Timelessness: Duck Soup

Well, The Onion can do it more glibly with their review of the Marx Bros. collection and all, but for me and most folks, this is the big one. And I've given a lot of thought to the whole Marx Bros. thing. Or, perhaps not enough... Maybe just the right amount. This was on our TiVo and we all sat down and watched and laughed our asses off.
Anyway, there's two concurrent thoughts here. First of all, this is probably the quartet's thematic pinnacle, having built up to it in their previous four films. Somehow, dealing with a group of disgruntled hotel workers in The Cocoanuts, not as funny. Larger targets were in their sights. Animal Crackers: tackling the myth of the African hunter. Monkey Business: starting with the cruise ship half of A Night At The Opera and ending with a big finale in a barn... okay, bad example. Still, you gotta like Harpo's big scene at the passport checking point. Horse Feathers: college. And college football... right? Of course, for Groucho, playing "God" in Skidoo must've been a slight ego boost.
But secondly, for the brothers Marx, it always comes back to family. And loyalty. Groucho and Zeppo are the establishment, and Chico and Harpo the underdogs, all duking it out comedically. Hard to say who gets the upper hand in these things. Groucho usually wins with his sharp wit, but Chico manages to keep up pretty good, particularly the extended sequence in A Day at The Races where he manages to bilk Groucho out of six dollars selling him books on horse racing. But by the end of the movie, they're all on the same side, teamed up against the stiffs in the movie. In Duck Soup, the stiff is Ambassador Trentino... that lucky bastard! Him and Harold Lloyd, huh? Harpo is the source of two recurring jokes: cutting things with scissors, carrying around a big portable welder, the peanut stand... three... at least four recurring jokes: cutting things with scissors, the peanut stand, the welder/cigar lighter/flashlight, and driving off, leaving Groucho behind, with the comedy motorcycle and sidecar. The songs don't slow down the action too much, and Harpo's "harp" solo is cut short this time, but of course, there's the big comedic climax that's not even the end of the movie! Groucho and Harpo's mirror face-off. Everyone from Sesame Street to The X-Files have done an homage to this timeless bit of frivolity. Apparently, Max Linder did it first, though, in Seven Years Bad Luck. I'm kind of a stickler for originality, but still, in the long run, I think the Marx brothers did it better. Robert Osborne mentioned this time that the film's 77 years old, but I think modern audiences will be surprised by its rapid-fire editing and intelligent content, and I'm pretty sure they'll still be watching it 77 years from now and beyond. Is this not the marker of our era? What will we be watching and listening to centuries into the future? Probably not Wheeler and Woolsey, I'm thinking.

****
-so sayeth The Movie Hooligan

Worst Dick Cavett show EVER!

Last seen on: Fox Movie Channel. They'd never show it on Fox News Movie Channel
I hate to be so glib, but HealtH does suck. I originally thought it was spelled H.E.A.L.T.H. so I'd get to say H.E.A.L.T.H. S.U.C.K.S. but instead, to be grammatically correct, it's HealtH SuckS. But, like most Altman pictures, there's something about it. Oh, maybe if I was watching it by myself I'd sit through the whole thing... or, maybe just wash dishes and crank up the sound, something like that. Now, the Maltin guide (spelling it "Health") says Alfre Woodard steals the show, and it is weird to see her looking so young and still with some of her baby fat, but for me, Glenda Jackson takes the cake. Britain's Ellen Burstyn, she apparently drew on her life experience as a former member of Parliament to play Isabella Garnell, the self-important political candidate for... I never really was able to figure that out. Was she and Lauren Bacall running for President of the United States, or for President of the HealtH gathering? Oh, I guess it was for the big presidency, given Carol Burnett's character saying over and over that she was from the White House. Maybe the premise was too far out for the time, or maybe it was the perfect reflection of California politics at the time. Cavett looked like he was working harder than he wanted to on this movie. And of course, James Garner plays Carol Burnett's ex-husband, a blatant opportunity for witty PG-rated reparteé. I was watching this with a couple viewing companions and a vote was taken to abort the proceedings just around the time Jackson was delivering a speech through a megaphone from that high-up tower. I swear I thought I saw Lori Singer as a young waitress.
Update: Sunday, Dec. 19: RODALE FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

**1/2
-so sayeth The Movie Hooligan

Auteur Watch - Sally Potter

Everybody's turning 60! What a depressing age to be. But Sally's got quite the C.V. to show for it! Look at that. Director, composer... is she not one of those lucky exceptional few that Ayn Rand kept trying to kiss up to? I hear she also fills in for Bonnie Raitt on the road sometimes. Still, there's probably no topping all the hoopla around Orlando. I think even she'd admit that. Not that Yes and Rage weren't all the rage in their own rights, of course, but there's nothing like making your first big impression on the international stage, cinematically. So it's hard to say which decade is Potter's favourite. Personally, I'd have to go with the 70s. I mean, look at that break in between Hors d'oeuvres and Thriller! Eight years! Good Lord. A lot of strutting around to The Bee Gees in high heels with goldfish in the heels, giant red-colored Afro wigs and bell-bottom jeans.

