Readers' Letters By Readers. Dear Mike,I must agree with your review of Cops: Too Hot for TV. The thirty-six minute videocassette recorded in EP mode is just a collection of disconnected scenes which quickly become tiring...

Dear Mike,
I must agree with your review of Cops: Too Hot for TV. The thirty-six minute videocassette recorded in EP mode is just a collection of disconnected scenes which quickly become tiring. That’s why I’m so happy that, unlike you, I coughed up the extra ten dollars in order to get fifteen minutes of extra footage that was "too hot for TOO HOT FOR TV" like the operator promised me on the phone. Well... SHE WAS RIGHT!

That extra fifteen minutes has some of the most gruesome, jaw-dropping, crisp-clear images I have ever seen!! So Mike, here’s a list of some of the stuff you missed:

An amazing sequence of a house fire survivor, walking around in a state of shock with big pieces of skin peeling off his body and hanging loose, as nervous officers try to calm him down.

The gruesome aftermath of a drive-by shooting, with shots of a not-quite-dead youth spitting blood in a bullet-ridden car.

Haunting images of cops opening a garage door and finding a man who hanged himself, with close-ups on his face.

Car crash footage with zoom-ins on, among other things, a bloody foot that is hanging so loose you'd swear it’s just about to come off.

And the grand finale: stomach-churning images of cops coming on the scene of a multiple-murder and suicide of a father who shot his wife and kids, including a harrowing shot of the dead baby’s bloody corpse in the cradle.

It all concludes with a monologue of a seasoned officer rambling about the difficulties of keeping one’s sanity after witnessing such horrors. His final words, "It’s depressing." You bet!!

So there you are, Mike. But don’t be sour: you'll be happy to hear that the extra footage does NOT include the chase with the white van!! As for you prospective buyers out there, I suggest that you cough up the extra ten bucks, but be warned: this extra fifteen minutes will haunt you, long after you’ve finished watching it...

- Clement Lachance
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 1X3


Clement knows his stuff when it comes to gruesome, folks. He’s the director of at least three mind-numbing videos with subjects such as Bud Dwyer, JFK, and driver’s education films. You can get four on one tape for $10 US money-order from the address above.

Mike,
I just got CdC #6 (thanks) and... holy shit! It looks great! But what’s up with all the hate mail? Did those guys actually read the whole zine or just browse it enough to know there was a little QT-bashing included? Who'd have thought it would be such a touchy subject? When a simple videotape can cause such a commotion, I’m glad to be able to follow the "Tale Of The Tape"...it’s just a shame you have to write about it yourself instead of getting in-depth coverage from the other subversive film magazine. Your film and zine are perfect examples of what kind of fun can be had with a do-it-yourself work ethic and an anti-establishment attitude. Sock it to 'em, baby.
Your friend,
Skizz Cyzyk
Baltimore, MD

Mike,
It amazes me that some people still don’t get that the theft from Ringo Lam, though much more extensive and exact than the norm, is not nearly as troublesome as Tarantino’s initial citing of everyone else, except Lam, as an influence. This is not artistic license, this is blatant deceit. It also explains why Tarantino is now so anxious to be a key player in bringing HK film to the US (i.e. he’s attempting to work out a massive guilt complex). Of course, there’s also a difference between stealing from Shakespeare and from a fellow struggling living filmmaker.

If you still need an uncut/subtitled/letterboxed copy of Rumble in the Bronx, I can help you out. I'll gladly send you the catalogue that Siu (my wife) and I recently put together. We’ve got 100’s of titles... many of them quite hard to find. And boy do we love to trade!
Best!
Paul Kazee

Dear Mr. White,
I read about your film several months ago and was intrigued by not only the theme and focus of the project, but the passion, skill, and energy you brought to it. I applaud you for your work, not simply for what I’ve already mentioned, but for the fact that I believe your film plays a big part in modern film history. Regardless of your personal views on the origins of Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s film will become (or already has) a modern film classic. Your work is an appropriate companion piece to its history and should be brought to the public’s attention because of what it represents.

I’m very impressed with what you’ve found and what you’ve done about it. Like many filmmakers, you saw something wrong, you exposed it, and presented it to the public in an inventive, final way.
Thank you for your time,
James B. Cheatham
Tallahassee, FL

Mike,
The story of your friend Chris’ video misadventure [CdC #4—Ed] reminded me of something that happened at Sun Coast Motion Picture Company, my place of employment.

A customer enters the store and encounters our gift set wall. Grand, majestic boxes that contain video cassettes or laser discs of collectors’ favorite videos. Large boxes that also contain soundtracks, scripts, photos, or other little extras that make these packages tangible proof of just how much a particular film means to its owner. The shopper stands before our display. Something is wrong. A look of world-weary disgust crosses her face. She turns to her shopping companion and speaks: "They made a game out of Schindler’s List?"

Your Pal,
Scott Ruisch
Bayville, NJ

Back to Issue 7