The Blues Brothers. 1980 Universal Pictures.
Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Carrie Fisher, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, Henry Gibson
Also Starring: Ray Charles, Twiggy, Frank Oz, Chaka Khan, John Lee Hooker, Paul Reubens, Steven Spielberg
The Band: Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Murphy Dunne, Willie Hall, Tom Malone, Lou Marini, Matt Murphy, Alan Rubin
Director: John Landis
Available from Amazon as a collector's edition, or the 25th Anniversary Edition.
They're on a mission from God, and they will destroy a shopping mall to accomplish it.
"Joliet" Jake Blues (Belushi) is released from prison after three years in the big house for armed robbery, and he's picked up by brother Elwood (Aykroyd) in the "Bluesmobile", a former police car. They soon learn that their childhood home, a Roman Catholic orphanage, is in financial trouble, and it will be closed unless $5,000 in property taxes is collected. After learning that their orphanage director will not accept stolen funds, Jake and Elwood visit a church service where the former has an epiphany: raising the money legitimately by getting the band back together. After the now legendary car chase through Dixie Square Mall (which is still standing, despite being totally abandoned and falling to pieces for years and years), Jake and Elwood make it back home, where they notice that there's a mysterious woman (Fisher) trying to kill them. The woman does save them from possible arrest the following morning.
Jake and Elwood track down their old bandmates, who are all working day jobs, or playing in empty hotel lounges, and recruit them back into the band, making some new enemies in the so-called Illinois Nazis, led by Henry Gibson, who has no poetry to contribute this time.
The reunited Blues Brothers have a rough reunion, playing one fairly bad gig at a redneck bar, and getting booked way out in the sticks after Jake and Elwood blackmails a promoter into giving them a show. The brothers are late to the gig, who in addition to the sold out audience, also has scores of police officers as well as the Good Ol' Boys, the country band whose show they took over at Bob's Country Bunker. After two songs, though, they are given a cash advance on the recording contract, which will cover the orphanage's debts as well as pay for the cost of the band's instruments, which were all borrowed from a pawn shop. Jake takes care of the mystery woman, who turns out to be an old flame, and everyone rushes back to Chicago, with the cops, the Illinois Nazis, and the Good Ol' Boys in hot pursuit.
This movie was filmed largely in and around Chicago, which opened the doors for the Windy City as a venue for filmmaking. Richard J. Daley had basically prohibited any kind of filmmaking in Chicago up until his death in 1976. Aykroyd said the city was "one of the stars of the movie", and added that they wrote the film as a tribute.
Highly, highly, highly recommended film, with some great music thrown in.
Showing posts with label john landis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label john landis. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Kentucky Fried Movie
The Kentucky Fried Movie.
1977 KFM Films & Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Featuring: Bill Bixby, George Lazenby, Evan C. Kim, Tony Dow, Donald Sutherland, Tara Strohmeier, Henry Gibson, Stephen Stucker, Branscombe Richmond, Leslie Nielsen (uncredited)
Written by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Director: John Landis
Buy The Kentucky Fried Movie from Amazon.
"The popcorn you are eating has been pissed in. Film at eleven."
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker wrote this sketch film that was rejected by every single Hollywood studio because apparently "audiences didn't like movies comprised of sketches". Well, it never stopped Monty Python, right? Eventually, the ZAZ crew decided to make the movie themselves, with director John Landis and financial backing from Kim Jorgenson, who literally fell out of his seat laughing after viewing the ten minute skit that Landis, the Zuckers, and Abrahams had completed as a "demo" which the studios also rejected.
The film, as you have probably guessed, is a collection of sketches. They are mainly parodies of TV commercials and programs, newscasts, film trailers, drive-in movies and mental hygiene films from schools. The longest sketch is the kung-fu parody "A Fistful of Yen", which runs slightly over 31 minutes.
The Anchor Bay DVD release also includes a commentary track from Landis, producer Robert K. Weiss, the Zuckers, and Abraham. I didn't use it tonight, but I have heard that it's quite funny. Maybe next time I watch this one, I'll have the commentary turned on, whenever that'll be.
Highly recommended.
1977 KFM Films & Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Featuring: Bill Bixby, George Lazenby, Evan C. Kim, Tony Dow, Donald Sutherland, Tara Strohmeier, Henry Gibson, Stephen Stucker, Branscombe Richmond, Leslie Nielsen (uncredited)
Written by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Director: John Landis
Buy The Kentucky Fried Movie from Amazon.
