Bukowski's Drunken Streets: Marco Ferreri's Tales of Ordinary Madness

Continuing our exploration of The City of Angels, Mr. Chavez & I dive into the great Los Angeles novelist, short story writer, poet, and "Dirty Old Man" Henry Charles Bukowski (1920 - 1994). Bukowski holds a special place in my heart and memories; Beginning with Notes of a Dirty Old Man and continuing through novels (Women, Ham on Rye), a screenplay (Barfly), and numerous poetry collections (War All the Time: Poems 1981-1984, Septuagenerian Stew: Stories and Poems, The Last Night of the Earth Poems), I have been a fan of Bukowski's work for the better part of three and a half decades. Bukowski's writings depict Los Angeles in a way that few wrtiers are able to match. This week we look at "Bukowski's Los Angeles" as depicted in Marco Ferreri's 1981 adaptation of the short story collection, Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness as Tales of Ordinary Madness featuring Ben Gazarra as Bukowski's alter ego, Henry Chinaski (in the film Charles Serking). A not altogether successful adaptation of Bukowski's work, there is still a great deal to discuss in the failure of Ferreri to capture Bukowski's words, actions, life, and city. Take a listen and let us know what you think. We can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight years please feel free to support us with a monetary contribution. We're not asking for a whole lot. Whatever you can give is appreciated. The holidays are coming an we could use the help. Stop being cheap bastards and give what you can. Follow the link below to contribute.  Our Continued Thanks.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos

Down These Dark Streets: James Ellroy - Feast of Death

Continuing our travels through Los Angeles, Mr. Chavez & I focus our discussion on the great LA Crime (Historical Crime) Novelist, James Ellroy. Famous for his LA Quartet - including The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, The Big Nowhere, and White Jazz, as well as the autobiographical My Dark Places, Ellroy has written some of the most celebrated and polariizing Los Angeles based novels of the last century. His examination of the L.A. Police Department, criminals, murders, and (fictionalized) historical characters is unlike anything else in modern day fiction. It's a thrill to sit down and discuss this bold, brazen, and difficult writer. Take a listen and let us know what you think. We can still be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com 

As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight years please feel free to support us with a monetary contribution. We're not asking for a whole lot. Whatever you can give is appreciated. The holidays are coming an we could use the help. Stop being cheap bastards and give what you can. Follow the link below to contribute.  Our Continued Thanks.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos

Another Lost Angel: Paul Schrader's Hardcore

This week we continue our descent into Ibrahim Chavez's Los Angeles with a look at Taxi Driver screenwriter, Paul Schrader's blunt and brutal examination of the Los Angeles/San Diego/San Francisco sex trade of the late 1970s. Schrader's upbringing in a strict Calvinist environment would shape his social outlook and influence his abandonment of religion and drive towards sexual and cultural freedoms. Much like his screenplay for Taxi Driver, Schrader's Hardcore would take inspiration from John Ford's classic The Searchers, replacing the racism of that film with a difficult and controversial look at the world of pornography and the restrictive worlds that feed into it. Featuring George C. Scott in a powerful - at times sad and other times unlikable - performance of a man searching for his lost (runaway?) daughter, Season Hubley as a sex worker  he employs to lead him into this foreign world, and Peter Boyle as a smarmy, degenerate and exceptionally effective private detective. Schrader's sophomore directorial effort is a wondrous relic of California in the 1970s. Take a listen and give the film a watch. You can always reach us at gondoramos@yahoo.com. We look forward to hearing from you. 

As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight years please feel free to support us with a monetary contribution. We're not asking for a whole lot. Whatever you can give is appreciated. The holidays are coming an we could use the help. Stop being cheap bastards and give what you can. Follow the link below to contribute.  Our Continued Thanks.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos

At Night and From a Distance: Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself

We're starting the month of December (and ending 2023) with a dive into Los Angeles in a month of programming curated by our own Ibrahim Chavez. Our first episode of December is a look at film critic and teacher, Thom Andersen's "video essay" Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003). A legend in the world of documentary filmmaking, Andersen's film was seen sporadically in screenings set up by Andersen, showings at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles (Hollywood), and filesharings through film lovers. In 2014 the film film was finally released on DVD through Cinema Guild and can also be seen (for free) on YouTube. 

Examining the city of Los Angeles in three distinctive categories (Background/Character/Subject), Andersen's film is a love letter to the city and cinema itself. Questions are asked and Answers are forwarded. Take a listen and see if you agree with our thoughts on this wonderfully entertaining look at one of the world's great cities. You can reach us at gondoramos@yahoo.com to give us your thoughts.

As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight years please feel free to support us with a monetary contribution. We're not asking for a whole lot. Whatever you can give is appreciated. The holidays are coming an we could use the help. Stop being cheap bastards and give what you can. Follow the link below to contribute.  Our Continued Thanks.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos