The Bourne Identity (2002)
Runtime: 119 minutes
Directed by: Doug Liman
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox
From: Universal
Would you believe I've never seen a Bourne flick before?
It's just a coincidence that the past two movies I saw had quite a few elements in common. You see, this is my first watching of any Bourne movie (!) so I only knew the basics beforehand... thus I was surprised when both this and Le Professionnel were about super spies based in Europe who have to assassinate a corrupt African head of state on orders of a democratic government who are meddling in the affairs of other countries for the sake of business, only for things to go wrong and now his employers are after said super spy... only for the lead to outwit and out-muscle his opposition.
What I've heard about the Paul Greengrass sequels were enough to keep me away from the franchise as a whole until now; the imitators of that style have created action that I loathe and were major turn-offs for me. Then again I've watched one of his movies theatrically (Captain Phillips; my second most popular review) and had little complaint with how that was shot... I guess we'll see once we get to those sometime in the future.
As for this movie, its action wasn't shot in the most appealing way to me but at least I usually knew what was going on so I can't carp too loudly. Plus, the action beats were fun to watch and like in Professionnel, there is a fun Parisian car chase. BTW, it is ironic that Clive Owen is in this, as a few days ago someone I know-who isn't on sites like this-asked whatever happened to him. I never responded but it was clear he was like a lot of people and never saw Valerian.
The story itself had some “hey, wait a minute” moments and Paris is a location used too often in movies (although both Zurich and the Czech Republic-where the Swiss scenes were actually shot-are places more unique) but I can say it was pretty good overall. The story is easy enough to follow and both Jason Bourne and his unwitting accomplice Marie Kreutz are likable enough characters, while the villains are easy to hiss at. Matt Damon manages to be believable as a super spy who has many great skills and can easily speak several different languages. The way it was shot was decent and the musical score was, well, interesting, but it manages to work. At times it screams “early 2000's”... to me that's something I can be amused by. Hopefully I can love the sequels like many do, judging by various film sites.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Le Professionnel
Le Professionnel (1981)
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: Georges Lautner
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Michel Beaune, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Robert Hossein, Elisabeth Margoni
From: Several French companies
Joss Beaumont, espionage and ass-kicking!
Earlier in the year I picked up this film on DVD when I saw a used copy at a niche store; the rib was on me as last week it was announced that Kino Lorber was putting this and The Outsider (another Belmondo joint) on Blu in a few months time. No matter, as the DVD was fine and this movie is very good. Early last year I saw his 1975 film Fear Over the City, which at the time was easy to find online with multiple different copies... not anymore. Hopefully someone puts it out on Blu as the movie was a blast and Belmondo always did his own stunts... and some of them in that film were crazy.
This movie did not have much in the way of stunts or even action, yet was still greatly entertaining to me as a spy thriller. Belmondo played Beaumont, a great secret agent who is asked to assassinate an African dictator at the behest of his government. However, politics changed and Joss is jailed. He escapes, and gets revenge in a creative way by doing some unorthodox things. Those wary of a white guy raising hell in Africa... note that the movie is instead realistic and not only is it a dictator oppressing everyone else in the country, but democratic governments are interfering in those affairs when they shouldn't be. That wasn't offensive to me... there being a minor character who was a “predatory lesbian” stereotype... that's a different story.
The Professional (which has nothing to do with the Luc Besson picture) is slower paced than you'd probably expect and like I said it is not full of action or big stunts, although there are some of those beats. A good amount of this film is Belmondo's him, and Joss Beaumont being a badass who does awesome things while outwitting his enemies at every turn; besides engaging in some ass-kicking, he also romances both his wife and his mistress. There is a car chase (put together by Remy Julienne), a nice Morricone score and an incredibly French scene involving coffee, a slapfight and a croissant. It is further proof to me of why Belmondo was a big star in Europe way back when.
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: Georges Lautner
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Michel Beaune, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Robert Hossein, Elisabeth Margoni
From: Several French companies
Joss Beaumont, espionage and ass-kicking!
Earlier in the year I picked up this film on DVD when I saw a used copy at a niche store; the rib was on me as last week it was announced that Kino Lorber was putting this and The Outsider (another Belmondo joint) on Blu in a few months time. No matter, as the DVD was fine and this movie is very good. Early last year I saw his 1975 film Fear Over the City, which at the time was easy to find online with multiple different copies... not anymore. Hopefully someone puts it out on Blu as the movie was a blast and Belmondo always did his own stunts... and some of them in that film were crazy.
This movie did not have much in the way of stunts or even action, yet was still greatly entertaining to me as a spy thriller. Belmondo played Beaumont, a great secret agent who is asked to assassinate an African dictator at the behest of his government. However, politics changed and Joss is jailed. He escapes, and gets revenge in a creative way by doing some unorthodox things. Those wary of a white guy raising hell in Africa... note that the movie is instead realistic and not only is it a dictator oppressing everyone else in the country, but democratic governments are interfering in those affairs when they shouldn't be. That wasn't offensive to me... there being a minor character who was a “predatory lesbian” stereotype... that's a different story.
The Professional (which has nothing to do with the Luc Besson picture) is slower paced than you'd probably expect and like I said it is not full of action or big stunts, although there are some of those beats. A good amount of this film is Belmondo's him, and Joss Beaumont being a badass who does awesome things while outwitting his enemies at every turn; besides engaging in some ass-kicking, he also romances both his wife and his mistress. There is a car chase (put together by Remy Julienne), a nice Morricone score and an incredibly French scene involving coffee, a slapfight and a croissant. It is further proof to me of why Belmondo was a big star in Europe way back when.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Superstition
Runtime: 85 minutes
Directed by: James W.
Roberson
Starring: James Houghton,
Albert Salmi, Lynn Carlin, Larry Pennell, the amazingly named
Jacquelyn Hyde
From: Carolco, of all
companies
More than one mutual on Letterboxd have given rave reviews to this
otherwise obscure 80's horror film, thus I figured it was worth a shot.
It is not something I love but for something that was obviously made on
the cheap and something that was not just another 80's slasher, “fine”
is a designation I can give this Canuxploitation movie, which was
presumably set in New England but was actually filmed in the Silver Lake
area of Los Angeles. Literally part of Superstition can be said to be
set under the Silver Lake as the basement of an old house is a critical
location.
The story is simple yet effective: a witch is burned at the stake in 1692; unlike typical, this young woman actually is evil and ever since, the ground has been sour as the area has had many deaths over the years... despite a church owning the land now and residing on it for many years are caretakers... an old lady named Elvira and her brute son, who I'll describe as “mentally handicapped.” A trouble priest and his family move in, but no time is wasted and deaths start happening. Another priest tries to rid them of their problems by doing all he can, but the family still suffers. Not even a grumpy middle-aged cop can do much here.
The film does have some plotholes and some subplots that are developed perhaps could have had more time and/or been resolved a little differently. That said, it was still a fun horror film which never wore out its welcome at only 85 minutes in length. There manages to be some suspenseful moments and for those that like bloody moments, there definitely is that with some of the kills... and colorful deaths, they were. When I heard this described as being “Italian-like”, that does not mean it is bats*** insane (no, that is more like what I will be reviewing in a few hours); rather, there are some giallo-esque moments, and I mean giallo as in the latter half of when they made those films in the 70's. As a means of comparison, while I haven't watched that motion picture before, several people have compared this to Fulci's The House by the Cemetery.
Thus, if you like such movies...
The story is simple yet effective: a witch is burned at the stake in 1692; unlike typical, this young woman actually is evil and ever since, the ground has been sour as the area has had many deaths over the years... despite a church owning the land now and residing on it for many years are caretakers... an old lady named Elvira and her brute son, who I'll describe as “mentally handicapped.” A trouble priest and his family move in, but no time is wasted and deaths start happening. Another priest tries to rid them of their problems by doing all he can, but the family still suffers. Not even a grumpy middle-aged cop can do much here.
The film does have some plotholes and some subplots that are developed perhaps could have had more time and/or been resolved a little differently. That said, it was still a fun horror film which never wore out its welcome at only 85 minutes in length. There manages to be some suspenseful moments and for those that like bloody moments, there definitely is that with some of the kills... and colorful deaths, they were. When I heard this described as being “Italian-like”, that does not mean it is bats*** insane (no, that is more like what I will be reviewing in a few hours); rather, there are some giallo-esque moments, and I mean giallo as in the latter half of when they made those films in the 70's. As a means of comparison, while I haven't watched that motion picture before, several people have compared this to Fulci's The House by the Cemetery.
Thus, if you like such movies...
