Casablanca.
1942 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Conrad Veidt, Dooley Wilson
Director: Michael Curtiz
Available from Amazon as a single DVD (snapcase!), or as a two-disc special edition, which I own. Casablanca is also part of two box sets: the first Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection, and the Best Picture Winners installment of TCM's Greatest Classic Films Collection. Or, you could always invest in the ultimate collectors' edition.
"Here's looking at you, kid."
"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
"Play it, Sam. Play As Time Goes By." *
"Round up the usual suspects."
"We'll always have Paris."
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."
One of the all time classic American films. Casablanca won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Best Director for Michael Curtiz.
Humphrey Bogart is Rick Blaine, a nightclub owner in Casablanca during the early days of World War II. Rick's Café Américain is an upscale nightclub slash gambling den that attracts a wide base of customers, notably Vichy French and Nazi officials, as well as refugees and thieves. One day, a petty criminal called Ugarte (Lorre) shows up in the club with "letters of transit" that he got after two German couriers were murdered. These documents will allow the bearer to travel as they pleased through Nazi-controlled Germany, into neutral Portugal, and from there into the United States. Obviously, these are very valuable and highly coveted, and Ugarte plans to make a killing by selling them to the highest bidder who is eager enough to get out of Casablanca, but the criminal is arrested by the local police under the command of the corrupt Captain Louis Renault (Rains) before he could sell. He still entrusts Rick with the letters (Ugarte dies offscreen while in police custody).
And then, Ilsa Lund (Bergman) arrives in the club with her new husband Victor Laszlo (Henreid), a fugitive Czech Resistance leader. Rick and Ilsa were lovers, but she left him without explanation. Ilsa and Victor need Rick's letters to eventually escape to America so Victor can continue his work, and the German Major Strasser (Veidt) shows up to make sure Laszlo doesn't succeed. Laszlo has also met with Rick's business rival, Signor Ferrari (Greenstreet), voicing his suspicion that Rick has the letters. When Laszlo and Rick meet privately, he refuses to hand over the letters, suggesting that he ask his wife for the reason. Just then, Stresser and his fellow officers begin to loudly sing "Die Wacht am Rhein". Laszlo, with Rick's approval, gets the house band to play the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise", triggering long-suppressed patriotic fervor in the crowd, and quickly drowning out the Nazis. Strasser retaliates by having Captain Renault shut the nightclub down.
Later, Ilsa confronts Sam and demands the letters, but he refuses to hand them over. She tries to shoot him, but can't bring herself to pull the trigger, confessing that she still loves him. The truth comes out: Laszlo was believed killed in a concentration camp, but as the Germans were on the brink of capturing Paris, Ilsa learned that Laszlo was still alive; hence her wordless break-up with Rick, she left to tend to an ill Laszlo. Rick's bitterness towards Ilsa fades, and he agrees to help, making her believe that she will stay in Casablanca with Rick when Laszlo leaves for America.
Rick, as everyone knows, has other ideas, and his future does not involve a permanent reconciliation with Ilsa.
There's really not much else I can add. Of course, this one is highly, highly, highly recommended.
* Often mistaken for the simpler "Play it again, Sam".
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon.
1941 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane
Director: John Huston
Available from Amazon as a three-disc special edition, which is also part of the second Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection.
This will be a special "Warner Night at the Movies" edition, which is an option available on the DVD. Had you gone to see The Maltese Falcon back in '41, this all would've awaited you at the theater:
* A trailer for Sergeant York.
* A very brief Newsreel.
* The Gay Parisian (short), directed by Jean Negulesco. Basically, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dance to the music of Jacques Offenbach. It's in Technicolor, so it looks great, but it really doesn't go anywhere. Pass on it, even if it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject.
* Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt, directed by Friz Freleng, 1941. Bugs Bunny is hunted by a pint-sized Hiawatha in between trying to read Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha. One of the earliest cartoons starring Bugs, and the first directed by Freleng.
* Meet John Doughboy, directed by Robert Clampett, 1941. Porky Pig hosts a parody of a newsreel with an armed forces theme, complete with caricatures of Jack Benny and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. This one is also available on the sixth and final Looney Tunes Golden Collection.
* And of course, the main feature...
John Huston's directorial debut is a screen adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, and it received three Academy Award nominations. It also helped turned Humphrey Bogart into a major star.
Bogart, as everyone knows, is detective Sam Spade, a man with his own personal code of honor. One day, a Miss Ruth Wonderly (Astor) breezes into the office Spade shares with his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan), and offers them a healthy incentive to protect her from someone named Floyd Thursby. Archer takes the offer, simply because he saw the woman first. Later that evening, he and Thursby are shot to death. After some confusion about Spade's possible involvement in the murders (a motive that he might be attracted to Archer's wife Iva, played by Gladys George), the detective meets Wonderly again, but she's now calling herself Brigid O'Shaughnessy. Brigid explains that Thursby was her partner, and he may have shot Archer, but she doesn't know who offed Thursby.
Spade also meets the effeminate Joel Cairo (Lorre), and a criminal named Kasper Gutman (Greenstreet), and everyone involved is looking for a 12 inch high, jewel-encrusted statuette in the shape of a falcon. Spade is offered small fortunes by Cairo and Gutman to find the treasure, but they are not above committing violent crimes to attain the bird themselves. As usual, many things are not what they seem, or appear to be.
Highly, highly recommended movie.
1941 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane
Director: John Huston
Available from Amazon as a three-disc special edition, which is also part of the second Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection.
This will be a special "Warner Night at the Movies" edition, which is an option available on the DVD. Had you gone to see The Maltese Falcon back in '41, this all would've awaited you at the theater:
* A trailer for Sergeant York.
* A very brief Newsreel.
* The Gay Parisian (short), directed by Jean Negulesco. Basically, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dance to the music of Jacques Offenbach. It's in Technicolor, so it looks great, but it really doesn't go anywhere. Pass on it, even if it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject.
* Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt, directed by Friz Freleng, 1941. Bugs Bunny is hunted by a pint-sized Hiawatha in between trying to read Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha. One of the earliest cartoons starring Bugs, and the first directed by Freleng.
* Meet John Doughboy, directed by Robert Clampett, 1941. Porky Pig hosts a parody of a newsreel with an armed forces theme, complete with caricatures of Jack Benny and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. This one is also available on the sixth and final Looney Tunes Golden Collection.
* And of course, the main feature...
John Huston's directorial debut is a screen adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, and it received three Academy Award nominations. It also helped turned Humphrey Bogart into a major star.
Bogart, as everyone knows, is detective Sam Spade, a man with his own personal code of honor. One day, a Miss Ruth Wonderly (Astor) breezes into the office Spade shares with his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan), and offers them a healthy incentive to protect her from someone named Floyd Thursby. Archer takes the offer, simply because he saw the woman first. Later that evening, he and Thursby are shot to death. After some confusion about Spade's possible involvement in the murders (a motive that he might be attracted to Archer's wife Iva, played by Gladys George), the detective meets Wonderly again, but she's now calling herself Brigid O'Shaughnessy. Brigid explains that Thursby was her partner, and he may have shot Archer, but she doesn't know who offed Thursby.
Spade also meets the effeminate Joel Cairo (Lorre), and a criminal named Kasper Gutman (Greenstreet), and everyone involved is looking for a 12 inch high, jewel-encrusted statuette in the shape of a falcon. Spade is offered small fortunes by Cairo and Gutman to find the treasure, but they are not above committing violent crimes to attain the bird themselves. As usual, many things are not what they seem, or appear to be.
Highly, highly recommended movie.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Night and Day
Night and Day.
1946 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Cary Grant, Alexis Smith, Monty Woolley, Mary Martin, Jane Wyman, Eve Arden
Director: Michael Curtiz
Available at Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of the Cary Grant Signature Collection.
Michael Curtiz directed this biographical film about the life and career of Cole Porter which understandably (for 1946 audiences) left out any hint of Porter's homosexuality. Those looking for a more realistic film about Porter should perhaps look into De-Lovely, starring Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, and Jonathan Pryce.
Night and Day covers the years 1912 to 1946, when Porter (Grant) attended Yale, and found himself uninterested in studying law, so he became involved with amateur theatricals under the tutelage of Monty Woolley, who plays himself. Cole signs up for the army and becomes an ambulance driver in World War I, and he meets his future wife Linda Lee (Smith) while stationed in France. After the war, Porter becomes a prolific songwriter, writing hit after hit, and drawing inspiration from mundane things like rain falling and the ticking of a grandfather clock. His marriage begins to suffer, as Linda starts feeling neglected when Cole's career takes off.
Later, Porter is seriously injured in a polo accident, but refuses to have his useless legs amputated and makes a big comeback, which draws praise from none other than a World War I veteran who just happens to be an amputee.
Recommended for fans of Cary Grant, although no one who comes across this one should expect a serious and 100 percent accurate biopic of Cole Porter.
1946 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Cary Grant, Alexis Smith, Monty Woolley, Mary Martin, Jane Wyman, Eve Arden
Director: Michael Curtiz
Available at Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of the Cary Grant Signature Collection.
Michael Curtiz directed this biographical film about the life and career of Cole Porter which understandably (for 1946 audiences) left out any hint of Porter's homosexuality. Those looking for a more realistic film about Porter should perhaps look into De-Lovely, starring Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, and Jonathan Pryce.
Night and Day covers the years 1912 to 1946, when Porter (Grant) attended Yale, and found himself uninterested in studying law, so he became involved with amateur theatricals under the tutelage of Monty Woolley, who plays himself. Cole signs up for the army and becomes an ambulance driver in World War I, and he meets his future wife Linda Lee (Smith) while stationed in France. After the war, Porter becomes a prolific songwriter, writing hit after hit, and drawing inspiration from mundane things like rain falling and the ticking of a grandfather clock. His marriage begins to suffer, as Linda starts feeling neglected when Cole's career takes off.
Later, Porter is seriously injured in a polo accident, but refuses to have his useless legs amputated and makes a big comeback, which draws praise from none other than a World War I veteran who just happens to be an amputee.
Recommended for fans of Cary Grant, although no one who comes across this one should expect a serious and 100 percent accurate biopic of Cole Porter.
Dinner at Eight
Dinner at Eight. 1933 MGM/Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore, Lee Tracy
Director: George Cukor
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the Classic Comedies Collection.
This one is a film adaptation of the play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber.
Billie Burke is Millicent Jordan, a social butterfly who arranges a dinner party that would benefit the business of her husband, Oliver (Lionel Barrymore). A week before the big shindig, Millicent is overjoyed that Lord and Lady Ferncliffe have accepted her invitations, even though she seems unaware of her husband and daughter Paula's (Madge Evans) not being as enthusiastic as she is. Paula's fiance Ernest DeGraff (Phillips Holmes) is due back from Europe, and Oliver's shipping firm has been struck hard by the Great Depression; bad enough that a former flame from his past is offering to sell her holdings, and Oliver doesn't have the cash to buy the stock back. Millicent's next task is to fund an escort for her only single female guest, former stage star Carlotta Vance (Marie Dressler), who is now broke, and is essentially a "professional guest" now.
Oliver confides in mining mogul Dan Packard (Beery) about his financial problems, asking him to take over some of his stocks until business improves. Dan eagerly agrees, then goes home to brag to his gold digging wife Kitty (Harlow) that the Jordan Line is a valuable property that he plans to devour through crooked stock purchases. The Packards are also extended invitations, mostly to make Dan hesitant about buying the stock. Kitty jumps at the chance, but Dan only agrees when he hears about the Ferncliffes attending the party.
Meanwhile, Kitty is secretly having an affair with Dr. Wayne Talbot (Edmund Lowe), and Millicent finds herself inviting alcoholic silent film star Larry Renault (John Barrymore) as Carlotta's date, unaware that Paula is having an affair with him! Larry accepts, then urges Paula to forget about him and return to Ernest, which she doesn't take seriously. Carlotta sees Paula leaving Larry's hotel room.
Basically, nothing goes right at the party. The Ferncliffes cancel and go to Florida instead, and Oliver falls ill from the stress of his business problems. Kitty and Dan argue, where she reveals her affair with Dr. Talbot (who is also caught by his wife Lucy, played by Karen Morley), then blackmails him into not divorcing her, since she will tell the Cabinet about his crooked business dealings. Larry's comeback attempt fails when he's removed from the lead role of his newest stage play, and goes on a bender that leads to his suicide right before he's supposed to be at the party. Millicent, upon learning of Larry's death and her own husband's illness, finally realizes she's been focusing too much on social gatherings and not her own family. Paula ultimately stays engaged to Ernest, and Dan backs down from his takeover of the Jordan Line.
Recommended movie.
Starring: Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore, Lee Tracy
Director: George Cukor
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the Classic Comedies Collection.
This one is a film adaptation of the play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber.
Billie Burke is Millicent Jordan, a social butterfly who arranges a dinner party that would benefit the business of her husband, Oliver (Lionel Barrymore). A week before the big shindig, Millicent is overjoyed that Lord and Lady Ferncliffe have accepted her invitations, even though she seems unaware of her husband and daughter Paula's (Madge Evans) not being as enthusiastic as she is. Paula's fiance Ernest DeGraff (Phillips Holmes) is due back from Europe, and Oliver's shipping firm has been struck hard by the Great Depression; bad enough that a former flame from his past is offering to sell her holdings, and Oliver doesn't have the cash to buy the stock back. Millicent's next task is to fund an escort for her only single female guest, former stage star Carlotta Vance (Marie Dressler), who is now broke, and is essentially a "professional guest" now.
Oliver confides in mining mogul Dan Packard (Beery) about his financial problems, asking him to take over some of his stocks until business improves. Dan eagerly agrees, then goes home to brag to his gold digging wife Kitty (Harlow) that the Jordan Line is a valuable property that he plans to devour through crooked stock purchases. The Packards are also extended invitations, mostly to make Dan hesitant about buying the stock. Kitty jumps at the chance, but Dan only agrees when he hears about the Ferncliffes attending the party.
Meanwhile, Kitty is secretly having an affair with Dr. Wayne Talbot (Edmund Lowe), and Millicent finds herself inviting alcoholic silent film star Larry Renault (John Barrymore) as Carlotta's date, unaware that Paula is having an affair with him! Larry accepts, then urges Paula to forget about him and return to Ernest, which she doesn't take seriously. Carlotta sees Paula leaving Larry's hotel room.
Basically, nothing goes right at the party. The Ferncliffes cancel and go to Florida instead, and Oliver falls ill from the stress of his business problems. Kitty and Dan argue, where she reveals her affair with Dr. Talbot (who is also caught by his wife Lucy, played by Karen Morley), then blackmails him into not divorcing her, since she will tell the Cabinet about his crooked business dealings. Larry's comeback attempt fails when he's removed from the lead role of his newest stage play, and goes on a bender that leads to his suicide right before he's supposed to be at the party. Millicent, upon learning of Larry's death and her own husband's illness, finally realizes she's been focusing too much on social gatherings and not her own family. Paula ultimately stays engaged to Ernest, and Dan backs down from his takeover of the Jordan Line.
Recommended movie.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The Apartment
The Apartment.
1960 The Mirisch Corporation & United Artists; distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Edie Adams
Director: Billy Wilder
Buy The Apartment Collectors' Edition from Amazon.
The Apartment was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and won five, including Best Picture, and Best Director for Billy Wilder.
C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) works for a Manhattan-based insurance company with the less than ideal home life, as four different company managers take turns commandeering his apartment (on West 67th Street) for various extramarital trysts. Baxter is obviously unhappy with this arrangement, but he's unwilling to challenge it directly, as his supervisors are returning the favor with glowing reviews of his work, which leads to a big promotion later on. His neighbors assume that Baxter is a lothario who brings home a new woman every evening to get them drunk, which he does nothing to disprove.
Baxter is also trying to catch the eye of the elevator operator, Fran Kubelik (MacLaine). After his promotion, he finally asks Fran to a Broadway show, which she accepts...and stands him up. When Baxter returns home, he finds Fran dressed in his bed, having overdosed on sleeping pills. Before the promotion, Baxter had also allowed his company's personnel director Mr. Sheldrake (MacMurray) to use his place, and he was present the night Baxter was away at the show. Fran reveals that he had been involved with Sheldrake the previous summer, but it ended when his wife returned from a vacation. She still caved into his promises later that fall, but attempted suicide after Sheldrake offered her money instead of a Christmas gift.
After Fran recovers, and Sheldrake's marriage finally collapses thanks to a tattletale secretary who also happens to be a former lover, Baxter finally takes a stand against his superiors taking advantage of him and using his quarters for their affairs. Baxter quits the firm, and Fran ditches Sheldrake on New Year's Eve, having realized who truly cares for her. They spend the big holiday playing gin rummy.
Highly, highly recommended. Now, shut up and deal!
1960 The Mirisch Corporation & United Artists; distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Edie Adams
Director: Billy Wilder
Buy The Apartment Collectors' Edition from Amazon.
