Young Frankenstein (1974) ****1/2

Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder team up in this comedy homage to the classic Universal horror films of the 1930's. Wilder plays Freddy Frankenstein (Frank-in-steen) who finds himself thrust into the Transylvanian castle that has been in his family for years and was also the location of the regeneration experiments of his ancestors. Of course all of this is tongue in cheek as the film progresses to where you know it's going to go.

What's amazing is that the film feels like its from the 1930's. The cinematography and the shots themselves are dug so deeply into that era that it's hard to believe that this film is only 35 years old. Wilder's script with Brooks assistance is hilarious that is helped by the great performances by the cast (whom there are so many I won't take the time to mention).

Even though I believe Blazing Saddles to be the slightly superior of the two films Young Frankenstein is another hilarious send up that will be as classic as the film it parodies.

The French Connection (1971) *****

The French Connection is a fast paced cops and robbers story about heroine being smuggled into the United States by French criminals. Detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider) literally stumble onto the conspiracy and the film follows the relentless pursuit of Popeye and Cloudy to bust the scheming smugglers and their American buyers.


William Friedkin directs the film in a documentary style that, at times, makes you feel like you're riding right along in the chase. The crowning achievement is the car chase in which Popeye follows one of the Frenchmen who has highjacked an elevated train. It's not just the chase itself, but Hackman's reaction to the drive and how he reacts when it's over.

Which leads us to Hackman's performance. Considering the guy was the ninth actor asked to play the role, it seems like a perfect fit for him. He lifts the role than the stereotypical cop in a cop movie. He's on a quest. He's almost like a machine in the way he chases and stakesout the Frenchmen. Hackamn's portrayal embodies all that. Roy Scheider is along for the ride as Cloudy. Even though he doesn't seem as obsessed as Popeye he still gives us a great character that's almost a ying to Popey's yang. the two have great chemistry together on screen. Fernando Rey plays the main French smuggler Chairnier, a man who is charming and, unlike most movie villains, doesn't really use violence that much. Rey gives the role that charm and that sense of diplomacy is more important to this man than bashing skulls- but he will if it's the last resort.

The French Connection is another one of those gems that came from the 1970's and this one seems to have opened the decade up to the gritty New York saga that started with Midnight Cowboy. It deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture against some stiff competition (A Clockwork orange and The Last Picture Show being the two other standouts that year). Just as importantly it was one of the first films, along with Dirty Harry later that same year, that gave us the anti-hero, the good guy that doesn't always do good things. But they still got the job done.

Ghostbusters (1984) ****1/2

The cultural phenomenon of 1984 that made us recite a Ray Parker, Jr. tune over and over and over and over....
There's not much more that can be said about the film. It's one of those films where almost everything clicks. It hasn't aged in the last 25 years because it was actually a revolutionary idea. Name a film before it that put a bunch of comics in a sci-fi fantasy flick (that worked anyway). It's the comedic timing that makes this film better than your average flick in 1984. Each actor had their personality down pat right down to top '80's asshole William Atherton as Mr. Pecker (my name is Peck).
Ghostbusters paved the way for the large comic ensemble big budget slobberknockers that have been thrust at us for the last quarter of the century (I'm looking at you Tropic Thunder). The film took a genre that Caddyshack and Animal House developed and went the full nine with it. Meet the grand daddy.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) ****1/2

In 1974 Martin Scorsese followed a road less traveled and made the drama Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, which is about a thritysomething housewife (Ellen Burstyn) who loses her husband in a traffic accident and decides to go back to singing in Monterey California taking her 11 year old son Tommy (Alfred Lutter) along. As they get into Tuscon she finds that singing engagements are hard to come by and starts working in Mel and Ruby's Diner as a waitress where she meets David (Kris Kristofferson) with whom a romance begins.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore opens with what could be called an odd homage to the Wizard of Oz. Instead of a tornado carrying the little girl from her home its a marriage to an indifferent man and parenthood. Ellen Burstyn, fresh off her Exorcist gig plays Alice as the local rube who doesn't know life outside the nuclear family. It's a jungle out there. The only real sensible relationship she has between leaving her home and Mel's Diner is the sage advice of a veteran waitress named Flo (Diane Ladd) who gives her homespun advice that actually makes sense especially in her relationship with David.