Friday, April 26, 2019
Endgame
Endgame (Endgame – Bronx Lotta Finale) (1983)
Runtime: 97 minutes
Directed by: Joe D'Amato
Starring: Al Cliver, Laura Gemser, George Eastman, Dino Conti, Hal Yamanouchi
From: Filmirage
So, last night I saw Endgame, also known as the only Endgame I'll be seeing this weekend:
No, not the big movie event of the year that most people will have seen by the end of the weekend. I have mentioned before how most superhero/comic book movies of the 21st century just aren't for me... it's not a Marvel vs. DC thing either, that is how I feel in general. Of course I don't care if the rest of the world loves that genre or goes bananas for it; I'll just be content watching a random early 80's Italian post-apocalyptic film and this was the perfect time to check it out.
Boy, did this exemplify the old Italian mindset of “everything PLUS the kitchen sink” when it came to the plot. It starts off as a riff on The Running Man; as the Stephe... excuse me, “Richard Bachman” book came out the previous year, this couldn't have been a coincidence. In 2025, a game of Not The Running Man is taking place, and Ron Shannon is hunted by three people, including the guy who played Tony the Pimp in Demons and George Eastman w/ the hilarious name KURT KARNAK. During the game, a mutant meets up with Shannon and she wants him to transport her fellow mutants out of the area as they are being persecuted; note that the government has a “Security Squad” who are adorned in gas masks but their logo is the SS lightning bolts, so... supremely subtle, that wasn't.
Note that only the first half hour is The Running Man; the next fifteen minutes is Ron rounding up some pals to help him out (Escape From New York) and the rest is The Road Warrior, except that the landscape is more barren forest than barren desert. When I mention the kitchen sink approach, this is because Endgame has everything from satire and ninjas to blind people (not a surprise as this is an old European genre movie), telepathy, bloody moments and a rather daffy finale. Of course it's sleazy, there are some gaping plot holes and it is massively derivative of better movies. Plus, there is no Thanos.
All that said, this was at least entertaining sleaze & trash. I understand there are plenty of Italian post-apocalyptic flicks that are even better than this-I am sure I'll enjoy those. If you are more familiar with the genre then you'll probably at least be amused. There's a wacky synth score and I know people these days still dig that sort of thing... as do I.
Runtime: 97 minutes
Directed by: Joe D'Amato
Starring: Al Cliver, Laura Gemser, George Eastman, Dino Conti, Hal Yamanouchi
From: Filmirage
No, not the big movie event of the year that most people will have seen by the end of the weekend. I have mentioned before how most superhero/comic book movies of the 21st century just aren't for me... it's not a Marvel vs. DC thing either, that is how I feel in general. Of course I don't care if the rest of the world loves that genre or goes bananas for it; I'll just be content watching a random early 80's Italian post-apocalyptic film and this was the perfect time to check it out.
Boy, did this exemplify the old Italian mindset of “everything PLUS the kitchen sink” when it came to the plot. It starts off as a riff on The Running Man; as the Stephe... excuse me, “Richard Bachman” book came out the previous year, this couldn't have been a coincidence. In 2025, a game of Not The Running Man is taking place, and Ron Shannon is hunted by three people, including the guy who played Tony the Pimp in Demons and George Eastman w/ the hilarious name KURT KARNAK. During the game, a mutant meets up with Shannon and she wants him to transport her fellow mutants out of the area as they are being persecuted; note that the government has a “Security Squad” who are adorned in gas masks but their logo is the SS lightning bolts, so... supremely subtle, that wasn't.
Note that only the first half hour is The Running Man; the next fifteen minutes is Ron rounding up some pals to help him out (Escape From New York) and the rest is The Road Warrior, except that the landscape is more barren forest than barren desert. When I mention the kitchen sink approach, this is because Endgame has everything from satire and ninjas to blind people (not a surprise as this is an old European genre movie), telepathy, bloody moments and a rather daffy finale. Of course it's sleazy, there are some gaping plot holes and it is massively derivative of better movies. Plus, there is no Thanos.
All that said, this was at least entertaining sleaze & trash. I understand there are plenty of Italian post-apocalyptic flicks that are even better than this-I am sure I'll enjoy those. If you are more familiar with the genre then you'll probably at least be amused. There's a wacky synth score and I know people these days still dig that sort of thing... as do I.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Waterworld
Runtime: I saw the version
that is 178 minutes long
Directed by: Kevin
Reynolds... although a lot of it was allegedly done by Costner
Starring: Kevin Costner,
Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino, Dennis Hopper, Kim Coates
From: Universal
I wish I could be in the cult of fans that this has now. Alas...
I wonder what Joseph Hazelwood thinks of this film.
Many lunar cycles ago I saw the theatrical cut of this infamous motion picture; January I purchased the Arrow Blu-ray release of Waterworld, which has many goodies... including The Ulysses Cut; that is an almost 3 hour version that adds in various scenes and to me, is the preferable way of watching this as that material does close several plotholes.
Thing is, I recalled the movie as being fine back then; I do not feel that way now. The biggest problem is that The Mariner is a completely unlikable A-hole and that is an issue when The Mariner is our antihero, a guy we're supposed to root for as he eventually helps the good guys try to find land in a world that is all water because of global warming... of course the melting of the ice caps wouldn't cause the oceans to rise up several miles higher but why let facts get in the way of the plot? Anyhow, the plot as a whole is standard stuff but it should have made for a decent blockbuster. However, when you (well, at least me) hated The Mariner and couldn't stand all those scenes where he treated Enola-the child who held the key to finding dry land... literally known as Dryland-and the woman who raised her as her own child like utter garbage... that is a huge problem.
I mean, The Deacon was more likable to me and he was the crazed villain who piloted “The 'Dez” (and wait until you hear what that ship actually is; by now it is a dated reference so I imagine many would have to use Google to get the joke) and preached lies to his followers. The Mariner also lies often and at least Deacon doesn't rudely yell and browbeat his minions to an absurd degree and hell... when he's asked why he doesn't kill people on the ship or use other methods to ensure a more viable future for the ship's residents, he preferred finding Dryland so they can have population growth. Deacon is a cartoony bad guy and yet he was a relief from all those scenes of Mariner being a moody dick who is utterly unpleasant to be around. Dennis Hopper did a nice job portraying him but by this point, no s*** he could play a heel rather well.
It's a shame as the movie does look real nice with all its practical sets in a unique setting and of course it'd be far easier to do now in 2019 with CG but it just wouldn't feel and look the same compared to those real life creations, some of which are truly massive. No wonder the cost was a then-absurd 175 million dollars with all the natural struggles of shooting in an ocean far away from land. Seasickness is a given but there was also weather, transportation, and just being able to use the bathroom as several examples. Waterworld as a reputation as being awful but that is unfair; it was at least one person doing everyone else dirty by anonymously spilling the beans to the press about the nightmare that was this film's production.
When Kevin Costner and Kevin Reynolds reunited to make the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, I was genuinely flabbergasted. They had an epic love-hate relationship where they'd work with each other on a movie, star Costner and director Reynolds would get mad at each other, swear to never collaborate again, only to kiss and make up. This happened a few times but Waterworld was so contentious, that rift could not be closed for many years.
I do understand why this has many fans as like I said, there are entertaining action scenes in a different setting. Heck, this eventually made a profit, albeit years later. I am sure all of them will love the Arrow release as it has various goodies along with three different cuts of the film. Me... at least I can go back and be bemused at The Deacon.
Many lunar cycles ago I saw the theatrical cut of this infamous motion picture; January I purchased the Arrow Blu-ray release of Waterworld, which has many goodies... including The Ulysses Cut; that is an almost 3 hour version that adds in various scenes and to me, is the preferable way of watching this as that material does close several plotholes.
Thing is, I recalled the movie as being fine back then; I do not feel that way now. The biggest problem is that The Mariner is a completely unlikable A-hole and that is an issue when The Mariner is our antihero, a guy we're supposed to root for as he eventually helps the good guys try to find land in a world that is all water because of global warming... of course the melting of the ice caps wouldn't cause the oceans to rise up several miles higher but why let facts get in the way of the plot? Anyhow, the plot as a whole is standard stuff but it should have made for a decent blockbuster. However, when you (well, at least me) hated The Mariner and couldn't stand all those scenes where he treated Enola-the child who held the key to finding dry land... literally known as Dryland-and the woman who raised her as her own child like utter garbage... that is a huge problem.
