Good Will Hunting doesn’t fit the ‘feel good’ movie mold as snuggly as The Shawshank Redemption and Field Of Dreams, but it’s still a wonderfully grounded drama that makes you feel ten times better on the way out then you did on the way in. Featuring an amazing Oscar winning script by stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, it follows young Boston lad Will who has a basic cleaning job in Harvard University, hangs around in bars a lot with his mates (Casey and Ben Affleck and Cole Hauser) and is constantly in trouble for getting into fights. He’s also a mathematical genius with a stellar IQ and a photographic memory. Then three people enter his life who provide him with the support to change; Stellan Skarsgard’s needy mathematician, Minnie Driver’s love interest and Robin Williams’ psychologist.
This is an air tight, beautifully structure drama that hit’s the ground running and doesn’t stop until its powerful but understated final shot. The performances are all fantastic. As Will, Matt Damon has never been better as the hot headed, opinionated kid who hides a vulnerability that he doesn’t want to deal with. Ben Affleck is suburb too as his down to earth, frankly honest and loyal best friend, Minnie Driver proves that Grosse Point Blank wasn’t a fluke with a bubbly, infectious and outright adorable performance and Robin Williams is deserving of his supporting Oscar win as the quiet, unorthodox Doctor who barely contains his inner turmoil.
It’s an inspirational and cathartic story about overcoming guilt and fear to embrace life and all handled with a light, naturalistic touch by Gus Van Sant. Like the also uplifting Shawshank, Good Will Hunting also has a clever framing device as Will’s arc is highlighted in a repeat scene where Affleck goes to pick him up for work. And the dialogue is sharp too with the ‘How do you like them apples?’ scene becoming part of mainstream culture although there are plenty more such as Robin Williams’ experience verses knowledge speech practically winning him the Acadamy Award.
Wonderful stuff. Now that Affleck is direct, I wonder if we can see an acting, writing, directing team up of the Boston twosome anytime in our future.
A Little Princess is one of those small collection of films that is too good for kids. Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, it follows 10 year old Sara Crewe who is forced to relocate from her colonial home in India to a New York girls school when her military father is called into service at the start of the first World War. Sara has a talent for storytelling, to improvise the details and to enrapt her audience and it’s this fascination with the power of story and imagination which is at the core of this captivating little movie.
When thinks get dark for Sara it’s her faith in imagination that allow her (most of the time) to rise above the indignity and hardships in her life…and that’s an inspiring thing to watch, especially when handled with a subtleness and restrained sentimentality as it is here. She’s also a figure who inspires change in others, much like Any Dufrane in Shawshank or Ferris Bueller himself, although there are two occasions when Sara needs inspiration herself. Fortunately the script, director Alfonso Cueron and composer Patrick Doyle are on hand with a rescue plan. Visually and audibly, India is used as a representation of ‘inspiration’ itself. Using vibrant colours and a powerful musical cue whenever something from India enters the frame (usually the kindly Indian gentleman living next door) it creates a profound impact on Sara, and through her, us the audience.
The set are rich in detail, the cinematography both lush and bleak as required, the performances subdued and measured…even the kids and Elenor Bron stands out as the wicked, cool and calculating Headmistress. The script is lean and like the Watchmen comic book possess an ingenious framing device, a story within a story of the God Rama, which mirrors the events in the main story.
Best of all it manages to communicate Sara’s sence of wonder to the audience which makes the film feel magical and enchanting, but never overly sentimental. Highly recommended, especially for grown ups, and even for blokes…as long as you can get past the utter girlie-ness of the kids school!
Radio Flyer is a little seen gem from mega director Richard Donner who is better known for blockbusters like Superman The Movie, The Omen, The Goonies and the Lethal Weapon series. Although it’s a story about kids (specifically two young brothers growing up in the 70’s) it’s tonally aimed at adults in an uplifting film about the power and importance of imagination. In this way it shares the themes of Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones and as with that film it could be argued that the dark subject matter (in this case child abuse) is not handled with enough weight.
