Retro Anthology Freaky Tales Is a Fun but Fleeting Ride

Freaky Tales is set in 1987 Oakland, a fact it makes clear from its opening narration courtesy of Oakland rapper Too Short, whose raunchy ’87 track gives the film its title. And while that setting is a major part of all of its intertwined stories, its anthology structure evokes another era: the 1990s, specifically any chatty crime flick that came out in the wake of Pulp Fiction. That’s not to say Freaky Tales doesn’t have its own charms that almost make up for those too-familiar vibes. And, this might be a nit-pick, but the first segment, “Strength in Numbers,” technically doesn’t take place in Oakland; its focal point is legendary music collective 924 Gilman, which any Bay Area music fan can tell you is in Berkeley. (I live in Oakland. Berkeley is very close, but still…) However, it’s hard to get upset when the thrust of the story is about punk kids kicking Nazi ass, as we follow Tina (Expats‘ Ji-young Yoo), Lucid (Avatar: The Way of Water‘s Jack Champion), and their friends putting ... Read full article.