Capricorn One (1977)
Runtime: 124 minutes
Directed by: Peter Hyams
Starring: James Brolin, Sam Waterston, O.J. Simpson, Elliott Gould, Hal Holbrook
From: Associated General Films/ITC Films
This was watched in part so I could comment on how dopey the moon landing conspiracy theorists are.
Here is another film I've known of for years but it took a random inspiration one day for me to see this, and as I have watched a few other films from director Peter Hyams, I might as well check this out. Sure, this did play a role in people starting to entertain the thought that the moon landing never happened, but more on that later. I have NO idea how the film was allowed to have NASA be the the space agency in this film considering this is one of those paranoid conspiracy thrillers from the 70's; sure, NASA themselves are not trying to kill astronauts in order to perpetuate a lie but Hal Holbrook is a part of NASA in the movie and he knows. I suppose it's not a spoiler to say that Hal Holbrook is in a 70's picture and you can't trust his character, is it?
It's mainly unidentified “mysterious forces” in the government that are a part of this scheme. NASA does not want to lose funding so them getting their ass to Mars is a must... and it's a manned mission to the red planet. Unfortunately, a screw-up happens so they have to fake the mission, despite the protests of the three astronauts (James Brolin, unfortunately without beard, Sam Waterston, and... O.J. Simpson). They are forced to go along with this hoax. It seems fine, as they actually are able to send a capsule to Mars... it's just unmanned. Well, when the capsule explodes upon re-entry to Earth, there's a pickle of a problem and the trio realizes they better escape & go on the run. Also, reporter Elliott Gould starts becoming suspicious of the government's story.
There are some “huh” moments and perhaps more obtuse scenes than there should have been, but it was still a fun watch. The cast all does a fine job (I was able to forget about Simpson in real life and instead note that he was fine in his role) and besides the people I already mentioned, there is Karen Black for a few minutes, Brenda Vaccaro, the actual Big Lebowski himself (David Huddleston) and in the true highlight, Telly Savalas in a small yet memorable over the top performance as a character who-among other things-is a Houston Astros fan. Along with the typical hallmarks of those 70's thrillers, this does end in a very exciting setpiece which required some stuntmen. While not the best of its kind, it was slick entertainment.
Ever since I heard the rumors as a kid of the moon landings being a hoax, I thought of it as stupid. NASA and other trusted sources have spent much time and effort in debunking those rumors; it's mainly people not understanding that science and it's understandable and yet that belief is still a thing among way too many people. Sure, it's resulted in interesting discussion of how NASA was able to achieve some great moments in human history but it's a belief I wish would go away. As there are too many who now believe that vaccines = autism... I know there will still be some who think we never made it to the moon. I say all this to note that I don't regret seeing Capricorn One... it's just something that couldn't have happened in real life. Like with the real life Apollo missions, the Soviets were watching and listening carefully. Wouldn't you think they'd loudly broadcast that something was amiss if they believed chicanery was going on?
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Spinout
Spinout (1966)
Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Norman Taurog
Starring: Elvis, Shelley Fabares, Diane McBain, Dodie Marshall, a bunch of random dudes
From: MGM
About time I saw another Elvis film, even if this was like a typical Elvis picture in being average:
Two guys in Elvis' band are named Larry and Curly! Need I say anything more about the type of film this is?
As yesterday was the birthday of Elvis and I hadn't seen anything from him in almost a year, about high time I got back on this train. I randomly picked Spinout, and turns out that it was even more of a sitcom than usual for The King.
Elvis leads a rock band known as 1 Plus 2 + ½; the two is the guitar player and the bass player. The ½ is not someone with dwarfism or even a Def Leppard sort of situation. Rather, the drummer is a woman who is a tomboy. I know, but Spinout does not have progressive views. Anyhow, Elvis also races cars, a sweet Shelby Cobra 427. He loves being carefree and single, to the point that he wishes he & his band NOT to become famous as it meant he'd have to lead a more structured life, get married, etc. Interesting plot thread that of course is not as explored in-depth as it could have been in a more serious picture. The film is not too humble at all as THREE ladies pine for him, including the daughter in a rich family and an author who has declared him “the perfect American male.” Subtle.
This rich girl's father has a new race car called the Fox Five... no, not the Fox Force Five. He wants Elvis to drive it, presumably because he's the perfect American male and all. I won't reveal the third lady, although it's not hard to figure out. What results is a whole lot of silliness and contrivances, including a few minutes spent with Una Merkel, who I best know for appearing in some early 30's Warner Brothers films, including 42nd Street. The movie is quite dumb yet honestly, it is harmless and I sometimes did laugh, even if at times it was AT the film. I can't get too mad when there's a lengthy shindig and catchy music is being played and it's the opposite of a sausage party and the girls are wearing tremendous 60's clothing.
