The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) - Harrelson shines in Forman's pornographer biopic

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Co-star Woody Harrelson has his mouth covered by the American flag on this evocative poster for Milos Forman's The People vs. Larry Flynt

Larry Flynt from Kentucky just wants to make an 'honest buck', and when he invents Hustler magazine, he really gets a chance to do just that, - despite the fact that the pornographic publication also lands him in hot waters with the establishment.

 

The People vs. Larry Flynt is written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (1408 (2007, both)) and directed by Czech master filmmaker Milos Forman (Black Peter/Cerný Petr (1964)), whose 10th feature it was. It is based on the real-life Larry Flynt.

It is not among Forman's best films, but it is still a fascinating story with a tremendous Woody Harrelson (Venom (2018)) in the lead. Courtney Love's (Empire (2015, TV-series)) turn as his vampy, derelict wife is of more questionable quality, but perhaps this is also because her performance lies so closely to her real-life star persona.

The script makes more than one leap: Flynt gets 25 years prison-time at the beginning, but seems to be out in a jiffy? The lawyer (Edward Norton (The Italian Job (2003))) refuses to represent Flynt in the Supreme Court, - but then does just that in the next scene. 

Flynt was a spearhead for freedom of speech in the 20th century, - a wild and exciting man. Forman gets a good, - but not great, - film out of his life here.

 

Related posts:

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

Goya's Ghosts (2006) - Forman's under-appreciated last major picture

Heartburn (1986) - Ephron's first-rate script attains greatness with Streep, Nicholson and Nichols (actor)  

Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Top 10: The best big hit movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Amadeus (1984) or, The Fool Genius and his Teacher

Hair (1979) - Reflect on 1960s youth counter-culture in Forman's infectious musical 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Forman's 1970s gold-rimmed classic 

The Firemen's Ball/Hoří, Má Panenko (1967) - Forman and Co. slice up communism to hilarious effect in outright masterpiece 

 

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 35-36 mil. $ (different accounts)

Box office: 43 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.21 times its cost)

[The People vs. Larry Flynt premiered 13 October (New York Film Festival) and runs 130 minutes. Shooting took place from February - April 1996 in Mississippi, Tennessee and in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #19 to a 523k $ first weekend in 16 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #7 and in 1,233 theaters, grossing 20.3 mil. $ (47.2 % of the total gross). It was nominated for 2 Oscars: It lost Best Actor (Harrelson) to Geoffrey Rush in Shine and Director to Anthony Minghella for The English Patient. It won 2/5 Golden Globe nominations, a European Film award and 2 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Forman returned with Man on the Moon (1999). Harrelson returned in Spin City (1996, TV-series)) and theatrically in Welcome to Sarajevo (1997); Love in Hole: Celebrity Skin (1998, music video) and Hole: Malibu (1998, music video) prior to her theatrical return in 200 Cigarettes (1999); and Norton in American History X (1998). The People vs. Larry Flynt is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The People vs. Larry Flynt? 

The 33 (2015) - Great true story squandered in uninspired movie

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Antonio Banderas seems to be looking up in wonder at a mysterious, giant, floating number on this poster for Patricia Riggen's The 33

A greedy mine boss sends a new group of workers down into a mine, which is showing signs of imminent collapse. Soon after a part of the mine collapses, and the 33 men find themselves buried alive in a hollow space about a kilometer below the surface ...

Regrettably, no good film has been dug out of the incredible true story of the 2010 Chilean mining disaster. The 33 is deeply uninspired, flat and boring, seemingly dragging itself towards its ending, which for most of its audiences is already known. Apparently the bet of the filmmakers here has been that it would somehow become compelling storytelling, if enough stars got sprinkled on it, - but great actors employed here can't change the film's deficiency. Furthermore, the only star that really stands out is Gabriel Byrne (No Pay, Nudity (2016)), but for the wrong reason: He seems to start out here with a Spanish accent, which then turns back to his natural Irish English accent shortly after.
The 33 is written by Mikko Alanne (5 Days of War (2011)), Craig Borten (Dallas Buyers Club (2013)) and Michael Thomas (Welcome to Woop Woop (1997)) with Jose Rivera (Letters to Juliet (2010)) contributing story elements, based on Héctor Tobar's (The Tattooed Soldier (1998)) Deep Down Dark (2014) nonfiction novel, and directed by Patricia Riggen (Miracles from Heaven (2016)). It is a poorly handled, conventional film spun over an incredible story.

