This Filthy World (2006), Jeff Garlin

Filmed over two nights in New York, This Filthy World is an hour and a half long edit of John Waters one man stand up show. The format is pretty uninteresting and the audience questions that pass for an extra are spectacularly disappointing. However, this is John Waters, inventor of trash-core and star of one of the best ever episodes of The Simpsons and a man who could probably make a shopping list sound interestingly seedy.

Walters talks about his films, experiences of making them including his problems with ratings boards and audiences who mistakenly subjected their families to Pink Flamingo after enjoying Hairspray. Rather cunningly, he frames a lot of his conversation about taste in terms of things he regards as going too far - ensuring that he manages to get away with covering plenty of (mainly niche sexual practice) topics that couldn't be as charmingly tackled in a head on celebration. He also tells some very funny filthy jokes.

He also offers some pretty good romantic advice - don't date people who don't own any books; and why not get the name of your favourite director tattooed on your arm to save time? John Waters plumps for the great Joseph Losey.

This is a really tough choice - there are so many amazing directors, and my runner ups are probably Luchino Visconti and Akira Kurosawa. In the end though, with only four perfect films to his name, I just have to go with Jean Vigo :)

Comments

[Luca De Santis]

Having "Rainer Werner Fassbinder" tattooed would need me a great amount of skin!
I'd rather go for a "Mario Bava" tattoo, hoping that people wouldn't mistake it with his uninteresting (to say the least) son "Lamberto Bava".
Ciao Josie, I'm so happy that "A girl and a gun" has new updates!
Baci,
Luca

[Josie Fraser]

Ah Luca, lovely to have you over here again. Art may sometimes demand fleshy real estate - you could always go for Fassbinder in bracelet form :) Bava Senior is a fantastic choice though. We should go get drunk & tattooed next time you're in the UK.

[Nicolas Papaconstantinou]

I've never been a fan of John Water's films, but do remember very clearly a short "filler" interview thingie he did for some pop-movie magazine, wherein he described the frisson of excitement that he gets whenever a character in a movie or TV show says the title of that film or show.

It stuck in my head, because I get the exact same feeling! I don't know why, mind... I just do.