Now Very Bad…

Author: mfordfeeney

  • It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

    It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

    #140RVW

    It’s been over 50 years & there still hasn’t been an ensemble comedy to match this in scope or quality. Who’s who of comedy is a big “W”…

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    What’s more:

    Epic in every sense of the word. Shot in Ultra Panavision 70 with a ridiculously wide aspect ratio of 2.76:1 that was projected on Cinerama screens. The cut-down edition of this movie that was shipped to theaters in 1963 (and Stanley Kramer was unhappy with) was 154 minutes. The original was over 3 hours. That’s for a comedy…

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    And what a comedy. You’d think this is too basic of a story to remain interesting for anything near that run-time, but you’d be wrong. The brilliance of this movie lies in its simplicity; gather a phenomenal cast and then let them do their jobs.

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    The story is told easily enough: a bunch of random motorists pull over to investigate an accident and are told of a buried treasure by a dying thief; they spend the rest of the film racing for the treasure. Perfect. It’s tight, it’s straightforward, and it leaves all the room in the world for some of Hollywood’s best comics to run wild.

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    It’s not just the listed cast, either, which is already quite impressive. (Jonathan Winters’ first role, believe it or not.) It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World sports the largest collection of cameos possibly ever assembled for one movie. Basically anyone in comedy in 1963 who wasn’t in this picture was ill or wanted too much money.

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    It’s just a great picture, from the Saul Bass titles to the last laugh.

    Note: This review was written on February 12, 2014, hours after the death of Sid Caesar. What an amazing talent. Interestingly enough, Caesar’s part was initially to be filled by Ernie Kovacs, who died shortly before filming began.

    Another note: This was the last public film screening attended by John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated five days later.

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:
    Main Cast Spencer Tracy Capt. T. G. Culpepper, Milton Berle J. Russell Finch, Ethel Merman Mrs. Marcus, Mickey Rooney Ding Bell
    Rating Approved
    Release Date Mon 02 Dec 1963 UTC
    Director Stanley Kramer
    Genres Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime
    Plot The dying words of a thief spark a madcap cross-country rush to find some treasure.
    Poster It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
    Runtime 154
    Tagline If ever this mad, mad, mad, mad world needed “It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world” it’s now! (1970 re-release)
    Writers William Rose (as William) (story) &, Tania Rose (story)
    Year 1963
  • Withnail & I (1987)

    Withnail & I (1987)

    #140RVW

    The 8th Doctor & the Spice Girls manager abandon their cesspool of a flat for a drunken holiday in the country. British hilarity ensues…

    Withnail & I

    What’s more:

    I have a theory about niche movies. It’s really more of an opinion than the theory, I suppose, and it extends well beyond movies. It runs basically thus: you really only need one of each, and whichever one you are exposed to first is the one for you. It doesn’t matter how good anything you see later is, it will seem derivative and unnecessary, even if what you see subsequently was actually made first.

    This is true for mopey English bands, Delta blues singers, fantasy authors, kung-fu masters, edgy stand-up comics, ballpoint pens, procedural cop shows, impressionist painters, gangsta rappers, architects, you name it. It doesn’t really make much difference which one you pick, as long as you have one. You like Hüsker Dü? Great, me too. But I prefer The Replacements. I know there are probably better slasher flicks than Halloween, but that’s the one I saw first. Grendizer over Voltron, X-Files over Kolchak, Jesus and Mary Chain over Echo and the Bunnymen, Sargent over Monet, Robert Johnson over Son House, the list goes on and on.

    Withnail & I

    So I had a rather unpleasant feeling while I watched Withnail & I. A week later and I’m still struggling with my thoughts about it. This movie came highly recommended, and I know people love it. So while I watched it somewhat disinterestedly, I strongly felt that I should have been enjoying it a lot more. And a big part of the problem is the phenomenon I’m talking about; I really only need one drugs and squalor movie, and for me it’s. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I’m not saying it’s a better movie – I just got there first. (Drugstore Cowboy is actually a better movie than either, but I think it goes beyond drugs & squalor and qualifies as non-niche.)

    Withnail & I follows the 8th Doctor and the guy who managed the Spice Girls as they abandon their cesspool of a flat for a holiday in the country, where they are completely unable to care for themselves. It’s a fish out of water story with LOTS of drinking. Unlike most drug movies, the main drug in Withnail & I is alcohol.

