Furious on Film 11.23.06: Issue 64
Posted by Arnold Furious on 11.23.2006
Val Kilmer just has one of those faces you want to punch
The aim of this ongoing column was simple. I've been watching films for a long, long time but along the way I've somehow found myself watching some absolute crap on a regular basis. I've seen every episode of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and Halloween. Is there any real need for that? Should I have seen Police Academy: Mission to Moscow? The Blair Witch spoof movie that was just a bunch of Blair Witch spoofs hung together by a terrible TV show called The Woods? It's Pat? I'm appalled at my own decisions. So I'm now on a crusade to try and be more adult about my film watching. It's time to spread my wings and watch a wider range of films. The biggest problem I've encountered when taking on this challenge is my choices of viewing material aren't always at the level I'd hope for. There are times when I abandon my high and mighty campaign and instead watch whatever my brain decides I need. This can happen at any time but I'll still try to keep up a turnover of films that are challenging in some way.
Warning – could well contain minor spoilers throughout. Films are rated on a ***** scale. This week we have…
Tora Tora Tora, Castle of Cagliostro, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Pledge
Tora! Tora! Tora!
EXPECTATIONS – Having already watched two major war films from 1970 in the process of compiling Furious on Film, Patton (***** - FoF #37) and MASH (***** - FoF #62), I figured I'd add in Tora! Tora! Tora! to complete the trilogy. To give you an idea of how the films compared let's take a look at the box office. MASH, made for a paltry $3.5M went on to take home a whopping $73M at the box office and met with critical acclaim. Patton was filmed for $12M and took home $61M at the box office. Another critical success Patton went on to win seven Academy Awards including best director, best picture and best leading actor. That would probably explain why MASH only won one Oscar for best writing based on material from another medium. Robert Altman came up short thanks to Patton. Tora! Tora! Tora! (or TTT as I'm now going to refer to it) won an Oscar as well for best visual effects. Now here's the litmus test. Box office. TTT was the most expensive of the three films costing $25M. Unfortunately audiences were more taken to the other releases that year so TTT only took home $14M barely recouping its budget if you include video rentals. A disaster to all intents and purposes. Director here is Richard Fleischer. He passed away earlier in the year so he'll be on the Oscar's for sure. Unless he made it in time for last year's ceremony, I didn't stay up late to watch. Fleischer directed several very well known films. Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja, the original Dr Dolittle, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Fantastic Voyage and his masterpiece (in my eyes at least) Soylent Green. It was also directed by Kinji Fukasaku because there was so much Japanese language stuff they had to split the film up in order to shoot it. Fukusaku is also dead but before he passed away he managed to make one of Japan's biggest ever global hits in 2000 – Battle Royale.
PLOT – The lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 including footage from both sides demonstrating how Japan planned the attack and how America allowed it to happen with a series of military blunders.