Although not as tightly told as the superior A Little Princess it shares a quality with the magnificent Shawshank Redemption in that the story is framed by a haunting, powerful narration. In this instance, an unaccredited Tom Hanks plays the grown up incarnation of one of the children and recalls the story to his two children, both of a similar age to him at the time of the main story. The performances are uniformly excellent with Jurassic Park’s Joseph Mazzello and a very young Elijah Wood carrying the who endeavour on their narrow but very capable shoulders. Acknowledgement must also go to Firefly’s Adam Baldwin who get the difficult task of embodying the abusive stepfather in a role where his face remains hidden above the frame to allow him to become a bigger, inhuman, enigmatic menace.
It’s a richly told, touching and affecting tale that gets a touch abstract in it’s storytelling come the end, but which Donner and Hanks skilfully navigate us through.
Considering what a joy to behold (and a substantial global box office hit) Gremlins is, it comes as a surprise to find out that not everybody liked Gremlins at the time. Fortunately, their reasons for not liking it are the very reasons I’ve adored it for nearly 30 years; it’s subversive. Produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, Gremlins is dark fable, a blackly humorous fairy tale if you like, cautioning it’s audience with a Michael Critchton like warning of not fucking with mother nature.
Director Joe Dante and writer Chris (Home Alone) Columbus set the story up perfectly. It takes place in a perfect vision of American; houses with white picket fences, families are happy, people buy American, Hoyt Axton’s inventor represents the American Dream in action as he tries to get rich and young men fall in love with beautiful young women (the adorable beyond words Phoebe Cates). Layered onto this we’re presented with the perfect ideal of Christmas; pretty, perfect white snow covers everything and people are cheerful in a mythic, arabesque way (It’s A Wonderful Life plays on the TV). Even America’s preoccupation with consumerism (the climax takes place in a department store) and the wholesomeness of Disney (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) are exploited. Even the Mogwai are presented as the perfect American pet.
And then the Gremlins hatch which is the moment Dante’s eyes light up. The film desends into a mean-spirited comedy-horror where the cherished staples of American life are subverted and savaged. Riffing off 50’s B movies like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (also referenced) Dante taps into that eras paranoia of the indefinable ‘them’ and ‘it’ that undercuts the perfect American existence. The feel good Disney vibe is replaced by a wacky, live-action Loony Tunes sensibility in which people die in ludicrously horrible ways in a mischievous and hilarious romp.
There’s tons of great gags, John Hora photographs everything with eith a rich warmth or a bleak terror, Jerry Goldsmith’s score remains a classic and it’s fun looking for all the movie references from Flashdance, film noir and The Wizard Of Oz. Clever, exciting and often side-splittingly funny, Gremlins still stands as one of Amblin’s best ever productions.
Thank the Dutch for Paul Verhoevan! Without him the late 80’s and 1990’s would be very, very dull indeed having provided us with delights such as Starship Troopers, Total Recall and Basic Instinct. His first U.S. effort was a classic straight out of the gate. RoboCop is an ultra-violent, darkly satirical, science fiction, crime thriller that is pretty unique amongst films the preceded and followed it….and that includes the disappointing sequels and TV shows. In what is basically a Jesus Allegory Android tale, the tightly structured origin story follows Police Officer Alex Murphy as he is gunned down on duty and resurrected as a robotic law enforcer for a corrupt and all powerful corporation.
RoboCop is fast paced, very funny (in a mean-spirited, black humoured kind of way), is filled with exhilarating, self contained action sequences and has a touching central plot of a man trying to re-establish his identity. On top of this Frankenstein’s monster tale of vengeance you’ve got layers of razor sharp satire which are highlighted in the commercials that punctuate the TV airwaves and in the politically correct way that Robo is programmed. It presents a decaying urban landscape where greedy corporations exploit every level of society via fraudulent government weapons contracts to partnerships with the local crime bosses as well as lowest common denominator television and a society on the brink of anarchy. It’s not far off the truth to be fair.
