Sunday, February 25, 2018
Fahrenheit 451 reviewed and decoded in under 4 minutes!
Fahrenheit 451 is a 1966 film by Director Francois Truffaut about a future in which owning a book is a crime and firemen are paid to start fires! This British film is based on Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel of the same name. Julie Christie, Oscar Werner, and Cyril Cusack round out the all-British cast.
The film's central character is Guy Montag (Oscar Werner) who works at Engine House 451 and performs his duties under the watchful eye of his Fire Captain (Cyril Cusack) who demands conformity and commitment from each and every fireman. Montag loves burning books and the smell of kerosene. That is, until the firemen discover a library in the home of an old woman. They burn each and every last book but 1, David Copperfield, and upon reading it, Montag realizes that it is not books that they are burning; it's people!
Although lacking today's special effects, this film does a fantastic job in conveying the main point in Bradbury's book: the idea of conformity and the death of the individual. Fahrenheit 451 describes a future in which a totalitarian government controls men and women by turning them into robots. Books in this film are treated like anti-government rebels converting people by giving them the power to think and feel. Conformity, individualism, censorship, ignorance, and propaganda are themes throughout this film. When Clarisse (Julie Christie) asks Montag if he read any of the books he’s burned he says no and tells her that he burns them because he was told they are bad. The 1998 film The Matrix is very similar to this film if you think of both films as metaphors with Neo as Montag, Mr. Smith as the fire captain, Clarisse as Trinity, the firemen as Mr. Smith, and the books as Morpheus.
Anyway, this is a great film by Truffaut, his first color film and his 1st and only non-French film. The film's excellent camera work was done by Nicolas Roeg who directed The Man Who Fell To Earth, Bad Timing, and did cinematography on Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago. This film is more relevant now than ever. I have it on DVD and it looks excellent. You should see this film if you haven't already.
Reservoir Dogs reviewed and decoded in under 6 minutes!
Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 heist action thriller directed by then newcomer Quentin Tarantino who also wrote the script. The film stars Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Quentin Tarantino, Steve Buscemi, Randy Brooks, Chris Penn and Lawrence Tierney.
A diamond heist goes horribly wrong. One of the robbers, Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), lies bleeding to death on the floor in an abandoned warehouse; a robber named Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) kidnaps a cop; another robber named Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) is compassionate; a robber named Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) doesn't tip but someone in their crew did and also snitched! If you are too close to a liar you won’t see him. The trick is keeping your distance and your heart out of it!
This neo noir thriller was a game-changer. Tarantino didn't invent non-linear storytelling or snappy dialogue but no director before or since has ever used both of these conventions in ways that are as entertaining as what actually happens in the film. Among Reservoir Dog’s themes is sex. The film also uses archetypes to describe the robber’s personalities and the manner in which they interact with each other.
There are no women in this film but there is a masculine/feminine dynamic between Mr. White and Mr. Orange. Mr. White plays the feminine role in their relationship, alternating between being a nurturing mother and a deceived woman in denial. When Mr. Orange is bleeding to death on the warehouse floor notice how Mr. White comforts and cradles him as though he is a child. Also notice the submissive tone of Mr. Orange’s voice in the scene. Also notice the hostility Mr. White directs at Mr. Pink who believes that Mr. Orange could possibly be a snitch?
What I like about Tarantino’s dialogue is how it provides insights on the plot and characters. At the beginning of this film, the robbers are in a diner having a debate about Madonna’s song ‘Like a Virgin.’ Mr. Brown believes that the song is about a promiscuous woman making love with a stud so big that he makes her feel pain as though she’s a virgin. Mr. Brown’s interpretation of the song describes the relationship that develops between Mr. White and Mr. Orange after Mr. Orange is shot in the diamond heist. The virgin in Mr. Brown’s metaphor is actually Mr. White, with white being symbolically associated with virginity. Remember, Mr. White never got caught--or “screwed”--by an undercover cop. Mr. Orange, in Madonna’s song, is the stud--or undercover cop--who fucks Mr. White and makes him feel pain like a virgin. After Mr. Orange gets shot in the belly, Mr. White’s feminine instincts kick in and he loses his ability to see Mr. Orange objectively. The conflict between Mr. Pink and Mr. White is also foreshadowed in the diner scene by Mr. Orange and Mr. White sitting next to each other and Mr. Pink sitting further away indicating that he has a better perspective to see Mr. Orange objectively. Also, in keeping with the feminine metaphors in the film, Mr. Pink’s suspicions of Mr. Orange make sense when you consider that the color pink is associated with femininity of which intuition is attributed to.
Although Tarantino’s 2nd film, Pulp Fiction, won more accolades and earned more at the box office, Reservoir Dogs was Tarantino’s birth-cry. How can a quirky/High School dropout/video store clerk who never ever set foot in any film school produce a film as raw, as intelligent, and as fully realized as Reservoir Dogs without the 2 or 3 warm up films that most great directors needed before their breakout film? On a documentary, he admits to not knowing film jargon at all and using scenes from his favorite films to set up camera shots. For years, I had this film on DVD and thought that the picture looked great and couldn’t get any better; I was wrong. If you’re thinking about upgrading to blu ray, you should. Great picture, cinematography, sound, music, and hard-boiled storytelling. Reservoir Dogs is still, in my opinion, Tarantino’s best film.
Mad Max Fury Road reviewed and decoded in under 5 minutes!
When I saw the Mad Max Fury Road trailer back in 2014 I thought “Well, here goes another dumb CGI movie.” I hadn't heard anything from Director George Miller since 1985s Thunderdome so I didn't know if he was even around anymore. But when I found out that not only was Miller still alive and kicking but that he directed Fury Road himself, I made it a point to see it and afterwards came out of the theater with no doubt as to what he'd been doing since 1985.