I also have to give credit for the movie having a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet (convertible) and the Fox Five was portrayed by a real life race car, a McLaren Elva M1A. Yes, it is tied into the McLaren that not only competes in Formula 1 but also the automotive company currently around that releases supercars like the 570GT and the 720S. The Elva looked and sounded great so I am not surprised it was used for that purpose in this movie. Most of the vehicle action is saved for the climax-this did not bother me too much. As typical for an Elvis picture, the songs are average overall; him warbling about loving a smorgasbord of different women is somehow not comparable to the rare tunes from his film career that became hits, like Viva Las Vegas or Can't Help Falling in Love.
Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Norman Taurog
Starring: Elvis, Shelley Fabares, Diane McBain, Dodie Marshall, a bunch of random dudes
From: MGM
About time I saw another Elvis film, even if this was like a typical Elvis picture in being average:
Two guys in Elvis' band are named Larry and Curly! Need I say anything more about the type of film this is?
As yesterday was the birthday of Elvis and I hadn't seen anything from him in almost a year, about high time I got back on this train. I randomly picked Spinout, and turns out that it was even more of a sitcom than usual for The King.
Elvis leads a rock band known as 1 Plus 2 + ½; the two is the guitar player and the bass player. The ½ is not someone with dwarfism or even a Def Leppard sort of situation. Rather, the drummer is a woman who is a tomboy. I know, but Spinout does not have progressive views. Anyhow, Elvis also races cars, a sweet Shelby Cobra 427. He loves being carefree and single, to the point that he wishes he & his band NOT to become famous as it meant he'd have to lead a more structured life, get married, etc. Interesting plot thread that of course is not as explored in-depth as it could have been in a more serious picture. The film is not too humble at all as THREE ladies pine for him, including the daughter in a rich family and an author who has declared him “the perfect American male.” Subtle.
This rich girl's father has a new race car called the Fox Five... no, not the Fox Force Five. He wants Elvis to drive it, presumably because he's the perfect American male and all. I won't reveal the third lady, although it's not hard to figure out. What results is a whole lot of silliness and contrivances, including a few minutes spent with Una Merkel, who I best know for appearing in some early 30's Warner Brothers films, including 42nd Street. The movie is quite dumb yet honestly, it is harmless and I sometimes did laugh, even if at times it was AT the film. I can't get too mad when there's a lengthy shindig and catchy music is being played and it's the opposite of a sausage party and the girls are wearing tremendous 60's clothing.
I also have to give credit for the movie having a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet (convertible) and the Fox Five was portrayed by a real life race car, a McLaren Elva M1A. Yes, it is tied into the McLaren that not only competes in Formula 1 but also the automotive company currently around that releases supercars like the 570GT and the 720S. The Elva looked and sounded great so I am not surprised it was used for that purpose in this movie. Most of the vehicle action is saved for the climax-this did not bother me too much. As typical for an Elvis picture, the songs are average overall; him warbling about loving a smorgasbord of different women is somehow not comparable to the rare tunes from his film career that became hits, like Viva Las Vegas or Can't Help Falling in Love.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Escape Room
Escape Room (2019)
52% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 84 reviews)
Runtime: 100 minutes
Directed by: Adam Robitel
Starring: Taylor Russell (no relation), Deborah Ann Wall, Logan Miller, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, Jay Ellis
From: Columbia
I was relieved this was not a waste of time:
If I had seen any Saw movies in my life then I'd compare this to that. As I haven't...
As I hadn't seen a theatrical movie for a few weeks and this was the movie that fit best with my schedule and next month I should be seeing some of the prestige pictures... I heard some good things about this movie. Overall, I don't regret using the A-List app on this film. While some things definitely could be nitpicked (and I am not even referring to like how in the Saw movies all of these rooms must cost a fortune to construct), overall it was an enjoyable enough time.
Escape Rooms have been a hot concept the past few years, the ability to engage in something physical with your friends as you try to solve puzzles and riddles and hopefully the theme of the game is worthwhile. I've never participated in one myself but I know plenty of people who have. I also understand that this is not the first time in the past few years to have an escape room theme but considering that this was a recent revelation (someone on a forum mentioned this) and I don't even know the names of those flicks, most will presume that this was the first one.
