X Films pt. 1

X Films by Alex Cox

Repo Man might be my favorite non-Asian film of all time. I'm probably biased because it came out when I was in junior high, a highly impressionable time, but I remain convinced it has everything--art film aesthetics; leftist politics; high, low, and dry humor; an amazing cast; a very quotable script; and genuine punk rock. I made an effort to see Alex Cox's next four movies (Sid & Nancy, Straight To Hell, Walker, El Patrullero) on the big screen, and they were successful, entertaining, and inspiring on various levels with various degrees of success but always unique and true to his vision. How many directors can you say that about? Then I lost track of his work.

Emilio Estevez and Sy Richardson in Repo Man (1984)

So I was stoked to find out that the filmmaker has written a memoir. Titled X Films to reflect the number of movies covered as well as the letter that occurs in his first and last name, the book is broken down by projects, starting with his student film at UCLA which reveals the origin of his Edge City production company's name as well as details his indie filmmaking roots. The Repo Man section comes next, and it's loaded with anecdotes about filming, turning points in his development as a director, and no-holds-barred thoughts about the movie industry. For example: Chris Penn was almost foisted on the cast not only to play Otto but also his sidekick Kevin, the Fox bigwigs also wanted to remove the character of Miller, the ending was made up on the fly after the real ending involving a neutron bomb didn't pan out, and Hollywood isn't based on making money but people trying to cover their asses and protect their jobs. You also find out how difficult Harry Dean Stanton was to work with, how Iggy wound up doing the soundtrack, and that a lot of the dialogue came from Cox's friends who were real repo men. Cox reveals that the movie was doomed because it was caught between studio regime changes, but his guerrilla tactics (stenciling crummy billboards, pushing the L.A. punk soundtrack) allowed it to not only survive but become a cult classic.

Chloe Webb and Gary Oldman in Sid and Nancy (1986)

I actually saw Sid and Nancy at a preview screening when I was a student UCLA. I asked Cox a question, but don't remember what it was. This section talks about how difficult it was to make a movie about people who had only died recently. A lot of the people involved in the plot (John Lydon, Malcolm McClaren, Nancy's mom, etc.) were still alive, so lawyers were highly involved in the process. Interesting passages include how much fun it was to film in London and how depressing it was to finish the movie in New York City. Perhaps the filmmaking process followed the arc of the Sex Pistols' themselves. Inf act, Cox writes that at first he took a dim view of McLaren's letting such a great band fall implode but after working with a film version of them for a while, he was ready to let them go as well! There's also insight into the early acting career of Gary Oldman, Courtney Love before she became a diva, and Joe Strummer entering Cox's filmmaking camp post-Clash and pre-solo career.

Joe Strummer in Straight To Hell (1987)

Of course, I'm just touching on bits and pieces of Cox's essays. The tidbits I recount are separated by recollections about the horrors of pre-production, pains of casting, and hustling for investors. If you like his movies, you'll be intrigued; if not, you'll probably be bored. But he always has an opinion and it's interesting to see him to channel the work of Jarmusch and Kurosawa by building up the cast that would appear in his next few movies. Characters from Repo Man showed up in the U.S. portion of Sid and Nancy, and I look forward to reading about Straight To Hell and Walker, which not only featured many regulars but included growing contributions for Strummer, appearances by The Pogues and Elvis Costello, and more obvious revolutionary politics.

Ed Harris in Walker (1987)

To be continued if anyone shows interest...