Repo Man
Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
Last night was the unofficial kick off to VHS Fest 8 with a mid 80's classic.
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| Show banner designed by Andrew Kern |
The Mahoning Snack Bar had a brand new grill installed earlier this week, and it was put into service for the first time at this screening. Jules Winnfield would definitely approve, because this is a tasty burger! I challenge you to find a better tasting cheeseburger for this price at any movie theater in the country.
Instead of pre-show trailers, we got to see a classic cartoon prior to the start of the film. This copy of the 1951 Tex Avery directed MGM cartoon Cock-a-Doodle Dog is part of Jeff's collection of vintage cartoons on 35mm. We got to see it a couple of times last season (before Back To School and The Lost Boys), but whether it's new to me or not, I'm always glad to see these on the big screen at the Mahoning.
Repo Man is a cult classic which has received almost universal praise from both critics and fans over the past forty years, and while I enjoy it too, I will be the first person to admit that I really don't understand what's going on in the story. I get the whole "consumerism is terrible, capitalism is evil, and the American dream is dead" vibe. The film beats you over the head with that subtext so hard that it feels at times like a late 70's Saturday Night Live sketch without the laughter from the live studio audience. However, setting that theme aside, I'm really not clear what's supposed to happening on the surface.
So... there's a Chevy Malibu being driven around by some guy. If they ever make it clear who this guy is supposed to be, I have missed it every time I've watched this movie. There is a dead alien in the trunk of this car. Both the alien corpse and the car are radioactive, and they have the power to vaporize some people at random while leaving others unharmed. The car also has the power to glow and fly, but only at the end of the film. How or why the car has any of these powers and who is in control of said powers is never explained in a way that I've been able to understand. It just kind of does weird shit randomly.
Several groups of people are chasing after this car. The repo men want it because there's a $20,000 bounty on it. The government and/or scientists want to reclaim it, which makes sense. The United Fruitcake Outlet wants it, and they're a group of... I don't know... alien enthusiasts? The Rodriguez Brothers want it too, but I'm not really sure who they're supposed to be let alone why they want this car. Are they a rival group of repo men, or criminals, or aliens, or just a couple of assholes who like messing with the repo men... I have absolutely no idea. A group of punk rockers want it, but I think they just got involved by accident thinking that they were stealing an ordinary car. Finally, a televangelist who Otto's parents gave all of their money to is interested in the car, though I'm not sure how he even knows about it or why he wants it. It's entirely possible that I just imagined that part. The mechanic from the repo lot ends up being chosen by the car as its new owner for some reason, and with he and Otto sitting inside, it flies through the skies of Los Angeles like a glowing spaceship. Then roll the backwards credits.
Look, I don't claim to be the smartest guy on the lot and I'm the furthest thing from an expert on movies. Repo Man is a hell of a lot of fun to watch, but I've had the same experience every time that I've seen it: I enjoy it while I'm watching it, but I'm frustrated as hell for about an hour after the credits roll because it seems like everybody else understands this story but me. Maybe something will click and I'll get it next time, but unless I'm watching it with someone who is willing to pause it repeatedly to explain what just happened, this is probably going to be one of those things that will continue to fly over my head like a radioactive Chevy Malibu.