And a spooky Thanksgiving to all

Look! It's Abraham Lincoln's creepy cousin at Hogwarts! Another nice payday for J.K. Simmons... I mean, J.K. Rowling. And Steve Kloves on backup. Bet he's going to want to direct again! Harry Potter 7a, as I like to call it, made a hefty one eighth of a billion dollars this weekend. Not quite enough to cover Rowling's royalty payments, but it's a great start. All the others suffer as a consequence: for example, Megamind in a distant 2nd place with a mere 16 million in the bank this week. Where's the justice? The other debuts this week are The Next Three Days and the Valerie Plame story, Fair Game. Well, to us cinephiles, there's only ONE Fair Game, and it's the 1995 thriller with Cindy Crawford! Am I right? Is that one no less of an asset to our international security?

Watered-Down Fowls, or Not Quite Fierce Enough...

I can't help but think of what a friend once said about Fierce Creatures back in the day of its initial theatrical release: "Wow. They didn't even phone it in." Or that they went down swinging, but without swinging, something to that effect. But I am a sucker for anything with that Panavision look to it... or am I? It seems to have a cooling effect for comedy. But God bless 'em, the respective directors stuck by their cameramen. Well, Fred by Ian Baker, anyway. Biddle's more of a free-lancer in comparison... was, but we will always have his work on City Slickers 2 to cherish!
Anyway, Fierce Creatures is kinda right up my alley now, thematically, as it has to do with the economy, and making money where money shouldn't be made: prisons, health care, and zoos, for starters. But people do love types like Rupert Murdoch... I mean, Rod McCain, and even for them, money doesn't grow on trees. They have to go out and find it somewhere. Encouraged by the success of Dave, Kevin Kline plays two parts here, and much like the plot of Dave, well... have I given too much away? Probably. For me, I am a prude at heart, and while I appreciated the lengths cast and crew went to to make this a sexual farce, it still was a little too obvious, but Jamie Lee Curtis's mixed feelings are the fuses that burn for the length of a movie before the dynamite explodes... and even THAT was a bit tepid. As a sequel to A Fish Called Wanda... dare I make the case that they're both just as good? Nah, but the strength of both seemed to be based on Kline, but clearly Vince McCain is no match for Otto.
And the animals were cute. Beautiful plumage!! Unfortunately for me, W.C. Fields' character in If I Had A Million is named Rollo La Rue, not Rollo Lee. They did their homework.

**1/2
-so sayeth The Movie Hooligan

Auteur Watch - Lori Petty

I gotta tread lightly here. I get the feeling that if I'm too harsh on Tank Girl here, I'll hear from her personally. But what's not to like? Seriously? I can't find that one image from Point Break in time, but I think you all know the one I mean... she and Keanu are in bed, the overhead shot. No wonder that Kathryn Bigelow won best director! Somehow seems a cruel fate, though, that the nerdy girl from Tank Girl is now playing Valerie Plame. Just shows to go you... reminds me! Didn't Sandra Bullock play the nerdy girl at least once? ...yup! Gave her the works: glasses, buck teeth, everything. Well, they always get glasses but not necessarily buck teeth! Oh, and Lori was also in A League of Their Own, for all the good it did her. And so, she looked at all the hacks who are already directors: Penny Marshall, Rachel Talalalalalalalalay, and she thought to herself: well, hell, how hard is that? Plenty, apparently, as she's only directed the big two: Horrible Accident... lemme guess, a short film? And The Poker House. Now you would think, it being co-written by funny man David Alan Grier, that it's a comedy, but then you check out the MPAA rating and you see "Rated R for language, and disturbing content involving a minor including rape, sexual content and drug/alcohol abuse"... yeah, it's a comedy. Good double bill with... what else? World's Greatest Dad comes to mind. Not too many prestigious organizations reviewed it, but you know why? Because they're jealous, and pretty girls kick ass, and they know it. Something like that. Damn, I'm turning so simple.

Update: Speaking of simple, here's a link to earlier, happier days...

Another son of a bitchin' blackout!