I mean, The Deacon was more likable to me and he was the crazed villain who piloted “The 'Dez” (and wait until you hear what that ship actually is; by now it is a dated reference so I imagine many would have to use Google to get the joke) and preached lies to his followers. The Mariner also lies often and at least Deacon doesn't rudely yell and browbeat his minions to an absurd degree and hell... when he's asked why he doesn't kill people on the ship or use other methods to ensure a more viable future for the ship's residents, he preferred finding Dryland so they can have population growth. Deacon is a cartoony bad guy and yet he was a relief from all those scenes of Mariner being a moody dick who is utterly unpleasant to be around. Dennis Hopper did a nice job portraying him but by this point, no s*** he could play a heel rather well.
It's a shame as the movie does look real nice with all its practical sets in a unique setting and of course it'd be far easier to do now in 2019 with CG but it just wouldn't feel and look the same compared to those real life creations, some of which are truly massive. No wonder the cost was a then-absurd 175 million dollars with all the natural struggles of shooting in an ocean far away from land. Seasickness is a given but there was also weather, transportation, and just being able to use the bathroom as several examples. Waterworld as a reputation as being awful but that is unfair; it was at least one person doing everyone else dirty by anonymously spilling the beans to the press about the nightmare that was this film's production.
When Kevin Costner and Kevin Reynolds reunited to make the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, I was genuinely flabbergasted. They had an epic love-hate relationship where they'd work with each other on a movie, star Costner and director Reynolds would get mad at each other, swear to never collaborate again, only to kiss and make up. This happened a few times but Waterworld was so contentious, that rift could not be closed for many years.
I do understand why this has many fans as like I said, there are entertaining action scenes in a different setting. Heck, this eventually made a profit, albeit years later. I am sure all of them will love the Arrow release as it has various goodies along with three different cuts of the film. Me... at least I can go back and be bemused at The Deacon.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Once Upon A Time In America
Runtime: I saw the 251
minute version
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Starring: Robert De Niro,
James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, William Forsythe, Tuesday Weld
From: Warner Bros.
Truly Gheorghe Zamfir's finest hour.
To clarify, last night I viewed the 2012 Extended Director's Cut of this movie, at 251 minutes. Sergio Leone envisaged this movie at 269 minutes but various cuts were made throughout the years, whether at his behest or not. For legal reasons that I believe still aren't cleared up, they could only use some of the discovered “lost” footage; said footage is at noticeably lesser quality but there is a notice at the beginning of the Blu-ray explaining why this was the case.
This was an epic tale covering three different time periods in the lives of various Jewish people and their associates who live in New York City and they either get into the organized crime business or the periphery of it. “Noodles” leaves NYC in 1933 after a very bloody night, only returning in 1968 after getting a mysterious invitation. As Noodles attempts to discover what ghosts from the past have brought him back, the movie masterfully bounces back and forth in time to the gang as teenagers and also them as young adults in the years before that fateful night.
It is a shame the movie got butchered and a 139 minute version in chronological order was the one released in the United States, as not only would characters become much more obtuse-this is just an assumption as this cut has never been seen by me-but the poetry of the movie is its nonlinear structure and how the story expands little by little as the plot is unveiled. The movie takes its time yet was never dull to me. There are plenty of rich characters and the cast, both male (Robert De Niro and James Woods, for example) and female (Elizabeth McGovern and Tuesday Weld) do a great job. Those female characters aren't always treated well-to say the least... there are some really bad moments with them, as a matter of fact-although those that committed those acts are punished by fate.
Of course, Leone was tremendous as a director and the movie is simply beautiful to look at throughout no matter the locations shown. No matter the time period in the 20th century, the sets all look authentic to those particular time periods; in addition, it is also no surprise that Ennio Morricone's score is tremendous, always fitting the mood of each scene. The 60's scenes are full of melancholy as all the characters-not just Noodles-wistfully regrets what happened in the 30's that changed everyone forever. A few scenes the music is pan flute played by Romanian musician Gheorghe Zamfir. If you are able to remember the early 90's and lived in the United States, perhaps you'll be like me and remember the mail-order commercials for albums of Zamfir's music.
Leone's final film and one he fought for years to bring to the big screen, this is a classic gangster tale that is a must for all fans of the genre. The Extended Director's Cut that is on Blu (at the moment, it's real cheap on Amazon in the United States) is the way to own and view the movie; the 251 minute cut is better than the one at 229 minutes as the added footage helps explain some character motivation-especially concerning the big scene at the end-expands the plot and there's even a Louise Fletcher cameo.
To clarify, last night I viewed the 2012 Extended Director's Cut of this movie, at 251 minutes. Sergio Leone envisaged this movie at 269 minutes but various cuts were made throughout the years, whether at his behest or not. For legal reasons that I believe still aren't cleared up, they could only use some of the discovered “lost” footage; said footage is at noticeably lesser quality but there is a notice at the beginning of the Blu-ray explaining why this was the case.
This was an epic tale covering three different time periods in the lives of various Jewish people and their associates who live in New York City and they either get into the organized crime business or the periphery of it. “Noodles” leaves NYC in 1933 after a very bloody night, only returning in 1968 after getting a mysterious invitation. As Noodles attempts to discover what ghosts from the past have brought him back, the movie masterfully bounces back and forth in time to the gang as teenagers and also them as young adults in the years before that fateful night.
It is a shame the movie got butchered and a 139 minute version in chronological order was the one released in the United States, as not only would characters become much more obtuse-this is just an assumption as this cut has never been seen by me-but the poetry of the movie is its nonlinear structure and how the story expands little by little as the plot is unveiled. The movie takes its time yet was never dull to me. There are plenty of rich characters and the cast, both male (Robert De Niro and James Woods, for example) and female (Elizabeth McGovern and Tuesday Weld) do a great job. Those female characters aren't always treated well-to say the least... there are some really bad moments with them, as a matter of fact-although those that committed those acts are punished by fate.
Of course, Leone was tremendous as a director and the movie is simply beautiful to look at throughout no matter the locations shown. No matter the time period in the 20th century, the sets all look authentic to those particular time periods; in addition, it is also no surprise that Ennio Morricone's score is tremendous, always fitting the mood of each scene. The 60's scenes are full of melancholy as all the characters-not just Noodles-wistfully regrets what happened in the 30's that changed everyone forever. A few scenes the music is pan flute played by Romanian musician Gheorghe Zamfir. If you are able to remember the early 90's and lived in the United States, perhaps you'll be like me and remember the mail-order commercials for albums of Zamfir's music.
Leone's final film and one he fought for years to bring to the big screen, this is a classic gangster tale that is a must for all fans of the genre. The Extended Director's Cut that is on Blu (at the moment, it's real cheap on Amazon in the United States) is the way to own and view the movie; the 251 minute cut is better than the one at 229 minutes as the added footage helps explain some character motivation-especially concerning the big scene at the end-expands the plot and there's even a Louise Fletcher cameo.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Boyz N The Hood
Runtime: 112 minutes
Directed by: John
Singleton
Starring: Cuba Gooding,
Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett
From: Columbia
'Cause the boyz n the hood are always hard, you come talkin' that trash, we'll pull your card...
Early Saturday afternoon I saw the news online that director John Singleton had suffered a stroke; as of now all I've heard is that he's still recovering in the hospital. I had seen this movie before, many years ago. IMO, he never rose to the heights of this debut feature film (where he was the first African-American and the youngest person to receive a Best Director Oscar nomination) but I still wanted to give him credit for this film. I remembered it as being very good, and a revisit proves this is still the case; it covers important themes and talking points for a certain demographic, but anyone can appreciate the filmmaking craft here.
The lives of several youths are followed in South Central LA; it is an area where black people reside and it is a tough place to live... for a variety of reasons, many young people struggle to leave the area riddled with crime & gangs. Tre has an advantage in that his dad (the amazingly named FURIOUS STYLES) is a strong father figure-tough but fair-who preaches to him “don't be like your friends” yet it is difficult when you are a teenager and your buddies aren't as focused on school or their future or getting out of the ghetto.
The first half shows the main characters seven years earlier; it introduces everyone and it becomes obvious why Tre is doing well with school and work while it is much less so for his friends, including Ricky, Doughboy, and Dooky. A nice asset is that the cast is full of talented faces... Laurence Fishburne as Furious is the most memorable yet the rest are all admirable. It is not surprising that Cuba Gooding Jr. as Tre became more famous later on and even won an Oscar. Plus, Ice Cube was a revelation in his feature film debut. What a compelling story also... even if you're a dumb white guy like me who would be among the least-likely guys that you'd want to visit a place like South Central LA with, you can understand the character's plight, why it is difficult to leave such a rough area and how parenting-or the lack thereof-is incredibly critical for a person's life.
