywood over again.

Curiously, the experience of making STRAIGHT TO HELL in and around Almeria during a fiesta week inspired the allegorical and Shane MacGowan written Pogues tune “Fiesta” (1988) on their recording IF I SHALL FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD (1988).  As for Universal Studios, the film’s overseer and distributor despised STRAIGHT TO HELL as much as they had despised REPO MAN, causing them to again refuse to advertise the film or distribute it to many theatres.  An embittering, frustrating and infuriating neglect that only affirmed the implicit conviction of Cox that film art was going straight to hell that was implicitly reaffirmed when he donned the director/co-editor hats and returned with Berkely, Contreras, Pansullo, Richardson, Rude, Sandoval-who also acted as Second Unit Director-Schloss, Strummer-who also created the memorable soundtrack-Tudor-Pole, Yeager, Richard Beggs-sound man on REPO MAN-and Spider Stacey-the roguish Pogue who played Angel Eyes McMahon in STRAIGHT TO HELL-to the Temple Theatre in 1987 with yet another iconoclastic and uncompromising indie docufeature film that was also ironically overseen by Universal, the twilit, allegorical and CGI free indie docufiction film WALKER (1987), released on December 4, 1987.

 

“No one will remember Walker.

No one will remember men who lose.”

 

Curiously, the earnest but failed attempt of the naïve, patriotic, quixotically idealistic, casually callous, brutal, corporate punishment, execution and slave luvin’ and implicitly Lucas linked American Colonel William Walker, the Grey Eyed Man of Destiny-played by Ed Harris-his implicitly Smith evoking young brother James Walker-played by William O’Leary-the implicitly Spielberg linked Major Siegfried Henningson-played by Rene Auberjonois-and his implicitly film artist linked and exuberantly lawless “Immortals” to establish an American republic in mid-nineteenth century Nicaragua that slowly aroused the ire and bitter opposition of the power and money mad and implicitly Alfred Hitchcock linked Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt-played by Peter Boyle-evoked the equally failed attempt of Lucas and his fellow exuberantly lawless film artists to sweep away Old Hollywood and establish a New Hollywood.  Indeed, the surname of Walker evoked that of Skywalker, affirming the implicit link of Lucas and Walker.  In addition, and like Lucas, Walker was born in May.  The sight and sound of Walker losing his life’s luv Ellen Martin-played by Marlee Matlin-to malaria also reminded us that Lucas lost his life’s luv Marcia in the Great Divorce of ’83.  Walker’s failed fling while in Nicaragua with the beautiful, voluptuous, fiery and duplicitous Dona Yrena-played by Blanca Guerra-also evoked the brief fling that Lucas had with the equally beautiful and curvaceous Linda Ronstadt after the Great Divorce. 

        The sight and sound of Walker gathering his Immortals and supplies in San Francisco before sailing down the west coasts of North and Central America to Realejo, Nicaragua reaffirmed the implicit link of Walker to Lucas, reminding us that the Skywalker Ranch film facility of Lucas was located just outside of San Fran.  The fact that an animated map visual straight out of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced, Kennedy and Marshall produced and implicitly Friedkin roasting Spielberg indie docufeature film INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984) was used to convey this coastal voyage also affirmed the film’s implicit interest in Lucas and Spielberg.  Indeed, the fact that Walker was accompanied on his expedition by the implicitly Kubrick linked Doctor Jones-played by Rene Assa-whose name evoked that of adventure luvin’ archaeology professor Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones jr.-played by Ford-affirmed the link of WALKER to the INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.  The sight and sound of Prussian officer Bruno von Namzer-played by Charley Braun-pledging himself to the Walker cause in Nicaragua reaffirmed the implicit link of Walker to Lucas, for von Namzer resembled Gary Kurtz, producer of AMERICAN GRAFFITI, STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE and the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced and implicitly Spielberg roasting Irvin Kershner indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980).

