Forbidden Planet (1956) or, Freud in Outer Space!

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This wholly amazing landscape poster for Fred M. Wilcox's Forbidden Planet is just one of the remarkable posters that were made for it

In 2200, a spaceship full of randy men are en route to a mysterious planet, where Dr. Morbius and his beautiful daughter have lived alone for 20 years. But with the frightening knowledge of the Krell, a highly evolved native species extinct some 200,000 years, the fiendish subconscious of the doctor has manifested itself in a homicidal monster!

There are both laughable and thought-provoking aspects of Forbidden Planet. - An example of the latter is its theme of being able to create merely by thought.
Walter Pidgeon (Hit the Deck (1955)) is good as the inquisitive doctor, while Leslie Nielsen (Columbo (1971-75)) is a bit daft as the captain.
Forbidden Planet is considered a landmark science fiction film for its portrayal of humans traveling in a faster-than-light spaceship of their own making, taking place exclusively in space and on an alien planet, having a robot as an actual character in it, as well as being the first to use an exclusively electronic score. It is written by Cyril Hume (Ransom! (1956)), based on a story by Irving Block (Kronos (1957)) and Allen Adler (The Giant Behemoth (1959)), inspired by William Shakespeare's The Tempest (1610/11), and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (I Passed for White (1960)).

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 1.9 mil. $
Box office: 2.7 mil. $
= Big flop
[Forbidden Planet premiered 23 March (USA) and runs 98 minutes. The original 1952 screenplay by Adler and Block was titled Fatal Planet and took place on Mercury in 1976. Shooting took place exclusively in in-door sets in Los Angeles. Robby the Robot cost a steep 125k $ to create, about 7 % of the film's budget, and was later used in The Twilight Zone, along with other costume and props from the film. It was sold at an auction in 2017 for 5.3 mil. $, making it the most valuable movie prop ever sold at an auction, beating a 2013 sale of the Maltese falcon from The Maltese Falcon (1941). The film made 1.5 mil. $ in North America and 1.2 mil. $ abroad, only making it a big flop by Film Excess' standards, but reportedly it earned a handsome 210k $ profit. It was re-released on a children's matinee bill in 1972 in a version with 6 minutes cut out. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Special Effects, which it lost to The Ten Commandments. Pidgeon returned in These Wilder Years (1956), Nielsen in The Vagabond King (1956) and Anne Francis in The Rack (1956). Wilcox returned with I Passed for White (1960). Forbidden Planet is certified fresh at 98 % with an 8.2 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Forbidden Planet?

The Fountain (2006) - Aronofsky's sensorial meditation on mortality

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+ Best Psychedelic Movie of the Year + Best Mega-flop Movie of the Year

A truly striking, space-set poster for Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain

The Fountain is a strange journey in three ages: Thomas struggles to save the woman he loves; as a 16th century conquistador in New Spain, protecting her from attacking Mayans; as a neuroscientist in present time, dealing with her cancer diagnosis, and in an organic spaceship in the future.

The Fountain is a highly unusual, psychedelic and metaphysical triple story about the search for immortality, which isn't held together by a central suspense curve, SPOILER but one that does find its final release in our natural conclusion: death.
Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman (2017)) and Rachel Weisz (The Whistleblower (2010)) play the loving, troubled couple, and Weisz relates all of creation to Mayan myths in The Fountain, which is interesting.
The Fountain is written and directed by New-Yorker master filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (Pi (1998)), with Ari Handel (Noah (2014)) contributing story elements. It did not grab me as strongly as Aronofsky's preceding, harrowing drug drama Requiem for a Dream (2000), but it is a sensual, aesthetic waterfall of beautiful sounds, images (cinematography by Matthew Libatique (Ruby Sparks (2012))), music (score by Clint Mansell (United (2011))) and lights. A rare experience and obviously the result of serious, painstaking efforts.

