The Wild Angels Rode Last Night!

Are your breakfast choices sometimes (or often) driven by whether or not you've remembered to run the dishwasher? ("No bowls? Hey, girls, how about waffles this morning?") Yesterday's hellish, back-to-back confrontation sessions should be replaced today by a single-backed confrontation, followed by a seriously needed massage and some cell-phone shopping. Last night, the unbelievable pleasure of sitting through Roger Corman's classic "The Wild Angels," starring Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, Laura Dern's mother, and Nancy Sinatra. And Michael J. Pollard, underused but always a delight to spot in any '60s or '70s movie. Unusually good cinematography (for an American International pic), an annoyingly catchy soundtrack and title song that I knew before I had ever seen the movie ("Wild and free / livin' wild as the wind / The Wild Angels ride tonight / And if it lets them out tonight / they'll break the law again / The Wild Angels ride tonight"). Some of it was shockingly depraved for its time (gang rape in a church, for example), yet somehow matter-of-fact about it, and Bruce Dern had more screen time as a corpse than as a living biker. The dialogue? Well, it mostly involved The Man. And how being Hassled By The Man was a real downer. "We want to be free! Free to do what we want! And not be hassled by The Man!" I can't say it was good, but it was certainly something. If I ever HAVE to join a motorcycle gang, I want to join one in which Peter Fonda is the big tough guy. Apparently this gang got together for workouts and weekend marathons.