Speakeasy Cinema: Larry Cohen's "Bone"

Our audience was surprised when Susan and Arin decided to bring this incendiary first feature by horror iconoclast Larry Cohen. Cohen's most recent feature as a writer is Joel Shoemacker's Phone Booth featuring Colin Farrell. Bone features Yaphet Katto as a mysterious stranger who tresspasses into a plush Beverly Hills home , helps a couple kill a rat in their swimming pool, and seeks remuneration for his great effort, only to discover debt and disfunctionality.

The couple are car salesmen and local TV celebrity Bill (Andrew Duggan) and his seemingly measly pathetic trophy wife, Bernadette (Joyce van Patten). With no money in the house at all, Bone (Kotto) sends Bill to the bank, and finds himself with hours to kill with the salesman's wife.

The tempo of the film is quick, flipping around between serious, violent and intimate moments and over-the top hilarity and satire. Is the film sharp human commentary or a farce meant to be imbibed and discarded? This is what we spoke about after the screening....

Susan Buice and Arin Crumly

Comments on tonight's screening?

Speakeasy Blog

Here's a space where we can share thoughts about the screenings and discussions.

For the April screening, our guest was Director Peter Mattei, and the film he brought was "Songs from The Second Floor."


SFTSF has a unique pacing and artistic design, a potentially transcedent narrative. Our conversation lasted nearly an hour afterward. Here are some thoughts from our guests.