Alternate Takes 12.05.09: Brother Flicks

Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 12.05.2009

In the week that Brothers is released, Alternate Takes looks at other films featuring brothers from The Boondock Saints to The Blues Brothers.



Welcome to Week 80 of Alternate Takes. I am your host Shawn S. Lealos and you have now entered my world.

Fun with Comments:

where is the love for 12 monkeys??? - Posted By: Guest#9962 (Guest) - I love, love, love 12 Monkeys and it was number one in Week 70.

Two people wondered how I could type The Matrix as a 1991 release and the answer is simple. I typed the wrong key.

SeatsPro, Mike W and Madcapunlimited do not agree that Children of Men is a post-apocalyptic movie. I disagree. The opening of the movie explains that the entire world has collapsed and every nation has gone under, including the United States, and only Britain has survived, although it has gone under martial law to maintain the safety of its citizens. That means if Mad Max is a post-apocalyptic movie then so is Children of Men.

Let's hear from 411's own Jeremy Thomas concerning The Matrix: "The Matrix has more than just Biblical undertones; the first two movies have a dense level of mythology to them. Consider the Merovingian, whose wife is Persephone and who owns an establishment called Club Hel. "Hel" is the Norse name for the Underworld (and also where the English word Hell comes from) and Persephone was the wife of Hades in Greek myth. That's just one of many mythological references evident in the film; others include Morpheus (the Greek god of dreams), the flagship of Zion known as Mjolnir (Thor's hammer), and of course the Oracle. That's just a small sampling of the references to ancient lore that traverses religions from the Hellenes to the Norsemen to the Hindu. "

And more about The Matrix: I also loved the Matrix trilogy and have all the DVD's but one thing I am always baffled by is when people say Neo is the "christ-like" figure. If you watch the part in "Reloaded" when they are talking about old legends like were-wolves, ghosts and vampires coming from the matrix (and rogue program therein) then it becomes clear that so does religion. Neo is therefore NOT "christ-like" but instead according to the movies own philosophy Neo IS Christ. - Posted By: DW (Guest)

Fun fact: John Milius's original idea for Conan the Barbarian was set in a post-apocalyptic world. - Posted By: Mike W. (Guest)

I don't care what people say, Costner ruled in Waterworld - Posted By: K. Bett (Guest) - My wife agrees.

a boy and his dog, day of the dead, akira - Posted By: Guest#2850 (Guest) - Yes, yes and yes.

On to the column...

This is one of those weeks where I was struggling to find something I was passionate to write about. I started off with the movie Armored and considered looking at some successful B-level movies, but didn't really feel that. Then I looked at Transylmania and thought about - well, I thought about it and decided I didn't care and figured no one else did either. Everybody's Fine made me think of Robert DeNiro but then I looked at Brothers and thought about movies featuring brothers. This is how my mind works when I have something planned (B-movies) and change my mind at the last minute. Anyways, here is my Alternate Takes: Brother Movies.

5. THE BOONDOCK SAINTS (1999) Directed by Troy Duffy Written by Troy Duffy Cast: Willem Defoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Billy Connolly The Boondock Saints is a movie that extremely divides critics and fans. The movie was blasted by critics and ranks 16% rotten at rottentomatoes.com. However, despite critical lashings at the movies "gratuitously violent set pieces" and only the "sketchiest semblance of plot" it still found an audience. A large, devoted cult following has arisen and the DVD sales have grossed around $50 million. It has enough of a fan base to allow a sequel to be released last month. That is pretty impressive for a movie whose director proved himself to be a giant douche. Troy Duffy wrote the movie while working as a bartender and soon found himself in a bidding war where Miramax Pictures paid the former bartender $450,000 to write and direct the film. He was at odds immediately with the studio over casting and by the time all was said and done, he almost found himself blacklisted from Hollywood thanks to his overbearing attitude towards studio officials. Troy Duffy is the kind of man young filmmakers should look up to and aspire to be like, but ended up as a cautionary story for anyone to see how not to act if given a chance to fulfill your dreams. As for the film itself, I count myself as one of its fans. Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) are two young Catholic boys who believe they have a vision from God to hunt down and kill the wicked so the innocent will prosper. They become heroes to the town while being hunted by a hired killer known as Il Duce (Billy Connolly) and a gay police detective named Smecker (Willem Defoe). Yes, it is gratuitous. Yes, it is overblown. Yes, it is a very cool little movie. Boondock Saints signifies everything a cult movie should be.