Peter Weller gives a soulful, introspective performance as the title character while Ronny Cox and Kurtwood Smith are never better as the two punch villains of the piece. Basil Poledouris’ score shouldn’t be under estimated either as it gives the darkness a much needed larger-than-life feel which feels into the over the top gore and twisted humour on display. An out and out classic that the 2013 remake is going to have try very hard to try and measure up to.
John Landis has made some of my favorite films including Trading Places, Coming To America and American Werewolf in London. Although The Blues Brothers will always remain my top Landis movie thanks to its intoxicating mix of rhythm and blues musical and absurdist comedy, I think that National Lampoon’s Animal House will forever be his best, out and out comedy. Seen through the eyes of a pair of college freshmen, Pinto and Flounder, it’s the loose tale of the anarchic Delta fraternity house during a year on the Faber College campus as the schools management team with an opposing frat house to bring them down.
What follows is a collection of crazy, crude and absurd gags as the Delta House guys drink, cheat, party and road trip their way to a good time.The gags and set-pieces are flawless whether it’s toga parties, the odd musical number (Shout courtesy of Otis Day and the Nights), food fights, equine related pranks or the wily scheming of Dean Wormer. The cast are on perfect form whether it’s the charismatic Tim Matheson, the naïve Stephen Furst, the Leslie Neilson straight faced approach of legend John Vernon and the inescapable genius of a magnetic John Belushi. His appearance throughout the film may be little more than a glorified cameo, but he steals every scene he’s in.
Silly, low-brow, stupid, splapsticky and anarchic Animal House is a text book example of how cinema can translate to great comedy.
Quentin Tarantino has been part of the movie establishment for two decades now and I love everything he’s done but his debut feature Reservoir Dogs stubbornly remains his best work.
The main story following the gathering of thieves following a bungled diamond heist, is essentially a stage play confined to the four walls of a warehouse. It’s focused, claustrophobic and intense experience as Tarantino skilfully mounts the tension as the on-edge crew try and work out which one sold them out to the cops.
The sparky dialogue as delivered by the perfect cast of Keitel, Roth, Buscemi, Madsen, Tierney and Penn is raw, hilarious and explosive as they work their way through fear, paranoia, anger and a shit load of macho posturing. As with all Tarantino films there’s a timeless, 60’s / 70’s retro look to the film which is reflected in the iconic soundtrack (Little Green Bag by The George Baker Selection…oh yeah baby!) and brief moments of ultra-violent amongst the banter….although there’s more left to your imagination than you might realise.
Still an intense ride about the code and loyalty between criminals that has a tragic friendship at its core. Perfect cinema.
No one ever thought it would happen, but nearly 20 years after the completion of his ‘dead’ trilogy, director George A Romero returned to the zombie apocalypse one more time with Land Of The Dead. Backed by a mythos that had transcended into the mainstream consciousness, Romero was able to secure a decent budget from Universal Pictures for his fist studio (and only) studio release of the franchise. The result is as smart and as splattery as one would have hoped.
Pushing even further into the future, mankind has drawn a line against the masses of zombies in the city of Pittsburgh, protected by the river system that surrounds it. In his most obvious, but also arguably his most effective piece of social satire yet, Romero establishes different classes of inhabitant to this far future America; the team mass of brainless zombies outside the cities, the poor, urban city folk struggling to scrape an existence and a small but privileged wealthy class living in the skyscraper at the city’s core. It’s smart, subversive stuff playing off the fear and corruption existing in a post-9/11 world.
Visually the film pushes into Mad Max territory with the centrepiece vehicle, the Dead Reckoning, and the action is on a scale never seen before in this series. It’s drenched in atmosphere, has underwater zombies (cool), memorable performances from Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo and Robert Joy as well as the never sluttier Asia Argento.
Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-man invented the Universal Superhero Origins Playbook and played it step by step…so much so that it felt over-familiar even though no one had done it that well as an entire movie from start to finish before (Superman The Movie doesn‘t count as it‘s really only the first hour of that film that‘s pure, refined genius). Spider-man was the very superhero movie template Hollywood studios had been looking for; a self contained story where the villain was personally connected to the hero which was broadly entertaining and appealing to a wide, mainstream audience. By contrast, The Amazing Spider-man trades the lighter tone and the fun factor for a more subtle, more authentically emotional character experience…something Raimi realised you didn’t have to trade at all by combining subtle, affecting drama, comedy romance, fun and spectacle in the awesome Spider-man 2.
To me it very much is an equal result that director Marc Webb has managed to get out of his Spider-man reboot; just as entertaining as Raimi’s effort…but very different in how it gets there. The biggest problen the reboot has to overcome is the fact it’s a reboot at all. That mean only a decade after the introduction of Spider-man to the big screen we have to slog through the familiar origin story yet again. No matter how good anything is in The Amazing Spider-man whether it’s the performances, the effects, the drama or the direction, you are always burdened with the thought of “Well, here we go again.” You’re constantly being distracted by the impulse to fast forward because you know what’s going to come but the confident direction always keeps us riveted for new riffs on the familiar situations.
The performances are excellent. Andrew Garfield makes for a more edgy Peter Parker than Toby MacGuire’s endearing hapless everyman. He’s more abrasive and moody, sarcastic, often distant and agitated, but he makes Peter sympathetic and soulful. Emma Stone gets a more pivotal role in the plot than Kirsten Dunst’s scream queen although she still ends up being little more than the romantic interest. However it’s a testament to her considerable wit and genuine movie star charisma that she’s able to energise the screen whenever she’s around. Rhys Ifans and Dennis Leary tone down their broader, comedic tendencies to deliver authentic, grounded performances while Martin Sheen’s Uncle Ben provides the sincere, steadfast heart of the story. It’s only Sally Field’s under used Aunt May that feels short-changed, feeling like she’s being set up for the sequels.
Tonally this is much darker and more low-key than the Raimi universe which is supported by some gorgeous cinematography and a wonderfully haunting score from James Horner who even goes onto provide a strong theme this time out (something lacking in many superhero exploits considering the genres booming popularity.) To it’s credit there’s more of an indie feel before it transitions into a broader super villain vs. super hero studio venture in the second half. It’s this stuff, with Spidey pitted against his father’s old laboratory partner…who’s now turned into an 8 foot Lizard monster…that feels the weakest. Despite a good try the Lizard plot never feels organic to the plot and the confrontations lack surprise.
Fortunately there’s plenty of funny, charming and memorable sequences that lift The Amazing Spider-man into something very enjoyable indeed. With the origin story now retold and Webb having demonstrated a confident and human handling of the material, one can’t help but wonder if he has a more complete package along the lines of Spider-man 2 to give us. If he can raise the super-heroics to the level of the drama, Raimi’s sequel might just have some competition.
The original American Pie movies were always a winning mix of warm, good natured teen comedy drama and crude, low brow humour. After a misguided detour into Direct To DVD territory the main cast have returned to the nest with American Reunion, the first ‘proper’ Pie movie since 2003’s Wedding chapter. This allows for some nostalgic riffing on ancient franchise in-jokes and gags as well as exploring where the characters are now in their lives and how they still relate to each other.
The cast are still chaming and have lost little of their appeal although it’s more than apparent that Tara Reid has been sidelined some what (understandable for an air-headed crack addict, right?) and that Chris Lein is, and always will be, a terrible, terrible actor. There’s some strong, well-defined comedic set-pieces although the laugh rate is a little more sporadic this time out. Eugene Levy an Seann William Scott still have the masterful ability to steal any scene they’re in and it’s those two that provide the biggest laughs with their awkward single parent and good-natured douche-bag routine respectively. Still, this might be a good place to let the class of ‘99 to live their lives in peace.
