my Movie

Movie Details

Title:   Snakes
Director:   Arthur A. Names
Year:   1974
Genre:   Nature's Revenge
Times Seen:   2
Last Seen:   06.20.07

Other Movies Seen By This Director (0)

Notes History
Date Viewed Venue Note
06.20.07Weird Wednesday Holy Wednesday! Well you know what? I know it's not Tuesday... and I know it ain't thursday... if Snakey Bender's in town that means it must be Wednesday! And if you know what's good for ya, you best not mess with Snakey's Wednesdays.

The Alamo could close tomorrow morning and I'd feel complete. I'm all for seeing Night Warning again and having Susan Tyrrell be wholly inappropriate next week but to my mind the original alamo experience ended tonight. Watching Snakes with a jam-packed house (who knows how many they had to turn away but at one point Karen had to insist than anyone without a chair could not be accomodated and made them leave), surrounded by friends all having a blast... sitting and watching as a 20-piece brass ensemble got out of their seats and got set-up to start in with the series of John Philip Sousa march cues each time Snakey takes a trip to that cliff... well it just doesn't get any better than that. David yelling out he brought his trouser snake with him and marching up and down the aisle as the band played a prelude to the film, seeing trailers for Slither, Poor Pretty Eddie, and Q: Winged Serpent (this might be the first time I've seen all the movies they play trailers before a Weird Wednesday)... everything about the whole night seemed exceedingly perfect. Afterward everyone applauded Lars to high heaven and just before he was forced to say something sappy, the band started up with some more marches and the night ended with some rousing live music as the crowd filtered out of the theater. Standing around talking with everyone late into the night... it's these memories that will live longest in my mind. This is really why I moved here and couldn't ask for more right now. I remember reading about the awesome events going on 10 years ago and thinking how far away I was from anything like that and now I'm here in the Alamo's warm embrace, feeling like it's where I belong.

I know the Ritz will be nice and fun and all, but it will never be the same. In a way it's good that this place is going away though... it makes for a very clear moment in time. Pretty soon the first ten years will be over and it'll be the brand new Alamo and I'll be one of those guys talking about the good ol' days back in the original location, growing each dusty brick and lopsided seat into legend. I still feel like I've missed a lot but I don't think I got here too late. I've had more than my fair share of mind-bending taste-altering events here and feel like I left tonight with one more. I'm convinced that the next three or four times I make it down there will be like the last week of school. I'm excited to see the films of course but it'll be a different vibe. Tonight was it.
01.30.07Internet My Snakesploitation Triple Feature ends tonight with the mind-blowing Snakes AKA Fangs AKA Holy Wednesday AKA Holy Shit this is a great movie AKA The Best Weird Wednesday Movie Ever. Like, I almost don't even want to talk about because it's so good. I feel like just saying some of the things that go on here might ruin it for anybody out there who hasn't seen it. I mean... it's just that at a certain point in the movie, about a half hour in, you think to yourself and you just know. You just know, man! And from then on out... it's like... well I imagine it must be what David Lynch means when he talks about diving within: magnificent waves of pure bliss (and you don't need to pay $2500 to get it!).

Snakes is the story of Snakey Bender, a simple guy who has a very bad day. When all you have is your Wednesdays and all of a sudden you find yourself without that... well, what would you do?

You'd get bloody snake-themed revenge! That's what you'd do!

I really^9 hope the Alamo gets their print back and shows this again at WW. I think everyone in the theater would be like "right on!" whenever Snakey warns someone not to mess with his Wednesdays. I feel like ripping all those lines and making a Weird Wednesday mixtape full of awesome music heard in Weird Wednesday movies and handing them out gratis when this movie plays.

It's getting late so I don't feel nearly as witty as earlier, plus I spent the majority of this movie with my jaw slack. I think I really need some time to digest this... to comprehend the subtle flavors in the aftertaste... to play some John Philip Sousa marches and drive some cars off cliffs. Mostly though, I think I want to meet a woman like this school teacher and ask her about her childhood.

And I'm fairly sure there's a strong religious subtext to this movie. That one of Snakey's snakes is named Lucifer is a big hint of course, and the preacher saying that snakes are the devil is another... but mostly I think it's about how both God and the devil should NOT fuck with Wednesdays!

And now let's see if I can get in my bed without clearing the sheets to check for snakes. This has certainly been a most fun evening (spent alone. hmmmm....) of snakes fun. I'm kinda glad I held off on watching these until the time was right. I think seeing all three together mounted up to an angry nest of enjoyment that wouldn't've been quite as lethal had I seen each one alone. Yay for themed movie nights and Yay for Snakes!