The Queen of Diamonds (1991) by Nina Menkes

[cranefly]

A woman copes with existence in the neon-lit underbelly of Vegas.

This stars Tinka Menkes, sister and oft-used foil of the director.  The film has a certain Lynchian feel, with strange and disconnected scenes that show the cold artificiality of Vegas and all whom it touches.

But it's a slow movie.  Tinka makes a living as a blackjack dealer, and the director doesn't shy away from showing the deadening endless repetitiveness of that profession -- nor shy away from showing the deadening endless repetitiveness of the rest of life in Vegas.

This is my first exposure to Nina Menkes' work.  It's intriguing, and I'll check her out more.  But be warned: she uses long drawn-out scenes, and though effective, it made this movie feel 2 and a half hours long though the running time is just 77 minutes.

Seen on Criterion.

[Drunk Monk]

One of my dear and departed RM friends was this dude nicknamed Noodles. He was a tough sort with a rugged face and a gravelly cigarette-scorched voice. He looked like he walked out of a 1950s detective film noir and acted like it too sometimes.

He was 'another picky Deadhead' as we often said. He rated each show on a scale of 1-10. After each show, we'd pass in the halls, I'd wait expectantly until he dropped his review number on me. Most came in around 3-4. I think the highest I ever heard him call was an 8. And that was very rare.

He wore this cool fedora with the Queen of Diamonds stuck in the brim. I asked him if it was 'because the way she shines' (Deadheads know why) and he said it was that and The Manchurian Candidate. 

A few years before he died, he came out. He attended a party of friends from the 60s Haight era in full drag. It was so good that no one recognized him for a long time. They all wondered who this woman was.

I never met him in drag. We only crossed paths a few times after that. He passed away to cancer many years ago.

That being said, I no longer have patience for slow moving shows unless I get a bump of incredible ultravi or a colorful Bollywood dance number. The clock is ticking and there's so much to watch now.