Mad Max Fury Road is the 4th installment of the post apocalyptic saga of Max Rockatansky, a former cop who wanders the scorched wasteland, a "burnt out shell of a man," after his wife and child are killed by a motorcycle gang. Max lives on the white lines of life and the road, scavenging guzzle-line from wrecked automobiles to feed his XB Falcon Coupe. After being captured by a cult, Max (Tom Hardy) becomes property of their leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who enslaves women and uses them to breed warriors and produce milk to trade for fuel and bullets. Joe dispatches his top lieutenant and female warlord Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) in an armored tanker to trade "mother-milk" for gasoline but Furiosa takes a detour east with 5 of Joe's wives 1 of whom is pregnant with his child. Immortan sends his minions after her along with Max as a portable blood-bag donor.
This is an unbelievably fun movie. Fury Road is a self-contained universe full of inventions that never cease to amaze. The hot rods in the film look like feral armor plated sand mutants improvised from anything salvageable. There's Max's XB Falcon Coupe; there's Immortan Joe's powerful Gigahorse, a pair of stacked '59 Coupe DeVille's mounted on double rear wheels; then there's Furiosa's 2000 horsepower War Rig. Production designer Colin Gibson said he wanted the cars to reflect the characters' attempts to salvage the remains of civilization after the war. George Miller's description of the film's aesthetic is that he wanted it to look like a western on wheels. What also contributes to the movie's unique style is the editing by his wife Margaret Sixel who chopped the film into 2,700 pieces so that Miller could manipulate each frame, speeding some up and slowing others down as needed.
Feminism is the film's main message. Charlize Theron's Furiosa is the standard-bearer of girl-power with her bald head, war-paint, missing arm, and battle scars liberating women chained to home and men who have reduced them to breeders and milk producers. After a rocky start and through a series of violent high-speed battles with Immortan Joe and his minions, Max and Furiosa grow to respect each other as a sort of symbolic truce between men and women.
George Miller won the Academy Award for Best Director for this film which went on to win 6 Awards in technical categories. Mad Max Fury Road is also a stand-alone film so seeing the previous installments aren't necessary. Between Furiosa and Ripley (from 1985s Aliens) I can't decide who is badder. Fury Road was well worth the 20 year wait and I hope it's not another 20 years before Miller comes out with another one. There's also a black and white "chrome" version of this film.
Play Misty for Me reviewed in under 4 minutes!
Play Misty for Me is a 1971 film directed by Clint Eastwood, his 1st film as a director based on a story by Jo Helms who also wrote the script. The film stars Clint Eastwood, Donna Mills, Jessica Walter, Don Siegel, James McEachin, Irene Hervey, and John Larch.
A mysterious woman calls smooth-talking disc jockey Dave Carver (Clint Eastwood) regularly to request Misty. One day this caller, whose name is Evelyn (Jessica Walter) shows up at his favorite bar, one thing leads to another and they wind up making love at her place. He is upfront about his situation; there’s an old flame he’s trying to win back and he isn’t looking for a committed relationship. The following day, however, Evelyn shows up at his place unannounced. She shows up again and again and again disrupting Dave’s life, his job, and his chances at reuniting with Tobie (Donna Mills). Dave soon discovers that it’s easier to start a fire than it is to put it out!
Play Misty For Me has everything going for it. From the scenic landscapes of Monterey, California to Errol Garner's Misty and Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
The scene that sums up the movie to me is an exchange between Dave and Evelyn in which she tells him that she loves him and he replies: "We don't even know each other!” In this exchange I saw a metaphor of our present society where real intimacy has been streamlined to impersonal sexual encounters.
Dave and Evelyn's relationship can also be interpreted as a metaphor of addiction. Like a smoker trying to wean himself off cigarettes, Dave tells Tobie that he is trying to cut back on the number of women he sees. Their relationship can also be interpreted as the dark nature in all of us. Remember that Tobie told Dave that she left him because she felt herself becoming the type of jealous female that she hated which happened to be Evelyn.
Regardless of how you look at it, Play Misty for Me is a great film that Director Adrian Lyne based his own 1987 psychological thriller Fatal Attraction on. Clint Eastwood is one of the few actors who turned out to be as good behind the camera as he was as an actor in front of it. Mel Gibson is another one. And Clint is still directing films at 87 years of age! The DVD comes with a documentary on the making of Play Misty with interviews by Clint and the actresses who still look great, especially Donna Mills.
American Giglolo reviewed in under 3 minutes!
American Gigolo is a 1980 thriller written and directed by Paul Schrader. This film is notable for establishing Richard Gere as one of Hollywood's leading men and it is also one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to have full-frontal male nudity. The film also stars Lauren Hutton, Hector Elizondo, and Bill Duke.
Julian Kaye (Richard Gere) is a Los Angeles escort who specializes in older women with deep pockets. To Julian, love-making is more than a job; it's an art! He is sexy, up on fashion, owns the latest hifi stereo equipment, lives in a fancy apartment, and is also fluent in many languages, especially the international language! He is in high-demand, but he has turned his back on those who helped him become what he is. He needs no one.
A jealous rival named Leon (Bill Duke) sets Julian up with a client and the woman winds up dead. Michelle (Lauren Hutton) can help him with an alibi but in exposing their affair she risks losing everything, including her marriage to a powerful senator.
American Gigolo is about love and sacrifice. This film was highly thought of by critic Roger Ebert and watching it bears witness to its influence on other films such as Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 crime thriller Drive starring Ryan Gosling. Richard Gere is perfectly cast as the narcissistic boy-toy and fall-guy. Lauren Hutton is also great as the desperate older woman trapped in a convenient marriage. And Bill Duke is also great as Gere's jealous rival named Leon.
This is a fantastic film from start to finish. I have it on DVD and it looks great and I highly recommend you get it, especially if you are a fan of 80s movies.
Close Encounters of the Third Time reviewed and decoded in 3 minutes!
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film by director Steven Spielberg about ordinary people who are drawn to a remote desert location to witness the landing of an extra-terrestrial mothership. Steven Spielberg also wrote the script for the film which stars Richard Dreyfus, Teri Garr, Francois Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, and Lance Henricksen.
On the outside, Close Encounters is a film about man coming in contact with Extra Terrestrials. But on a down-to-earth level, Close Encounters is about many things, one of which is how each 1 of us are important in the grand scheme. Take for instance, blue collar worker Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) who works as an electric line worker. Late one night, he experiences a life-changing event. Now, compare this to French scientist Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut) and other scientists in the film who get 2nd hand accounts of UFOs from ordinary people who get to see them 1st hand. And also, a small boy (Cary Guffey) not only sees the Aliens and learns their 5-note musical language, but he is also abducted by the Aliens.
Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
Another theme in this film is faith. Roy Neary sees a vision and becomes so obsessed with it that he literally drives his family away. Barry Guiler's mother Jillian (Melinda Dillon) has the identical vision. This shared vision brings them both together at the butte in northeastern Wyoming called Devil’s Tower. Even though Roy already had a family, he was really meant to be with Jillian who shares his vision.
Close Encounters is a great film that entertains on every level. Spielberg said that the song from Pinocchio "When you wish upon a Star" influenced his writing style on the script and watching this film you feel like you are actually reliving your childhood. The film's visual effects were done by Douglas Trumbull who also went on to do the special effects on the original Blade Runner film. Still, one of the most iconic scenes in all of film is the massive mother-ship descending on Devil's Tower, a scene that still gives me goosebumps every time I see it. As great as the film is on DVD, blu ray does it the justice that it rightfully deserves.
High and Low reviewed and decoded in 3 minutes!
High and Low--which, literally translated in Japanese means 'Heaven and Hell’--is a 1963 crime drama based on Ed Bains' 1959 novel 'King's Ransom.' The film stars the great Toshiro Mifune in one of his few non-samurai roles with Director Akira Kurosawa. Mifune is a shoe company executive at odds with a group of fellow executives who believes that the company should increase its profits by making trendier shoes that can wear out faster. Gondo disagrees with this idea and wants the company to keep making the expensive well-made shoes it is known for. Subsequently, Gondo receives a phone call from someone claiming to have his son. Earlier, Gondo's son and the son of his chauffeur had on costumes playing cowboy and Indian. The kidnapper tells Gondo that he wants a large sum of money in exchange for his son but paying the ransom will wipe out the money Gondo needs to buy controlling interest in the shoe company. Gondo is about to give in to the ransom when his son, Jun, comes in from playing outdoors. Gondo now figures that the ransom demand is a prank until he finds out that the kidnapper has the wrong kid; it is, in fact, his chauffeur’s kid who has been kidnapped! The caller wants Gondo to pay the ransom anyway. Now, Gondo faces a dilemma--when he thought that the kidnapper had his own son, paying the ransom was a no brainer; now, the kidnapper wants him to pay the ransom for someone else’s son. If he does pay the ransom, he will lose the shoe company to his enemies.
High and Low is from the director of Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Rashomon, The Hidden Fortress, Ran, and many other films that Hollywood remade from The Magnificent Seven, Last Man Standing, A Fistful of Dollars, and Star Wars.
Once again, Toshiro Mifune demonstrates his versatility by playing a businessman forced to decide between principle and personal gain. Akira Kurosawa does a great job in getting us to empathize with Gondo and his decisions. High and Low is also a very detailed procedural on criminal investigation. The cinematography in the film by Asakazu Nakai and Takao Saito captures the essence of the film’s title perfectly. I have this on DVD, and Criterion did a great job restoring it. I highly recommend this film.
Dr. Strangelove reviewed and decoded in under 4 minutes
Dr. Strangelove reviewed and decoded in under 4 minutes
Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb is a 1964 black comedy directed by Stanley Kubrick who co-wrote the script with Terry Southern and Peter George based on George's 1958 book called Red Alert. The film stars James Earl Jones, Keenan Wynn, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, and a ubiquitous Peter Sellers playing 3 characters: Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley, and Dr.Strangelove.
A psychotic Army General named Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) believes that the Soviets are fluoridating America's water supplies to pollute the nation's 'bodily fluids.' To stop this, he sends the 3-digit 'go-code' to one of the many American bombers patrolling Russia's skies 24/7. But the Soviets have a secret weapon of their own that's triggered to blow up the entire world in case of a nuclear attack; this weapon is called the Doomsday device! The only thing that can stop the U.S. bomber from triggering the Doomsday device is the 3-digit recall code. But there's 1 problem: the bomber's communication system is damaged and unable to receive the code. Thus, the Doomsday machine is set and the world can only pray and cross its fingers that the plane runs out of fuel before reaching its target!
Dr. Strangelove is a satirical look at the Cold War and those who man the 'switches.' The stereotypes in this great film from Jack D. Ripper to Dr. Strangelove himself seem over-the-top until you realize that there were--and still remain-- individuals equally, if not more, loony in key posts in our government who have their finger on 'the button.' Truth is really stranger than fiction. Everybody who loves this film have their own interpretation of it (Spoiler alert!) but I believe that the film is a metaphorical description of sexual intercourse as there seems to be parallels to Jack D. Ripper's description of fluoridated water and the Doomsday Machine that--like male ejaculation--can't be shut off once triggered; plus, there's only 1 woman in the whole movie and remember, nothing in any Kubrick film is there by accident!
In any case, this is-- technically speaking-- Stanley Kubrick's 2nd war film the 1st one being his 1957 anti war film Paths Of Glory. Can't say enough about Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick's tightest film by far. Oh, and the acting, particularly Peter Sellers, is simply awesome. This guy probably could have played all the film’s characters. I have this on DVD and it is crystal clear and I see no need to upgrade for a few extra pixels.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Claudine (1974) film review starring James Earl Jones
Claudine is a 1974 drama directed by John Berry from a script co-written by Lester and Tina Pine. The film stars Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, and Lawrence Hilton Jacobs. Unlike most Blaxploitation films released at that time, Claudine bucked the trend in reflecting Black America realistically.
Claudine is about a garbage collector named Roop (James Earl Jones) who becomes romantically involved with a Black woman named Claudine (Diahann Carroll) who works multiple jobs to raise 6 children by herself. Her daughter Charlene (Tamu Blackwell) is dating the wrong boy; her son Charles (Lawrence Hilton Jacobs) wants a vasectomy; another son wants to disappear. On top of all of this confusion, the Welfare office stops by Claudine’s apartment regularly to make sure that she doesn't have a man or a job. Roop is also single, but he is paying child support for 3 children from a previous marriage. As he becomes more deeply involved with Claudine and her children, Roop finds himself being forced to make hard decisions.