"The popcorn you are eating has been pissed in. Film at eleven."
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker wrote this sketch film that was rejected by every single Hollywood studio because apparently "audiences didn't like movies comprised of sketches". Well, it never stopped Monty Python, right? Eventually, the ZAZ crew decided to make the movie themselves, with director John Landis and financial backing from Kim Jorgenson, who literally fell out of his seat laughing after viewing the ten minute skit that Landis, the Zuckers, and Abrahams had completed as a "demo" which the studios also rejected.
The film, as you have probably guessed, is a collection of sketches. They are mainly parodies of TV commercials and programs, newscasts, film trailers, drive-in movies and mental hygiene films from schools. The longest sketch is the kung-fu parody "A Fistful of Yen", which runs slightly over 31 minutes.
The Anchor Bay DVD release also includes a commentary track from Landis, producer Robert K. Weiss, the Zuckers, and Abraham. I didn't use it tonight, but I have heard that it's quite funny. Maybe next time I watch this one, I'll have the commentary turned on, whenever that'll be.
Highly recommended.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Trading Places
Trading Places. 1983 Paramount Pictures.
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: John Landis
Buy Trading Places (Special Collectors' Edition) from Amazon.
Two filthy rich and morally bankrupt brothers, Randolph and Mortimer Duke (Bellamy & Ameche), hold different beliefs when it comes to the issue of nature versus nurture. Mort thinks that any well-bred person can easily conquer any challenges presented to him, and a not-so well-bred person will fail even if he's given many advantages. Randolph believes that the former person will degenerate if taken out of his environment, but the so-called "disadvantaged" person will change for the better if given the opportunity. The brothers make a one dollar bet, and decide to ruin the life of one of their employees, Louis Winthorpe III (Aykroyd), taking away everything he has, while installing a street hustler named Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy) in his place in the office, and at home. To hasten Winthorpe's downfall (he's already been framed for theft), the brothers hire Ophelia (Curtis), a prostitute who turns out to have a heart of gold.
Over the course of the bet, it turns out that Randolph's belief is correct, as Billy Ray turns his back on his old associates after initially opening up Winthorpe's home for a party, while Louis at one point tries to plant illegal drugs near Billy Ray in an effort to get him hired, before attempting suicide twice.
Unknown to the Duke brothers, Billy Ray overhears them discussing the results of their bets in the washroom, along with their intention of getting rid of Valentine without reinstating Winthorpe to his stolen position at work. Randolph and Mortimer are disgusted at the idea of the idea of either one in charge of their Philadelphia-based office. Billy Ray is angry about being manipulated like this, and he seeks out Winthorpe to tell him what is going on. With the help of Ophelia and a friendly butler named Coleman (Elliott), the two of them swiftly decide that breaking the Dukes financially is the best plan for revenge.
Recommended film.
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: John Landis
Buy Trading Places (Special Collectors' Edition) from Amazon.
Two filthy rich and morally bankrupt brothers, Randolph and Mortimer Duke (Bellamy & Ameche), hold different beliefs when it comes to the issue of nature versus nurture. Mort thinks that any well-bred person can easily conquer any challenges presented to him, and a not-so well-bred person will fail even if he's given many advantages. Randolph believes that the former person will degenerate if taken out of his environment, but the so-called "disadvantaged" person will change for the better if given the opportunity. The brothers make a one dollar bet, and decide to ruin the life of one of their employees, Louis Winthorpe III (Aykroyd), taking away everything he has, while installing a street hustler named Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy) in his place in the office, and at home. To hasten Winthorpe's downfall (he's already been framed for theft), the brothers hire Ophelia (Curtis), a prostitute who turns out to have a heart of gold.
Over the course of the bet, it turns out that Randolph's belief is correct, as Billy Ray turns his back on his old associates after initially opening up Winthorpe's home for a party, while Louis at one point tries to plant illegal drugs near Billy Ray in an effort to get him hired, before attempting suicide twice.
Unknown to the Duke brothers, Billy Ray overhears them discussing the results of their bets in the washroom, along with their intention of getting rid of Valentine without reinstating Winthorpe to his stolen position at work. Randolph and Mortimer are disgusted at the idea of the idea of either one in charge of their Philadelphia-based office. Billy Ray is angry about being manipulated like this, and he seeks out Winthorpe to tell him what is going on. With the help of Ophelia and a friendly butler named Coleman (Elliott), the two of them swiftly decide that breaking the Dukes financially is the best plan for revenge.
