Escape from L.A./John Carpenter's Escape from L.A./Escape from Los Angeles (1996) or, Snake Plissken in Crazy-World!

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+ Costliest Flop of the Year: 31.12 mil. $ range

Kurt Russell looks cool in the intense colors on this poster for John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.

Snake Plissken is back, this time in the year 2013, in which he avoids deportation by getting imposed an assignment by the mad president of the United States to capture his daughter and a weapon on the prison island that is Los Angeles.

Escape from L.A. is a colorful an very wacky sequel to New Yorker master co-writer-director John Carpenter's (Halloween (1978)) own great Escape from New York (1981). It features some early CGI, which looks curious today, and an exaggerated plot that doesn't reach the heights of the first film or another comparable 1990s sci-fi-action great like Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall (1990).
But Escape from L.A. does have its own kind of charm and a cast that contains several smaller scoops, including a scene where Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice (2007-13)) plays a crazy plastic surgeon, which is a favorite, and Pam Grier (Linc's (1998-2000)) playing a male-to-female transgender, (hadn't seen that coming.)
Escape from L.A. is co-written with Debra Hill (The Fog (1980)) and returning star Kurt Russell (Dark Blue (2002), actor). It is a noisy and nonsensical piece of super-kitsch. SPOILER Especially the film's ending is odd, as Plissken "bombs the world 500 years back" by turning off the power with a satellite.

Related posts:

John Carpenter: Cigarette Burns (2005, TV movie) - Carpenter burns out in weird, tiresome TV movie 

1996 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Christine (1983) or, Bad Plymouth!
Escape from New York (1981) - Carpenter introduces Kurt Russell as action star in dystopic dream
Top 10: The best action movies and TV-series reviewed by Film Excess to date
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) - Solid action guerilla film-making

Watch an ad for the film from a VHS tape here - featuring creative marketing that changes the film's huge flop status by referring to it as a "25 mil. $ box office smash", - some 20 years after movies broke the 100 mil. $ mark at the domestic box office ...

Cost: 50 mil. $
Box office: 47.2 mil. $
= Huge flop
[Escape from L.A. was released 9 August (North America) and runs 101 minutes.  The film was in development for almost a decade but was sped up by the 1992 LA riots, the 1994 LA earthquake as well as Russell's wish to play Plissken again. The budget was more than 8 times that of the original film. Shooting took place in California, including at Universal Studios, Texas and Miami, Florida from December 1995 - March 1996. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release Jack and hold-over hit A Time to Kill, to an 8.9 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it fell out of the top 5 in its second week, only played 4 weeks and grossed just 25.4 mil. $ (53.8 mil. % of the total gross.) Roger Ebert gave the film 3½/4 stars, equal to two notches better than this review. Escape from L.A. is rotten at 53 % with a 5.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Escape from L.A.?

Evil Dead II/Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) - Campbell, Spiegel and Raimi's crazy, gory classic

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The iconic, cool skull face poster for Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II

Ash and his girlfriend are in a cabin in the woods, when he unintentionally releases the evil of Necronomicom (The Book of the Dead), and soon demons spread and attack most spectacularly.

Led by a positively rabid performance by the inimitable master of physical, cartoonish horror acting, Bruce Campbell (Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-16)), Evil Dead II elbows itself violently ahead at a mad pace with effects by the wheelbarrow. Its visuals, camera work (by cinematographer Peter Deming (Drag Me to Hell (2009)), dummies, prosthetics etc. all serve the wild lunacy that is maybe the best 1980's-made 'nothing's-too-much' effects-driven horror, as well as my favorite in the franchise.
The story is extremely (and intentionally) silly, - more or less the story of the original The Evil Dead (1981) all over again, just sillier, with lots of ludicrous, fantastical incongruities that only heighten the fun factor. Mixed in are sequences of genuine nightmarish horror.
Evil Dead II is written by Scott Spiegel (The Rookie (1990)) and Michigander master co-writer-director Sam Raimi (Crimewave (1985)). It is essentially a horror gore comedy about-nothing near-masterpiece.