Related posts:

Darren Aronofsky: mother! (2017) - Bring a flask with you to this one!
Black Swan (2010) or, Manic Dance

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 35 mil. $
Box office: 16 mil. $
= Mega-flop
[The Fountain premiered 4 September (Venice Film Festival, Italy) and runs 96 minutes. Aronofsky developed the film after Requiem for a Dream as a 70 mil. $ package with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett for Warner Bros. But as Pitt dropped out weeks before shooting, the film fell apart, and the sets, including a Mayan temple, were auctioned off. Aronofsky attempted to recast with Russell Crowe, but he was too exhausted after Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Aronofsky was able to reshape the film to a budget half the original size, and the project was again green-lit. Jackman prepared extensively for his performance, training t'ai chi and yoga for many months before shooting. Aronofsky cast his girlfriend Weisz, who visited terminal patients and witnessed brain surgery as preparation. The budget was kept low by minimizing the use of CG effects and using macro photography instead, (blowing up extreme closeups, including deep-sea images of micro-organisms shot by Peter Parks). Shooting took place in Guatemala, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania over 60 days in 'early 2005'. The film opened #10 to a 3.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed 10.4 mil. $ (65 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 1.3 mil. $ (8.1 %) and Russia with 0.6 mil. $ (3.8 %). It was nominated for a Golden Globe. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2.5/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. Jackman returned in The Prestige (2006), Weisz as a voice in Eragon (2006) and in a physical part in My Blueberry Nights (2007). Aronofsky returned with The Wrestler (2008). The Fountain is rotten at 52 % with a 5.9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Fountain?

Flying Leathernecks (1951) - Ray's gung ho, Technicolor aviation spectacle

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The thrill of aviation, male rivalry - and a beautiful dame - is all promised on this characteristically red-white-and-blue poster for Nicholas Ray' Flying Leathernecks

Major Kirby takes command of a squadron of Marine fliers before the pivotal WWII battle of Guadalcanal is about to take place.

Flying Leathernecks is a very pro-American war romance-drama, which is perhaps most memorable for the many authentic WWII color clips that are edited into the beautifully Technicolored story. This gives the film an aesthetically messy quality, and some of its effects are dated by today's standards.
The plot is fairly standard for its time: A lax squadron gets a new major, - in this case John Wayne (Island in the Sky (1953)) is the just hammer of a man, - and the Tune Is Changed. In Flying Leathernecks, Robert Ryan (Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)) is the cowardly opponent. At no point are we worried, however, that good will not prevail.
Flying Leathernecks provides entertainment, including some funny supporting characters, SPOILER and its ending take us back to a trite American Dream-type of 1950s fantasy family, which is certainly fascinating.
It is written by James Edward Grant (Special Delivery (1976)), with story by Kenneth Gamet (Santa Fe (1951)), inspired by real-life battle of Guadalcanal hero, Major John L. Smith, and directed by great Wisconsinite filmmaker Nicholas Ray (55 Days at Peking (1963)). A leatherneck is a nickname for a Marine.

Related posts:

Nicholas Ray: Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
55 Days at Peking (1963) or, Peking anno 1900

Watch a 1-minute clip from the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: 2.6 mil. $ (North America rentals only)
= Unknown
[Flying Leathernecks was released 28 August (USA) and runs 102 minutes. Ray hired Ryan, because he thought of him as the only actor who could "kick Wayne's ass". Aviator and film producer Howard Hughes financed the film and decided to use color. Shooting took place from November 1950 - February 1951 in California. A near-catastrophe took place on the set in relation to a dynamite explosion. Without budget and foreign box office numbers known, it is impossible to say, if the film was a theatrical hit or miss. Wayne returned in The Quiet Man (1952), Ryan in The Racket (1951). Ray returned with uncredited work on The Racket and as credited director of On Dangerous Ground (1951). 4,037 users at Rotten Tomatoes have given Flying Leathernecks a 3.4/5 average rating.]

What do you think of Flying Leathernecks?

Four Rooms (1995) - Rodriguez, Tarantino & Co. fail with LA hotel anthology comedy

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Tim Roth appears as the strained bellhop at the center of it all on this poster for Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Four Rooms

At the Hotel Mon Signor in Los Angeles, Ted is the newly installed bellhop, who is quickly briefed about his job and begins on New Year's Eve for a night in which four rooms cause different kinds of problems for him.