Anyhow, as the (probably revealing too much) trailer showed, some random people were chosen to participate in an escape room, only this one is deadly and the rooms are based on bad things that happened in each person's life, so it's only random in that none of these participants knew each other. Now, let me mention some negatives. The movie sure did telegraph more than it should have, some recent movie tropes were featured that I don't love-even if one was subverted-and I'll say it did not stick the landing when it comes to the ending. Even if it's not 100% true, I'll just blame Sony as it seems like stupid Hollywood studio notes to have those elements in this picture.
Thankfully, even with those moments I did like the movie overall. I was not familiar with most of the main cast (Tyler Labine being the exception, and it was nice seeing him on the big screen again) but they all were fine, especially Taylor Russell (no relation) as someone who is the keystone role... as she is the only one on the official poster, that is not really a spoiler. While over the top, the setpieces of the different rooms are all fun in their own ways and it was nice seeing everyone work together to solve the puzzles, & each character gets at least one moment to shine. There is bickering, but it was far from constant and that was a relief, as that would have gotten old pretty quickly. A big relief was that overall, all the main characters were fine and not an irritant in the wrong way; it was easy to have empathy for them.
Plus, there is an ever-popular synth score and that was a pleasant surprise. One of the rooms features a real old song from the early 60's; I am not sure how many here were familiar with it beforehand, but I certainly was, even if I hadn't heard it in many, many years. This wasn't originally going to be a January genre release, yet I was still worried as January genre releases in recent years sometimes includes absolute dreck like The Bye Bye Man. I was relieved then that even with the issues I already mentioned, that Escape Room was more fun than expected and not a film I regret seeing theatrically.
52% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 84 reviews)
Runtime: 100 minutes
Directed by: Adam Robitel
Starring: Taylor Russell (no relation), Deborah Ann Wall, Logan Miller, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, Jay Ellis
From: Columbia
I was relieved this was not a waste of time:
If I had seen any Saw movies in my life then I'd compare this to that. As I haven't...
As I hadn't seen a theatrical movie for a few weeks and this was the movie that fit best with my schedule and next month I should be seeing some of the prestige pictures... I heard some good things about this movie. Overall, I don't regret using the A-List app on this film. While some things definitely could be nitpicked (and I am not even referring to like how in the Saw movies all of these rooms must cost a fortune to construct), overall it was an enjoyable enough time.
Escape Rooms have been a hot concept the past few years, the ability to engage in something physical with your friends as you try to solve puzzles and riddles and hopefully the theme of the game is worthwhile. I've never participated in one myself but I know plenty of people who have. I also understand that this is not the first time in the past few years to have an escape room theme but considering that this was a recent revelation (someone on a forum mentioned this) and I don't even know the names of those flicks, most will presume that this was the first one.
Anyhow, as the (probably revealing too much) trailer showed, some random people were chosen to participate in an escape room, only this one is deadly and the rooms are based on bad things that happened in each person's life, so it's only random in that none of these participants knew each other. Now, let me mention some negatives. The movie sure did telegraph more than it should have, some recent movie tropes were featured that I don't love-even if one was subverted-and I'll say it did not stick the landing when it comes to the ending. Even if it's not 100% true, I'll just blame Sony as it seems like stupid Hollywood studio notes to have those elements in this picture.
Thankfully, even with those moments I did like the movie overall. I was not familiar with most of the main cast (Tyler Labine being the exception, and it was nice seeing him on the big screen again) but they all were fine, especially Taylor Russell (no relation) as someone who is the keystone role... as she is the only one on the official poster, that is not really a spoiler. While over the top, the setpieces of the different rooms are all fun in their own ways and it was nice seeing everyone work together to solve the puzzles, & each character gets at least one moment to shine. There is bickering, but it was far from constant and that was a relief, as that would have gotten old pretty quickly. A big relief was that overall, all the main characters were fine and not an irritant in the wrong way; it was easy to have empathy for them.
Plus, there is an ever-popular synth score and that was a pleasant surprise. One of the rooms features a real old song from the early 60's; I am not sure how many here were familiar with it beforehand, but I certainly was, even if I hadn't heard it in many, many years. This wasn't originally going to be a January genre release, yet I was still worried as January genre releases in recent years sometimes includes absolute dreck like The Bye Bye Man. I was relieved then that even with the issues I already mentioned, that Escape Room was more fun than expected and not a film I regret seeing theatrically.