The Apartment was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and won five, including Best Picture, and Best Director for Billy Wilder.
C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) works for a Manhattan-based insurance company with the less than ideal home life, as four different company managers take turns commandeering his apartment (on West 67th Street) for various extramarital trysts. Baxter is obviously unhappy with this arrangement, but he's unwilling to challenge it directly, as his supervisors are returning the favor with glowing reviews of his work, which leads to a big promotion later on. His neighbors assume that Baxter is a lothario who brings home a new woman every evening to get them drunk, which he does nothing to disprove.
Baxter is also trying to catch the eye of the elevator operator, Fran Kubelik (MacLaine). After his promotion, he finally asks Fran to a Broadway show, which she accepts...and stands him up. When Baxter returns home, he finds Fran dressed in his bed, having overdosed on sleeping pills. Before the promotion, Baxter had also allowed his company's personnel director Mr. Sheldrake (MacMurray) to use his place, and he was present the night Baxter was away at the show. Fran reveals that he had been involved with Sheldrake the previous summer, but it ended when his wife returned from a vacation. She still caved into his promises later that fall, but attempted suicide after Sheldrake offered her money instead of a Christmas gift.
After Fran recovers, and Sheldrake's marriage finally collapses thanks to a tattletale secretary who also happens to be a former lover, Baxter finally takes a stand against his superiors taking advantage of him and using his quarters for their affairs. Baxter quits the firm, and Fran ditches Sheldrake on New Year's Eve, having realized who truly cares for her. They spend the big holiday playing gin rummy.
Highly, highly recommended. Now, shut up and deal!
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
2001 View Askew Productions & Dimension Films.
Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, and the usual gang of idiots.
Director: Kevin Smith
Available from Amazon.
You could call this the ultimate self-referential movie, as Kevin Smith brings the entire View Askewniverse together in one movie.
After being banned from the Quick Stop by Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) after he catches them roughing up two kids while boasting about the greatness of Morris Day and The Time (who also make an appearance as themselves), Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes and Smith) hang out at the Secret Stash comic shop, where they find out that there's going to be a Bluntman and Chronic movie based on the comic book with the characters based on them. They're even more mortified to discover that there's an almost universally negative reaction to the movie thus far, so they set off for Hollywood to prevent the film from being made, or at the least, get the money that they rightfully are owed. At first, they can't make any progress, even when a hitchhiker (George Carlin) advises them about a technique called "road head" (look it up elsewhere, this is a family movie review blog).
Somewhere between New Jersey and Hollywood, Jay and Bob end up joining up with an animal liberation group led by Justice (Shannon Elizabeth), consisting of three other ladies and one man (Seann William Scott) who Jay personally ejects from the group's van just to get closer to Justice. Actually, the group's real intention is to rob a diamond depository next to an animal testing lab in Colorado, and with the other guy gone, they pick Jay and Bob as their new patsies. As usual, the planned heist goes awry, the girls are mistakenly believed killed during a freak explosion, and our heroes rescue an orangutan named Suzanne, who they take with them to Hollywood.
In due time, Jay and Silent Bob (and Suzanne) arrive in Hollywood, with Justice and her girls following them. Can everything get straightened out without too much hilarity?
Highly recommended.
The final movie in View Askew continuity is Clerks II. Go read that review now.
2001 View Askew Productions & Dimension Films.
Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, and the usual gang of idiots.
Director: Kevin Smith
Available from Amazon.
You could call this the ultimate self-referential movie, as Kevin Smith brings the entire View Askewniverse together in one movie.
After being banned from the Quick Stop by Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) after he catches them roughing up two kids while boasting about the greatness of Morris Day and The Time (who also make an appearance as themselves), Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes and Smith) hang out at the Secret Stash comic shop, where they find out that there's going to be a Bluntman and Chronic movie based on the comic book with the characters based on them. They're even more mortified to discover that there's an almost universally negative reaction to the movie thus far, so they set off for Hollywood to prevent the film from being made, or at the least, get the money that they rightfully are owed. At first, they can't make any progress, even when a hitchhiker (George Carlin) advises them about a technique called "road head" (look it up elsewhere, this is a family movie review blog).
Somewhere between New Jersey and Hollywood, Jay and Bob end up joining up with an animal liberation group led by Justice (Shannon Elizabeth), consisting of three other ladies and one man (Seann William Scott) who Jay personally ejects from the group's van just to get closer to Justice. Actually, the group's real intention is to rob a diamond depository next to an animal testing lab in Colorado, and with the other guy gone, they pick Jay and Bob as their new patsies. As usual, the planned heist goes awry, the girls are mistakenly believed killed during a freak explosion, and our heroes rescue an orangutan named Suzanne, who they take with them to Hollywood.
In due time, Jay and Silent Bob (and Suzanne) arrive in Hollywood, with Justice and her girls following them. Can everything get straightened out without too much hilarity?
Highly recommended.
The final movie in View Askew continuity is Clerks II. Go read that review now.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
MST3K #212: Godzilla vs. Megalon
Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #212: Godzilla vs. Megalon.
Original Comedy Channel airdate: January 19, 1991.
Amazon.com listing (discontinued). Keep an eye on eBay for available copies.
This episode was originally released on DVD as part of the tenth MST3K set, but rights issues caused it to be withdrawn, and reissued with episode #402, The Giant Gila Monster in its place. It was originally conceived as a solo vehicle for the then-brand new Jet Jaguar character, who was created by a contest winner.
An undersea civilization called Seatopia has been ravaged by nuclear testing conducting by surface nations, so they unleash their god, Megalon, to attack and destroy the surface world. They also try to steal a newly-constructed robot called Jet Jaguar, along with its creator, Goro Ibuki, his kid brother "Roxanne", and their friend Hiroshi Jinkawa. The stolen Jet Jaguar lures Megalon to Tokyo, where human armies can't deal with the monster. Goro regains control of his robot, and sents it to Monster Island to bring back reinforcements: namely, Godzilla. Megalon somehow has backup, Gigan, and after Jet Jaguar grows to massive size, a big ol' royal rumble goes down, complete with Godzilla doing the Muhammad Ali shuffle (!), and executing the now infamous flying kick on Megalon. Godzilla and Jet Jaguar shake hands after their victory (!!), and Japan is safe for another day from men in rubber suits stomping on HO scale sets.
(And you thought that 1998 film abortion that was Godzilla was embarrassingly bad.)
On the SOL, Joel and the robots introduce the program in the style of a magazine show, complete with numerous Robert Goulet and Moms Mabley references. The invention exchange sees numerous simple Halloween costumes created from ordinary household items. Later, Joel catches Tom and Crow looking at naughty pictures, so they quickly improvise a discussion over which monster is more powerful. The SOL crew also introduces the new hit TV program Rex Dart: Eskimo Spy!, with action clips from the film, and the robots do a very bizarre sketch mercilessly lampooning popcorn icon Orville Redenbacher and his grandson. After the film, letters are read, and Joel modifies Crow and Servo with new arms that look cool, but are largely useless. Down in Deep 13, TV's Frank is incensed by his Mario Bros. video game.
Obviously, this isn't one of the best Godzilla movies (it's still better than the 1998 movie!!), but it made for a hilarious early episode of MST3K. This is easily the highlight of Season 2. Highly, highly recommended, but good luck finding a copy!
Original Comedy Channel airdate: January 19, 1991.
Amazon.com listing (discontinued). Keep an eye on eBay for available copies.
This episode was originally released on DVD as part of the tenth MST3K set, but rights issues caused it to be withdrawn, and reissued with episode #402, The Giant Gila Monster in its place. It was originally conceived as a solo vehicle for the then-brand new Jet Jaguar character, who was created by a contest winner.
An undersea civilization called Seatopia has been ravaged by nuclear testing conducting by surface nations, so they unleash their god, Megalon, to attack and destroy the surface world. They also try to steal a newly-constructed robot called Jet Jaguar, along with its creator, Goro Ibuki, his kid brother "Roxanne", and their friend Hiroshi Jinkawa. The stolen Jet Jaguar lures Megalon to Tokyo, where human armies can't deal with the monster. Goro regains control of his robot, and sents it to Monster Island to bring back reinforcements: namely, Godzilla. Megalon somehow has backup, Gigan, and after Jet Jaguar grows to massive size, a big ol' royal rumble goes down, complete with Godzilla doing the Muhammad Ali shuffle (!), and executing the now infamous flying kick on Megalon. Godzilla and Jet Jaguar shake hands after their victory (!!), and Japan is safe for another day from men in rubber suits stomping on HO scale sets.
(And you thought that 1998 film abortion that was Godzilla was embarrassingly bad.)
On the SOL, Joel and the robots introduce the program in the style of a magazine show, complete with numerous Robert Goulet and Moms Mabley references. The invention exchange sees numerous simple Halloween costumes created from ordinary household items. Later, Joel catches Tom and Crow looking at naughty pictures, so they quickly improvise a discussion over which monster is more powerful. The SOL crew also introduces the new hit TV program Rex Dart: Eskimo Spy!, with action clips from the film, and the robots do a very bizarre sketch mercilessly lampooning popcorn icon Orville Redenbacher and his grandson. After the film, letters are read, and Joel modifies Crow and Servo with new arms that look cool, but are largely useless. Down in Deep 13, TV's Frank is incensed by his Mario Bros. video game.
Obviously, this isn't one of the best Godzilla movies (it's still better than the 1998 movie!!), but it made for a hilarious early episode of MST3K. This is easily the highlight of Season 2. Highly, highly recommended, but good luck finding a copy!
Friday, June 26, 2009
MST3K #902: The Phantom Planet
Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #902: The Phantom Planet.
Original Sci-Fi Channel airdate: March 21, 1998.
Part of the eighth MST3K collection, still available at Amazon.
A U.S. astronaut named Frank Chapman (Dean Fredericks) is traveling through space when his ship finds a planet with a race of tiny, tiny people. The planet's bizarre atmosphere causes Chapman to shrink down to six inches in size. While he's stuck on the planet, Frank meets two beautiful women, and decides to help the locals combat an invading race of monsters called the Solarites, which look somewhat like dogs.
On the Satellite of Love, Crow and Servo have challenged Mike to an Andy Rooney-off, complete with giant bushy eyebrows. The competition is judged by Gypsy, who quits in frustration when the contestants refuses to stop Andy Rooney-offing (that's clearly not a word). Down in Castle Forrester, Pearl, Brain Guy, and Professor Bobo are finishing the move in, and Pearl's world domination kit arrives from Speigel. Too bad that the all-important "thing" has been sent up to the SOL, right? Later on, Mike and Tom discuss the Good and the Beautiful, which coincidentally are all mid '90s pin-up babes. The 'bots also invite Mike into taking part of their new hobby of water glass rim music, which they soon come to regret. Meanwhile, Pearl is still upset at getting an incomplete world domination kit, and the welcome wagon arrives at the castle, wielding flaming torches.
Recommended episode.
Original Sci-Fi Channel airdate: March 21, 1998.
Part of the eighth MST3K collection, still available at Amazon.
A U.S. astronaut named Frank Chapman (Dean Fredericks) is traveling through space when his ship finds a planet with a race of tiny, tiny people. The planet's bizarre atmosphere causes Chapman to shrink down to six inches in size. While he's stuck on the planet, Frank meets two beautiful women, and decides to help the locals combat an invading race of monsters called the Solarites, which look somewhat like dogs.
On the Satellite of Love, Crow and Servo have challenged Mike to an Andy Rooney-off, complete with giant bushy eyebrows. The competition is judged by Gypsy, who quits in frustration when the contestants refuses to stop Andy Rooney-offing (that's clearly not a word). Down in Castle Forrester, Pearl, Brain Guy, and Professor Bobo are finishing the move in, and Pearl's world domination kit arrives from Speigel. Too bad that the all-important "thing" has been sent up to the SOL, right? Later on, Mike and Tom discuss the Good and the Beautiful, which coincidentally are all mid '90s pin-up babes. The 'bots also invite Mike into taking part of their new hobby of water glass rim music, which they soon come to regret. Meanwhile, Pearl is still upset at getting an incomplete world domination kit, and the welcome wagon arrives at the castle, wielding flaming torches.
Recommended episode.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
I Know Where I'm Going!
I Know Where I'm Going! (Criterion #94).
1945 The Rank Organisation & Janus Films.
Starring: Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, Pamela Brown, Finlay Currie, George Carney, Nancy Price
Directors: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Available from Amazon.
From her infant days, Joan Webster (Hiller) always possessed an independent spirit, and always knew where she was going, or at least she thought so. As an adult, she leaves home in Manchester, planning to travel to the Hebrides to marry the very wealthy and much older industrialist Sir Robery Bellinger (voiced by Norman Shelley), settling down on the island of Kiloran. Bad weather keeps her stuck for a week on the Isle of Mull, and Joan waits in a small community of people whose values are foreign to her.
During the wait, Joan meets a naval officer named Torquil MacNeil (Livesey), who is also trying to make his way to Kiloran for shore leave. Over the next few days, she falls for MacNeil, but she still doesn't want her original plan to go to waste. Joan unsuccessfully tries to sail to Kiloran, but Torquil, who invited himself aboard after hearing that she was making the trip, manages to bring the boat back into a safe harbor. Only then does Joan learn that her future does not lie in a marriage of convenience on a small island, but it resides on the mainland with Torquil.
Highly recommended.
1945 The Rank Organisation & Janus Films.
Starring: Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, Pamela Brown, Finlay Currie, George Carney, Nancy Price
Directors: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Available from Amazon.
From her infant days, Joan Webster (Hiller) always possessed an independent spirit, and always knew where she was going, or at least she thought so. As an adult, she leaves home in Manchester, planning to travel to the Hebrides to marry the very wealthy and much older industrialist Sir Robery Bellinger (voiced by Norman Shelley), settling down on the island of Kiloran. Bad weather keeps her stuck for a week on the Isle of Mull, and Joan waits in a small community of people whose values are foreign to her.
During the wait, Joan meets a naval officer named Torquil MacNeil (Livesey), who is also trying to make his way to Kiloran for shore leave. Over the next few days, she falls for MacNeil, but she still doesn't want her original plan to go to waste. Joan unsuccessfully tries to sail to Kiloran, but Torquil, who invited himself aboard after hearing that she was making the trip, manages to bring the boat back into a safe harbor. Only then does Joan learn that her future does not lie in a marriage of convenience on a small island, but it resides on the mainland with Torquil.
Highly recommended.
Wise Blood
Wise Blood (Criterion #470).
1979 New Line Cinema (distributors) & Janus Films.
Starring: Brad Dourif, John Huston, Dan Shor, Harry Dean Stanton, Amy Wright, Mary Nell Santacrose, Ned Beatty, William Hickey
Director: John Huston
Buy Wise Blood from Amazon.
John Huston directed this adaptation of Flannery O'Connor's 1952 novel of the same name. Brad Dourif is Hazel Moses, a returning veteran discharged due to an embarrassing injury that he'd rather not discuss. Moses plans to settle down in a new town to experience things that he's missed out on before. Once he arrives in an unspecified mid-sized community called Taulkinham, various strange characters begin to congregate around him, including a young man named Enoch Emory (Shor), who is evidentally desperate for Hazel's approval, claiming to have "wise blood" flowing in his veins.
Hazel's grandfather (Huston) was a pretty hardcore fundamentalist preacher, we learn in flashbacks, and Moses grew up as an angry young man who refused to believe in a higher power. Even though Hazel grew up to despise preachers, he finds himself transforming into a zealous street preacher promoting his so-called "Church of Truth Without Jesus Christ", where a member has to save himself because "sure as hell the Lord won't save you". Moses also runs across a fellow preacher named Asa Hawks (Stanton) who feigns having blinded himself in the name of Jesus, as well as his daughter Sabbath Lily (Wright), who isn't as innocent as she seems.
The Church Without Christ never truly takes off, despite the efforts of Sabbath Lily, Hawks, Enoch, and a huckster known as Onnie Jay Holy (Beatty), who steals Hazel's message and attracts the following that Moses was unable to attain. Things start to spiral out of control for Moses, and a routine traffic stop is the catalyst that sends him over the edge.
Highly recommended, but this is still a weird movie.
1979 New Line Cinema (distributors) & Janus Films.
Starring: Brad Dourif, John Huston, Dan Shor, Harry Dean Stanton, Amy Wright, Mary Nell Santacrose, Ned Beatty, William Hickey
Director: John Huston
Buy Wise Blood from Amazon.
John Huston directed this adaptation of Flannery O'Connor's 1952 novel of the same name. Brad Dourif is Hazel Moses, a returning veteran discharged due to an embarrassing injury that he'd rather not discuss. Moses plans to settle down in a new town to experience things that he's missed out on before. Once he arrives in an unspecified mid-sized community called Taulkinham, various strange characters begin to congregate around him, including a young man named Enoch Emory (Shor), who is evidentally desperate for Hazel's approval, claiming to have "wise blood" flowing in his veins.