Alice as a whole is a depressing story about a woman whose life is turned upside down and as she tries to catch her dreams she keeps getting stomped on. Yet Scorsese throws humor in throughout the movie as a way to counteract the drabness that has been thrust upon them with most of the good lines going to Tommy. People who complain about Tommy being too annoying have obviously not been around any 11 year old boys lately.

This is one of those Scorsese curves that he throws at us from time to time. Alice was wedged between Mean Streets and Taxi Driver almost as a way to drive into the ditch and try something different.

The Producers (1968) ****1/2

Mel Brooks made his directorial debut in this film about a sleazy Broadway producer (Zero Mostel) and a neurotic accountant (Gene Wilder) who devise a scheme to make a fortune by putting on a play that's a bomb. The title? Springtime for Hitler.

Hilarity ensues throughout The Producers with the opening sex games Mostel has to play with elderly women for checks to Kenneth Mars deranged portrayal as the writer of Springtime for Hitler. This is one of those classic comedies that doesn't get old and stands as the introduction of the wit of Mel Brooks.

Fletch (1985) ****1/2

Fletch is based on the novels by Gregory McDonald that follow the exploits of a Los Angeles investigative reporter that goes by the by-line of Jane Doe. Chevy Chase stars in the title role in this first film that follows Fletch on a story about drugs on the public beaches and the odd request by a businessman (Tim Matheson) to kill him because of an illness. Both stories play out as the film rolls on until they become intertwined by the end.

Fletch is by far Chevy Chase's best film, mainly because of the control and compromise of director Michael Ritchie. Sure Chase gets to ad lib, but Ritchie holds the structure together in the long run and the film holds a silly noir feel that even though you could think of it as a parody of noir films, it really isn't. It's just the world that Fletch has fallen into.

Most '80's film age terribly, yet Fletch maintains a timeless feel even with references to the '80's Lakers and the soundtrack that is deeply trenched in the '80's. It's still a classic film and the best example of Chevy Chase at his best.

The Goonies (1985) ****1/2

The Goonies is what can only be described as Indiana Jones for kids. It's a quest for a larger than life legend that develops into a non-stop thrill ride. The quest for One Eyed Willie is right up there with the Ark and those rocks in the Indian village. Directed by the legendary Richard Donner the film is about a group of misfit kids who are about to see their lives bulldozed for a new golf course. As one event leads into another they end up in the caves on the Pacific Coast heading for an old pirate treasure while being chased by a viscous family of criminals.

The Goonies is just your basic tale of chasing after treasure, but it's brought together with a good script, some fine young actors, and the great Richard Donner who can direct anything. It's one of those movies that sticks in a whole generations mind.

True Grit (1969) ****1/2

John Wayne finally got an Oscar for his performance as Rooster Cogburn in this film and he deserved it.

True Grit is about a young girl who seeks revenge on the man that killed and robbed her father. She bribes Federal Marshall Cogburn to go after the man with Glen "Bad Mugshot" Campbell in tow as a Texas Ranger hunting the same man.

Wayne seems to be playing a crustier version of himself at this point in his life. Rooster's demeanor appears to be that life had ridden him hard and put him away wet. Overused seems to come to mind and Wayne gives probably one of the best performances of his life.

Featuring a young Dennis Hopper and a young Robert Duvall True Grit was Wayne' swan song, mainly because most of his output after this film (excluding the Shootist) just wasn't up to snuff. It also rang the last call bell on the great American western (as opposed to the Italian influenced westerns) mainly with the deaths of Howard Hawks, John Ford, and eventually John Wayne himself.
This film was going to be a four start affair, but I had to bump up a half a star because of the appearance of screen legend and personal guru Strother Martin.

Batman Begins (2005) ****1/2

Batman Begins tells the modern myth of how wealthy Bruce Wayne became Batman and the trials that go along with having your life consumed by an odyssey. Christian Bale will quickly become your favorite cowled crime fighter within his first few minutes of screen time. He fills the role with more reality than any of his predecessors and not only gives us a great Batman but a REAL Batman. Christopher Nolan directs the film with a passion that holds to the old myths but also gives us a new twist here and there. This is what a superhero movie should be, bot some digital effects smorgasbord that's a mess artistically. Nolan creates a masterwork out of standard summer popcorn fair. Batman Begins is more of a character study than a pow, biff, wam flick.

I would also like to throw in that Gary Oldman can play ANY part known to man.