Hopefully Singleton can recover from this medical event; it'd be great for him to return to feature films instead of television work, as has been the case for most of the past decade. Of course, him returning to a normal life is of utmost importance and takes precedence above everything else.
Early Saturday afternoon I saw the news online that director John Singleton had suffered a stroke; as of now all I've heard is that he's still recovering in the hospital. I had seen this movie before, many years ago. IMO, he never rose to the heights of this debut feature film (where he was the first African-American and the youngest person to receive a Best Director Oscar nomination) but I still wanted to give him credit for this film. I remembered it as being very good, and a revisit proves this is still the case; it covers important themes and talking points for a certain demographic, but anyone can appreciate the filmmaking craft here.
The lives of several youths are followed in South Central LA; it is an area where black people reside and it is a tough place to live... for a variety of reasons, many young people struggle to leave the area riddled with crime & gangs. Tre has an advantage in that his dad (the amazingly named FURIOUS STYLES) is a strong father figure-tough but fair-who preaches to him “don't be like your friends” yet it is difficult when you are a teenager and your buddies aren't as focused on school or their future or getting out of the ghetto.
The first half shows the main characters seven years earlier; it introduces everyone and it becomes obvious why Tre is doing well with school and work while it is much less so for his friends, including Ricky, Doughboy, and Dooky. A nice asset is that the cast is full of talented faces... Laurence Fishburne as Furious is the most memorable yet the rest are all admirable. It is not surprising that Cuba Gooding Jr. as Tre became more famous later on and even won an Oscar. Plus, Ice Cube was a revelation in his feature film debut. What a compelling story also... even if you're a dumb white guy like me who would be among the least-likely guys that you'd want to visit a place like South Central LA with, you can understand the character's plight, why it is difficult to leave such a rough area and how parenting-or the lack thereof-is incredibly critical for a person's life.
Hopefully Singleton can recover from this medical event; it'd be great for him to return to feature films instead of television work, as has been the case for most of the past decade. Of course, him returning to a normal life is of utmost importance and takes precedence above everything else.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980)
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Thomas Chong
Starring: Cheech & Chong & plenty of famous faces in small roles
From: Universal
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Thomas Chong
Starring: Cheech & Chong & plenty of famous faces in small roles
From: Universal
Happy 4/20, everybody!
I couldn't think of a better thing to do in the evening of April 20th than view a Cheech & Chong film. This is one I had seen before but the last viewing was a long, long time ago. For me, you don't have to be smokin' a fat spliff to enjoy this movie and its stoner humor, although it helps... or rather, I am sure that it helps...
This does not have too much of a plot; the leads get into various adventures as they live together in an absolutely disgusting house, both have job troubles, and they (and also Cousin Red, also played by Cheech Marin) interact with a bizarre variety of characters throughout. That's the film in a nutshell. It definitely won't be for everyone-even I can admit this is uneven as hell-and there are some rather off-color jokes, but for me there are enough laughs (there are some bits I have remembered for all these years) to where I can say this is fine and honestly, this is far too goofy & juvenile to take that seriously.
You may be surprised to hear that quite a few famous faces appear here in small or bit roles, before they became famous. Paul Reubens has a role... and also briefly shows up as Pee Wee Herman. There's Jake Steinfeld, Michael Winslow, Rita Wilson... and Reubens wasn't the only person from The Groundlings comedy troupe that is in the film. There is also Edie McClurg, Cassandra Peterson not as Elvira, and Phil Hartman.
To me the Cheech & Chong films got appreciably worse after this one, so that was a big reason why I chose this one in particular. If you don't celebrate this particular day, I hope everyone has and had a nice Saturday.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Penguins
Runtime: 76 minutes
Directed by: Alastair
Fothergill/Jeff Wilson
Starring: This is a
documentary narrated by Ed Helms
From: Disneynature
Not a bad way to spend a rainy Friday afternoon:
This film uses a song from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.
Before this afternoon I had never seen any Disneynature movies before. It is neat sometimes watching nature documentaries but I had heard that these films concoct a story based on the footage they have for the sake of being appealing to the kids. However, this being shown on IMAX and me paying a flat fee to AMC to see multiple movies there per month, this seemed like it was worth a shot.
Ed Helms narrates a passage of time in the Antarctic where STEVE the Adelie penguin meets a mate, they have baby chicks and raise them until they all go their separate ways. There is a story that is forced here and Helms sometimes also speaks as Steve and says some goofy things. I have a feeling that multiple penguins portray Steve and this was done to craft some sort of narrative. That said, at least the narration never became so annoying to me that it turned me off.
I can say this is fine overall; it's a story that the entire family can enjoy and naturally, the setting leads to gorgeous visuals throughout and it was filmed very well. This isn't hardcore scientific like you'd get from a Planet Earth or a National Geographic production but I knew that'd be the case beforehand. The score for the movie was also fine... the highlight was that unbeknownst for me, some 70's and 80's songs randomly appear. The opening credit being done to Patti LaBelle's Stir It Up (from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack) was not something I could have ever predicted. Other tunes are from the likes of REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake... hell yeah!
This was an easy 76 minute watch and at least I got to see pretty scenery in a big and clear way.
Before this afternoon I had never seen any Disneynature movies before. It is neat sometimes watching nature documentaries but I had heard that these films concoct a story based on the footage they have for the sake of being appealing to the kids. However, this being shown on IMAX and me paying a flat fee to AMC to see multiple movies there per month, this seemed like it was worth a shot.
Ed Helms narrates a passage of time in the Antarctic where STEVE the Adelie penguin meets a mate, they have baby chicks and raise them until they all go their separate ways. There is a story that is forced here and Helms sometimes also speaks as Steve and says some goofy things. I have a feeling that multiple penguins portray Steve and this was done to craft some sort of narrative. That said, at least the narration never became so annoying to me that it turned me off.
I can say this is fine overall; it's a story that the entire family can enjoy and naturally, the setting leads to gorgeous visuals throughout and it was filmed very well. This isn't hardcore scientific like you'd get from a Planet Earth or a National Geographic production but I knew that'd be the case beforehand. The score for the movie was also fine... the highlight was that unbeknownst for me, some 70's and 80's songs randomly appear. The opening credit being done to Patti LaBelle's Stir It Up (from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack) was not something I could have ever predicted. Other tunes are from the likes of REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake... hell yeah!
This was an easy 76 minute watch and at least I got to see pretty scenery in a big and clear way.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
It's Alive
Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: Larry Cohen
(RIP)
Starring: John P. Ryan,
Sharon Farrell, Andrew Duggan, Guy Stockwell, James Dixon
From: Warner Bros.
A few weeks after the fact, I see one of Larry Cohen's films to pay tribute to the late iconoclastic, one of a kind independent movie-maker. Whether as a producer, writer or director he was involved with a number of interesting low-budget films, some of which are still cult favorites today... Q, the Maniac Cop flicks, some blaxploitation, The Stuff, Gold Told Me To, and this, one of his most famous works.
You may have some preconceived notions about a movie with the ludicrous premise of a mutant killer infant being born to an average California family but It's Alive treats the subject with utmost seriousness; not that there aren't dark comic moments throughout as there are... what I mean is that this doesn't wink at the camera and treat this scenario as a goof. The viewer sees how the Davis family is ostracized after the pubic discovers what their progeny is-the media is a target of satirical barbs here; both parents (Frank and Lenore) have conflicted feelings about the kid as it is still their child... even if it is a monstrosity and has killed something like 10 adults and a cat. There is genuine pathos as they try to deal with this bizarre situation. The police want to kill it right away while scientists wish to study the creature.
It's a very interesting film and more thoughtful than you'd expect for the premise. This has several big assets (a Bernard Herrmann score that gets electronic at times, Rick Baker contributing to the effects) but to me the biggest ones were that the leads were played by John P. Ryan and Sharon Farrell as the parents-they were both great in their roles that required them to run through a gamut of different emotions. While there were moments that brought me great joy-the amazing 70's clothing and especially the astounding 70's look of the Davis home-I did feel bad for the family and unfortunately, in the past there were drugs that were on the market and given to pregnant reason to alleviate feelings of nausea or other reasons... and they weren't properly tested so many children were born deformed... not hideous mutants, but still deformed. Thalidomide is the most infamous example of this, and an obvious inspiration for this story.
This is a rare movie which did not do well at first but was re-released a few years later and with a push earned more money. A regime change at Warner Brothers resulted in this making enough of a profit for two sequels to be created. A character like Larry Cohen will be missed and I was happy to finally talk about one of his films here.
