Favorite Films: Dez Dare Digs Nicolas Cage, Mia Goth, ‘Moon,’ ‘Midsommar,’ ‘Ex Machina’ (and Puppets)
As we trudge through an cultural era of moribundity that will hopefully reach a conclusion some day, we rely more heavily on those of us who, while aware of the enshitification of the world, refuse to let it pop their bubble. One of the essential artists who lives his life in this regard is Darren Smallman, who goes by the name Dez Dare when performing his heartwarmingly zany, zest-for-life music with the reckless abandon of someone who refuses to let reality get him down.
Beginning in March, Dez started slipping out one song a month digitally, with the compiled result called These Days Are Wild & Blind and available now on Bandcamp.
Because we’ve interviewed Dez multiple times before about his music, we decided to rope him into our Favorite Films series this time around. Still, we’d be doing both him and you a disservice if we didn’t precede Dez’s film picks with this video for his new song “You Woke Up on My Side of Time.” (Pro tip: Never say no to puppets.)
Dez Dare’s Favorite Films
“Gotta love a movie!” Smallman says. “I actually miss the days of going to a Blockbuster and picking a bunch of VHS cassettes. It was an event. A mission. Getting disappointed when something wasn’t in stock, but then picking up some random weird cover and giving it a crack. Anyway, in no particular order – and I know I cheated a little – hopefully you will forgive the film multiples.”
If video stores were still around, you might find Dez strolling through the aisles looking for one of these favorite movies of his:
1. Vampire’s Kiss: Nic Cage at his most gonzo and a fantastic journey into the mind of a flailing ’80s executive. “Am I getting through to you, Alva?”
2. Idiocracy: This Mike Judge satire, featuring an amazing cast (Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Terry Crews), was hilarious in 2006 when it came out. It predicted too much in American culture and politics to be classified as a comedy anymore. It’s more of a “based-on-a-true-story”-type deal at this point.
3. Moon: Stick Sam Rockwell in anything, and it’s great. This film is clever, claustrophobic and heartbreaking science fiction at its best.
4. Every Martin McDonagh film: It’s almost too hard to choose with this playwright-turned-filmmaker, but if you have to see one, see The Banshees of Inisherin. One of the most awkward and funniest stories ever put to film.
5. Blue Ruin/Green Room: This double-barreled assault of revenge, violence and punk rock by Jeremy Saulnier makes for a brutal watch. One film about revenge. One film about a touring band’s terrifying gig at a Nazi punk campsite.
6. Midsommer: I was a bit put off by Ari Aster after he claimed that people didn’t like Beau Is Afraid because he said they didn’t get it. We got it. It was a bloated, boring mess, is all. Love his other films though, especially the excruciatingly eerie Midsommar.
7. In the Loop: I could listen to Malcolm Tucker’s insults all day! Absolutely hilarious. Armando Iannucci’s In the Loop film isn’t quite as good as The Thick of It TV series, but at least we got Veep because of it, I guess.
8. Ex Machina: A fascinating look at tech narcissism and artificial intelligence with a top cast.
9. X / Pearl / MaXXXine: Good, old-fashioned schlock-horror trilogy by Ti West with an extra-campy performance from the scream queen Mia Goth.
Go here for more Favorite Films installments, including ones by Ministry legend Martin Atkins, Shane Embury of Napalm Death, Dummy and many more bands.
The Bad Penny (beta) 
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