Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin

5/16/2020

Game of Death (1978) - Bruce Lee's last real picture is a blast

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A cool 1970s-style poster for Robert Clouse's Game of Death, which promises that star Bruce Lee is going to kick some serious butt in the film

Billy Lo is an action movie star with an evil Macao gangster after him. After staging his own mock funeral, [which uses footage from Bruce Lee's (The Orphan/Ren hai gu hong (1960)) real-life funeral], Lo seeks to get rid of his enemies!

Game of Death is written by writer/co-director Robert Clouse (Darker than Amber (1970)), co-directed with co-director/star Lee. Clouse took over the film after Lee's untimely death in 1973 in the midst of production, forcing a drastically altered plot.
The film begins with the famous Lee-Chuck Norris (Top Dog (1995)) Colosseum fight scene lifted from Way of the Dragon (1972). In the film that follows, Dean Jagger (King Creole (1958)) is great as the triumphantly cackling Macao gangster villain Dr. Land, and Lee's fight against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Fletch (1985)) is phenomenal, as is the film's motorcycle scene.
The inevitable many doubles for the tragically suddenly passed away star Lee and poor slow-motion work impede this otherwise great martial arts classic.

Watch a fan-made trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown, reportedly 850k $
Box office: Reportedly in excess of 31.3 mil. $
= Uncertain, but certainly a mega-hit (may have returned 36.62 times its cost)
[Game of Death premiered 23 March (Hong Kong) and runs 94-125 minutes (different edits). Shooting took place in Hong Kong and China. Production was halted when Lee was offered an 850k $ budget for his first kung fu movie produced by a Hollywood studio, Warner Bros.; Enter the Dragon, directed by Clouse. This was his last completed film; he passed away from cerebral edema (excess of fluid in the brain), before it was released and before he could return to filming of Game of Death. Though reportedly 100 minutes was filmed, only about 11 minutes were thought usable at the time and are incorporated into the finished film. Clouse was hired to rescue a film from the footage. The 850k $ budget for the film listed elsewhere is mysteriously identical to that of Enter the Dragon and could be false. The in any case low-budget production became controversial due to Lee's death; especially since it uses footage from his actual funeral, including of his corpse in his open casket! Abdul-Jabbar would not return to film more due to the controversy, and several other stars turned down offers to be in the film. Still it opened to enthusiastic audiences: It grossed 10 mil. $ (31.9 % of the total gross) in North America, the 2nd biggest market; 13.13 mil. $ (41.9 %) in Japan, the film's biggest market, and 6.12 mil. $ (19.6 %) in France, its 3rd biggest market. The 31.3 mil. $ gross is only from these markets plus Germany, and the film screened in several more and so must have had an even higher total gross. Game of Death II (1981) is made by an unrelated Chinese filmmaker, splicing past Lee performances together to serve a new plot. Clouse returned with The London Connection (1979). 32,540 Rotten Tomatoes users have given Game of Death a 3.57/5 average rating.]

What do you think of Game of Death?

5/14/2020

The Graduate (1967) - Submerge yourself in Nichols' terrific classic

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Someone's sticking out an alluring leg before Dustin Hoffman on this titillating, hugely popular poster for Mike Nichols' The Graduate

We meet Benjamin as he graduates college and finds himself on high and dry concerning his future. At this junction his parents' friend Mrs. Robinson enter his life with her attractive daughter Elaine, which further complicates things.

The Graduate is written by Calder Willingham (Paths of Glory (1957)) and Buck Henry (The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)), adapting Charles Webb's (Love, Roger (1969)) same-titled 1963 novel, and directed by German-born American master filmmaker Mike Nichols (Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf (1966)), whose 2nd film it is.
This film is everything. You might go into it with some reservations and find the symbolism and heightened drama of the performances somewhat ostentatious. But keep watching. This film is irresistible: so funny, so involving, so full of creative spirit and invention. It is a zeitgeist hit that's full of youthful energy, joy in the art of relating a narrative, music, - Simon and Garfunkel's folk-pop evergreens are an integral part of the film, - and memorable performances, especially form Anne Bancroft (Home for the Holidays (1995)) and Dustin Hoffman (Kung Fu Panda (2008)). And so many underwater shots!
The film also has a visual (the cinematography is simple yet fabulous) and lyrical poetic quality, especially in the scenes of Hoffman driving the red sports car. It is a strange thing, but watching the film feels like traveling back in time, visiting the 1960s. It is absolutely wonderful. And The Graduate is a genuine classic.