The outraged and righteously furious Nicaraguan uprising that led to the deaths of most of the Immortals and the burning down of Granada, the capital of Nicaragua and the new Helltown, in the bloody and STRAIGHT TO HELL evoking gun battle at the end of the film, and, eventually, to the fleeing Walker being executed by an Honduran firing squad, also affirmed the link of Walker to Lucas, evoking the equally righteously furious uprising of audiences-particularly young audiences-who were offended by the decision of Lucas made shortly after the TZ disaster to work again with Kennedy, Marshall and Spielberg on INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM and by the equally infuriating STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI disaster.  Thus, Cox implied again that he was one of those righteously furious young audience members, as he already had in REPO MAN and STRAIGHT TO HELL, and that he was furiously roasting the rise and fall of Lucas from the heady and Skyrocking heights of STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE in ’77 to the dismal and Skyfalling depths of WALKER in ten depressing years, a scathing implicit summation of the life and film art of Lucas that was also implicitly shared by Bernardo Bertolucci that year in the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Lucas roasting indie docufeature film THE LAST EMPEROR (1987).

Curiously, however, and despite the furiously anti-Lucas spirit of ’87 that contributed to the success of THE LAST EMPEROR, WALKER, like REPO MAN and STRAIGHT TO HELL, was again not embraced by film overseer and distributor Universal Studios, who again gave the film little advertising or theatre bookings.  Audiences also showed scant interest in WALKER, apparently not noticing or understanding the implicit Lucas roasting intent of the film and fixating angrily instead on the film’s acerbic allusions to then contemporary nefarious U.S. involvement in Central America (Cox, X Films, 127-28 and 170-73).  This dismissal of WALKER only confirmed the already low opinion that Cox held of Hollywood studios in general and of Universal Studios in particular.  Thus, Cox was delighted when Mexican sympathizers reached out to him, allowing him to leave American and Hollywood scousers behind forever and head to Mexico to fully realize his always intense and exuberantly anti-mainstream but disciplined commitment to the Indie Code (Cox, X Films, 175-95).  A cinematic self-realization that was made implicitly clear when Cox donned the director hat and collaborated with Sandoval-who also worked as one of the dialogue coaches-and Schloss-who, in addition to acting, had also contributed to the soundtracks of REPO MAN and STRAIGHT TO HELL and now composed the entire soundtrack-Pedro Armendariz jr.-who played Nicaraguan General Munoz in WALKER-and Lorenzo O’Brien-producer of WALKER-on the twilit, allegorical and CGI free indie docufeature film EL PATRULLERO aka HIGHWAY PATROLMAN (1991), released on December 28, 1991.

 

“Patrolmen never rest.

Always looking down the barrel of the gun.”

For the determination of the naïve, dedicated, tenacious, lonely and solitary young Mexican National Highway Patrol (NHP) Officer Pedro Rojas-played by Roberto Sosa-to relocate to Mapimi and uphold the Highway Patrolman Code-Orden!  Honor!  Y Servicio!-by patrolling the dangerous Sectors Four and Forty-Four of Highway 82 in the Northern Zone-a desolate stretch of highway that evoked the equally desolate stretch of highway seen at the beginning of REPO MAN-and ridding it of Evildoers while also freeing the unhappy prostitute Maribel-played by Vanessa Bauche-from the control of her brutal pimp evoked the equally resolute and tenacious determination of the lonely and solitary Cox to uphold the Indie Code-Intelligence!  Originality!  And Satire!-and defeat beastly blockbuster loot lusting Hollywood film artists so as to save and preserve film art for film art’s sake.  Indeed, the fact that the name of Maribel’s pimp was Emilio-played by Towi Islas-implicitly affirmed that Cox was breaking free and finally achieving self realization as an indie docufeature film artist in EL PELICULLERO, for the name reminded us that Emilio Estevez played Otto Maddox in REPO MAN, the first dispiriting experience that Cox had with the scousers of Hollywood. 

The success of Rojas in meeting and marrying a beautiful, intelligent, determined, spirited and implicitly Bigelow linked young woman and indie farmer named Griselda “Zeldita” Marcos-played by Zaide S. Guttierez-also affirmed that Cox was using the film to reffirm his commitment to the Indie Code and also implied the hope of Cox that EL PATRULLERO would succeed enough to allow him to finally settle down with a wife and family.  In fact, as the film ended with Rojas quitting the corrupt and dangerous NHP for safer work on the farm of his wife’s family, Cox even implied that he was thinking of giving up on the difficult, embittering, infuriating and unrewarding life of the indie outlaw film artist and heading off into a new vocation.  Indeed, the fact that Cox showed up in a brief cameo as a patron in a roadside bar affirmed the implication that Cox was also using the film to comment on his own life on one level.

