Chattanooga Film Festival 2016: The Wraith

The Wraith (1986)
R
Chattanooga Film Festival 2016

A few weeks ago, I was able to go to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria (thanks again, Daniel and Tim, for bringing me on board...puns and all).  For four days, the Majestic Theater in Chattanooga was filled with movie lovers of all shapes and sizes.  Comedy, horror, drama, documentaries, short films, animated films, independent films...the festival had movies for everyone, regardless of tastes.  Over the next several days, I will be posting my reviews of the movies that I saw there (in the order that I saw them), starting with The Wraith.

The CFF program description for The Wraith was:  "This 1986 cult classic tells the story of a murdered teenager (Charlie Sheen) who returns to extract revenge on a gang of car thieves and its leader (Nick Cassavetes).  To say more wouldn't be fair to the uninitiated, but the film also stars Sherilyn Fenn, Randy Quaid and legendary character actor Clint Howard, who makes his CFF debut to introduce the film and answer questions afterward.  Don't miss this special event!"

For as much as I love movies, I have to admit that I was one of the "uninitiated" watching the film and my only exposure to The Wraith prior to seeing the movie was watching the preview a few days prior.  The CFF program description says that it "wouldn't be fair" to say much more about the film than what it does.  But, the program description and the preview pretty much tell you everything you need to know about the story.



But, just knowing the story does not tell you how enjoyable The Wraith was to watch!!  It was full of unintentionally hilarious lines (one of my personal favorites being "He's weird and he's pissed off!!") and 80's awesomeness!!  There are fast cars, lovable characters, and a bit of the supernatural.  It might not seem like there is anything that makes this movie especially great, but I cannot think of a better film to have started off my weekend at CFF!!

One of the things that made the viewing of The Wraith at CFF so memorable was that Clint Howard was there to talk about the film and do a brief Q&A afterwards.  One of the more interesting things that Clint Howard said about the film was that it was meant to be a serious film.  It was not meant to be a cheesy, schlocky, campy action/comedy.  My enjoyment of the film was definitely due to the 80's awesomeness of it and not the seriousness of it.  So, when Clint Howard said that, I started to feel a little guilt thinking that he was going to feel like the film had not received the respect it deserved.

But then he said something else that not only alleviated the guilt, but also caused my respect and appreciation of him to grow.  Clint Howard said that the point of movies is to entertain.  So, who cares if The Wraith did not entertain the way that it was meant to...the laughter and applause throughout the movie showed that everyone there was definitely entertained!  Rather than being pretentious and shaming people for not watching a movie "the way it's supposed to be watched," he was very down to earth and grateful for the fans that showed their love.

Me, Clint Howard, Daniel (of Mass Listeria)

Thankfully, I was able to meet Clint Howard that night and talk to him a bit more and express my appreciation for all that he has contributed to cinema.  So, while the movie itself was not the best movie that I saw all weekend, it definitely was the perfect opening to encapsulate what film means to me.

Recommendation:  For me, The Wraith is a buy.  Granted, one of the main reasons that I would buy the movie is because of the experience surrounding my initial viewing, which would not be your experience if the first time watching it is in your home.  However, it was still a hell of a lot of fun to watch.  So go pick up The Wraith, invite some friends over, make some popcorn, and get ready for some 80's awesomeness!!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Chattanooga Film Festival - 2016

I have always loved watching movies.  Ever since I was a little kid, movies were more for me than just mere entertainment.  When people talk about the "magic" of movies, most people think that they are just talking about the special effects that are used to see things that you wouldn't be able to see in real life.  But for me, the "magic" of movies was something more.  It was how movies were able to draw you in and make you a part of what was happening.  A way to escape the mundane and be a part of something more.  Even bad movies (for which I have an ever-growing appreciation) were filled with their own unique charm.



One of the other reasons that I have always loved movies is because of the community of fellow movie fans.  Unlike other forms of entertainment (books, comics, video games, sporting events, etc.), you would be hard pressed to find someone in industrialized societies who has never seen a movie.  They are universal.  It does not matter if you enjoy history, sports, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, non-fiction...there are movies about it.  Not everyone is going to have the same taste in movies and not everyone with similar tastes is going to have the same opinion about the same movie.  But, no matter how diverse people are, movies are a common thread that can bring everyone together.  And that is exactly what happened at the Chattanooga Film Festival.

Me, Clint Howard, Daniel

A couple weeks ago, I was able to go to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria (thanks again, Daniel and Tim, for bringing me on board...puns and all).  For four days, the Majestic Theater in Chattanooga was filled with movie lovers of all shapes and sizes.  Comedy, horror, drama, documentaries, short films, animated films, independent films...the festival had movies for everyone, regardless of tastes.  Not every film was for everyone.  And some genres might have been more heavily scheduled than others.  But, regardless of taste, there was at least one movie there that everyone would have enjoyed.


I will be posting reviews of each of the movies that I saw, but that is not the purpose of this post.  This is about the overall atmosphere of the festival, because that is one of the things that I think makes the Chattanooga Film Festival so unique.  Regardless of what you think about the south, there is something undeniable about southern charm.  And Chris Dortch and his co-conspirators (of which there are too many too name) put as much love and devotion into creating the Film Fest as your grandmother puts into her home-made biscuits (or chicken 'n dumpling, or strawberry jam...or whatever your grandmother's specialty is).

Chris Dortch talking to the "patron saint"
of CFF, Joe Bob Briggs

It was abundantly clear that the Chattanooga Film Festival is not just about watching movies...it's about loving movies.  From the fans, to the press, to the volunteers, to those who had created the films...it was clear that everyone at the Chattanooga Film Festival had a love for movies!  Regardless of how vastly different someone's opinion of a movie was, the differing views were expressed with respect and genuinely wanting to hear what others thought.  I think that this was aided by the fact that the theme of the weekend was "respect cinema."  Respecting cinema doesn't just mean "enjoy the movie."  It meant that you should respect the entire movie-going experience.

Whenever I think of the "experience" of watching a movie, I rarely think of only the movie and nothing else.  I think about the people that I was with.  I think about the emotions that the film elicited.  I think about the conversations and debates that follow the movie.  And based on my experiences at CFF, I do not think that I am alone in that view.  The Chattanooga Film Festival excelled in setting an atmosphere that was built around the love of movies and the love of discussing movies.  Even though some amazing movies were shown, if you ask anyone who attended the Chattanooga Film Festival what they thought, I doubt that the first thing they would talk about would be the actual movies.  It would most likely be the people they met and the fun that they had.  Yes, the people that they met were probably due to the movies they were discussing.  And the fun that was had might be in large part due to how much they enjoyed the movies that they saw.  But when discussing the Chattanooga Film Festival, I have yet to talk to anyone, or read any reviews, where a list of movies was the first and only thing that was discussed.  Even on our two-part episode of the breakdown of movies that we at Mass Listeria watched (found here...go give it a listen!), it was impossible to dive into the movies without first talking about our overall impressions.  Even after watching 16 movies (along with a couple short films and other various events) over the span of four days and feeling like my eyes were going to start bleeding at any minute, I still wasn't ready for the festival to end.  And that, to me, is the magic of movies.


Thankfully, that same environment and love for movies is going to be extended beyond the Chattanooga Film Festival.  Chris Dortch and Mise en Scenesters are also in the process of getting Cine-Rama up and running in downtown Chattanooga, where unique and interesting movies will be shown year-round.  If you are a fan of movies, send your support their way!  And if you are able, I highly recommend that you try to make it to the Chattanooga Film Festival next year.



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.