Rather like Doctor Who and James Bond, they say whichever one you saw first will become your definitive favorite in the long running series. I think the same can be said of George A Romero’s original Dead trilogy. The first is still an outstanding social drama and cutting edge horror film as Romero pretty much invents the iconic modern zombie monster. The second film, Dawn Of The Dead, expand the social commentary in a blackly satirical direction and enhances his vision considerably with some vivid gore and strong characters. It’s probably why it’s generally considered the series best entry.
I, however, have a fondness for the third film, Day Of The Dead. Part of this is to do with iss more apocalyptic vision of a planet where few humans remain…I think that appeals to the hardcore sci-fi geek in me. Part of it is to do with the spectacular gore effects courtesy of Tom Savine, being far more imaginative and realistic than anything I’d ever seen (an opinion I’ll stand by 26 years later) and also Peter J Robinson’s distinctive score which echoes the work of John Carpenter, a much admired composer of mine.
The social commentary is still very much present and correct as Romero once again creates a microcosm of society as the military, scientist, civilian, the religious and the apathetic all clash as they squabble about the best route forward (as well as their own survival). The performances are fantastic, especially Lori Cardille’s tough and independent biologist, Joseph Pilato’s knuckle dragging military hothead and Howard Sherman’s sympathetic zombie performance as Bub. The carnage is a sight for the eyes, the tone is wonderfully nihilistic and doomy and the zombies never bettered, this is where I choose to take my zombie vacation.
Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead still stands as a landmark masterpiece in the evolution of the film horror genre. Remarkably then, it’s his bonkers sequel Evil Dead II that is the better film. Trading in suspense and scares for slapstick, surrealism and gore, Evil Dead II is one of the most deliriously inventive films committed to celluloid.
The plot of the first film is dispensed with in approximately 4 minutes of running time ensure that the rollercoaster ride is underway before we’ve had a chance to start on our popcorn. What follows is a series of set-pieces, camera tricks, nasty effects and nightmarish scenarios where our hapless hero (Bruce Campbell once again clowning it up as Deadite slayer Ash) is beaten, tortured, possessed, abused and bullied by the often unseen demonic forces that lurk in and about the iconic cabin in the woods.
The result is a gloriously demented series of cartoony slapstick, schlock comedy, blackly humorous mayhem and bizarre and outrageous violence. It’s like watching a brutal mash up of an abstract art film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1930’s silent comedy and Tex Avery cartoons. There’s no plot to get in the way, only a premise, and it’s all the better for it.
Lethal Weapon 2 was the sequel I thought should never happen, so perfect, whole and complete was Shane Black’s first story for Martin Riggs. But a sequel was made anyway and, while not being the hard hitting, dark emotional journey of the 1987 classic, it is a damn fun ride anyways.
Instead of Black’s intense, flawless psychological drama we get a basic crime story from any cop TV show of the week. Lethal 2 Is a loose and disjointed collection of comedy, buddy relationship, action, detective thriller, police procedural, family relationship stuff…all great individually but never quite melding together into more than the sum of it’s parts. Each scene is excellent whether it’s a highway chase, a confrontation with the baddies, some comic banter at a drive through or a romantic encounter in a local store…all very entertaining stuff…but poorly structured as it meanders towards the end zone.
Despite that you get an hugely entertaining R-rated action romp with leads, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, riffing on the lively, electric interplay that made the first film a massive joy to behold. The South African villains (Joss Ackland and Derrick O’Connor) are memorable, Patsy Kensit is beyond cuteness, Joe Pesci is endearing and funny (and hasn’t got annoying at this part of the franchise) while the returning cast of cops and family make this a warm and comfortable fictional place to want to inhabit for two hours. It’s also great that they saw fit to tie events here into the traumatic occurrences in the first film making this at least a legitimate sequel.
Witty, fun, energetic and slick, Lethal Weapon 2 is entertainment, pure and simple.