Curiously, as the dimunitive Rojas also evoked the equally dimunitive Lucas, it was possible that Cox implicitly addressed Lucas again as in REPO MAN, STRAIGHT TO HELL and WALKER.  Indeed, the sight and sound of Officer Rojas working in a Mexican police force in Sectors Four and Forty-Four evoked the Force three times, and, hence, the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, affirming that possibility.  The implicit link of Zeldita to Bigelow reminded us that the towering and commanding Bigelow implied a fondness for Lucas in her indie docufeature film art, while Maribel also looked more like Ronstadt than Yrena in WALKER, reaffirming that implication.  The sight and sound of the ghost of the dead father of Rojas-played by the fittingly surnamed Eduardo L. Rojas-haunting the young officer like the blue Force ghost of Jedi Knight Ben Obi Wan Kenobi-played by Alec Guinness-haunted aspiring and idealistic young Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker-played by Mark Hamill-in STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI and the implicit link of his murdered friend Officer Anibal-played by Bruno Bichir-also affirmed the possibility that Cox was sympathizing with Lucas in EL PATRULLERO and hoping that he would also give up on film art and head off into a new and less dangerous and embittering vocation like Rojas.

        At any rate, the fact that many scenes in EL PATRULLERO were unusually shot in long and unedited moving master shots rarely seen in Hollywood film art that were known in Spanish, or, at least in Mexico, as plano sequencia-a long and unedited style already seen in the film art of Cox, particularly WALKER-signalled that Cox was not just cutting ties with Hollywood but also with its trademark film style.  The title of EL PATRULLERO also inspired an equally distinct name to describe Cox and his indie outlaw approach to life and film art.  For when El Patrullero was fused with “pelicula”, the Spanish word for film, the fittingly iconoclastic and indomitable result was “El Pelicullero”…aka the film artist with no name.

        Curiously, Spielberg implicitly addressed El Pelicullero in the implicit form of dedicated indie dinosaur expert and “digger” Doctor Alan Grant-played by Sam Neill-and implicitly hoped that the non-CGI enhanced and fully human film art of dedicated indie film artists like El Pelicullero would triumph over CGI enhanced blockbuster beasts like Dr. Grant and some other fully human and dedicated companeros triumphed over a twilit trio of CGI raptors at the end of the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed filmmercial JURASSIC PARK (1993), released on June 9, 1993.  Which was a contrary and ironic implicit hope, indeed, given that JURASSIC PARK was the biggest CGI enhanced blockbuster beast ever made up to that time, and given that it shamelessly promoted an avalanche of movie tie-in merchandise.  As for Quentin Tarantino, he implicitly linked Cox to indie robber Ringo aka Pumpkin-played by Tim Roth-in the twilit and allegorical indie docufeature film PULP FICTION (1994), a film released on May 21, 1994 whose implicit interest in Cox on one level was affirmed by allusions to REPO MAN and STRAIGHT TO HELL.

        For his part, Charles Russell implicitly roasted the uncompromisingly idiosyncratic and indie El Pelicullero in the implicit form of the equally idiosyncratic and indie “superhero” Stanley Ipkiss aka “the Mask”-played by Jim Carrey-in the exuberantly and raucously twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced super satirical docufeature film THE MASK (1994), released on July 28, 1994.  Indeed, the Mask’s fondness for Latin rhythms, the resemblance to Strummer of his friend Charlie Schumaker-played by Richard Jeni-and the film’s allusions to REPO MAN-as well as to the Toronto created and allegorical Julian Roffman indie docufeature film THE MASK (1961)-affirmed the implicit El Pelicullero addressing intent of THE MASK.  Bigelow also implicitly addressed Cox on one level in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas addressing indie docufeature artbuster STRANGE DAYS (1995), a film released on September 3, 1995 that affirmed its implicit interest in Cox on one level with allusions to REPO MAN and SID AND NANCY.

