News
THE WARRIORS
June 1, 2023
“Come out and play!”
On Tuesday, June 27th, join me in the back room of Minnie’s Bar for my monthly cult film event, Attack of the 50-Foot Movie. This month, we’ll be celebrating one of the most iconic New York City movies ever made: “The Warriors”.
This larger-than-life tale of a mythical, colorfully costumed street gang battling its way from the Bronx to Coney Island may feel quaint and kitschy these days. But when it hit theaters in 1979, the film was blamed for rampant outbreaks of violence and vandalism, and at least three killings (none of which, by the way, happened in New York). At the time, its reputation for stirring up audiences was enough that Paramount pulled all radio and TV advertising, and offered to reimburse theaters for security and repair expenses in exchange for not dropping the movie. Over 200 movie theaters in America hired additional security personnel specifically for screenings of “The Warriors”.
We’re pretty sure that Tuesday’s event will be a little more mellow than that. However, viewers should be warned that, while the gangs in “The Warriors” are mostly cartoonish by today’s standards, there are quite a few violent fight scenes, as well as an attempted sexual assault, and at least one homophobic slur. If you are uncomfortable with this, you might want to skip this one.
Also, we’re expecting a big turnout for this one, and seating in the back room is VERY limited. Come early to make sure you get a seat.
Oh yeah: Did we mention that we’ll be starting the party with a LIVE burlesque performance by the one and only Corvette LeFace? Yet another reason to show up early!
TUESDAY, JUNE 27
Attack of the 50-Foot Movie presents
“THE WARRIORS”
Plus LIVE burlesque by Corvette LeFace
MINNIE’S BAR
885 4th Ave. in Brooklyn
7pm
FREE
HAROLD AND MAUDE
May 4, 2023
The early 1970s was a very special time in Hollywood. The old studio system was falling apart, the Counterculture was in full swing, and—in the wake of the surprise success of “Easy Rider”—movie producers were throwing piles of money at every far-out pothead script that might possibly capture the elusive new “youth market”.
How else to explain the green-lighting of 1971’s “Harold and Maude”, a dark comedy about the love affair between a death-obsessed 19-year-old man and a free-spirited 79-year-old woman with, as the kids today would say, zero fucks to give.
More Info Here
Join us on Tuesday, May 23rd, for a group celebration of this truly one-of-a-kind gem.
Plus! We’ll be opening the festivities with a LIVE burlesque performance by fashion outlaw and Miss Coney Island 2023 Maggie McMuffin
TUESDAY, MAY 23
Attack of the 50-Foot Movie presents
“HAROLD AND MAUDE”
Plus LIVE burlesque by Maggie McMuffin
Minnie’s Bar
885 4th Ave. in Brooklyn
7pm
FREE!
CLEOPATRA JONES
April 4, 2023
It’s Blaxploitation time again!
This time with a feminine twist, as we present the 1973 Black-Power Feminist Kung-Fu Supermodel action fantasy, Cleopatra Jones.
Starring the larger-than-life Tamara Dobson (originally billed as “6 feet 2 inches of dynamite”) and her machine-gun equipped Corvette Stingray, this genre classic also features the legendary Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, and the one and only Shelley Winters at her over-the-top best.
Plus! We’ll be starting the party with a special LIVE burlesque performance by the one and only Foxy Belle Afriq!
TUESDAY, APRIL 25
Attack of the 50-Foot Movie presents
“CLEOPATRA JONES”
plus LIVE burlesque performance by Foxy Belle Afriq
Minnie’s Bar
885 4th Ave. in Brooklyn
7pm
FREE!
VAMP!
March 7, 2023
I recently had the honor of filming the queer drag collective Switch n’ Play as they performed their “Vamp!” show in the Atrium at Lincoln Center.
This incredibly talented group has come a long way from their origins in the back room at Branded Saloon in Brooklyn. Here’s the one and only Sasha Velour doing, well… you’ll see.
HERE COMES THE BEER TRAIN!
March 3, 2023
One morning, ten years ago, a group of daring, loud-mouthed volunteers gathered on a Brooklyn subway platform with my country-singing alter ego, Uncle Leon, to make this video.
Our inspiration: The first-ever Couch by Couchwest festival, an all-virtual alternative to South by Southwest in which musicians were encouraged to record themselves at home and share it online, using the then-novel app Twitter as a platform. In retrospect, it was an idea that was exactly 7 years ahead of its time. Unfortunately the “festival” only lasted another year before fizzling out with what appeared to be a classic case of “too big too fast” syndrome. But it was a lot of fun while it lasted, and for many of us, it was the most public exposure we’d ever received.
On a personal level, this video was also the moment when I realized that I might actually like making movies more than performing. And the rest, as they say, is internet history.
If you have some sick desire to hear more music by Uncle Leon, you can still find all of it on the Uncle Leon and the Alibis Bandcamp page
THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN
March 2, 2023
In many ways, the world wasn’t quite ready for “Spinal Tap” when it came out. But musicians—and the people who put up with them—understood. And through the miracle of VHS and cable TV, the film soon grew a cult following. Now, nearly 40 years later, it’s hard to walk into a Guitar Center without hearing an “Eleven” comment, or watch an aging bar band without hearing the inevitable “Hello Cleveland!” It’s the movie that launched a thousand musician jokes—as well as the brilliant and fertile improv-mockumentary career of Christopher Guest and company.
