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The beloved star duo are back for new shenanigans on this poster for Italo Zingarelli's I'm for the Hippopotamus
Two competing cousins find themselves in Africa, liberating animals and handing out punches.
I'm for the Hippopotamus is written by Barbara Alberti (Ernesto (1979)), Vincenzo Mannino (Cobra Mission (1986)), Amedeo Pagani (Colpita da Improvviso Benessere (1976)) and co-writer/director Italo Zingarelli (Una Prostituta al Servizio del Pubblico ed in Regola con le Leggi dello Stato(1971)). The title is a literal translation of the original Italian one.
Terence Hill (Botte di Natale(1994)) and Bud Spencer (Un Piede in Paradiso(1991)) goof around in many lame gags in this African comedy adventure that is often unreal. But it works well as warm and wacky, forgettable entertainment for fans of the star duo.
Watch a trailer for the movie here
Cost: Unknown, projected 3 mil. $
Box office: Projected 25.1 mil. $
= Uncertain but projected a mega-hit (projected return of 8.36 times its cost)
[I'm for the Hippopotamus was released 1 December (Spain) and runs 104 minutes. Shooting took place in South Africa. Although the cost is unknown, it seems certain that the film was a major hit, based on the box office information available: It sold 2.251 mil. tickets in France, 4.91 mil. in West Germany, 720k in Italy, (ironically Spencer and Hill were bigger outside of their native country), and 286k tickets in Denmark. That is 8.167 mil. tickets in these 4 markets alone, with 12 more markets left unaccounted for, although two of them (Turkey and Hungary) did not get the release until far into to 1980s. It was not released in North America but it was released in Australia. With a conservative final projection of 10 mil. sold tickets at a 2.51 $ average prize, the film would have grossed 25.1 mil. $, an enormous sum. Zingarelli only returned as a producer of two more films more than ten years later. Spencer returned in Piedone d'Egitto (1980); Hill in Super Fuzz/Poliziotto Superpiù (1980). 9.4k+ IMDb users have given I'm for the Hippopotamus a 6.6/10 average rating.]
The charm and instant likability of Macauley Culkin sells the whole movie on this poster for Chris Columbus' Home Alone
Kevin McCallister's monstrously large family forget him in Chicago, when they head off for Christmas in Paris; meanwhile two mean crooks plan a mass-burglary scheme in their neighborhood!
Home Alone is written by John Hughes (Pretty in Pink (1986)) and directed by great Pennsylvanian filmmaker Chris Columbus (Adventures in Babysitting (1987)).
Macauley Culkin's (Richie Rich (1994)) charm and talent as a performer makes this otherwise somewhat grotesque film a celebration of entertainment for all ages, and particularly for the young. The slapstick humor that becomes dark comedy strikes some, but it is funny!
Joe Pesci (Raging Bull (1980)), Daniel Stern (Viva Las Nowhere (2001)), John Candy (Splash (1984)) (hilarious as the leader of a polka band that Kevin's mother comes into contact with) and Roberts Blossom (Always (1989)) as Marley, the old next-door neighbor are also terrific. Probably unintentionally the Home Alone films also show that meaning is best found outside of the family bonds, a point which I rather like. This is especially because Kevin's family is so awful, and his parents so negligent and stressed out as to virtually prick adult viewers in their eyes.
Home Alone is wildly unrealistic. - But jump on anyway. This wacky contraption is a ball!
[Home Alone premiered 10 November (Chicago) and runs 103 minutes. Hughes had promised Warner Bros. that he could make the film for 10 mil. $. When it turned out to be impossible, he had made a secret deal with Fox already, and they went in and paid for finishing the film - and thereby snatched the extremely lucrative distribution rights for the Home Alone franchise before a competing studio that must have regretted their refusal to pay up for years after. Culkin was paid 110k $ for his performance. Shooting took place from February - May 1990 in Paris, France and in Illinois, including in Chicago. Candy did his cameo as a favor to Hughes and shot his scenes in one 23 hour-long day for just 414 $. The film opened #1 to a 17 mil. $ first weekend in America, where it remained #1 for 11 consecutive weekends and then stayed in the top 5 for another 4 weekends (#3-#4-#4-#5), grossing 285.7 mil. $ (59.9 % of the total gross). It was the highest-grossing film of the year in North America, where it sold 67.7 mil. tickets, and the 3rd highest-grossing of all time (at the time), after E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Star Wars. It was also the highest-grossing live-action comedy until The Hangover Part II (2011) and highest-grossing Christmas movie until Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018). It was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Score (John Williams), lost to John Barry for Dances with Wolves, and Song (Somewhere in My Memory, Williams and Leslie Bricusse), lost to Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man) by Stephen Sondheim from Dick Tracy. It was also nominated for 2 Golden Globes and a Grammy, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 2.5/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. It also made 150 mil. $ on video sales in North America initially. The film spun a franchise which continued with the same filmmakers and cast in Home Alone 2: Alone in New York (1992). Columbus returned first with Only the Lonely (1991). Culkin returned first in Only the Lonely; Pesci in The Super (1991)); and Stern in The Simpsons (1991, TV-series)) and theatrically in City Slickers (1991). Home Alone fresh at 67 % with a 5.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
W.C. Fields engaged with his golf club amid a general confusion in a delightful still from Monte Brice's The Golf Specialist
A rascally layabout, who attempts to steal money from a little girl, takes another man's flirtatious wife out on the tee to show her how a game of golf is played.