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow
Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow (1994)
Runtime: A long 83 minutes
Directed by: Alan Metter
Starring: Only some of the regulars, plus embarrassed veterans Christopher Lee & Ron Perlman... and a just starting her career Claire Forlani
From: Warner Bros.
The movie actually being filmed in Russia doesn't mean squat when this was atrocious all around:
This film's knowledge of forensics & plumbing is comparable to its “knowledge” of inspiring laughter.
In the past few years I once in awhile have gone back to watch all the Police Academy movies, as it was a franchise I viewed when I was a little kid. Naturally the juvenile humor that eventually became the hallmark of the movies would appeal to people around my age growing up in the 80's and 90's. The first five I had seen multiple times, the last two less so. Even when I was a young teenager I recognized Mission to Moscow as being pretty dire. But I finally got the nerve to finish this franchise and this got a viewing; turns out, this was as bad as I had remembered, as it's not only a failure as a comedy, but is inept when it comes to plot structure, the story tying together logically, and so forth.
A quarter of a century later, it is amusing that the general idea of the plot would work better. A Russian mobster (Ron Perlman!) is enjoying the return of capitalism to Russia & creates a game on computer and portable devices that is incredibly popular... nevermind that what little of the game you see makes said game look like a piece of crap. Turns out, he is going to create a sequel that has malicious software which will hack every computer the game is installed on. Of course, a perfectly fine story idea in 2019 is a corrupt individual having the top selling app (like, say, Candy Crush Saga) containing malware that infests everyone's smartphones.
Anyhow, the top cop in Moscow (Christopher Lee?! He wears a giant mustache... and I am glad he only appears for a few scenes) has Lassard and a few of the Police Academy regulars come to Russia for the purposes of stopping the mobster. What results is an illogical plot, many stupid moments and no laughter from me. There were some chuckles, but that's it. The fact that not all of the original crew came back from this is pretty telling; only some participated in this cash grab that made the previous entry seem OK in comparison. There's also a doofus new recruit who hacks his way into the assignment; he has vertigo and you think that would play a role in the climax... such as him finally conquering it and that helps defeat the bad guys... this movie is so pitiful, it doesn't play a factor at all. Claire Forlani plays the translator; as her career had just started at this point, I can't be as disappointed that she is in this nonsense.
This has many inexplicable moments: why are there three random Russian cops who sometimes help out, and why do they only communicate with noises? Why does Lassard have a dumb side plot where he hangs out with a random Russian family, and why does he disappear for at least half the movie? Why does the opening scene have someone play “The Game” (and yes, that's what they call the big game... The Game!) in a Game Boy with obviously no cartridge in it when in the other scenes when a Game Boy is being played, a cartridge is present? I could go on and on, but that is more effort than this lameski movie deserves. Stick with most of the other ones-they are usually childish and always stereotypical but at least the characters are fun and there are dopey laughs to be had. Mission to Moscow saying that forensics allows you to pluck one strand of hair and be able to tell if that person is a virgin from one glance at a microscope... no thank you.
Runtime: A long 83 minutes
Directed by: Alan Metter
Starring: Only some of the regulars, plus embarrassed veterans Christopher Lee & Ron Perlman... and a just starting her career Claire Forlani
From: Warner Bros.
The movie actually being filmed in Russia doesn't mean squat when this was atrocious all around:
This film's knowledge of forensics & plumbing is comparable to its “knowledge” of inspiring laughter.
In the past few years I once in awhile have gone back to watch all the Police Academy movies, as it was a franchise I viewed when I was a little kid. Naturally the juvenile humor that eventually became the hallmark of the movies would appeal to people around my age growing up in the 80's and 90's. The first five I had seen multiple times, the last two less so. Even when I was a young teenager I recognized Mission to Moscow as being pretty dire. But I finally got the nerve to finish this franchise and this got a viewing; turns out, this was as bad as I had remembered, as it's not only a failure as a comedy, but is inept when it comes to plot structure, the story tying together logically, and so forth.
A quarter of a century later, it is amusing that the general idea of the plot would work better. A Russian mobster (Ron Perlman!) is enjoying the return of capitalism to Russia & creates a game on computer and portable devices that is incredibly popular... nevermind that what little of the game you see makes said game look like a piece of crap. Turns out, he is going to create a sequel that has malicious software which will hack every computer the game is installed on. Of course, a perfectly fine story idea in 2019 is a corrupt individual having the top selling app (like, say, Candy Crush Saga) containing malware that infests everyone's smartphones.
