If.... (1968) - Anderson's landmark provocative youth revolt picture

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Militant-looking but spiffily dressed young men against dramatic scenes inserted into the alarming nexus of a hand grenade makes up this effective poster for Lindsay Anderson's If....

We follow the strictly disciplined, odd life in a English public boarding school, where three older students resist the teachings of the institution, led by the rebel Travis.

 

If.... is written by David Sherwin (Wet Gold (1984, TV movie)), with John Howlett (Touch and Die (1992, TV movie)) contributing story elements, and co-produced and directed by great Indian-born British filmmaker Lindsay Anderson (This Sporting Life (1963)). 

The film sparkles with freshness to this day in lovely images (cinematography by Miroslav Ondrícek (Amadeus (1984))), with an abundance of funny and striking scenes. It is a powerful and provocative and violently revolutionary, subversive film. It idolizes Mick Travis, the leading character which Malcolm McDowell (Moving On (2022)) portrays with an awards-worthy turn.

SPOILER Despite the temptation to mostly shake one's head at the perverse school traditions of the English, this film presents contradicting 'heroes' that are just as, - if not a lot more, - terrible, because they finally arrive to the dubious conclusion that the systems faults are sufficient grounds to justify shooting every one in it!

If.... may be the strongest youth revolt film of all, which however also clearly shows the wave's unsympathetic, anarchisticly violent backside. It is odd that Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver mass murderer nearly a decade later, in another pivotal cinematic examination of violence in young males, is also named Travis. Perhaps the lack of a heroic glow around the later Travis character reflects a development towards a more critical stance in the general perception of the societal revolt, led by the young, in the intermediate years. 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 500k $

Box office: In excess of 5.75 mil. $

= Uncertain but surely a mega-hit (projected return of 14 times its cost)

[If.... was released 19 December (UK) and runs 111 minutes. McDowell was paid 90 £ a week for his performance. Shooting took place from January - March 1968 in England, including in London. For the North American release, male nudity was cut out in order for the film to receive an R rating. Variety reported in January 1970 that the film had earned rentals of 2.3 mil. $, likely from North America alone, which suggests a gross of 5.75 mil. $. The film is described as a hit in the UK, but its actual gross and numbers from other markets are not recorded online regrettably: It didn't attract audiences in Denmark (just 825 tickets sold). A cautious projected total gross of 7 mil. $ is not unlikely. The film was nominated for 2 BAFTAs, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Anderson brought McDowell's Travis character back in two later films, again portrayed by McDowell: O Lucky Man! (1973), - he only directed an episode of Play for Today (1972) in the years between, - and Britannia Hospital (1982). McDowell first returned in The Wednesday Play (1969, TV-series) and theatrically in Figures in a Landscape (1970). If.... is certified fresh at 90 % with a 7.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of If....?

In Good Company (2004) - Stars sparkle in Weitz's easy-to-take dramedy

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Three stars strike different positions with vacant stares on this unfavorable poster for Paul Weitz's In Good Company

A middle-aged gentleman is demoted in his company and gets a new boss who's just 26 years old, - and who on top of this starts dating the man's college student daughter.

 

In Good Company is written, co-produced and directed by great New-Yorker filmmaker Paul Weitz (American Pie (1999)).

It is an office comedy that is also a 'little league' drama, since it actually does handle its characters' fates with seriousness. The film lives on some good actors: Dennis Quaid (Playing by Heart (1998)) as the father; Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow (2021)) as his daughter; and Topher Grace (War Machine (2017)); sweet but with an ugly hairdo here as the new boss/daughter's love interest. In supporting roles Philip Baker Hall (Bad Words (2013)), Selma Blair (Ordinary World (2016)) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange (1971)) brighten up scenes.

There's a couple of laughs here, but the script is still not really funny. It may be that it is a bit too sympathetic, and the characters too normal somehow.

 

Related posts: 

Paul Weitz: Admission (2013) - Despite messy script, Fey is hilarious in Weitz's romcom 

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) - Murphy brings down the house (co-writer) 

Top 10: Best high school titles 

Top 10: Best first-of-franchise movies 

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

American Pie (1999) or, Losing It Before Prom 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 26 mil. $

Box office: 63.4 mil. $

= Minor flop (returned 2.43 times its cost)

[In Good Company premiered 6 December (Hollywood) and runs 110 minutes. Shooting took place around March 2004 in New York and Los Angeles, California. The film opened #31 to a 151k $ first weekend in 3 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #3, behind fellow new release Coach Carter and holdover hit Meet the Fockers, spending 2 weekends in the top 5 and grossing 45.8 mil. $ (72.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 2.9 mil. $ (4.6 %) and the UK with 2.3 mil. $ (3.6 %). The film won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Weitz returned with Cracking Up (2004, TV-series) and theatrically with American Dreamz (2006). Johansson returned in Match Point (2005); Grace in Ocean's Twelve (2004); and Quaid in Flight of the Phoenix (2004). In Good Company is certified fresh at 82 % with a 7.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of In Good Company? 

