Pink Flamingos

Rating:
Summary: Long live the egg man!
Review: A rollercoaster journey of comedy and perversion. Yes this is the film that pretty much launched John Waters and Divine's careers and it still packs a punch after all these years. Since purchasing it I have viewed it at least twice and every time I laughed and cringed. The memorable lines, the gross out acts and the sheer who gives a f**k attitude makes for one terrific time even though you might feel a little numb in the end. One can only try and wonder what was going through people's minds who dreamed up this shock fest. It is one of the cinema's lasting contributions even though the acting at times is wooden and the plotline really makes little sense. A must have for all DVD collections if only for Posterity
sakes. The ending itself will leave you feeling queasy for weeks to come. By the way, just how much is that doggy in the window?

Rating:
Summary: PINK PHLEGMINGOS would be more apt
Review: Before he started making more respectable mainstream movies like HAIRSPRAY, John Waters made this wonderfully trashy, sick and hilarious film. Babs Johnson (Divine) lives in an obscure trailer park with her bizarre family, including an obese woman in a child's playpen and lays claim to the proud title of Filthiest Person In The World, however Babs soon finds her position challenged by the repugnant Connie and Raymond Marble and soon an all out war ensues.
Some of the delightfully repulsive moments in PINK FLAMINGOS include Divine eating dog doodoo, a guy making love to a chicken and a contortionist who can do astounding things with his bungholio. You'll laugh till you puke. Though IMDB has PINK FLAMINGOS listed as banned in NZ it's still available with an R18 rating, which is brilliant. PINK FLAMINGOS is probably one of the greatest cult movies of all time, mercifully, the SPCS were probably absorbed in their bibles or disrupting an art exhibition when PINK FLAMINGOS was passed. It's people like them who make people like me dead proud to be New Zealanders.

Rating:
Summary: 'twas rather FILTHY
Review: Considering the fact that this movie was made to be a filthy as possible, it should be rated accordingly. As far as gross-out comedies go, they do not get much better than this. There is at least a scene that would either disgust or offend every person in America.
The plot is rather insignificant as far as the movie goes. Two families (this term is used loosely, I mean how could Divine give birth to Crackers) try to prove that they are indeed the filthiest people alive. Mean pranks are followed by arson and murder as the conflict escalates.
The movie is utterly hilarious. The humour is typical of John Waters and his method of bad taste. He manages to make things like slavery, rape, and murder things that we would laugh at instead of be repulsed by. What it comes down to is that John Waters may be one of the reasons that Americans are desensitized to violence and sex. This movie not only crosses every boundry but takes a crap on it then eats it and then spits it out. (Yeah that was in the movie too)
Recommended with a six-pack

Rating:
Summary: !! BRAVO JOHN!!
Review: First and foremost, eithier you'll really hate or really love and appreciate "Pink Flamingos" - as is true with all of John Waters'work....But if you're looking for this soundtrack [Pink Flamingos] then you're a diehard Waters fan!!- or have really ecclectic taste in old music ! In either case, this is an awesome soundtrack.....And like his movies, it's campy, fun, and sort of surreal. I'm just dissapointed there's no soundtrack for "Female Troubles" - in my opinion, Waters' best film.....I've enjoyed All of his films -and the music that he selects for them. I hope more af his soundtracks are released in the future!!

Rating:
Summary: !! BRAVO JOHN!!
Review: First and foremost, eithier you'll really hate or really love and appreciate "Pink Flamingos" - as is true with all of John Waters'work....But if you're looking for this soundtrack [Pink Flamingos] then you're a diehard Waters fan!!- or have really ecclectic taste in old music <L.O.L.>! In either case, this is an awesome soundtrack.....And like his movies, it's campy, fun, and sort of surreal. I'm just dissapointed there's no soundtrack for "Female Troubles" - in my opinion, Waters' best film.....I've enjoyed All of his films -and the music that he selects for them. I hope more af his soundtracks are released in the future!!

Rating:
Summary: Sick, Perverted, Twisted...
Review: How else can one describe a movie that stars an overweight transvestite eating doggie poo? The whole movie really revolves around that moment, and believe me that's not the sickest thing in this filth. Now I'm saying filth but not in a bad way. Done with taste, even bad, filth can be trashy fun. Lets face it, the director is John Waters. He is the Jerry Springer of white trash, trailer park, crossdressing weirdos cult movie guru. All hail the prince of puke! There are so many unforgettable moments in this opus it would take weeks to write them all down. Just remember when you are watching this movie you keep telling yourself "its only a movie, its only a movie." Sit back, pop open a cold one, let the dog outta the trailer and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Kill everyone now!
Review: I first watched Pink Flamingos in a film class and was shocked and amazed at how filmmaking can be pushed to such extreme. In my country the Philippines where John Waters is virtually unknown, I'd say the guy is definitely in a class of his own - up there with Kurosawa, Fellini, Godard and other "important" auteurs. Very happy with this DVD release with all the bonuses - deleted scenes, trailer and a director's commentary that gives you a sneak peak on how and why this film was made.

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars For Its Shocking Value
Review: I have watched the movie several times over, and it still leaves me feeling ill afterwards. I first heard of the movie in 1979, but was not allowed into the theater at the time because of its "X" rating, and I was only 17. In brief, after I finally saw the movie, it made me a John Waters fan. I can only compare him alongside with Andy Warhol. Both of these directors movies have a shocking, chilling value. Mainstream movie lovers would not like this film. I also recommend "Desparate Living" by John Waters. These movies are for seekers of something other than the mainstream, boring crap that is in the theaters nowadays. Don't eat anything before watching Pink Flamingos, or you'll be yawning in technicolor.