OPINION – I don't think I've ever seen a war film so lacking in emotion. It's easy to see why the audiences voted with their feet and watched the other two big war movies of 1970 ahead of this. It almost feels like a documentary for the first two hours of so, yeah it's a long one, until the actual attack on Pearl Harbor goes down. Only it's not a documentary, it's just a lot of actors looking bored in military costume. I never thought Joseph Cotton could be so bland in anything. Or Martin Balsam. They got great actors who'd been in great films and then gave them nothing to work with. The script is so criminally flat it makes watching TTT a bore. Considering how much I love war movies AND how much I love history TTT should have been essential viewing. It's not. It's a pity the studio couldn't come to an arrangement with the original choice for the Japanese director: Akira Kurosawa. Although he probably passed on this after reading the script. After a quick bit of research I discover he was told David Lean would direct the American portion, which was a lie, and when Kurosawa found out he deliberately got himself fired. Good man. Probably didn't help the budget much. The film flopped big time in the United States because of its strong portrayal of the Japanese in their aggressive attack. Apparently being truthful didn't sit well with the audience. It went over a storm in Japan though. As you'd imagine. It shows how times have changed though. You make a film today mocking the present leadership of the country and it makes a fortune (Michael Moore) but you can't take shots at Teddy Roosevelt and the 40's America because that'd be Un-American. Back to the film though. My major concern remains that it's so flat. That the actors seemed bored and the director didn't seem interested in pushing them. It's like they knew they were closing the movie with Pearl Harbor so they didn't need a lot of emotion to build that up. Wrong. Seeing as the script details hundreds of hours of political build up to the actual event the screenwriter needed to find some way of making the viewers interested in it. As it stands it comes off as a lecture at best. Compare this to Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. He realised that audiences weren't going to sit and watch a film for 3 hours with no excitement in the first two of those hours. So he threw together some historically inaccurate stuff to keep it all together. Which is why Pearl Harbor took $198M and got its enormous budget back. Yeah, it's not very good but frankly neither is TTT. They went to opposite extremes. While TTT is tremendously accurate it would have been more entertaining and vastly cheaper if it had been made as a documentary. It feels like they wanted a blow a bunch of stuff up and recreate Pearl Harbor but felt guilty about it so they attached a lengthy storyline to the front end. Where Bay went wrong was not having Pearl Harbor as the climax to his film. He felt the need to get the Hollywood ending and have America fight back. Which they did. But not the way Michael Bay played it out. TTT took the brave and correct stance of finishing the film with Pearl Harbor. The problem they had was not getting anyone emotionally attached to their historically correct film. Films like this are the reason why we got blockbusters in the first place. Because no one wanted to see historically accurate films with no personality. The action picks up towards the end, as you'd expect, but some of the blatant model shots (submarine) are hideous. TTT really was a tremendous waste of money.
BEST BIT – The full scale model plane careering off the runway and ploughing into a bunch of other planes causing an enormous explosion as every plane was filled with explosives. The stunt men running for their lives isn't acting!
RATING - **. Too long, too bland with not enough emotional attachment. TTT was the worst of the three war movies released in 1970 by a long shot. A real disappointment as there's nothing worse than being bored while watching a film. At least it put me in a state of mind where I needed to be entertained. Step forward Hayao Miyazaki.
Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
EXPECTATIONS – Miyazaki is well known all over the world these days. His Ghibli studios production company is riding on the crest of a wave thanks to the likes of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. This is back at the start of Miyazaki's career. Previous to this he'd only worked in TV. One of his TV projects was called Lupin III and followed an International thief as he took on Interpol and had exciting adventures. When it came to making a feature film based on the character Miyazaki continued his work with the story. It actually kept him in work for some time. The Lupin III storyline was an ongoing one, which had another TV series and a video game made about it. It took him five years to get back into cinema but when he did with Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind it was clear he was something very special indeed. It was there where he debuted his interests in spirituality, nature and the general plot lines that would eventually lead him to make Princess Mononoke. After that he did Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso. Any and all come recommended but especially Porco Rosso, which I gave four snowflakes back in FoF #47.
PLOT – Arsene Lupin III is an international thief on the run from Interpol and their leading detective Inspector Zenigata after robbing a casino. He and his partner Jigen decide to infiltrate the small European nation of Cagliostro in search of the famous "Goat" printing presses that make the world's greatest forged currencies. Unfortunately for Lupin during this attempt he falls in love with Count Cagliostro's bride to be Lady Clarisse. He discovers she's pretty much held prisoner by the Count and vows to free her temporarily forgetting his quest.