Anyhow, the top cop in Moscow (Christopher Lee?! He wears a giant mustache... and I am glad he only appears for a few scenes) has Lassard and a few of the Police Academy regulars come to Russia for the purposes of stopping the mobster. What results is an illogical plot, many stupid moments and no laughter from me. There were some chuckles, but that's it. The fact that not all of the original crew came back from this is pretty telling; only some participated in this cash grab that made the previous entry seem OK in comparison. There's also a doofus new recruit who hacks his way into the assignment; he has vertigo and you think that would play a role in the climax... such as him finally conquering it and that helps defeat the bad guys... this movie is so pitiful, it doesn't play a factor at all. Claire Forlani plays the translator; as her career had just started at this point, I can't be as disappointed that she is in this nonsense.
This has many inexplicable moments: why are there three random Russian cops who sometimes help out, and why do they only communicate with noises? Why does Lassard have a dumb side plot where he hangs out with a random Russian family, and why does he disappear for at least half the movie? Why does the opening scene have someone play “The Game” (and yes, that's what they call the big game... The Game!) in a Game Boy with obviously no cartridge in it when in the other scenes when a Game Boy is being played, a cartridge is present? I could go on and on, but that is more effort than this lameski movie deserves. Stick with most of the other ones-they are usually childish and always stereotypical but at least the characters are fun and there are dopey laughs to be had. Mission to Moscow saying that forensics allows you to pluck one strand of hair and be able to tell if that person is a virgin from one glance at a microscope... no thank you.
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Face of the Frog
Face of the Frog (Der Frosch Mit Der Maske) (1959)
Runtime: 89 minutes
Directed by: Harald Reinl
Starring: Joachim Fuchsberger, Elfie Von Kalckreuth, Jochen Brockmann, Carl Lange, Dieter Eppler
From: This is a German-Danish production
If you have zero knowledge of the krimi genre, then prepare to learn something new today:
You probably shouldn't trust a saucy cabaret singer named Lolita.
The German krimi films are not something that I have known of for as long as, say... the poliziotteschi movies of Italy. That being said, when I eventually found out about them (via Letterboxd and elsewhere) I realized this was something which eventually should be explored by me. Of course procrastination happened, but for awhile now there have been some of them available for rental on Amazon courtesy of Sinister Cinema and last night I finally pulled the trigger... or in this case, threw the knife. I might as well start with the first film that is recognized as a krimi, right?
Krimi is a German word meaning “Thriller” and it's one of the genres that are mixed into these German films, along with crime and mystery. They are all based upon stories by prolific English author Edgar Wallace (in this case, The Fellowship of the Frog, which is the title this goes by on Amazon Video) and most of them involved a masked killer, a bold protagonist investigating the case, a wacky sidekick, and action which happens both in London and the English countryside. In Face of the Frog, the title character is a masked supercriminal who leads an army of frogs-literally, that's what a group of frogs is known as; the evil organization here is a gang and not a paramilitary thing-and both a brilliant English detective and rich American amateur sleuth (Richard) who has a wisecracking butler investigate. At one point Richard and his butler spar as if they were Inspector Clouseau and Cato.
The Frog and his gang commit daring robberies and Mr. Frog is actually willing to be an active participant instead of lurking in his lair only barking out orders. Additional characters are a rich British family who the gang targets and Richard tries to protect. There is a cabaret singer who sings in German (otherwise the copy on Amazon is dubbed) and “Harry Lime” is referenced as a brilliant bad guy from the past; presumably that's not Orson Welles.
There are many characters but it never becomes confusing; for certain this is never dull as there is plenty of intrigue, a bloody throat slash (making me understand why some have said that giallos were influenced by these pictures), action, shootouts, double crosses, etc. In further tropes you later saw in giallo, there's a blind character-although here it's someone in disguise-and yes, there are moments that don't hold up to sound logic. Overall, though, it was fun entertainment, so no doubt that in the future I'll track down more krimi flicks for viewing.
Runtime: 89 minutes
Directed by: Harald Reinl
Starring: Joachim Fuchsberger, Elfie Von Kalckreuth, Jochen Brockmann, Carl Lange, Dieter Eppler
From: This is a German-Danish production
If you have zero knowledge of the krimi genre, then prepare to learn something new today:
You probably shouldn't trust a saucy cabaret singer named Lolita.