Rating:
Summary: Still schockingly hilarious after all these years.
Review: In my opinion, John Water's movies have always been smarter on paper than most give him credit for. All of his work skewers the establishment was well as some of its offshoots and although intended to be shocking (in many instances just for the sake of being able to do so), my favorite moments generally involve the amazing Mink Stole and when John Waters in a very matter of fact fashion throws in something absolutely jaw-dropping as if it were just another scene.

On one hand you'll have people who will find Waters' early work to be too repulsive to watch and on the other extreme, you'll find others who worship his movies without any reservation and reject any critique as a sign that people just don't get it. My perspective is a little different as after watching Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living, my view is that while the ideas continue to be as fresh as they were made in the mid to late 1970's, his early work is much funnier when taken in little dozes rather than full length movies. Although, many may disagree I find Desperate Living to be his early best, while Female trouble is highly overrated. Pink Flamingos falls somewhere between the two.

There are scenes in Desperate Living that had me laughing so hard that I cried. In fact, the first half hour of the film is absolutely hilarious. Every scene involving Jean Hill who plays the hilarious Grizelda Brown and/or Mink Stole who plays the crazed Peggy Gravel, is a gag waiting to happen. There is a scene that takes place after something horrible happens (like I am going to tell you what happened) when Peggy is driving away with Grizelda that is worth the price of owning this movie. Said scene has Mink Stole going off like a madwoman regarding her hatred of nature, and it never fails to surprise me how funny she is. As happens with most of Waters' early films, it ultimately runs out of steam and starts relying too much on shock value and by now almost any Waters fan is hard to shock visually so it better be funny too. Desperate Living is my favorite early John Waters film, although many find it to be his most grim and depressing.

Female Trouble is one of the early Waters movies that most fans tend to like, and I just did not like it at all. Of course no John Waters film can ever be made without having hilarious moments, but they are far and few in between and I was mostly bored. Mink Stole as usual steals every scene that she is in and she does a variation on her "I hate nature" soliloquy from "Desperate Living," this time involving humans. Although I could not get enough of Edith Massey as the egg lady Pink Flamingos or as Queen Carlotta in desperate living, her role in Female Trouble made me feel for her as I was not laughing with her or could not bring myself to laugh at her. While she has her moments and awesome potty mouth, Waters (possibly without meaning to) takes her costumes to a point where you want to hug her instead of laughing. Divine has the opposite effect as the cruder and ruder that she is, the more that I loved her in this movie.

Pink Flamingos, which is Waters' breakout movie, without a doubt uses shock value more than any of his subsequent films. It is supposedly centered around defining who is the filthiest person alive in Waters' beloved Phoenix, Maryland. Since this was Waters' first fully realized early picture, he went for the jugular in trying to get away with as much gross out material as possible. The story, as is the case with Female Trouble, is not worth following and starts to get old quickly, but there are MANY scenes that will shock the numbest person alive. In many instances, the shock is not a bad thing as my motto is if it's funny, bring it on. Edith Massey as the egg lady is so funny that I can't help seeing her scenes over and over again. There are little touches as the manner in which Divine steals some ham, or apparently throwaway scenes involving dealing drugs and a baby selling ring, that are too funny to describe.

In a nutshell, I think that John Waters in hilarious and is responsible for some of the funniest movies of our time (as is the case with Serial Mom, just to name one), but these early exercises in guerilla filmmaking work better as boundary pushers than fully realized self contained movies. Those who enjoyed Jackass - The Movie, said movie would probably never have seen the light of day if it were not for John Waters, and although some may wish that such were the case, I for one think that Jackass - The Movie is one of the funniest movies ever. Part of that success is due to Johnny Knoxville not attempting to create a linear narrative or a storyline but intertwining bigger and smaller ideas just for the sake of making us laugh. Maybe it was not a choice at the time, but all of Waters' early movies would have worked much better with extensive editing and bypassing the narrative to focus on being funny.

I give Desperate Living 3.5 stars, Pink Flamingos 2.5 stars, and Female Trouble 1.5 stars. New Line home videos has released several two-packs of John Waters' films, but none that I know of that have Desperate Living and Pink Flamingos on the same package.

Rating:
Summary: ...Different.....Shocking.....Funny....pure Genius..!!!!!
Review: John water's Pink Flamingos was extremely shocking. This movie is deff. for certain tastes. IF you like sick, crude, and disgusting behavior then deff. buy this. I happen to be pretty sick and twisted myself thats why I enjoy vile crude humor. I didn't expect this movie to be that entertaining. Divine and her son Crackers are simply amazing. they keep you focused and entertained pretty much throughout the whole film. Divine and her lovely family which consists of crackers, cotton and Oh yes... we cannot forget about the mother in the play pen eating eggs all day. Divine and her family are constantly competing against another family who sells babies to lesbian couples. Divine wants to be the "filthiest of them All" and she certainly proves it in this amazing and stunning film. John Waters is deff. underated and derserves more credit, I just wish there was a sequel. Anyway I won't ruin the movie for you curious people out there, its just something you will have to see for yourselves......

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