Recommended film.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
National Lampoon's Animal House
National Lampoon's Animal House.
1978 Universal Pictures.
Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hulce, Cesare Danova, Donald Sutherland, Stephen Furst, Kevin Bacon, Bruce McGill, Peter Riegert
Director: John Landis
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the 30th Anniversary Gift Set.
Visit the official website.
The boys at National Lampoon bring us a classic college comedy film that placed #36 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs list, as well as numero uno on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies list. Animal House received widespread critical acclaim, a surprise for a film that is said to help launch the so-called "gross out genre" of movies. Would this movie be a critical success had it been released 30 years later? Who knows.
At the fictional Faber College back in '62, two freshmen go through fraternity rush. Larry Kroger (Hulce) and the nerdy Kent Dorfman (Furst) are rejected by Omega Theta Pi, but to their surprise, are accepted by the next door fraternity, Delta Tau Chi, which once boasted Kent's older brother as a member. Besides, the Deltas need the dues, so Larry and Kent are brought in, and given the fraternity names "Pinto" (Larry) and "Flounder" (Kent). What do you expect for a group whose first impression was made by a drunken future U.S. senator named John "Bluto" Blutarsky (Belushi) after he stepped outside to take a piss?
Dean Vernon Wormer (Vernon) is trying very hard to kick the Deltas, who are already on probation, off campus. Dean Wormer puts them on DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION, and tells Omega president Greg Marmalard (James Daughton) to assign Doug Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf) to find a way to chase the Deltas away once and for all. Neidermeyer (dead!) humiliates Flounder at a campus ROTC by ordering him to clean his horse's filthy stable, so the Deltas talk him into sneaking the horse into Dean Wormer's office. They give Flounder a gun loaded with blanks, and tell him to shoot the horse. Flounder can't bring himself to do it, and fires into the ceiling, but the noise scares the horse to death right there in Wormer's office. The next afternoon, Bluto instigates a food fight (and runs away as soon as it starts) between the two rival fraternities. The Omegas retaliate by planting incorrect answers for a psychology exam in a dumpster that Bluto and D-Day (McGill) are searching for, which causes everyone's GPA to drop even lower than before.
Wormer only needs one more incident to revoke the Deltas' charter that allows them to reside on campus. Not worried, they organize a toga party (Toga! Toga!*), where Mrs. Wormer (Bloom) gets plastered and sleeps with Otter (Matheson). This gets the fraternity thrown off campus, with all of their belongings are confiscated. Otter, Boon (Riegert), Flounder and Pinto go on a road trip, and Otto picks up some girls from a local liberal arts college. They go to a roadhouse where Otis Day and the Knights are playing, and end up getting chased out by the regulars...without their dates. Otter is later set up by a girl he likes who is turned off by the crass Deltas, and the Omegas beat him up for allegedly having an affair with Marmalard's girlfriend Mandy (Mary Louise Weller).
The Deltas' grades are bad enough to justify Wormer expelling them all from school and notifying their draft boards of their newfound eligibility. As revenge, the Deltas wreak havoc on Faber's homecoming parade, thanks to Bluto's rah-rah speech. Bluto himself steals a car, abducts Mandy, and drives off into the sunset. The fates of all of the characters are revealed, and we're out.
Highly, highly, highly recommended film.
* #82 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes list.
1978 Universal Pictures.
Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hulce, Cesare Danova, Donald Sutherland, Stephen Furst, Kevin Bacon, Bruce McGill, Peter Riegert
Director: John Landis
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the 30th Anniversary Gift Set.
Visit the official website.
The boys at National Lampoon bring us a classic college comedy film that placed #36 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs list, as well as numero uno on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies list. Animal House received widespread critical acclaim, a surprise for a film that is said to help launch the so-called "gross out genre" of movies. Would this movie be a critical success had it been released 30 years later? Who knows.
At the fictional Faber College back in '62, two freshmen go through fraternity rush. Larry Kroger (Hulce) and the nerdy Kent Dorfman (Furst) are rejected by Omega Theta Pi, but to their surprise, are accepted by the next door fraternity, Delta Tau Chi, which once boasted Kent's older brother as a member. Besides, the Deltas need the dues, so Larry and Kent are brought in, and given the fraternity names "Pinto" (Larry) and "Flounder" (Kent). What do you expect for a group whose first impression was made by a drunken future U.S. senator named John "Bluto" Blutarsky (Belushi) after he stepped outside to take a piss?