Hazel's grandfather (Huston) was a pretty hardcore fundamentalist preacher, we learn in flashbacks, and Moses grew up as an angry young man who refused to believe in a higher power. Even though Hazel grew up to despise preachers, he finds himself transforming into a zealous street preacher promoting his so-called "Church of Truth Without Jesus Christ", where a member has to save himself because "sure as hell the Lord won't save you". Moses also runs across a fellow preacher named Asa Hawks (Stanton) who feigns having blinded himself in the name of Jesus, as well as his daughter Sabbath Lily (Wright), who isn't as innocent as she seems.
The Church Without Christ never truly takes off, despite the efforts of Sabbath Lily, Hawks, Enoch, and a huckster known as Onnie Jay Holy (Beatty), who steals Hazel's message and attracts the following that Moses was unable to attain. Things start to spiral out of control for Moses, and a routine traffic stop is the catalyst that sends him over the edge.
Highly recommended, but this is still a weird movie.
Blast of Silence
Blast of Silence (Criterion #428).
1961 Universal International.
Starring: Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, Peter H. Clune, Danny Meehan, Howard Mann, Charles Creasap
Narrator: Lionel Stander (uncredited)
Director: Allen Baron
Buy Blast of Silence from Amazon.
This is an excellent late period film noir written, directed by, and starring Allen Baron. Peter Falk was originally cast for the role as Frankie Bono, but scheduling conflicts prevented this.
It's New York City at Christmas, 1961. An antisocial loner of a hitman named Frankie Bono arrives in the Apple from Cleveland, where he'll make a hit on a millionaire named Troiano (Clune). Frankie knows where to find his man, but his surroundings may prove it difficult to stay focued on killing Troiano, such as the reappearance of an old flame named Lorrie (McCarthy), and the Christmas season bringing Bono's suppressed loneliness to the surface. He has very painful memories of aforementioned holiday.
The DVD boasts an excellent (okay, nearly flawless) transfer of the film, providing the viewer with crisp, black and white shots of Manhattan. Again, this is an all around amazing movie. Highly, highly, highly recommended.
1961 Universal International.
Starring: Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, Peter H. Clune, Danny Meehan, Howard Mann, Charles Creasap
Narrator: Lionel Stander (uncredited)
Director: Allen Baron
Buy Blast of Silence from Amazon.
This is an excellent late period film noir written, directed by, and starring Allen Baron. Peter Falk was originally cast for the role as Frankie Bono, but scheduling conflicts prevented this.
It's New York City at Christmas, 1961. An antisocial loner of a hitman named Frankie Bono arrives in the Apple from Cleveland, where he'll make a hit on a millionaire named Troiano (Clune). Frankie knows where to find his man, but his surroundings may prove it difficult to stay focued on killing Troiano, such as the reappearance of an old flame named Lorrie (McCarthy), and the Christmas season bringing Bono's suppressed loneliness to the surface. He has very painful memories of aforementioned holiday.
The DVD boasts an excellent (okay, nearly flawless) transfer of the film, providing the viewer with crisp, black and white shots of Manhattan. Again, this is an all around amazing movie. Highly, highly, highly recommended.
Hopscotch
Hopscotch (Criterion #163).
1980 AVCO Embassy Films, StudioCanal & Janus Films.
Starring: Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Sam Waterson, Ned Beatty, Herbert Lom
Director: Ronald Neame
Hopscotch is available from Amazon.
The Criterion Collection does have a few head-scratchers for movies that they've released, notably both of the Michael Bay films they issued on DVD, and most recently, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I also have to agree that Hopscotch, which to my knowledge was never a commercial or critical success, is one of those movies. Criterion has released other films made by director Ronald Neame, so it isn't completely unusual that Hopscotch is present in the collection.
Based on Brian Garfield's novel of the same name, the feature stars Walter Matthau as renegade CIA agent Miles Kendig who plans to publish a book exposing the inner workings of both his employers and the KGB. After Miles participates in a sting operation in Munich, he learns that his supervisor Myerson (Beatty) is planning to force him into semi-retirement and a desk job. Kendig insists that he's a field man, and takes it upon himself to leave, destroying his file on the way out. With the help of Isobel von Schonenberg (Jackson), Kendig starts globehopping, staying one step ahead of his pursuers from America and Russia, even hiding out in Myerson's Georgia home. He also finishes his book while hiding in London.
Kendig fakes his death in England, departing with Isobel for France, and everyone else involve believes that he really is dead, save CIA agent Joe Cutter (Waterson). The book does become a bestseller, though, amid rumors that Miles is alive and hiding in Australia.
Recommended film, although I admit that I didn't pay that close attention to it, as I was spending more time bouncing between various websites trying to read more about the death of Michael Jackson, so my apologies. Fortunately, Hopscotch did pick up the pace after Kendig went on his escape, keeping a step ahead of two powerful government agencies.
1980 AVCO Embassy Films, StudioCanal & Janus Films.
Starring: Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Sam Waterson, Ned Beatty, Herbert Lom
Director: Ronald Neame
Hopscotch is available from Amazon.
The Criterion Collection does have a few head-scratchers for movies that they've released, notably both of the Michael Bay films they issued on DVD, and most recently, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I also have to agree that Hopscotch, which to my knowledge was never a commercial or critical success, is one of those movies. Criterion has released other films made by director Ronald Neame, so it isn't completely unusual that Hopscotch is present in the collection.
Based on Brian Garfield's novel of the same name, the feature stars Walter Matthau as renegade CIA agent Miles Kendig who plans to publish a book exposing the inner workings of both his employers and the KGB. After Miles participates in a sting operation in Munich, he learns that his supervisor Myerson (Beatty) is planning to force him into semi-retirement and a desk job. Kendig insists that he's a field man, and takes it upon himself to leave, destroying his file on the way out. With the help of Isobel von Schonenberg (Jackson), Kendig starts globehopping, staying one step ahead of his pursuers from America and Russia, even hiding out in Myerson's Georgia home. He also finishes his book while hiding in London.
Kendig fakes his death in England, departing with Isobel for France, and everyone else involve believes that he really is dead, save CIA agent Joe Cutter (Waterson). The book does become a bestseller, though, amid rumors that Miles is alive and hiding in Australia.
Recommended film, although I admit that I didn't pay that close attention to it, as I was spending more time bouncing between various websites trying to read more about the death of Michael Jackson, so my apologies. Fortunately, Hopscotch did pick up the pace after Kendig went on his escape, keeping a step ahead of two powerful government agencies.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Manhattan
Manhattan.
1979 United Artists; distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep, Anne Byrne, Michael O'Donoghue, Wallace Shawn
Director: Woody Allen
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of The Woody Allen Collection, Set 1.
This is Woody Allen's love letter to his hometown, as well as George Gershwin's music. He hated the finished product, and offered to make a movie for free if United Artists never released it. The studio obviously did not keep the film shelved like the director wanted.
Allen is Isaac Davis, a former TV writer who has been divorced twice, and his current project is writing a book about how much he loves New York City. He's also dating a 17-year-old high school girl named Tracy (Hemingway) who he still feels is too young for him, which is why he won't commit. His best friend Yale (Murphy) is married to Emily (Byrne), but he's still shagging Mary Wilkie (Keaton) on the side, and her ex-husband Jeremiah (Shawn) is also in the picture. Also, Isaac's lesbian ex-wife Jill (Streep) is writing a tell-all book about their relationship.
Isaac and Mary, after initially having a bad first meeting, fall in love, complete with the iconic scene with the bridge in the background. Isaac still continues to see Tracy, but he does encourage her to take an educational opportunity in Europe. Things change when Yale dumps Mary, unwilling to end his marriage to Emily, and suggests that Isaac ask Mary out, which he does, and he breaks it off with Tracy, which devastates her.
Things don't stay this way for long, as Yale finally splits with Emily to resume his relationship with Mary. Emily might have triggered this by reading out loud portions of Jill's book about her marriage to Isaac during a double date. Isaac tries confronting Yale about what happened, but after Yale says he met Mary first, Issac tells Emily that Yale was having extra-marital affairs. Emily simply believes that Isaac introduced Mary to Yale.
Isaac tries to catch Tracy before she leaves for England to rekindle that romance, but the plans are already made, and she simply tells him that Isaac needs to have a little more faith in people.
Highly, highly recommended film.
1979 United Artists; distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep, Anne Byrne, Michael O'Donoghue, Wallace Shawn
Director: Woody Allen
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of The Woody Allen Collection, Set 1.
This is Woody Allen's love letter to his hometown, as well as George Gershwin's music. He hated the finished product, and offered to make a movie for free if United Artists never released it. The studio obviously did not keep the film shelved like the director wanted.
Allen is Isaac Davis, a former TV writer who has been divorced twice, and his current project is writing a book about how much he loves New York City. He's also dating a 17-year-old high school girl named Tracy (Hemingway) who he still feels is too young for him, which is why he won't commit. His best friend Yale (Murphy) is married to Emily (Byrne), but he's still shagging Mary Wilkie (Keaton) on the side, and her ex-husband Jeremiah (Shawn) is also in the picture. Also, Isaac's lesbian ex-wife Jill (Streep) is writing a tell-all book about their relationship.
Isaac and Mary, after initially having a bad first meeting, fall in love, complete with the iconic scene with the bridge in the background. Isaac still continues to see Tracy, but he does encourage her to take an educational opportunity in Europe. Things change when Yale dumps Mary, unwilling to end his marriage to Emily, and suggests that Isaac ask Mary out, which he does, and he breaks it off with Tracy, which devastates her.
Things don't stay this way for long, as Yale finally splits with Emily to resume his relationship with Mary. Emily might have triggered this by reading out loud portions of Jill's book about her marriage to Isaac during a double date. Isaac tries confronting Yale about what happened, but after Yale says he met Mary first, Issac tells Emily that Yale was having extra-marital affairs. Emily simply believes that Isaac introduced Mary to Yale.
Isaac tries to catch Tracy before she leaves for England to rekindle that romance, but the plans are already made, and she simply tells him that Isaac needs to have a little more faith in people.
Highly, highly recommended film.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
After the Thin Man
After the Thin Man.
1936 MGM/Turner Entertainment
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart, Alan Marshall, Elissa Landi, Joseph Calleia, Penny Singleton, Sam Levene
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the Complete Thin Man Collection.
Nick and Nora Charles (Powell & Loy) end up coerced back into action after they are invited to a formal dinner hosted by Nora's family, which includes Aunt Katherine (Jessie Ralph), who hates Nick, and views him as "below" them. Nora's cousin Selma (Landi) is married to Robert (Marshall), who hasn't been seem for some time. Nick and Nora quickly find Robert in a Chinese nightclub, where he's conducting an affair with the club's star performer Polly (Singleton). He's also extorting money from David (Stewart), who harbors unrequited love for Selma.
Robert is unaware that Polly and her boss, Phil Dancer (Calleia), are planning to take the extorted money for themselves, and Robert is shot to death at midnight. The police quickly determine that Selma is the prime suspect, and her current mental state strengthens their case. Nick, with help from Lt. Abrams (Levene), now has to work to prove Selma's innocence as two more people connected to the case are bumped off.
Recommended sequel.
1936 MGM/Turner Entertainment
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart, Alan Marshall, Elissa Landi, Joseph Calleia, Penny Singleton, Sam Levene
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the Complete Thin Man Collection.
Nick and Nora Charles (Powell & Loy) end up coerced back into action after they are invited to a formal dinner hosted by Nora's family, which includes Aunt Katherine (Jessie Ralph), who hates Nick, and views him as "below" them. Nora's cousin Selma (Landi) is married to Robert (Marshall), who hasn't been seem for some time. Nick and Nora quickly find Robert in a Chinese nightclub, where he's conducting an affair with the club's star performer Polly (Singleton). He's also extorting money from David (Stewart), who harbors unrequited love for Selma.
Robert is unaware that Polly and her boss, Phil Dancer (Calleia), are planning to take the extorted money for themselves, and Robert is shot to death at midnight. The police quickly determine that Selma is the prime suspect, and her current mental state strengthens their case. Nick, with help from Lt. Abrams (Levene), now has to work to prove Selma's innocence as two more people connected to the case are bumped off.
Recommended sequel.
The Mackintosh Man
The Mackintosh Man. 1973 Warner Bros. Pictures.
Starring: Paul Newman, Dominique Sanda, Ian Bannen, James Mason, Michael Horden, Harry Andrews, Nigel Patrick
Director: John Huston
Available from Amazon only as part of the Paul Newman Collection.
In his review for this movie, Roger Ebert suggested that this was the first "anti-spy" movie, made by a group of people with no real understanding for spy films.
Paul Newman is Joseph Rearden, an agent of British Intelligence who is assigned by Mackintosh (Andrews) and Mrs. Smith (Sanda) to impersonate a jewel thief who transports his stolen goods through the mail to avoid attention. Rearden does this successfully after punching out a postman and taking the diamonds, but is still arrested and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. After being sent to prison, Rearden starts asking about a former British spy, Slade (Bannen). Slade is kept in high security because he was exposed as a mole for the KGB, but not much information is known about him.
A few weeks later, Rearden participates in a planned escape with another inmate (who turns out to be Slade) engineered by a secret organization in exchange for a large cut of the stolen diamonds. The two escapees are drugged and taken into Ireland, where they're told that's where they'll stay for a week until the manhunt is called off.
Rearden's incarceration turns out to be a planned sting operation intended to expose the secret organization, which is headed by suspected communist spy Sir George Wheeler (Mason), who is posing as a staunchly patriotic right-winger. Wheeler discovers he's being pursued, and he arranges Mackintosh's death. Rearden has to keep undercover while pursuing Wheeler, who has also abducted Slade, but his earlier arrest for the faked diamond robbery may make this task more difficult than it really should be.
Despite the presense of Newman and director John Huston, as well as some decent British character actors, this movie never really gets going. Slightly recommended, mainly for Paul Newman fans, or if there isn't anything better on to watch.
Starring: Paul Newman, Dominique Sanda, Ian Bannen, James Mason, Michael Horden, Harry Andrews, Nigel Patrick
Director: John Huston
Available from Amazon only as part of the Paul Newman Collection.
In his review for this movie, Roger Ebert suggested that this was the first "anti-spy" movie, made by a group of people with no real understanding for spy films.
Paul Newman is Joseph Rearden, an agent of British Intelligence who is assigned by Mackintosh (Andrews) and Mrs. Smith (Sanda) to impersonate a jewel thief who transports his stolen goods through the mail to avoid attention. Rearden does this successfully after punching out a postman and taking the diamonds, but is still arrested and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. After being sent to prison, Rearden starts asking about a former British spy, Slade (Bannen). Slade is kept in high security because he was exposed as a mole for the KGB, but not much information is known about him.
A few weeks later, Rearden participates in a planned escape with another inmate (who turns out to be Slade) engineered by a secret organization in exchange for a large cut of the stolen diamonds. The two escapees are drugged and taken into Ireland, where they're told that's where they'll stay for a week until the manhunt is called off.
Rearden's incarceration turns out to be a planned sting operation intended to expose the secret organization, which is headed by suspected communist spy Sir George Wheeler (Mason), who is posing as a staunchly patriotic right-winger. Wheeler discovers he's being pursued, and he arranges Mackintosh's death. Rearden has to keep undercover while pursuing Wheeler, who has also abducted Slade, but his earlier arrest for the faked diamond robbery may make this task more difficult than it really should be.
Despite the presense of Newman and director John Huston, as well as some decent British character actors, this movie never really gets going. Slightly recommended, mainly for Paul Newman fans, or if there isn't anything better on to watch.
Monday, June 22, 2009
George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya!
George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya!
Original HBO airdate: March 1, 2008
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
Available at Amazon.
George Carlin's fourteenth and final HBO special focuses a lot on death (this show debuted less than four months before Carlin's death), and how the living still deal with it, particularly the belief in the afterlife and whether the deceased either go "up there", or "down there". It is more than a little disconcerting, not just because Carlin passed on shortly after this performance, but quite honestly, he looks bad. While his mind still seems to be as sharp as ever, and his performance suffers very slightly at times, George looks much older than his age at the time, seventy, and he definitely looks like he's in poor health.
Most of the material is fairly grim, but it doesn't come across as willfully dark as previous specials did. Carlin seems a little more subdued, and the stage set, which is a warm, inviting den, takes the edge off of any of the more "questionable" (for a lack of better terms).
The DVD also included two extras: a 2007 interview that Carlin did for the Archive of American Television called "Too Hip for the Room", as well as his appearance from 1968 or 1969 on The Jackie Gleason Show, where a clean shaven, red-haired, and suit wearing George telling mainly clean jokes for close to ten minutes. That last one alone is very interesting, if only to compare how much Carlin evolved over the next forty years.
Recommended DVD.
Original HBO airdate: March 1, 2008
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
Available at Amazon.
George Carlin's fourteenth and final HBO special focuses a lot on death (this show debuted less than four months before Carlin's death), and how the living still deal with it, particularly the belief in the afterlife and whether the deceased either go "up there", or "down there". It is more than a little disconcerting, not just because Carlin passed on shortly after this performance, but quite honestly, he looks bad. While his mind still seems to be as sharp as ever, and his performance suffers very slightly at times, George looks much older than his age at the time, seventy, and he definitely looks like he's in poor health.