OPINION – Like any other Miyazaki film this just looks beautiful. The opening casino raid was instantly more entertaining than anything in the entire of TTT. In action films, animated or not, you have to open fast. Why else would all the Bond films have an action sequence thrown in before the credits roll? Castle of Cagliostro opens fast. The sight of stolen money pouring out of the sides of Lupin's car as they escape police along the highway is just tremendous. Unlike many of Miyazaki's films CoC is based almost entirely in reality. With the exception of one very silly jump almost everything in the film could probably be done in reality. Although what I said during my Porco Rosso review remains true as the film is based in a place that doesn't exist. In an unusual move for myself I watched Castle of Cagliostro in English at times. Normally, like any fan of Japanese animation, I like to watch in Japanese with English subtitles. CoC however had one character that the English voice for was so perfect, so great that I had to watch his scenes in English. Gustav, Count Cagliostro's henchman, sounds almost exactly like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the English version. The big lumbering brute was therefore given that much more personality as a result. Mainly because I don't know how you'd do a European accent in Japanese. Considering this picture was released in the 1970's the animation is light years ahead of where it should be. Castle of Cagliostro could quite easily past as a slightly retro new release. While it's less sophisticated than Studio Ghibli features that would follow it's still as good or better than some animation made today. Such as some of the overly CGI stuff that seems to be plaguing the market. Put it like this: I'd watch this over Madagascar any day of the week. It's a comedy, a buddy movie, a romance, an adventure and so much more all thrown together in the name of fun. Something Miyazaki obviously had making this. The script was solid enough that he could just focus on creating a great deal of exciting animation. Like the casino robbery or the car chase where Lupin & Jigen meet Clarisse. Animating a car chase always seems like a good laugh because you can throw stuff in there that just isn't possible in the real world. Like driving along a sheer wall in the middle of a firefight. The plot flies along at a fair old rate with the odd added character like Zenigata or Lupin's samurai friend Goemon to spice up the action. The gyrocopter sequence or the whole run with the gears & cogs in the giant clock are top rate action scenes. That's one thing Miyazaki will always find time for regardless of how nice everything looks. Detailed and action filled set pieces to really get the entertainment value up there. Its one thing watching a beautiful film but quite another when a lot happens in the confines of the beauty. Something that Michael Mann has never really quite gotten his head around for example. He creates something beautiful and then puts no substance into it. Miyazaki has both and did a grand job of producing this as his first feature film. While I really dig that it's so grounded in reality and is devoid of the usual eco nonsense it isn't quite up the scratch of his later films. Still highly recommended.
BEST BIT – The car chase. Three cars screaming around mountain roads with bullets flying everywhere.
RATING - ***3/4. Sublime animation with a cute storyline surrounding a loveable thief. The 70's vibe is slightly distracting and does date the film somewhat but other than that it's gravy. Sweeping scenery and detailed action make Castle of Cagliostro a very entertaining and attractive film. Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away are all better but if you've already seen those here's something a little bit more down to earth to enjoy. Although the finish is somewhat disappointing it's a fun ride to get there.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
EXPECTATIONS – Originally this looked like a disaster on paper. If you don't believe me look up the title on the 411 Movies Roundtable and check out how many of the 411 Movie Zone guys didn't care much for the idea. When you think about it, this isn't the smartest of approaches. It stars Robert Downey Jr who hasn't been really good in anything since, what, Natural Born Killers? I guess he was ok in Wonder Boys but not the real star by any stretch of the imagination. He's been on a long dry run and people just don't see him as a star anymore. Especially after his trouble with the law. Playing opposite him is Val Kilmer. I have never liked Val Kilmer in anything. The closest I've ever come to liking Val Kilmer was when he impersonated Elvis in True Romance. Everything else just pops into my head with "wow, Val Kilmer sure sucked in that". Yeah, even Heat. As I've already pointed out this week I'm not a big fan of Michael Mann so DeNiro verbally sparring with Pacino aside I didn't like Heat. Couple all that with a first time director and a film that went $5M over budget and there's every potential for disaster. Oh, and the title is rubbish. It only found its way onto my rental list because a friend recommended it saying it was "awesome". Ok, then. I'm game for anything.
PLOT – The plot line given to 411 back on release was this; a petty thief (Downey) accidentally falls into an acting audition and lands the part. He stays on due to being cast opposite of a girl he had a crush on in high school (Michelle Monaghan). While being trained for the role by an LA detective (Kilmer) he is thrown into the middle of a murder investigation. Sounds awful right? Kilmer's character Gay Perry is actually a private eye. While Downey is with him they witness a homicide but thanks to a bizarre set of circumstances have to cover it up to stop Perry being arrested for murder. Simultaneously Harmony (Monaghan) has her sister murdered and Harry (Downey Jr) poses as a private eye to solve the case for her. It's far more complex than the initial plot appeared.