As for El Pelicullero, he clearly enjoyed making EL PATRULLERO and decided to challenge himself by applying his indomitable commitment to the Indie Code to telefilm art.  For he briefly returned to England to team up with the BBC before heading with them back to Mexico, donning the co-writer/director/actor hats and collaborating again with Armendariz jr., Boyle, Guttierez, O’Brien, Rojas, Sandoval, Sosa, Bruno Bichir-who played Anibal, the murdered patrol officer compadre of Officer Rojas in EL PATRULLERO-and Pray For Rain-who provided songs for the soundtracks of REPO MAN, SID AND NANCY and STRAIGHT TO HELL, and now composed the entire soundtrack-to complete the Latino Trilogy with the twilit, allegorical, CGI free, Indie Code upholding and plano sequencia flowing indie docufeature telefilm DEATH AND THE COMPASS (1993), released on May 26, 1993 and inspired by the allegorical Jose Luis Borges short story “Death And The Compass” (1942).

 

“Those were the days when a policeman

could still be a policeman.”

 

        Curiously, the film began in a book and memento filled study with a brief introduction concerning a contentious case from his past by the haunted, canary yellow robed, retired and implicitly Kubrick linked Ambigua City Police Commissioner Treviranus-played by Sandoval-that set the scene.  Then the opening titles in familiar red letters flashed on the screen, blood red titles that were intercut with still shots of a blue lit maze that evoked the sight of the opening titles flashing over a blue lit maze that was slowly revealed in the end to be the logo of the indolent and implicitly Lucas linked Gotham City playboy Bruce Wayne aka “Batman”-played by Micheal Keaton-at the beginning of the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Lucas toasting and Jean-Luc Godard roasting Burton super satirical animaction film BATMAN (1989), implying that Cox was replying to that film in DEATH AND THE COMPASS. 

Indeed, the fact that after the opening titles were over, the scene shifted back to the study of the pensive ex-Commissioner Treviranus, whose presence evoked that of Gotham City Police Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon-played by Pat Hingle-affirmed the implication that Cox was replying to BATMAN in DEATH AND THE COMPASS.  Thus, the troubled tale that Treviranus had to relate about how, in his active commissioner past, he had tried, but failed, to team up with the brilliant, award winning and implicitly Hitchcock linked Ambigua City Police Detective Erik Lonnrot-played by to hunt down and capture the violent, mysterious, red mask wearing and implicitly Burton linked super villain gang leader Red Scharlach aka mild mannered newspaper editer A. Zunz-who evoked the implicitly Godard linked Jack Napier aka “the Joker” played by Hugo E. Blick as a young man and Jack Nicholson as a middle aged man, respectively, in BATMAN, and was played by Christopher Eccleston-a failure that had led to the murder of Det. Lonnrot by Red Scharlach, implied the fear of Cox that Burton had murdered true indie film art with the creation and success of BATMAN. 

At any rate, El Pelicullero then left behind the towering, crumbling, labyrinthine and centuries old buildings of Ciudad Ambigua with its incongruously neon lit Liverpool Club brothel for the towering, labyrinthine and centuries old buildings and hotels of Liverpool when he donned the actor/director hats and rejoined Beggs, Pray For Rain, Sandoval and Schofield just in time to gently and pensively ponder and usher in the neo millennium in his next twilit, allegorical, CGI free and Indie Code upholding indie docufeature film THREE BUSINESSMEN (1998), released in October of ’98.

 

“Is this story actually leading anywhere?”

 

        Curiously, the quietly quirky film saw two indie businessmen, the implicitly Cameron and Tin Man linked Francis “Frank” King and the implicitly Kubrick and Scarecrow linked Benjamin “Benny” Reyes-played by Cox and Sandoval, respectively-meet up in the service lacking and deserted dining room of a labyrinthine and equally deserted hotel in El Pelicullero’s hometown of Liverpool, a huge and labyrinthine hotel that evoked the equally huge and labyrinthine Overlook Hotel in THE SHINING to affirm the implicit interest in Kubrick on one level in the film.  King y Reyes then spent most of the rest of the film wandering around the city looking for a good place to eat a hearty plate of shrimp and discussing life, the universe and everything. Unbeknownst to them, Liverpool quietly transformed during their peripatetic peregrinations into several other world cities, including Rotterdam, Hong Kong and Tokyo, uniting them all into one lost and confused film city on the cusp of the neo millennium, unsure of where to head in the neo millennium.

