Misery (1990) Rob Reiner

Whether you are a musician, writer, actor, artist or any other public figure, you know having fans is an integral part of the experience.  Fans are supportive, financially and  artistically. Fans follow the artist on social media, fans share experiences and thoughts between each other, and fans are devoted.  However, with some fans there comes the point when that devotion takes a turn toward some very dark places; far from the ordinary, toward the bizarre, the maniacal or even worst. Fan is short for fanatic which derives from the Latin adjective fanaticus. Unlike the average or normal fan, the fanatic has lost all perspective of their relationship to the artist. They are overly passionate  and unreasonable in their devotion to their idol. Some even feel they know the artist and have a personal relationship where the artist is speaking directly to them. It’s all very delusional, and needless to say, way outside the boundries of what is considered conventional behavior. Then there is Annie Wilkes.

Bette, Joan and Baby Jane

On my other blog, John Greco: Musings on Film, Photography, Writing and Other Things That Go Pop Culture into the Night,  I recently posted an article I wrote eight years ago on Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? adding in a new introduction related to the current TV series Feud: Bette and Joan. You can read it by clicking here.

While over there take a look around and give it a follow if so desired.

 

Straight Time (1978) Ulu Grosbard

Max Dembo (Dustin Hoffman) is a small time nobody of a criminal who has been in and out of jail his entire life. Most recently, he has just been released from San Quentin after a six year stretch for armed robbery. He’s trying to do some straight time now that he out of jail but the odds, the system, and as becomes most obvious, he himself are all against him. 

The parole officer assigned to Max, Earl Frank (M. Emmett Walsh), is a patronizing low-life, playing mind games continually attempting to bait Max; almost daring him to do something that will land him back in prison. At first, all Max wants is a place to live, a job and a girl. But Max is his own worst enemy. He’s a born liar and a career crook. He even lies about small things for no other reason than it’s just the natural thing for him to do; not admitting the truth no matter how unimportant. 

Max’s attempt at a straight life is short lived. He gets an honest job at a canning factory, he met a girl, Jenny (Theresa Russell) at the employment agency but he still hooks up with an old friend one night, Willy Darin (Gary Busey), an ex-con who one day ends up cooking up some coke in Max’s dumpy apartment. When Earl Frank unexpectedly stops by a day or so later, he finds burned out matches on the floor of Max’s apartment. This is enough for Earl to come down on Max and lock him up in the County jail to have him tested for drug use. After he is found to be clean, Earl gets him released, but for Max, he is about to turn a corner from which he will never return.