Four Rooms is an anthology comedy from writer-directors Allison Anders (Strutter (2012)), Alexandre Rockwell (In the Soup (1992), Robert Rodriquez (El Mariachi (1992) and Quentin Tarantino (My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)), inspired by the adult short fiction of Roald Dahl (Beware of the Dog (1944)), especially his Man from the South (1948).
Most prominent of the 4 filmmakers at the time was, and still is, Tarantino, who may have indulged an overly developed self-confidence (after the huge success of Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994)) here, as he writes himself into his segment, the film's last, playing a famous director no-less. He becomes an obstacle in himself, between audiences and the story. But the concept of one troublesome hotel room for each filmmaker becomes too divided and dubious, - mostly because none of the segments are very good.
An added grievance in Four Rooms is Tim Roth's (United Passions (2014)) performance as Ted the bellhop, which is so exaggerated, caricatured and unfunny that it inevitably mars the entire picture.
What redeems parts of Four Rooms anyway, is some of its supporting actors: David Proval (Newsbreak (2000)) as a mean bastard with an inferiority complex, Antonio Banderas (Black Butterfly (2017)) as a tough father and Bruce Willis (Rugrats Go Wild (2003)) (before another character's pinky finger is cut off).

Related posts:

Robert Rodriguez:  The Faculty (1998) or, Teacher Encounters of the Third Kind
From Dusk till Dawn (1996) - Tarantino, Rodriguez and chums' enjoyable Mexico vampire extravaganza
Desperado (1995) - Rodriguez' second Mexico actioner is a sexy, latino fireball
Quentin Tarantino: 2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Django Unchained (2012) - Tarantino's gutsy, colorful 'Southern' 
Inglourious Basterds (2009) - The Movies take revenge on Nazi scum
Top 10: Best car chases in movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
Death Proof (2007) - Tarantino's awesome, rubber-burning Grindhouse homage 
From Dusk till Dawn (1996) - Tarantino, Rodriguez and chums' enjoyable Mexico vampire extravaganza (writer-star)
Desperado (1995) - Rodriguez' second Mexico actioner is a sexy, latino fireball (actor) 

Watch a clip from the film here - this one is from Rodriguez'a segment

Cost: 4 mil. $
Box office: 4.2 mil. $ (North America only)
= Uncertain
[Four Rooms premiered 16 September (Toronto International Film Festival, Canada). Shooting took place in Los Angeles, California, including at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont hotel from November - December 1994. The film peaked at #18 in 319 theaters in North America. Its international grosses are not reported, but it was released in more than 20 foreign markets. Its theatrical status cannot be made up without these numbers. Madonna won a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Anders returned with Grace of My Heart (1996), Rockwell with Louis & Frank (1998), Rodriguez with From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and Tarantino with masterpiece Jackie Brown (1997). Four Rooms is rotten at 14 % with a 3.5/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Four Rooms?

First Blood (1982) - Stallone and Kotcheff's powerful Vietnam War classic

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Sylvester Stallone, a star so great at the time that his first name is simply left out on the top of this poster, poses with a machine gun against a thundering sky on this dramatic poster for Ted Kotcheff's First Blood

John J. Rambo, a Green Beret veteran of the Vietnam War, gets into a deadly fix back in his own country, when an uncouth sheriff targets him, and his survival skills and commanding officer get involved in the affair.

First Blood, written by Michael Kozoll (Hill Street Blues (1981-87)), William Sackheim (The Competition (1980)) and co-writer and star, great New-Yorker filmmaker Sylvester Stallone (Zookeeper (2011)), based on the same-titled 1972 novel by David Morell (The Naked Edge (2010)), and directed by great Canadian filmmaker Ted Kotcheff (Life at the Top (1965)), is an excellent Vietnam War movie. I esteem it at level in quality with Michael Cimino's great The Deer Hunter (1978), only whereas Deer Hunter is a war drama, First Blood is a war actioner.
Stallone is terrific as Rambo, a character who experiences getting treated as trash in the country he went to war for, and one that allows him to react by striking a proper punch again; (First Blood was released after his three first, wildly successful Rocky boxing movies, which came out in 1976, 1979 and 1982.) First Blood is gripping because it portrays so forcefully how completely inefficiently society treated, - and in some cases still treat, - returned war veterans.
In First Blood's supporting parts, Richard Crenna (Joshua's World (1980)) plays Rambo's colonel with subtle refinement, and Brian Dennehy (Welcome to Paradise (2007)) is good as the mean sheriff.
First Blood is a true classic. 