        Eventually, the pair wound up in familiar El Pelicullero territory in Mexico, where they met another lost and confused and implicitly Lucas and Cowardly Lion linked indie businessman named LeRoy Jasper-played by Robert Wisdom-a sight that evoked Norwood, Simms and Willy in STRAIGHT TO HELL, a link strengthened by the fact that the Mexican environs evoked the Almeria, Espana location of the third Cox film.  After finally finding a place to eat, they soon enjoyed a humble but filling repast provided by the Sofia Carmina (SCC) Coppola resembling and possibly linked and implicitly Glinda linked Josefina-played by Isabel Impudia.  Curiously, as they rose to pay their bill and leave, noises led the three to a back room in the restaurant where the twilit trio of businessmen paid humble homage and gave gifts to a newborn Mexican infant and her implicitly Dorothy linked mother Guadaupe-played by Alicia W. Soesbergen and Ina Hernandez, respectively-like the three magi did to the baby Jesus, absolving and cleansing them and freeing them to begin anew in the neo millennium. 

 

Making it ironic that El Pelicullero chose not a cleansed and rejuvenated neo indie beginning but a deadly and duplicitous old Elizabethan play for his first film of the neo millennium when he returned to Liverpool, donned the director/actor hats and collaborated again with the BBC, Eccleston, Schofield and Tod Davies-producer/writer of THREE BUSINESSMEN-to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the TZ disaster with the twilit, allegorical and slightly CGI enhanced indie docufeature film REVENGERS TRAGEDY (2002), released on August 6, 2002 and inspired by the allegorical and possibly William Shakespeare roasting Thomas Middleton play Revengers Tragedy (2002).

 

“Let the man who seeks revenge

remember to dig two graves.”

  • Chinese proverb

 

     Curiously, the film began with the haunted, vengeful and implicitly Spielberg linked Vindici-played by Eccleston-returning to the ancient future of Liverpool and teaming up with his implicitly Lucas linked brother Carlo-played by Schofield-to kill the implicitly Gilliam linked Duke-played by Derek Jacobi-so as to avenge the murder of his newlywed and implicitly Kennedy linked wife Gloriana-played by Jean Butler.  A murder Vindici accomplished, but which killed him in the process, along with the implicitly Cameron linked Lussurioso-played by Eddie Izzard-and the implicitly Bono and Sting linked Ambitioso and Supervacuo, the equally duplicitous and vengeful brothers of Lussurioso-played by Justin Salinger and Marc Warren, respectively.

     For his part, Kelly implied his support for El Pelicullero and the Indie Code given the allusions to REPO MAN, REVENGERS TRAGEDY, STRAIGHT TO HELL and STRANGE DAYS in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film SOUTHLAND TALES (2006), released on May 21, 2006.  As for El Pelicullero, cautioning against vengeful grievances as in REVENGERS TRAGEDY returned along with two men on another meandering and tragicomic journey as in THREE BUSINESSMAN when he donned the writer/director/actor/editor hats and collaborated again with Beggs, Pansullo, Richardson, Zamora and BBC Films and staunchly upheld the Indie Code on the twilit, allegorical and first digital camera shot indie docufeature film SEARCHERS 2.0 (2007), released on August 31, 2007 and inspired in part by the allegorical Ford docufeature film THE SEARCHERS (1956).

 

“And anyway, Delilah,

there is a Western where the hero doesn’t gloat

and triumph the way you said.”

 

        Intriguingly, the film saw another gringo, the implicitly Cameron linked Frederick “Fred” Fletcher-played by Pansullo-meet up with another Latino, the implicitly Gilliam linked Melvino “Mel” Torres-played by Zamora as an adult and Brandon Carlos as a boy, respectively-at the El Rey apartments in California at the beginning of the film, evoking the meeting of King and Reyes at their hotel in Liverpool at the beginning of THREE BUSINESSMEN.  Discovering to their surprise while chatting that they were both verbally and emotionally abused by the same intimidating screenwriter, the implicitly Lucas linked Franklin Fritz Frobisher-played by Richardson-while working as Chen and Le evoking child extras on a Hollywood Western known variously as DOC HOLLIDAY VERSUS BUFFALO BILL and BUFFALO BILL VERSUS DOC HOLLIDAY, they suddenly decided to drive east to Ford and El Pelicullero territory in spectacularly and hauntingly beautiful and lonely Monument Valley National Park and confront-and perhaps kill-Frobisher there in revenge for their childhood trauma while attending a free showing of DOC BUFFALO VERSUS BILL HOLLIDAY on an inflatable outdoor screen.

