Since I'm caught up with my movie viewing, but not yet ready to jump back into TV, here's a sample of some early-ish Thoughts On, dating from fall-winter 2015. As a bonus, I'm including some of the post-post commentary.
FlatlinersThere are a number of interesting ideas in Flatliners — man’s pilgrim spirit; letting go of guilt – but at most turns, they are undercut by Joel Schumacher’s excesses, regrettable performances and a script (by Peter Filardi) that tries too hard for intentional laughs . If there is justice, it’s that Flatliners is now recognized as a highpoint in kitsch.
Nelson (Kiefer Sutherland) and his fellow medical student – including Kevin Bacon’s Labraccio and Julia Roberts’ Rachel — half-joke about being profiled on 60 Minutes for experiencing life after death. Yeah, right. Try The 700 Club. And what are we to make of Nelson’s belief that proving life after death will be Generation X’s first real accomplishment? At the end of the day, all that happened was three people got over their guilt and one (William Baldwin’s Joe) learned to not be a pervert. The fifth student, Oliver Platt’s Steckle, was just so unnecessary, I began wincing every time he spoke.
There’s just so many missed opportunities in Flatliners. Why doesn’t the movie have the guts to suggest Labraccio’s past taunting of Winnie (Kimberly Scott) was racially based? Why does Joe’s torment end when his fiancée (Hope Davis) finds out about his philandering and sex tapes, as opposed to any of the women he cheated with, none of whom knew they were being filmed? Couldn’t someone (looking at you, Nelson) actually have stayed dead?
Not recommended.
Thoughts:
— For my criticism of Joe’s storyline, the sequence where his apartment appears to be full of former, taunting sex partners is effective. According to Peter McAlevey, then-underling to producer Michael Douglas, Schumacher saw the film as a metaphor for AIDS, or at least the dangers of “fucking with Mother Nature”.
— McAlevey also revealed that Flatliners was so profitable ($150 million, apparently worldwide, on a $15.9 million budget), that Columbia wanted a sequel, with or without Sutherland and company. Dennis Feldman (The Golden Child, Species) pitched the idea of being aware of one’s future, yet powerless to change it.
— Major league demerits to the design team of Eugenio Zanetti, Jim Dultz & Anne Kuljian. I mean, really, what the fuck kind of medical school operates out of “a pop satanic version of the Taj Mahal” (Owen Gleiberman)?
— Of all people, Sutherland and company were reminding me a little of the Keating Five from How to Get Away With Murder (not a ringing endorsement):
Steckle/Asher, Joe/Connor, Laurel/Rachel, Michaela/Nelson, Wes/Labraccio
— “You walked on the moon, Buddy!”
— I have to laugh that, along with beating the shit out of Nelson, the late Billy Mahoney (Joshua Rudoy) also drools on him.
— Favorite bit of excess: Nelson’s climactic slo-mo fall from the tree. It’s either that or Bacon’s Poseidon Adventureesque rant towards God.
— For my criticism of Joe’s storyline, the sequence where his apartment appears to be full of former, taunting sex partners is effective. According to Peter McAlevey, then-underling to producer Michael Douglas, Schumacher saw the film as a metaphor for AIDS, or at least the dangers of “fucking with Mother Nature”.
— McAlevey also revealed that Flatliners was so profitable ($150 million, apparently worldwide, on a $15.9 million budget), that Columbia wanted a sequel, with or without Sutherland and company. Dennis Feldman (The Golden Child, Species) pitched the idea of being aware of one’s future, yet powerless to change it.
— Major league demerits to the design team of Eugenio Zanetti, Jim Dultz & Anne Kuljian. I mean, really, what the fuck kind of medical school operates out of “a pop satanic version of the Taj Mahal” (Owen Gleiberman)?
— Of all people, Sutherland and company were reminding me a little of the Keating Five from How to Get Away With Murder (not a ringing endorsement):
Steckle/Asher, Joe/Connor, Laurel/Rachel, Michaela/Nelson, Wes/Labraccio
— “You walked on the moon, Buddy!”
— I have to laugh that, along with beating the shit out of Nelson, the late Billy Mahoney (Joshua Rudoy) also drools on him.
— Favorite bit of excess: Nelson’s climactic slo-mo fall from the tree. It’s either that or Bacon’s Poseidon Adventureesque rant towards God.
— And now I’m a little nervous about re-watching Jacob’s Ladder.
A Winged Potato
Jacob's Ladder holds up much better than Flatliners which is absolutely a mediocre film with some laughable science that had the potential to be much more. Everything about it does scream destined for unconnected direct-to-video spinoffs which it almost certainly would have received if it had been released a few years later.