If this were my power company, it never would've happened... nobody? Well, never mind then! I'm not even going to put up the hyperlink for it! Oh, so far behind again, but at least I'm getting an earlier start this week. Oh, I put up that image because I went through a bad power outage yesterday. Not that I'm going to do anything about it, of course. Solar panels? My own wind turbine? Shyeah, right. Who's got the time or the money?
Anyway, back to more important matters. The debuts this week are: Unstoppable, Skyline and Morning Glory. Oh, good. Skyline gives me another sibling pair to profile for next year. Only got six left to have all 52 weeks covered... sort of. Wasn't someone saying something about how Harrison Ford gets all the scripts in Hollywood? That might change after this...

Auteur Watch - Jocelyn Moorhouse

Is that Michael Shannon's twin sister? No! It's our latest auteur, Jocelyn Moorhouse. She was a little late to the big Aussie Wave of the 80s, but she just shows to go you that you can never keep quality down! Cream still rises to the top? My smart friends tell me otherwise. Starting with her student film debut in 1983, Pavane, she decided to backpack through Europe for the next 8 years until her TV debut with The Flying Nun... Doctors. And then, it was time to take center Australia's stage with 1991's Proof with future megastars Agent Smith and Maximus Anti-Paparazzius. They, of course, have yet to return the favour, the basterds.
Moorhouse made her American film debut during the 90s feminist wave with How To Make an American Quilt, her combination of The Crow and... let's say, Beaches. That just barely crossed the box office finish line, allowing her to do a second film. It was A Thousand Acres, give or take a few. She'd be writing more in a year or two. I guess she got fed up with the biz and retired early or something. Seems like that doesn't happen as often anymore. Too much at stake nowadays.

Who wants Box Office Loaf?

Oh, I'm on it this week. It's been a while since I did an image with a bunch of other images all smooshed together, but somehow this week it's appropriate, especially since Tyler Perry's fall 2010 entry has FINALLY showed up! What's the deal, dude? Why keep us waiting like that? Last year, September 11th: I Can Do Bad All By Myself lands at #1. The people were ready to laugh and cry and feel in equal amounts, and laugh / cry / feel they did in droves. You blew it, man!
Anyway, the big 'news' this week: DreamWorks does it again, big surprise. They're like Tyler Perry now too, apparently. Their spring hit was that Dragon thing, and now that it's out on video here comes Megamind. Time to roll out the Will Ferrell slogans! Genius, funny, LMAO, you know the drill. I mean, how can the man NOT be funny? When he played the homeless nude model on SNL (Lucy Lawless!), he made you laugh, then cry, then laugh again. But how many of you contributed to Southern Poverty Law Center after that bit? Egg-zactly. And Tina Fey's along for the ride as well. Same deal: genius, funny, LMAO. But she hasn't forgotten her roots: she still fights the good fight and brings the pain to everyone from Playboy to Victoria's Secret with her unisex calendar on the most recent Night of Too Many Stars. And, for the ladies, Jonah Hill. Admit it, gals, you secretly want a hefty guy, no? Dating the vain bodybuilder gets old after a while, or so I've heard.
At #2, the road trip movie's bourne anew. From the director of 2000's Road Trip comes Due Date. And don't kid yourself: you may think director Todd Phillips has grown up and lost touch with his audience, but it doesn't explain the success of The Hangover or the current filming of The Hangover Part Two. Mel Gibson or no, all involved are here to stay. Maybe Downey Jr. could fill in for Mel! Would that be an act of betrayal? Speaking of Mel Gibson, if he came out with a film called For Colored Girls, well... can you imagine the $#!tstorm that would follow it? Can you, Dr. Laura? Of course, it would be in Aramaic so no one would understand it. But it's Tyler Perry, so all is forgiven. They say he's been writing plays since he was 18, but to me it seems like he wrote ALL his plays when he was 18 and have just now been turning them all into movies. Don't get me wrong, the man does have a sense of showmanship. That Madea keeps current, don't kid yourself! One hand on the Bible, the other with a copy of Jet Magazine... something like that. And his troupe of actors is ever expanding! Janet Jackson, Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad, WHOOPI GOLDBERG! A veritable Who's Who. Victory will only be complete when Denzel stops by, or maybe even Sidney Poitier. This one probably could've used a little more Madea and a little less Precious, but he's going out on a limb this time, you gotta give him mad props for that. And farming out the writing this time; good move.

Short Reviews - October 2010

Yo STEW-BEEF!!
Damn. I was digitizing an old Premiere magazine from, like, 12 years ago, and it had this catchy article about the top 300 stars of today that'll last forever... something like that. And so, let's go through the list.