A Batman movie that washes that bad taste of Schumacher out of our mouths, fans of The Dark Knight will notice how this film pulls from Frank Miller's work on Batman some twenty years ago. A true piece of great film making.
7/18/08

Gran Torino (2009) *****

Clint Eastwood. Pissed off. With a gun.

That could have been the name of this film and millions of people would have gone to see it because he's our John Wayne, that American legend that saves all the unfortunates and shoots the bad guys in his own way. His presence is as close to a real Superman as we're going to get being him in a serape gunning down six men at a time or sporting muttonchops and shooting a punk with a .44 magnum one handed (which is very, very difficult to do in the real world). Add that into the anti-authoritarian, non P.C. personality that his characters usually have and he becomes a mans, mans, man.

Which brings us to his latest film Gran Torino. Eastwood plays the tempermental Walt Kowalski, a Korean war vet and retired Ford auto plant worker who has just lost his wife and is dealing with his own final chapter. The racist Kowalski is not to happy about his new neighbors: another Hmong family that seems to have taken over the neighborhood. When the young son of the family attempts to steal Kowalski's prized 1972 Gran Torino as a gang initiation their worlds collide as Tao (Bee Vang) attempts to redeem the honor of his family by working for Walt and Walt realizing he can make a difference in this young boys life.

People who are sensitive to racial slurs should not go see this movie. There are some individuals out there who live in some fantasy land where everyone is just smitten with everyone else. There are people as brash and harsh and racist as Walt. There's a lot of them. They could be your neighbor. They could be your uncle, grandfather, dad, etc. There's a whole group of people who still live in 1955 and see no reason to use words that make the sheltered cringe. They're characters and they're interesting to listen to. The other thing that people need to remember when watching this movie is the line from the Eastwood classic Dirty Harry:

"Harry doesn't pick any favorites. He hates everybody".

Walt's the same way. He hates everyone and everything (including his kids and their kids) except his deceased wife and his dog Daisy. So, in a way, he isn't that racist after all. he's and equal opportunity hater.

Gran Torino is filled with first time actors, mainly Hmong who give the family ritual scenes a little more credibility and of course Eastwood is prepared for the role. The film has typical Eastwood direction: nothing to fancy or grandiose. Just a film maker telling a little story in Michigan.

Eastwood has hinted that Gran Torino might be his last acting role and even though that would be a shame it's easy to see how the bookends of his career would finally be complete. Seventeen years ago in Unforgiven he gave us a closing chapter on The Man With No Name that redefined that figure he played in various westerns under various names. He was haunted by the violence. Gran Torino plays much in the same way with Eastwood writing the final chapter on all of his pissed off Dirty Harryesque characters. They found compassion and a way to redeem themselves. It's about a man that gets beyond his own attitudes and accepts that there's more to a person than where their parents or grandparents were born. It's like Dirty Harry with a conscious.

Gran Torino will probably get ignored this awards season (though Eastwood may get an acting nod), but it is yet another finely made piece by Clint Eastwood and represents yet another turn in his great career. While many may consider Gran Torino to be a racist film it really shows that even the roughest and gruffest of brutes and change into more understanding human beings in the new millennium- while still being characters.

The Dark Knight (2008) *****

Christopher Nolan's sequel to the magnificent Batman Begins, The Dark Knight tells the tale of the conflict over Batman's (Christian Bale) acceptance as a means to an end in fighting crime in Gotham City and how his presence has given the criminal element a sort of upgrade in comparison to his crime fighting. Things seem to be getting better in Gotham City with the election of a new District Attorney (Aaron Eckhardt) That upgrade is in the form of the Joker (Heath Ledger) who is in it not for personal gain, but to "watch the world burn".

The film is stunning visually. Nolan has once again painted a dark picture to represent Gotham City that is both realistic and frightening. The effects are excellent, yet they don't overtake the film like some of the recent comic book adaptations. A great looking film.

Christian Bale once again takes the Batman/Bruce Wayne role and plays it in a way that seems to be the equivalent of Christopher Reeve's performances as Superman: Bruce Wayne and Batman are different characters and need to be played that way. A conflicted figure Bale plays Batman not as a man in a cape but as an entity in itself. He becomes wrapped in the cowl.