    Withnail & I

    The story takes place at the end of the 1960’s in England, where the mood is no longer hopeful, and the setting is perfect. As these out of work actors muddle through, their struggle is part of a larger national identity crisis. This is the ugly side of the Sixties, as the flower children come down from their clouds and are greeted by an increasingly hard and bleak world.

    This is comedy, however, and it excels on that score. The madcap misadventures of the characters are what good British comedy is made of, and writer/director Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical tale makes for great entertainment. A star is born in Richard E. Grant in his very first film performance; he is absolutely captivating. Paul McGann, through no fault of his own, is relegated to the background, despite being ostensibly the lead character, both by Grant and by Richard Griffiths, who is equally wonderful as Uncle Monty.

    Withnail & I

    I’ll definitely be re-watching Withnail & I. On paper everything about it is great, and watching the trailer and reviewing quotes as I prepared this review made me remember the movie with more enjoyment than I had when I actually watched it. Maybe the problem was simply that I was tired, or that I was watching it on an empty stomach (I should have filled it with alcohol so as to better be in the appropriate mood).

    I find myself in the odd position of highly recommending a movie that I personally didn’t love. But I suppose that happens sometimes when you critique films. The Killing Fields was the best movie I hope never to see again (heartbreaking), so there is a precedent for this sort of thing. Cheers…

    Poster:

    Withnail & I

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Fail

    Main Cast Richard E. Grant Withnail, Paul McGann & I/Marwood, Richard Griffiths Monty, Ralph Brown Danny
    Rating R
    Release Date Fri 19 Jun 1987 UTC
    Director Bruce Robinson
    Genres Comedy, Drama
    Plot London 1969 – two ‘resting’ (unemployed and unemployable) actors, Withnail and Marwood, fed up with damp…
    Poster Withnail & I
    Runtime 107
    Tagline You are cordially invited to spend a funny weekend in the English countryside. (US poster)
    Writers Bruce Robinson
    Year 1987
  • Glory (1989)

    Glory (1989)

    #140RVW

    Some films are so good there really isn’t a lot to say about them. This is an important & no longer little-known story, thanks to this film.

    Glory

    What’s more:

    The story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry is one of the most compelling of the Civil War. The courage and bravery of men who gave their lives for a country that had enslaved them, discriminated against them and would not thank them for their service is beyond extraordinary.

    Glory

    So many great things going on in this movie, from Denzel’s breakout & Oscar-winning performance, to the James Horner score to the Oscar-winning cinematography of Freddie Francis.

    Glory

    Andre Braugher makes his film debut and Morgan Freeman is his Morgan Freeman-est. Matthew Broderick continues his quest to be taken seriously even with a forever boyish face, and he makes a very compelling case here – maybe his best work.

    Glory

    The real star of this film, though, is the story. It’s heartbreaking without sinking into despair, inspirational without being smarmy.

    Glory

    Kevin Jarre’s screenplay hits all the right notes and delivers amazing dialogue and emotion that is hard-hitting and real.

    Glory

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Fail

    Main Cast Matthew Broderick Col. Robert Gould Shaw, Denzel Washington Pvt. Trip, Cary Elwes Maj. Cabot Forbes, Morgan Freeman Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins
    Rating R
    Release Date Fri 15 Dec 1989 UTC
    Director Edward Zwick
    Genres Drama, History, War
    Plot Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War’s first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
    Poster Glory
    Runtime 122
    Tagline Their innocence. Their heritage. Their lives. Nothing would be spared in the fight for their freedom.
    Writers Kevin Jarre (screenplay), Lincoln Kirstein (book)
    Year 1989
  • A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

    A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    The greatest rock n roll film of all time, partially cause it’s a FILM first. Didn’t need to make something this good for fans to be happy.

    A Hard Day's Night

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of A Hard Day’s Night:

    Of course you couldn’t sell this film if you pitched it: four musicians need to get to a London tv show where they are scheduled to perform but are pursued at every turn by crazed fans; hijinks ensue. But the musicians in question are The Beatles, at which point it sells itself.