Claudine is a great film that’s even more remarkable considering where this country was in the time it was made, a film that honestly and without comedy relief looks at the challenges single Black mothers face such as racism, poverty, teenage pregnancy, depression and self-hatred. Most importantly, though, Claudine shows how the welfare system humiliates and punishes people it is supposed to help. With all the disparaging rhetoric we hear about women on Welfare including a President who labeled them "Welfare Queens,” this film gives the other side of the story.
With its great soundtrack, written and produced by the late Curtis Mayfield and performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips, Claudine is a time capsule of what growing up poor was like in the 70s. I don't know if you can find it on blu ray but I have it on DVD. Great film of what it used to be like growing up in the 70s.
Monday, February 19, 2018
The Road Warrior: my review of a superior sequel!
The Road Warrior is Australian director George Miller’s 1981 follow-up to his 1979 post-apocalyptic thriller Mad Max. In The Road Warrior, Mel Gibson reprises his role as Max Rockatansky, a former cop who has become, in the words of the film's narrator, "a burnt-out shell of a man" after a ruthless motorcycle gang kills his wife and child in the 1st film. Now, with nothing to live for but the road, Max’s existence is defined by scavenging fuel for his beat up, but still angry '73 supercharged V8 Pursuit Special!
The premise of the Road Warrior is concerned with a small community of settlers who have barricaded themselves and their oil well against a gang of bandits led by Humungus who wants the oil. By chance, Max comes into this situation as an opportunist by rescuing one of the settlers and taking the man back to the compound. Max does not care one way or the other about helping the settlers against Humungus. He barters an abandoned truck he found in exchange for fuel. The settlers decide to abandon the compound and need Max to drive their fuel tanker but he turns down the offer. Later, Humungus’s gang attacks him on the road and kill his dog. Max returns to the compound and agrees to drive the fuel truck.
The struggle between the settlers and the bandits is a metaphor of the current geopolitical landscape with America as Humungus pillaging weaker nations like Libya, Iraq and Syria, countries parked on oil reserves.
Certain characters in this film stand out like Feral Boy (Emil Minty) who goes on to lead the northern tribe. Another standout is Max’s sidekick Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence) and his gyrocopter. Another memorable character is Pappagallo played by English actor Michael Preston who acts as a Moses figure among the settlers.
Even though Mad Max went on to become the biggest movie ever in Australia, American film audiences knew nothing about it. It is for this reason that George Miller gave the sequel its stand alone title, The Road Warrior; after all, who would go see a sequel to a film they knew nothing about? This decision on Miller’s part paid off as The Road Warrior garnered numerous positive reviews, including The New York Times and Roger Ebert who praised the film's action sequences.
And this film is all about action! There is no dialogue until 15 minutes into the film, just action. And the film ends the way it begins--with action in the form of a 15 minute chase sequence involving every stunt and tricked-out vehicle you can imagine, real crashes with real cars, and real stuntmen flying through the air like rag dolls with no CGI effects to speak of--great cinematography by Dean Semler and a hell of a lot of balls by George Miller. I also can't leave out the legendary score by Brian May, especially in the film’s opening montage, which is in my opinion, the best montage ever.
I recently got this film on blu ray and it's like a new movie compared with the DVD version. The blu ray is widescreen while the DVD is cropped off on the sides and the top. There’s stuff you see in widescreen that makes the upgrade from DVD to blu ray worth it to me. And finally, this film is 96 minutes long which makes the pacing even faster. For the same reason that some consider T2 superior to Terminator, I think that The Road Warrior is superior to Mad Max because it gives you more of what you liked about the 1st film.
Run Lola Run: A quick review of the Tom Tykwer film starring Franka Potente
Run Lola Run: A quick review of the Tom Tykwer film starring Franka Potente
Run Lola Run is a 1998 German film written and directed by Tom Tykwer and stars Franka Potente and Moritz Bleibtreu. In a nutshell, the film consists of 3 identical episodes with completely different outcomes. In each of these episodes, Lola (Potente) has to come up with 100,000 Deutsche Marks in 20 minutes to cover a bag of mob money her boyfriend Manni (Bleibtreu) lost on a bus. If she can’t come up with the money in this short amount of time, he promises to rob a nearby grocery store. This is the trigger for all 3 episodes along with Lola running through the streets of Berlin with her red hair shooting up like a flame intercut with animation to a hard-driving techno soundtrack.
Existential themes of fate, death, reincarnation, and fortune are interwoven among the 3 episodes. Destiny is determined by everything, even the smallest of things such as bending down to tie a shoelace, or asking someone the time, or going back to get something you forgot, or that split-second hesitation at a stoplight that saves you from being killed. This is the overall idea of Run Lola Run, that everything in life happens for a reason and that the tiniest things can make the biggest impact on our lives.
Run Lola Run is the 1st foreign film I saw. I can remember renting the tape at a neighborhood Blockbuster store because of Lola's red hair on the box. If not for her hair, my tastes in films would still be in the dark ages. If you are looking for a fast-paced movie that gives your brain something to chew on, you don’t need to look any further. It’s a German language film but it also has an English dubbed track and it also has subtitles if you prefer hearing the actors’ real voices.
If you see this film and like it you might want to check out this directors’ other films such as The Princess and The Warrior and arguably his best film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer starring Dustin Hoffman, Ben Wishaw and the late Allan Rickman.
Carnal Knowledge: A quick review of the Jack Nicholson film
Carnal Knowledge: A quick review of the Jack Nicholson Film directed by Mike Nichols
Carnal Knowledge is a 1971 drama directed by Mike Nichols, written by Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer and stars Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Art Garfunkel, Rita Moreno, Carol Kane, and Ann-Margret.
Carnal Knowledge follows 2 friends from college to their middle age years and their different philosophies on women and relationships. Jonathan (Jack Nicholson) devotes his life to superficial encounters based on sex; by contrast, his friend Sandy (Art Garfunkel) devotes his life to mentally stimulating but physically unsatisfying relationships, mainly marriages. Sandy is the type of man women say they want; Jonathan is the type of man women really want. Sandy is a gentleman; Jonathan, a bad boy. Sandy listens to what women say but Jonathan knows what they really mean. Sandy has book knowledge but Jonathan knows the flesh.