But it's Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker that totally dominates this film. You are not watching Heath Ledger's last film. You are watching an actor totally become his character, crafting what should garner him a nomination for the Oscar. Ledger's mesmerizing as the Joker, yet he doesn't dominate the film. Once he leaves the screen you're just dying for him to show back up for more murder and mayhem. This is Ledger's swan song and he left us with his peak performance.

Two of the other actors who may be getting overshadowed by the other actors and the film itself are Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart. Oldman proves once again that he can be anything you want him to be. He could play a 6 year old black girl in the antebellum south and make it convincing. Eckhart has one of the hardest roles in the film- going from the white knight Harvey Dent to the split Two Face. I'm afraid that Ledger's performance will overshadow Eckhart, who gives us a Two face that is actually a more haunting and tragic figure than he was originally conceived. A great performance as well.

The Dark Knight will spoil the comic book genre. This is the gold standard that all other films of this type will be compared to. Christopher Nolan has recreated the comic book genre, just as Hitchcock recreated the horror film with Psycho. This is a watershed point that will be remembered as the maturity of these kinds of films. You can make a masterpiece out of this genre beyond the fan boy ideals. And that's what The Dark Knight is- it's a masterpiece of design and acting that drags you on a journey that is your basic second act (hopefully) of a three act play. Yes, I'm calling this the Empire Strikes Back of comic book films. This is just one of those films where everything not only clicks, but works like a precision instrument.

For A Few Dollars More (1965) *****

Sergio Leone's sequel to A Fistful of Dollars remains faithful to the Leone style, but in a broader spectrum than the previous film. Clint Eastwood returns as the Man with No Name (named Manko) and Gian Maria Volonte rises from the dead and plays a villain that is even more psychotic than his portrayal of Ramon in Fistful. The welcome addition to the cast is Lee Van Cleef as Col. Mortimer, a man who appears to be a competitor with Eastwood in the bounty hunter business, but has a more personal vendetta in hunting down Volonte. The supporting cast is also great including a short appearance by the devilish Klaus Kinski as the hunchback that Mortimer torments in the middle of the picture.
For A Few Dollars More was the next step in Leone's odyssey to create and operatic western epic (which would be Once Upon A Time In The West). The vastness has grown and the characters have grown from Leone's first film in the Dollars trilogy. It's the classic story of the elder taking the youth under his wing but with the Italian twist. Another classic from Sergio Leone.

What Just Happened (2008) ***

What Just Happened is a "satire" on Hollywood through one week in the life of Hollywood producer Ben (Robert De Niro) whose entire life is a crisis. The movie he's previewing is getting bad feedback over the ending, he can't come to terms with separating from his second wife, his daughter from his first marriage is having problems that she won't reveal to him, and the movie that's going into production could get scrapped because Bruce Willis will not shave his beard. Ben attempts to juggle all of these things, usually fixing things at the job but failing to correct issues in his personal life.

I don't understand why this film is being listed as a comedy. Sure it had two funny scenes, but most movies do. I can't really call it a satire either because I can see every bit of this film actually happening at one time or another. I would almost call it a docudrama. De Niro is great as Ben, a guy that's wrapped up in his work and can not miss a phone call. God bless Bluetooth. The film is finely acting throughout which isn't a surprise with John Turturro, Stanley Tucci, Catherine Keener, and Bruce Willis filling out the main cast.

There are some dull points in the film and like I said: do not be fooled by the PR. It's a good film if you're into movies or De Niro, but otherwise I don't see mainstream America getting into it. It is an interesting look into the quirks that hinder how films get made.

Sex Drive (2008) ***

Sex Drive is your typical absurd teenage sex road trip film about a guy trying to lose his virginity. I know, we've never had that one before. Ian (Josh Zuckerman) is a virgin who is what I call the middle class of teenage life. He's not popular, yet he's not quite a nerd (even though he does have a dildo attached to him at one point). His friend Lance (Clark Duke) is a pure player. I don't know if it's just bad casting but Lance looks like a very young Roger Ebert so apparently Ebert got a lot of ass in high school. Ian's best friend is Fellicia (Amanda Crew) and, as in all movies of this caliber that have a male-female relationship, it's alluded that they both feel more.

Ian ends up meeting a girl on the internet (which always pans out) who wants to meet him 900 miles away. It's road trip time as the trio steal Ian's brothers (James Marsden in full Stiffler mode) 1969 GTO so that Ian can get laid. That's where the hilarity begins, even to the point of running into an Amish mechanic.