Related posts:

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

 

Antonio Banderas gives an interview about the film here

 

Cost: 26 mil. $

Box office: 27.9 mil. $

= Big flop

[The 33 was released November 6 (Chile) and runs 127 minutes. It is the first film to receive the Colombian Film Commission's incentive for shooting in the country. Jennifer Lopez had to bow out due to her work on American Idol and was replaced by Juliette Binoche. Filming took place from November 2013 - February 2014 in Colombia and Chile, including at the actual site of the event. James Horner's score is the second of two he made in 2015, just before he passed away. The film opened #5, behind behind Spectre, The Peanuts Movie, Love the Coopers (the only other new release of the 5) and The Martian, to a 5.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its second week and grossed 12.2 mil. $ (43.7 % of the total gross). The film is a US-Chilean co-production, and in Chile, it reigned #1 for 5 consecutive weeks and grossed 4.9 mil. $ (17.6 %). The 3rd biggest market was China with 3.4 mil. $ (12.2 %). The 33 is rotten at 44 % with a 5.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The 33?

Shutter Island (2010) - Scorsese's heavy-handed, long, second huge thriller attempt

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Wanna go to the mystery island with Leonardo DiCaprio? This poster for Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island seems to ask us

 

Two US marshals arrive to an insane asylum on a small island outside Boston. An imprisoned woman has gone missing. Later the one marshal also vanishes, and one question becomes ever more pressing: - Are terrible experiments carried out on the island? 

 

A bit as with Cape Fear, New-Yorker master filmmaker Martin Scorsese (The Aviator (2004)) here finds himself in the wrong genre for him; the thriller. Before Shutter Island was halfway over, - and it is a long movie! - I had it figured out. - Which makes a mystery thriller sort of boring. The plot of Shutter Island, an adaptation of Dennis Lehane's (Mystic River (2001)) same-titled 2003 novel by Laeta Kalogridis (Terminator Genisys (2015)), is too unoriginal and contrived.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road (2008)), frankly, looks like shit in the lead, whom he plays well. (And the looking like shit part is part of the characterization, I reckon.) The film has some unpleasant scenes; a lot of the psychological things in it are rather icky. But more than one of the inmates are not really credible.

Near the ending my last remaining interest in Shutter Island was killed off in a nearly endless scene with Ben Kingsley (The Triumph of Love (2001)). Aesthetically, this is no grand work by Scorsese; it looks like an early dance with the new digital opportunities. Shutter Island has atmosphere, popcorn-quality and a very ominous soundtrack, but it rests assuredly among Scorsese's lesser films.

 

Related reviews:


 
Martin Scorsese: 2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - One helluva movie!  

Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)
Hugo (2011) - Scorsese's critically acclaimed, magical 3D family adventure/financial disaster 
Boardwalk Empire - 1st season (2010) - Luxurious 1920's ensemble gangster treats  

The Departed (2006) - Scorsese's Boston-set wildcat of a capital letter Movie
The Aviator (2004) - The grand American biopic 

Top 10: The best true story movies reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Casino (1995) - Scorsese's sumptuous Vegas gangster tale has the wingspan of a Greek tragedy   
The Age of Innocence (1993) or, Stayin' IN the Pants
Cape Fear (1991) - Scorsese adds lots of stuff to remake but loses the balance    

Watch an official trailer for the film here

Cost: 80 mil. $

Box office: 294.8 mil. $

= Big hit

[Shutter Island was released February 19 (North America) and runs 138 minutes. Filming took place in Massachusetts, Maine and California from March - June 2008. The release was pushed back from October 2009 for various reasons. The film opened #1 to a 41 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for a second week, fell out of the top 5 after 4 weeks and grossed 128 mil. $ (43.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 26.4 mil. $ (9 %) and Japan with 16.9 mil. $ (5.7 %). Roger Ebert gave the film 3½ stars, equal to two notches better than this review. The film is #186 on IMDb's user-generated top 250. Shutter Island is fresh at 68 % with a 6.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Shutter Island?