Related posts:

Ted Kotcheff: Weekend at Bernie's (1989) - Kotcheff's morbid gaga silliness 
Mentioned movie: The Deer Hunter (1978) - Cimino's great, colossal Vietnam epic 

Play this video to listen to a great piece from Jerry Goldsmith's score for the film

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 125.2 mil. $
= Mega-hit
[First Blood was released 22 October (USA) and runs 93 minutes. Morell's novel's rights were sold for 75k $ in '72, and several big names tried to put together a film of it, before Stallone and Kotcheff began filming, among them Richard Brooks, Martin Ritt, Sydney Pollack, John Badham, John Frankenheimer, countless stars and writers, and reportedly 18 script versions. Stallone decided that Rambo must survive at the end of the film. Shooting took place in British Colombia, Canada from November 1981 - ?. More than 50 of the firearms that were imported into Canada for the shoot were reportedly stolen from the set. The film opened #1 to a 6.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for 3 consecutive weeks and spent a further 4 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#2-#3-#3) and grossed 47.2 mil. $ (37.7 % of the total gross). It was the 13th highest-grossing film in North America of the year. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. It was neglected completely in terms of awards. Kotcheff returned with Uncommon Valor (1983), and Stallone with an uncredited walk-on in Staying Alive (1983) and a starring part in Rhinestone (1984). First Blood started the Rambo franchise that continued with Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988) and Rambo (2008), all with Stallone, who canceled a 5th Rambo film in 2016 and said that he was retiring the character. An animated series, Rambo: The Force of Freedom, was released and canceled in 1986, and an Indian remake is in the makes for a late 2018 release. First Blood is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.1 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of First Blood?

Phantom Thread (2017) - Anderson's exquisite drama of an English dressmaker and his Alma

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+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year
+ Most Undeserved Flop of the Year + Best Drama of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year

Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps are superimposed onto each other on this elegant poster for Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread

Reynolds Woodcock is a leading couture dressmaker in England of 1954. A confirmed bachelor, he lives a disciplined, routine-bound existence with his sister Cyril in London, when on a countryside visit he meets and falls for a German-born waitress named Alma.

Phantom Thread is the 8th feature from Californian master filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight (1996)), who has written, shot and directed it. It is his second masterpiece in my estimation, following his other collaboration with Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln (2012)), the period oil drama There Will Be Blood (2007).
Phantom Thread bears likeness to established classics Citizen Kane (1941) and The Leopard (1963), my favorite film of all time, but Anderson is such an expert filmmaker in his own right that the film stands securely on its own: The resemblance is the focus on a male master of his own realm, whose control is nevertheless about to be upset. The film probes some of life's major themes, namely creative enterprise, love and marriage, and it does so with insight and depth of grasp. 

Day-Lewis, one of the greatest actors of our time, is tremendous as the uncompromising master of timeless fashion, who has evolved into something of an ever-suave albeit equally egotistical, super-esthetic tyrant in his life. Vicky Krieps (The Colony (2015)) is moving as his doting Alma, who finds difficulties in conforming to Woodcock's life, SPOILER and who finds herself forced to draw drastic consequences in the latter part of the film, which deals poignantly and surprisingly with a darker aspect of marriage, namely that marrieds literally put their lives into their partner's hands. In the film's third crucial part, Lesley Manville (Spike Island (2012)) radiates feminine toughness as well as considerate affection in the part as Cyril.
The film is exquisite in every way: The sets and production design and especially the costumes by Mark Bridges (Deep Blue Sea (1999)), which rightly stand out in this film of a prime aesthete in the sartorial trade, are a gift to behold. The makeup and hairstyling and glasses worn in Phantom Thread also deserve praise, as does the seductive, nuanced, rich score by Jonny Greenwood (Norwegian Wood (2010)), as well as the cinematography by Anderson himself.
Phantom Thread's virtues may not make enough 'noise', - that is, it isn't controversial or timely enough, - to make ecstatic audiences flock to it in droves, but it is a generous and lasting masterpiece nonetheless.


