Movies

#140RVW

Ron Howard kicks off his directorial career with a funny classic featuring Hanks, Candy, Levy & the under-rated Daryl Hannah. Great script.

What’s more:

Allen Bauer has found the love of his life, and she’s a mermaid. How simple of a story can you ask for? It’s been 30 years since Ron Howard’s directorial debut splashed into theaters in March of 1984, and the movie still works for similarly simple reasons:

• Fish out of water usually is a pretty reliable comedy theme, and this example is quite literal.
• The screenplay by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel & Bruce Jay Friedman is excellent – it was nominated for an Oscar. (These are serious comedy writers – look em up…)
• Tom Hanks (Allen Bauer) is both funny and likeable, capable of comedy and heart.
• Daryl Hannah (Madison) is one of the most beautiful women on the planet and extremely good in comic roles.
• John Candy (Freddie Bauer) was just transitioning from character actor to bigger roles. This part made him leading man material.

Splash is funny as hell and it is also sweet; this is the definition of feel-good comedy. This genre was something of a cottage industry in the 1980’s and I want it back. I love snarky mean-spirited comedy at least as much as the next guy, but you need these lighter comedies, too.

Ron Howard’s producing partner Brian Grazer came up with the basic idea but it took a while to find a studio. Why anyone on Earth would pass on the idea of a mermaid in Manhattan is beyond me. Disney picked it up, but were nervous about the mermaid wandering around half-naked all the time so they actually created a new company, Touchstone Pictures, to have an arm’s length distance from any uproar. Wow. (Still, they needn’t have worried – I can tell you from exhaustive research that you can’t really see anything. And when I was 11-12 years old, I was really looking…)

The film looks great; it has a really varied palette. The underwater sequences are lovely, the beaches beautiful, and New York City is ugly. There are lots of great interiors and the production seems to mirror Madison’s bewilderment and fascination with this new land.

Yes, Hannah is perfect as Madison, but not because she’s a wonderful mermaid. It’s her scenes on land in which she perfectly conveys the bright, open wonderment of a magical creature who sees the beauty in the world even as we’ve forgotten. The movie opens with a young Allen encountering Madison in a sepia-tinted scene of childish impulse; it’s a perfect beginning, as this tone really defines their later encounter as adults. He may have grown up, but meeting her again reawakens that child-like curiosity.

Alright, I’m laying it on a little thick. Never mind that stuff – it’s got Eugene Levy and the moron twins. So good…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

The Representation Test Score: C (6 pts)

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

Main Cast	Tom Hanks Allen Bauer, Daryl Hannah Madison, Eugene Levy Walter Kornbluth, John Candy Freddie Bauer
Rating	PG
Release Date	Fri 09 Mar 1984 UTC
Director	Ron Howard
Genres	Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Plot	A man is reunited with a mermaid who saves him from drowning as a boy and falls in love not knowing who/what she is.
Poster
Runtime	111
Tagline	Two days ago, this girl showed up naked at the Statue of Liberty. For Allen Bauer, it was love at first sight. Now, everyone is chasing her… trying to prove she’s a mermaid. From the first laugh you’ll be hooked.
Writers	Brian Grazer (story), Bruce Jay Friedman (screen story)
Year	1984

#140RVW

Certainly not the best Irish movie, but a lot of fun. Actually, those rolling greens & beautiful vistas? Isle of Man, England. Oh, well…

What’s more:

I remember seeing this in the theater. If memory serves, indie movies weren’t exactly box office successes at that time, but there was an awful lot of buzz about this fun little comedy.

I really don’t have a ton to say about it, actually. It’s funny and sweet and presents a completely fresh set of faces and characters. It introduces most of us to great actors like David Kelly and James Nesbitt, and it’s generally a real feel-good film. Nothing wrong with that…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

The Representation Test Score: C (6 pts)

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

Main Cast	Ian Bannen Jackie O’Shea, David Kelly Michael O’Sullivan, Fionnula Flanagan Annie O’Shea, Susan Lynch Maggie O’Toole
Rating	PG
Release Date	Fri 20 Nov 1998 UTC
Director	Kirk Jones
Genres	Comedy
Plot	When a lottery winner dies of shock, his fellow townsfolk attempt to claim the money.
Poster
Runtime	91
Tagline	Finally, a comedy that will make you feel like a million bucks.
Writers	Kirk Jones (written by)
Year	1998

#140RVW

Starting from great premise (well-written joke classified ad) newbie team of Connolly & Trevorrow craft funny, smart film that just plays…

What’s more:

This movie just works. The starting point was a joke classified ad placed in Backwoods Home Magazine in 1997 to fill up some dead space. It’s a great little bit of writing by their employee John Silveira, and really begs to be developed into a screenplay.

But it is just an idea; the execution is key. Enter screenwriter Derek Connolly & director Colin Trevorrow, who only had one short film credit between them. One movie later and they’re on Hollywood’s hot list. The reason is this movie: Safety Not Guaranteed.

The plot is simple enough: after reading the aforementioned ad, magazine writer Jeff Schwensen (Jake Johnson) grabs two interns to go investigate the story in Jeff’s hometown, while he attempts to reconcile with his high school sweetheart.

The success of this film, though, is due largely to the character they created, Darius Britt, and the portrayal of same by Aubrey Plaza. The character is an archetype (the under-appreciated unsocial young person looking for greater meaning), but a well-written one, and Plaza really gives the character depth and validity. This is her first major starring role & she finally has something to sink her teeth into.

