The Good, the bad and the ugly…
or what I watched this week.
White Comanche
William Shatner as half-breed Comanche twins. Isn’t that sentence enough to make you want to see this? It did me.
Unfortunately, what we get is a cheap Spanish (a paella western?) production that not only wastes the talents of Shatner (in his prime between seasons of Star Trek) but those of Joseph Cotton as well.
The story is a simple one - good twin, bad twin, only one will live to see the end credits. The film isn’t helped by a DVD that has obviously been made from a video master and not just any video but one that’s been chewed up in several places. There also seems to be something wrong with the score, it sound like it’s a replacement not the original as it doesn’t fit with the onscreen action, sometimes going for comedy in dramatic moments. It’s either the wrong music or one of worst score I’ve ever heard.
On the plus side Shat’s looks good in cowboy gear (although less convincing as the bad brother in Indian getup) and it’s a shame he never got a better chance to show what he could really do in a western.
The American West of John Ford
This was on the same disc as White Comanche and came as a nice bonus as the front cover only lists it as The American West and I’d assumed it was just another old western (there are four films on the disc in total).
It’s not a particularly insightful documentary as Ford was never one to talk about himself when he could avoid it (and he usually could) but we do get John Wayne, James Stewart and Henry Fonda all talking about working with the great man and that alone makes it worthwhile.
Listening to these three giants of the cinema reminisce about the films they made with Ford with such obvious pleasure is a joy. Wayne in particular cannot hide his deep affection for the old guy even though Ford teases him whenever he gets the opportunity. In fact watching the two of them is almost like watching a father and son. And Wayne I thing always craved Ford’s respect much like a son would.
Kentucky Rifle
Cheap 50’s B western about a broken-down wagon loaded with guns that’s abandoned by a wagon train and the men and women who stay behind to fix it.
Of the cast there’s only Chill Wills gives anything like a good performance. It says a lot about the films low budget origins that Wills, normally a supporting actor, gets top billing.
The film feels amateurish and even the few action scenes fail to generate any excitement.
Bells Of San Angelo
Old Roy Rogers western that is full of clichés. For example - a writer is coming to town who’s name is Lee Madison, so they’re expecting a man but it turns out to be Dale Evans who then pretends to be someone else. See what I mean?
The Sons of the Pioneers are on hand for musical accompaniment and Andy Devine is there for comic relief but there’s nothing to get excited about here.
Just a word of warning about the disc these westerns are on - the cover states ‘digitally mastered’ - translation ‘we put it on a DVD.’
Bad Girls
A ‘gimmick’ western with the twist being the outlaws are girls. Madeleine Stowe, Andie MacDowell, Drew Barrymore and Mary Stuart Masterson all try to be hard but, with one exception, they don’t even come close. Only Stowe comes near to convincing and you just wish she had better material to work with. Having said that Barrymore may not convince but she is certainly entertaining.
There was a time when director Jonathan Kaplan looked like he might be somebody to watch (he made The Accused) but by the time he made this it was clear he had little creative ability. The action scenes are badly shot and poorly edited, there’s no flow to them. It’s no surprise that Kaplan’s ended up working as a TV director.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
The first Ace Ventura film was a laugh out loud comedy but this one barely raises a chuckle. The basic idea is Ace goes to Africa and that should have made for a funny film but sadly, the producers must have thought the idea was enough and not bothered finding a humorous script.
Jim Carrey had moved on from his breakthrough hit to make The Mask, Dumb and Dumber and Batman Forever and he seems bored at having to go back to playing Ace. This may be why, this time, Ventura comes across as annoying instead of funny.
The only moment I really enjoyed was the William Shatner/Twilight Zone bit on the plane.
Con Air
One of the best action movies of the 90’s thanks to a superb cast and some excellent writing. The actors are much better than you would normally find in a film of this type - Nicolas Cage (no stranger to action now, but this was only his second, following The Rock), John Cusack and John Malkovich. But the film is stolen by Steve Buscemi as Garland ‘The Marietta Mangler’ Greene, a perfectly played send-up of Hannibal Lecter.
The films secret weapon is Scott Rosenberg’s script that never takes itself too seriously, it’s also full of quotable lines. It’s a simple story - cons take over a police transport plane in an attempt to escape - with the plane occupied by some of the most unpleasant criminals in the history of cinema with some wonderfully lurid names. On top of the previously mentioned Mr. Greene we also get Cyrus ‘The Virus’ Grissom, William ‘Billy Bedlam’ Bedford, Ramon ‘Sally-Can’t Dance’ Martinez and Swamp Thing.
The standout moment is probably Malkovich and the bunny but there are so many it’s hard to choose. If only all action movies could be this much fun.
Black Jack
The title character is a mysterious surgeon for hire in this anime based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka. The story revolves around attempts by a huge corporation to create a new breed of superhuman. Unfortunately, the test subjects start to self-destruct after a short time. Enter Black Jack to save the day.
The film never really introduces the lead character so you feel you’re coming in part way through a series and thus you never really feel any connection. The fact that he is so aloof anyway doesn’t help. The animation itself is fairly basic, even if it is enhanced by some computer graphics.
Far from essential viewing except by the most fanatical anime lover or fans of the original manga.
Affliction
While this may have some of the trappings of a murder mystery it is nothing of the kind, it’s a character study that gave Nick Nolte the best part he’d had for years, possibly ever. He plays a small town cop whose mental breakdown is at the heart of the film, and at the heart of his breakdown is his violent, drunken father played convincingly by James Coburn.
There are some excellent supporting performances from Willem Dafoe (as Nolte’s brother) and Sissy Spacek, but this is Nolte’s film. He conveys the inner turmoil and, finally, self-revulsion as he sees himself becoming his father.
I expected this to be good, coming from director Paul Schrader, but I had no idea how good, or how powerful a film it would be. It is an emotional journey that builds to a terrible and seemingly inevitable conclusion.
The Mummy
Peter Cushing gives his usual impeccable performance in Hammer’s take on the Mummy story. He plays John Banning one of a team of archaeologists who uncover the tomb of the Egyptian Princess Ananka and a little something extra as well…
Christopher Lee, not yet getting equal billing with Cushing, plays the title role and spends most of the film covered in bandages although he does get to show his face for a short flashback scene. He makes as commanding a Mummy as he did Frankenstein’s Monster the previous year.
Not as good as the Frankenstein and Dracula films that preceded it but still lots of fun in the very British Hammer style.
The Big Lebowski
I’m becoming a Coen brothers fan. Last week I enjoyed Barton Fink and now this comedy masterpiece. Combining the mystery thriller genre with off the wall comedy the film tells the tale of a kidnapping gone wrong and how a case of mistaken identity results in Jeff Bridges’ Dude getting involved more or less against his will.
There are plenty of laugh out loud moments and some great comic turns from Coen regulars like Goodman, Buscemi and particularly John Turturro. The best bowling movie ever made.