The Golf Specialist is a pre-Code comedy short directed by Monte Brice (Casey at the Bat (1927)), which was star W.C. Fields' (It's a Gift (1934)) first sound picture.
A part of this mostly studio-shot flick is pretty primitive; and especially the many sound gags are obviously a result of the recent advent of the novelty of sound on film, more so than they point to the future of comedy.
Most of the story takes place around Fields' first strike at the golf ball, which never succeeds due to various obstacles: a pie, flying papers and other ridiculous things. - One should be inordinately hard-boiled not to chuckle several times at Fields' grotesque routine there. - It is golden.
Watch a 2-minute clip from the short here
Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain
[The Golf Specialist was released 22 August (USA) and runs 20 minutes. Shooting took place in New Jersey. Fields' golf routine had been used in So's Your Old Man (1926) and again later in You're Telling Me! (1934). The film fell into public domain in the 1960s and can be seen and downloaded free and legally right here. Brice returned with Resolutions (1930, short). Fields returned in Her Majesty, Love (1931). 1,051 IMDb users have given The Golf Specialist a 6.3/10 average rating.]
The globally recognizable star N!xau sells with his smile on this simple poster for Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy II
Bushman Xi's two children get caught in a truck carrying elephants' tusks; meanwhile two white people fool around in the African savanna with a glider plane, and some soldiers fight. The Gods Must Be Crazy II is written and directed by great South-African filmmaker Jamie Uys (Daar Doer in die Bosveld(1951)), who follows up his enormous hit The Gods Must Be Crazy with it, clearly trying to emulate the magic that the original film created. The animals, - when they are not puppets, - and the awfully cute children are the most vibrant elements in this sequel, which is generally a morass. The stunt effects are mostly defined by ambitious aims that are not redeemed. The narrative is fumbled and seems pointless; the white couple is especially trying to watch, as neither have the real charisma or chemistry that was apparent between the similar couple in the first film, and both are (again) dubbed, which only heightens the artificial feeling of their questionable ordeals. We are missing the one really hilarious character in The Gods Must Be Crazy II: N!xau from the poster above is hardly in the film, and the adventure is hardly original either. It is a glaring example of a commercially mandated sequel that lacks almost everything that made the original stand out.
Cost: Unknown Box office: Reportedly 9.5 mil. $ = Uncertain - but likely at least a big flop [The Gods Must Be Crazy II was released 26 July (France) and runs 98 minutes. It was shot in South Africa in 1985 and shelved for 4 years before getting its release, a testament to the filmmakers' knowledge that the original film was far superior. It opened #14 to a 1.1 mil. $ first weekend in 321 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #6 and grossed 6.2 mil. $ (65.3 % of the total gross). If made on a small budget of 5 mil. $, - equal to its predecessor's, - the film would rank as a big flop. But if made on the usually elevated budget of a sequel, say 10 mil. $, it would rank as a huge flop. Uys produced another film in 1992 (Adventures in Africa) but otherwise retired from filmmaking after The Gods Must Be Crazy II. N!xau (The Gods Must Be Crazy) returned in Crazy Safari (1991) and two more unofficial sequels to the Gods Must Be Crazy movies. The Gods Must Be Crazy II is rotten at 54 % with a 4.94/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of The Gods Must Be Crazy II?