On the way to Arizonay, they picked up Melvino’s daughter, Delilah-the latest feisty, spunky, indignant and indie Coxwoman, and curiously played by porn “star” Jeanette Benardello, better known by her nom d’porn of Mariah Milano but calling herself Jaclyn Jonet as if to disguise her identity-and her SUV with the ominously twilit license of SUOS812-or was that SUDS812?-to drive them to their vengeful destiny.  Luckily for all, Delilah helped the twilit trio avoid the deadly ending of REVENGERS TRAGEDY and STRAIGHT TO HELL by replacing it with a peaceful and tragicomic three way Sergio Leone film trivia showdown between Fletcher, Frobisher and Torres in the spectacular desertscape of Monument Valley that evoked and spoofed the more bloody shootouts of the film art of El Pelicullero and Leone, particularly the three way duel between the implicitly David Lean linked Angel Eyes, the implicitly Sam Peckinpah linked Blondie and the implicitly Elia Kazan linked Tuco-played by Lee Van Cleef, Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach, respectively-that ended the allegorical Leone indie docufeature artbuster THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966).  Thus, El Pelicullero freed himself and perhaps Cameron, Gilliam and Lucas from the futile cycle of twilit revenge, allowing all to start anew again. 

Curiously, the tragicomic sight and sound of Fletcher revealing himself to really be Franz Fierberg, Intellectual Property Enforcement secret agent of the Motion Picture Producers of America (MPAA), in the end, also evoked Pansullo’s time as the equally secretive Agent E in REPO MAN and anticipated a wistful homage to that film in the next El Pelicullero film.  Last but not least, El Pelicullero also implicitly hoped that Benardello would succeed in reinventing herself as Jonet and leave porn and Milano behind, given that the last of the bios for the four main characters that ended the film before the start of the closing titles revealed that, hopefully, and ironically, given her film long feuding with her father and Fletcher, that “…Delilah Torres became an actor”.  Indeed, El Pelicullero implicitly hoped so much that Benardello would succeed as Jonet that he collaborated again with her and Balgobin, Barash, Beggs, Berkeley, Jonet, Sandoval, Schloss, Velez, Webb, Yeager, Zamora, Cy Carter and Zahn McClarnon-who played the director and Rusty Frobisher, respectively, in SEARCHERS 2.0-and DOP Steven Fierberg and composer Dan Wool-both also from SEARCHERS 2.0-when he donned the writer/director/co-producer/editor hats and brought his film art career full circle with the twilit, allegorical, mostly all green screen and wryly CGI enhanced and SOUTHLAND TALES evoking and perhaps replying film REPO CHICK aka PIXXI DE LA CHASSE’S BIG ADVENTURE (2009), released on September 8, 2009.

 

“Pixxi can be a repo man!”

 

Indeed, the sight and sound of Balgobin, Barash, Sandoval, Schloss, and Zamora as Nevada, a railroad employee, repo man Arizona Gray, the Doctor and Lorenzo, respectively, openly affirmed that El Pelicullero was coming full circle with REPO CHICK, reminding us that the five thespians played Debbi, Leila, Archie, Kevin and Lagarto, respectively, in REPO MAN.  The appearance of El Pelicullero in a cameo as the madcap Professor reaffirmed the full circle intent of the film, evoking his bit part as a gas station attendant in REPO MAN.  The main difference was that this time, after being cheated out of her inheritance by her implicitly Pierre Trudeau linked father Aldrich Del La Chasse-played by Berkeley-with the help of her implicitly Queen Elizabeth II linked Granma-played by Frances Bay-it was frustrated and implicitly Pamela Anderson Lee linked blonde celebrity bimbo heiress Pixxi “Pixxita” De La Chasse-played by Jonet-rather than a bored and disaffected young punk who joined the Velvet Glove Acceptance Corporation repo firm and who strove determinedly to uphold the uncompromisingly indie Repo Code with her equally uncompromising Repo Chic. 

