Freaky Tales (2024)

Freaky-Tales-(2024)
Freaky Tales (2024)

In 1987 Oakland, CA, there are four stories that are connected to each other. They will speak about the appreciation of music, movies, individuals, sites, and memories in a world beyond our own.

The directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have turned back to their roots after making Captain Marvel, which grossed over $1 billion. How the duo hindsight-proofs a great deal is also clear, they came to play and their latest entry Freaky Tales has a multitude of distinct but chaotic elements that work to enhance it as a unique experience. The movie is set entirely in 1987 Oakland and consists of four chapters, each featuring a different cast of characters and places that the protagonists collide with. The common theme is love and respect for Oakland culture while depicting the dark aspects and social evil issues of the era. There are Nazis and other perversely corrupt cops among the repressive forces that comprise the antiquated concept of ‘The Man’. Fleck depicts what the city of Oakland is all about and how deplorably unique it is in its representation because the movie does tend to scream and jump with excitement quite a lot into the corpulent realms of cheapness. For audiences who appreciate filmmakers who know how to go low and hard, this should fit the bill perfectly.

To say the least, it’s overindulgent, and, in my opinion, the film industry deserves a few more directors who can afford to take wild roads after having made a billion dollars for the most successful company in the world.

The film begins with a standard opening a crawl of narration which is eerily similar to that of the one shown in Little Shop of Horrors. Quite frankly, the similarities go well beyond just the first few minutes. The Off-Broadway classic has undergone a resurgence in the past few decades and quite honestly, it is one of the best examples of a successful underdog story as it was popularized through Broadway. With Freaky Tales, Boden & Fleck have managed to combine four little known stories of overcoming great hurdles in one remarkable piece. Does that make it the greatest underdog film of all time as an insane cameo in the film debates? Not in hindsight at all but in the moment, it certainly does give the feeling that this is the case. This is because the filmmakers are extremely fond of placing their underdog protagonists against the aforementioned scum of the earth, Nazis, misogynists, perverts, etc. Very often the film situates its protagonists against the very forces that support hatred and villainy in Oakland and allow them to act with impunity. When confronted with such situations, it is almost impossible for the audience not to root for maximum vengeance. The good news for the viewers is that this takes place four times before the film draws to a conclusion.

All four chapters of Freaky Tales take place within a time frame of one day and a half period. The first chapter joins the fans of a localized punk rock band chasing the local punk rock band and the moshing that takes place in their area. Excitingly, there is an intense scene that thrusts one right into the frenzy at the bar although, in crucial sense, it does not come off as perilous at all. There is a strong sense of belonging to the fans and this feeling always weaves itself through the narrative especially when contrasted with the skinheads who come in to thrash this group. This group gets harried so much by the gang of Nazis about their group, making them decide to act. The last thing one expects when these two forces meet is a total and instant churning into pulp fiction. Looking at the overall plot, it’s as if Freaky Tales was designed in such a way as to allow Boden & Fleck to break the chains of systematic and restrained filmmaking to bring listeners exactly that vision. And needless to state, there can be more satisfaction than close-up shots of Nazis being beaten in the besieged streets.

Fleck was also very passionate about the various topics that the film covers. The topics include the “87 Golden State Warriors”, the Oakland hip hop scene and rapper, too short, late video rental stores, and punk rock among so many others. It is important to note though that Freaky Tales does not sit back and simply focus on the aspects of these subcultures that history has probably chosen to depict in the name of nostalgia. For instance, although there is no doubt of the admiration for To short, the ‘legend’ of Oakland, the second chapter is all about Danger Zone, a real life hip hop duo. In a live battle, Entice and Barbie, rap artists partake as challengers to one of the contributors to these works. Too short graphic things with a rap beat which is fitting of the golden age of rap that has quite an offensive attitude towards women. In a scene filled with intense camera work, the reigning female champions have a totally different approach, tearing down Too short’s brand so effectively that you cannot help but feel their confidence. It is a very entertaining sequence of the film with quite a simple plot but quite a lot of stylish cinematographic techniques that it employs.

Chapter three is where the film appears to have been anxiety-driven into a montage. In fact, the sequence can be highly accepted as a normative one. After all, it features the impeccably “daddy” of the internet, Pedro Pascal, and he does great. Under the intense circumstantial chain of events, retellings of which are on an entirely different tonal level from what has already been seen, one starts to wonder whether the respective sequence ought to have originally been intended as a standalone flick and then been incorporated into the truncated anthology story. If it existed separately, it would be a great short film, but the scary and at times, unbearably sad, tone is a strong jarring transition. However, it is somewhat redeemed by the fourth chapter which seems to carry the previous one forward. It shows part truth and part imagination, the eventful night of May 10, 1987, during which Golden State Warrior Eric “SleepyFloyd (Jay Ellis) delivered an exemplary playoff show. In the film, the sequence depicts what follows as possibly the most maximal grindhouse instances only Giallo can offer. For the subsequent thirty-five minutes, Boden & Fleck went totally berserk on the aesthetic principles of the motion picture which they so evidently cherish. Kill Bill to Scanners to Death Wish, is the kind of film that would undoubtedly be appreciated by genre aficionados.

Even though the film is reasonably split into two distinct parts, the five chapters of the duology make for a killer double feature with a runtime of about 50-55 minutes. Other than minor interactions, most chapters are situated in four sections in Oakland which are covered. Despite the advantages of an anthology film, which gives room for different styles of filmmaking, Freaky Tales seems to require more structure where all the stories are interrelated. However, when one reflects on the amount of passion that goes into carrying both that genre and a setting incorrectly it becomes quite clear why this film is incredibly enjoyable. Film filmmaker’s stance and purposes are important, the more a filmmaker is to the view of the cinematographic work the more powerful the finished product will be.

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