Jackdaw Posts

The 1950s. A decade where the only thing rising faster than suburban homes were mushroom clouds on the desert horizon. The same era that told you to hide under a school desk to survive nuclear fallout also told you that drinking a Coca-Cola could make you the happiest kid on the block. Optimism and paranoia danced a jitterbug together, spinning America into a frenzy of consumerism, Cold War jitters, and rock ‘n’ roll rebellion.   Coca-Cola, Chevys, and Barbie: 1950s America in a Nutshell Coca-Cola: The Real Red Menace Forget communism—Coca-Cola was the real revolution. The contour bottle, sleek and curvaceous, was the Marilyn Monroe of beverages, turning every soda jerk into a capitalist dream weaver. You weren’t just drinking sugar and bubbles; you were sipping on prosperity, post-war triumph, and a vague but undeniable sense of superiority over the Soviet Union. Picture it: A chrome-trimmed diner, a jukebox playing Elvis , and the unmistakable hiss of a Coke bottle being c...

Picture this: Hollywood in the '70s, a place where egos were big, budgets were bigger, and cocaine was practically an office supply. Enter William Friedkin , fresh off The Exorcist , riding high, armed with ambition, and maybe a little hubris tucked in his back pocket. He decides to remake a French classic, stir in some jungle fever, and garnish it with enough dynamite to make Wile E. Coyote jealous. What could go wrong? Everything. But that's what makes it glorious.   The Wild Production of SORCERER (1977): A Cult Classic Revisited Friedkin’s Folly: The Wild and Unpredictable Production In the sweaty annals of cinema history, few films swagger with the reckless charm of SORCERER (1977). It’s a film that stumbled out of the jungle like a fever dream—mud-caked, malaria-ridden, and clutching a masterpiece. Hot on the heels of The Exorcist, Friedkin wasn't content to bask in his success. No, he wanted a new mountain to climb. He found it in Georges Arnaud’s novel Le Salair...