The German krimi films are not something that I have known of for as long as, say... the poliziotteschi movies of Italy. That being said, when I eventually found out about them (via Letterboxd and elsewhere) I realized this was something which eventually should be explored by me. Of course procrastination happened, but for awhile now there have been some of them available for rental on Amazon courtesy of Sinister Cinema and last night I finally pulled the trigger... or in this case, threw the knife. I might as well start with the first film that is recognized as a krimi, right?
Krimi is a German word meaning “Thriller” and it's one of the genres that are mixed into these German films, along with crime and mystery. They are all based upon stories by prolific English author Edgar Wallace (in this case, The Fellowship of the Frog, which is the title this goes by on Amazon Video) and most of them involved a masked killer, a bold protagonist investigating the case, a wacky sidekick, and action which happens both in London and the English countryside. In Face of the Frog, the title character is a masked supercriminal who leads an army of frogs-literally, that's what a group of frogs is known as; the evil organization here is a gang and not a paramilitary thing-and both a brilliant English detective and rich American amateur sleuth (Richard) who has a wisecracking butler investigate. At one point Richard and his butler spar as if they were Inspector Clouseau and Cato.
The Frog and his gang commit daring robberies and Mr. Frog is actually willing to be an active participant instead of lurking in his lair only barking out orders. Additional characters are a rich British family who the gang targets and Richard tries to protect. There is a cabaret singer who sings in German (otherwise the copy on Amazon is dubbed) and “Harry Lime” is referenced as a brilliant bad guy from the past; presumably that's not Orson Welles.
There are many characters but it never becomes confusing; for certain this is never dull as there is plenty of intrigue, a bloody throat slash (making me understand why some have said that giallos were influenced by these pictures), action, shootouts, double crosses, etc. In further tropes you later saw in giallo, there's a blind character-although here it's someone in disguise-and yes, there are moments that don't hold up to sound logic. Overall, though, it was fun entertainment, so no doubt that in the future I'll track down more krimi flicks for viewing.
Friday, January 4, 2019
Spartacus
Spartacus (1960)
Runtime: 197 minutes
Directed by: Kubrick, of course
Starring: A tremendous cast, including Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton
From: Universal
I am Spartacus:
I don't know how Kirk Douglas did not suffer from skin cancer after filming; his bronze look would impress even George Hamilton.
This is yet another one of those films I have watched before but that viewing was long ago (in this case, over a decade ago) so a revisit was due. Plus, it's a motion picture from a legendary director... even if this was the only time he did not have complete artistic freedom as star Douglas was also the guy who owned the production company and original director Anthony Mann was sacked; because of Paths of Glory he decided to reunite with Kubrick. While this is naturally not filled with as many of his trademarks, it still is naturally well-directed.
The film is one of those spectacles you got back in the day, entertainment on a grand scale that could not be replicated on television. There are thousands of extras and the battle scenes were filmed in exotic Spanish locales. Of course this is not historically accurate to the real life tale of the slave that led an uprising against Rome in the Third Serville War, but that is Hollywood for you. In Spartacus the movie, Douglas is the slave who because of his determination is chosen to be part of gladiatorial school, where he excels. Later he and other slaves escape, and he reluctantly has to become their leader.
Admittedly there many be too many characters and perhaps paring that down a bit would have allowed us to know them better; that said, this is still a thrilling, never dull story where the lead is an incredibly inspiring figure, making you comprehend why the still unforgettable ending happens and how it does not come off as lame or eye-rolling. I definitely appreciate any motion picture that has Douglas (who was the true highlight), Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, Charles McGraw, Peter Ustinov, and Laurence Olivier. It's also nice seeing Woody Strode, and while his part is not extensive he did play a noble character who has morals even though he is a gladiator himself. Spartacus is great entertainment, augmented by an excellent score from Alex North.
I saw the 1991 restoration version of the film, which is 197 minutes long and includes the infamous restored scene where Olivier obviously tries to seduce his slave (played by Curtis) and you don't need to be Freud to understand what he is REALLY talking about when he talks about eating oysters and eating snails. Even if this movie wasn't good, this would have the significance of leading to the end of the awful blacklist movement, as Douglas publicly acknowledged it was Dalton Trumbo who wrote the script; after that and JFK going to see the film despite protests, that broke the blacklist.
Runtime: 197 minutes
Directed by: Kubrick, of course
Starring: A tremendous cast, including Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton
From: Universal
I am Spartacus:
I don't know how Kirk Douglas did not suffer from skin cancer after filming; his bronze look would impress even George Hamilton.