Mark Duplass, one half of the brotherly filmmaking team, takes a role that could easily be ridiculous and makes something more of it. It’s still funny the way he plays the alleged time-traveller, but it’s not mean-spirited; he is a believable character. Jake Johnson is along for the ride and while his story isn’t entirely necessary, it’s entertaining.

It’s a breezy ride, clocking in at slightly under an hour and a half. It’s funny and different and one to watch.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Fail

The Representation Test Score: B (7 pts)

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

Main Cast	Aubrey Plaza Darius, Mark Duplass Kenneth, Jake Johnson Jeff, Karan Soni Arnau
Rating	R
Release Date	Thu 18 Oct 2012 UTC
Director	Colin Trevorrow
Genres	Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Plot	Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.
Poster
Runtime	86
Tagline
Writers	Derek Connolly (written by)
Year	2012

#140RVW

Falling somewhere between a send-up & a celebration of action movies, Cornetto#2 tonally inconsistent & far too long, but wonderfully funny.

What’s more:

Action comedies often have a hard time finding the right balance between comedy and action. Too often what it really means is that the movie is a comedy for most of the first two acts before becoming stupid violent in the third act and completely forgetting to be funny (until the decidedly cheery coda, which pretends that all of the seriousness and bloodshed of the climax didn’t just happen).

Hot Fuzz unfortunately is another example of this; sort of. Unlike a Hollywood picture, Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg’s script is intentionally written as a celebration of action movies. They aren’t spoofing action movies, but they are deliberately reveling in all of the clichés of those movies. This ambition leads the movie to have a bit of an identity crisis; it feels like a spoof but doesn’t embrace it fully.

The result is a VERY long movie for the type. That is, if it’s a comedy. If it’s just an action movie, well, 2 hours is fine. But that’s too long for a comedy. And I think that whatever other aspirations they may have had, Wright & Pegg were aiming for laughs. And Hot Fuzz provides those in buckets. This is a seriously funny movie.

Simon Pegg & Nick Frost are arguably the best comedy duo working at the moment. Their familiarity with each other leads to some great material and is one of the reasons they can take on so many different genres. The supporting cast is fantastic, and there are a slew of cameos if you look for them (although I didn’t recognize Cate Blanchett or Peter Jackson – I’ll let you Google it). 

Hot Fuzz is a great movie. But it needs a serious haircut…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Fail

The Representation Test Score: C (4 pts)

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

Main Cast	Simon Pegg Nicholas Angel, Nick Frost PC Danny Butterman, Martin Freeman Met Sergeant, Bill Nighy Met Chief Inspector
Rating	R
Release Date	Wed 14 Feb 2007 UTC
Director	Edgar Wright
Genres	Action, Comedy
Plot	Exceptional London cop Nicholas Angel is involuntarily transferred to a quaint English village and paired with a witless new partner. While on the beat, Nicholas suspects a sinister conspiracy is afoot with the residents.
Poster
Runtime	121
Tagline	They’re bad boys. They’re die hards. They’re lethal weapons. They are…
Writers	Edgar Wright (written by) &, Simon Pegg (written by)
Year	2007

#140RVW

Another one of those movies that looks like a really stupid concept but makes for a fantastic film because of brilliant execution. #NoBrakes

What’s more:

I’m always amazed how certain “high concept” movies get made; movies that rely on a central premise that seems limiting. The Fast & Furious movies, for example; they are all about cars and crime, but there’s a limit to how much crime you can undertake while driving – sooner or later you need to get out of the car. Reminds me of the tv show spoof on the Simpsons years ago about a crime-fighting boat.

So I felt reasonably justified in dismissing Premium Rush outright; a chase movie on bicycles. Sounds ridiculous.

Fortunately, the presence of Joseph Gordon-Levitt convinced me to give it a try. JGL is money, plain and simple, and usually worth sticking around even if the project seems weak.

Glad I made the time; the loss would have been entirely mine, otherwise, because Premium Rush is a tight little action picture. A thriller, yes, but really mostly a chase movie. There’s little to no mystery involved, and the outcome is never really in doubt.

David Koepp has written or co-written some of the biggest movies of the last 25 years, but this is only his fifth directing gig. He keeps the action really tight and engaging. He uses visual tricks like map overlays and a neat effect where the courier visualizes potential outcomes of his route choices; these work well.

He also screws with the timeline, speeding up the story, then darting back to fill in blanks, all while a clock zooms to track what time it is; this works less well. The whole flashback/forward thing is best used sparingly and in movies with more mystery to them.

Also, when the clock first appeared on screen I thought that the courier’s delivery was going to unfold in real time and was excited by this great storytelling device. So I was even more let down when it didn’t happen. Run with that idea, screenwriters…

This is a minor quibble; I wouldn’t have even mentioned it except that speed and the lifestyle of these bike couriers is so integral to the feel of the story. And that tone makes for a very good film. It helps that it wisely doesn’t pad the runtime; it’s a quick 90-minutes of constant movement. Great stuff.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

The Representation Test Score: B (7 pts)

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

Main Cast	Joseph Gordon-Levitt Wilee, Michael Shannon Bobby Monday, Dania Ramirez Vanessa, Sean Kennedy Marco
Rating	PG-13
Release Date	Fri 24 Aug 2012 UTC
Director	David Koepp
Genres	Action, Crime, Thriller
Plot	In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.
Poster
Runtime	91
Tagline	Ride Like Hell
Writers	David Koepp (written by) &, John Kamps (written by)
Year	2012