Spanking the money is a 1994 film turns family drama on it’s head. redefining the relationship between a parent and their offspring.  The film’s title itself is a euphemism for masturbation, when one takes “matters into their own hands”.  However, the main character Raymond, feels increasingly that his fate is out of his hands.  Raymond (Jeremy Davies) has plans for a summer internship when his father makes him care for his bedridden mother instead. Susan (Alberta Watson), isn’t physically unwell, but she has limited mobility because of a broken leg. As Susan becomes increasingly dependent on Raymond, their relationship takes a disturbing turn, leading to a taboo romantic connection between mother and son.

Exploring sexual awakening in the context of an inappropriate relationship “Spanking the Monkey” attempts to address the conflictual nature of the Oedipus complex.  Raymond is resentful of his familial situation, especially since it has disrupted hard earned advances on his career path. He finds himself struggling to relate to his peers and is sexually awkward with his attractive neighbor.  Regardless, his sexual frustration, begins drive him into the arms of his mother, who is ever present in his daily activities. This exploration of a taboo subject forces the audience to question the boundaries of acceptable human behavior and challenges us to consider how circumstances can push individuals to do things normally reprehensible.

One could argue that director David O. Russell’s willingness to tackle such prohibited subjects is a daring artistic choice, especially for his first feature film. The forbidden change in nature of the principle mother -son relationship,  is not the only dark theme.  Raymond’s narcissistic parents manipulate him for their own comforts, though-out the movie. He is driven  to near suicide, as he increasingly loses control, over the direction his life is taking. So this is also a film about toxic relationships, how commitment with the wrong priorities can undo the best laid plans, robbing a person of years of hard-work.

Some believe that the explicit and provocative nature of the content is purely to titillate the audience. But I believe that it only strengthens the metaphor for this coming of age film. As Raymond’s individual identity and purpose is being smothered to death, by his position as dutiful son.  Lost opportunities, broken promises, the role reversal from child to caregiver, then from offspring to independent individual. “Spanking the Monkey” is one young man’s disturbing journey to learn how to “take matters into his own hands” and become the independent adult he was meant to be.

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Airplane! was written by Jim Abrahams, and the Zucker brothers, David and Jerry, this was also their directorial debut. The film is a parody of the Air Travel disaster movie genre which dominated the silver screens in the 70s. “Airplane!” is a mockery of those films, filled with irreverent humor, it offers a satirical take on the conventions of the genre.

The Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker trio (ZAZ) were seasoned comedy writers for stage, with a knack for incorporating pop culture into their skits. Needless to say, one of the strengths of the film is its writing. The script was filled with witty one-liners, absurdist humor, and clever references to other films and pop culture. The tightly written script wasted no time on filler, with a relentless comedic pace. The humor of “Airplane!” is both broad and subtle, appealing to a wide range of audiences and making it a timeless classic. Although some would argue that it is too low brow or contains too much physical humor. The film’s comedic pace actually means that some of the more subtle aspects might be missed at first watch.

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Another standout aspect of “Airplane!” is its all-star cast. ZAZ insisted on a handful of actors known only for their serious tough guy roles prior to this movie. Leslie Nielsen in particular rekindled an interest in the “straight-man” comedian. He became known for his deadpan delivery in absurd comedic situations in multiple films following Airplane. Equally Robert Hays, and Julie Hagerty give standout performances, delivering their lines with deadpan precision and bringing the film’s humor to life.

The film’s production design also contributed to it’s comedic appeal, with its lush, over-the-top sets and visual gags. From the brightly-lit control tower to the sumptuous first-class cabin, the film was just as filled with sight gags as it was one-liners. Giving the audience a sense of heightened reality that perfectly fits the film’s outlandish humor.

Fun with Dick and Jane is funny too

Considered to be one of the greatest comedies of all time, the influence of “Airplane!” can still be seen in many films today. Its success helped to establish the career of its creators, who went on to make several other iconic comedies, including “The Naked Gun”, also with Leslie Nielsen. “Airplane!” was a pioneer that popularized the use of sight gags and physical comedy in the disaster movie parody genre. An unforgettable film, “Airplane!” will continue to be enjoyed by audiences for generations to come.

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The Fly was directed by Kurt Neumann and starred Vincent Price renowned and celebrated horror film actor, played the lead part as scientist Andre Delambre. He invents a teleportation device. But when he accidentally teleports himself with a common housefly, the fly’s genes become intertwined with his own, causing a mutation that transforms him into a grotesque and monstrous creature.