This is yet another one of those films I have watched before but that viewing was long ago (in this case, over a decade ago) so a revisit was due. Plus, it's a motion picture from a legendary director... even if this was the only time he did not have complete artistic freedom as star Douglas was also the guy who owned the production company and original director Anthony Mann was sacked; because of Paths of Glory he decided to reunite with Kubrick. While this is naturally not filled with as many of his trademarks, it still is naturally well-directed.
The film is one of those spectacles you got back in the day, entertainment on a grand scale that could not be replicated on television. There are thousands of extras and the battle scenes were filmed in exotic Spanish locales. Of course this is not historically accurate to the real life tale of the slave that led an uprising against Rome in the Third Serville War, but that is Hollywood for you. In Spartacus the movie, Douglas is the slave who because of his determination is chosen to be part of gladiatorial school, where he excels. Later he and other slaves escape, and he reluctantly has to become their leader.
Admittedly there many be too many characters and perhaps paring that down a bit would have allowed us to know them better; that said, this is still a thrilling, never dull story where the lead is an incredibly inspiring figure, making you comprehend why the still unforgettable ending happens and how it does not come off as lame or eye-rolling. I definitely appreciate any motion picture that has Douglas (who was the true highlight), Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, Charles McGraw, Peter Ustinov, and Laurence Olivier. It's also nice seeing Woody Strode, and while his part is not extensive he did play a noble character who has morals even though he is a gladiator himself. Spartacus is great entertainment, augmented by an excellent score from Alex North.
I saw the 1991 restoration version of the film, which is 197 minutes long and includes the infamous restored scene where Olivier obviously tries to seduce his slave (played by Curtis) and you don't need to be Freud to understand what he is REALLY talking about when he talks about eating oysters and eating snails. Even if this movie wasn't good, this would have the significance of leading to the end of the awful blacklist movement, as Douglas publicly acknowledged it was Dalton Trumbo who wrote the script; after that and JFK going to see the film despite protests, that broke the blacklist.
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Cruising
Cruising (1980)
Runtime: 102 minutes
Directed by: William Friedkin
Starring: Al Pacino, Karen Allen, Paul Sorvino, Richard Cox, Don Scardino
From: Warner Bros
For all the times I've referenced this infamous movie in the almost 10 years I've had this Blogger site up, about darn time I saw this again and finally can talk about it here:
Hips or lips?
This is another film I had seen before, but the last viewing was at least a decade ago; this seemed like the right time for me for another screening and my finally talking about this infamous motion picture here. Now, I am a heterosexual male so keep that in mind when I talk about this movie and how I am not personally offended by its plot or any risque scene. I do understand how some in the homosexual community still do not like the movie for a variety of reasons, and how at the time some would think that despite the protests of the filmmakers, this does stigmatize homosexuality and people would be led to believe they are all into depraved practices and engage in BDSM.
The plot: Al Pacino is NYC police officer Steve Burns, who is assigned by police Captain Paul Sorvino to go undercover and investigate the murders of gay men who are in the bondage scene... as he resembles the men who have been killed and dismembered. As he is a tough guy cop, this new character he has to play is a drastic change, nevermind the usual stresses of undercover work. This impacts his relationship with girlfriend Karen Allen.
One important thing to mention: while I believe it's never been confirmed, popular rumor is that almost 40 minutes were cut out of this before this could finally get an R rating. Apparently a lot of it was scenes dealing with sexuality but some things were deleted that did impact the story; it'd be nice to see that version yet I will presume this is what is typically the case... meaning that footage was destroyed many years ago. I can only presume the general story would have been the same and the focus would be more on Burns and the metamorphosis he goes through rather than discovering who the killer or killers are, which is deliberately more ambiguous than you'd expect for such a mystery. I am not sure why it was done that way, or why when that decision was made, why the lead character is vague and you feel like you never get to know him that well.
While I wish this would have been less obtuse and more straightforward, I cannot say this was bad. I will presume that underground world isn't too terribly exaggerated, although if those joints actually had guys greasing up their fists for... then yikes. The cast was nice and it is always nice seeing Joe Spinell in a role. Plus, several people that would become famous later had one scene appearances here... Powers Boothe, James Remar, and as Spinell's police officer partner in a hell of a team, Mike Starr. Plus, the odd score from Jack Nitzsche worked for the film. What was great: the dark menacing soundtrack that featured punk, rock (including some songs from Willy DeVille) and even a funk tune... I realize that may sound odd but even that has the appropriate tone as it was several former members of George Clinton's P-Funk empire cutting an entire album where they diss their former boss for being an A-hole. Drugs and drama caused Parliament-Funkadelic to crash and burn rather spectacularly. Anyhow, the fact that this movie was willing to take an unflinching look at this topic (especially for the time) was bold. Now it's an artifact as a few years later the plague of AIDS would take hold and change the homosexual community forever.
