Cecil B. Demented (2000) review

Popular Hollywood actress Honey Whitlock (Melanie Griffith), who is busy promoting her new movie Some Kind of Happiness, is kidnapped by "radical filmmaker" Cecil B. Demented (Stephen Dorff) and his acolytes - who all have tattoos of famous directors somewhere on their bodies - and she's forced to "act" in their "project," which involves them making a mess around Baltimore: crashing into a theater, interrupting the production of a sequel to Forrest Gump and then taking over a drive-in.  "Inspired" by the true story of Patty Hearst (who has a small role), provocateur Waters is jokingly calling for the destruction of "mainstream" cinema while at the same time having fun mocking the too-serious guerrilla moviemakers who, despite their ambition and "puritanical" beliefs (no sex before the feature is completed), are severely lacking in talent.  As is typical with many of Waters' features, it's brash and amateurish, but there are plenty of zesty one-liners ("Continue eating the oysters or you will be shot and killed!") and a neat supporting cast, which includes Alicia Witt, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Adrian Grenier.  Also: a Pasolini Festival with zero attendees?  Clearly I didn't get an invite.... [Rating Not Applicable]