The Gold Rush
Runtime: 89 minutes
Directed by: Charlie
Chaplin
Starring: Chaplin, Mack
Swain, Georgia Hale, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman
From: Charles Chaplin
Productions
Big Jim McKay had what would be now known as post-concussion symptoms.
I recall as a very little kid seeing parts of this movie on public television one day. Of course, that version was one from the 40's that Chaplin created which made various changes and some material was excised. Last night's showing of a reconstructed version done in the early 2000's on TCM was the first time I saw this film in full and as close to the original 1925 cut as now available. I was happy to finally view one of the legendary silent movies and Chaplin's most famous work.
The setting is the Gold Rush of 1898, where many prospectors had gold fever and rushed to the Alaska and Yukon Territories in the hope of striking it rich... most were unsuccessful, as is always the case. The Tramp is hopeful to beat the odds but he has to deal with such events as the bitterly cold, windy winters and various sundry characters he runs into... including a real heel in Big Jim McKay; he gets a blow on his head and walks around dazed for awhile, before returning for the final act.
The movie has many great comedic moments and is funny throughout... even if you haven't viewed the film in full you likely have seen such things as The Tramp eating his shoe or putting forks in his dinner rolls and doing a little dance with them and may not have known it came from The Gold Rush. However, this isn't just a series of humorous sketches-there's an actual story where Tramp is a fully-developed character. There's even poignancy as he develops a romance w/ a young lass named Georgia... ironically, Chaplin had an affair with Georgia Hale during filming. Their relationship has its ups and downs and that was managed along with such sight gags as a shack almost falling off of a cliff.
As least for me (although this applies to many others) this was still an utter delight even almost a century after it was first released.
I recall as a very little kid seeing parts of this movie on public television one day. Of course, that version was one from the 40's that Chaplin created which made various changes and some material was excised. Last night's showing of a reconstructed version done in the early 2000's on TCM was the first time I saw this film in full and as close to the original 1925 cut as now available. I was happy to finally view one of the legendary silent movies and Chaplin's most famous work.
The setting is the Gold Rush of 1898, where many prospectors had gold fever and rushed to the Alaska and Yukon Territories in the hope of striking it rich... most were unsuccessful, as is always the case. The Tramp is hopeful to beat the odds but he has to deal with such events as the bitterly cold, windy winters and various sundry characters he runs into... including a real heel in Big Jim McKay; he gets a blow on his head and walks around dazed for awhile, before returning for the final act.
The movie has many great comedic moments and is funny throughout... even if you haven't viewed the film in full you likely have seen such things as The Tramp eating his shoe or putting forks in his dinner rolls and doing a little dance with them and may not have known it came from The Gold Rush. However, this isn't just a series of humorous sketches-there's an actual story where Tramp is a fully-developed character. There's even poignancy as he develops a romance w/ a young lass named Georgia... ironically, Chaplin had an affair with Georgia Hale during filming. Their relationship has its ups and downs and that was managed along with such sight gags as a shack almost falling off of a cliff.
As least for me (although this applies to many others) this was still an utter delight even almost a century after it was first released.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Missing Link
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Chris Butler
Starring: The voices of
Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Fry, Timothy Olyphant, and Zach Galifiankis
From: Laika, Annapurna, and even though their logo wasn't included in the beginning, United Artists
Hopefully I can get a mea culpa for this being my first and only Laika movie...
At least Missing Link should be better than most of the PG-rated films that had trailers before this.
I know that especially on Letterboxd there will be some who will be appalled to hear that this the first Laika movie I've ever seen. I have no excuse for why it's just now that I have started supporting an underdog, a small company that animates in a retro style uncommon in modern times, a studio that isn't giant like Pixar and never has made a king's bounty at the box office yet still has an avid fanbase... shame on me, really. At least in the future I'll view their other works. As I have the AMC A-List app, I now feel more free to try out different films like this... and also I feel like it's a waste if I don't use it enough as it would feel like a waste of money with the 22 bucks a month I pay for it.
I never even saw a trailer for the film or any advertising on television for the film (perhaps why it is flopping at the box office) so I do not know how much of the plot they revealed; I'll just give the basics: Hugh Jackman voices a haughty wannabe explorer (Lionel Frost) who wishes to be accepted by the even haughtier club of adventurers and other “great men” in London. Frost looks for Sasquatch in Washington State and finds him... discovering he can speak English, even though he is quite literal and naive. They unwittingly team up with a Latin lady that Frost knows from his past as they go and try to find Bigfoot's relatives... the Yeti. Yes, it is quite something that in the span of about a year we will have this, Smallfoot, and Abominable... three animated kids films involving the Abominable Snowman. It happens by happenstance once in a long while and always amuses me. To borrow a quote I recently heard, judging from its trailer-which played before this-Abominable looks like the “studio notes” version of Missing Link.
Missing Link is silly, the humor is hit or miss and apparently this is more for little kids than Laika's previous works... I can still say the movie was charming and entertaining. The animation itself was always gorgeous and the story literally spanned the world, visiting various locations and seemingly thousands of different colors are on display in the film. Most importantly, this has a lot of heart and teaches some nice life lessons for the kids (such as how they shouldn't be selfish) and thankfully Laika is one of the few studios that does NOT make modern family films filled with such crude moments as burp and fart jokes.
As I previously mentioned, in the future I'll talk about the other movies that Laika has created as I presume I'll find them to be even more of a treat, and this doing worse than expected at the box office is a shame. As I usually don't see family films theatrically, I got the rare treat of seeing other family film trailers. Now, such works as Ugly Dolls, The Angry Birds Movie 2 and the aforementioned Abominable may not be bad, but the trailers did not inspire confidence. I am sure they will all make more money than Missing Link and that is just not fair.
Monday, April 15, 2019
One Way Passage
Runtime: 68 minutes
Directed by: Tay Garnett
Starring: William Powell,
Kay Francis, Frank McHugh, Aline MacMahon, Warren Hymer
From: Warner Bros.
I'd love to hang around with a gal known as Barrel House Betty.
This played early last week on TCM (and happy 25th anniversary to that great channel, BTW) and as it is highly rated both here and on the IMDb and is barely over an hour long, this seemed like an obvious watch to me. The plot to this amusing romantic lark: William Powell is a charming murderer who is captured by cop Frank McHugh, and is on a ship from Hong Kong to San Francisco so he can be jailed. Kay Francis is a lady who is terminally ill; they met before his capture in a bar, and both happen to be on that ship. Neither divulges their secret to the other.
I say that this is charming, yet melancholy is also a strong feeling due to how this fling is not only brief, but won't be able to continue once the voyage has been completed. There is another romance and supporting characters-who are interesting in their own ways-are schemer Aline MacMahon (the aforementioned Barrel House Betty, although she puts on a countess act) and daffy thief Warren Hymer, who has an incredible laugh. I enjoyed all of them in this film and except for Powell, those actors have been long forgotten by most and it is a shame. For a few years, Francis was the highest-paid lady in Hollywood and also one of the most popular. She did not like the scripts that Warner Brothers gave her so there went her career. Unfortunate, as she was a dish.
Anyhow, even with the melancholy feeling, this was still an amusing, breezy watch and despite the brief nature, it was a charming romance I wish could have gone on longer, for their sake and mine.
This played early last week on TCM (and happy 25th anniversary to that great channel, BTW) and as it is highly rated both here and on the IMDb and is barely over an hour long, this seemed like an obvious watch to me. The plot to this amusing romantic lark: William Powell is a charming murderer who is captured by cop Frank McHugh, and is on a ship from Hong Kong to San Francisco so he can be jailed. Kay Francis is a lady who is terminally ill; they met before his capture in a bar, and both happen to be on that ship. Neither divulges their secret to the other.
I say that this is charming, yet melancholy is also a strong feeling due to how this fling is not only brief, but won't be able to continue once the voyage has been completed. There is another romance and supporting characters-who are interesting in their own ways-are schemer Aline MacMahon (the aforementioned Barrel House Betty, although she puts on a countess act) and daffy thief Warren Hymer, who has an incredible laugh. I enjoyed all of them in this film and except for Powell, those actors have been long forgotten by most and it is a shame. For a few years, Francis was the highest-paid lady in Hollywood and also one of the most popular. She did not like the scripts that Warner Brothers gave her so there went her career. Unfortunate, as she was a dish.