Halloween (2007) - Zombie's remake is a bloody stinker

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A mask that seemingly holds back a mass of bothersome memories lights up this well-made poster for Rob Zombie's Halloween

Escaping after 17 years in a sanatorium, murder convict lunatic Michael Myers escapes and returns to Haddonfield and his little sister Laurie...

Halloween is written and directed by Rob Zombie (The Devil's Rejects (2005)), remaking John Carpenter's great slasher classic Halloween (1978). Zombie adds content to tell of Myers' almost comical childhood and his mask fetish, but seemingly only because most other areas of the Halloween universe have already been covered in the franchise's 8 preceding films.
Halloween features no real sense of character development or scene building, as everything is shot shakily and ultra-close in gritty images with a continually stressful quality. There is lots of blood but little in the way of actual, dazzling special effects. Worst for the film is that we are not made to care about a single one in it. This is an awfully bad remake.

Related posts:

Rob Zombie: 2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
The Devil's Rejects (2005) - Zombie's crazy serial killer Americana

Hear the theme for the film here, - which naturally reuses Carpenter's legendary original 1978 ditto

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 80.2 mil. $
= Big hit (5.34 times the cost)
[Halloween was released 31 August (North America) and runs 110 minutes. Carpenter is a friend of Zombie, and when Zombie informed him of the remake plans, he urged Zombie to "make it his own." Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles and in the neighborhood Carpenter shot in for the original film, from January - March 2007 with reshoots in June. 4 days before the release, a workprint, which Zombie stated was an older version of the film, was released online. The film opened #1 to a stellar 26.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#5) and grossed 58.2 mil. $ (72.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 3.6 mil. $ (4.5 %) and Italy with 3.4 mil. $ (4.2 %). It is the highest-grossing Halloween movie to date, unadjusted for inflation. Zombie returned with the much less successful Halloween II (2009). Halloween is rotten at 25 % with a 4.1/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Halloween?

The Company (2003) - Campbell, Turner and Altman's fine ballet picture

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

Ballet dancers in motion on the poster for Robert Altman's The Company

QUICK REVIEW:

We follow life in the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago for a season, in which ambitious ballets are produced, and the dancer Ryan develops within the company.

The Company is in no way an epoch-making movie: Despite several plot summaries' attempts to drive out a conflict from the film, it really isn't there. - Nothing 'happens.' And perhaps for this reason, the film seems very realistic. The script is by Barbara Turner (Pollock (2000)), with story contribution by star Neve Campbell (Scream (1996)).
The particular dedication of ballet dancers and their seeming shallowness are caught spot-on in the film. Campbell and a pretty sheepish James Franco (This Is the End (2013)) compete in over-shining each other, and Malcolm McDowell (If.... (1968)) is outstanding as the eminent ballet's artistic director Mr. A.
The Company is directed by great American director Robert Altman (Gosford Park (2001)). It contains several wonderful dance pieces and is a lovely film, which may infuriate the excessively plot-focused audience member.

 

Related posts:

 

Robert Altman: 2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Young James Franco and Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's The Company

Neve Campbell, who actually used to be a ballet dancer, practiced 8 hours a day for 4 months to get in shape for Robert Altman's The Company

Watch the trailer here

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 6.4 mil. $
= Mega-flop
[The Company only made 2.2 mil. $ (35 % of the total gross) in the US. Abroad, the film was a relatively big hit in Italy (1.1 mil. EUR), but didn't fare well in many other countries. The movie was a labor of love for Campbell.]

What do you think of The Company?
Other wonderful ballet movies? (Besides already reviewed Black Swan)

Antiviral (2012) - B. Cronenberg debuts with name-loyal, unpleasant, tedious gross-out

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A bloody mouth providing marketing for Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral

In the near future, a company exists that offers celebrities' diseases for purchase to ordinary people. Our hero secretly smuggles viruses out from the clinic in his own body, but in doing so now contracts a mortal illness.

Antiviral plays out in clinically sterile sets and has a fascinatingly beautiful lead in Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class (2011)), who gets transformed into something hideous during the film. - Brandon Cronenberg (Broken Tulips (2008) short), whose feature film debut this is, seems, however, obsessed with Jones and continually explores him in tediously long shots without anything dramatic happening.
Antiviral's big problem is that it fairly quickly becomes an extremely laborious and unpleasant film. Cronenberg's dislike of giving expositional information makes us as audiences fumble around in darkness with his permanently sick, unsympathetic and disgusting characters. Unsurprisingly, Cronenberg thought this serving up while "in a fever dream during a bout of illness." And on top of this, it seems that he has a sickly fetish for bodily fluids. Should this for some reason tease you, Antiviral may be just what you've been looking for.
Cronenberg is the son of great Canadian director David Cronenberg (Maps to the Stars (2014)), and Antiviral seems almost overly virtuous to the family name in that it seems like it might have been made by his father, had he been a young man today. But, perhaps, before slashing Brandon Cronenberg for not rebelling against his heavy heritage here, we should remember that David Cronenberg also started his later illustrious film career with some pretty soggy flicks like Shivers (1975).

