Cincinnati’s newest holiday favorite, John Waters, stars in a film festival at the Esquire in addition to his live Ludlow Garage performances.
Show Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
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Film Fans Will Be Merry About December’s Indie/Art Movies
Improbable as it may seem, John Waters has become a Cincinnati holiday tradition. A filmmaker, writer, artist, and sharp-witted comedian/social critic who delivers his often profane sarcasm with a warm smile, he began his seduction of Christmastime Cincinnati last year with a sold-out show at Clifton’s Ludlow Garage. He returns to the same venue for two shows this month, December 13 and 14. As of this story’s deadline, there still were some tickets left for the first show; the second is sold out.
The Esquire Theatre just down the street is tying in with Waters’ appearance by launching an ambitious film retrospective honoring him, beginning December 6 with Waters’ most notorious and legendary film, Pink Flamingos (1972). With its outré and sometimes shockingly raunchy humor, the movie isn’t for kids. It introduced the world—or at least the midnight-film crowd of the era—to the great Divine and her unusual snacking habits. I saw it at a midnight show in Boston at the time, and the crowd went blushingly wild.
I rewatched it upon a 1997 re-release—it was the first film I reviewed as movie critic for The Denver Post—and this time it seemed to be a parable of the Manson Family. I gave it a four-star rating (the top), leaving the paper’s entertainment editor to wonder if he chose the right person for the job. I’ll be interested to see if I still feel the same way now.