Ewan MacGregor: check.
Kate Winslet: check.
Paul Thomas Anderson: check.
Freddie Prinze Jr.: ouch.
brandy norwood... who?
norman reedus... who?
natalie portman: check.
Adrien brody: check.
Aaron Eckhart: check.
Will Smith: And how!
Charlize Theron: check.
Andrew Niccol: who?
Jennifer Lopez: oh, please. What was that piece of crap she was in this year? Bound for Glory? When in Rome?... The Back-Up Plan! That's it!
Wes Anderson: yeah
Sarah Polley: oh, don't be so mean to Josephine!
Edward Norton: check.
Youki Kudoh: who?
Leo DiCaprio: check.
Isaiah Washington:... oh, wait, that's just the next article. Never mind.


Burlesque - It is beautiful, no matter what the critics say. Bad reviews can't bring it down, oh no...

Life as We Know It - Yeah, we already know about how awful changing a diaper can be!!

Buried - Ryan Reynolds buried alive. What's not to like?

Secretariat - Will Success Spoil Randall Wallace?

It's Kind of a Funny Story - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

Oliver Stone's Wild Palms - Good thing I was scanning my old 1993 Variety magazine. Otherwise, I never would've heard of it!

Zoolander 2? - Oh yeah, it needs a question mark.

Police Academy: Mission To Moscow - Interesting cast, actually. Claire Forlani? Ken Davitian? (Borat) ... as Curly might say, I STILL say it's him!

Red Dragon - Just reading my Universal DVD Showcase email newsletter. Universal's buying up MGM too? Kewl. Why not?

The Dark Knight Rises - It WON'T be shot in 3D, and the Riddler WON'T be in it, according to director Chris Nolan... in another surprise announcement, Nolan has just been replaced as director by... let's say, Marc Webb or that bastard Walt Becker.

Love & Other Drugs - Your love, your love, your love... is my drug

When In Rome - Saw about the first two minutes of it. Everybody should have a trident of fawning nerds to look after you at all times! Well, it might get annoying after a while, to be sure.

Monsters - I love you Gareth Edwards!

Monsters, Inc. - I love you Mike Lebowski!

Auteur Watch - Elaine May

If you can't get something for the girl who already has everything, what do you get the girl with something like Ishtar on her resumé? Ouch. Of course, a nut like me has a special place in his heart for Ishtar... at least, the first thirty minutes of it before it makes that big creaky left turn into Hope/Crosbyville, as Maltin puts it. Being the girl half of the Nichols and May duo from the early... 60s? Doesn't she get to direct, too? She did her own Graduate which decidedly wasn't as good, but is it not worthy of a remake? Oh, right... But she did learn harsh lessons about Hollywood when working on A New Leaf, and that is: Paramount reserves the right to cut your film in half. If it's a 3 hour epic, too bad! And apparently Robert Evans is responsible! Naughty boy. But he is a handsome man, so he must be forgiven immediately, if not right away. But not for Kid Notorious. It was awful. Now available on DVD with commentary!
But after something like Ishtar, it's best to take a little break, and break she did. Back to work for Nichols, resulting in the screenplays for The Birdcage and Primary Colors. Apparently, the Joe Klein Curse and the Ishtar Curse were too much for even her to handle, as the trail goes cold after that. A toast to Elaine May's emeritus years!!!!!

Ho hum, another Halloween B.Off.

Greetings, my 8 followers! Oh, I'm so behind again. Well, things come up, and I have a thing for this Tetris Battle game on Facebook. Better watch out, though: I get the feeling it's a hacker's paradise. Had to change my FB password... I know, big shocker, right? I've only had to change mine about three times now, fortunately, so I'm new to all this.
Anyway, on to this week's box office. Speaking of new to all this, apparently it's the last Saw movie at #1. Oh, but it's the first one in 3D! They can't quit now! 3D makes everything seem fresh and new, just like HD sorta does. Footloose is still the same, though. Saw some of that this week. Meanwhile, do you realize that Malkovich has TWO movies in the Top 10? Red and Secretariat! One of which falls in line with the Bohemian Manifesto's philosophy. I can't see them liking Red... I mean, Secretariat. Frankly, both. Clint Eastwood goes slumming on CBS Sunday to plug his latest, Hereafter. He just doesn't get it. American audiences don't go for the art house movies anymore, if they ever did. Gran Torino 2! That's what they want! He was just hurt REAL BAD, but he's back with a new pickup and one of those new Mustangs that doesn't look as classic. Maybe he should get a Tesla Roadster. The only other debut this week is Conviction, directed by Tony Goldwyn. They say he's an actor's director, but ... and I hate to be sarcastic at a time like this, but don't you have to be able to act to be an actor's director? Oh, no he di'int!