Anyhow, even with the melancholy feeling, this was still an amusing, breezy watch and despite the brief nature, it was a charming romance I wish could have gone on longer, for their sake and mine.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Mr. Majestyk
Mr. Majestyk (1974)
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Charles Bronson, Al Lettieri, Linda Cristal, Lee Purcell, Paul Koslo
From: United Artists
Charles Bronson was one tough melon farmer.
It was about time I talked about this movie here, where Bronson plays the improbably-named Vince Majestyk, an ex-con and Vietnam vet who... has a watermelon farm. And this tale was written by Elmore Leonard!
The trouble starts when a punk tries to strong-arm his white crew to work on the farm and pick melons, instead of the Hispanic migrant workers that Vince hired. The punk is rebuked and he files charges. I was worried early on when I saw that there would be migrant workers as I was hoping there wouldn't be any politically incorrect moments, you know. I'll just say that Majestyk was happy to hire them and was not prejudiced against Hispanics.
Anyway, even more trouble happens when he crosses paths with brute hitman Al Lettieri. That guy is no nonsense and you better not act dumb or argue with him as he WILL yell at you. Likewise, you better not interrupt Majestyk's job of picking then hauling in those watermelons for sale, unless you want him to get extremely angry and lookin' for revenge. Considering the film's writer, it should be no surprise that there is plenty of dialogue both of the “humorous” and “tough guy” variety.
When there is action, it is a lot of fun; apparently, Vince's banana yellow Ford truck was mostly stock, so the beating it takes in the final act was quite impressive. The movie is a lot of fun, over the top in the right ways and featuring cool actors & actresses, a very catchy score from Charles Bernstein, despicable villains, Bronson being awesome as always, and he even has a love interest. For a premise that may sound a little peculiar, Mr. Majestyk was a lot of fun.
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Charles Bronson, Al Lettieri, Linda Cristal, Lee Purcell, Paul Koslo
From: United Artists
Charles Bronson was one tough melon farmer.
It was about time I talked about this movie here, where Bronson plays the improbably-named Vince Majestyk, an ex-con and Vietnam vet who... has a watermelon farm. And this tale was written by Elmore Leonard!
The trouble starts when a punk tries to strong-arm his white crew to work on the farm and pick melons, instead of the Hispanic migrant workers that Vince hired. The punk is rebuked and he files charges. I was worried early on when I saw that there would be migrant workers as I was hoping there wouldn't be any politically incorrect moments, you know. I'll just say that Majestyk was happy to hire them and was not prejudiced against Hispanics.
Anyway, even more trouble happens when he crosses paths with brute hitman Al Lettieri. That guy is no nonsense and you better not act dumb or argue with him as he WILL yell at you. Likewise, you better not interrupt Majestyk's job of picking then hauling in those watermelons for sale, unless you want him to get extremely angry and lookin' for revenge. Considering the film's writer, it should be no surprise that there is plenty of dialogue both of the “humorous” and “tough guy” variety.
When there is action, it is a lot of fun; apparently, Vince's banana yellow Ford truck was mostly stock, so the beating it takes in the final act was quite impressive. The movie is a lot of fun, over the top in the right ways and featuring cool actors & actresses, a very catchy score from Charles Bernstein, despicable villains, Bronson being awesome as always, and he even has a love interest. For a premise that may sound a little peculiar, Mr. Majestyk was a lot of fun.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Das Boot
Runtime: 209 minutes
Directed by: Wolfgang
Petersen
Starring: Jurgen Prochnow,
Herbert Gronemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch, Bernd Tauber
From: Several German
companies
NOTE: The version I viewed last night was the 3 ½ hour Director's Cut.
There are various epic length motion pictures that I haven't gotten to yet due to my preference in wanting to watch those films in one night (if not in one go without any breaks) and that isn't always possible each night. However, last night I was able to check out this classic and it was a rewarding journey which did not seem to be 209 minutes long.
The setting is a German World War II submarine (a U-boat, in other words) and the mostly young, neophyte crew that operates it. The opening scene is the gang getting extremely drunk at a “cathouse” the night before they ship off. They are all in good spirits, but boy does the mood change once they are stuck in those tight quarters and alongside the tedium of waiting for combat to happen, once it does it is amazingly stressful as they have to hope no enemy spots them as depth charges are a real SOB.
This film both captures the claustrophobic feel of the titular boot being crammed with dozens of soldiers (in part this is done via a handheld Arriflex camera that can easily maneuver around those tight quarters and zoom around the set, as it does occasionally) and the stress of having to be motionless in the vessel & pray they are not spotted and attacked. But there is time spent on knowing these lads better, and all are different personalities. Some are proper and by the book, while others are crude, and a few have significant others waiting back home.
The finale packs quite a punch and this goes alongside all the other classics that have an anti-war message by humanizing the participants and demonstrating how futile battle is as it results in many promising lives being snuffed way too soon. People should not be dissuaded by Das Boot's length... if they enjoy the genre, the movie really should be viewed by them.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Eraser
Eraser (1996)
Runtime: 115 minutes
Directed by: Chuck Russell (no relation)
Starring: Arnold, James Caan, Vanessa Williams, Robert Pastorelli, James Coburn
From: Warner Bros.
What a blast from the past this movie was... it reminded me of how R-rated action pics used to be:
There's nothing quite like watching mid 90's CGI in modern times.
This film was on late at night on BBC America (of all channels) so I gave this a whirl. The plot description provided on the Letterboxd page is sufficient so I don't need to reiterate that; I will just mention that this new weapon is handheld EMP guns and as used in the film, they are pretty wacky. Then again, several utterly preposterous moments occur in this film, none of which I'll spoil for those interested in eventually checking this out.
This isn't one of Arnold's best films by any means, yet at least for me it provided enough of what I expect with one of his action pictures, which is... SOB's being beat up shot at and killed... some funny moments, and one-liners. It helps that there are some quality actors in the cast; James Coburn shows up for only a few scenes but James Caan has a substantial role. Some action setpieces are in familiar locations for genre fans-others are in different places.
A scene is set in a gay club and thankfully that was more silly than offensive; to me, more objectionable moments are all the Italian mobster stereotypes, the fate of a poor alligator... and the 90's CG. I know they tried their best with the technology of the time but yikes it looks TERRIBLE; at least the main reaction I got from that was laughter. After all, this is a silly movie where one of the Italian mobster stereotypes has to be used by the heroes in an important moment by... impersonating a pizza delivery driver.
Runtime: 115 minutes
Directed by: Chuck Russell (no relation)
Starring: Arnold, James Caan, Vanessa Williams, Robert Pastorelli, James Coburn
From: Warner Bros.
What a blast from the past this movie was... it reminded me of how R-rated action pics used to be:
There's nothing quite like watching mid 90's CGI in modern times.
This film was on late at night on BBC America (of all channels) so I gave this a whirl. The plot description provided on the Letterboxd page is sufficient so I don't need to reiterate that; I will just mention that this new weapon is handheld EMP guns and as used in the film, they are pretty wacky. Then again, several utterly preposterous moments occur in this film, none of which I'll spoil for those interested in eventually checking this out.
This isn't one of Arnold's best films by any means, yet at least for me it provided enough of what I expect with one of his action pictures, which is... SOB's being beat up shot at and killed... some funny moments, and one-liners. It helps that there are some quality actors in the cast; James Coburn shows up for only a few scenes but James Caan has a substantial role. Some action setpieces are in familiar locations for genre fans-others are in different places.
A scene is set in a gay club and thankfully that was more silly than offensive; to me, more objectionable moments are all the Italian mobster stereotypes, the fate of a poor alligator... and the 90's CG. I know they tried their best with the technology of the time but yikes it looks TERRIBLE; at least the main reaction I got from that was laughter. After all, this is a silly movie where one of the Italian mobster stereotypes has to be used by the heroes in an important moment by... impersonating a pizza delivery driver.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Pet Sematary II
Pet Sematary II (1992)
Runtime: 100 minutes
Directed by: Mary Lambert
Starring: Edward Furlong, Anthony Edwards, Clancy Brown, Jason McGuire, Darlanne Fluegel
From: Paramount
If you were bored by the remake of the '89 film, this may at least provide unintentional laughs:
Runtime: 100 minutes
Directed by: Mary Lambert
Starring: Edward Furlong, Anthony Edwards, Clancy Brown, Jason McGuire, Darlanne Fluegel
From: Paramount
If you were bored by the remake of the '89 film, this may at least provide unintentional laughs:
This movie did not make my shitlist.
II's reputation has never been great but I've heard some things about it-mainly Clancy Brown's performance-that make it seem like this was worth a shot. Turns out, the movie is oddly mean-spirited and cruel and yet... especially in the back half this is incredibly loony; technically this isn't good but Lord was it ever perversely entertaining to watch all the lunacy.
