Freaky Tales Is Worth a Watch, But It Isn’t Perfect.
DON’T WORRY, NO MAJOR SPOILERS
Have you ever wondered what a movie would be like if Quentin Tarantino was from Oakland and didn’t spend his time moaning the ‘N-word’ while on the precipice of cumming on some poor girl’s feet who was only there to further her career and maybe land a book deal from the presumably consensual, but extremely awkward sexual experience? Well, if you have, “Freaky Tales” might just be the flick for you.
The film is set in 1987 Oakland, and follows four interconnecting stories, some of which are loosely based on real events. Like when the 924 Gilman kids in Berkeley (I know Berkeley technically isn’t Oakland, but shut the fuck up) got sick of Nazis kicking their shit in and they decided to return the favor. Or when Sleepy Floyd absolutely wrecked the LA Lakers at the Oakland Coliseum during the playoffs, despite the Golden State Warriors being the natural underdogs.
The film isn’t all punk rock and basketball, “Freaky Tales” also follows the rise of Too Short (played by Antioch rapper Symba) and the oftentimes unfairly overlooked all-female Oakland rap group Danger Zone, who’s most famous for being featured on Too Short’s “Don’t Fight The Feeling.” If “Freaky Tales” is to be believed, then Danger Zone got their start in a hip hop battle of the sexes against Too Short at an Oakland nightclub.
The most intriguing subplot in “Freaky Tales” is Pedro Pascal’s chapter. Pascal plays a hitman and debt collector working for a dirty Oakland cop and a gang of Nazis. He agrees to take one last job before retiring so he can live the married life with his pregnant wife. Unsurprisingly, things don’t go according to plan, but the conclusion of the story, which I will not spoil, had real tension and emotional impact. Honestly, Pascal’s hitman saga could have been a feature length film and likely would have had more impact than “Freaky Tales” in its current iteration.
That’s not to say “Freaky Tales” isn’t good, it is. The film is well-done, well acted, and is steeped in deep Bay Area lore. Another aspect of “Freaky Tales,” which I found admirable is that San Francisco may as well not exist in the movie. There are no references to Oakland’s wealthy next door neighbor except for one scene at the end when Sleepy Floyd is riding his motorcycle into the city at the end of a long night.
However, for everything “Freaky Tales” gets right, it does get a few things wrong. For example, it does something seemingly every modern film set in the Bay Area does: it forces “hella.” Do people from the Bay Area say “hella?” Yes, we do. I say that shit all the time. But we do it in a way that sounds natural. There are multiple scenes in “Freaky Tales” where the characters’ use of “hella” feels hella fuckin’ awkward. It’s also startling to see the Salesforce Tower in the background when Sleepy Floyd crosses the Bay Bridge. The film takes place in a pre-tech Bay Area. There’s no need for a Salesforce Tower glamor shot.
But other than those small gripes, “Freaky Tales” is worth the price of admission. Especially if you’re a Bay Area history nerd with a taste for blood. Also Tom Hanks is in the movie rocking a Colonial Donuts shirt. That HELLA alone HELLA makes the movie HELLA worth every HELLA penny.
Hella.
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Howdy! My name is Katy Atchison and I'm an Associate Editor for Broke-Ass Stuart.
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