Dean Vernon Wormer (Vernon) is trying very hard to kick the Deltas, who are already on probation, off campus. Dean Wormer puts them on DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION, and tells Omega president Greg Marmalard (James Daughton) to assign Doug Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf) to find a way to chase the Deltas away once and for all. Neidermeyer (dead!) humiliates Flounder at a campus ROTC by ordering him to clean his horse's filthy stable, so the Deltas talk him into sneaking the horse into Dean Wormer's office. They give Flounder a gun loaded with blanks, and tell him to shoot the horse. Flounder can't bring himself to do it, and fires into the ceiling, but the noise scares the horse to death right there in Wormer's office. The next afternoon, Bluto instigates a food fight (and runs away as soon as it starts) between the two rival fraternities. The Omegas retaliate by planting incorrect answers for a psychology exam in a dumpster that Bluto and D-Day (McGill) are searching for, which causes everyone's GPA to drop even lower than before.
Wormer only needs one more incident to revoke the Deltas' charter that allows them to reside on campus. Not worried, they organize a toga party (Toga! Toga!*), where Mrs. Wormer (Bloom) gets plastered and sleeps with Otter (Matheson). This gets the fraternity thrown off campus, with all of their belongings are confiscated. Otter, Boon (Riegert), Flounder and Pinto go on a road trip, and Otto picks up some girls from a local liberal arts college. They go to a roadhouse where Otis Day and the Knights are playing, and end up getting chased out by the regulars...without their dates. Otter is later set up by a girl he likes who is turned off by the crass Deltas, and the Omegas beat him up for allegedly having an affair with Marmalard's girlfriend Mandy (Mary Louise Weller).
The Deltas' grades are bad enough to justify Wormer expelling them all from school and notifying their draft boards of their newfound eligibility. As revenge, the Deltas wreak havoc on Faber's homecoming parade, thanks to Bluto's rah-rah speech. Bluto himself steals a car, abducts Mandy, and drives off into the sunset. The fates of all of the characters are revealed, and we're out.
Highly, highly, highly recommended film.
* #82 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes list.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
¡Three Amigos!
¡Three Amigos! 1986 Orion Pictures and Home Box Office.
Starring: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Patrice Camhi, Alfonso Arau, Tony Plana, Joe Mantegna
Director: John Landis
Available at Amazon.
This one was originally entitled The Three Caballeros, with Steve Martin teaming up with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Bill Murray and Rick Moranis were also considered as two of Martin's prospective costars. Apparently, this movie is very loosely based on the storyline from Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, which is very surprising to me.
Lucky Day (Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Short) are three silent film actors who are fired for demanding higher saleries for their popular "Three Amigos" films. They receive a plea from the villagers of Santo Poco who have been terrorized by a villain called El Guapo (Arau). The actors mistake the plea for an acting job, so they steal their Amigos costumes and travel to the town, where they are given a hero's welcome. They quickly realize that they're not being considered for a movie after a near fatal confrontation with El Guapo. After briefly leaving, Day, Bottoms and Nederlander return, and after seeing the end results of El Guapo, they decide to step up and become the Three Amigos for real. Can they save Santo Poco from further disaster?
This is a childhood favorite, and my only complaint is the less than stellar transfer the movie was given when released on DVD. A reissue doesn't seem forthcoming, it looks like.
Starring: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Patrice Camhi, Alfonso Arau, Tony Plana, Joe Mantegna
Director: John Landis
Available at Amazon.
This one was originally entitled The Three Caballeros, with Steve Martin teaming up with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Bill Murray and Rick Moranis were also considered as two of Martin's prospective costars. Apparently, this movie is very loosely based on the storyline from Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, which is very surprising to me.
Lucky Day (Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Short) are three silent film actors who are fired for demanding higher saleries for their popular "Three Amigos" films. They receive a plea from the villagers of Santo Poco who have been terrorized by a villain called El Guapo (Arau). The actors mistake the plea for an acting job, so they steal their Amigos costumes and travel to the town, where they are given a hero's welcome. They quickly realize that they're not being considered for a movie after a near fatal confrontation with El Guapo. After briefly leaving, Day, Bottoms and Nederlander return, and after seeing the end results of El Guapo, they decide to step up and become the Three Amigos for real. Can they save Santo Poco from further disaster?
This is a childhood favorite, and my only complaint is the less than stellar transfer the movie was given when released on DVD. A reissue doesn't seem forthcoming, it looks like.
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