Karrie Laughton, headmistress of Lux
Lounge, is a rabid movie buff who counts among her favorite filmmakers men like
Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch. Yet despite quality taste in film, she readily
cops to a soft spot for B movies, or flicks “so over-the-top ridiculous that
you can’t help but chuckle.” Laughton doesn’t think that B movies get proper
exposure, so on Wednesday evenings she spreads the gospel with Lux’s B Movie
Backyard Bonanza.
Laughton used the land behind Lux to
screen films for friends even before it was officially Lux, and those showings
proved to be so popular that she decided to continue the practice once Lux
opened in September of 2002, and she peppered the backyard with picnic tables.
Admission is always free, but the social lubrication ain’t (though there are
drink specials).
As in days of yore, the 11 p.m.
feature presentations are preceded by a half-hour of shorts, which have
recently included episodes of Space
Ghost: Coast to Coast and Pee-Wee’s
Playhouse. Weather permitting, movies screen in Lux’s backyard until around
mid October, and once winter makes its presence known, Laughton projects eye
candy inside the bar.
So here’s a quick overview of
August’s five Wednesdays:
August
3 — Cannibal! The Musical
Trey Parker (South Park, Team America)
was still a student when he made his resourceful and hilarious first feature,
and I’m now compelled to make this potentially controversial statement: Parker
will prove to be this generation’s Mel Brooks.
Oh, hear me out before you grab your
pitchfork and light your torch. Both men make broad, profane comedies with just
the right amount of infantilism, innuendo, and clever song. And Parker may even
have more of a social conscience than Brooks ever exhibited. Cannibal! The Musical stars Juan
Schwartz as noted Colorado man-eater Alferd Packer, and if you’re wondering who
the hell “Juan Schwartz” is, your question will be answered by a scene that
ends with Juan clearly saying “Cut!”
August
10 — Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
Long before three of the four
original Ramones landed a gig at that great CBGB in the sky, punk’s Fab Four
starred in this silly teen flick about good girl Kate and really-not-that-bad
girl Riff fightin’ the system at their high school. One scene that always takes
me out of this movie, however, is the scene where Riff fantasizes about gangly
Joey Ramone to the tune of “I Want You Arou-ound.” No disrespect intended, but
that’s pretty yucky.
August
17 — A Dirty Shame
One of the things that set me apart
from other humans is my total lack of patience for John Waters. He’s obvious,
simplistic, and really dull, following the same formula in nearly all of his
films. Shame stars Tracey Ullman as a
woman who becomes a wanton sex fiend following a conk on the head, setting up
the classic Waters conflict of Prudes v. Non-Prudes. Having said that, a couple
of mojitos and the cherry spot in Lux’s hammock just might make Waters a little
more tolerable.
August
24 — The Endless Summer
For the second consecutive year,
Rochester surf rock king Duke Galaxy gets his own night at Lux to show surf
movies. Bruce Brown’s The Endless Summer is arguably the granddaddy of all board flicks, with its exotic locales and
massive waves. The surfers in the film come across mighty wooden on land, but
all is forgiven once they leave their good sense on the beach. Not interested
in surfing? Doesn’t matter — The
Endless Summer is campy, innocent, gorgeous fun, whether you salivate at
the sight of a wall of water or not.
August
31 — Wet Hot American Summer
Alumni from MTV’s now-defunct sketch
comedy The State (who would go on to
craft Comedy Central’s Reno 911! and Stella) are the minds behind one of
filmdom’s newer cult classics, a parody of the summer camp genre. The last day
at Camp Firewood finds shy nerds trying to get laid, nutjobs working out their
issues, and comeuppance aplenty. Plus it’s 1981, so you gotta keep an eye out
for chunks of Spacelab.
At the bottom of her B Movie Bonanza
flyers, Laughton has traditionally suggested that attendees “BYO popcorn and
makeout date.” But she recently told me that Lux will soon feature a Pop Your
Own Popcorn Station, and I have personally… um… observed that it is not
completely necessary to bring someone to smooch, as there are often a few spare
someones perched on the picnic tables, refreshing libation in hand and at least
one eye on the screen.
Lux
Lounge is at 666 South Avenue. Movies are free. Weather permitting, B movie
features start at 11 p.m., shorts are screened at 10:30 p.m. 232-9030
This article appears in Aug 3-9, 2005.
