"Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" Star Haji -- RIP

Canadian actress Haji
(Image: cbc.ca)

In 1965, movie directors still had the ability to both shock and amuse their audiences. This knack seemed connected to the Ed Wood school of directing; any glimpse into Luis Bunuel's more outrageous montages was purely coincidental. Russ Meyer's circa mid-1960s films fit this profile to a T.

His movies were testaments to comic bad taste and soft core porn. One of his best known features was Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Haji, the actress who played a leading role in the movie, recently passed away; an obit was published in today's online editions of the BBC. However, a much more fun obit, and one more in tune with Meyer's world, appeared in The National Enquirer. The tabloid's piece includes video trailers that capture Haji's screen presence and Meyer's sense of ribald humor. They're great guilty pleasures to watch.

Tim Burton's 53rd Birthday

Hey, happy birthday, Tim! The movie director turned 53 today. According to the LA Times, Burton is in the UK, working on his Dark Shadows project. The new film will star Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Burton has the knack for choosing unusual subjects. Dark Shadows, based on a daytime soap opera, continues that trend.

While Burton is best known for Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, my personal favorite is the black & white film Ed Wood. Ever since I first saw it, I thought Ed Wood touched something any film maker, from the greats to the dreadful, would understand. The quick takes, the desperate work with clueless funder/producers, the desire to make a movie regardless of circumstances, characterize the fever that film makers have. There's not much art, but there's a lot of chutzpah and just plain blind faith in the medium, its audience, and "Hollywood U.S.A."