Edward Furlong has a famous scream queen mother... who dies on set in a hilarious accident, if I am being frank here. He and his vet dad (a bearded Anthony Edwards!) move to the same town in Maine that the first movie is set in, and once again more pets and humans end up in that ancient Indian burial ground and again we get chaos. Instead of being focused on death and grief-although those themes are still present-we get plenty of colorful moments, some of which are pretty brutal... for example, don't get too attached to the kittens or the rabbits you see; a definite Allison M. vegan warning, in other words.
Furlong's character ends up becoming best buds with chubby kid Drew. His stepdad is county sheriff Gus Gilbert, played to memorable effect by Clancy Brown. Gus is a terror and horrible human being, although amusingly so... and in the second half, he was amazingly over the top and great. Once the film gets going, wackiness and gonzo moments happen and I had fun. It goes off the rails in the final act; Many of the songs on the soundtrack are incredibly dated, although there was one from The Jesus and Mary Chain, another from Traci Lords (!) and in the true highlight, L7's Shitlist plays during a gruesome scene.
In tone and style this is far different from the original, but if you don't take it seriously and instead want to see what some would probably describe as “an Italian version of Pet Sematary”, this is worth a shot.
II's reputation has never been great but I've heard some things about it-mainly Clancy Brown's performance-that make it seem like this was worth a shot. Turns out, the movie is oddly mean-spirited and cruel and yet... especially in the back half this is incredibly loony; technically this isn't good but Lord was it ever perversely entertaining to watch all the lunacy.
Edward Furlong has a famous scream queen mother... who dies on set in a hilarious accident, if I am being frank here. He and his vet dad (a bearded Anthony Edwards!) move to the same town in Maine that the first movie is set in, and once again more pets and humans end up in that ancient Indian burial ground and again we get chaos. Instead of being focused on death and grief-although those themes are still present-we get plenty of colorful moments, some of which are pretty brutal... for example, don't get too attached to the kittens or the rabbits you see; a definite Allison M. vegan warning, in other words.
Furlong's character ends up becoming best buds with chubby kid Drew. His stepdad is county sheriff Gus Gilbert, played to memorable effect by Clancy Brown. Gus is a terror and horrible human being, although amusingly so... and in the second half, he was amazingly over the top and great. Once the film gets going, wackiness and gonzo moments happen and I had fun. It goes off the rails in the final act; Many of the songs on the soundtrack are incredibly dated, although there was one from The Jesus and Mary Chain, another from Traci Lords (!) and in the true highlight, L7's Shitlist plays during a gruesome scene.
In tone and style this is far different from the original, but if you don't take it seriously and instead want to see what some would probably describe as “an Italian version of Pet Sematary”, this is worth a shot.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Pet Sematary (The Remake)
Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Kevin
Kolsch/Dennis Widmeyer
Starring: Jason Clarke,
Amy Seimetz, Jete Laurence, John Lithgow
From: Paramount
The climax to this dark, serious horror film almost made me literally laugh out loud a few times...
As I mentioned in the review to my original Pet Sematary, I've never read the Stephen King novel. I did hear that the second trailer to this revealed a big change, and I was hoping to avoid viewing it, and I was ALMOST successful... even after that came out, I only saw the original trailer and this scenario was A-OK with me. Then it played last month when I was at a screening, and I was all “Damn it!” because being surprised by this would have been far preferable.
I won't recap the plot again, except that there is at least one big change from the '89 film and the novel. I know some things were added that were part of the book and weren't in '89, yet when the story itself is different from the original work, of course some will be up in arms concerning those choices. As a few have noted already, this has a more breakneck pace than the original, which means that some moments were left out and I wish they wouldn't have been as it probably would have helped in the storytelling department. And I won't reveal why the last 5 or so minutes of this film made me laugh.
This was more creepy than scary, although I was glad that it was not cheap jumpscare-heavy, although yes some jumpscares are present. If you can see this in an auditorium that has a Dolby Atmost setup (such as a Dolby Cinema at AMC, which is how I viewed this) then you will note how the sound mix was well-done with sound coming from all over the place, including the speakers above you. PS '89 isn't a masterpiece so I was not offended that there was a remake and it is lamentable how this has different strengths and weaknesses to '89 and thus I can't say this was any better or worse overall. At least I can praise the acting and how as a whole, it was better than in the original film. Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, Jete Laurence, & John Lithgow all deliver quality performances, and even the twins who played Gage was fine.
I did not love the previous film from directors Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmeyer (Starry Eyes) although it wasn't due to their direction and not the performance of star Alex Essoe-it was the nonsense storytelling-and while this could have been better if it wouldn't have gone in those silly directions, at least this wasn't yet another aggravating or worthless remake.
Sunday, April 7, 2019
I Revisited Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows
Perfect because tonight is Wrestlemania... and what occurred last night.
Before yesterday I wasn't sure what I would view this afternoon. Then an incident happened at the WWE Hall of Fame. Retired pro wrestler Bret Hart was on stage giving an induction ceremony as The Hart Foundation (a tag team he was in w/ the late Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart) went into the HOF this year. Suddenly, some fan in his 20's for some reason jumps up on stage and attacks Bret, who has had a variety of health maladies in the past 20 years, including concussions, a stroke and he has even survived cancer. A bunch of wrestlers literally bum-rushed the stage and delivered a sweet beating on that punk.
This documentary I had seen once before, long ago. It covered Hart for one year as he returned to the then-WWF for a year after taking a short sabbatical. He was one of the WWF's biggest stars at the time and that year was quite the time period for him; he turned down a lucrative offer from rival promotion WCW to stay in the federation he's been a member of since the mid 80's. A longtime fan favorite, he became a heel as the fans of a harder-edged WWF now started cheering anti-hero Stone Cold Steve Austin; Bret was beloved in his home country of Canada and still was even after the turn. There was the unique phenomenon for most of '97 where Canadians still cheered Hart as they agreed with his valid points of the fans turning against his traditional babyface mannerisms and instead cheered a foul-mouthed, crude rebel like Austin.
Wrestling with Shadows is not only about that year in the WWF but it also shows his wife & kids, along with his parents; note that his seven brothers were all involved with pro wrestling and all four sisters married pro wrestlers... talk about insanity. Then there was The Montreal Screwjob... I could go on for paragraphs about it, but to be brief: a legit double-crossed happened. The WWF at the time had money troubles so they couldn't pay Bret's contract; he decided to go to WCW, but had to lose the WWF Championship first. He was supposed to lose to Shawn Michaels but he did not want to drop the title in his home country to someone who he legit did not like (for a variety of reasons; at the time Shawn had power and also a bad substance abuse problem). They agreed to a not clean finish but suddenly, WWF owner Vince McMahon came out and ordered the bell rung when Bret was in a submission hold.
It was quite the stroke of luck that there were cameras present from a film crew to capture this lunacy and I know a few still think that the event was “fake”, but it was all real. The end result: Vince turned into his evil owner “Mr. McMahon” character, feuded w/ Steve Austin, and the WWF was white-hot for a few years. WCW was also popular at the time (before they bungled things so badly, they went out of business in early 2001) and I was a wrestling fan for years before this time period but the late 90's was quite exciting experiencing all that throughout high school. Anyhow, that night in Montreal... after the match, it was pandemonium backstage and while it was not captured by any cameras, Bret punched Vince and knocked him out.
I do not know how Wrestling with Shadows will play for those not a fan at the time or don't like professional wrestling at all. I won't get into why I don't watch modern wrestling or why I think most of it is bad... for me, it was great reliving and remembering this fun time in my life. Oh, and it took years but Vince and Bret eventually made amends, which is why Bret was at the Hall of Fame ceremony last night.
Before yesterday I wasn't sure what I would view this afternoon. Then an incident happened at the WWE Hall of Fame. Retired pro wrestler Bret Hart was on stage giving an induction ceremony as The Hart Foundation (a tag team he was in w/ the late Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart) went into the HOF this year. Suddenly, some fan in his 20's for some reason jumps up on stage and attacks Bret, who has had a variety of health maladies in the past 20 years, including concussions, a stroke and he has even survived cancer. A bunch of wrestlers literally bum-rushed the stage and delivered a sweet beating on that punk.
