Film Talk: Magnificently Bad Movies - A Love Letter to the Unwatchable

Join Michael Adams – former film critic and author of Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies — and movie buff Nat Cheney, host of Sydney’s Best Worst Movie Club as they celebrate cinema at its most spectacularly misguided.

Expect wild stories, questionable creative choices, and films so gloriously awful you’ll swear they were made on a dare. With a shared love of cinematic disasters, Michael and Nat unearth the hidden brilliance of movies that missed every mark… except entertainment.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Not that he's a total Gen X cliché, but MICHAEL ADAMS was first blown away by the power of movies when the rebel ship and its Imperial pursuer blasted over his head in 1977's Star Wars. After staging hundreds of action-figure re-enactments, Michael incorporated his love of Princess Leia, writing stories and obsessing over movies into a newfound career goal - namely, creating screenplays for Carrie Fisher that he could direct. He was, after all, seven years old at the time.

Soon after, exposed to films way beyond his pay grade, he became a keen fan of The Deer Hunter and Taxi Driver, along with the likes of The Evil Dead, Basket Case, The Thing and Pink Flamingos. After briefly absconding from the parental home for a Kerouac-ian road trip at age 16, he scored a job at a film distributor - and used their facilities to publish Night Creatures, a short-lived fanzine about cult films. At which point followed a brief foray into journalism school. Other CV highlights include stints as a kitchen hand, local newspaper hack, telemarketing dude, video store clerk, nervous Third World war-zone correspondent, hardware store jockey, pool boy, schlock movie actor and ice cream scooper.

Michael eventually glommed into magazine writing. For a decade Michael was reviews editor of the Australian edition of EMPIRE and has written extensively on film and pop culture for MEN'S STYLE, YEN, ROLLING STONE, Rottentomatoes.com and Movieline.com.

His memoir SHOWGIRLS, TEEN WOLVES AND ASTRO ZOMBIES is about a year-long search for the worst movie ever made. His book SHINING LIGHTS is a profile of Australian Oscar winners, based on interviews with Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Geoffrey Rush. Michael also contributed to THE 100 GREATEST FILMS OF AUSTRALIAN CINEMA, edited the AFI yearbook, and hosted Showtime's MOVIE CLUB and SBS's THE MOVIE SHOW.

While having a face for radio, Michael has appeared in front of the cameras, as "Stoned Hippy" in 1991 Z-grade "classic" Bloodlust, and as co-host of TV program The Movie Show in 2007-08. He will next be glimpsed as a zombie in George A. Romero's Survival Of The Dead.

Even though he was shot in the head in that film, Michael continues to live in the Blue Mountains with his family.

NAT CHENEY is founder of Nauti Studios, a non-profit that creates community spaces for creatives. She also founded Best Worst Movie Club — a community event held at Nauti Studios where once a month she and fellow fans joyfully watch, discuss and laugh at (and with) hilariously bad films.

ABOUT THE VENUE:

MARRICKVILLE PAVILION AND LIBRARY is accessible by lift from both the street and ground levels. The venue is accessible for people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids. There is a hearing loop available.

If you have any access or support requirements in order to participate fully, please let us know when you book via the order form to ensure that we can arrange any reasonable adjustments.

We may take photos and video of the speakers and audience. See details here.

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