The film set a new standard for the science fiction genre with groundbreaking special effects. The convincing fly transformation sequence, in particular, was widely regarded as one of the best special effects of its time. Thanks to the technical and artistic brilliance of Hollywood artist Charles Ben who did both makeup and special effects for The Fly. The film’s success helped establish 20th Century Fox as a major player in the science fiction genre. It was so successful in fact, the film spawned two sequels and studio remade The Fly, in color this time, in 1986.

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Departing from the typical themes of science fiction, which often focused on futuristic societies and space exploration, The Fly instead explored the darker side of science and technology. In particular, the consequences of playing God with the natural world. The dangers of unchecked scientific progress presented in this film, set the scene for ethical debate in the years succeeding it’s release. (Something, along with disbelieving in God, unfortunately modern scientists believe they have overcome).

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“The Fly” is a landmark film that broke new ground in terms of its special effects, storytelling, and themes. The film was a major box office success and helped establish 20th Century Fox as a major player in the science fiction genre. Its impact on the movie-making industry cannot be overstated, and its influence can still be felt today in the many films that continue to be inspired by its themes and style.

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The cyberpunk drama, Johnny Mnemonic, was set in 2021. Although they got a lot of the tech wrong, it is still very relevant to watch and see how much they got right. There is a worldwide pandemic, different from what we experienced, but not really inconceivable. The general theme is that, “Those who control the information control the world”, and this has become an undeniable fact. Corporate influence and the pursuit of money and power have disabled society; keeping everyone desperate and difficult to trust. Considering the original short story by William Gibson, was published in 1981, the accuracy of his dystopian world is quite impressive.

The film’s main protagonist Johnny Mnemonic is a courier of sensitive data through a cybernetic implant in his brain. (Forgive them for thinking 80 G was a lot, terabytes were rather inconceivable in the mid-90s).
When Johnny downloads more than he can handle, he is up against the clock to get the data out of his head. Mid transfer, the Yakuza attacks. Now everyone wants his head and he needs to break the encryption to get it out. Fighting to stay alive, Johnny is rescued by Jane (one for the feminists), a woman enhanced with cybernetics. Played by Dina Meyer, she becomes his bodyguard. They enlists the help of the Lo-Tek , a rebel anti-establishment group. Lo-Tek is run by J-Bone, played by Ice-T (more for woke audiences).

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For those not familiar with cyberpunk, it’s a genre of sci-fi that makes the establishment nervous to say the least. The secret service raided a RPG publisher and confiscated their Gurps Cyperpunk, along with their computer systems. William Gibson is said to have pioneered this genre, he even coined the term cyberspace, long before it existed. The world of Johnny Mnemonic may not be a reality in 2023, but it’s potential is more realistic than most of us believed when the movie came out. Remember that you have been warned; using cyberspace leaves traces of you, no matter how insignificant or innocuous you think it is. Only low tech/ no technology (lo-tek) trumps high technology.

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What I take away from the movie is a nostalgic look at how we used to interact with one another. This isn’t by far the funniest comedy. Nothing scary happens. Sexuality is all about that natural awkwardness which takes courage to overcome. People are playful with one another. Boys are mesmerized by girls, girls will often use this to tease back. Bill Murray’s character Tripper is afraid to show his sensitive side, and flirts with his crush played by Kate Lynch first by wrestling with her, in spite of her protesting, and then in a insulting banter where she gives as good as she takes, we learn that they have been having these sort of exchanges for 3 years. 

As Tripper, Bill Murray, has taken a direct role intervening with a young boy who feels isolated at the camp, they go for early morning runs together as he builds his confidence. Playing opposite of Bill Murray is Chris Makepeace who is the boy and he picks up on the fact that Tripper has a crush and he convinces him to ask her out. By the end of the movie the pair are a couple, as are several of the misfit (stereotype) counselors-in-training who act as supporting characters.

There is a subplot athletic competition with another camp (located across the lake). That camp is considered a rich-kids camp at $1000/week back in 1979. They never say how much the fictional Camp North Star costs in comparison, but Camp White Pine in Halliburton, Ontario where the film was shot remains in operation. If we account for inflation, the $3800 for two weeks is approximately half the cost.

I give this a classictvmovies rating of 7.5 / 10 and Bill Murray gets a special 8/10

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It tells the story of an astronomer and his fiancée who admiring the stars while in the desert when a large object crashes to Earth. When they investigate the crash site they discover an alien space ship that soon buried by a landslide. In the end he’s labeled a nut job but strange events happen to vindicate him.

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The starts include Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles and Karloff, and features Dwight Frye and Edward van Sloan and directed by Jim Whale.

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