September 21st is National New York Day. It’s a day to celebrate the Big Apple in all its glory. There are so many great options but we wanted one that fit a certain time period and feel, the grimy, dangerous New York of the late 1970s and early 1980s so we went with Maniac. So hail to the concrete jungle, spread the news, read the blog and watch Maniac.
Trailer
Maniac (1980) Official Trailer [HD]
Questions
Jon: Is there anything more fun than the person complaining about being cold?
Sandy: Maybe a person complaining about being hot? I complain a lot about being hot. And also about being tired. Weeeee!!! What's your favorite thing to complain about?
Jon: Work and the continued reality that I have to go to any job and that I can’t stay home and watch movies with cats all day. How sexy is Joe Spinell waking up sweating and screaming? The correct answer is very.
Sandy: .....
Jon: Boxers or briefs? Can you imagine if Joe Spinell’s choice was briefs?
Sandy: I was actually quite disappointed that he wore boxers. It didn't feel right. Briefs would have been way creepier and more fitting (no pun intended), but maybe it would also have been TOO obvious, if that makes sense. What would be your underwear style of choice for your own psychotic killing spree?
Jon: The same as any other day.. NONE! What is the Ultimate?
Sandy: I can't even remember this reference clearly enough to give my opinion. I have a vague memory of it but can't get a full grip and I am not watching it again to try and figure it out. I'm throwing this question back to you, suckaaaa.
Jon: I’m guessing it involves any and every sexual act known to man and beast OR they’re going to play frisbee. Why would you pay extra for the TV in the No Tell Motel?
Sandy: To distract yourself from the fact that you're in the No Tell Motel? To cover the sounds of your victim's screaming? Have you ever stayed at one of these types of motels? If so, did you allow your body to touch any surfaces or did you stand in the center of the room like a mummy on display at a history museum?
Jon: In my first attempt at college, we got a room at a No Tell Motel to have a party. I got super drunk and probably touched every surface in that room with every part of my body. I had no long term side effects except the fluorescent stool. If you were a prostitute, would you avoid Joe Spinell?
Sandy: I don't think I'd be a very good street prostitute precisely because I'd be avoiding all the dudes I deemed creepy, which would effectively leave me with zero men to choose from as paying customers. I MIGHT be able to deal with more of a call girl situation, where people can be sort of vetted first. Would you consider prostitution as a career choice if things got rough?
Jon: I would consider it even if times weren’t tough though I suspect times would be a lot tougher if I were relying on people paying me for sex. How bold do you have to be to lug a dead body around New York City in a garbage bag?
Sandy: I thought it was a dead body at first too, but when he got back to his apartment and opened up the bag, it was a fresh mannequin. Before that scene though, I could be heard loudly exclaiming to the air in my living room "look at this motherfucker carrying a dead bitch around the city with him like it's no big deal!? How come no one has stopped him or called the cops about it??" I guess that's the way to do it though, just act natural like you aren't doing anything wrong and likely no one will pay attention. How would you transport a dead body somewhere if you didn't have access to a car?
Jon: I would use one of those little red wagons or maybe a stagecoach. You know, anything inconspicuous. How creepy is it when Frank is talking to his mannequins?
Sandy: It's pretty creepy, Jon... pretty effing creepy. Though I can be heard cursing at random things when they fall or won't open or whatevvs. What inanimate objects do you talk to? And why?
Jon: I talk to the TV a lot but I think everyone does that. Do you immediately assume that there’s a gun in the violin/guitar case when you see someone carrying one?
Sandy: Never assume. It makes an ASS out of U and ME. They taught me that in Defensive Driving class. It's one of the only things I remember. I think because I used to be in orchestra and will forever be a dork at heart in general, I always just wonder what type of instrument they play and if they're in a band. Have you ever played an instrument or carried a weapon in a violin/guitar case?
Jon: I have played many instruments including the piano and tuba. I was actually kinda good. I’m not allowed to have a gun but I want to have one in a guitar case just once. I think it would be pretty cool. Is this the best reason to not have sex in a car?
Sandy: It's within the top ten reasons. The best reason not to have sex in a car though is that there's no way for it to be comfortable. Ever. MAYYYYBE if you have some kind of huge car with a bed in it. (I'm not counting campers or converted vans.) HAVE YOU AND ALISON EVER GOTTEN BUSY IN A CAR???
Jon: Alison and I have not but I did with someone else. It was not comfortable nor overly enjoyable. Does sex under the Verrazano Bridge sound like fun or super gross?
Sandy: Yeah, that's just super gross for me. I don't even like driving near the Verrazano bridge. Have you ever been to Staten Island? Why? WHY JON??? WHY GO THERE EVER??
Jon: Never been probably never will. Do you hate subways as much as I do?
Sandy: I hate subways SO MUCH. I once walked from Grand Central to the end of Manhattan to avoid the fucking subway.
