Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Elmore Leonard adaptation

Showing posts with label Elmore Leonard adaptation. Show all posts

5/18/2025

Jackie Brown (1997) - Tarantino's Leonard adaptation marks his most fulfilling picture

♥♥♥♥♥♥

The cool-looking cast in black and white and two taglines alluding to the film's crime plot are prominent along with the yellow title logo on this poster for Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown

A middle-aged flight attendant, Jackie Brown supplements her salary by smuggling cash. But when she gets nabbed by customs police who demand that she squeal, Brown finds herself in a deadly bind.

Jackie Brown is written and directed by Tennessean master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino (My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)), whose 4th film it is. It is an adaptation of Rum Punch (1992) by Elmore Leonard (Bandits (1987)).

This is my favorite Tarantino picture, and I love it deeply. The atmosphere, the flow, the outstanding editing, the expertly chosen music, the lighting, the locations and the acting, - everything works together in this entertaining crime yarn. The dialog, not least.

Pam Grier (The Big Doll House (1971)) is a queen here in the title role, a deserved major comeback for her; but also Robert Forster (Twin Peaks (2017, TV-series)), Samuel L. Jackson (Unbreakable (2000)) and Robert De Niro (Ronin (1998)) are terrific here. SPOILER The ending is bittersweet, and I can never help myself from thinking: "Why the hell didn't Max Cherry go off to Madrid with Jackie?"

Jackie Brown is a beautiful picture.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood/Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019) - Tarantino gets lost in Hollywood

The Hateful Eight (2015) - Tarantino's indulgences take over
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

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
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)
Four Rooms (1995) - Rodriguez, Tarantino & Co. fail with LA hotel anthology comedy (co-director)

Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tarantino makes the 1990s his decade with cinematic crime comedy

Watch a trailer for the movie here

Cost: 12 mil. $

Box office: 74.7 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 6.22 times its cost)

[Jackie Brown premiered 8 December (New York) and runs 154 minutes. Shooting took place from May - August 1997 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #5, behind holdover hits Titanic and Tomorrow Never Dies, fellow new release As Good As It Gets and holdover hit Mousehunt, to a 9.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 39.6 mil. $ (53 % of the total gross). The film was nominated for one Oscar: Best Supporting Actor (Forster), lost to Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. It was also nominated for 2 Golden Globes and won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Tarantino returned with Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). Grier returned in Pinky and the Brain (1998, TV-series), Family Blessings (1998, TV movie) and theatrically in Jawbreaker (1999). Jackie Brown is certified fresh at 69 % at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Jackie Brown?

8/17/2021

Out of Sight (1998) - Clooney and Lopez burn up the screen in Soderbergh's crime comedy

♥♥♥♥

+ Best Crime-Comedy of the Year + Best Erotic Movie of the Year

High-contrasted, primary-colored, cool throw-back exploitation-style poster for Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight

A serial bank robber winds up in a Florida prison, but he breaks out with a new scheme to rob a rich inmate, - a plan which gets complicated when he falls for an FBI agent, whom he shares a trunk with for a period, as well as the company of some bad characters...

Out of Sight is written by Scott Frank (Marley & Me (2008)), adapting the same-titled 1996 novel by Elmore Leonard (Stick (1985)) and directed by Georgian master filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)), whose 7th feature it is.

It is an enthusiastic, typically 1990s 'smart', (for lack of a better word), film, meaning that it's laced with ironic dialog and advanced chronology. It is also a star-making feature for George Clooney (Michael Clayton (2007)), who exudes sexy ruggedness, a hearty lead for the film that isn't big on teeth and has a penchant for boorish fatalism, - but is partnered up with Jennifer Lopez (Anaconda (1997)), who is equally sexy and bad-ass to boot here. Lopez has the film's best scenes. Soderbergh cultivates their chemistry and the sexiness of the pair with snowfall and love-making scenes, which is the brand of Out of Sight.