If you know this film, please join us on Tuesday, March 28 at Minnie’s Bar for a communal celebration of what Kurt Cobain called “the only rock movie worth watching”. If you’ve never seen it before, here’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about, and find out, finally, why your older musician friends crack up every time someone mentions Stonehenge.
PLUS! A collection of vintage metal-themed trailers, and a special LIVE performance by Switch n’ Play veteran and 2017 Drag King of the Year Vigor Mortis!
THE HONEYMOON KILLERS
February 2, 2023
So Valentine’s Day didn’t go the way you’d hoped it would? Come shake off those impossible expectations and fake-holiday blues in the back room of Minnie’s Bar, where the theme is “killer romance”. We’ll be celebrating love at its purest and bloodiest with a half-hour collection of vintage movie trailers devoted to couples who steal, murder, and otherwise behave badly together.
And as our feature attraction, we’ll be screening THE 1970 true-crime romance “THE HONEYMOON KILLERS”, based on the real story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, the notorious “lonely hearts killers” who seduced lonely women via romantic personal ads, then robbed them of their fortunes—and more!
Come for the intriguing story and beautiful new-wave noir cinematography. Stay for the inimitable Shirley Stoler, an underground-theater darling (and criminally underutilized film actor) who, in this rare starring role, steals every scene as the ever-jealous, terminally grumpy Martha Beck—a woman so ruthless that, upon discovering the she’s been swindled by a lothario con-artist, she locks up her own mother up and begs to be let in on the scheme.
That’s only the beginning of what these two twisted, hopeless romantics get into together. Bring a date, crack open a box of slightly past-date Valentine’s candy, and revel in the fact that—no matter how bad your romantic life may be going—at least you haven’t killed anybody.
(We hope.)
And if that’s not enough to get your blood pumping, we’ll be opening the show with a (literally) heart-wrenching performance by the one and only Desiree De Sade.
This is not one to be missed!
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Attack of the 50-Foot Movie presents
“THE HONEYMOON KILLERS”
plus LIVE burlesque by Desiree De Sade
Minnie’s Bar
885 4th Ave. in Brooklyn
7pm
FREE
SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS
December 20, 2022
When it comes to clunky, low-budget 1960s fun, few directors dominated the drive-ins as well as Herschell Gordon Lewis. Labeled “the King of Schlock”, “the Godfather of Gore”, and “the Sultan of Splatter”, Lewis pushed the ever-swelling envelope of sexuality, violence, and bad taste throughout most of the 1960s.
1968’s She-Devils on Wheels is the story of The Man-Eaters, a brightly-dressed gang of lusty female motorcycle enthusiasts who—when they’re not busy dropping lesbian innuendos or organizing hilariously tame orgies with their stable of kept men—wreak havoc on the local town, while battling the violent advances of rival male gangs.
Join us on Tuesday, January 31st for a celebration of this weird, wild, woman-centric gem. (More info here.)
PLUS! Special LIVE burlesque performance by Regal Mortis!
Attack of the 50-Foot Movie presents
“She-Devils on Wheels”
plus LIVE BURLESQUE by Regal Mortis
Minnie’s Bar
885 4th Ave. in Brooklyn
7pm
FREE!
WARNING: This movie, while cartoonish, contains suggested offscreen rape and gory violence.
INCREDIBLY HUGE!
December 1, 2022
In perhaps our most meta moment yet, my monthly movie event Attack of the 50-Foot Movie celebrated its one-year Minnie’s anniversary by screening the 1958 sci-fi classic that gave us our name: “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman”. And to open the festivities, we had a larger-than-life 50-Foot Woman-themed drag performance by the one and only Miss Malice!
There will be no Attack of the 50-Foot Movie event in December.
However, on Friday, December 16, we’ll be joining forces with the infamous Last Chance Dancers for Pain and Pleasure: A Burlesque Tribute to Judas Priest at Brooklyn’s wildest heavy metal bar, Lucky 13 Saloon. I’ll be there to open the evening with an encore screening the legendary 1986 documentary “Heavy Metal Parking Lot”. Tickets are $20 and available here.
Get yours now! If you think this event won’t sell out, you’ve got another thing comin’…
Attack of the 50-Foot Movie will return to Minnie’s Bar on January 31st, 2023. Check back soon for more details.
In the meantime, here’s a pretty picture of Miss Malice for you to marvel at.
Happy New Year!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
October 29, 2022
It has officially been one whole year since my monthly film-screening party Attack of the 50-Foot Movie took residence at Minnie’s Bar.
To celebrate, we’ll be screening the 1958 sci-fi classic that gave us our name: “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman”.
Plus: Get ready for a larger-than-life LIVE drag performance by the one and only Miss Malice!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Attack of the 50-Foot Movie presents
“ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN”
plus LIVE drag by Miss Malice
Minnie’s Bar
885 4th Ave. in Brooklyn
7pm
Free