'I aint no Jeffrey Dahmer' - Death by 1,000 Films - Week 3
Death by 1,000 Films
People always look down their noses at hookers. Never give you a chance, because they think you took the easy way out, when no one could imagine the willpower it took to do what we do. Walking the streets, night after night, taking the hits and still getting back up
I came to a realization this week: I will never get involved with a hooker.
Yeah, real profound, right? I thought so.
I came to this enlightened thinking after watching Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer. That was one bad mother (shut your mouth).
She gained fame as the “first” female serial killer, although her defense to the day she was executed was that all her murders were in self defense. I believed her, too. That doesn't mean I'd want to pick her up on the side of a Florida highway.
Then I began thinking about hookers. I wonder if any of them actually want to be saved. A lot of movies involving prostitution have some man swooping in to save the prostitute. You'll, no doubt, think of Pretty Woman; and rightfully so.
It's becoming a customary cliché - hooker meets wealthy man looking to help out. She changes her ways by the end and becomes a contributing member of society. In real life though, as documentaries like Little Girls suggest, most prostitutes don't want to be saved.
They're hooking because they need to support a drug habit, a child or a family. Some actually like the profession or are spellbound by their pimp.
The danger comes when they become trapped, as was the case with Wuornos. She said that she chose to hook, but the documentary I watched clearly shows she is a smart person. She understands society, but not really how to live in it. She was trapped by insecurity and sought prostitution as an outlet. When the men turned on her, she was crushed and then killed them.
I wonder how often that happens today. Not the killing, but how often a man picks up a prostitute, pays her, and then brutally violates her. I will never know.
I think about the prostitute I saw in Las Vegas two years ago. I was on a vacation with my uncle. She was blonde with two very expensive assets. They were pushed up to her chin. She winked at me. I did nothing back, and life went on for the both of us I'm assuming.
I wonder if she was ever manhandled like Wuornos. I wonder if she likes doing what she's doing. It obviously pays well.
A lot of things went through my head this week – a week in which I also watched Alice and An Affair to Remember. Could there be three more different movies to watch in succession? I think not.
Alice was just plain creepy. It's a Czech film retelling the “Alice in Wonderland” story. I can't even describe how disturbing it was… and it's apparently a film for children. What? I had nightmares.
Then there's An Affair to Remember. It is the standard by which future chick flicks were compared. I wonder, after watching Aileen: The Selling of a Serial Killer, how Wuornos would act in this movie. I imagine Cary Grant toppling over the railing atop the Empire State Building while Wuornos gave him the bird. Alice, of course, would be at the bottom with the White Rabbit holding some rusting scissors. “Off with their heads!” yells the Queen of Hearts.
Ah! All these movies are running together.
And I had my recurring death dream one night this week. It happens about once per month.
A shadowy figure stands behind me. I'm on my knees facing a wall. I feel the cold steel of a pistol behind my head. The trigger pulls, an explosion heard. Then, warmth, a fire in my skull.
Then I awaken.
Is there a connection here? Any psychology people out there? What does it all mean?
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
And sometimes Death is just 1,000 Films away.
NOTE:
Netflix did not have The African Queen, so I could not watch it.
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THE MOVIES
An Affair to Remember. Rated: UR. Year: 1957. My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. A brief thought: At the time, I'm sure this was a great movie. Watching it 2009, it seemed a tad tired, despite the wonderful performance. The storyline killed several times in the 52 years since. This is clearly the influence behind Sleepless in Seattle. That's why this is the movie she (Meg Ryan) always cried over.
NO TRAILER AVAILABLE
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Alice. Rated: UR. Year: 1988. My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. A brief thought: This Czech film dubbed in English gets stranger as it progresses. The young Alice is the only live character. The rest are puppets and the film is shot in stop-action. The puppets are creepy at best, horrifying at worst, yet I couldn't stop watching.
NO TRAILER AVAILABLE
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Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer. Rated: UR. Year: 1992. My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. A brief thought: It's a fairly intersting documentary, but was filmed too close to when Wuornos was convicted. I suspect the second Broomfield documentary, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, is much more insightful. This seemed quick and without a ton of depth. Nevertheless, it's still a decent watch.
NO TRAILER AVAILABLE
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Akira (already watched). Rated: UR. Year: 1988. My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. A brief thought: This was billed by my father as “the best R-rated cartoon in the world.” This was, of course, before South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. From what I remember, it was quiet good and terrifying. Well worth the watch, even if it is in Japanese.
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Airplane! (already watched). Rated: UR. Year: 1980. My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars. A brief thought: It is the first of the stupid, quotable movies and no doubt one of the inspirations for Will Ferrell and his ridiculous comedies. If you like this genre, then you will like this movie. It is nothing remarkable otherwise.
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