Most of the material is fairly grim, but it doesn't come across as willfully dark as previous specials did. Carlin seems a little more subdued, and the stage set, which is a warm, inviting den, takes the edge off of any of the more "questionable" (for a lack of better terms).
The DVD also included two extras: a 2007 interview that Carlin did for the Archive of American Television called "Too Hip for the Room", as well as his appearance from 1968 or 1969 on The Jackie Gleason Show, where a clean shaven, red-haired, and suit wearing George telling mainly clean jokes for close to ten minutes. That last one alone is very interesting, if only to compare how much Carlin evolved over the next forty years.
Recommended DVD.
George Carlin: Jammin' in New York
George Carlin: Jammin' in New York.
Original HBO airdate: March 11, 1992.
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
Available at Amazon.
George Carlin returns to his hometown just a year or so after the end of the first Persian Gulf War, which he kicks off this program with a lengthy monologue about said war, along with the realization that war is just a game played between sexually inadequate politicians using weapons to compensate for their shortcomings. Also on the agenda: bizarre human behavior that we all seem to exhibit, the inanity of airline announcements, environmental issues, and a Carlin favorite, a long rant about human inequality using golf courses as the primary sign of the haves being much better than the have nots. What's Carlin's suggestion? Give the golf courses to the homeless.
This is probably Carlin's best HBO special, and he himself said it was his personal favorite performance. Highly recommended.
Original HBO airdate: March 11, 1992.
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
Available at Amazon.
George Carlin returns to his hometown just a year or so after the end of the first Persian Gulf War, which he kicks off this program with a lengthy monologue about said war, along with the realization that war is just a game played between sexually inadequate politicians using weapons to compensate for their shortcomings. Also on the agenda: bizarre human behavior that we all seem to exhibit, the inanity of airline announcements, environmental issues, and a Carlin favorite, a long rant about human inequality using golf courses as the primary sign of the haves being much better than the have nots. What's Carlin's suggestion? Give the golf courses to the homeless.
This is probably Carlin's best HBO special, and he himself said it was his personal favorite performance. Highly recommended.
George Carlin: Doin' it Again
George Carlin: Doin' it Again.
Original HBO airdate: March 23, 1990.
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
Available from Amazon.
For those unaware, this HBO special was released to CD under the title Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics with a different running order. This was the last George Carlin special on HBO that wasn't edited or rearranged when it was released on compact disc.
George Carlin returned to the stage in New Brunswick, New Jersey in early 1990 to attack political correctness as well as the "soft language" that had been, in his view, overtaking the English language. For instance, in the old days, a World War I veteran was considered "shellshocked", but now, he is simply suffering from PTSD. Carlin speculates that had the phrase shellshock not fallen out of, some of the more traumatized veterans could very well have received the help they desperately needed at the time. Carlin also discusses feminism, which somehow transforms into a fairly uncomfortable routine where he claims that rape can be funny, and it depends on how one phrases the joke.
Other highlights are Carlin's stories about his old dog Tippy (he brings out his then-current pet at the end of the show), as well as discussing things you never see, things you never hear, or things you don't want to hear.
This is a recommended performance, as well as the first signs of the "angry old man" stage persona that Carlin started developing during the 1990s, although he's nowhere near as pissed off or nihilistic as he got over the course of the decade, reaching its inevitable conclusion during his 2005 special, Life is Worth Losing.
Original HBO airdate: March 23, 1990.
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
Available from Amazon.
For those unaware, this HBO special was released to CD under the title Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics with a different running order. This was the last George Carlin special on HBO that wasn't edited or rearranged when it was released on compact disc.
George Carlin returned to the stage in New Brunswick, New Jersey in early 1990 to attack political correctness as well as the "soft language" that had been, in his view, overtaking the English language. For instance, in the old days, a World War I veteran was considered "shellshocked", but now, he is simply suffering from PTSD. Carlin speculates that had the phrase shellshock not fallen out of, some of the more traumatized veterans could very well have received the help they desperately needed at the time. Carlin also discusses feminism, which somehow transforms into a fairly uncomfortable routine where he claims that rape can be funny, and it depends on how one phrases the joke.
Other highlights are Carlin's stories about his old dog Tippy (he brings out his then-current pet at the end of the show), as well as discussing things you never see, things you never hear, or things you don't want to hear.
This is a recommended performance, as well as the first signs of the "angry old man" stage persona that Carlin started developing during the 1990s, although he's nowhere near as pissed off or nihilistic as he got over the course of the decade, reaching its inevitable conclusion during his 2005 special, Life is Worth Losing.
George Carlin: Personal Favorites
George Carlin: Personal Favorites.
Original HBO airdate: circa 1996.
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
Available from Amazon.
Sixty minutes of more of George Carlin's more notable onstage routines from his past HBO specials, with a lot of material recycled from George's Best Stuff, leaving only half a DVD of stuff you perhaps haven't seen before if you chose to watch the other disc first.
Here's what you can't find on the first DVD I reviewed earlier today:
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Hitler
Los Angeles, 1986: Hello Goodbye
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Dirty Words
Los Angeles, 1986: Earrings
Los Angeles, 1977: Kids
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Odds & Ends
Union City, NJ, 1988: We Like War
Los Angeles, 1986: It's Not a Sport
Pick one or the other if you're faced with a choice of this DVD, or George's Best Stuff, but not both. Slightly recommended otherwise.
Original HBO airdate: circa 1996.
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
Available from Amazon.
Sixty minutes of more of George Carlin's more notable onstage routines from his past HBO specials, with a lot of material recycled from George's Best Stuff, leaving only half a DVD of stuff you perhaps haven't seen before if you chose to watch the other disc first.
Here's what you can't find on the first DVD I reviewed earlier today:
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Hitler
Los Angeles, 1986: Hello Goodbye
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Dirty Words
Los Angeles, 1986: Earrings
Los Angeles, 1977: Kids
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Odds & Ends
Union City, NJ, 1988: We Like War
Los Angeles, 1986: It's Not a Sport
Pick one or the other if you're faced with a choice of this DVD, or George's Best Stuff, but not both. Slightly recommended otherwise.
George's Best Stuff
George Carlin: George's Best Stuff.
Available from Amazon.
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
87 minutes of George Carlin's best known routines from his HBO specials dating from 1977 through 1990.
Phoenix, 1978: Seven Words
Comic Relief, 1986: Stuff
Los Angeles, 1977: Hot Water Heater
New Jersey, 1990: Baseball & Football
Phoenix, 1978: Al Sleet
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Dogs and Cats
Los Angeles, 1977: Vitamins
Phoenix, 1978, Seven Words (continued)
Los Angeles, 1977: Dog Incident
Carnegie Hall, 1921: Have a Nice Day
Los Angeles, 1986: Losing Things
Los Angeles, 1977: Bread
Phoenix, 1978: Seven Words (continued)
Los Angeles, 1977: Walking
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Fussy Eater
Los Angeles, 1977: Monopoly
Union City, NJ, 1988: Driving
This was the period where Carlin was evolving from the counterculture icon (or as I like to call it, the world's oldest hippie) to the "angry old man" phase of his career that started in the early '90s, and we see elements of both over the course of the DVD.
This is an ideal introduction to George Carlin, although it probably could've been a whole lot better, as a lot of great comedy was left off. Recommended.
Available from Amazon.
Written by and starring George Carlin
Director: Rocco Urbisci
87 minutes of George Carlin's best known routines from his HBO specials dating from 1977 through 1990.
Phoenix, 1978: Seven Words
Comic Relief, 1986: Stuff
Los Angeles, 1977: Hot Water Heater
New Jersey, 1990: Baseball & Football
Phoenix, 1978: Al Sleet
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Dogs and Cats
Los Angeles, 1977: Vitamins
Phoenix, 1978, Seven Words (continued)
Los Angeles, 1977: Dog Incident
Carnegie Hall, 1921: Have a Nice Day
Los Angeles, 1986: Losing Things
Los Angeles, 1977: Bread
Phoenix, 1978: Seven Words (continued)
Los Angeles, 1977: Walking
Carnegie Hall, 1982: Fussy Eater
Los Angeles, 1977: Monopoly
Union City, NJ, 1988: Driving
This was the period where Carlin was evolving from the counterculture icon (or as I like to call it, the world's oldest hippie) to the "angry old man" phase of his career that started in the early '90s, and we see elements of both over the course of the DVD.
This is an ideal introduction to George Carlin, although it probably could've been a whole lot better, as a lot of great comedy was left off. Recommended.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Keep 'Em Flying
Keep 'Em Flying. 1941 Universal Pictures.
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Martha Raye, Dick Foran, Carol Bruce, Charles Lang, William Gargan
Director: Arthur Lubin
Available as part of Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection.
Stunt pilot Jinx Roberts (Foran) and his two assistants Blackie (Abbott) and Heathcliffe (Costello) are fired from a carnival after a disagreement with their boss. Jinx opts to join the Army Air Force, and the three pals go to a nightclub to celebrate one last time, where Jinx falls in love with the club's singer Linda Joyce (Bruce). Linda also becomes a USO hostess around the same time at the academy that Jinx and his brother Jimmy (Lang) have enrolled at. Their instructor is Craig Morrison, who co-piloted commercial airliners with Jinx before the war, and they still can't stand one another. Blackie and Heathcliffe also sign up as ground crewmen, falling in love with a pair of twin USO hostesses (Raye, in a double role), although Heathcliffe is unaware that his girl has a twin sister!
After a serious mishap involving Jinx and Jimmy, everyone is kicked out of the corps. But, a timely mishap involving Craig and a parachute may be the ticket for everyone to be allowed back in, no questions asked.
Recommended movie, although it wasn't the best Abbott and Costello movie I've watched this year...
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Martha Raye, Dick Foran, Carol Bruce, Charles Lang, William Gargan
Director: Arthur Lubin
Available as part of Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection.
Stunt pilot Jinx Roberts (Foran) and his two assistants Blackie (Abbott) and Heathcliffe (Costello) are fired from a carnival after a disagreement with their boss. Jinx opts to join the Army Air Force, and the three pals go to a nightclub to celebrate one last time, where Jinx falls in love with the club's singer Linda Joyce (Bruce). Linda also becomes a USO hostess around the same time at the academy that Jinx and his brother Jimmy (Lang) have enrolled at. Their instructor is Craig Morrison, who co-piloted commercial airliners with Jinx before the war, and they still can't stand one another. Blackie and Heathcliffe also sign up as ground crewmen, falling in love with a pair of twin USO hostesses (Raye, in a double role), although Heathcliffe is unaware that his girl has a twin sister!
After a serious mishap involving Jinx and Jimmy, everyone is kicked out of the corps. But, a timely mishap involving Craig and a parachute may be the ticket for everyone to be allowed back in, no questions asked.
Recommended movie, although it wasn't the best Abbott and Costello movie I've watched this year...
In Society
In Society. 1944 Universal Pictures.
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marion Hutton, Kirby Grant, Arthur Treacher
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Currently available only as part of Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection.
At the time of filming, Abbott and Costello were in the middle of a contract dispute with Universal, and they were known to abruptly knock off for the day at exactly 4:00 in the afternoon, even if they were in the middle of a scene, or even speaking a line. Regardless, this movie about two plumbers accidentally invited to a high society event where a valuable painting is stolen is a pretty good one.
Eddie Harrington (Abbott) and his assistant Albert Mansfield (Costello) work on a leak in the private bathroom of the rich Mr. Van Cleave (Thurston Hall), which is keeping him awake, unlike the costume ball thrown by his wife (Nella Walker) downstairs. Eddie and Albert try to fix the leak, and predictably flood the bathroom. Meanwhile, their friend Elsie Hammerdingle (Hutton), an attractive taxi driver, is romanced by Peter Evans (Grant), a guest dressed as a taxi driver, and he invites her to another event at Briarwood Estate where the valuable painting called The Plunger is to be debuted to the world. Eddie and Albert are accidentally mailed an invitation to this party, instead of the letter of complaint that Mrs. Van Cleave had prepared for them for destroying the bathroom.
A loan shark (Thomas Gomez) that the boys owe money to demands that Eddie and Albert steal The Plunger, which they refuse to do. The painting is still snatched, and it's up to the plumbers and Elsie to apprehend the thieves and get it back.
Recommended movie, no bout adout it. Just don't mention Bagel Street.
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marion Hutton, Kirby Grant, Arthur Treacher
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Currently available only as part of Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection.
At the time of filming, Abbott and Costello were in the middle of a contract dispute with Universal, and they were known to abruptly knock off for the day at exactly 4:00 in the afternoon, even if they were in the middle of a scene, or even speaking a line. Regardless, this movie about two plumbers accidentally invited to a high society event where a valuable painting is stolen is a pretty good one.
Eddie Harrington (Abbott) and his assistant Albert Mansfield (Costello) work on a leak in the private bathroom of the rich Mr. Van Cleave (Thurston Hall), which is keeping him awake, unlike the costume ball thrown by his wife (Nella Walker) downstairs. Eddie and Albert try to fix the leak, and predictably flood the bathroom. Meanwhile, their friend Elsie Hammerdingle (Hutton), an attractive taxi driver, is romanced by Peter Evans (Grant), a guest dressed as a taxi driver, and he invites her to another event at Briarwood Estate where the valuable painting called The Plunger is to be debuted to the world. Eddie and Albert are accidentally mailed an invitation to this party, instead of the letter of complaint that Mrs. Van Cleave had prepared for them for destroying the bathroom.
A loan shark (Thomas Gomez) that the boys owe money to demands that Eddie and Albert steal The Plunger, which they refuse to do. The painting is still snatched, and it's up to the plumbers and Elsie to apprehend the thieves and get it back.
Recommended movie, no bout adout it. Just don't mention Bagel Street.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz. 1939 MGM/Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Frank Morgan, Charles Grapewin, Clara Blandick, Terry the Dog (as Toto)
Directors: Victor Fleming, Mervyn LeRoy, Richard Thorpe, King Vidor (last three uncredited)
A 70th Anniversary Collector's Edition will be released on September 29, 2009. All other releases on DVD are currently out of print.
What else can I say about the beloved film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that hasn't already been said before?
Since I really don't need to summarize the plot of the movie, I can just go ahead and say that it's highly, highly, highly recommended, and everyone needs to see this one at least five times during their life. If you haven't seen it by now, well, we can't do nothin' for ya, man.
Maybe next time, I can try this one out to see if it really works...
Starring: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Frank Morgan, Charles Grapewin, Clara Blandick, Terry the Dog (as Toto)
Directors: Victor Fleming, Mervyn LeRoy, Richard Thorpe, King Vidor (last three uncredited)
A 70th Anniversary Collector's Edition will be released on September 29, 2009. All other releases on DVD are currently out of print.
What else can I say about the beloved film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that hasn't already been said before?
Since I really don't need to summarize the plot of the movie, I can just go ahead and say that it's highly, highly, highly recommended, and everyone needs to see this one at least five times during their life. If you haven't seen it by now, well, we can't do nothin' for ya, man.
Maybe next time, I can try this one out to see if it really works...
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride.
1987 20th Century Fox & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Starring: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, André the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Peter Falk, Fred Savage, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Peter Cook
Director: Rob Reiner
Available from Amazon.
A sports-obsessed youth (Savage) is sick in bed one afternoon, so his grandfather (Falk) comes over to read him the book that his father used to read to him, and what he read to the kid's dad during illnesses. The boy is initially concerned that the story he's going to hear is a "kissing book".
Everyone knows the story: Buttercup (Wright) lives on a farm in the country of Florin with the farm hand Westley (Elwes) to perform chores for her, which he always answers with "As you wish", which comes to mean "I love you". They fall in love, and Westley leaves to seek his fortune so they can marry. Instead, Westley is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts and believed dead. Five years later, a reluctant Buttercup is engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Sarandon), but she is abducted by a trio of outlaws: Vizzini (Shawn), Inigo Montoya (Patinkin), and the massive Fezzik (André).
Vizzini and company are pursued by the Prince and his soldiers, as well as a mysterious man in black, who outpaces the royal rescue party. We learn that Montoya is seeking to avenge his father's death at the hands of a man with six fingers on his right hand, complete with his prepared speech that probably doesn't even need to be listed here. The masked man defeats Montoya, Fezzik, and tricks Vizzini into drinking poisoned wine, and reveals himself to be Westley, who was made the Dread Pirate Roberts' apprentice. They make their way to the Fire Swamp, but end up captured by Humperdinck as well as the six-fingered Count Tyrone Rugen (Guest). Buttercup agrees to return with the Prince in exchange for Westley's freedom, but he's instead sent to Rugen's torture chambers. We soon learn that Humperdinck arranged Buttercup's kidnapping in order to blame a rival country and starting a war with them. Oh, and it would be even better propaganda if she was strangled on her wedding night.