Related posts:

Sam Raimi: 2013 in films - according to Film Excess 
Evil Dead (2013) - One hell of a ride (producer)
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) - A fun, eye-popping adventure
Drag Me to Hell (2009) - Raimi returns to horror in high style
Army of Darkness (1992) or, Medieval Death  

Top 10: Best franchise movies

Bruce Campbell gives an interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con about his work on the Ash vs Evil Dead TV-series

Cost: 3.6 mil. $
Box office: 5.9 mil. $ (North America only, on first release)
= Uncertainty (but likely a huge hit)
[Evil Dead II was released 13 March (USA) and runs 84 minutes. After the failure of Raimi and Joel and Ethan Coen's Crimewave (1985), Raimi needed a hit and reverted to the sequel idea. Stephen King, a fan of the first film, introduced him to Dino De Laurentiis, who financed Evil Dead II. Due to the relatively small budget, the idea to move Ash to Medieval times were scrapped until the next film in the franchise, Raimi's also great Army of Darkness (1992). Shooting took place in North Carolina, including at De Laurentiis' Studios in Wadesboro, and in Detroit, Michigan from May - September 1986 with re-shoots in December 1986. The film opened #14 to an 807k $ first weekend in just 310 theaters in North America, its peak there. It seems to have racked in good business abroad: Reportedly 3 mil. $ in France, 1.1 mil. £ (UK), 1.4 mil. $ in West Germany and also good performances in Spain, Italy and other markets. It also continued grossing in North America, where its gross by 2006 had reportedly reached 10.9 mil. $. It has likely grossed upwards of 20 mil. $ by now, which would make it a huge hit. Roger Ebert gave it 3 stars, and Leonard Maltin has changed his initial 2 star review to 3 stars. Evil Dead II has become a cult film, and the franchise continued with one 1992 sequel, a 2013 remake and a TV-series, Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-16). Evil Dead II is certified fresh at 98 % with an 8 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Evil Dead II?

Congo (1995) - Popcorn and Coke advised for this corny, fun killer gorilla rampage

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A cool, well-composed poster for Frank Marshall's Congo

QUICK REVIEW:

A diamond mission disappears in the Congo, and the greedy father of its leader sends a new mission off, which partners up with a scientist with a talking gorilla. ... - But the jungle keeps a murderous secret: SPOILER Grey killer gorillas!

Congo is an adaptation of a Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park (1990)) novel. It is essentially a trashy lowbrow story (that, as is often the case with such fare, also contains a super laser!), but this one is lavishly produced by Kathleen Kennedy (Lincoln (2012)) and Sam Mercer (Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)).
Congo features enormous sets, set pieces that wooed me, impressive gorillas by effects and creature whiz Stan Winston (Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)) as well as a killer cast:
Laura Linney (Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)), Delroy Lindo (The Cider House Rules (1999)), Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos (2001-04)), Joe Don Baker (The Living Daylights (1987)), a screaming Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead II (1987)), Grant Heslov (Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)), who is funny as a slacker American with no real purpose in the film, and finally Tim Curry (It (1990), TV miniseries) as a Romanian diamond maniac. - Yes...!
Congo is one of the four films directed by 5-time Oscar-nominated producer Frank Marshall (Arachnophobia (1990)). It is written by John Patrick Shanley (Doubt (2008)), who has supplied it with lots of goofy lines, - but what of it? - They seem entirely appropriate here in Congo, a highly entertaining, amusing, wacky 90s ride of a movie.

Tim Curry has a loony part in Frank Marshall's Congo

SPOILER (sorry...) - This happens! In Frank Marshall's Congo

Watch the corny trailer for the film here

Cost: 50 mil. $
Box office: 152 mil. $
= Box office success
[Congo was a summer release, fresh in the tracks of the spectacular and spectacularly successful Jurassic Park (1993). It opened #1 in the US with 24.6 mil. $. It ended up making 81 mil. $ domestically (53 % of the total gross). The gorillas were not CGI, because hair could not be rendered credibly artificially yet, which reportedly disappointed some of the fans of the book, (although it was a good job and undoubtedly the right thing to do.) Congo received generally negative reviews, but Roger Ebert got it and gave the film 3 out of 4 stars (equal to Film Excess' 4 heart rating here) and called it 'hilarious'.]

What do you think of Congo?

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) or, Old Elvis & Black JFK vs. Souleating Mummy!