Felt Pelt
I think to improve my hazy opinion of Flatliners you next need to tell me what was done with that money. Lined the pockets of orphans, supported research into actual Life After Death technology, helped make Falling Down, etc. The strongest memory is grainy Billy Baldwin amid naked bodies, which I would be curious to see again if it rates an "effective."
Me
I'm guessing all the money went into set design. Ugly, ugly, over the top set design.
Not since Ghostbusters have I had such a hard time writing Thoughts On for a film. Look, I know Goodfellas is a classic. You know Goodfellas is a classic. I’m probably not blowing the lid off anything new, but what I appreciated with this latest viewing was the demented Never Never Land Henry (Ray Liotta) and company were living in. I mean, Kristi Zea, Maher Ahmad & Leslie Bloom were clearly having fun with the production design, and it showed (and that goes double for the costume and makeup teams).
This is a world where crime pays, and you pay, too. Not with your innocence, but your identity. Henry said it himself, his Social Security and license were fakes. The Family’s families socialized and traveled in herds (half the time I confused Paulie’s wife with Morrie’s). They’re beyond the times — like when Tommy(Joe Pesci)’s girlfriend talks about Sammy Davis Jr.’s appeal to white women in a scene taking place two years after his divorcing May Britt — and they don’t care. It makes the cracks in the bubble, like Jimmy(Robert De Niro)’s fateful phone call, that much richer. Because now death has to matter.
It’s a pity Goodfellas was released before the SAG Awards were formed, because if ever there was a movie that deserved it for ensemble acting … Strip away the quarter century of parody around the character of Tommy, and you have a fascinating portrayal of an absolute maniac. Lorraine Bracco is excellent as Karen, especially in the ‘70s scenes where she’s moved from pillar to post.
Recommended. Dances With Wolves has a lot to answer for.
Thoughts:
— I love Henry’s description of Paulie (Paul Sorvino), that he didn’t have to move for anybody. Reminds me of the dynamic between Tony Curtis & Burt Lancaster in Sweet Smell of Success. And I suspect Scorsese had that in mind.
— “Fuck you, pay me.”
— “It’s gonna be a good summer!”
— So, true story — I stayed with Idiotking for a few nights on my trip to New York last spring. I had some trouble with the front door and usually had to rely on the buzzer, which I sucked at, too. It was tempting to pull a Karen and scream about “the whore in the building!” Just kidding, Idiotking!
— Tommy’s mother (Catherine Scorsese) reminded me so much of my grandma, it’s not funny.
— I love Henry’s description of Paulie (Paul Sorvino), that he didn’t have to move for anybody. Reminds me of the dynamic between Tony Curtis & Burt Lancaster in Sweet Smell of Success. And I suspect Scorsese had that in mind.
— “Fuck you, pay me.”
— “It’s gonna be a good summer!”
— So, true story — I stayed with Idiotking for a few nights on my trip to New York last spring. I had some trouble with the front door and usually had to rely on the buzzer, which I sucked at, too. It was tempting to pull a Karen and scream about “the whore in the building!” Just kidding, Idiotking!
— Tommy’s mother (Catherine Scorsese) reminded me so much of my grandma, it’s not funny.
— Did anyone else find it strange Jimmy practically broadcast his attempted whackings of Henry & Karen? I know Henry said it was a world where killers came with smiles, but that was ridiculous.
ETA: I'm 27 today, gang!
Corporal Hicks
I recently watched the ESPN 30 For 30 on the Boston College points shaving scandal, which was orchestrated by Henry Hill, and it's kind of a nice bookend to Goodfellas, in that you get to see what a tremendously sleazy guy the really Henry Hill was. There is the self-mythologizing Henry Hill of the Copa steadicam shot, and then there is the real Henry Hill that is threatening college students to pay off sleazy Pittsburgh bookies…which is not so glamorous. It totally plays into the structure of Goodfellas, where the mafia life is all glamor and fun for the young Henry Hill, and is slowly replaced with the drudgery of low-level crime and murder, digging up old bodies and taping cocaine to sleazy stewardesses for a quick buck.
Goddamn, Anjelica Huston. She's nothing short of amazing as Lilly, this loving (in her own way) but ultimately tragic mother of Roy (John Cusack), urging him not to follow in her footsteps as a con artist. He's too busy getting involved with Myra (Annette Bening), a master of the long con looking for a new partner. The eternal battle — Mom or lover?
Although Cusack has his moments, he's easily third, maybe fourth on the memorable character scale (can't forget Pat Hingle's Bobo). That was a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Huston, and after reading about her struggles with the role of Lilly, I'm even more impressed with her performance. She may be going to hell, metaphorically, but Lilly's going to see herself in. I'm just in awe of that determined stance she takes, whether it's making sure Roy gets the best care for his internal hemorrhage, or driving into the "Los An-gal-ees" night.