Related posts:

Paul Thomas Anderson: 2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Boogie Nights (1997) - Anderson's irresistable porn 'Casino'
Mentioned movies: The Leopard/Il Gattopardo/Le Guépard (1963) - The greatest film ever made?
Citizen Kane (1941) - The cold elephant on the shelf

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 35 mil. $
Box office: 43.5 mil. $ and counting
= Not certain yet, but looks like a big flop
[Phantom Thread premiered 24 November (Beverly Hills, California) and runs 130 minutes. Anderson became interested in the fashion industry after reading about Spanish fashion master Cristóbal Balanciaga. He modeled the story loosely over the life of American designer Charles James. Day-Lewis has announced that he will be retiring after this his performance in Phantom Thread. Shooting took place in England, including London, and in Switzerland from January 2017 - ?. It is Anderson's first time shooting outside of the US. The film opened #26 to a strong 216k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it widened to 1,186 theaters after having peaked at #12 and has so far grossed 20.9 mil. $. The film has yet to open in Norway, Turkey (13 April) and Japan (26 May). It was nominated for 6 Oscars, winning one, for Best Costumes. It lost Best Picture to The Shape of Water, Actor to Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), Supporting Actress (Manville) to Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Score to Alexandre Desplat (Shape of Water) and Director to Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water). It was also nominated for 2 Golden Globes, won 1/4 BAFTA noms, won 2 National Board of Review awards and many other honors. Phantom Thread is certified fresh at 92 % with an 8.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Phantom Thread?

Fighter (2007) - Arthy makes good youth drama with propulsive kung fu

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+ Best Kung Fu Movie of the Year

Semra Turan as the titular fighter sends a determined stare on this simple but effective poster for Natascha Arthy's Fighter

Aicha is a young woman in Denmark with Turkish roots, whose life sometimes is a balancing act for her between the sweet Danish boy she is fond of, her obdurate Muslim family, school life and her passion for kung fu.

Fighter, written by great Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel (Catch that Girl/Klatretøsen (2002)), Rasmus Heisterberg (A Royal Affair/En Kongelig Affære (2012)) and co-writer-director Natascha Arthy (Old, New, Borrowed and Blue/Se til Venstre, Der Er En Svensker (2003)), is a surprisingly good Danish youth martial arts romance-drama with social realism elements.
Debuting Semra Turan (The Protectors/Livvagterne (2009), TV-series) and Cyron Melville (Love and Rage/Vanvittig Forelsket (2009)) do well in the main parts, and the drama is gripping. Aicha as a character follows the classic recipe of getting mowed over for much of the film in Fighter, - only to charge back like a cannonball for its climax.
The film's scoop is undoubtedly its signing of Xian Gao (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)) to choreograph the fights and stunts, which raises Fighter and makes it stand out as something of a rarity in Danish cinema; an actual Danish martial arts film.
Minor flaws and repetitions don't defeat this solid cultural gulf/kung fu gem.

Related post:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch the Danish trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown - reportedly 4 mil. $
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain - but likely a flop, perhaps even a mega-flop
[Fighter was released 14 December (Denmark) and runs 100 minutes. Shooting took place between October 2006 - March 2007 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 52,189 paid admission to see it in its native Denmark, far from enough to let it get near to success, - especially if the reported 4 mil. $ budget is accurate. It was released in several other markets including at 14 festivals. Without numbers from its other markets, its status can only be tentatively set to that of flop. It was nominated for 3 Bodil awards (the Danish film critics' awards). Turan has only had a part in the Danish The Protectors/Livvagterne TV-series in 2009 since the film. Arthy returned directing TV-series Lulu & Leon (2009), The Killing/Forbrydelsen (2012) and Heartless (2014) and theatrically with the panned comedy Comeback (2015). 1,351 IMDb users have given Fighter a 6.6/10 average rating.]

What do you think of Fighter?

The Faculty (1998) or, Teacher Encounters of the Third Kind

♥♥♥♥

+ Best Sci-fi-Horror of the Year

 

An attractive young cast, a brooding color scheme and hyping quotes make up this poster for Robert Rodriguez's The Faculty

Herrington High School in Ohio seems like a completely average high school with average teachers and students. But now the latter are beginning to suspect that their teachers and the student body's jocks may be ... extra-terrestrials!

