A freaky and cool Tarantino movie that’s not made by him.
From intertwining stories like “Pulp Fiction” and “Amores Perros” to anthologies like “Sin City” and “Kinds of Kindness” to double bills like “Planet Terror” and “Death Proof” in the “Grindhouse” package, there’s something wildly entertaining about these kinds of films that either get overlooked, underrated, or finding themselves with cult followings.
I can speak for the public reaction at this very moment, but I can tell you that we now have an anthology film set in Oakland in 1987 with stories that intertwine with one another. It’s called “Freaky Tales,” and it begins Lionsgate logo in the style of a VHS screen, credits that look like if “Tron” had a sequel in the late 80s, and each story contains green lightning like it’s trying to channel on the evil green orb in “Heavy Metal.” Sometimes, the green would sneak in through tears, eyes, and anywhere it needs to be to get our attention. And it’s all narrated by Too $hort, who also has a small role in the film as a detective.
We meet the young couple Lucid (Jack Champion) and Tina (Ji-young Yoo), who attend a punk rock club that gets attacked by neo Nazis. They decide to fight back with more gruesome results than the newsmen battles in the “Anchorman” movies.
Next, we meet two African American friends and ice cream shop employees Entice (Normani) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne), who both deal with their most hated customer: a racist cop (Ben Mendolsohn), and engage in a rap battle against the sexist rapper: Too $hort (DeMario Symba Driver). These girls are known as the Dangerzone Girls.
Pedro Pascal comes in as Clint, a violent debt collector, who decides to give up using his “Fist of Fury” to settle down with his pregnant wife (Natalia Dominguez). But his past puts his future family in mortal danger. You bet it does.
And finally, Jay Ellis plays NBA player Sleepy Floyd, who becomes targeted by two racists from the same organization: Travis (the late Angus Cloud) and Beheaded Biker (Michael X. Sommers). And when his loved ones get attacked, he decides to play “Kill Bill.” Not that movie was supposed to exist yet.
Parts of “Freaky Tales” drag on a bit, but there’s a lot of energy and attitude that keeps us going. This was directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden in their first entry since “Captain Marvel,” and they take a lot of shots that get over-the-top, crazy, nostalgic, and ambitious. And they both have good taste in actors, especially Pascal, Ellis, and Mendolsohn, among others, and they have good taste in movies.
We also get an old fashioned movie theater with films like “The Lost Boys,” “Raising Arizona,” “Ishtar,” and “Radio Days” playing. And it plays a good part in the film, in an analogy that places can be defined as characters, too.
And speaking of good choice in actors, Tom Hanks makes a cameo as a video store owner who gives Clint his Top 5 Underdog Movies (and while “Rocky” isn’t number 1, it’s still on his list). And the winner isn’t revealed in this movie, but there are two clues: it was made in 1979, and Roger Ebert quoted: “Movies like this hardly ever get made; when they’re made this well, they’re precious cinematic miracles.” And now I’m telling you this in the year 2025: “Google it.”
Last week, movie goers apparently were salvaging to see the new Jason Statham action vehicle “A Working Man.” To them, it could be seen as escapism until a bigger action movie can hypnotize them like moths towards a light. But to me, it offered nothing fresh or original in the story, as it relied on too many villains and cliches. It did nothing to the imagination, whereas “Freaky Tales” dares to do so.
