This Week in Retro Atlanta, June 13-19, 2011

Posted on: Jun 13th, 2011 By:

Monday June 13

From 3 PM on, savor tropical sounds and libations, as well as a Polynesian dinner during Mai Tai Monday at Smith’s Olde Bar. Kingsized and Tongo Hiti lead singer Big Mike Geier is Monday night’s celebrity bartender at Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong ParlorNorthside Tavern hosts its weekly Blues Jam.

Tuesday June 14

Watch Dennis Hopper battle crazed redneck cannibals as Splatter Cinema presents THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 at the Plaza Theatre tonight at 9:30 PM. Read Geoff Slade‘s bloody review here.  Hear UK ’70s hard rock band Uriah Heap at Variety Playhouse. Attend the Atlanta launch of THE SWEETEST THING, a novel about two remarkable women during the Great Depression, by award-winning writer Elizabeth Musser, author of The Swan House, at the Atlanta History Center. Grab your horn and head to Twain’s in Decatur for a Joe Gransden jazz jam session starting at 9 PM. Notorious DJ Romeo Cologne spins the best ‘70s funk and disco at 10 High in Virginia-Highland. Catch Tuesday Retro in the Metro nights at Midtown’s Deadwood Saloon, featuring live video mixes of ’80s, ’90s, and 2Ks hits.

Wednesday  June 15

It’s only halfway through the work week, but Syrens of the South Productions are ready to make it go a little faster with Hump Day Honeys, a weeknight burlesque show at The Shelter featuring both local favorites, such as Katherine Lashe and Kittie Katrina, as well as hot out-of-town guests such as Burlesque Nouveau from Greensboro, NC. Shows start promptly at 10 PM, end at midnight, and include a raffle to benefit the Southern Fried Burlesque Fest. Get ready to rumba, cha-cha and jitterbug at the weekly Swing Night at Graveyard TavernThe Hollidays bring a little soul to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck blues it down at Northside Tavern respectively. Dance to ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s hits during Retro in the Metro Wednesdays presented by Godiva Vodka, at Pub 71 in Brookhaven.

Thursday  June 16

Slim Chance & the Convicts

Slim, Dangerous Dan and Tony Drummer reunite for the first time in five years and replay their very first set from June 4, 1986 to celebrate The 25th Anniversary of Slim Chance & the Convicts at Kathmandu Kitchen & Grill (formerly Pho Truc) in Clarkston. Opening for the Redneck Underground icons is Spooky Partridge. No cover charge, no smoking and all ages!

Beloved Atlanta chanteuse Libby Whittemore returns to Actor’s Express for a four-day run (June 16-19) of LISA & LIBBY’S SUMMER CAMP, joining singer Lisa Paige and musical director/accompanist Robert Strickland for a summer-themed new installment to the Libby’s at the Express series. The show combines standards, Broadway tunes, and more, and in the second act, the 31st Lady of Country Music Connie Sue Day. Shows start at 7:30 PM. Relive the pangs and pleasures of ’80s high school romance via John Hughes’ 1984 hit SIXTEEN CANDLES at Piedmont Park‘s Screen on the Green. Listen to Tongo Hiti’s luxurious live lounge sounds, as well as some trippy takes on iconic pop songs, just about every Thursday night at Trader Vic’s. Party ‘70s style with DJ Romeo Cologne at Aurum LoungeBreeze Kings and Chickenshack bring on the blues respectively at Northside Tavern and Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.Bluegrass Thursday at Red Light Cafe features He Sang She Sang and Hopfrog.

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Retro Review: THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2: The one with Dennis Hopper…

Posted on: Jun 13th, 2011 By:

By Geoff Slade
Contributing Blogger

Splatter Cinema Presents THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986); Dir: Tobe Hooper; Starring: Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Jim Siedow, Bill Moseley, Bill Johnson; Special Makeup Effects: Tom Savini; Tues. June 14; 9:30 PM; Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

The original THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE was a groundbreaking achievement of mood and drawn-out tension, the third one was mostly crap, and the reboots are soulless in the way horror movies tend to be in this post-HOSTEL era. But THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 is funnier, grosser, weirder and better than most people remember.

Dennis Hopper plays a former Texas Ranger named Lefty who’s been tracking the “chainsaw killers” who attacked his brother’s kids some years before. They killed his nephew (Franklin, the whiny guy in the wheelchair) and completely effed-up his niece (Sally, the one that got away) in the original film. He enlists a radio DJ named Stretch in the hunt which climaxes (of course) in the killers’ lair.

This time around, the tone is lighter. The film seems to halfheartedly satirize the genre (as well as the 1980s), and there is plenty of humor in the script. We learn, for example, the cannibalistic clan’s surname is “Sawyer” (seriously!). Also, Leatherface, the most famous, if not the most charismatic member of the family falls in love and creams his Dickies while giving credence to a “chainsaw as phallus” reading of the series. It’s not a comedy per-se, or even a “black-comedy,” but the heavy-handed gloom of the original is missing.

There is still plenty of squirm-inducing weirdness and tons of gore (way more than the original) thanks to special effects maestro Tom Savini. In fact, a scene featuring a face-peeling, a peeled-face-wearing and some forced dancing is as grotesque as anything released by a major movie studio in the mid-’8os. Rest assured, with Hopper and the rest of the cast, the chainsaws aren’t the only thing chewing up scenery. Jim Siedow (as “Cook”) and Bill Moseley (as “Chop-Top”), in particular, bring their characters to life with over-the-top gusto. And the two guys in the Mercedes are so obnoxiously annoying that their (Spoiler!) gruesome demise early on will likely bring on a round of high-fives.

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 is best enjoyed on a big screen and the perfect movie for Splatter Cinema.

 

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