On the day of the wedding, Montoya and Fezzik learn about what's going on, and seek out Westley to kill Rugen, but there's a problem: he's mostly dead, thanks to Humperdinck. With the aid of a magician Miracle Max (Crystal) and his wife, Westley is revived, only very, very slowly. He is still present for the invasion of the castle, where Montoya finally gets his revenge, and the wedding is disrupted long enough for everyone to get away on horseback.
Highly, highly, highly recommended film, but you probably already decided that for yourselves.
1987 20th Century Fox & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Starring: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, André the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Peter Falk, Fred Savage, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Peter Cook
Director: Rob Reiner
Available from Amazon.
A sports-obsessed youth (Savage) is sick in bed one afternoon, so his grandfather (Falk) comes over to read him the book that his father used to read to him, and what he read to the kid's dad during illnesses. The boy is initially concerned that the story he's going to hear is a "kissing book".
Everyone knows the story: Buttercup (Wright) lives on a farm in the country of Florin with the farm hand Westley (Elwes) to perform chores for her, which he always answers with "As you wish", which comes to mean "I love you". They fall in love, and Westley leaves to seek his fortune so they can marry. Instead, Westley is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts and believed dead. Five years later, a reluctant Buttercup is engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Sarandon), but she is abducted by a trio of outlaws: Vizzini (Shawn), Inigo Montoya (Patinkin), and the massive Fezzik (André).
Vizzini and company are pursued by the Prince and his soldiers, as well as a mysterious man in black, who outpaces the royal rescue party. We learn that Montoya is seeking to avenge his father's death at the hands of a man with six fingers on his right hand, complete with his prepared speech that probably doesn't even need to be listed here. The masked man defeats Montoya, Fezzik, and tricks Vizzini into drinking poisoned wine, and reveals himself to be Westley, who was made the Dread Pirate Roberts' apprentice. They make their way to the Fire Swamp, but end up captured by Humperdinck as well as the six-fingered Count Tyrone Rugen (Guest). Buttercup agrees to return with the Prince in exchange for Westley's freedom, but he's instead sent to Rugen's torture chambers. We soon learn that Humperdinck arranged Buttercup's kidnapping in order to blame a rival country and starting a war with them. Oh, and it would be even better propaganda if she was strangled on her wedding night.
On the day of the wedding, Montoya and Fezzik learn about what's going on, and seek out Westley to kill Rugen, but there's a problem: he's mostly dead, thanks to Humperdinck. With the aid of a magician Miracle Max (Crystal) and his wife, Westley is revived, only very, very slowly. He is still present for the invasion of the castle, where Montoya finally gets his revenge, and the wedding is disrupted long enough for everyone to get away on horseback.
Highly, highly, highly recommended film, but you probably already decided that for yourselves.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Frost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon.
2008 Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Imagine Entertainment & Working Title Films.
Starring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Macfadyen, Rebecca Hall, Patty McCormack, Toby Jones, Andy Milder, Jim Meskimen, Clint Howard
Director: Ron Howard
Buy Frost/Nixon from Amazon, and then visit the official site.
The real David Frost interviews with Richard Nixon can be purchased here.
Frost/Nixon is Ron Howard's cinematic adaptation of Peter Morgan's stage play, which also starred Michael Sheen as David Frost, and Frank Langella as Richard M. Nixon.
In 1974, after Richard Nixon's resignation from the Presidency, David Frost is interested in the possibility of interviewing him. He pitches the idea with his friend and producer John Birt (Macfadyen), who isn't sure that Nixon would be interested in talking to Frost. The former President is recovering from phlebitis in California, and discussing his memoirs with literary agent Irving "Swifty" Lazar (Jones) when Frost makes his request to conduct an interview with him for an offered $600,000. Lazar contacts Frost to tell him that Nixon is interested. Frost makes the first partial payment amid doubts that he'll be able to provide the entire amount, and has difficulties selling the series of interviews to the American broadcast networks, but he is able to put things together so that the interviews can begin by 1977. Frost also hired Bob Zelnick (Platt) and James Reston Jr. (Rockwell) to help dig for information, mainly about Watergate.
The first eleven recording sessions sees Frost trying to ask planned questions of Nixon, who takes up most of the time giving lengthy monologues (yes, just like Secret Honor), which prevents Frost from challenging him. Nixon's behavior causes Frost's team to start coming apart, since the former President appears to be exonerating himself, and Frost is not coming across as an effective interviewer. However, four days before the final taping session about Watergate, Frost receives a drunken phone call from Nixon (this did not happen in real life) saying that they both know the final interview will essentially make or break the other's career. Frost is spurred into action, resolving the final interview will be successful. Reston is told to talk to his source at the Federal Courthouse in Washington, who he mentioned before the tapings started.
Frost is a sterner adversary during the final interview, which results in Nixon admitting that he did things that would otherwise have been illegal had he not been the President, and he finally confesses to have participated in a cover-up, "letting the American people down".
Highly, highly, highly recommended! The next step for you now is to track down the DVD set of the genuine Frost-Nixon interviews.
2008 Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Imagine Entertainment & Working Title Films.
Starring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Macfadyen, Rebecca Hall, Patty McCormack, Toby Jones, Andy Milder, Jim Meskimen, Clint Howard
Director: Ron Howard
Buy Frost/Nixon from Amazon, and then visit the official site.
The real David Frost interviews with Richard Nixon can be purchased here.
Frost/Nixon is Ron Howard's cinematic adaptation of Peter Morgan's stage play, which also starred Michael Sheen as David Frost, and Frank Langella as Richard M. Nixon.
In 1974, after Richard Nixon's resignation from the Presidency, David Frost is interested in the possibility of interviewing him. He pitches the idea with his friend and producer John Birt (Macfadyen), who isn't sure that Nixon would be interested in talking to Frost. The former President is recovering from phlebitis in California, and discussing his memoirs with literary agent Irving "Swifty" Lazar (Jones) when Frost makes his request to conduct an interview with him for an offered $600,000. Lazar contacts Frost to tell him that Nixon is interested. Frost makes the first partial payment amid doubts that he'll be able to provide the entire amount, and has difficulties selling the series of interviews to the American broadcast networks, but he is able to put things together so that the interviews can begin by 1977. Frost also hired Bob Zelnick (Platt) and James Reston Jr. (Rockwell) to help dig for information, mainly about Watergate.
The first eleven recording sessions sees Frost trying to ask planned questions of Nixon, who takes up most of the time giving lengthy monologues (yes, just like Secret Honor), which prevents Frost from challenging him. Nixon's behavior causes Frost's team to start coming apart, since the former President appears to be exonerating himself, and Frost is not coming across as an effective interviewer. However, four days before the final taping session about Watergate, Frost receives a drunken phone call from Nixon (this did not happen in real life) saying that they both know the final interview will essentially make or break the other's career. Frost is spurred into action, resolving the final interview will be successful. Reston is told to talk to his source at the Federal Courthouse in Washington, who he mentioned before the tapings started.
Frost is a sterner adversary during the final interview, which results in Nixon admitting that he did things that would otherwise have been illegal had he not been the President, and he finally confesses to have participated in a cover-up, "letting the American people down".
Highly, highly, highly recommended! The next step for you now is to track down the DVD set of the genuine Frost-Nixon interviews.
Cool Hand Luke
Cool Hand Luke. 1967 Warner Bros. Pictures.
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet
Also Starring: Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, Harry Dean Stanton, Joe Don Baker
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Buy the deluxe edition of Cool Hand Luke at Amazon.
"What we've got here is failure to communicate", number 11 on the American Film Institute's list of the one hundred most memorable movie lines.
Paul Newman is Luke Jackson, sent to a prison chain gang after he is arrested for drunkenly decapitating parking meters. Despite the best efforts of the Captain (Martin) to "get their minds right", Luke shows that he isn't about to kowtow to just anyone, which slowly wins over the other prisoners, even Dragline (Kennedy, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role), who initially despises the newcomer. Among his other talents, Luke is decent at poker, and he devises methods for the other men to get their road work done in half the time, earning them an afternoon off.
After learning about his mother's death, Luke escapes, and when he is caught, he simply escapes again. During his longest time away from the camp, Luke mails the prisoners a magazine that has a picture of him with two beautiful women, which is faked, but still impresses the other inmates.
Soon enough, the people in charge of the prison start to break Luke's will, but he still makes a last bid for freedom with Dragline when the chance arrives to steal a guard's truck. Late at night, they are both tracked down at a church. Dragline made a deal with the feds saying they won't be hurt if they surrender peacefully, but Luke dismisses this, which gets him shot in the neck. After Dragline helps him outside, Luke is sent to the prison hospital, which is more than an hour away, despite his clear need for immediate medical attention. The film ends with Dragline and company reminiscing about Luke during another hot day in the fields.
Highly, highly, highly recommended film.
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet
Also Starring: Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, Harry Dean Stanton, Joe Don Baker
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Buy the deluxe edition of Cool Hand Luke at Amazon.
"What we've got here is failure to communicate", number 11 on the American Film Institute's list of the one hundred most memorable movie lines.
Paul Newman is Luke Jackson, sent to a prison chain gang after he is arrested for drunkenly decapitating parking meters. Despite the best efforts of the Captain (Martin) to "get their minds right", Luke shows that he isn't about to kowtow to just anyone, which slowly wins over the other prisoners, even Dragline (Kennedy, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role), who initially despises the newcomer. Among his other talents, Luke is decent at poker, and he devises methods for the other men to get their road work done in half the time, earning them an afternoon off.
After learning about his mother's death, Luke escapes, and when he is caught, he simply escapes again. During his longest time away from the camp, Luke mails the prisoners a magazine that has a picture of him with two beautiful women, which is faked, but still impresses the other inmates.
Soon enough, the people in charge of the prison start to break Luke's will, but he still makes a last bid for freedom with Dragline when the chance arrives to steal a guard's truck. Late at night, they are both tracked down at a church. Dragline made a deal with the feds saying they won't be hurt if they surrender peacefully, but Luke dismisses this, which gets him shot in the neck. After Dragline helps him outside, Luke is sent to the prison hospital, which is more than an hour away, despite his clear need for immediate medical attention. The film ends with Dragline and company reminiscing about Luke during another hot day in the fields.
Highly, highly, highly recommended film.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Battleground
Battleground. 1949 MGM/Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, James Whitmore, Ian MacDonald
Director: William Wellman
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the War Double Feature, or as part of the World War II Collection, Volume 1, and as one-fourth of TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: World War II.
Wait a second here...do you mean to tell me that someone in the old days actually made a Hollywood film about American soldiers where they're portrayed as vulnerable and not afraid to doubt themselves, or complain out loud, and they're not the kind of soldier that can't wait to get into combat, and they almost always come back as heroes?
Van Johnson and John Hodiak star as two infantrymen belonging to the 101st Airborne Division stationed in France, and they're hoping to depart on a long-awaited leave to Paris. Instead, their regiment is given orders to march to Bastogne in Belgium to hold back the advancing 47th German Panzer Corps. After some character development where we meet and learn about some of the corps, they depart for Bastogne.
Shortly after arrival, the Americans learn that the Nazis outnumber them considerably, and they have the region completely surrounded. Even as the casualties mount, and the survivors manage to capture a number of enemy soldiers, they still believe their situation to be hopeless. They still refuse to surrender, and as things seem their bleakest, reinforcements fly in. The Nazis are driven back, and the surviving Americans return to France.
Battleground won two Academy Awards (Best Cinematography and Best Writing), and is largely considered the first significant movie made about World War II after that war ended. Highly, highly recommended picture.
Starring: Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, James Whitmore, Ian MacDonald
Director: William Wellman
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the War Double Feature, or as part of the World War II Collection, Volume 1, and as one-fourth of TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: World War II.
Wait a second here...do you mean to tell me that someone in the old days actually made a Hollywood film about American soldiers where they're portrayed as vulnerable and not afraid to doubt themselves, or complain out loud, and they're not the kind of soldier that can't wait to get into combat, and they almost always come back as heroes?
Van Johnson and John Hodiak star as two infantrymen belonging to the 101st Airborne Division stationed in France, and they're hoping to depart on a long-awaited leave to Paris. Instead, their regiment is given orders to march to Bastogne in Belgium to hold back the advancing 47th German Panzer Corps. After some character development where we meet and learn about some of the corps, they depart for Bastogne.
Shortly after arrival, the Americans learn that the Nazis outnumber them considerably, and they have the region completely surrounded. Even as the casualties mount, and the survivors manage to capture a number of enemy soldiers, they still believe their situation to be hopeless. They still refuse to surrender, and as things seem their bleakest, reinforcements fly in. The Nazis are driven back, and the surviving Americans return to France.
Battleground won two Academy Awards (Best Cinematography and Best Writing), and is largely considered the first significant movie made about World War II after that war ended. Highly, highly recommended picture.
The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead.
1949 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith
Director: King Vidor
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the Gary Cooper Signature Collection set.
A 1949 movie based on Ayn Rand's first bestseller; she also wrote the screenplay for the film. Rand also made sure that a six minute speech at a trial was filmed in its entirety, and included in the final film after learning that director King Vidor was going to trim it down because it was "long, rambling and confusing". Gary Cooper also didn't understand the entire speech as it was written.
Gary Cooper is Howard Roark, an architect patterned after Frank Lloyd Wright. Roark often works as a quarryman to finance his ambitious projects rather than compromise his ideals. He also falls in love with a heiress named Dominique (Neal), but chooses to end the relationship after the opportunity to construct buildings to his wishes comes up. Dominique ends up married to a newspaperman named Gail Wynand (Massey), who uses his position to blast the "radical" Roark, but comes around in due time and becomes the architect's biggest supporter.
Despite being assured at first that his plans will be followed 100 percent, Roark is horrified to find out that his designs will be radically altered. So, he sneaks in late at night and blows the building to smithereens. Roark is put on trial, and all seems lost until he delivers a passionate testimony that wins him an acquital. Despite this, Wynand is distraught enough that he could do nothing to help Roark during his trial that he commits suicide. Roark and Dominique end up rekindling their romance, fittingly near the architect's latest building site.
Recommended.
1949 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith
Director: King Vidor
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the Gary Cooper Signature Collection set.
A 1949 movie based on Ayn Rand's first bestseller; she also wrote the screenplay for the film. Rand also made sure that a six minute speech at a trial was filmed in its entirety, and included in the final film after learning that director King Vidor was going to trim it down because it was "long, rambling and confusing". Gary Cooper also didn't understand the entire speech as it was written.
Gary Cooper is Howard Roark, an architect patterned after Frank Lloyd Wright. Roark often works as a quarryman to finance his ambitious projects rather than compromise his ideals. He also falls in love with a heiress named Dominique (Neal), but chooses to end the relationship after the opportunity to construct buildings to his wishes comes up. Dominique ends up married to a newspaperman named Gail Wynand (Massey), who uses his position to blast the "radical" Roark, but comes around in due time and becomes the architect's biggest supporter.
Despite being assured at first that his plans will be followed 100 percent, Roark is horrified to find out that his designs will be radically altered. So, he sneaks in late at night and blows the building to smithereens. Roark is put on trial, and all seems lost until he delivers a passionate testimony that wins him an acquital. Despite this, Wynand is distraught enough that he could do nothing to help Roark during his trial that he commits suicide. Roark and Dominique end up rekindling their romance, fittingly near the architect's latest building site.
Recommended.
MST3K #409: Indestructible Man
Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #409: Indestructible Man (with short, The Undersea Kingdom, Part 2, "The Undersea City").
Original airdate: August 15, 1992.
Available from Amazon as part of the eleventh MST3K collection.
In the second part of the Undersea Kingdom serial, Crash Corrigan, Billy Norton, and reporter Diana Compton find the lost continent of Atlantis, and spend most of the short following the locals around. There's a lot of villains riding horseback and racing about, but that's about it, really. Perhaps I should've seen the first part of the series before this one?
The main feature stars Lon Chaney Jr. as executed murderer Butcher Benton who is betrayed right before the execution by two henchmen, Squeamy and Joe, and Butcher vows revenge on them, plus their lawyer Lowe, who is interested in finding the $600,000 that Benton and friends stole and hid somewhere in the Los Angeles sewer system. Butcher's body is taken to a cancer researcher, who subjects it to massive jolts of electricity. Benton is revived as an angry and mute killer looking to kill Squeamy and Joe, as well as reconnect with his stripper girlfriend who is now dating the detective who brought Benton to justice.
To open the show, the 'Bots have all traded voices to confuse Joel. The invention exchange sees Joel invent cereal boxes with complete novels attached to the back; the Mads are hosting a celebrity shindig in Deep 13 with plenty of Z-level personalities, but they fail to display their invention, which they claim is for men only. Joel and the robots throw a parade in honor of The Undersea Kingdom, and later describe what they would do if they were indestructible. Joel prefers mundane activities, while Crow and Servo plan to wreak havoc with their new indestructible selves. To end the show, a contact is signed prohibiting any more cop-donut jokes in future experiments, and two policemen (played by Kevin Murphy and Mike Nelson) visit Deep 13.