OPINION – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (KKBB from now on) is a neo noir, which isn't something you get a lot of in Hollywood. In fact this is only the second time I've used the term during my FoF run. The lack of neo noir's is somewhat unusual because when a film maker goes into that territory it has so much to feed off. Maltese Falcon and their ilk. So when you get a good neo noir it jumps right out straight away whether it's Fargo or LA Confidential or Blade Runner or even Red Rock West. In fact there are so few poor films in the genre the only one that springs to mind is Barton Fink and some people even like that. KKBB doesn't just inhabit the world of a modern noir and do so superbly but it also finds the time to poke fun at the genre. Especially during Robert Downey Jr's voice over. I know there are a fair few people out there who hate VO so they'll be thrilled at Downey sending up the entire point of a voiceover while delivering one. Particularly as he picks apart a scene and the reasons for its inclusion comparing it to other scenes in other films that he also doesn't like. At first I found the style somewhat irritating but it quickly grew on me because it was accompanied by some really solid performances. Not least of all from Val Kilmer. Yeah, I can't believe I'm typing that either. I've been a hater of Kilmer right from the first time I saw Top Gun. I never liked Top Gun either to be honest but while Tom Cruise showed he could actually be a film star in future efforts Kilmer just seemed bland and mildly irritating at the same time. Kilmer just has one of those faces you just want to punch. After pissing me off for something like 15 years he eventually found his way onto the boycott list after I saw Red Planet in 2000. Piece of shit film, terrible performance. I've seen very little from him since Batman Forever to be honest. There's something about him I dislike. Yet in KKBB he really turns up for once. Gay Perry is a great character. He's a complete prick, which is probably why Kilmer has no problem playing him, and he knows this and has no problem with it. I got very into KKBB. It's one of those films, like Dead or Alive or Tokyo Godfathers, where I was on the edge of my seat and getting genuinely excited about what might happen next. I live for shit like that. KKBB is one of those films that delivers and exceeds any expectations you may have about it. The problem the studio had was that no one wanted to see the film. It went over budget and had a cast people couldn't really get into but it should and probably will establish a big reputation on DVD. It's sad that the studio got behind it too late to make a difference to the box office. Once they realised they had a great film on their hands they'd already lost $10M. Unless they shift a SHITLOAD of DVD's they'll never see that again. My recommendation would be to pick up a copy because it's one hell of a fun film and well worth your time.
BEST BIT – The intricate shoot out with the coffin and the hanging off the bridge. I won't say anymore because it'd be a spoiler, just watch the damn thing.
RATING - ****. A satire of and homage to the near forgotten art of the film noir. With a less drawn out ending, removing the "4th wall" breaking and slightly better pacing at the start it could have gone the full whack. Spiralling situations, great one liners and some tremendous scenes make KKBB one of the most fun Hollywood films of 2005. Shame no one has seen it.
The Pledge (2001)
EXPECTATIONS – Just last week I checked out Jack Nicholson in one of his more recent films About Schmidt (**3/4 – FoF #63) and this little film from Sean Penn popped up on my recommendations list at Lovefilm.com. Even though I didn't like About Schmidt very much. It was all about Jack. This would be his first film after taking home an Oscar for As Good As It Gets in 1997. He took a few years off. This was his return to active duty. He followed up with About Schmidt, Anger Management and Something's Gotta Give in quick succession. Just when you think Jack is finished he comes back with more. And it seems in his old age he's taken to lampooning himself and taking on more challenging roles. As well as finally admitting that he's gotten old. The whole Hollywood vanity thing can only keep you young for so long.