Why I haven’t watched Tony Scott’s nuclear submarine drama, Crimson Tide, much more often and much more recently (until now) I will never know, considering it’s an outright powerhouse of a thriller. In a simple high concept premise from Simpson and Bruckheimer, two senior Navel officers with wildly opposing philosophies are pitted against each other inside a US Submarine during an international crisis mirroring the Cuban Missile fiasco of the 1960’s.
Crimson Tide is a smart, exciting and gripping thriller which crackles with dramatic energy, partly thanks to the Top Gun director’s exhilarant style, but also due to the central performances of the leads. It’s the epic sparks between the stoic and ethical Denzel Washington and the refined instincts and stubbornness of old school Gene Hackman that make this so mesmerising to watch. The script is particularly wise to never treat either man as wrong which better facilitates the thematic discussion of the morality of nuclear war and how best to protect your country when faced with such an extreme situation. It’s a clash of ideals, experience, opinions and personalities that makes it so taut and riveting, rather than a simplistic battle of ‘good’ verses ‘evil’.
On top of the drama there’s plenty of familiar tropes of the sub genre with cool twists on missile drills, mechanical failures, onboard accidents, attacks from combative enemy submarines, torpedo evasion, crew mutinies and cutting edge undersea tactics to keep us on the edge of our sea. Plus it’s aided by one of the finest scores from the now prolific and prominent film composer Hans Zimmer. The description ‘majestic’ doesn’t do it justice. This is clever and engaging blockbuster movie making and we still don’t get enough of it.
Although Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter has a very offbeat, silly title, the film itself rarely reflects the absurdity of its premise. Instead of a Buffy The Vampire Slayer post-modern wink at the audience you get a very serious dramatisation of the life of a very important American President….only this time a subplot about his involvement in killing vampires is interwoven throughout familiar historical events.
While this sounds like a novel approach to a daft idea it never successfully works as a film. The problem is by playing it straight the tone is too dry and humourless, a problem which is compounded by some underwritten drama and direction which often lacks energy outside of the action. The performances are solid, if unspectacular, the action spectacular if a little flat and the whole enterprise is lacking in energy and emotion.
Still, it’s from the director of Wanted so there’s style aplenty, it’s beautiful to look at and it’s an intriguing look at an alternative vampire mythology with a historical perspective. I only wish it had been a bit more compelling.
The only thing preventing Superman - The Movie from being the greatest ever superhero film is the fact that it’s story was deliberately cut in two with Superman II being the second act of the script. It’s a wonderful film in its own right, don’t get me wrong, but there’s no escaping the feeling that the story doesn’t really go anywhere upon reaching it’s spectacular conclusion.
The first hour is certainly the best comic book origin story committed to film as we follow an infant Kal-El from the destruction of his home-world Krypton to his teenage upbringing on the Kent’s Smallville farm to his construction of the Fortress Of Solitude. Director Richard Donner gives us some unashamedly old fashioned cinema and the emotional story is heightened by interplanetary spectacle, lush American vistas, screen acting legend Marlon Brando and a moving mythic tale. It’s rousing, powerful stuff.
From then on the film’s tone is much more fluid, jumping from intense, exciting action sequences (the helicopter rescue is a doozy), romantic flying scenes all mixed in with the goofy romp of a Roger Moore Bond movie. Although these disparate tones do gel surprisingly well thanks to the assured, confident hand of Omen director Richard Donner…it’s the lack of a satisfying narrative conclusion which ultimately undoes the film.
There’s much to love. Christopher Reeve is perfect as both Superman and his clumsy alter-ego Clark Kent, Margot Kidder has energy and spunk as intrepid reporter/love interest Lois Lane while Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty are having the time of their lives as super villain and sidekick respectively.
Some of the visual effects don’t stand up too well today (the model shots are sometimes a little too obvious and the real projection stands out) although the Derek Meddings supervised FX really give the film a distinct signature. The action is appropriately epic, the film has a brisk pace and an appeal that’s attractive to all different age groups, there’s a lovely nostalgia to the film and it has what is undoubtedly the best piece of film music ever composed.