Recommended episode.
Original airdate: August 15, 1992.
Available from Amazon as part of the eleventh MST3K collection.
In the second part of the Undersea Kingdom serial, Crash Corrigan, Billy Norton, and reporter Diana Compton find the lost continent of Atlantis, and spend most of the short following the locals around. There's a lot of villains riding horseback and racing about, but that's about it, really. Perhaps I should've seen the first part of the series before this one?
The main feature stars Lon Chaney Jr. as executed murderer Butcher Benton who is betrayed right before the execution by two henchmen, Squeamy and Joe, and Butcher vows revenge on them, plus their lawyer Lowe, who is interested in finding the $600,000 that Benton and friends stole and hid somewhere in the Los Angeles sewer system. Butcher's body is taken to a cancer researcher, who subjects it to massive jolts of electricity. Benton is revived as an angry and mute killer looking to kill Squeamy and Joe, as well as reconnect with his stripper girlfriend who is now dating the detective who brought Benton to justice.
To open the show, the 'Bots have all traded voices to confuse Joel. The invention exchange sees Joel invent cereal boxes with complete novels attached to the back; the Mads are hosting a celebrity shindig in Deep 13 with plenty of Z-level personalities, but they fail to display their invention, which they claim is for men only. Joel and the robots throw a parade in honor of The Undersea Kingdom, and later describe what they would do if they were indestructible. Joel prefers mundane activities, while Crow and Servo plan to wreak havoc with their new indestructible selves. To end the show, a contact is signed prohibiting any more cop-donut jokes in future experiments, and two policemen (played by Kevin Murphy and Mike Nelson) visit Deep 13.
Recommended episode.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Treasure Island
Treasure Island. 1934 MGM/Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore, Otto Kruger, Lewis Stone, Nigel Bruce
Director: Victor Fleming
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the five disc Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection.
Not as famous as Walt Disney's 1950 film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous book, this version of Treasure Island is still a well-made feature, with excellent performances from Jackie Cooper as young Jim Hawkins, Lionel Barrymore as the rum fueled Billy Bones, and of course, Wallace Beery as Long John Silver.
The story is pretty well known: Jim Hawkins' life is changed forever when he meets the drunken Billy Bones at the Admiral Benbow Inn. Bones takes over a party, and then, dies suddenly of a stroke. Jim finds a map in Billy's sea chest leading to riches beyond imagination. A voyage is quickly organized to depart for the island, and shortly before the departure time, several crew members have gone missing. Long John Silver poses as an ex-navy man and cons his way onto the boat, followed by several of his men, who are planning to mutiny and claim the treasures for themselves. When everyone arrives at the island, they're in for a surprise after they discover that Ben Gunn (Charles 'Chic' Sale) has amassed all of the treasure himself in a cave. Jim and the crew sail for Jamaica ready to recruit a brand new crew, with Silver sure to pay for his crimes. Jim has a change of heart and allows the pirate to escape.
Recommended movie.
Starring: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore, Otto Kruger, Lewis Stone, Nigel Bruce
Director: Victor Fleming
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the five disc Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection.
Not as famous as Walt Disney's 1950 film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous book, this version of Treasure Island is still a well-made feature, with excellent performances from Jackie Cooper as young Jim Hawkins, Lionel Barrymore as the rum fueled Billy Bones, and of course, Wallace Beery as Long John Silver.
The story is pretty well known: Jim Hawkins' life is changed forever when he meets the drunken Billy Bones at the Admiral Benbow Inn. Bones takes over a party, and then, dies suddenly of a stroke. Jim finds a map in Billy's sea chest leading to riches beyond imagination. A voyage is quickly organized to depart for the island, and shortly before the departure time, several crew members have gone missing. Long John Silver poses as an ex-navy man and cons his way onto the boat, followed by several of his men, who are planning to mutiny and claim the treasures for themselves. When everyone arrives at the island, they're in for a surprise after they discover that Ben Gunn (Charles 'Chic' Sale) has amassed all of the treasure himself in a cave. Jim and the crew sail for Jamaica ready to recruit a brand new crew, with Silver sure to pay for his crimes. Jim has a change of heart and allows the pirate to escape.
Recommended movie.
Gimme Shelter
Gimme Shelter (Criterion #99).
1970 Maysles Films & Janus Films.
Featuring: The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman)
Also Appearing: Ike and Tina Turner, Flying Burrito Brothers, Jerry Garcia, Jefferson Airplane, hundreds of thousands of concert attendees, and scores of Hells Angels
Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin
Buy Gimme Shelter at Amazon, and then, visit the official site.
The Maysles brothers (Albert & David) and Charlotte Zwerin directed this chronicle of the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. tour, which ended at the disastrous Altamont Free Concert on December 6th, 1969. We also see plenty of concert footage from the Stones' appearance at Madison Square Garden, which can also be heard on the Get Yer Ya-Yas Out record, and follow the band as they embark on a recording session down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where they are working on "Wild Horses", "Brown Sugar" and "You Gotta Move", which would later appear on 1971's Sticky Fingers.
Most of Gimme Shelter focuses on the negotiations that took place to make the show at Altamont happen, and how the property owner was very adamant that his track not be damaged in anyway. Wishful thinking, dude. Altamont wasn't even the original site planned, as a San Francisco 49ers game made the original choice, Golden Gate Park, unavailable. Sears Point Raceway was the next choice, but a dispute with the owners saw everything moved over to Altamont Raceway just two nights before the show was to happen. The grounds were woefully inadequate for a show, with a serious lack of portable toliets and medical tents, and a four-foot high stage that required manned security. Enter the Hells Angels, led by Oakland chapter head Ralph "Sonny" Barger (who can be heard early on calling into a radio station and denying any wrongdoing that happened at the show). The Hells Angels were simply expected (and paid with $500 worth of beer!) to escort the Stones in, and keep fans away from the stage, although there has been quite a bit of debate over whether there were any expectations that they were to act as security for a concert with 300,000 plus people in the audience.
Over the course of the day, the mood got ugly as the crowd and the Hells Angels got more and more stoned. Fights broke out in the crowd, and Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin was knocked out cold by a Hells Angel after he jumped from the stage to try to end a skirmish. The Grateful Dead ultimately pulled out of the show at the last minute after hearing what happened to Balin. By nightful, when the Rolling Stones hit the stage, it was really tense. Mick Jagger had already been slugged by a concertgoer just after emerging from his helicopter, was visably intimidated, and two of their songs were stopped to plead with the crowd to calm down.
In the concert's most infamous moment, 18-year-old Meredith Hunter (in his bright green suit) came close to the stage, and drew a gun from his coat. As his girlfriend tried to restrain him, people began to scatter, and Alan Passaro from the Hells Angels went after Hunter with a knife, stabbing him five times. Hunter, who was very high, was reportedly jealous of his girlfriend's attraction to Jagger. There is also footage of Hunter's body being loaded into an ambulance as his girlfriend is in hysterics. The Stones themselves had no idea that Hunter had been killed, and continued their show. Barger claimed he pointed a gun at Keith Richards and ordered him and his mates to "keep playing".
Highly, highly, highly recommended, although it can be very uncomfortable to watch at times, especially when violence is breaking out in the enormous audience. Actually, I personally believe that just being in that sea of humanity would've been a nightmare for me.
1970 Maysles Films & Janus Films.
Featuring: The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman)
Also Appearing: Ike and Tina Turner, Flying Burrito Brothers, Jerry Garcia, Jefferson Airplane, hundreds of thousands of concert attendees, and scores of Hells Angels
Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin
Buy Gimme Shelter at Amazon, and then, visit the official site.
The Maysles brothers (Albert & David) and Charlotte Zwerin directed this chronicle of the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. tour, which ended at the disastrous Altamont Free Concert on December 6th, 1969. We also see plenty of concert footage from the Stones' appearance at Madison Square Garden, which can also be heard on the Get Yer Ya-Yas Out record, and follow the band as they embark on a recording session down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where they are working on "Wild Horses", "Brown Sugar" and "You Gotta Move", which would later appear on 1971's Sticky Fingers.
Most of Gimme Shelter focuses on the negotiations that took place to make the show at Altamont happen, and how the property owner was very adamant that his track not be damaged in anyway. Wishful thinking, dude. Altamont wasn't even the original site planned, as a San Francisco 49ers game made the original choice, Golden Gate Park, unavailable. Sears Point Raceway was the next choice, but a dispute with the owners saw everything moved over to Altamont Raceway just two nights before the show was to happen. The grounds were woefully inadequate for a show, with a serious lack of portable toliets and medical tents, and a four-foot high stage that required manned security. Enter the Hells Angels, led by Oakland chapter head Ralph "Sonny" Barger (who can be heard early on calling into a radio station and denying any wrongdoing that happened at the show). The Hells Angels were simply expected (and paid with $500 worth of beer!) to escort the Stones in, and keep fans away from the stage, although there has been quite a bit of debate over whether there were any expectations that they were to act as security for a concert with 300,000 plus people in the audience.
Over the course of the day, the mood got ugly as the crowd and the Hells Angels got more and more stoned. Fights broke out in the crowd, and Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin was knocked out cold by a Hells Angel after he jumped from the stage to try to end a skirmish. The Grateful Dead ultimately pulled out of the show at the last minute after hearing what happened to Balin. By nightful, when the Rolling Stones hit the stage, it was really tense. Mick Jagger had already been slugged by a concertgoer just after emerging from his helicopter, was visably intimidated, and two of their songs were stopped to plead with the crowd to calm down.
In the concert's most infamous moment, 18-year-old Meredith Hunter (in his bright green suit) came close to the stage, and drew a gun from his coat. As his girlfriend tried to restrain him, people began to scatter, and Alan Passaro from the Hells Angels went after Hunter with a knife, stabbing him five times. Hunter, who was very high, was reportedly jealous of his girlfriend's attraction to Jagger. There is also footage of Hunter's body being loaded into an ambulance as his girlfriend is in hysterics. The Stones themselves had no idea that Hunter had been killed, and continued their show. Barger claimed he pointed a gun at Keith Richards and ordered him and his mates to "keep playing".
Highly, highly, highly recommended, although it can be very uncomfortable to watch at times, especially when violence is breaking out in the enormous audience. Actually, I personally believe that just being in that sea of humanity would've been a nightmare for me.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Wrestler
The Wrestler. 2008 Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Todd Barry, Ernest Miller, and scores of actual professional wrestlers
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Buy The Wrestler at Amazon and then, visit the official site.
A critically acclaimed film about the critically scorned world of professional wrestling, which I was a follower (casual and fanatical) for many years, right up until THIS happened.
Yes, really.
Anyway...Mickey Rourke was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor as a wrestler with the stage name Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who was a major star in wrestling during the 1980s. Twenty years later, he is well past his prime, and working shows in or around Elizabeth, New Jersey on weekends. During the week, he works in a supermarket, loading boxes for his boss Wayne (Barry), who doesn't exactly think the world of Randy.
Randy has something to look forward to, though, as a wrestling promoter is proposing a 20th anniversary match with his most infamous '80s opponent, The Ayatollah (Miller), who is retired and owns a used car lot in Arizona. The first match between both men sold out Madison Square Garden, and Randy jumps at the chance, hoping this is his ticket back to the big time. He starts training for the match, which includes doses of steroids and tanning. Unfortunately, Randy's comeback is sidelined after he takes part in a hardcore match with the Necro Butcher (Dylan Summers) which includes thumbtacks, staple guns, barbed wire and broken glass. Randy suffers a heart attack afterwards, which necessitates a bypass operation, and his doctor tells him that his heart can't take any more 'roids or wrestling.
Cancelling his future matches, Randy moves to the supermarket's deli counter as his new occupation, and tries wooing stripper Cassidy (Tomei), who initially rejects him. Randy also starts repairing his relationship with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Wood). However, the call of the ring, and the adrenaline rush he gets from the rabid wrestling crowds can't be ignored for very long, despite Randy's poor health.
Recommended movie.
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Todd Barry, Ernest Miller, and scores of actual professional wrestlers
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Buy The Wrestler at Amazon and then, visit the official site.
A critically acclaimed film about the critically scorned world of professional wrestling, which I was a follower (casual and fanatical) for many years, right up until THIS happened.
Yes, really.
Anyway...Mickey Rourke was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor as a wrestler with the stage name Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who was a major star in wrestling during the 1980s. Twenty years later, he is well past his prime, and working shows in or around Elizabeth, New Jersey on weekends. During the week, he works in a supermarket, loading boxes for his boss Wayne (Barry), who doesn't exactly think the world of Randy.
Randy has something to look forward to, though, as a wrestling promoter is proposing a 20th anniversary match with his most infamous '80s opponent, The Ayatollah (Miller), who is retired and owns a used car lot in Arizona. The first match between both men sold out Madison Square Garden, and Randy jumps at the chance, hoping this is his ticket back to the big time. He starts training for the match, which includes doses of steroids and tanning. Unfortunately, Randy's comeback is sidelined after he takes part in a hardcore match with the Necro Butcher (Dylan Summers) which includes thumbtacks, staple guns, barbed wire and broken glass. Randy suffers a heart attack afterwards, which necessitates a bypass operation, and his doctor tells him that his heart can't take any more 'roids or wrestling.
Cancelling his future matches, Randy moves to the supermarket's deli counter as his new occupation, and tries wooing stripper Cassidy (Tomei), who initially rejects him. Randy also starts repairing his relationship with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Wood). However, the call of the ring, and the adrenaline rush he gets from the rabid wrestling crowds can't be ignored for very long, despite Randy's poor health.
Recommended movie.
The Killing
The Killing.
1956 United Artists, distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Colleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen, Elisha Cook Jr., Marie Windsor
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Buy The Killing from Amazon.
Stanley Kubrick's first major film effort features Sterling Hayden as a veteran criminal named Johnny Clay, who is planning one last big heist before he leaves the world of crome to settle down into a "normal" life and marriage with Fay (Gray). The plan is to rob a racetrack of two million dollars during a big race, and Clay recruits several accomplices including a track employee, George Peatty (Cook Jr.), who is pressured into participating by his cheating wife Sherry (Windsor).
The actual robbery goes off without a problem, but during the aftermath, it's Sherry who spoils everything when she tells her lover Val (Edwards) about what happened, and he confronts Johnny's accomplices at the meeting place. The ensuing shootout sees everyone killed except George, who is badly wounded. His last act is to go home and shoot Sherry. Running late, Johnny sees an injured George and knows something went wrong. He puts the cash in an old suitcase, and takes Fay to the airport to leave on a plane, but an unexpected mishap enroute to the plane sends the cash blowing into the wind, ruining Johnny's last heist.
Recommended movie. It is also unsettling to see Stanley Kubrick directing this relatively simple and grounded project, in comparison to some of his later, more ambitious films.
1956 United Artists, distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Colleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen, Elisha Cook Jr., Marie Windsor
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Buy The Killing from Amazon.
Stanley Kubrick's first major film effort features Sterling Hayden as a veteran criminal named Johnny Clay, who is planning one last big heist before he leaves the world of crome to settle down into a "normal" life and marriage with Fay (Gray). The plan is to rob a racetrack of two million dollars during a big race, and Clay recruits several accomplices including a track employee, George Peatty (Cook Jr.), who is pressured into participating by his cheating wife Sherry (Windsor).
The actual robbery goes off without a problem, but during the aftermath, it's Sherry who spoils everything when she tells her lover Val (Edwards) about what happened, and he confronts Johnny's accomplices at the meeting place. The ensuing shootout sees everyone killed except George, who is badly wounded. His last act is to go home and shoot Sherry. Running late, Johnny sees an injured George and knows something went wrong. He puts the cash in an old suitcase, and takes Fay to the airport to leave on a plane, but an unexpected mishap enroute to the plane sends the cash blowing into the wind, ruining Johnny's last heist.
Recommended movie. It is also unsettling to see Stanley Kubrick directing this relatively simple and grounded project, in comparison to some of his later, more ambitious films.
Monday, June 15, 2009
General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait
General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait [Général Idi Amin Dada: Autoportrait] (Criterion #153).
1974 Figaro Films & Janus Films.
Featuring: Idi Amin
Music: Idi Amin
Director: Barbet Schroeder
Available from Amazon.
Before he directed mainstream fare such as Single White Female and Reversal of Fortune, director Barbet Schroeder this documentary film about Idi Amin, the buffoonish military dictator who reigned over Uganda for eight years (1971-1979), and essentially drove that nation completely into the ground. Surprisingly, Amin willingly cooperated with Schroeder during production, despite the fact that he comes across as completely unintelligent, as if the finished film would have improved his image worldwide.
The truly frightening thing is, Idi Amin actually comes across as somewhat likeable. This is the man who had between 300,000 and 500,000 of his fellow countrymen put to death for just about any reason Amin could think of. This is also the man who ordered 80,000 Asians out of Uganda during a so-called "economic war" in 1972, then appropriated their businesses for his own followers, many of who had no business running them at all. All the while, Amin is heartily laughing about his justifications for his anti-Semitism, and anything else he's done wrong.