Recommended.
Thoughts:
— Fanservice Junction: This is probably the sexiest I've ever considered Annette Bening. "I hope you don't mind, sir. I just washed my clothes, and I can't do a thing with 'em!"
— Anyone here ever bet on a horse race?
— Nice job, showing Roy first have success with his "change for $20" sleight of hand, then having it fail, then succeed again.
— "I'm Roy's friend." "Yes, I imagine you're plenty of people's friend."
— "What's your objection to Myra?" "Same as anybody's."
— Hi, J.T. Walsh!
— Fanservice Junction: This is probably the sexiest I've ever considered Annette Bening. "I hope you don't mind, sir. I just washed my clothes, and I can't do a thing with 'em!"
— Anyone here ever bet on a horse race?
— Nice job, showing Roy first have success with his "change for $20" sleight of hand, then having it fail, then succeed again.
— "I'm Roy's friend." "Yes, I imagine you're plenty of people's friend."
— "What's your objection to Myra?" "Same as anybody's."
— Hi, J.T. Walsh!
— "Not many laughs in this room, huh?" "Not many."
The Godfather Part IIINo amount of strong performances (Al Pacino, Andy Garcia, Joe Mantegna, Diane Keaton) or striking sequences (the Atlantic City assassination by helicopter, even if that “lucky coat” nonsense needed to go) can make up for the fact that The Godfather Part III is a thoroughly pointless film. I mean, Part II ended so definitely, with Michael (Pacino) being doomed to live alone and without redemption. Part III seems to fight that idea, only to be undercut by its inevitable tragic ending. I wonder what would have happened if Coppola (who only made the film because he needed the money) went outside of the box and ended with Michael and Vincent (Garcia) victorious, with the younger man getting to enjoy incest with cousin Mary (Sofia Coppola). I’m not saying that would be a better ending, but can you imagine the reaction?
Sofia Coppola, although largely inept, at least seems relatively at ease opposite Garcia. When she’s with Pacino, it’s like, instant redwood, especially with the line-readings (“Dad, I want this to bring me closer to you.” “Is it all happening again?” “Dad?”). Looking over Wikipedia, it’s fascinating to see that Roger Ebert defended her, and Gene Siskel was opposed to the idea, of say, a “polished bombshell” like Bridget Fonda (who played Vincent’s one-nighter, a reporter, and received way too high of billing — above Sofia — for it), as Mary. I disagree. I think that not only would Fonda have been believable as Diane Keaton’s daughter, she would also have brought an adequate level of acting chops opposite Pacino.
The business storyline — Michael is swindled by higher-ups in the Vatican and Immobiliare, and they have plans to cover their asses — is okay, worth mentioning for how it condenses years of events (1978-82) into a five-month (November 1979-April 1980) period. Michael’s belated confession with Cardinal Lamberto (Raf Vallone) is a decently-acted sequence. And I’m glad it didn’t take him too long to realize Don Altobello (Eli Wallach) was the rat, since, boy howdy, was that an over-elaborate show of innocence.
If we really want to talk over-elaborate, look no further than the enemy-killing montage, now expanded to include as much of Anthony Corleone (Franc D’Ambrosio, who also sings “Speak Softly Love” over a gratuitous “Hey, remember Appolonia?” sequence) making his operatic debut. Makes you wonder why Coppola didn’t let both of Michael’s children die in the finale.
Ultimately, not recommended.
Thoughts:
— Talia Shire, as everybody knows, is Francis Ford Coppola’s sister. She’s rewarded with a much bigger role this time around. Connie’s even part of the revenge killings.. I like to imagine Shire making phone calls to Robert Duvall — “No, Bobby, trust me, hold out for more money. Francy can’t make the movie without you.”
— Kay letting Michael have it is always fun: “No, I don’t hate you. I dread you … you became my horror.”
— Fanservice Junction: Garcia is nice, but who is that hunky looking priest seated behind Archbishop Gilday (Donal Donnelly) at the stockholders meeting?
— Hi, Catherine Scorsese!
— Talia Shire, as everybody knows, is Francis Ford Coppola’s sister. She’s rewarded with a much bigger role this time around. Connie’s even part of the revenge killings.. I like to imagine Shire making phone calls to Robert Duvall — “No, Bobby, trust me, hold out for more money. Francy can’t make the movie without you.”
— Kay letting Michael have it is always fun: “No, I don’t hate you. I dread you … you became my horror.”
— Fanservice Junction: Garcia is nice, but who is that hunky looking priest seated behind Archbishop Gilday (Donal Donnelly) at the stockholders meeting?
— Hi, Catherine Scorsese!
— Who wants some gnocchi? And maybe some fresh oranges.
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