A fantastic, if lopsided classic, Superman The Movie is still better than most superhero films made today…and that’s saying something!
I haven’t watched Sam Raimi’s Spider-man 2 in quite a while but with the reboot fast approaching I thought I’d check it out again. Even though I loved it on it’s original 2004 release, I’ve got the perception stuck in my head that the Spidey sequel is very talky, too silly and lacking in action. Now while that description is essentially true, I was very wrong to let my perceptions persuade me that those qualities were in any way negative as Spider-man 2 is easily one of the best super-hero movies ever made.
What’s shocking about it is how well it works as a drama on it’s own terms. Strip away the action, the effects and the super-heroics and you are left with a soulful examination of a guy trying to work out what his place is in life…to be a masked vigilante, a scientist, a blue collar worker or boyfriend to the girl of his dreams. Raimi cleverly reflects Peter Parkers inner turmoil with that of Dr Octavious who is himself torn apart by multiple inner voices (although his are caused my his deviously self-aware mechanical arms).
As with his other films (Evil Dead / Drag Me To Hell) Raimi puts his hero through all kinds of hell from the psychological (girlfriend issues), economical (he can’t hold down a job), educational (he’s missing his classes), social (he can’t get anywhere on time), physical (his powers are fading) and it’s both hilarious and heartbreaking to see our mild mannered hero get tortured so relentlessly. The poor bloke can’t even get hors d'oeuvres at a party. This is all handled with amazing subtlty and a fantastic lightness of touch meaning the film can skip from exciting to sad to knowingly silly to melancholic and never feel jarring or awkward.
In the super-heroic Raimi doesn’t drop the ball either. Here he employs his trademark invention with the camera with dizzying imagination, the special effects are flawless and far superior to that which appeared in Spider-mans 1 and 3 and the action sequences are beautifully staged including a stunning set-piece on an overhead city train.
With a great script comes great responsibility but Raimi pulls it out of the bag with style. Grounded yet fantastic, funny yet touching, it’s a shame studio intervention prevented Raimi from doing the same trick on number 3.
Like Burton’s original Batman, the 1992 sequel Batman Returns is a mixed bag of success and mis-fire resulting in another flawed classic. The most prominent improvement is the switch to a style that is more in keeping with Tim Burton’s twisted fantasy visions meaning that this version of the caped crusader’s adventures is more of a bizarre, nightmarish fairy-tale.
Also on the up-side is the wonderful production design which is German expressionist than the last film, the more colourful photography and mise-en-scene adding to a more fantastic/comic book feel, the increase in warped, black humour and a psychology centric story which is more focused on the clash of tortured souls of the Bat, the Cat and the Penguin.
What Batman Returns gains in wit, violence and a disturbing tone it loses is scale (it’s stage bound shoot means the film feels much smaller in scale) and the lack of any coherent action sequences which are now replaced by brief bursts of silly, comedic bursts of violence.
The biggest commonality the film shares with its predecessor is the lack of discipline with the script. There’s a tendency to wander off track and watch some characters amusingly fart around, which is extremely entertaining from scene to scene, but it never really gels as a whole and the narrative flows like piss from a crooked penis.
At least Burton has assembled a top notch cast with the excellent Keaton unfortunately side-lined (he only appears once in the first 35 minutes) for his villainous co-stars. Danny De Vito obviously relishes his disturbing, animalistic role as The Penguin, Christopher Walken is good enough to be the baddie of the movie all on his own without his costumed chums while Michelle Pfeiffer is both seductive and sexy while being kooky and scatterbrained. It’s quite a remarkably deranged performance that fits squarely into Burton’s offbeat vision.
For me on the whole, not quite as good as the 1989 Batman, but so much better in many other ways.