It has, however, a large cast of energetic charlatans; Dennis Farino (That Old Feeling (1997)), Michael Keaton (Jackie Brown (1997)), Luis Guzman (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)), Steve Zahn (Night Train (2009)), Don Cheadle (Things Behind the Sun (2001)), Isaiah Washington (Dead Birds (2004)), Albert Brooks (Taxi Driver (1976)) and more. Soderbergh, stylishly assured as is his normalcy, uses freeze-frame, zoom and other filmmaking grips coolly, and locations are also utilized for the underlining of Soderbergh as a technical master craftsman. Some feel that Out of Sight could use some action, and there may be something to that reservation, as the film can come of as somewhat sly. - I enjoyed it nevertheless.

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
The Informant! (2009) - Soderbergh and Damon's terrific true-crime dramedy
Che Part One - The Argentine (2008) - Soderbergh's sober depiction of the Cuban revolution

Ocean's Twelve (2004) - Soderbergh returns with jumbled, glossy heist comedy sequel
Solaris (2002) - A suffering space question mark

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Top 10: Best crime movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Erin Brockovich (2000) - Roberts, Soderbergh and Grant's triumphant biopic

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 48 mil. $

Box office: 77.7 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.61 times its cost)

[Out of Sight was released 26 June (USA) and runs 123 minutes. Clooney was paid 10 mil. $ for his performance; Lopez 2 mil. $. Shooting took place from October 1997 - January 1998 in Louisiana, Michigan, including in Detroit, Florida and in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #4, behind fellow new release Doctor Dolittle and hold-over hits Mulan and The X Files, to a 12 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another weekend in the top 5 (#4) and grossed 37.5 mil. $ (48.3 % of the total gross). The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay, lost to Bill Condon for Gods and Monsters, and Editing, lost to Saving Private Ryan. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. Soderbergh returned with The Limey (1999). Clooney returned in The Thin Red Line (1998); Lopez with a voice performance in Antz (1998), in 6 music videos and physically in a theater in The Cell (2000). Out of Sight is certified fresh at 93 % with a 7.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Out of Sight?

4/30/2020

Get Shorty (1995) - Sonnenfeld's Tinseltown flick is breezy fun

♥♥♥♥

Four stylish Hollywood stars in cool shades center this humorous poster for Barry Sonnenfeld's Get Shorty

A Miami gangster goes to Hollywood to collect a debt, but then he has an idea for a movie and feels like sticking around. But in Hollywood someone is always waiting for their money...

Get Shorty is written by Scott Frank (Dead Again (1991)), based on the same-titled 1990 novel by Elmore Leonard (Bandits (1987)), and directed by great New-Yorker filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld (The Adams Family (1991)).
Great stars like Rene Russo (Mr. Destiny (1990)), Danny DeVito (10 Items or Less (2006)) and James Gandolfini (She's So Lovely (1997)) elevate this amusing gangster-in-Tinseltown tale, and Sonnenfeld's stylishly firm and simultaneously light direction is ideally suited for the cocktail.

Related post:

Barry Sonnenfeld: Men in Black 3 (2012) - Third MiB-chapter entertains the suits and shades off of everyone!

Watch a trailer for the movie here

Cost: Reportedly 30.25 mil. $
Box office: 115.1 mil. $
= Big hit (returned 3.80 times its cost)
[Get Shorty was released 20 October (USA) and runs 105 minutes. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nevada and Miami, Florida from January - April 1995. The film opened #1 to a 12.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for another 2 weekends and stayed in the top 5 another 2 weeks (#2-#5), grossing 72.1 mil. $ (62.6 % of the total gross). The film won 1/3 Golden Globe nominations and was nominated for a Grammy, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. F. Gary Gray directed the flop sequel Be Cool (2005) with returning stars John Travolta (Look Who's Talking (1989)) and DeVito. Sonnenfeld returned with Men in Black (1997). Travolta returned in Broken Arrow (1996); Gene Hackman (Lilith (1964)) in The Birdcage (1996)); Russo in Tin Cup (1996), and DeVito in Little Red Riding Hood (1995, TV movie) and theatrically in Matilda (1996). Get Shorty is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7.72/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Get Shorty?

Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (6-25)