Over the course of the film, Amin brags about how much good he's done for Uganda after he seized power in 1971, demonstrates military training of a planned invasion of Israel where Amin's men train on a playground of all things, and talks about how any hijacked Israeli aircraft would be welcomed in Uganda, two years before Operation Entebbe happened. Amin is also featured in a cabinet meeting where he dresses down his Minister of Foreign Affairs (who would be found dead in the Nile River exactly two weeks later), and spouts off ground rules where if anyone misses three meetings, they are OUT of there!
One telling scene finds Amin meeting with a group of Ugandan doctors, who are wanting to discuss medical issues, and Amin is visably nervous and uncomfortable talking to them, especially when he starts babbling about the dangers of alcohol, almost as if, for one moment, Amin is actually recognizing his lack of intelligence while in a roomful of educated medical professionals who could very well run Uganda much better than he ever could.
Highly recommended documentary, presenting a real life dictator who was so ridiculously stupid that if he were any worse, other people would have had to invent him.
1974 Figaro Films & Janus Films.
Featuring: Idi Amin
Music: Idi Amin
Director: Barbet Schroeder
Available from Amazon.
Before he directed mainstream fare such as Single White Female and Reversal of Fortune, director Barbet Schroeder this documentary film about Idi Amin, the buffoonish military dictator who reigned over Uganda for eight years (1971-1979), and essentially drove that nation completely into the ground. Surprisingly, Amin willingly cooperated with Schroeder during production, despite the fact that he comes across as completely unintelligent, as if the finished film would have improved his image worldwide.
The truly frightening thing is, Idi Amin actually comes across as somewhat likeable. This is the man who had between 300,000 and 500,000 of his fellow countrymen put to death for just about any reason Amin could think of. This is also the man who ordered 80,000 Asians out of Uganda during a so-called "economic war" in 1972, then appropriated their businesses for his own followers, many of who had no business running them at all. All the while, Amin is heartily laughing about his justifications for his anti-Semitism, and anything else he's done wrong.
Over the course of the film, Amin brags about how much good he's done for Uganda after he seized power in 1971, demonstrates military training of a planned invasion of Israel where Amin's men train on a playground of all things, and talks about how any hijacked Israeli aircraft would be welcomed in Uganda, two years before Operation Entebbe happened. Amin is also featured in a cabinet meeting where he dresses down his Minister of Foreign Affairs (who would be found dead in the Nile River exactly two weeks later), and spouts off ground rules where if anyone misses three meetings, they are OUT of there!
One telling scene finds Amin meeting with a group of Ugandan doctors, who are wanting to discuss medical issues, and Amin is visably nervous and uncomfortable talking to them, especially when he starts babbling about the dangers of alcohol, almost as if, for one moment, Amin is actually recognizing his lack of intelligence while in a roomful of educated medical professionals who could very well run Uganda much better than he ever could.
Highly recommended documentary, presenting a real life dictator who was so ridiculously stupid that if he were any worse, other people would have had to invent him.
Fantastic Planet
Fantastic Planet [La Planète sauvage].
1973 Argos Films.
Vocal Talent for American version: Cynthia Adler, Barry Bostwick, Mark Gruner, Nora Heflin, Marvin Miller, Monika Ramirez, Hal Smith, Olan Soule, Janet Waldo (all uncredited)
Music: Alain Goraguer
Director: René Laloux
Amazon.com listing (currently out of stock).
In a surreal futuristic world, two races occupy the planet: "Oms", which are human beings taken from Earth during a post-apocalyptic period of time, and "Draags", who are 39-foot-tall blue skinned giants with huge red eyes. Some of the Oms are domesticated as pets, but others are considered wild animals and are periodically exterminated. One of the Oms is kept by a Draag named Tiva, who names him Terr. She found him after three other Draag children have accidentally killed his mother. Terr is outfitted with a collar that can physically drag him back from mischief, and his relationship with Tiva develops. He begins eavesdropping on her educational lessons provided by a headset, acquiring Draag knowledge.
After Terr grows to adulthood, he decides to leave Tiva and her family, taking the headset with him. Before his collar brings him back home, he is rescued by a wild female Om, who brings him and the headset to her tribe that lives in a tree in a walled park. The leader ("Mighty One") is impressed by Terr's ability to interpret Draag script, but the tribe's Wizard is not, and challenges Terr to combat. Terr wins the fight with the Wizard's champion. We then learn how the Oms have adapted to life on the Draags' homeworld, including a confrontation with a rival tribe of Oms.
The park is due to be "de-Omised", and Terr decides to take this information to the bandit tribe, only to be captured. He is let go when he is proven correct about the extermination process. The park is gassed, and many Oms perish, but a good number survive and manage to escape the park. Two passing Draags witness this, and one starts stepping on the Oms. The Oms retaliate and kill one of the Draags, at the cost of Mighty One's life. The Draags redouble their efforts to exterminate the Oms, while the survivors make their way to an old rocket depot. The Oms use the abandoned technologies to temporarily protect themselves, and then, use rockets to travel to the orbiting Fantastic Planet, where they have decided to relocate to, thinking it would be free of Draag influence. The Fantastic Planet is occupied by headless statues that the Draags use to facilitate "nuptial rites" between them and other races. The Oms begin destroying the statues when they are threatened by them. A compromise is reached between both species to keep them from destroying one another, and the Oms construct their own satellite, named after Terr.
Recommended film, chock full of creepy European animation.
1973 Argos Films.
Vocal Talent for American version: Cynthia Adler, Barry Bostwick, Mark Gruner, Nora Heflin, Marvin Miller, Monika Ramirez, Hal Smith, Olan Soule, Janet Waldo (all uncredited)
Music: Alain Goraguer
Director: René Laloux
Amazon.com listing (currently out of stock).
In a surreal futuristic world, two races occupy the planet: "Oms", which are human beings taken from Earth during a post-apocalyptic period of time, and "Draags", who are 39-foot-tall blue skinned giants with huge red eyes. Some of the Oms are domesticated as pets, but others are considered wild animals and are periodically exterminated. One of the Oms is kept by a Draag named Tiva, who names him Terr. She found him after three other Draag children have accidentally killed his mother. Terr is outfitted with a collar that can physically drag him back from mischief, and his relationship with Tiva develops. He begins eavesdropping on her educational lessons provided by a headset, acquiring Draag knowledge.
After Terr grows to adulthood, he decides to leave Tiva and her family, taking the headset with him. Before his collar brings him back home, he is rescued by a wild female Om, who brings him and the headset to her tribe that lives in a tree in a walled park. The leader ("Mighty One") is impressed by Terr's ability to interpret Draag script, but the tribe's Wizard is not, and challenges Terr to combat. Terr wins the fight with the Wizard's champion. We then learn how the Oms have adapted to life on the Draags' homeworld, including a confrontation with a rival tribe of Oms.
The park is due to be "de-Omised", and Terr decides to take this information to the bandit tribe, only to be captured. He is let go when he is proven correct about the extermination process. The park is gassed, and many Oms perish, but a good number survive and manage to escape the park. Two passing Draags witness this, and one starts stepping on the Oms. The Oms retaliate and kill one of the Draags, at the cost of Mighty One's life. The Draags redouble their efforts to exterminate the Oms, while the survivors make their way to an old rocket depot. The Oms use the abandoned technologies to temporarily protect themselves, and then, use rockets to travel to the orbiting Fantastic Planet, where they have decided to relocate to, thinking it would be free of Draag influence. The Fantastic Planet is occupied by headless statues that the Draags use to facilitate "nuptial rites" between them and other races. The Oms begin destroying the statues when they are threatened by them. A compromise is reached between both species to keep them from destroying one another, and the Oms construct their own satellite, named after Terr.
Recommended film, chock full of creepy European animation.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Across the Pacific
Across the Pacific.
1942 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Charles Halton, Victor Sen Yung
Directors: John Huston & Vincent Sherman
Currently available only as part of the Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection, Volume II box set from Amazon.
A reunion of the principal stars of The Maltese Falcon, including director John Huston, who had to turn the production of the film over to Vincent Sherman after he was summoned to report to the Department of Special Services after three weeks' of filming. The screenplay's locality was changed at the last minute from Pearl Harbor to the Panama Canal, but still retained the title of Across the Pacific.
Bogie plays Rick Leland, a disgraced ex-military man kicked out after he was caught stealing. The Canadian military doesn't want him either, so Leland boards a Japanese ship called the Genoa Maru in Halifax, intending to make his way to China to fight under Chiang Kai-shek. He meets a small town girl named Alberta Marlow (Astor), a small town chick claiming to be on her way to Los Angeles, the sociology professor Dr. Lorenz (Greenstreet) who openly admires the Japanese, and Joe Totsuiko (Sen Yung), the cheerful second generation Japanese American wanting to see Japan. While stopping in New York City, Leland talks to undercover intelligence officer Colonel Hart (Paul Stanton) to prove he is still a loyal American. It's revealed that Lorenz is an enemy spy, but Marlow? Still pretty uncertain about her.
The ship is prohibited from entering the Panama Canal, which means a long trip around Cape Horn. The main characters simply disembark to wait for another ship while several crates are unloaded, and they're addressed to a Dan Morton at a plantation. Lorenz asks Leland for up-to-date schedules for the American fighters patrolling the area in the skies, which he receives after talking A.V. Smith (Halton) into providing them. Leland is knocked out for his troubles after haggling with Lorenz over payment, and after he comes to, he notifies Smith to warn him about changing the patrol schedule before heading for the plantation. He's taken hostage by Lorenz and Totsuiko, and Marlow is present, but she is only there to watch over her father Dan Morton (Monte Blue), who owns the plantation. Lorenz reveals that he and Joe had Smith killed before the schedule could be changed, and they're planning to bomb the Panama Canal Locks. It's up to Leland to foil these plans and save America.
Recommended movie.
1942 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Charles Halton, Victor Sen Yung
Directors: John Huston & Vincent Sherman
Currently available only as part of the Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection, Volume II box set from Amazon.
A reunion of the principal stars of The Maltese Falcon, including director John Huston, who had to turn the production of the film over to Vincent Sherman after he was summoned to report to the Department of Special Services after three weeks' of filming. The screenplay's locality was changed at the last minute from Pearl Harbor to the Panama Canal, but still retained the title of Across the Pacific.
Bogie plays Rick Leland, a disgraced ex-military man kicked out after he was caught stealing. The Canadian military doesn't want him either, so Leland boards a Japanese ship called the Genoa Maru in Halifax, intending to make his way to China to fight under Chiang Kai-shek. He meets a small town girl named Alberta Marlow (Astor), a small town chick claiming to be on her way to Los Angeles, the sociology professor Dr. Lorenz (Greenstreet) who openly admires the Japanese, and Joe Totsuiko (Sen Yung), the cheerful second generation Japanese American wanting to see Japan. While stopping in New York City, Leland talks to undercover intelligence officer Colonel Hart (Paul Stanton) to prove he is still a loyal American. It's revealed that Lorenz is an enemy spy, but Marlow? Still pretty uncertain about her.
The ship is prohibited from entering the Panama Canal, which means a long trip around Cape Horn. The main characters simply disembark to wait for another ship while several crates are unloaded, and they're addressed to a Dan Morton at a plantation. Lorenz asks Leland for up-to-date schedules for the American fighters patrolling the area in the skies, which he receives after talking A.V. Smith (Halton) into providing them. Leland is knocked out for his troubles after haggling with Lorenz over payment, and after he comes to, he notifies Smith to warn him about changing the patrol schedule before heading for the plantation. He's taken hostage by Lorenz and Totsuiko, and Marlow is present, but she is only there to watch over her father Dan Morton (Monte Blue), who owns the plantation. Lorenz reveals that he and Joe had Smith killed before the schedule could be changed, and they're planning to bomb the Panama Canal Locks. It's up to Leland to foil these plans and save America.
Recommended movie.
Macao
Macao.
1952 RKO Radio Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, William Bendix, Thomas Gomez, Gloria Grahame, Brad Dexter
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of the Robert Mitchum Signature Collection box set.
Three strangers from America arrive at the port of Macao (or, if you prefer, Macau) on the same boat: former serviceman Nick Cochran (Mitchum), singer Julie Benson (Russell), and traveling salesman Lawrence Cicero Trumble (Bendix). Cochran meets Benson after she's being propositioned by a man who won't take no for an answer, and she throws a shoe out of a window to get Nick's attention (she also secretly steals his wallet and passport after the would-be lothario is taken care of).
A corrupt police lieutenant, Sebastian (Gomez) tips off the casino owner and mob boss Vincent Halloran (Dexter) about Macao's newest arrivals, and Halloran already knows about an undercover New York City police officer planning to lure him out into international waters where he can be arrested. Halloran concludes that Cochran is the undercover cop, and tries to bribe him into leaving Macao, but Nick would prefer to stay and get to know Julie better. Halloran simply hires Julie as a singer for his casino, partially to find out what she knows about Nick.
Trumble offers Nick a cut of the dough when he asks for help in selling a stolen diamond necklace. Nick shows Halloran a diamond, and he recognizes it, having sent it to Hong Kong a week before to be sold. Cochran is taken prisoner, but is soon set free by Halloran's jealous girlfriend Margie (Grahame), who is fearing that he is planning to leave her for Julie. Trumble is killed after getting mixed up in the ensuing chase, but he tells Nick about the police boat waiting offshore before dying. Using information from Julie about a planned trek to Hong Kong, Cochran commandeers Halloran's private boat and steers it out to the waiting policemen.
Recommended movie, with decent performances from Mitchum, Dexter, and especially Russell.
1952 RKO Radio Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, William Bendix, Thomas Gomez, Gloria Grahame, Brad Dexter
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of the Robert Mitchum Signature Collection box set.
Three strangers from America arrive at the port of Macao (or, if you prefer, Macau) on the same boat: former serviceman Nick Cochran (Mitchum), singer Julie Benson (Russell), and traveling salesman Lawrence Cicero Trumble (Bendix). Cochran meets Benson after she's being propositioned by a man who won't take no for an answer, and she throws a shoe out of a window to get Nick's attention (she also secretly steals his wallet and passport after the would-be lothario is taken care of).
A corrupt police lieutenant, Sebastian (Gomez) tips off the casino owner and mob boss Vincent Halloran (Dexter) about Macao's newest arrivals, and Halloran already knows about an undercover New York City police officer planning to lure him out into international waters where he can be arrested. Halloran concludes that Cochran is the undercover cop, and tries to bribe him into leaving Macao, but Nick would prefer to stay and get to know Julie better. Halloran simply hires Julie as a singer for his casino, partially to find out what she knows about Nick.
Trumble offers Nick a cut of the dough when he asks for help in selling a stolen diamond necklace. Nick shows Halloran a diamond, and he recognizes it, having sent it to Hong Kong a week before to be sold. Cochran is taken prisoner, but is soon set free by Halloran's jealous girlfriend Margie (Grahame), who is fearing that he is planning to leave her for Julie. Trumble is killed after getting mixed up in the ensuing chase, but he tells Nick about the police boat waiting offshore before dying. Using information from Julie about a planned trek to Hong Kong, Cochran commandeers Halloran's private boat and steers it out to the waiting policemen.
Recommended movie, with decent performances from Mitchum, Dexter, and especially Russell.
MST3K #204: Catalina Caper
Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #204: Catalina Caper (a.k.a. Never Steal Anything Wet).
Original airdate: October 13, 1990.
Available from Amazon as part of the first MST3K Collection.
This was the only intentional comedy film ever featured on MST3K. It was reportedly a difficult movie to write for, thanks to the "comedy" and the musical numbers, not to mention the somewhat confusing plot contained therein.
As an ancient scroll is stolen from a museum, teenager Don Pringle (Tommy Kirk) and his friends take a pleasure trip to Catalina Island, which includes a lot of dancing aboard a yacht while Little Richard serenades them with some of his lesser known hits. Don and his friends get caught up in the mystery about who stole the scroll, finding out that one of the parents of the boys along for the ride is responsible. Also, Don tries to woo away a girl he fancies from a vaguely tough Lyle Waggoner while some older gentleman (Robert Donner) with a talent for bad slapstick situation occasionally gets in the way, before revealing himself as a detective on the trail of the scroll.
The show opens with Tom Servo and Crow in their pajamas saying their prayers before bed, all to well known robots and cyborgs from the world of movies and TV. The invention exchange sees Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank demonstrating their armor plated cannon firing beachwear called, what else, Tank Tops. Joel counters with the Tickle Bazooka (both inventions were shown in the opening titles for a few episodes). Later, when prompted to talk about the '60s by the 'bots, Joel goes off on a long tangent which gradually turns into complaints about his parents sheltering him from events like Woodstock, or spanking him with a leather belt. Tom Servo takes center stage to sing the "Creepy Girl" song, complete with Joel and Crow slow dancing in the background. After the movie, Joel and the 'bots try to figure out exactly what happened in the movie with a very confusing chart.