Among Carnal Knowledge’s themes are sex addiction, male impotence, infidelity, and dissociative behaviors. For example, when Sandy asks Susan for a kiss, she politely refuses and insults him in a nice way: “You’re the only boy I know that I can talk to.” But when Jonathan takes her out, he doesn’t ask her anything and they have sex on the 1st date! Susan gives her mind to Sandy but her body belongs to Jonathan. This moral conflict comes to a head when Jonathan gives her an ultimatum to make a decision between himself or Sandy.
Ann-Margret--who received an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress-- plays Bobby, the large busted sexpot who becomes Jonathan’s dream come true and worst nightmare.
Carnal Knowledge is not for everyone. Don’t get me wrong, it is good--damn good--but it pulls no punches. When I say that it pulls no punches, I’m not talking about sex or language. Except for a few profile shots, some leg, an ass cheek, a breast here and there, there is nothing in this film that any kid with an X-Box or Playstation 2 hasn’t seen (and believe me, if you’ve bought any video game in the past 10 years for your teenager or 12 year old, you’ve exposed them to a hell of a lot worse). What’s difficult about Carnal Knowledge is its "naked" honesty about the paradox of human nature. There are things that we say and then there are things that we do! Do women prefer Intelligence or size? Depends on the bank account. Do women like sensitive men? Depends on whether you’re talking about Pierre at the hair salon or Bob at the car repair. Do women prefer gentlemen or bad boys? Lol! Really? I guess to take a proverb from the Good Book: “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!” Generally, we say what we want, but we do what we are! No actor but Jack Nicholson could have played Jonathan Fuerst!
Anyway, Carnal Knowledge is funny, a head-trip, and a lean, mean 97 minutes, every last one of those minutes ferociously entertaining. I am not a Mike Nichols groupie (RIP) but this film is in my top 10. I have it on DVD and the picture is great. One of the great films of my favorite decade and a film that every Jack Nicholson fan should own. In my opinion, his best film.
Full Metal Jacket: A quick review of the Stanley Kubrick Vietnam War epic
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film directed by Stanley Kubrick who co-wrote the script with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford, based on Hasford’s 1979 novel “The Short Timers.” The film stars Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, and Dorian Harewood and was shot entirely in London, England.
Full Metal Jacket is set in 1968 in South Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. There's a lot of debate on the continuity of the 1st and 2nd parts of the film, the 1st of which focuses on the systematic dehumanization of the new recruits, particularly, Private Leonard Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio) who goes over the edge under the harsh treatment of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey). The 1st half of the movie is so powerful that it can seem front-loaded and inconsistent with the movie's 2nd act which follows a unit called the Lusthogs and Corporal Joker (Matthew Modine) who does impersonations of John Wayne and wears a “Peace” button over his heart and the words “Born to Kill” on his helmet, a paradox he describes as the duality of man.
When it comes to Vietnam War films, the big three are this one, Apocalypse Now (Redux), and Platoon. But Full Metal Jacket stands apart in how graphically it shows the physical and psychological training that goes into programming recruits into soldiers that kill without hesitation. R. Lee Ermey is perfect as Sergeant Hartman who’s tough-love prepares the recruits for the battlefield. On the film's documentary, Ermey admits that Kubrick didn't want to give him the role after seeing Ermey in a 1978 film called The Boys From Company C. Ermey improvised a mock tape of himself belittling recruits and sent the tape to Kubrick who changed his mind and gave the role to Ermey whom he believed to be the perfect Drill instructor and antagonist for Gomer Pyle.
If there is a moral to Full Metal Jacket it’s that war is Hell and to live in it you must become it. Great film. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Well photographed, of course, and tight clocking in under 2 hours. Looks great on DVD and even better on blu ray.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Monday, February 12, 2018
My quick review of 'All About Eve': Bette Davis' best film!
My quick review of 'All About Eve': Bette Davis' best film!
All About Eve is a 1950 American Drama written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz based on the short story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr. Stars Bette Davis, Ann Baxter, George Sanders, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, and Marilyn Monroe in her 1st screen appearance round out the cast.
Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) is so obsessed with Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) that she travels cross-country from her home in San Francisco to New York in hopes of seeing her idol which she does by way of Margo's friend Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) who is impressed by the humble, polite-spoken Eve. Through tons of flattery, Eve earns herself a job as Margo's personal assistant. Eve's constant praises are just what Margo's ego needs as roles for aging actresses are far and few between. Little does Margo know what her younger protege is really after or even who and what her protege is. Eve has everybody fooled, everybody except theater critic Addison DeWitt!
All About Eve is among only 3 films nominated for 14 Academy Awards with the other 2 being 1997s Titanic and 2016s LaLa Land. Eve walked away with 6 Academy Awards and is the only film ever to have 2 actresses nominated for awards in 2 categories, Bette Davis and Anne Baxter for Best Actress and Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter for Best Supporting Actress. Although she only had a few lines in the film, Marilyn Monroe’s performance is also great as Addison's DeWitt's busty-but-not-as-dumb-as-I-look date at Margo Channing's Birthday Party.
Everything from the cinematography (by Milton R. Krasner) to the editing by Barbara McLean are terrific. Back then, you had to know how to write as there weren't any gimmicks such as computer effects to hide behind, nor was there a soundtrack to distract you from the actors. Also, not being a color film removes another layer of distraction from the actors’ performances.
This is 1 of those movies that seems to get better as movies today become more and more kiddified by Marvel and DC and sequels on top of sequels. At the time she appeared in this film, Bette Davis' real-life career was also undergoing a transition because of her age (40), something that most likely added to her role as Margo Channing and something that resonates today with actresses disappearing around 40 years of age. In a way, All About Eve is like Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard without the swimming pool at the end.
I have this film on DVD and the image and sound quality are excellent. If you wonder what a lot of older folks mean when they say they don't make them like they used to, see All About Eve and you'll know why.
