4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.
Today is the birthday of director John McNaughton! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 John McNaughton Films
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986, dir by John McNaughton, DP: Charles Lieberman)
The Borrower (1991, dir by John McNaughton, DP: Julio Mucat and Robert C. New)
Normal Life (1996, dir by John McNaughton, DP: Jean de Segonzac)
Wild Things (1998, dir by John McNaughton, DP: Jeffrey L. Kimball)
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.
Today is the birthday of director John McNaughton! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 John McNaughton Films
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986, dir by John McNaughton, DP: Charles Lieberman)
The Borrower (1991, dir by John McNaughton, DP: Julio Mucat and Robert C. New)
Normal Life (1996, dir by John McNaughton, DP: Jean de Segonzac)
Wild Things (1998, dir by John McNaughton, DP: Jeffrey L. Kimball)
According to the good people at Checkiday, the proper way to celebrate National Bikini Day is to put on a bikini and head to the beach! Unfortunately, I don’t live anywhere near the beach so instead, I’ve just been cleaning the house and taking out a wasp nest while wearing a bikini, which is an experience that’s both frightening and empowering at the same time.
(Seriously, we had a huge wasp nest that showed up overnight over the front door. I went outside and sprayed the nest, which resulted in the porch getting covered with dying and angry wasps. Of course, that’s when I realized that, because of the whole bikini thing, I had put on a t-shirt but I’d forgotten to put on shoes so I was barefoot, the backdoor was locked, and I didn’t have my keys on me, again because of the whole bikini thing. Rather than walking in bare feet across a porch covered by angry wasps, I literally crawled through a window to get back in the house, at which point I put on my shoes, went outside, and swept up all the wasps and the nest. It’s been quite a day!)
Anyway, as we often do here at the Shattered Lens, we’re going to recognize both this holiday and four of our favorite movies! Here, in honor of National Bikini Day, are….
The 1998 film Wild Things starts out like a standard B-movie. It take place in Florida so, of course, we get a lot of shots of the sun setting on the bayous and crocodiles staring at the camera as if to ask, “What are you looking for?” Boats skim the water. High school guidance counselor Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) walks across campus while all of the toned and tanned students stop to admire him. Local rich girl Kelly Von Ryan (Denise Richards) smirks and says something snarky. Detective Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon) shows up in the background and stares at the world from behind dark glasses and a serious expression. Meanwhile, local poor girl Suzie (Neve Campbell) goes back to her home, which happens to be located right behind an alligator farm.
Judging from the first few minutes, Wild Things could just as easily be an episode of CSI Miami.
But then Bill Murray shows up as Kenneth Bowden, a hilariously sleazy attorney who spends most of the movie wearing a neck brace, just in case the insurance company is watching him.
And then Theresa Russell shows up Kelly’s mother, standing on a balcony in a gold bikini and hitting on every passing man like the world’s most hyperactive cougar.
And then Carrie Snodgress shows up as Suzie’s mother, complete with an over-the-top white trash accent.
By the time that Robert Wagner shows up and literally growls at Matt Dillon: “You’re finished, Lombardo! Finished!,” you realize that Wild Things is probably the most self-aware B-movie ever made and it’s all the better for it.
As for the plot — well, let’s see if I can keep track. Suzie and Kelly both accuse Sam of rape. Sam claims to be innocent but nobody in town believes him. Sam is forced to hire the disreputable Kenneth Bowden to defend him. During the trial, Kenneth is able to prove that Kelly blamed Sam for the suicide of her father while Suzie is angry that Sam once refused to bail her out of jail on a drug charge. To get revenge, Kelly and Suzie decided to frame Sam. Sam is acquitted and, again with Bowden’s help, is able to negotiate an 8 million dollar settlement for defamation. True, Sam does lose his job but at least he’s a rich man now…
But wait a minute.
The movie still has a little over an hour to go.
Could it be that there’s more to this story?
Well, of course, there is. It turns out that Sam, Kelly, and Suzie have been working together all the time. The accusations, the trial, the defamation suit — it was all a part of a grand scheme to get the money. Sam, Kelly, and Suzie celebrate their success with champagne and a threesome.
While everyone else in town seems to be ready to move on from the entire scandal, Detective Ray Duquette is telling anyone who will listen that he thinks that Sam, Kelly, and Suzie were all in on it together. Even when Ray is ordered by his superiors to back off, Ray continues to investigate the case.
And why?
Because Ray Duquette is a cop who gets results!
Well, maybe.
Actually, it doesn’t take long to realize that there’s something off about Ray. For one thing, his obsession with Sam really does seem to be a personal thing. On top of that, Ray has a past connection with Suzie…
Wild Things has everything that you could hope for from a good exploitation film: a script that is full of double and triple crosses, unapologetically pulpy dialogue, over-the-top performances, and lots of sex. Yesterday, I reviewed Normal Life and praised John McNaughton’s decision to play up the banality of the film’s characters and locations. With Wild Things, McNaughton takes the exact opposite approach, playing up every sordid and tawdry detail to such an extent that the film itself eventually transcends such mundane concepts as good and bad.
Wild Things is a lot of fun and it’s also one of the best films of the 1990s.
Through the Shattered Lens 