Related posts:

Mike Nichols: Closer (2004) - Nichols and Marber's intelligent film of love and infidelity
Angels in America (2003, TV-miniseries) or, Dying in the 80's, of AIDS, at L-E-N-G-T-H
Biloxi Blues (1988) or, '45 Army Camp Confidential
Catch-22 (1970) - Nichols wages war on war with ensemble cast in absurdist satire

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 3 mil. $
Box office: 190 mil. $
= Blockbuster (returned 63.33 times its cost)
[The Graduate premiered 20 December (New York) and runs 106 minutes. An exhaustive list of actresses were in contention or considered for the main female parts, while Hoffman was mainly cast over 'just' Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, from April - August 1967. In post-production Nichols begged Paul Simon to write more songs for the film. It made 104.6 mil. $ domestically in its original release, making it the currently 23rd highest-grossing film in North America, adjusted for inflation. It is estimated to have made 85 mil. $ in international rentals, and it has made another 339k $ in 3 subsequent domestic re-releases. It was nominated for 6 Oscars, winning for Best Director. It lost Best Actor to Rod Steiger for In the Heat of the Night, Actress (Bancroft) to Katherine Hepburn for Guess Who's Coming for Dinner, Supporting Actress (Ross) to Estelle Parsons for Bonnie & Clyde, Cinematography (Robert Surtees) to Burnett Guffey for Bonnie & Clyde, Picture to In the Heat of the Night and Adapted Screenplay to Stirling Siliphant also for In the Heat of the Night. It won 5/7 Golden Globe nominations, 5/7 BAFTA nominations, a Grammy, a National Board of Review award and other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. It was since adapted for the stage. Nichols returned with Teach Me! (1968, short) and theatrically with masterpiece Catch-22 (1970). Bancroft returned in Young Winston (1972); Hoffman in Madigan's Millions (1968); and Katherine Ross (A Climate for Killing (1991)) in Hellfighters (1968). The Graduate is certified fresh at 86 % with an 8.85/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Graduate?

5/13/2020

The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989) or, The Nutty Sequel

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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.

Related post:

Jamie Uys: The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) - Uys' border-defying Kalahari desert blockbuster

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

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?

5/11/2020

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) - Uys' border-defying Kalahari desert blockbuster

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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?

5/10/2020

Glen or Glenda (1953) - Wood Jr.'s incredible transsexual debut turkey

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Sexually defined versions of a man and a woman and three stills from the film stand out on this sensationalist, interest-piquing poster for Edward D. Wood Jr.'s Glen or Glenda

Glen or Glenda, written and directed by debuting Edward D. Wood Jr. (The Sun Was Setting (1951, TV short)), is the filmmaker's own very sincere illumination campaign about transsexuality and cross-dressing.

We focus on the couple Glen and Barbara: Their issue is that Glen simply loves Barbara's dresses, angora sweater and high heels more than he loves Barbara herself.