At the time of its 1989 release I fell in love with Tim Burton’s re-imagining of Batman. Not that I disliked the 1960’s Adam West version…oh no…that still stands as a monumental camp, cult comedy classic, but it was time for a contemporary and more serious reworking of the iconic masked vigilante. I recognised it’s faults immediately, but it’s amazing visual power and action had me thinking it was the best superhero film of all time (even better than Superman The Movie). However, time (and a decade crammed with superhero franchises) has allowed me to have little more perspective of The Dark Knight’s 80’s adventure.
50% of the film is genius. The design work is the most striking being a noir-ish mish-mash of 1920’s and 30’s architecture, a gloomy gothic sensibility and a imposing feeling of industrial decay. There’s no doubt this is one of the best designed films ever and that extends to the prohibition era costume design, the intimidating bat mobile redesign and Bob Ringwood’s cool-as-fuck batman costume.
On top of that you’ve got Danny Elfman’s operatic score (one of the very best of any composer of the 1980’s), some incredibly inventive action sequences (gotta love the batwing…“where does he get those wonderful toys!”) and the glory that is Jack Nicholson’s Joker…a role he was born to play. And Keaton, moving from a previous career in comedy, makes a surprisingly intense and magnetic Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Unfortunately the script is far too meandering and undisciplined, the Kim Basinger romance feels forced and rushed, the Prince songs are shehorned into the story undermining the gothic majesty of Elfman’s score and Burton’s direction is static and flat much like the photography.
The positives far outweigh the negatives but it’s still not enough for that nagging feeling in the back of your brain telling you this could be polished to perfection with a little more effort. A flawed classic.
Apart from Piranha II, you can confidently state that all of James Cameron’s films are classics to one degree or another. Of course within that term ‘classic’ there is a range of quality that peaks with Aliens at the top end and has Avatar and his 1994 action comedy True Lies at the other. That’s not to say True Lies is a bad film…it’s very much not…but it is the blockbuster director’s lightest, frothiest film despite the explosion fest.
Adapted from the 1991 French movie La Totale, True Lies is a clever blending of Bondian spy caper with a romantic marriage dramedy. As with The Abyss, the two separate plot lines don’t ever quite gel with each other during the full course of the running time although both elements work very well in their own right. Also, due to the light, comedic aspects of the film this is the least intellectually nourishing Cameron movie, but it more than makes up for it in surface entertainment like sharply delivered jokes, action sequences structured and staged to perfection and a grand, expensive production which is up there on the screen.
At the centre of the movie is a simple tale of a passionless married couple falling back in love. Jamie Lee Curtis shows what amazing range she has as an actress utilising her sexiness and comedy skills from Trading Places alongside the tough resilience of her Halloween performance. Schwarzenegger too is a revelation. He might not be the most naturalistic actor, but his performance is one of comedic precision and iconic action poses. The man can take direction well and his hero Harry Tasker has been honed, nudged and subtly guided so that the verbal and visual gags he delivers really, really work.
The same can be said of Cameron’s direction which is as technically perfect as anything he’s ever done. One of the greatest spy capers yet committed to film.
John Carpenter’s third movie is the spooky and intense ghost story The Fog which is falls squarely in the middle of the cult director’s classic period of output. As is expected for a Carpenter movie it’s a siege story (you’ve got to feel sorry for the poor residents of Antonio Bay), it features an ambiguous, indefinable menace that is not of this world and has an anti-social character as the main hero (stand up the feisty Adrienne Barbeau escaping New York in her isolated Lighthouse radio station).
While the ensemble characters necessitate an unfocused, scattershot script structure without much attention to character the film is a prime example of how to build atmosphere and suspense from something as little as a twisting door handle and a fog machine. Carpenter uses his bag of tricks to devastating effect from his nihilistic, electronic score, the glorious cinemascope vision of Dean Cundy’s photography, some well placed scary jumps and a classic, downer ending.
This is what they mean when stating that something has style over substance, but in The Fog’s case, it’s a compliment in the best possible way.
And lo, it came to pass on the sixth day, God created Man. On the seventh he rested, creating pop culture, to prevent boredom. And on the eighth, Man started celebrating pop culture. I am that Man...
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