    A Hard Day's Night

    And that fact makes the greatness of this movie even more impressive; it really didn’t need to be a good film to be successful. They could have put really anything out there with the band waltzing through and it would have been a hit. Instead they created one of the greatest comedies of all time.

    A Hard Day's Night

    Based on the incredible skill involved in making such a good picture, you might assume that the movie was the product of experienced filmmakers. In fact, no one from producer Walter Shenson to director Richard Lester to writer Alun Owen had more than a few credits to their name. Lester would go on to have a fabulous career but was barely known when he was hand-picked by the band based on work he did with Spike Milligan. 

    A Hard Day's Night

    In fact the only really experienced hand on the film belonged to cinematographer Gilbert Taylor – and it shows. This is a beautiful film. Just gorgeous. This is the image that current filmmakers are trying to achieve when they try their hand at black & white photography. And they will never reach it. Taylor’s other film in 1964? Dr. Strangelove

    A Hard Day's Night

    The thing most people say when seeing A Hard Day’s Night for the first time is “I didn’t realize they were so funny”. Well, yes and no. They certainly were very funny fellows, but make no mistake, this is great screenwriting. Owen tagged along with the band to get a sense of the sort of things they would say, then came up with a funny script with very Marx Brothers style dialogue. There are lots of direct quotes from the guys in there, though; they definitely had quick wits.

    A Hard Day's Night

    The biggest proof that this is a classic, though, is simply this: if you removed all of the music from the movie, it would still be incredibly entertaining. That is to say, if you took away the benefit of having the single greatest rock band of all time, you’d still have something. I think that’s pretty compelling…

    A Hard Day's Night

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Fail

    The Representation Test Score: D (2 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    A Hard Day's Night Representation Test
    [schema type=”movie” name=”A Hard Day’s Night” description=”A ‘typical’ day in the life of the Beatles, including many of their famous songs.” director=”Richard Lester” actor_1=”John Lennon” actor_2=”Paul McCartney” actor_3=”George Harrison” actor_4=”Ringo Starr”]

    Main Cast John Lennon John, Paul McCartney Paul, George Harrison George, Ringo Starr Ringo
    Rating TV-14
    Release Date Mon 06 Jul 1964 UTC
    Director Richard Lester
    Genres Comedy, Musical
    Plot A ‘typical’ day in the life of the Beatles, including many of their famous songs.
    Poster A Hard Day's Night
    Runtime 87
    Tagline The Beatles starring in their first full-length, hilarious action-packed film !
    Writers Alun Owen (original screenplay)
    Year 1964
  • The LEGO Movie (2014)

    The LEGO Movie (2014)

    #140RVW

    As much fun as you hoped it would be. May not be the Lego movie that ran in your head when you played with the toys, but looks just like it.

    The Lego Movie

    What’s more:

    I don’t feel like this needs to be a particularly long review; the movie is great – go see it, preferably with some kids. It is exactly what is supposed to be – fun.

    The Lego Movie

    Primarily a straightforward story, the joy of the film comes entirely from the playful spirit that has always been synonymous with Lego. Anyone who has watched the countless Lego tv shows, tv movies or played the videogames knows that the creative talent involved with the company possess a wonderful irreverence and sense of humor. So it was no surprise how funny The Lego Movie was.

    The Lego Movie

    What may be surprising to viewers is a twist in the last third act of the movie (which I will not spoil here) that really touches upon the importance of play. Truly wonderful.

    Visually, the movie is fantastic. While the previous Lego properties I mentioned earlier have always done a great job of retaining the physical look of the toys and not overdoing the CG, the creative team behind The Lego Movie have gone even further, completely replicating the look of those little plastic pieces. It often looks like a stop-motion film, as though they have merely animated the movements of your child’s toys. Masterful.

    The Lego Movie

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    Main Cast Will Arnett Batman/Bruce Wayne (voice), Elizabeth Banks Wyldstyle/Lucy (voice), Craig Berry Blake/Additional Voices (voice), Alison Brie Unikitty (voice)
    Rating PG
    Release Date Fri 07 Feb 2014 UTC
    Director Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
    Genres Animation, Action, Comedy, Family
    Plot An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.
    Poster The Lego Movie
    Runtime 100
    Tagline Assembling in 2014
    Writers Dan Hageman (story) &, Kevin Hageman (story) …
    Year 2014