Jon: Where did all the people on the subway platform go? When the nurse was on the platform as the subway left there were a bunch of people in the reflection but when the camera went back to her, they were all gone.
Sandy: That sounds like one for the bloopers reel! I didn't notice that reflection part. Good catch!
Jon: Is hiding in the bathroom ever a good idea?
Sandy: Not unless the bathroom is where you keep your weapons stash. Where would your ideal hiding spot be in a similar situation?
Jon: I think in this situation hiding is actually the absolute worst decision. I’d keep running. It’s New York City. Eventually you’ll run into a crowd of people and Frank won’t kill you in front of witnesses. How many different ways can Frank kill you?
Sandy: We're all only truly as limited as our own imaginations, Jon. Frank is only as limited as his own imagination and how much control he has over himself, which is nothing. So... I don't know actually. At least as many different ways as he killed the people in this movie. Do you think Frank had been killing people since his mother died, or do you think his psychotic break was more recent?
Jon: I think Frank was killing people before that since I think he killed his mom too. Is it just a little blood? Will it wash out?
Sandy: No and no.
Jon: Is a guy telling you that you're the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen since his mother flattering or weird?
Sandy: Yuck. 100% no thank you. I'd say "thank you" if someone said it to me and then I'd find an excuse to get as far away as possible as quickly as possible. There are all sorts of red flags in that compliment. Unless he means personality-wise I guess. Even then it might give me the willies. What would go through your mind if a woman told you you were the most handsome man she'd ever seen since her father?
Jon: I would think it was a little weird but it feels less weird from that perspective. I think society has made it more acceptable for a woman to view her dad that way but guys talking about how good their mother looks is always creepy but then again the way guys talk about women often borders on creepy. When Frank killed Rita did he lie to her? She asked him not to kill her and he said he’d only make it so she could never leave. Does he believe that’s what he did?
Sandy: He for sure believes that's what he did and because of that I don't think it qualifies as lying. Like, can it be a lie if the person telling it believes that it's true? It can be FALSE, but if they aren't mentally stable enough to understand that, then they aren't really lying. What's the dumbest or most obvious lie you've ever told and why did you tell it?
Jon: I’m a terrible liar. I have so many tells I can’t get away with it often but when I try it’s usually been to avoid trouble or embarrassment. The dumbest one was that I claimed to have seen The Exorcist for like 15 years before I actually saw it. Is it weird seeing the Twin Towers in a movie?
Sandy: I was watching and waiting to see if they'd go back and erase them like I'm pretty sure they did with one of the spiderman movies not long after 9/11 happened. It is pretty surreal to see them there, knowing what their future would hold. Do you feel the same way when a person meets with a violent or untimely end? Like if you see SNL skits with Phil Hartman, do you immediately think about what his batshit wife did?
Jon: I don’t do it with people as much. Seeing Phil Hartman or someone who died like that doesn’t affect me as much as seeing OJ in a movie or watching a movie Harvey Weinstein produced does. Do you think that telling Frank that his mother’s death was a long time ago actually helped him?
Sandy: Ha! No. I'm not sure Frank has any concept of time to begin with anyway. At least not when he goes into full psycho killer mode.
Jon: Do you think Frank’s mother really died in a car crash?
Sandy: Fuck no. He absolutely killed his dear mother during a psychotic break and then re-lived it over and over again through all of his lady victims. Do you think he might have killed his mother and her "John" while she was turning a trick? He definitely seems to want to kill the dudes some of these ladies are with just as much as he wants to kill the ladies.
Jon: I think that’s likely. Like I said, I think he definitely killed his mom. I don’t think he necessarily enjoys killing the guys. They’re more like collateral damage. He doesn’t mind that they’re dead but it doesn’t excite him. Sounds like Frank’s relationship with his mother was great doesn’t it?
Sandy: Only slightly more fucked up than my relationship with my own mother. Ha! Sorry Mom, though I doubt you'll ever read this. Does this movie make you wish therapy was a requirement for all people beginning in childhood?
Jon: Yes but I don’t think it would have helped Frank. He seemed like the kind of guy who would lie to a therapist or at least leave things out. Who stabbed Frank?
Sandy: Frank totally stabbed himself during one of his delusional fits. Were those even cops that came in and saw him on the bed all covered in blood? They burst in there and didn't even check his fucking pulse. They were just like, "Yiiiiikes, I'm out."
Jon: Yeah they wanted nothing to do with that mess. I imagine that would be my reaction to walking into a room and finding a guy with a machete in his chest and scalps nailed to mannequins.
Lessons
Don’t have sex in the car. It’s terribly uncomfortable and you never know what kind of creep is lurking in the shadows watching and plotting.
If mom says don’t leave the park, don’t leave the park. It turned out ok in Maniac but it usually doesn’t. Listen to mom she knows stuff.
Don’t keep so many mannequins in your apartment They take up a lot of space, it’s definitely creepy and you never know when they will experience brief sentience and murder you.
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