And the Razzie Goes to . . .

And the Razzie Goes to . . .

9 Episodes

Every year, the Golden Raspberry Awards (a.k.a. the Razzies) honor the “worst” in contemporary cinema. Yet in doing so, they have often inadvertently shed light on films so out-there, so uncompromising, so beyond the bounds of accepted “good” taste that they demand attention. While some infamous Razzie winners like XANADU, BARB WIRE, and GIGLI live on as classics of camp and cult, others, like Michael Cimino’s HEAVEN’S GATE, Elaine May’s ISHTAR, and Paul Verhoeven’s SHOWGIRLS have been reclaimed as fearlessly ambitious expressions of personal vision. In a topsy-turvy way, this program pays tribute to those divisive films that continue to fascinate and provoke debate, while calling into question the very line that separates high and low culture.

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And the Razzie Goes to . . .

9 Episodes

  • And the Razzie Goes to . . . Teaser
    00:50
    And the Razzie Goes to . . . Teaser
    Episode 1

    And the Razzie Goes to . . . Teaser

    Episode 1

  • Showgirls
    2:11:24
    Showgirls
    Episode 2

    Showgirls

    Episode 2

    Directed by Paul Verhoeven • 1995 • United States, France
    Starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon

    Unbound by musty notions of “good taste,” SHOWGIRLS goes farther than any other film of the 1990s in its orgiastic depiction of consumerism, crass spectacle, and the dark side of t...

  • Heaven’s Gate
    3:37:06
    Heaven’s Gate
    Episode 3

    Heaven’s Gate

    Episode 3

    Directed by Michael Cimino • 1980 • United States
    Starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt

    A breathtaking depiction of the promise and perils of America’s western expansion, HEAVEN’S GATE, directed by Michael Cimino, is among Hollywood’s most ambitious and unorthodox epics. Kri...

  • Ishtar
    1:47:39
    Ishtar
    Episode 4

    Ishtar

    Episode 4

    Directed by Elaine May • 1987 • United States
    Starring Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Adjani

    Once synonymous with “box-office bomb,” this unjustly maligned road-movie comedy from national treasure Elaine May has been on a steady path to critical respectability ever since its disastrous ...

  • Cruising
    1:41:57
    Cruising
    Episode 5

    Cruising

    Episode 5

    Directed by William Friedkin • 1980 • United States
    Starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen

    One of the most notorious films of the 1980s, this controversial thriller directed by William Friedkin (THE EXORCIST, THE FRENCH CONNECTION) stars Al Pacino as Steve Burns, an NYPD officer who goes ...

  • Under the Cherry Moon
    1:40:05
    Under the Cherry Moon
    Episode 6

    Under the Cherry Moon

    Episode 6

    Directed by Prince • 1986 • United States
    Starring Prince, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jerome Benton

    For his film follow-up to the massive success of PURPLE RAIN, pop auteur Prince—acting as director, star, and composer—brought his world-conquering charisma to this unapologetically goofy, high-camp ho...

  • Gigli
    2:01:29
    Gigli
    Episode 7

    Gigli

    Episode 7

    Directed by Martin Brest • 2003 • United States
    Starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha

    At the height of the tabloid frenzy surrounding their (first) relationship, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez teamed up for this notorious box-office turkey, which has provoked both disdain and fasci...

  • Swept Away
    1:29:31
    Swept Away
    Episode 8

    Swept Away

    Episode 8

    Directed by Guy Ritchie • 2002 • United Kingdom, Italy
    Starring Madonna, Adriano Giannini, Bruce Greenwood

    Madonna’s often-controversial acting career continued to divide with this remake of Lina Wertmuller’s deliciously controversial 1975 Italian comedy—a story of love, sex, and too much money ...

  • Querelle
    1:48:47
    Querelle
    Episode 9

    Querelle

    Episode 9

    Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder • 1982 • Germany
    Starring Brad Davis, Franco Nero, Jeanne Moreau

    Conjured from the unholy meeting of two iconoclastic queer artists, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s final film audaciously raises Jean Genet’s controversial novel to the level of myth. In an expressi...

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