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The weirdly attractive poster for Don Coscarelli's Bubba Ho-Tep

QUICK REVIEW:

Elvis is alive! - In a retirement home with cancer in his prick, alone. In the home we also find JFK, who claims to have been colored black and had a sand bag operated into his brain. Now a Southern mummy, who sucks the souls out of the old people's assholes, threatens!
One of the weirdest and most bizarre, American stories (based on a novella by Joe R. Lansdale) here comes to life with a fiery Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead (1981)) and a just as enthusiastic, 86 year-old Ossie Davis (Do the Right Thing (1989)) by his side. The inordinate lines and consciously ridiculous situations go along with a cool mummy by Howard Berger (Day of the Dead (1985)) and crew, atmospheric-sentimental music by Brian Tyler (Eagle Eye (2008)) and true independent DIY-spirit.
At times the story is only gruff and miserable, and the visual part of Bubba Ho-Tep only has few values; the beginning is for instance flooded by some awful flash-sequences.
The movie is directed by Don Coscarelli, maker of the four Phantasm films (1979-98) and most recently the psych-out John Dies at the End (2012).
Ho-Tep achieved cult-status and much positive notice, and a joke post-script in the movie announcing a sequel thus became a real project. Coscarelli penned a script for Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires long ago, and Campbell left the project over creative differences. Paul Giamatti is now attached, and possibly Ron Perlman as Elvis. But the backing for the film isn't secured yet.

Related review:

Bruce Campbell: Army of Darkness (1992) or, Medieval Death

Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis as Elvis and JFK in Don Coscarelli's Bubba Ho-Tep

Watch the trailer for the weird treat that is Bubba Ho-Tep right here

Budget: 1 mil. $
Box office: 1.2 mil. $
= Unspectacular

How do you like Bubba Ho-Tep?
Would you like to see sequels in which Elvis battles she-vampires, aliens ... ?

Army of Darkness (1992) or, Medieval Dead

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An awesome, painted poster for Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness - with a very funny tagline

Army of Darkness is the 6th feature by and third film in Michigander master filmmaker Sam Raimi's (Spider-Man (2002)) Evil Dead franchise; it has deservedly become a cult hit. - Blending comedy, horror and action with great skill, Army of Darkness is a gem and a take-off from the, however, also sensational first Evil Dead two films, in that it takes place somewhere around year 1300. Raimi wrote the imaginative screenplay with his brother Ivan Raimi (Darkman (1990)).

Familiar hero Ash this time gets caught in the Middle Ages, battling different kinds of medieval death in order to return back to the comfy 1990s.

The humor is light, physically centered and genre-prone throughout. Army of Darkness was definitely innovative and ingenious in terms of its staggering effects, - the flying arrows and swords that the camera follows, for instance, or the mini-attackers, the live skeletons etc. - All brought to life with impressive visual expertise. It brings you back the enthusiasm of watching old Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts (1963), associate producer/special visual effects creator) films with its effects-heavy zeal for everything fantastic. Army of Darkness by turn thrills, awes, scares and amuses.
Bruce Campbell's (The Evil Dead (1981)) returns as Ash, and Campbell's great, physical acting talent is used in almost every shot of the film, back in top shape here in a very demanding role.
Enormously entertaining and good-looking; everyone who were involved must and rightly should be very proud of Army of Darkness.

Related posts:

Sam Raimi: Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) - A fun, eye-popping adventure
2013 in films - according to Film Excess
Evil Dead (2013) - One hell of a ride (producer)
Drag Me to Hell (2009) - Raimi returns to horror in high style 

 

Star Bruce Campbell talks of his work in the film here

Cost: 11 mil. $
Box office: 21.5 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.95 times its cost)
[Army of Darkness premiered 9 October (Sitges Film Festival, Spain) and runs 81 minutes (US theatrical release)/88 minutes (international release)/96 minutes (director's cut). Financing came together with Universal Pictures due to producer Dino De Laurentiis' deal with them. Filming took place from May - August 1991 in California, including in a castle built on the edge of the Mojave Desert. Universal demanded cuts to get a PG-13 rating for the film and refused Raimi's own ending, which he, Campbell and producer Robert Tapert (The Grudge (2004)) had put up 1 mil. $ off their own salaries to shoot. The rating never got lower than an R, despite cuts, and Raimi and co. later had their ending made available on home video. Disagreements between Universal and De Laurentiis (about the rights to the Hannibal Lecter character) pushed the general release of the film from the summer of '92 to February '93. It opened #6 to a 4.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it played only 3 weeks and grossed 11.5 mil. $ (53.5 % of the total gross.) Despite being the highest-grossing Evil Dead film to date, Army of Darkness' ballooned budget means it wasn't financially successful theatrically at least. The franchise has since spawned a 2013 remake (Evil Dead) and a successful TV-series, Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-) by creators Sam and Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy. Army of Darkness is fresh at 72 % with a 6.9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]


What do you think of Army of Darkness?