Wood himself plays Glen across from his then real-life girlfriend Dolores Fuller (Bride of the Monster (1955)), who can hardly be said to act as Barbara. (It is hard to blame her, since the film reflects their own situation as a couple, as Wood was himself a cross-dresser.)
Around this story is a framing device that has Bela Lugosi (Prisoners (1929)) as the 'character' simply called 'Scientist', sitting in a thunder-plagued 'science' lab, literally babbling about puppy dog tales, snails and other similarly odd things. Glen or Glenda has another framing device also, in which a police commissioner interviews a doctor.
It is primarily the film's lack of structure, total incompetence skill-wise, and the conjoined elements that don't exactly fit together, which has made Glen or Glenda infamous as one of the worst films of all time. At the same time it is certainly singular and not at all without interest.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 20k $
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain
[Glen or Glenda premiered in April and runs 65 minutes, (a 1982 re-issue raised the running time to 71 minutes.) The film was commissioned to cash in on the Christine Jorgensen story; the first American to undergo sex change surgery (which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark) went home to the States to instant fame in 1952. Wood convinced producer George Weiss that he was the man for the subject, as he was a transvestite himself. But he then secretly completely discarded the Jorgensen story in favor of a story more similar to his own life and cast the then drug-addicted and poor former star Lugosi for a 1-5k $ check. Shooting took place in Los Angeles. The film's unrelated erotic vignettes were added by Weiss to make the film longer and hotter for the young drive-in crowds it was aimed for. The release was limited, and the gross numbers are regrettably unknown. The film reportedly even enjoyed a brief screening in China. It was denied classification by the conservative British Board of Film Classification in 1958. Warren Beatty is said to have sponsored the film's 1981 re-release, which grossed just 10k $. The making of the film is portrayed in Tim Burton's biopic Ed Wood (1994) with Johnny Depp portraying Wood Jr.. Glen or Glenda has fallen into public domain and can be seen and downloaded free and legally right here. Wood Jr. returned with 3 short and TV-series credits before his next theatrical work, Jail Bait (1954). Fuller returned in Mesa of Lost Women (1953); Lugosi in The Red Skelton Hour (1954, TV-series) and theatrically in Bride of the Monster (1955). Glen or Glenda is rotten at 35 % with a 3.72/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Glen or Glenda ?

5/07/2020

La Grande Illusion (1937) - Renoir's high-flying anti-war smash

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The dove of freedom dies gruesomely on the barbed wire inside of a war-time soldier ensconced in grey on this evocative, artsy poster for Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion

We follow some mainly French soldiers in a German POW camp during World War I, their brotherhood amongst themselves, and even with their enemies, - and eventually their escape from said camp.

La Grande Illusion is written by Charles Spaak (Two Women/L'Empreinte du Dieu (1940)) and great French co-writer/director Jean Renoir (Whirlpool of Fate/La Fille de l'Eau (1925)). The film features a rebellion using flutes! And towards the end of the story we follow two of the prisoners, who now co-habitate with a German women, again in a striking harmony.
This is a very fine film about humanism on a profound level. The proposed humanity, in the context of the First World War, - and one inevitably also watches it and reflects on the Second World War, - seems somehow escapist, though, in its strange, combat-free idealization. Still the film attains rare moments of brotherhood while it commits a powerful portrayal of the illusion behind humanly made grand conflicts, which has made it an especially scholarly favorite.

Related post:

Jean Renoir: Top 10: Best French movies

The Human Beast/La Bête Humaine/Judas Was a Woman (1938) or, Train of Love, Lust and Murder!

Watch an original French trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain - but seemingly at least a box office success
[La Grande Illusion premiered 8 June (Paris) and runs 114 minutes. Shooting took place in France from February - May 1937. Jean Gabin (Their Last Night/Leur Dernière Nuit (1953)) wore Renoir's aviator's uniform from the war, in which he actually served in France's air force. The film reportedly sold the incredible amount of 12.5 mil. tickets in production country France. However, fearing its possibly detrimental impact on the national fighting moral, the French authorities banned the film in 1940 for as long as the Second World War would last. In Germany, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels declared the film "cinematic public enemy no. 1", and Nazi troops seized prints and negatives of the film, when they marched into France in 1940. La Grande Illusion became the first foreign film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, which it lost to You Can't Take It with You. It won 3 National Board of Review awards, a prize at the Venice Film Festival and a few other honors. Regrettably neither the cost nor the gross numbers are known, but the film is recorded to have made 174k $ in a 2012 North-American re-release. No doubt if the huge French admissions tally is correct, La Grande Illusion was at least a box office success. The film was nearly lost due to the Second World War and the few left prints were scattered in Germany and later the Soviet Union. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches higher than this one. Renoir returned with La Marseillaise (1938). Gabin returned in The Messenger/Le Messager (1937); Pierre Fresnay (Les Affreux (1959)) in La Bataille Silencieuse (1937); and Erich von Stroheim (The Honeymoon (1930)) in Under Secret Orders (1937). La Grande Illusion is certified fresh at 97 % with a 9.37/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of La Grande Illusion?