My quick review of The Killers (1964) directed by Don Siegel
The Killers is a 1964 film directed by Don Siegel based on a 1927 short story by Ernest Hemingway. This film follows a 1946 version directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster. This 1964 version is better than its predecessor for a number of reasons but before I get into these reasons, I will endeavor to give those who haven't seen the film a quick summary.
Hitmen Charlie and Lee (played by Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager) appear at a school for the blind to execute a hit on an instructor named Johnny North (John Cassavetes) on behalf of mobster Jack Browning (played by Ronald Reagan). Johnny makes no plea to have his life spared. But the fact that Johnny didn't seem surprised nor afraid to die doesn't sit right with Charlie who believes that there's more to the hit than Jack Browning told them and from this point, Charlie and Lee track down everyone directly and indirectly involved with Johnny, each person providing--through flashbacks--a piece of the puzzle as to what would make Johnny give up his life without a fight.
Director Don Seigel takes a lean no-nonsense approach in this version as we see 2 hitmen who have distinct personalities, both deadly in his own way. First, there's Charlie. Lee Marvin plays the older speak-softly-carry-a-big-stick hitman, the kind who won't ask you the same question twice. His much younger partner Lee (played very effectively by Clu Gulager) plays the barely-under-control, health-conscious psycho who seems to enjoy his work and who’s as scary as Tommy, played by Joe Pesci in the 1990 film Goodfellas.
Then there are the film's other stars. John Cassavetes performance as race car/getaway driver Johnny North who falls in love with the wrong woman (played by Angie Dickinson) is typical 'guy-gets-screwed-by-beautiful-dame' film noir. The flashback involving their relationship could have been a stand-alone movie in itself. Claude Akins is also great as Johnny's mechanic Earl Sylvester playing the best friend who gets ditched for the girl. But probably the best role in the film is Jack Browning played by a very pimp-like Ronald Reagan. Politics aside, he is good in this film and perfectly cast as “The Man” who uses the dame to manipulate the sap into helping them knock off a bank truck.
This is a great heist film and a great showcase for all actors involved. The disc comes with an audio interview (reenactment) with Don Siegel who explains the process of how he acquired the material to make the film and many other anecdotes that are as entertaining as watching the film itself. I have the Criterion version and it looks and sounds great. If you've seen the old version of this film but haven't seen this version yet, you should do so to judge them for yourself.
My quick review of 'The Ice Storm'
The Ice Storm is a 1997 American drama directed by Ang Lee based on Rick Moody's 1994 novel of the same name. The film's cast includes Kevin Kline, Christina Ricci, Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood, and Katie Holmes. The film is set in 1973 in New Canaan, Connecticut and focuses on 2 dysfunctional suburban families over the course of Thanksgiving week.
Ben and Elena Hood (played by Kevin Kline and Joan Allen) drift apart due to Ben’s affair with neighbor Janey Carver (Sigourney Weaver). The Hood and Carver kids are out of school for Thanksgiving break and spend the time experimenting: Janey Carver’s youngest son likes to blow things up around the house; Ben Hoods’ daughter Wendy (Christina Ricci) spends most of her time trying to get boys to have sex with her; then, there's Reverend Phillip Edwards whose alternative views on relationships consists of "group and 1-on-1 therapy sessions.”
The Ice Storm shows how we avoid addressing difficult issues in our lives directly and how we often address these issues indirectly, be it through sex or drugs or other destructive behaviors such as Janey Carver son’s habit of blowing stuff up.
I recently upgraded to blu ray and the images are sharp and the colors are saturated! Frederick Elmes did a great job with the cinematography. The music by Mychael Danna is also great.
This is a movie you can watch and rewatch the same night. The Ice Storm has no action or profanity but is 1 of the most entertaining dramas because of its fast pacing and the fact that its very, very funny, especially the affair involving Ben Hood and Janey Carver. The film feels a lot shorter than its 1:53:00 running time. Of all the directors today, I can think of very few with Ang Lee's ability to bring out the nuances in characters and relationships. He’s done a number of great films but The Ice Storm is probably his best.
My quick review of Bob Fosse's 'Star 80'
Star 80 is a 1983 film about Playboy model Dorothy Stratten written and directed by Bob Fosse who adopted the story from a 1981 Village Voice article entitled "Death of a Playmate" by Teresa Carpenter. Eric Roberts, Mariel Hemingway, and Cliff Robertson round out the cast.
A pimp, inventor, and nightclub promoter named Paul Snider discovers 19 year old Dorothy Stratten working at Dairy Queen and sees her potential as a model. They do an impromptu photo shoot that results in her being invited to Los Angeles to meet Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner that opens the door to more opportunities. Feeling left out, Snider uses her emotional weaknesses as leverage to get money and material items out of her, including a red Corvette on which he puts the vanity plates Star 80. A series of flashbacks throughout the film show Snider naked and covered with blood.
Everything about Star 80 is perfect. The music is by Ralph Burns who also worked with Fosse on his 1979 film All That Jazz. The film’s terrific cinematography was done by Sven Vilhem Nykvist who was a longtime collaborator with Ingmar Bergman. Everything about the period that the film is based on--the music, the cars, the clothes, the swagger--is perfect.
Eric Roberts' performance as Paul Snider--the overachiever who is desperate for respect and recognition--is terrific although he didn't receive an Oscar nomination for this performance. Mariel Hemingway's performance as Dorothy Stratten-- the girl next door torn between her obligation to a blood-sucker and her promising career as a Playboy model--is also terrific. Cliff Robertson is also convincing as Hugh Hefner who pressures Dorothy to dump Snider. This may have or may not have been the tipping point for Snider although Hugh Hefner sued the film's producer in objection to how the film depicted him.
Bob Fosse was originally a dance choreographer. He directed 5 films including Cabaret which won 8 Academy Awards and also beat out The Godfather that year. Star 80 was his final film. When I think of how multi-talented Fosse was, I also think of Motown founder Berry Gordy who also went on to become an accomplished film director with no prior experience. Anyway, if you haven't seen Star 80 and you like Fosse's All That Jazz, it's a solid buy and you should pick it up.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Friday, February 9, 2018
A review of Scarlet Street, a film that all sugar daddies need to watch!