PLOT – Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) is working his last day as a homicide detective before retirement when a case comes up of a murdered little girl. Black is the one who has to tell the parents and pledges his soul to the girl's mother Margaret (Patricia Clarkson) that he'll find the killer. When the police nab Toby Wadenah (Benicio Del Toro playing a retarded Native American – that must be an attempt at an award) and pin the murder on him everyone is satisfied. Apart from Jerry who can't bring himself to believe Wadenah is guilty so he buys a gas station in a small town believing the killer will strike there next based on two other similar unsolved cases.
OPINION – It's a pity the story slows up so much as soon as Jerry settles in as a gas station owner because up to that point in the film, somewhere around halfway, the pacing is brilliant and while the whodunit mystery isn't that great the performance from Jack Nicholson is. And it's also fun seeing who'll pop up next in a cameo as a string of them come in one after another. Aaron Eckhart has a pretty major role as Jerry's partner on the force who gets the confession out of Toby. Helen Mirren has a small role as a doctor, Vanessa Redgrave pops up and Mickey Rourke does a stellar one scene turn where he turns on the waterworks and it's actually believable. Not to mention Harry Dean Stanton getting in on the act as the gas station owner and Robin Wright playing the mother of the next potential target who Jerry deliberately gets close to. So there are a lot of fun scenes in the first half of the film but then when it settles into the whole ‘gas station owner with crackpot theories' section the pacing goes to pot. It loses something and exposes how inexperienced behind the lens Sean Penn is. He ends up having to rely on a strong performance from Jack Nicholson to save the film. Having said that his performance here, while different, isn't anywhere near as good as his turn in About Schmidt. And the focus of the film, especially in the second half, is one Jerry. It's a character study of him and to a lesser extent Robin Wright's waitress character. While Nicholson's character is the strongest so that makes sense the feeling that we sacrificed a lot of excitement for this study is evident. The fast paced whodunit/thriller that the first half of the movie is works fine. It's a great film and genuinely edge of the seat stuff until we start delving deeper into Jerry's life. While it's a classy move on Sean Penn's part to stay faithful to the subject matter and try to do something different he had a great film without pushing the boundaries. Sometimes it's a director's bid to do something different that hurts their film. And sometimes it makes them famous and well liked. This isn't Penn's film for doing the latter. Not like Darron Aronovsky did with Requiem for a Dream or Richard Kelly did with Donnie Darko. Films that were very different and made them popular figures as a result. Penn's different approach is very old school. While I appreciate his efforts to do something more challenging and push this character study it didn't really click with me. Or the cinema going public who sent $19M into the coffers at Warner Bros but they chipped in $45M to make the film.
BEST BIT – Benicio Del Toro's frenzied five minute cameo where he chewed up scenery and made sure everyone remembered him. He was nominated for an ALMA.
RATING - ***. Exciting and driven to begin with but then drawn out and tired in the second half. A film that hit and missed at the same time. Drew the audience in and then didn't reward them. Will make me think twice about watching a Sean Penn movie in the future.
ELSEWHERE –
Scotty Flamingo takes his shots at Superman. I liked Otis! He's far more loveable than Jar Jar Binks.
Will Helm actually sat through A Night at the Roxbury. I couldn't. I got about 15 minutes in and started to drift. No funny in funny film make Furious no happy.
Leonard Hayhurst has Ask 411 Movies. Yeah the picture of Karen McDougal is gratuitous but we like. Oh and if anyone has linkage to a copy of Star Wars holiday special. Life Day on Kashyyyk hit me up with it and I will share the love with everyone else next week.
Oh and Top 5 has Bond films and I chipped in. Next week I seriously go off on one about the worst of the Bond films. Living up to the name and more.
Finally this week a few words from other people about the life of one of Hollywood's most influence and beloved directors Robert Altman who passed away this week. His final film A Prairie Home Companion was released this year to rave reviews at least giving him one up on Stanley Kubrick whose final film, Eyes Wide Shut, was a mess that critics hated.
NEXT – Nightwatch, Dead Zone, 21 Grams and Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief.