4. AMERICAN HISTORY X (1998) Directed by Tony Kaye Written by David McKenna Cast: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Stacy Keach, Fairuza Balk, Elliot Gould, Ethan Suplee, Avery Brooks For anyone who thinks Edward Furlong is a waste of space, I present to you American History X. The movie had as much a troubled shoot as any ever made. Tony Kaye was so broken by the end of this production, he quit making movies completely. Since this 1998 production, he has made one documentary and has another movie in production. He was burned repeatedly by his interfering star Edward Norton, a feeling Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier also knows all too well. Kaye was actually locked out of the editing suite so his star could reedit the film to his own liking. That has to suck but the movie resulting from this is so amazing, I can't really fault the studios for letting Norton tinker with it. I will never support a director being shut out of his own project but the movie is an amazing tour-de-force and credit has to partially go to Norton. Norton plays Derek, a violent white supremacist in California. His little brother is Danny, played by Furlong, a young man closely following his brother's footsteps. When Derek catches three black men trying to steal his car he shoots two of them and then curb stomps the third. For this, he is convicted of manslaughter. While in prison, he realizes that he has wasted his life with hatred and comes out a changed man. Unfortunately, his younger brother and former friends don't like what he has become and he becomes an outcast. The movie does not have a happy ending, nor should it. Any kind of "happily ever after" tacked on to this cautionary tale would seriously dilute the message it contains. The movie is shot in a brilliant manner, using both color and striking black and white footage. The acting is awesome and presents one of Norton's best roles outside of Primal Fear. The acts of brotherhood in this movie are heartbreaking and the film proves to be one of the best looks at the relationship between two brothers in cinema history.

3. TOMBSTONE (1993) Directed by George Cosmatos Written by Kevin Jarre Cast: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton Some of the most famous brothers in American history are the Earps. The most popular of the family is Wyatt Earp, a law enforcement officer during the American Frontier days. He is most infamous for his place in history at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881 in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. This event has been portrayed in a large number of films over time, including My Darling Clementine (1946), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Tombstone (1993) and Wyatt Earp (1994). While Clementine is by far the best movie on this list, my favorite of the group is Tombstone. Wyatt Earp is played by an always awesome Kurt Russell who is equally matched by the actors playing his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton). Russell isn't as cool as he was in the eighties when he was the best everyman hero going in movies like The Thing and Escape from New York but he still exudes cool regardless of the movie taking place around him. Elliott is the perfect actor to put in any western and Paxton is excellent as the younger, more innocent brother. However, all three actors are dwarfed by the acting God known as Val Kilmer. His portrayal of Doc Holliday is something that beats every other actor who has ever, or will ever, play this man. He chews scenery every time he appears and proves that the world is a sadder place due to the lack of more Val Kilmer in our cinemas. The story is great, the gunfight is exciting and the supporting actors are spectacular (Billy Zane, Thomas Hayden Church, Dana Delaney, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Michael Rooker, Charlton Heston). No, this is not a great, classic western like Unforgiven but is one of best modern day westerns you will ever see.

2. SLAP SHOT (1977) Directed by George Roy Hill Written by Nancy Dowd Cast: Paul Newman, Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson, David Hanson In Tombstone I presented brothers who fight together, now I present you with a movie about brothers who "fight" together. Paul Newman is Reggie Dunlap, a coach/player on the Charlestown Chiefs hokey team. They are losers and in danger of being shut down due to economic hardships in their town. Reg has no idea how to turn his team around and doesn't even know who the owner of the team is. When the general manager picks up a trio of brothers to fill out the lineup, Reg has no idea what he has gotten himself into. The Hanson brothers are thugs, violent goons with a penchant for getting into fights at the drop of a puck. They play with toy cars and wrap their fists in aluminum foil to cause more damage during fights. Reg refuses to put them on the ice until one game where one of his players is hurt in a fight and he no longer has the choice. They hit the ice and start fighting with everyone they can get their hands on. The crowd goes nuts and the team starts winning. George Roy Hill referred to Slap Shot as one of his best movies, a big compliment coming from the guy who made Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. Paul Newman called it the most fun he has ever had making a movie. When I was working on a sport's movie script a few years back, my old professor handed me a copy of Slap Shot and told me to study it because he considered it the best sport's movie ever made. He might not be too far off in that sentiment.

1. THE BLUES BROTHERS (1990) Directed by John Landis Written by Bernie Brillstein, George Folsey Jr., David Sosna, Robert K. Weiss Cast: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Cab Calloway, Carrie Fisher, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, John Candy, Henry Gibson, Frank Oz, Paul Reubens, Steven Spielberg Come on, what did you expect to be number one on a list of movies about brothers? The Blues Brothers is probably the most successful film to come from the sketches on Saturday Night Live. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi lived the life of the band, going as far as to have live concert performances in character. By the time the movie came out, The Blues Brothers was a cultural phenomenon. The movie was icing on the cake. When Jake Blues (Belushi) is released from prison following a four-year sentence and is picked up by his brother Elwood in a battered former police car. They then visit their old home, a Catholic orphanage, and learn it is going to be closed down unless they can raise $5,000 to pay the property taxes. Jake and Elwood set out to find the money in the name of God. It sounds a little like the setup for Boondock Saints but this movie is miles better and one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. The brothers set out to reunite the band and perform gigs to raise the money. Unfortunately they find themselves on the run from the Illinois State Police when Elwood gets pulled over with a suspended license and runs. They are also being hunted by a mysterious woman who wants them dead (Carrie Fisher) and a group of neo-Nazis (led by Henry Gibson). The final scenes where the boys are being chased by the police, state troopers, SWAT teams, firefighters, National Guardsmen and Military Police while trying to get to the city offices to pay the property tax is inspired filmmaking. This is easily the best brother movie of all time. Nothing else compares.

Be my friend on FaceBook Join the Starving Dogs Productions Film Group on FaceBook My Personal Twitter Page http://www.twitter.com/411mania http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv http://www.twitter.com/411music http://www.twitter.com/411games http://www.twitter.com/411mma