A quick review of Scarlet Street: a film that all sugar daddies need to watch
Director Fritz Lang's 1945 film noir Scarlet Street is based on the French novel La Chienne or the B word in translation and once you see this film you’ll know who this term applies to. Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennet, and Dan Duryea round out the film’s cast.
The film's main plot follows a shy middle aged man named Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson) who, late one night, rescues a beautiful woman named Kitty (Joan Bennet) from a male attacker (Dan Duryea) who we find out later in the film is actually her manipulative and abusive boyfriend. Being married to an unsupportive wife, Chris becomes Kitty's sugar-daddy and sets her up in a nice cozy apartment where he can paint his pictures and feel appreciated. But little does Chris realize “what” Kitty is when he is not around.
This is one of Fritz Lang's best noir films with the other being his 1953 film The Big Heat starring Glenn Ford. In classic film noir tradition, Scarlet Street has a deceptive dame and a fool hence Edward G. Robinson’s appropriately named character, Chris Cross. The story itself shines a cynical light on human nature and love by suggesting that there are women in the world such as Kitty who prefer abusive men to nice guys. Other themes in this film are that you can't buy love and the importance of knowing your own worth. The film also has a homoerotic element that’s indirectly expressed between Chris Cross and an art collector who falls in love with Kitty believing she's the artist responsible for Chris’s paintings.
This is a terrific film but make sure you get the Kino version. I have the pre Kino disc and let me tell you the picture and sound are crummy but not crummy enough to keep the greatness of this film from shining through.
A quick review of A Clockwork Orange
A quick review of 'A Clockwork Orange'
Director Stanley Kubrick's 1971 British film A Clockwork Orange is based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. Stars Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Magee spearhead the film’s all British cast in a story set in a futuristic dystopia overrun by street gangs.Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) is the id of the film and leader of a quartet of hooligans--or, as he refers to them, droogs--who spend their days in search of victims to rob, rape, and beat up. When they are not terrorizing society or brawling with other gangs, they can be found sipping drug-laced milk from the tit-like taps at the Korova milk bar. Alex's leadership is unquestioned by everybody except Dim who fails--even with the assistance of Georgie and Pete--in an attempt to unseat Alex as the gang’s leader. Later, though, Dim, Pete, and Georgie frame Alex for murder. Desperate to get out of prison, Alex agrees to participate in an aversion therapy experiment that takes away his violent tendencies by short-circuiting his ability to defend himself. He is then set free and rejoins society where those he once terrorized, including Dim, are waiting.
A Clockwork Orange is Stanley Kubrick's follow up to his 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and, like that film, A Clockwork Orange speculates on where we may be heading in the not so distant future. Among the film's themes are free will and human nature. Other themes in the film are violence, sex, and art and how each of these are interpreted according to class.
A Clockwork Orange only took Kubrick 8 months to shoot. The film's star Malcolm McDowell said that if Kubrick wasn't a director he could have been a Chief of Staff with the US Armed Forces. I have the film on DVD which is full-screen but I’ve read that the new versions are letterboxed. Don’t let the age of this film scare you out of making the best 5 or 10 dollar investment you’ll ever make.
The Fourth Man: a review of the sexy thriller from Paul Verhoeven
A review of 'The Fourth Man,' the sexy noir thriller by director Paul Verhoeven!
Dutch director Paul Verhoeven has been among my favorite directors for years. His 1978 film Robocop and his 1990 film Total Recall are among my favorites. When I 1st began watching foreign films, I was surprised to discover that not only was Paul Verhoeven already an established director in his native country, the Netherlands, before coming to the US, but that most of his old Dutch films are--in my opinion--better than his American films. Among his Dutch films, his 1983 suspense thriller The Fourth Man is a standout. The film stars Jeroen Krabbé as a bisexual writer who becomes romantically involved with a photographer and business owner played by Renée Soutendijk who turns out to be the wrong woman. The film served as the basis for Verhoeven's 1992 film Basic Instinct which he made after coming to the US.The Fourth Man follows an alcoholic writer named Gerard Reve (Jeroen Krabbé) who sees signs and visions in almost everything. While giving a speech, he meets a beautiful woman named Christine (Renée Soutendijk), they become lovers and he moves in with her. While there, he finds a picture of Christine’s lover and agrees to delay his departure to give her advice on helping her lover overcome his shyness. Gerard persuades her to invite her lover over for dinner and when she does, Gerard can’t believe his luck, that he was finally going to meet the man of his dreams. Everything changes when Gerard stumbles upon Christine’s home movie collection of her and her 3 husbands who all died in freak accidents.
Because of the sex, character arc, and element of deception, The Fourth Man falls into the film noir category. Of the themes expressed in this film, the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah takes center stage in characterizing Gerard and Christine’s relationship. This film contains sexual situations and male frontal nudity which is the normal order of business with foreign films. As he is in Verhoeven's other Dutch films such as 1977s Soldier of Orange and Spetters from 1980, Jeroen Krabbé is excellent as the guy who follows his lusts and gets in over his head. Renée Soutendijk is also great in this film playing her part as Delilah-- both figuratively and literally--and it is no coincidence that she owns a hair-cutting business.
Paul Verhoeven did a great job on this film. He's 1 of the few directors versatile enough to go from making a period drama like 2006s Black Book to 1997s Starship Troopers. What I like about all of his films is his ability to inject humor without making light of the subject matter. For example, his 1973 film, Turkish Delight, deals with cancer but there is a random gesture that adds nothing to the storyline in which the director opens a scene with a poodle doing his business on the sidewalk. If you like foreign films like Run Lola Run and you are curious to see the Dutch version of Basic Instinct, you should check out The Fourth Man. I don’t know if it’s out on blu ray but I have it on DVD and the picture and sound quality are terrific.
A review of 'Giant:' George Stevens's and Texas's 'Gone With The Wind!'