Humans are small and ant-like on the structures of the distorted title on this colorful poster for Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy
We follow Kalahari desert bush man Xi, who thinks he receives a mysterious (Coke) bottle from the gods one day, as it gets dropped from an airplane; and the white biologist Steyn, who studies animals and their manure; as well as ruthless Communist militia leader Sam Boga. The Gods Must Be Crazy is written and directed by great South-African filmmaker Jamie Uys (Daar Doer in die Bosveld (1951)). At first the film's dichotomy of a deeply romanticized image of indigenous cultures and across from them, modern civilization as the apparent root of all evil left me skeptical. - But later it becomes clear that this dichotomic paintbrush is only used in service of a naive, adventurous - and hilarious - comedy, and the simplicity is instantly forgiven. Furthermore, the filmmakers' achievement of getting all the film's elements together in the African savanna in a successful way is an enormous feat in itself. The film doesn't offer an objective look at indigenous and modern cultures in and around the Kalahari, but then expecting this would be to judge it as a documentary. The Gods Must Be Crazy features incredible scenes (often with animals), and a smart and dynamic editing strategy with lots of unconventional uses of fast-forward and even film going backwards - all for a laugh, and often working. The film is a unique experience that's very funny and ultimately life-affirming, and which brings joy to young and old alike - the world over.
Watch a funny 2-minute clip from the film here
Cost: Reportedly 5 mil. $ Box office: Reportedly 200 mil. $ = Some uncertainty but looks like a blockbuster (returned upwards of 40 times its cost - some uncertainty) [The Gods Must Be Crazy premiered 10 September (South Africa) and runs 109 minutes. Shooting took place in South Africa, including Johannesburg. N!xau, who plays Xi, was reportedly paid 2k $ for his performance. The film opened #22 to a 231k $ first weekend in 39 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #1 and grossed 30 mil. $. The film is said to have broken records in South Africa, Japan and foreign film records in the US. The 200 mil. $ gross is alleged in a South-African article only and could be entirely false. The film was nominated for a César award. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. Uys made The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989), again with N!xau, and more unofficial sequels followed. One Brisbane, Australia cinema showed the film continuously until closing in 1999, totaling reportedly 1,467 screenings. Uys reportedly supported N!xau with a further 20k $ and a monthly stipend before his own death in 1996. Uys returned with Funny People 2 (1983). N!ixau (Crazy Safari (1991)) returned in The Gods Must Be Crazy II. The Gods Must Be Crazy is fresh at 85 % with a 7.4/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of The Gods Must Be Crazy?
A very glass-eyed and stiff-looking young lady stands beside a merry Harold Lloyd on this drawn and colorized poster for Sam Taylor's For Heaven's Sake
A loaded uptown man accidentally finances a missionary house and falls head over heels in love with a girl he meets during this entanglement.
For Heaven's Sake is written by Ted Wilde (The Freshman (1925)), John Grey (How's About It (1943)) and Clyde Bruckman (Three Hams on Rye (1950)) and directed by Sam Taylor (Skyline (1931)). It is one of silent era comedic superstar Harold Langdon's (Heap Big Chief (1919, short)) so-called 'gag pictures'. Langdon tends to divide people, and I am not among his greatest fans. His slapstick routines become tired for me fairly quickly, when there is no fabulous overlying story, as is the case in this outing. For Heaven's Sake does still have its funny moments and incredible stunts; particularly the bus scene towards the end is genuinely impressive.
Watch a video of clips of Langdon's slapstick from the film here
Cost: Unknown Box office: Reportedly 2.6 mil. $ = Uncertain (but certainly a major hit) [For Heaven's Sake premiered 4 April (USA) and runs 58 minutes. Shooting took place in Los Angeles, California. The production was reportedly troubled, and an underworld section was cut out. Langdon was unhappy with the result and considered shelving the film. Instead it became one of his biggest hits and, according to a 1932 Variety article, the 12th highest-grossing film of the silent era. Taylor returned with Exit Smiling (1926). Langdon returned in The Kid Brother (1927). 1,280 IMDb users have given For Heaven's Sake a 7.5/10 average rating.] What do you think of For Heaven's Sake?
The splashy, busy poster for Frank Tashlin's The Disorderly Orderly
QUICK REVIEW:
Jerry Lewis (The Errand Boy (1961)) is presented to us as Napoleon, a mountain climber and a medic (all equally ridiculous identities for him), before we get to see him as the latter: In an exclusive hospital, he goofs and tumbles around for the duration of the film.
Disorderly Orderly might appeal more to American taste than Scandinavian. I saw most of it mostly as a curiosity of its time period, a pretty bizarre curiosity, I might add. Lewis grimaces, screams, tumbles, yell, tumbles again and then screams some more. His brand of slapstick comedy is often nearly cringe-worthy, and to me it's a far cry from the disciplines' masters like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. But Disorderly Orderly is also an exuberant, colorful and highly energetic work, (even if its plot could fit in a teaspoon.) It is written by writer-director Frank Tashlin (Son of Paleface (1952)), based on a story by Norm Liebmann (The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1977-79)) and Ed Haas (The Jerry Lewis Show (1967-68)).