5/03/2020

The General (1926) - One of the wildest comedies and best train movies ever made

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Buster Keaton looks only slightly unnerved as the hapless title character on this drawn and painted poster for Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton's The General

The American Civil War breaks out, and Johnny attempts to enlist in the Confederate Army, but there he is thought to be more vital in his current job as a train engineer. But then Union spies steal Johnny's train, the General - with his girl on it! And so starts a wild chase.

The General is written by Californian master co-writer/co-director Clyde Bruckman (The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933, short)) and Kansan master co-writer/co-producer/co-director/star/co-editor Buster Keaton (Boom in the Moon (1946)), with Paul Gerard Smith (It's a Joke, Son! (1947)) contributing elements, and Al Boasberg (The Fuller Gush Man (1934, short)) and Charles Henry Smith (Nobody (1921)) contributing with the adaptation process: The film adapts William Pittenger's (Daring and Suffering, A History of the Great Locomotive Adventures (1963)) account of his experiences in the actual Great Locomotive Chase of 1862.
Keaton's enormous comedic talent and derring-do is on full display in The General, which is also a technically deeply impressive film, for example for its many high-speed traveling shots of Keaton and his not exactly petite sweetheart (played by Marion Mack (The Carnival Girl (1926))) fooling around.
The seemingly endless traps and gags are smartly incorporated into the story, which culminates in a panorama of war, which in terms of firepower, gunpowder, bombs and stunts is nothing short of awe-inspiring. There is simply no way in which The General does not lift its audience's spirits.

Related posts:

Clyde Bruckman: For Heaven's Sake (1926) - Lloyd's antics unleashed in a missionary setting (co-writer)
Buster Keaton: The Electric House (1922, short) - Keaton introduces electricity with hilarious results in great short (co-writer/co-director/star)

Watch a recent HD trailer for the film here

Cost: 750k $
Box office: Reportedly 1 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.33 times its cost)
[The General premiered 25 December (El Paso, Texas) and runs around 75 minutes, (some versions are shorter.) Keaton was a train history fan and attempted to rent the real General locomotive to use in the film but was refused. He instead bought 3 locomotives for use in the film, and was initially given a 400k $ budget. Keaton and Bruckman traveled to Oregon in 18 freight cars with cannons, stagecoaches, houses, three 33 mm cameras and the cast and crew. Shooting took place in Oregon and California from June - September 1926. A press release stated that the film had 3,000 people on the pay roll and cost 400 $ an hour to make. On-set accidents contributed to the ballooning costs: Keaton getting knocked unconscious; an assistant director getting shot in the face with a blank cartridge; a train wheel running over a brakeman's foot; and the train's wood-burning engine causing numerous haystack fires. The town Cottage Growe declared a local holiday on the day of the shooting of the climactic train wreck scene, and 3-4,000 curious locals showed up, including 500 extras from the Oregon National Guard in uniforms. The shot took hours to prepare and carry out and cost 42k $, thus becoming the costliest single shot in silent film history. However, the later shot from The General of the Texas locomotive crashing into the river from a burning bridge was as expensive. The wreckage was left in the river but salvaged for scrap metal during WWII. A large fire broke out during shooting of a major fight scene, costing the production 50k $, as everyone went back to Los Angeles for a few weeks, while the heavy smoke cleared! Several of the shots in the film that features Keaton himself were extremely dangerous and could have easily turned deadly, had anything gone wrong. The general US release of the film was delayed due to the success of Flesh and the Devil (1926). It made just 474k $ in the US and became Keaton's biggest flop, though he took great pride in The General and called it his best film. The failure meant that Keaton lost his artistic independence and accepted a restrictive deal with MGM. The film fell into public domain in the US in 1954 and can be seen free and legally right here. It may have turned a profit since with several re-releases in many countries. IMDb's users have voted the film in at #196 on the site's Top 250, sitting between Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Keaton returned in College (1927), for which his co-direction received no credit; Bruckman returned with Horse Shoes (1927). The General is certified fresh at 93 % with a 9.09/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The General?

4/30/2020

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

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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?