Coco McPherson Movies
The true story of Valerie Solanas, the radical feminist who became notorious after shooting art world icon Andy Warhol, is portrayed in this fact-based drama. In an attempt to present a fair assessment of her actions, writer-director Mary Harron focuses on Solanas' troubled life, from her childhood as an abuse victim to her life as teenage prostitute in New York City. These experiences left Solanas (played by Lili Taylor) deeply scarred, contributing to a hatred of men that later found full flower in her famous "SCUM Manifesto," an extremist tract calling for the establishment of a "Society for Cutting Up Men." Deeply troubled, she nevertheless briefly finds hope after befriending young transvestite Candy Darling (played by Stephen Dorff) and discovering herself on the fringes of the wild, colorful world surrounding the eccentric Warhol. She becomes obsessed with the idea that Warhol's support could change her life, only to become violently enraged when the artist and his friends begin to turn away from her. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, (more)
This avant garde film is based on two angry autobiographical books by David Wojnarowicz: Close to the Knives and Memories That Smell Like Gasoline. Wojnarowicz, a noted performance artist, died of AIDS . The film examines three sides of his life. The first looks at his suburban childhood and the abuse he suffered at his alcoholic father's violent hand. The second chronicles his experiences as an teen-age street hustler and criminal in New York, and the third section, which is highly abstract, follows the adult Dave as he wanders through a dangerous desert. Once these identities are established, chronology is scattered to the winds, and the three ages of David play up to and comment on each other. The work of Wojnarowicz is also represented in Knud Vesterkov's film, By The Dawn's Early Light. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Lyons, Michael Tighe, (more)
- 1994
Based on a popular one-man play and filmed in a single day at the theatrical space the Kitchen in 1993, this avant-garde drama contrasts the lives of two famous homosexuals, both of whom died of AIDS in the 1980s. Both men are played by original castmember Ron Vawter. Roy Cohn was a gay-bashing right-wing lawyer and a steadfast protector of the "American Family." He was also a closet homosexual. Jack Smith was an openly gay experimental filmmaker who was credited as one of the fathers of performance art. In this film version of the play, the opposing lives of the two men are woven together, whereas on stage, they were profiled in two separate acts. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Vawter