This documentary I had seen once before, long ago. It covered Hart for one year as he returned to the then-WWF for a year after taking a short sabbatical. He was one of the WWF's biggest stars at the time and that year was quite the time period for him; he turned down a lucrative offer from rival promotion WCW to stay in the federation he's been a member of since the mid 80's. A longtime fan favorite, he became a heel as the fans of a harder-edged WWF now started cheering anti-hero Stone Cold Steve Austin; Bret was beloved in his home country of Canada and still was even after the turn. There was the unique phenomenon for most of '97 where Canadians still cheered Hart as they agreed with his valid points of the fans turning against his traditional babyface mannerisms and instead cheered a foul-mouthed, crude rebel like Austin.
Wrestling with Shadows is not only about that year in the WWF but it also shows his wife & kids, along with his parents; note that his seven brothers were all involved with pro wrestling and all four sisters married pro wrestlers... talk about insanity. Then there was The Montreal Screwjob... I could go on for paragraphs about it, but to be brief: a legit double-crossed happened. The WWF at the time had money troubles so they couldn't pay Bret's contract; he decided to go to WCW, but had to lose the WWF Championship first. He was supposed to lose to Shawn Michaels but he did not want to drop the title in his home country to someone who he legit did not like (for a variety of reasons; at the time Shawn had power and also a bad substance abuse problem). They agreed to a not clean finish but suddenly, WWF owner Vince McMahon came out and ordered the bell rung when Bret was in a submission hold.
It was quite the stroke of luck that there were cameras present from a film crew to capture this lunacy and I know a few still think that the event was “fake”, but it was all real. The end result: Vince turned into his evil owner “Mr. McMahon” character, feuded w/ Steve Austin, and the WWF was white-hot for a few years. WCW was also popular at the time (before they bungled things so badly, they went out of business in early 2001) and I was a wrestling fan for years before this time period but the late 90's was quite exciting experiencing all that throughout high school. Anyhow, that night in Montreal... after the match, it was pandemonium backstage and while it was not captured by any cameras, Bret punched Vince and knocked him out.
I do not know how Wrestling with Shadows will play for those not a fan at the time or don't like professional wrestling at all. I won't get into why I don't watch modern wrestling or why I think most of it is bad... for me, it was great reliving and remembering this fun time in my life. Oh, and it took years but Vince and Bret eventually made amends, which is why Bret was at the Hall of Fame ceremony last night.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Naqoyqatsi
Runtime: 89 minutes
Directed by: Godfrey
Reggio
Starring: This is a
documentary
From: Miramax
Oof:
Boy has THIS not aged well... if it ever was fine wine to begin with.
In the past I've watched both Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi as they were very interesting and worthwhile 1980's documentaries which had great scores from Philip Glass and without saying a word, it was up to the viewer to figure out what director Godfrey Reggio was trying to say. The effect of technology was one interpretation with the first two movies, and whether or not that's right, that was made explicit here.
Instead of lovely scenery and interesting images from around the world that expertly showed many different aspects of living on planet Earth and will be forever timeless, this has... a lot of computer graphic images that look pretty terrible by 2019 standards, random footage which seem utterly pointless, and footage which for some reason has ugly, ugly filers all over it. The movie was not even aesthetically pleasing to look at.
I know that the message was supposed to be “technology has now fully taken over the world” (which I say was true in the early 2000's, and incredibly so now with the advent of smartphones, people using less and less physical cash to pay for items, and the rise of such sites as eBay and Amazon) and there's also some half-assed message about violence but to me, this falls in the “pretentious claptrap” bucket and is far less successful than the first two films in this trilogy. Philip Glass's score was cool... it's on YouTube if I want to hear it separately, although I couldn't help but think of how disappointed I was with this film if I were to ever do such a thing.
Boy has THIS not aged well... if it ever was fine wine to begin with.
In the past I've watched both Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi as they were very interesting and worthwhile 1980's documentaries which had great scores from Philip Glass and without saying a word, it was up to the viewer to figure out what director Godfrey Reggio was trying to say. The effect of technology was one interpretation with the first two movies, and whether or not that's right, that was made explicit here.
Instead of lovely scenery and interesting images from around the world that expertly showed many different aspects of living on planet Earth and will be forever timeless, this has... a lot of computer graphic images that look pretty terrible by 2019 standards, random footage which seem utterly pointless, and footage which for some reason has ugly, ugly filers all over it. The movie was not even aesthetically pleasing to look at.
I know that the message was supposed to be “technology has now fully taken over the world” (which I say was true in the early 2000's, and incredibly so now with the advent of smartphones, people using less and less physical cash to pay for items, and the rise of such sites as eBay and Amazon) and there's also some half-assed message about violence but to me, this falls in the “pretentious claptrap” bucket and is far less successful than the first two films in this trilogy. Philip Glass's score was cool... it's on YouTube if I want to hear it separately, although I couldn't help but think of how disappointed I was with this film if I were to ever do such a thing.
Friday, April 5, 2019
Pet Sematary (The Original)
Runtime: 103 minutes
Directed by: Mary Lambert
Starring: Dale Midkiff,
Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby, Brad Greenquist, Miko Hughes
From: Paramount
Viewing then discussing this film now was a must:
I do not know on which day but I eventually will watch the 2019 Pet Sematary on the big screen; henceforth, watching and reviewing this first was a must. Note that I haven't read the Steven King novel. I imagine that most are familiar with the plot even if they haven't seen the film adaptations nor have gone through the book, whether it was general pop culture knowledge or the trailers... I wish the second trailer for the new film wouldn't have delivered a major spoiler, but for years now I have rightfully carped about how bad most trailers are. BTW, I don't consider it sacrilegious that this was remade.
Anyhow, the Creed family (Louis, Rachel, and kids Ellie and Gage) move from Illinois to rural Maine, at a house where large tanker trucks often drive by going way fast. Fred Gwynne is their neighbor, and he tells Louis of a special plot of land nearby. This proves to be a mistake... a tragedy happens and as “the ground has turned sour”, dad does something bad-despite warnings from both the material and spirit world-& it leads to an unforgettable finale.
I understand that the book is a tough read-not due to its quality but rather how it's all about dealing with death & grief. I am sure it is much more detailed and intense in the novel. The movie does have some moments that (to be frank) at best are kind of goofy; what happens at a funeral is the chief example that comes to my mind. I imagine the book goes into more detail as to why Rachel's parents hate Louis. I mean, why she hates her parents becomes obvious, but how they feel about him was a little unclear to me. Yet at least the general story is pretty creepy-and dark as hell, for sure-dealing with death & grief is still the most important aspect of the film and the scariest moments are some moments in the finale & I'll just mention one name: Zelda.
As people generally say, when it comes to acting it was Gwynne who delivers the best performance, with his unique accent and overalls. I have to note that toddler Miko Hughes did swell for a little kid; I am not surprised he continued acting for awhile there. The Ramones and their title song is cool, albeit it doesn't exactly sound like one of their typical tunes; at least Sheena is a Punk Rocker is in a pivotal scene and that is one of their classic songs
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Enter The Dragon
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Runtime: 102 minutes
Directed by: Robert Clouse
Starring: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri, Shih Kien
From: Warner Bros./Golden Harvest
Runtime: 102 minutes
Directed by: Robert Clouse
Starring: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri, Shih Kien
From: Warner Bros./Golden Harvest
I do not want to get into the whole rigmarole of why I have been all discombobulated since yesterday, why April hasn't had the best start so far, or why I did not have time to watch anything from Monday night until Wednesday night, or why I am doing this review differently from the norm... I'll just state that hopefully things will return to normal starting tomorrow. This is yet another film I hadn't seen in many, many years. Now to give some bullet points about it:
* The plot is simplistic yet it's still entertaining. Bruce Lee is given more than one reason to seek revenge against Han, the villain.
* John Saxon and Jim Kelly are the main supporting players, and like Lee they also have honor and pride. Sure, Kelly loves women and Saxon loves to gamble/bet, but they still have integrity, making it easy to like all three. BTW, Saxon has actual martial arts skills so it was cool he was able to use them here.
* With other actors I could complain about how they are mostly unstoppable and how only one person really inflicts any sort of damage about him, but considering Bruce's reputation, his rigorous training, diet and exercise & stories about him that may not be as apocryphal as they would be if they were attached to another person, I have no trouble believing the man or the character could easily defeat dozens of opponents.
* It was nice seeing some faces that became famous in later years, like Bolo Yeung, Sammo Hung, and for about five seconds, Jackie Chan.
* The Hong Kong scenery looked absolutely lovely, and also lovely was the score from Lalo Schifrin.
This is not the best martial arts film of all time by any means yet it's still fun as there were elements added to make it more accessible to the West, which worked so well that this was the main reason we had a Kung Fu craze in the mid 70's... not to mention, turn its star into the icon that he still is today.
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