TUBI FOREVER #2

Bi-monthly recommendation series featuring Tubi; what streaming sites should be.

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Tubi has exploitation, erotic thrillers, classic noir, juvenile sex comedies, European arthouse, and trashy horror, films from every decade and every genre—films from all over, but primarily American and English-language films. There is truly something for everyone.

Here are some recommendations for documenting some of the great titles on this beloved streaming site.

As of writing this, all these films are available on Tubi

[Use a VPN as the English version isn't as good]

Enjoy x

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i. Petey Wheatstraw [Cliff Roquemore, 1977]

Absolute belter of a blaxploitation flick, for what can often be quite a problematic subgenre because they're historically produced and directed by white people/studios that tried to corner a new emerging black film market. Petey Wheatstraw beautifully blends fantasy+horror elements to make the muddled Good vs Evil thematics of a typical blaxploitation film explicit.

Rudy Ray Moore is fantastic, starring as our titular character, a born player with some incredible one-liners: Petey Wheatstraw, who meets his demise at the peak of his comedic fame. He's forced to make a slick deal with the Devil to come back and get revenge on his killers. An unmissable entry in the genre by a black filmmaker.

for fans of  Dolomite, Coffy, Def by Temptation, Disco Godfather

ii. All American Murder [Anson Williams, 1991]

In my effort to watch as many Christopher Walken films as I can find, I could not skip this film when its poster appeared on the homepage. I have a soft spot for direct-to-video thrillers of this era.

All American Murder is a slightly idiosyncratic movie that balances the residual cheese of the late 80s with a genuinely puzzling mystery in which our main character Artie, is the new antisocial kid on the block. Instantly, he falls for Tally Fuller, the perfect all-American girl on campus, with a temperament to balance his rebellious streak. When she's murdered, and Artie has no alibi, he becomes the prime suspect in Detective Decker's investigation.

for fans of  Street Trash, Body Double, Grevious Bodily Harm

iii. Marquis de Sade [Gwyneth Gibby, 1996]

Who doesn't know of, arguably, the most iconic figure in Western modernity?

A Roger Corman production, with the alternative title Dark Prince: Intimate Tales of Marquis de Sade, that blends autobiographical details with pure fiction. An innocent woman, Justine, searches for her lost sister, Juliette, until she stumbles into the world of the Marquis de Sade ...

It substitutes accuracy for a really silly and appropriately camp portrayal of history's most notorious pervert. One of my favourite quirks of de Sade is having him talk about himself as if he's aware of his future notoriety. I much prefer an adaptation with a theatrical flair over some of Jesus Franco's more serious approaches.

for fans of  Justine de Sade, Marquis, The Pit and the Pendulum, Waxwork

iv. The Rules of Attraction [Roger Avery, 2002]

A fantastic adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' book, that updates the era from the decadent overconsumption that defined the 80s, to the complete ennui of the late 90s East Coast college campus, littered with unbelievably spoilt rich kids who function sociopathically. I really love how the film excudes this nihilistic angst present in so many films made around the turn of the millennium, but still maintains the sardonic tone that makes Easton Ellis's text read occasionally like an absurd comedy.

Class to cast James Van Der Beek - off the back of years portraying good boy Dawson in the teen drama Dawson's Creek - as Patrick Bateman's younger brother Sean. Every character feels so real. And you thought the people at your university were insufferable!

for fans of  Cruel Intentions, Wild Things, Disturbing Behaviour, Dead Man's Curve

v. Teeth [Mitchell Lichtenstein, 2007]

Firstly, I don't agree with how the quote on this poster from The Hollywood Reporter tries to double down on the notion that the mystery of women/girl's sexuality is, above all, some kind of lesson to men: to not fuck with what they don't understand (further mythologising). Where, I think this film does something more interesting with this ancient myth of the Vagina Dentada; symbol of a cultural fear towards woman's power and agency, particularly concerning sexual activity. It updates the myth to create a rape revenge film for the modern american woman that feels shamed and alienated from her sexuality under the guise of 'protection' under evangelical religion. Where proper sex education fails to prepare Dawn for exploring her pleasure in the face of incessent patriarchal violence, the vagina dentada provides protection.

for fans of  Hard Candy, American Mary, May, Ginger Snaps