A generous 4 ♥'s are awarded to this enjoyable high school life farce/genre film homage, which pulls a fast one on one of the big cliché movie types of the 1990s: the high school-set melodrama-comedy. The Faculty is written by Kevin Williamson (Scream (1996)), based on a script by Bruce Kimmel (The Creature Wasn't Nice (1983)) and David Wechter (Midnight Madness (1980)), and directed by great Texan filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (Machete Kills (2013)).
James Cameron's masterpiece Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) is among the appreciatively referenced films, and the T-1000 himself, Robert Patrick (Big Love (2011), TV-series) is employed here and bad-ass as usual. He is one in a celebrity mecca in The Faculty that also counts, among others: Usher Raymond (People You May Know (2017)), Famke Janssen (Eulogy (2004)) is great here, Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious (2001)), later talk show icon Jon Stewart (Mixed Nuts (1994)) in a wild superman-like part, Salma Hayek (Wild Wild West (1999)), a cute Elijah Wood (The Romantics (2010)), an annoying Josh Hartnett (I Come with the Rain (2009)), Laura Harris (Just the Ticket (1999)) SPOILER as the awesome mega-monster, Summer Phoenix (The Believer (2001)) in a small role and Christopher McDonald (Fanboys (2009)).
The soundtrack is bolstered by an inferno of 90's rock, which feels appropriate for The Faculty. Rodriguez knows how to stage a very entertaining genre treat, and despite plot holes, this movie is a hoot.

Related posts:

Robert Rodriguez: 1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

From Dusk till Dawn (1996) - Tarantino, Rodriguez and chums' enjoyable Mexico vampire extravaganza
Desperado (1995) - Rodriguez' second Mexico actioner is a sexy, latino fireball

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 40.2 mil. $ (North America only)
= Uncertainty - but at least a box office success
[The Faculty premiered 12 November (USA) and runs 104 minutes. Kimmel and Wechter's script was written in 1990 but did not find buyers until the hugely successful release of Scream (1996). Williamson was commissioned to rewrite their script and make it more 'hip'. Williamson was poised to direct but passed in favor of his own creation, the inferior Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999). Shooting took place in Texas, including Austin and Dallas, from April - June 1998. The film opened #5, behind fellow new releases Patch Adams and Stepmom and holdover hits You've Got Mail and The Prince of Egypt, to an 11.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it enjoyed a successful run of 16 weeks. Regrettably, the film's worldwide gross is not reported, but the film was at least a box office success and likely a big hit. Rodriguez returned with Spy Kids (2001). The Faculty is rotten at 53 % with a 5.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Faculty?

Fort Apache (1948) - Wayne and Fonda clash in Ford's solid western of a massacre of Indians

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Cowboys and Indians in battle and fresh-faced romance is promised on this colorful poster for John Ford's Fort Apache

After the American Civil War, Lieutenant Colonel Thursday, an ambitious and arrogant war-time general, leads his regiment to a massacre of Apache Indians, to the chagrin of Captain York, who has experience with the Indians.

Fort Apache is written by Frank S. Nugent (The Searchers (1956)), based on the short story Massacre (1947) by James Warner Bellah (The Sons of Cain (1928)), and directed by Mainer master filmmaker John Ford (Mogambo (1953)). It is a long but intriguing film starring a gruff Henry Fonda (There Was a Crooked Man... (1970)) as Thursday and an exquisitely diplomatic John Wayne (Jet Pilot (1957)) as York, among other great actors.
Drunken soldiers seem to have infiltrated a good part of Fort Apache. It has a good story and dialog and gives an interesting look into the traditional lifestyle and events of a part of American history.

Watch TCM's Ben Mankiewicz's intro and outro for the film here

Cost: 2.1 mil. $
Box office: 3 mil. $ (North American rentals only)
= Uncertain (but likely at a box office success)
[Fort Apache premiered 27 March (Arizona) and runs 125 minutes. It is the first film in what would become known as Ford's Cavalry Trilogy, which also contains She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950). The historical sources for Bellah's story were George Armstrong Custer's Battle of Little Big Horn and the Fetterman Fight, a 1866 event in which 81 US soldiers were killed in an Indian ambush. Fonda, Wayne and Shirley Temple were reportedly each paid 100k $ for their performances, while Victor McLaglen got 75k $. Shooting took place in Utah, Arizona and California from July - October 1947. It is not possible to know the film's real theatrical status without its international box office receipts known, but since American westerns were popular, not least in Europe, at the time, it is likely that Fort Apache was at least a box office success. It enjoyed a reported profit of 445k $, which is in line with this assumption. It is also notable for being among the first major US westerns to show a sympathetic view of the Native Americans. Ford returned with 3 Godfathers (1948). Fonda's career was in a slump, and he returned as an uncredited nightclub waiter in Jigsaw (1949), while Wayne returned in grand style in Red River (1948). Fort Apache is fresh at 100 % with an 8.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Fort Apache?