Watch the original trailer for the film here
Cost: Unknown Box office: 2.7 mil. $ (North America only) = Unknown [The Disorderly Orderly was released December 16 and runs 89 minutes. It was filmed at Greystone Park and Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA. Sammy Davis Jr. sings the opening song. Besides the above number, the film drew 1.4+ mil. admissions in France, but those are the only numbers I have found on its release. I suspect it was a box office success. The Disorderly Orderly has been given a 3.5/5 rating by 2,214 users on Rotten Tomatoes.]
Beautiful poster for Charlie Chaplin's City Lights
QUICK REVIEW:
The Tramp falls for a blind flower-seller and befriends an eccentric millionaire. Master filmmaker Charlie Chaplin's (Modern Times (1936)) iconic character also survives a boxing match and a gig as street sweeper, before SPOILER he is able to give the girl her sight back with a voyage to Austria.
The hilarities of City Lights are repeated several times, and many of the drunkard gags struck me as dumb and awkward. There are funny moments, but they are not as plenty as in Chaplin's best films. Also, I have a hard time swallowing SPOILER the very sentimental ending of City Lights. - But I am pretty alone with these misgivings: Several respected critics and filmmakers find that this is Chaplin's best film, and that its ending is the best ever!
Watch an original trailer here
Cost: 1.5 mil. $ Box office: 5 mil. $ = Box office success [Despite sound films' swift overtaking of the Hollywood production by 1928, Chaplin's affinity for the silent film conquered with City Lights, one of the last successful silent films, (it has a musical score though, by Chaplin, José Padilla and orchestration by Arthur Johnston and Alfred Newman.) Trivia: Guest of honor at the film's LA gala premiere were Alfred Einstein and wife.] What do you think of City Lights?
QUICK REVIEW: Caddyshack presents the life of a golf club: An assisting grass-responsible is chasing gophers, a rich Jew threatens to buy the establishment, and a young caddy is fighting to get the club's college grant. Caddyshack is an outrageous crazy-comedy with deadpan-champ Chevy Chase (Community (2009-14)), a darkly comedic, sleazy Bill Murray (St. Vincent (2014)), and choleric Rodney Dangerfield (Back to School (1986)) in his film break-through. - And there's slapstick comedy in it too! This sports comedy classic is co-written and directed by the recently passed on Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day (1993)).
Bill Murray, early in his career, in Harold Ramis' Caddyshack
Watch the trailer for the movie here
Cost: 6 mil. $ Box office: 39.8 mil. $ (North America only) = Huge hit [Caddyshack was the 17th biggest film at the US box office of the year. It has since grown in popularity. It has been shown on the Golf Channel, and it is Tiger Woods' favorite movie (!). Initially, the only country outside North America where the film was a hit, was in Denmark.] What do you think of Caddyshack? If you've seen the derided 1988 sequel, what do you think of it?
The cartoon-style western poster for Hal Needham's The Villain
QUICK REVIEW:
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)) is Handsome Stranger, who has to help Miss Charming with a money transport, while Cactus Jack fights "Indians" and tries to get the money!
Kirk Douglas (Spartacus (1960)) really does what he can in the title role of this slapstick western spoof by legendary stunt-man/director Hal Needham (Smokey and the Bandit (1977)). Schwarzenegger is odd and looks hilariously clueless in his campy cowboy-outfit. The film is mostly pretty bad; forced and weird. Very little gets introduced or explained. The flirt between Arnold and Swedish Ann Margret (Grumpy Old Men (1993)) is charmless and without legs. Made three years before Schwarzenegger's breakthrough (Conan the Barbarian (1982)), this film is interesting mostly as movie curio. It was released in the US as The Villain and in the UK and Australia as Cactus Jack. Its Looney Tunes/Blazing Saddles (1974))-inspired crazy comedy falls through, while the overly instructive music keeps on telling us that it's all just gaga fun. - A few of the Indian scenes, with Paul Lynde (Bewitched (1965-71)), - whose last acting credit this was, - as Indian chief 'Nervous Elk', are admittedly funny. You can see one of them in the clip below.
Ann Margret and Kirk Douglas in Hal Needham's The Villain
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Hal Needham's The Villain
This is also the film in which Kirk Douglas does this
... and this
Watch a 2-minute clip with Ann-Margret, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Paul Lynde as the Indian chief from the film here
Cost: Unknown Box office: Unknown = Unknown
What do you think of The Villain? And Needham's directorial brand of low-brow entertainment?