A review of 'Giant'--Texas's 'Gone With The Wind'
Giant is a 1956 epic Western drama directed by George Stevens based on Edna Ferber’s 1952 novel. The film stars Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Dennis Hopper, Earl Holliman, Sal Mineo, and Mercedes McCambridge.Giant is about 2 men, a 6 foot 5 inch Texas rancher named Jordan Benedict (Rock Hudson) and a 5 foot 7 inch ranch hand named Jett Rink (James Dean). One man owns a half-a-milion acres and livestock in the tens of thousands; the other man, nothing. One man is already a giant, the other is just one notch up from the Mexican house and field workers who maintain the ranch and the mansion on Jordan's property. Jordan's outlook is rooted in tradition and on his ranch everybody stays in their place; everyone, that is, except Jett Rink! It makes Jordan mad when Jett speaks to Mrs. Benedict (played by Elizabeth Taylor) when she greets him. But America is changing and Rialto Ranch is changing too, whether Jordan likes it or not. When his sister dies and leaves Jett a tiny plot of land, that tiny piece of nothing becomes an oil gusher. Jett rink, once the low man on the totem pole, becomes a giant and Benedict, once the top man on the totem pole, is forced to adjust to a changing world.
Giant encompasses more than the characters and statures of its 2 main stars or the scale of the Rialto Ranch. Giant is a reflection of the things that make this country small such as racism, sexism, and class discrimination. Giant is a fitting title for a film featuring Rock Hudson, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor--3 Hollywood icons. Seeing James Dean in this film, it's hard to deny that he was--and still is--1 of the great Hollywood actors and the poster-boy of all promising actors and actresses whose lives end prematurely. He only made 3 films and all of them are ranked among the best ever, 2 directed by one of my favorite directors, Elia Kazan back-to-back.
Giant is a great film and well worth its 3 hour and 21 minute running time. The acting, cinematography and direction in this film are perfect. Probably Rock Hudson's best film. I have Giant on DVD and the picture and sound quality are perfect and I see no need to upgrade any time soon. But you can also get this great film on blu ray.
Anatomy of a Murder: a review of Jimmy Stewart's best film
A review of 'Anatomy of a Murder' starring Jimmy Stewart
Otto Preminger's 1959 courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder has been called one of the most accurate films ever made on courtroom procedure. The film is based on a novel of the same name by Robert Traver who not only served on the Michigan Supreme Court but also based the story on an actual murder case in which he served as district attorney. The film stars Jimmy Stewart, George C. Scott, Lee Remick and Ben Gazzara and is one of the 1st films to deal with the subject of sex and rape explicitly.
Jimmy Stewart plays Paul Biegler, a former lawyer who has settled into retirement after losing his reelection for District Attorney but is coaxed back out of retirement by his alcoholic friend--played by Arthur McConnell--to defend an Army lieutenant (played by Ben Gazzara) accused of shooting and murdering an innkeeper accused of raping his very beautiful and freaky wife (played by Lee Remick). The only defense for the Army lieutenant is temporary insanity which Paul has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and against the Attorney General's star prosecutor Joe Dancer. The courtroom battle is the centerpiece of the film and takes up most of its 2 hour and 40 minute running time!
But if you think to yourself "This is just a boring courtroom movie," you'll be sadly mistaken. This is Jake LaMotta vs Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky vs Apollo Creed, the cab scene in On The Waterfront with Charlie the Gent and Terry Malloy! James Stewart and "The Dancer" George C. Scott are both at the peak of their powers and bring out the best in each other in this film. When you think of James Stewart's other films like Vertigo and Rear Window the last thing that comes to mind is fire, maybe a slow-burn. But in this film and his chess-match in the courtroom scenes with George C. Scott, James Stewart is a tiger. As handsome, sharp-dressing prosecutor Joe Dancer, George C. Scott reprises the sleazy role he played as Bert Gordon in The Hustler and plays this part with equal relish.
Anatomy of a Murder is one of my favorite films with great music--and also a cameo--by the great Duke Ellington. The film's title sequence was designed by Saul Bass who also worked on films such as John Frankenheimer's Gran Prix and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Amazingly, the film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture but went home empty handed. Even though James Stewart and George C. Scott dominate this film, the supporting cast played their parts perfectly. I have this film on blu ray and the picture is great. Criterion did a great job with this one and it is a must-have if you are a fan of either Stewart or Scott.
My review of Paradise Alley: Sly Stallone's forgotten classic
My Review of 'Paradise Alley:' Sylvester Stallone's forgotten classic!
Paradise Alley may not rank among Sylvester Stallone’s most successful movies such as Rocky but like Rocky this forgotten film has a lot of soul. And Stallone probably won't be ranked as one of Hollywood's quote/unquote greatest actors but when it comes to speaking honestly from the heart about taking life head-on there’s hardly ever been an actress or actor who does it as effectively as he does when he is in his element as he is in this film.Paradise alley is a 1978 period film set in New York's Hell's Kitchen in the 1940s about 3 losers (who are also brothers) whose hopes of escaping dead-end lives are pinned on the youngest sibling's "God given gimmick,” (meaning his physical size) as a professional wrestler in a leaky nightclub called Paradise Alley. At the outset, Cosmo Carboni (played by Sylvester Stallone) is all in until he sees the plight of a washed up wrestler named Big Glory and gets cold feet. This about-face pits him against his older brother Lennie (played by Armand Assante) who sees the blood and sweat of their little brother Victor (played by Lee Canalito) as an opportunity to leave his job at the morgue. As if this isn’t spicy enough, Cosmo and Lenny fall in love with a beautiful redhead (played by Anne Archer) who works at a local dime-a-dance hall.
The song in the opening titles, "too close to Paradise," is sung by Stallone and pretty much sums up the film. This is also the 1st film Stallone directed following his 1977 film Rocky which was directed by John G. Avildsen. To add realism, Stallone reached out to real professional wrestlers Terry Funk, Ted DiBiase, "Dirty" Dick Murdoch, Gene Kiniski, Ray Stevens, and others. Stallone told Ebert in an interview that he wrote Paradise Alley before Rocky but he was tied to "a cretin" who optioned the film and wouldn't let him shop it to interested producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff who left the door open for him to come up with something else. Stallone rushed home, wrote Rocky, the script, in 3 days, and the rest--as they say--is history. Anyway, this is 1 of my favorite Stallone films and if you are a fan of his you owe it to yourself to see it.
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