Tragicomically, Pixxita-who also evoked Parish Hilton and Sarah M. Gellar’s indomitably clueless porn “star” Krysta Kapowski aka “Krysta Now” in SOUTHLAND TALES, a fitting link to the latter film given that Pixxita was played by a real porn “star”-also thwarted a group of vegan anti-golf activists led by the possibly Gilliam linked Lorenzo-played by Zamora-saved L.A. and won a million dollar reward by hunting down and preventing an elusive and primal Force filled three car California Zephyr ghost train that drifted through the film like the equally elusive and mysterious Force filled ’64 Chevy Malibu in REPO MAN from crashing into Union Station, in the end, thus triumphing over the downer ending of SOUTHLAND TALES.  A triumphant ending that also implied that El Pelicullero was satirically roasting and toasting the CGI enhancement that had “saved” Hollywood film art by preventing more fatal film set disasters, an implication affirmed by Pixxi’s pixel evoking name and by the ironically dismal and wretched CGI that constantly “enhanced” REPO CHICK.  Indeed, the sight and sound of the implicitly Kennedy linked Sister Duncan-played by Webb-and the implicitly John and Deborah Landis linked Justice Espinoza and Rikki Espinoza-played by Velez and Linda Callahan, respectively-amongst the passengers on the ghost train affirmed that Cox was implicitly roasting the CGI that had prevented further TZ disasters in REPO CHICK. 

Alas, and at any rate, Benardello/Jonet was so implicitly disappointed that REPO CHICK and SEARCHERS 2.0 were not huge hits that she gave up on indie film art and returned to her role as Milano in porno world.  A tragicomic transformation implicitly addressed by Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, who had the Jonet resembling and implicitly linked Princess Snow-played by Lily Collins-and her winterswept realm Spring back to health and happiness by triumphing over the Evil and implicitly porn film linked Wicked Queen-played by Julia Roberts-and her literally horny blockbuster CGI enhanced beast, allowing Princess Snow to marry the handsome Prince with the Alex Cox evoking name of Alcott-played by Armie Hammer-implying the hope of Dhandwar that Benardello/Jonet would leave behind porn and return to indie film art at the eucatastrophic end of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced film MIRROR, MIRROR (2012), released on March 15, 2012.

For his part, Joe Johnston implicitly roasted El Pelicullero in the implicit form of Johann Schmidt aka “Red Skull”, the hideous and the Mask/Red Scharlach evoking head of HYDRA-played by Hugo Weaving-in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011), released on July 19, 2011.  Curiously, after being beaten by the implicitly Clint Eastwood linked Steve Rogers aka “Captain America”-played by Chris Evans-at the end of that film, El Pelicullero was then implicitly linked to the despondent, lonely, solitary and wistful ghost of Red Skull-played by Ross Marquand-on the soulfull but deadly planet of Vormir in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Anthony and Joseph Russo super satirical animaction films AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018), released on April 23, 2018, and AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), released on April 22, 2019.  For his part, Gilliam implied in the tenth anniversary year of REPO CHICK that he was addressing El Pelicullero in the implicit form of film artist Tobias “Toby” Grummett-played by Adam Driver-and Bernardello’s return to porn as Mariah Milano after starring in SEARCHERS 2.0 and REPO CHICK in the implicit form of Angelica-played by Joana Ribeiro-a former star of the films of Grummett who went on to become a prostitute in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie animaction film THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE (2018), a film released on May 19, 2018 whose implicit interest in El Pelicullero was affirmed by allusions to REVENGERS TRAGEDY and STRAIGHT TO HELL.

And so the legend continued for El Pelicullero, refusing to sell out to the loot lusting scousers of Hollywood and their CGI enhanced blockbuster beasts and steadfastly upholding the always intense Indie Code with satirical and iconoclastic but disciplined and coherent indie docufeature films that kept him always on his feet rather than on his knees and with his head held high and his credit rating sound, enjoying a plate of hot, delicious and cosmically harmonious shrimp and a cool Cerveza in his impregnable and legendary mist hidden redoubt somewhere high in the hot and haunted hills of Almeria or the Sierra Madres, with his loyal compadres Richardson, Sandoval y Zamora by his inspiring side, his conscience clear, his sleep deep and rejuvenating, at ease with the world and its all too ordinary people and himself, with nothing to prove more and content that always would he be known as the legendarily and defiantly indie and indomitable film artist with no name…!El Pelicullero!

 

 

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Cox, Alex.  X Films.  New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2008.

 

-----.  10,000 Ways To Die: a director’s take on the spa-

        ghetti western.  Harpenden, Herts, UK: Kamera

        Books, 2012.