Related post:

2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

Lead Caleb Landry Jones in a typical moment of his from Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral

 Watch the trailer here

Cost: 3.3 mil. Can. $
Box office: 0.06 mil. $
= Mega-flop
[Despite competing in Cannes' Un Certain Regard-section and being shown in Toronto International Film Festival, and winning Best Canadian First Feature Film award at the Canadian Film Awards, (co-winning (...) with Jason Buxton's Blackbird), Antiviral has gotten lukewarm reviews and has bombed severely financially. Brandon Cronenberg clearly has his work cut out for him in finding finance for his next film.]

What do you think of Antiviral?
Do you want to see another film by Brandon Cronenberg?
If so, what do you think he should tackle next?

Caligula (1979) - Depravity galore in the Penthouse-produced Roman emperor biopic

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An alluring, brooding poster for Tinto Brass's Caligula

QUICK REVIEW:

The subject of the film: Caligula, who was a Roman emperor approximately 100 years A.C., as well as a sex-crazed maniac.
The film in itself is only worth 3 ♥'s, however, the place it has carved out for itself in film history, (along with the not irrelevant fact that it didn't spin an intolerable avalanche of accompanying epic, swords-and-sandal-art-porns in its vein), contributes to Caligula's growth beyond its own potential.
In a way it is refreshing to see an epic costume drama like this that suddenly both entails fisting and cumshots, and yet still ... Caligula, produced by Penthouse magazine, (it's only film to date), is a complete 70's freak-show.
The ending SPOILER with the appointment of the new emperor and the mooing-scene are spot-on, and the execution-scene impresses, but the film is generally wildly stagy, uncinematic and technically poor.
It was directed by Italian Tinto Brass (Salon Kitty (1976)) with additional footage, - more accurately all of the pornographic material in the film (spurting cocks etc.), - directed by the film's producer Bob Guccione (Lowball (1996)), who insterted the footage against Brass's wishes. The film is based on a script by Gore Vidal (Myra Breckinridge (1970)), which had way too many homosexual sex scenes in it (to suit the Penthouse taste) and was therefore rewritten by Brass. Both Brass and Vidal later disowned the film, which became a success fueled by the free press it got from the courts around America that actually (sensationally) tried to ban the film, but without luck; it was repeatedly deemed 'not obscene'. - It was, however, banned in Australia, where the uncut version has been banned at least into 2011!
That is the version this review is based on, which runs 156 minutes.

Watch an original trailer here

Cost: 17.5 mil. $
Box office: 23 mil. $
= Minor hit

What do you think of Caligula?

A Clockwork Orange (1971) or, Outrage! The intellectual sci-fi-prison-crime-drama Shocker!

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Original, iconic poster for Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange

QUICK REVIEW:

A Clockwork Orange is one of American cinema master Stanley Kubrick's (The Shining (1980)) most unusual works, an adaptation of Anthony Burgess' 1962 novella of the same title.
Many film scholars have named dehumanization as the central theme of Kubrick's films, but I feel that guilt and multifarious forms of abuse are more appropriate, certainly in the case of Clockwork, wherein the protagonist Alex already from the beginning of the film must be considered dehumanized. From then on he commits horrific acts of abuse and assault, and once the futuristic British system catches him, SPOILER the roles are then turned around, and he becomes the pawn of someone else's perverse persuasion.
The story in itself is somewhat unsatisfactory, because we never learn any reasons for Alex's appetite for destruction and "ultra-violence", but I suppose that was irrelevant in Kubrick's eyes, since the acts of abuse mostly just, - despite their often shocking content, - act as catalysts for the story.
The youths of Clockwork are a very upsetting image of a youth completely in the fatal throes of a mixture of boredom and apathy, and it must have been the intensity of this impression that made the film so controversial, I think. The film was X-rated in the UK, and was accused of contributing to at least three violent assaults there in '72 and '73, which led to protests and pressure on Kubrick, who eventually withdrew Clockwork from British circulation in 1973 and for the rest of his life. (The film was re-issued in the UK and also distributed for the first time there on VHS and DVD in 2000 following his death.) In America, however, although naturally still a controversial film, Clockwork was a hit and 4 times Oscar-nominated, (for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Script and Editing.)
Some scenes of the film I simply don't understand: The somber interior of the milk bar and the internal language in the group of 'droogs' for instance.
But the iconography, the images, the contrapuntal music and the Kubrickian, madly unpleasant scenes, which makes the cold sweat jump from one's palms, (like Alex's 'treatment' or the bathroom scene Singin' in the Rain) all make A Clockwork Orange the anti-systemical, anarchistic, psychedelic cinematic monolith that it is.

Related reviews:

Stanley Kubrick: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) - A robot fairytale with both heart and mind (concept only)
The Shining (1980) - Kubrick's descent into madness is a timeless masterpiece
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or, Humanity and Space 

Malcolm McDowell as Alex in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange

Watch the notorious, Beethoven-underscored trailer here

Budget: 2.2 mil. $
Box office: 26.5 mil. $
= Huge hit

What do you think of A Clockwork Orange?
What does the film say in your interpretation?