It's a well worn story, but it's told with a little more heart than most. Zuckerman and Crew make a cute pair as they stumble toward their destiny. It's the logic that blows me away. I'll give one example: Ian is at a party. Lance hands him a girl on a silver platter so that he can become a man and score. He looks awkward and doesn't even come close to having sex with this girl, yet when he gets home he's offered sex over and instant messenger which he gets excited over because "it's time to lose his virginity!". Now I've been out of school for a long time but I would imagine that a teenage boy with sex in front of him would go for that over a 900 mile drive to possibly meets a guy or Stone Philips.

But logic doesn't apply to roadtrip movies and if you can suspend that for two hours you'll get some good laughs of of Sex Drive. It's not a great movie, but it's funnier than some of the films being thrown our way.

The Pink Panther (2006) **

I'm going to throw out a bold statement. I know Steve Martin may be a funny guy, even though his career has tanked in the last decade. I have a ton of respect for Steve Martin. I like Steve Martin.

But he's no Peter Sellers.

That's the first problem with the Pink Panther remake: Steve Martin is impersonating Seller's Clouseau. And it fails. Again and again and again.

The film is a loose remake of the original film in which a soccer star is murdered and the Pink Panther diamond has been stolen of his person. Chief Inspector Dreyfuss (Kevin Kline) wants to bogart the glory and calls in the incompetent Clouseau to act as a red herring for the media. Of course Clouseau bumbles his way throughout the film, accidentally discovering clue after clue while followng the deceased fiance (Beyonce Knowles).

Basic Panther-like story that fails because of execution. Ever wonder why there hasn't been a good Pink Panther film since Sellers was alive? That question answers itself. Martin tries, but Sellers took two decades to hone his Clouseau. And if your Clouseau is flat, then you might as well pack it up. There were some funny parts but the film is forgettable and doesn't leave much of an impression.

It;s time for people to be wrong...

It's late February and you know what that means! People are picking the wrong winners for the Academy Awards. I wasn't going to do a list this year out of protest for The Dark Knight or Christopher Nolan getting NOTHING, but I'm a bigger person and will throw out my picks. I'll be honest, I haven't seen most of these films so this is pure guess work. Anyway, here we go:

Best Picture: The best picture will be Slumdog Millionaire simply because of the obscene amount of hype surrounding it since the nomination. Take into account the Academy's "We can't have too many violent films win best picture" rule Slumdog will be the Forrest Gump of this decade*. Milk will be my runner-up and Frost/Nixon. I have no idea hoe Benjamin Button and the Reader made it on this list.

Best Director: Once again Danny Boyle will win via the hype machine for Slumdog. I can't give Gus Van Zant any credit for remaking Psycho ten years ago. Besides Ron howard for Frosat/Nixon, I don't understand why these guys were nominated.

Best Actor: This is a tough one, but I'm going to go for Mickey Rourke for the Wrestler. Penn's won one and a Rourke win would give people to watch the Oscars this year. Everyone else might as well pack it up.

Best Actress: I really liked Angeline Jolie in Changeling, but she may suffer from the Eddie Murphy syndrome**. Most are pulling for Kate Winslet, but I'm going to go out on a limb here. I'm going with Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married. It's just a feeling.

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger. This is the only real guarantee not only for a great performance, but because the Dark Knight was snubbed. I will give kudos to Robert Downey, Jr. for Tropic Thunder. People thought I was crazy when I said he deserved an Oscar nod for that flick. Who's laughing now?

Best Supporting Actress: The big money is on Peleope Cruz for Vicki Christina Barcelona. I'm going with another wild card and picking Amy Adams for Doubt. No reason, just a feeling.

Best Animated Feature: They need to name this the Pixar Award. Wall-E will take the prize tonight.

So there they are. I'll pop on tomorrow night after the show to compare my picks with who actually won. Aloha.


* refers to the 1994 Academy Awards where Forrest Gump beat out Pulp Fiction and the Shawshank Redemption. The previous winners before it were Dances with Wolves (1990) Silence of the Lambs (1991) Unforgiven (1992) and Schindler's List (1993). The theory on violence says that after having two violent films win they will go in the oppsite direction this year.

**refers to the fact that Eddie Murphy was in theaters as Norbit last year during the Oscars. Jolie being incrap like Wanted could foil her odds.