I've always been a fan of John Waters. He was indie before it was cool, and always had a sense of humor that I found hilarious. You can sense it in his movies across the years. Now that he's much older and wiser and his career has come full circle of being a misfit to that of being a "filth elder" (as he says), we can look back with him on his life story and find inspiration and delight in creating our own filthy things.

I've had the privilage of seeing John Waters live in his theater tours a few years ago. He is just as funny and entertaining then as he is now. He has the whole audience in stitches, telling his tales of how weird people really are. He tells the tales of his film inspirations, meeting his friends that would star in his indie to his mainstream movies, and encountering the myriad of oddities that have inspired him to create all that he has created.

A word of criticism? In the question and answer period, the audience doesn't ask the funniest possible questions. Then again, there was no control over that factor. Waters is not filthy, he produces witty and clever commentary on celebrities, trends and all the things in between. I was remembering the funniest thing I think I have ever heard him say, when the last question of the night was when someone shouted "Who's the filthiest person alive?!". Without pausing for a moment, he said "Michael Jackson! Thank you, good night!" and left the house roaring.

John Waters has been honing his monologue on college campuses and other low-key circuits for years, and with the release of The Filthy World on DVD, you, too, can view the pencil-mustached director in your living room. The DVD has over 70 minutes of material filmed in New York's Harry De Jur Playhouse on a stage featuring both a gigantic flower arrangement and a pile of trash. Waters delivers a charmingly bizarre performance which touches on his childhood (he has a great relationship with his Catholic parents), his cinematic inspirations, his films and frequent collaborators (including Divine, Traci Lords, and Johnny Depp), and his own personal philosophies.

The performance is never foul and always engaging, full of humorous vignettes. Waters tells us about his father's reaction to one of his early films: "It was pretty funny. But I hope to never see it again." He explains that even Divine had limits: "The first time he met Richard Simmons, he felt homophobic." Waters himself also has limits. "A drug that makes you love everyone?" Waters says of Ecstasy. "Sounds like hell to me." This DVD is sure to delight long-time fans as well as inspire some new ones to explore the extensive John Waters film catalog.

I decided to watch this film on a night when I was tired and unhappy. In about 5 minutes I was laughing out loud. I want to watch it again with friends....and yet again with whomever I can rope into the living room! John's humor is a great gift and his irreverence for the constraints of middle class morality and religion, refreshing.

I enjoyed the JOHN WATERS: THIS FILTHY WORLD dvd. Part story telling--part stand-up comedy, Waters discuses the inspiration behind his movies, his relationship with cast members Divine and Edith Massey(among others), and why he got into film making in the first place.

Funny, intelligent, and off-the-wall John Waters is as colorful as his movies and he'll keep you entertained for the 86 minutes he's on stage.

For special features there's a lengthy Q&A with the audience.

"JOHN WATERS: THIS FILTHY WORLD"

A Gay Icon on Stage


Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride


Everyone knows John Waters and this one man show is an inside look at him as we have seen him before--completely raw and uncut. "This Filthy World" (Red Envelope Entertainment) can be described as autobiographical stand-up comedy but in reality it is about the rise and fall of American cinema. He takes on a journey through his career in film and dishes about everything. Yet each little story has a deeper meaning, it is a dig at the hypocrisy of America and the film industry. He stats by giving us his list of obsessions, perverse as they are and continues discussing exploitation films, the state of couture, what is happening in the world of art and a whole lot more.
Waters' movie history began in 1964 with mainly unseen "Hag in Black Jacket Leather' to "A Dirty Shame" in 2004. He has always been a voice of opposition to Hollywood Cinema and has become the hero of independent movies.
If you thought that Waters is sick and out of his mind this movie will change your mind--his pure genius shines through his performance. Granted some of his routine is off the wall but there is a method in his madness and that message seems to be to be pure fun. During 90 minutes Waters talks about himself and his movies and he is comfortable on the stage and quite at home for his material. He gives us the inside dirt as he summarizes his career. His stories are wonderful whether he is talking about shoplifting or his own personal holy trinity. He talks of the strange things that he has been asked to autograph. But again this film doesn't just entertain; it teaches.
Waters comes on stage as if he is entering a confessional. The set is decorated with shabby trashcans which are piled high with filled black plastic bags. His performance is in way a throwaway and it appears that his monologue is one he has been working on for years. He states that all young people need a role model and he says that is what he aspires to be--"filth elder". He dwells on perversion and transgresses taboos.
He spends time talking about his muse, Divine. He tells how she really did what it looked like she did on screen in "Pink Flamingos" but he states that even Divine had limits and says, "The first time he met Richard Simmons, he felt homophobic." Waters does not glorify himself, he pokes fun. It is a movie that rests on one man, John Waters, and he pulls it off and keeps us laughing. He completely wins over his audience and does it effortlessly, he des it by being John Waters.
The movie will be eaten up by Waters' fan and will undoubtedly create a whole new fan base for him. As he talks to his audience (and the viewer), he is so charming that you can't help but love him. When he focuses on the perversity of his own childhood and pet peeves, you see a real human with true feelings. His tales of what went on behind the scenes of his movies, he is outlandish and incredible.
If there is something to be learned from "This Filthy World" it is that it becomes clear what Waters makes the kinds of movies that he makes. Let's hope that he will make many more.