Recommended episode, but not the best one they ever did.
Original airdate: October 13, 1990.
Available from Amazon as part of the first MST3K Collection.
This was the only intentional comedy film ever featured on MST3K. It was reportedly a difficult movie to write for, thanks to the "comedy" and the musical numbers, not to mention the somewhat confusing plot contained therein.
As an ancient scroll is stolen from a museum, teenager Don Pringle (Tommy Kirk) and his friends take a pleasure trip to Catalina Island, which includes a lot of dancing aboard a yacht while Little Richard serenades them with some of his lesser known hits. Don and his friends get caught up in the mystery about who stole the scroll, finding out that one of the parents of the boys along for the ride is responsible. Also, Don tries to woo away a girl he fancies from a vaguely tough Lyle Waggoner while some older gentleman (Robert Donner) with a talent for bad slapstick situation occasionally gets in the way, before revealing himself as a detective on the trail of the scroll.
The show opens with Tom Servo and Crow in their pajamas saying their prayers before bed, all to well known robots and cyborgs from the world of movies and TV. The invention exchange sees Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank demonstrating their armor plated cannon firing beachwear called, what else, Tank Tops. Joel counters with the Tickle Bazooka (both inventions were shown in the opening titles for a few episodes). Later, when prompted to talk about the '60s by the 'bots, Joel goes off on a long tangent which gradually turns into complaints about his parents sheltering him from events like Woodstock, or spanking him with a leather belt. Tom Servo takes center stage to sing the "Creepy Girl" song, complete with Joel and Crow slow dancing in the background. After the movie, Joel and the 'bots try to figure out exactly what happened in the movie with a very confusing chart.
Recommended episode, but not the best one they ever did.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath. 1941 20th Century Fox.
Starring: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Shirley Mills, John Qualen, Eddie Quillan
Director: John Ford
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, a 'Ford at Fox Collection' single DVD, or as part of the Ford at Fox Collection: The Essential John Ford box set.
The film version of John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. John Ford and executive producer Darryl F. Zanuck were both considered politically conservative, and the book contained left-wing political views, particularly the ending, and the choices of Ford and Zanuck to make the film was a surprise to some critics.
Tom Joad (Fonda) has been paroled from prison after four years for manslaughter, and he's on his way back to the Joad family farm in Oklahoma. Before getting there, Tom meets an old family friend, Casey (Carradine), a former preacher warning him about dust storms, crop failures, and advances in agricultural methods have ruined Oklahoma's once prosperous farm lands. When Tom gets home, he finds that his family is making plans to head west to California in search of employment since their farm has been foreclosed by the bank.
Following a long trek down Route 66, where Grampa dies, and later, another migrant warns them that California isn't as great as it sounds, the Joads make it to the Golden State, and do not last long in the first two migrant camps. Casey ends up murdered by a guard from the second camp at a secret meeting held by striking migrants unhappy with high food prices at the local store. Tom accidentally kills the guard who killed Casey, but suffers a wound on his face, which would make identifying him too easy. The Joads hide Tom long enough to leave the second camp, and they end up at a legitimate one run by the Department of Agriculture. Tom becomes personally idealized by his experiences, and plans to carry on Casey's mission in the world and fight for social reform. He must leave his family behind to accomplish this mission. The rest of the Joads move on from this camp, but realize that they're not going to be defeated by anything else in the future.
Recommended movie.
Starring: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Shirley Mills, John Qualen, Eddie Quillan
Director: John Ford
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, a 'Ford at Fox Collection' single DVD, or as part of the Ford at Fox Collection: The Essential John Ford box set.
The film version of John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. John Ford and executive producer Darryl F. Zanuck were both considered politically conservative, and the book contained left-wing political views, particularly the ending, and the choices of Ford and Zanuck to make the film was a surprise to some critics.
Tom Joad (Fonda) has been paroled from prison after four years for manslaughter, and he's on his way back to the Joad family farm in Oklahoma. Before getting there, Tom meets an old family friend, Casey (Carradine), a former preacher warning him about dust storms, crop failures, and advances in agricultural methods have ruined Oklahoma's once prosperous farm lands. When Tom gets home, he finds that his family is making plans to head west to California in search of employment since their farm has been foreclosed by the bank.
Following a long trek down Route 66, where Grampa dies, and later, another migrant warns them that California isn't as great as it sounds, the Joads make it to the Golden State, and do not last long in the first two migrant camps. Casey ends up murdered by a guard from the second camp at a secret meeting held by striking migrants unhappy with high food prices at the local store. Tom accidentally kills the guard who killed Casey, but suffers a wound on his face, which would make identifying him too easy. The Joads hide Tom long enough to leave the second camp, and they end up at a legitimate one run by the Department of Agriculture. Tom becomes personally idealized by his experiences, and plans to carry on Casey's mission in the world and fight for social reform. He must leave his family behind to accomplish this mission. The rest of the Joads move on from this camp, but realize that they're not going to be defeated by anything else in the future.
Recommended movie.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Wages of Fear
The Wages of Fear [La Salaire de la Peur] (Criterion #36).
1953 Les Films Cinédis S.A. & Janus Films.
Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter Van Eyck, William Tubbs, Véra Clouzot, Folco Lulli
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Available from Amazon.
Las Piedras is an isolated and hopelessly backwards small town somewhere in South America, and it's dominated by the presence of the Southern Oil Company, an American company that's been accused of exploiting its local workers and taking the law into its own hands. The Americans are only in control because they're "organized", and god help the local citizens with few opportunities to work or escape, and even less hope.
When The Wages of Fear was first released in the U.S., a lot of scenes from the first half of the movie were edited out. Some insisted it was because the first half was "too long"; others suspected that the scenes were cut because they were "anti-American".
We meet the four main characters, who are all stuck in Las Piedras, and have no way of getting out, since airfare is expensive. Mario (Montand) from Corsica, the optimistic playboy. M. Jo (Vanel) is a ex-gangster from Paris who specialized in running moonshine, and had recently found himself stranded in town. Bimba (Van Eyck) hails from Germany, and he is a quite, intense individual who worked for three years in a salt mine, and his father was killed by the Nazis. Finally, Luigi (Lulli) is a cheerful Italian who recently learned that he is dying from lung disease. M. Jo quickly alienates himself from most of the locals who hang out at the cantina because he always tries to present himself as a big shot.
(Before we go any further: Mario and Luigi are roommates. I'm not making this up.)
The SOC sees a massive fire break out at one of their oil fields, several hundred miles away, and the only way to extinguish that fire is by using nitroglycerine. With such little notice, and no adequate equipment available in Las Piedras, the only way to get the nitro to its destination is putting it in jerrycans on two large trucks. The SOC decides it's too dangerous for the unionized employees, thanks to the poor roads and the hazardous cargo, so they recruit local citizens to do the job. Many people, attracted by the $2,000 per driver wages, volunteer. Mario, Bimba, Luigi, and another man called Smerloff (Darío Moreno) are picked to do the job. On the appointed day, Smerloff fails to show up, so M. Jo is substituted in his place. The other three drivers suspect that M. Jo killed Smerloff to take his place.
Mario and M. Jo depart in one truck, followed by Luigi and Bimba who depart thirty minutes later, in order to limit potential casualties. The road ahead is a very dangerous one, filled with physical and mental obstacles, particularly M. Jo's increasing cowardice as the trip goes on. Sadly, at least two of our drivers will not be coming back alive.
It is the second half of The Wages of Fear and its increasingly suspenseful route to the oil fields that make it a great film. Four men with nothing going for them, and desperate enough for any kind of good money to escape their dreary existances take their lives into their hands transporting a cargo that could instantly kill them makes for some thrilling scenes. Highly, highly, highly recommended. Get this one immediately!
1953 Les Films Cinédis S.A. & Janus Films.
Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter Van Eyck, William Tubbs, Véra Clouzot, Folco Lulli
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Available from Amazon.
Las Piedras is an isolated and hopelessly backwards small town somewhere in South America, and it's dominated by the presence of the Southern Oil Company, an American company that's been accused of exploiting its local workers and taking the law into its own hands. The Americans are only in control because they're "organized", and god help the local citizens with few opportunities to work or escape, and even less hope.
When The Wages of Fear was first released in the U.S., a lot of scenes from the first half of the movie were edited out. Some insisted it was because the first half was "too long"; others suspected that the scenes were cut because they were "anti-American".
We meet the four main characters, who are all stuck in Las Piedras, and have no way of getting out, since airfare is expensive. Mario (Montand) from Corsica, the optimistic playboy. M. Jo (Vanel) is a ex-gangster from Paris who specialized in running moonshine, and had recently found himself stranded in town. Bimba (Van Eyck) hails from Germany, and he is a quite, intense individual who worked for three years in a salt mine, and his father was killed by the Nazis. Finally, Luigi (Lulli) is a cheerful Italian who recently learned that he is dying from lung disease. M. Jo quickly alienates himself from most of the locals who hang out at the cantina because he always tries to present himself as a big shot.
(Before we go any further: Mario and Luigi are roommates. I'm not making this up.)
The SOC sees a massive fire break out at one of their oil fields, several hundred miles away, and the only way to extinguish that fire is by using nitroglycerine. With such little notice, and no adequate equipment available in Las Piedras, the only way to get the nitro to its destination is putting it in jerrycans on two large trucks. The SOC decides it's too dangerous for the unionized employees, thanks to the poor roads and the hazardous cargo, so they recruit local citizens to do the job. Many people, attracted by the $2,000 per driver wages, volunteer. Mario, Bimba, Luigi, and another man called Smerloff (Darío Moreno) are picked to do the job. On the appointed day, Smerloff fails to show up, so M. Jo is substituted in his place. The other three drivers suspect that M. Jo killed Smerloff to take his place.
Mario and M. Jo depart in one truck, followed by Luigi and Bimba who depart thirty minutes later, in order to limit potential casualties. The road ahead is a very dangerous one, filled with physical and mental obstacles, particularly M. Jo's increasing cowardice as the trip goes on. Sadly, at least two of our drivers will not be coming back alive.
It is the second half of The Wages of Fear and its increasingly suspenseful route to the oil fields that make it a great film. Four men with nothing going for them, and desperate enough for any kind of good money to escape their dreary existances take their lives into their hands transporting a cargo that could instantly kill them makes for some thrilling scenes. Highly, highly, highly recommended. Get this one immediately!
Brazil
Brazil (Criterion #51).
1985 Universal Pictures.
Starring: Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Jim Broadbent, Nigel Planer, Brian Miller
Director: Terry Gilliam
Available from Amazon as a single disc Criterion edition, a three disc Criterion box set, or as the simple, barebones Universal release.
Terry Gilliam's signature film was first conceived in the mid-1970s after he directed his first solo project, Jabberwocky. It took the success of 1981's Time Bandits for his vision to start becoming a reality. Brazil proved to be an endless headache during production and post-production for Gilliam, to the point where the director lost all feeling in his legs for a week due to stress, and found that his vocabulary had been reduced to just three choice obscenities. Once the film was completed, Gilliam started having problems with Universal, who was to release the movie in the United States (20th Century Fox handled distribution everywhere else; evidentally, they had no problems with the film's content). At first, Universal said the movie was too long, so Gilliam trimmed it by nine minutes. However, the studio's main objection with Brazil was the dark ending (which is in the eye of the beholder, honestly), and they wanted a typical Hollywood happy ending. Gilliam wouldn't listen, so Universal created the so-called "Love Conquers All" version of Brazil, which is included as a bonus on Criterion's three disc box set, and basically sat on the original film. Gilliam bickered publicly with then-Universal studio head Sid Sheinberg, even taking out an ad in Variety asking him when he would release the movie as he intended it to be released. It took Gilliam conducting private screenings without Universal's approval, and the subsequent critical success that prompted the studio to release Brazil...but they barely promoted it, and it turned out to be a flop at the box office. Sorry, Terry.
Anyway, Brazil is the story of low-level and content to be that way government employee Sam Lowry (Pryce), who often dreams of saving a beautiful maiden while flying through the air. He gets mixed up in a government critical error caused by a literal bug in the machinery, when a Mr. Archebald Buttle (Miller) is arrested and subsequently executed instead of the ministry's real target, the renegade air conditioning specialist Harry Tuttle (De Niro). When the meeting with Mrs. Buttle goes badly, Sam notices the Buttles' upstairs neighbor, Jill Layton (Greist), when she comes to check on the situation. Jill is the same woman as in his dreams. Jill is now considered a terrorist friend of Tuttle after she tried to report Buttle's wrongful arrest to the bureaucrats who would never admit they made a mistake. Initially, Jill does not open up to Sam, as she's worried the government will find her.
In the mean time, Sam meets Harry Tuttle, who fixes the air conditioning in his apartment much faster than the two government workers sent to handle the problem, and deals with his mother Ida (Helmond), who is addicted to rejuvenating plastic surgery, and who is frustrated with her son's lack of any real drive or ambition. Sam's best friend is one Jack Lint (Palin), who specializes in torturing "guests" of the government. Sam finds Jill's records, and alters them to show that she is deceased, allowing her to escape the ministry's persecution. They share a romantic evening together before Sam is arrested for misusing his position. With Tuttle's aid (Jill's fate is unclear; it depends on which version of the film you're watching!), Sam escapes into an increasingly surreal nightmare. Sam does manage to escape the city and the government along with Jill...
...ummm, no, he doesn't.
The real star of Brazil is the simultaneously futuristic and retrogressive world that Gilliam created, filled with many outrageous gadgets and everyday household items, with just as many classic references to a simpler past visable, often in the same scene (Sam has a fascination with older movies, like Casablanca). It's a truly unique vision of film well worth your time. Highly, highly, highly recommended!
1985 Universal Pictures.
Starring: Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Jim Broadbent, Nigel Planer, Brian Miller
Director: Terry Gilliam
Available from Amazon as a single disc Criterion edition, a three disc Criterion box set, or as the simple, barebones Universal release.
Terry Gilliam's signature film was first conceived in the mid-1970s after he directed his first solo project, Jabberwocky. It took the success of 1981's Time Bandits for his vision to start becoming a reality. Brazil proved to be an endless headache during production and post-production for Gilliam, to the point where the director lost all feeling in his legs for a week due to stress, and found that his vocabulary had been reduced to just three choice obscenities. Once the film was completed, Gilliam started having problems with Universal, who was to release the movie in the United States (20th Century Fox handled distribution everywhere else; evidentally, they had no problems with the film's content). At first, Universal said the movie was too long, so Gilliam trimmed it by nine minutes. However, the studio's main objection with Brazil was the dark ending (which is in the eye of the beholder, honestly), and they wanted a typical Hollywood happy ending. Gilliam wouldn't listen, so Universal created the so-called "Love Conquers All" version of Brazil, which is included as a bonus on Criterion's three disc box set, and basically sat on the original film. Gilliam bickered publicly with then-Universal studio head Sid Sheinberg, even taking out an ad in Variety asking him when he would release the movie as he intended it to be released. It took Gilliam conducting private screenings without Universal's approval, and the subsequent critical success that prompted the studio to release Brazil...but they barely promoted it, and it turned out to be a flop at the box office. Sorry, Terry.
Anyway, Brazil is the story of low-level and content to be that way government employee Sam Lowry (Pryce), who often dreams of saving a beautiful maiden while flying through the air. He gets mixed up in a government critical error caused by a literal bug in the machinery, when a Mr. Archebald Buttle (Miller) is arrested and subsequently executed instead of the ministry's real target, the renegade air conditioning specialist Harry Tuttle (De Niro). When the meeting with Mrs. Buttle goes badly, Sam notices the Buttles' upstairs neighbor, Jill Layton (Greist), when she comes to check on the situation. Jill is the same woman as in his dreams. Jill is now considered a terrorist friend of Tuttle after she tried to report Buttle's wrongful arrest to the bureaucrats who would never admit they made a mistake. Initially, Jill does not open up to Sam, as she's worried the government will find her.
In the mean time, Sam meets Harry Tuttle, who fixes the air conditioning in his apartment much faster than the two government workers sent to handle the problem, and deals with his mother Ida (Helmond), who is addicted to rejuvenating plastic surgery, and who is frustrated with her son's lack of any real drive or ambition. Sam's best friend is one Jack Lint (Palin), who specializes in torturing "guests" of the government. Sam finds Jill's records, and alters them to show that she is deceased, allowing her to escape the ministry's persecution. They share a romantic evening together before Sam is arrested for misusing his position. With Tuttle's aid (Jill's fate is unclear; it depends on which version of the film you're watching!), Sam escapes into an increasingly surreal nightmare. Sam does manage to escape the city and the government along with Jill...
...ummm, no, he doesn't.
The real star of Brazil is the simultaneously futuristic and retrogressive world that Gilliam created, filled with many outrageous gadgets and everyday household items, with just as many classic references to a simpler past visable, often in the same scene (Sam has a fascination with older movies, like Casablanca). It's a truly unique vision of film well worth your time. Highly, highly, highly recommended!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)