Two last notes to bring up: it is easy to say that a movie was inspired by a giallo and the comparison is not always accurate but this time, it was. Of course this doesn't fit all the characteristics of that genre but there still is a mysterious killer dressed in black (this time, black leather) who is psychotic and kills his victims with the simple yet effective weapon of a knife that you could find on the table of a steakhouse to cut your meat. In addition, this movie was based on a novel (which was credited) and also a series of real life murders of gay leather bar patrons. William Friedkin finally agreed to do this film because-in an incredibly creepy moment-Paul Bateson confessed to at least a few of those killings and Bateson appeared in The Exorcist in one scene as he was a doctor's assistant and that's what he played in his brief appearance.
Runtime: 102 minutes
Directed by: William Friedkin
Starring: Al Pacino, Karen Allen, Paul Sorvino, Richard Cox, Don Scardino
From: Warner Bros
For all the times I've referenced this infamous movie in the almost 10 years I've had this Blogger site up, about darn time I saw this again and finally can talk about it here:
Hips or lips?
This is another film I had seen before, but the last viewing was at least a decade ago; this seemed like the right time for me for another screening and my finally talking about this infamous motion picture here. Now, I am a heterosexual male so keep that in mind when I talk about this movie and how I am not personally offended by its plot or any risque scene. I do understand how some in the homosexual community still do not like the movie for a variety of reasons, and how at the time some would think that despite the protests of the filmmakers, this does stigmatize homosexuality and people would be led to believe they are all into depraved practices and engage in BDSM.
The plot: Al Pacino is NYC police officer Steve Burns, who is assigned by police Captain Paul Sorvino to go undercover and investigate the murders of gay men who are in the bondage scene... as he resembles the men who have been killed and dismembered. As he is a tough guy cop, this new character he has to play is a drastic change, nevermind the usual stresses of undercover work. This impacts his relationship with girlfriend Karen Allen.
One important thing to mention: while I believe it's never been confirmed, popular rumor is that almost 40 minutes were cut out of this before this could finally get an R rating. Apparently a lot of it was scenes dealing with sexuality but some things were deleted that did impact the story; it'd be nice to see that version yet I will presume this is what is typically the case... meaning that footage was destroyed many years ago. I can only presume the general story would have been the same and the focus would be more on Burns and the metamorphosis he goes through rather than discovering who the killer or killers are, which is deliberately more ambiguous than you'd expect for such a mystery. I am not sure why it was done that way, or why when that decision was made, why the lead character is vague and you feel like you never get to know him that well.
While I wish this would have been less obtuse and more straightforward, I cannot say this was bad. I will presume that underground world isn't too terribly exaggerated, although if those joints actually had guys greasing up their fists for... then yikes. The cast was nice and it is always nice seeing Joe Spinell in a role. Plus, several people that would become famous later had one scene appearances here... Powers Boothe, James Remar, and as Spinell's police officer partner in a hell of a team, Mike Starr. Plus, the odd score from Jack Nitzsche worked for the film. What was great: the dark menacing soundtrack that featured punk, rock (including some songs from Willy DeVille) and even a funk tune... I realize that may sound odd but even that has the appropriate tone as it was several former members of George Clinton's P-Funk empire cutting an entire album where they diss their former boss for being an A-hole. Drugs and drama caused Parliament-Funkadelic to crash and burn rather spectacularly. Anyhow, the fact that this movie was willing to take an unflinching look at this topic (especially for the time) was bold. Now it's an artifact as a few years later the plague of AIDS would take hold and change the homosexual community forever.
Two last notes to bring up: it is easy to say that a movie was inspired by a giallo and the comparison is not always accurate but this time, it was. Of course this doesn't fit all the characteristics of that genre but there still is a mysterious killer dressed in black (this time, black leather) who is psychotic and kills his victims with the simple yet effective weapon of a knife that you could find on the table of a steakhouse to cut your meat. In addition, this movie was based on a novel (which was credited) and also a series of real life murders of gay leather bar patrons. William Friedkin finally agreed to do this film because-in an incredibly creepy moment-Paul Bateson confessed to at least a few of those killings and Bateson appeared in The Exorcist in one scene as he was a doctor's assistant and that's what he played in his brief appearance.
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